Heroes Are My Weakness - Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Heroes Are My Weakness

By Susan Elizabeth Phillips

  • Release Date: 2014-08-26
  • Genre: Contemporary Romance
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 230 Ratings

Description

New York Times bestselling author Susan Elizabeth Phillips is back with a delightful novel filled with her sassy wit and dazzling charm. 

He's a reclusive writer whose imagination creates chilling horror novels. She's a down-on-her-luck actress reduced to staging kids' puppet shows. He knows a dozen ways to kill his characters with his bare hands. She knows a dozen ways to kill an audience with laughs. But she's not laughing now.

Annie Hewitt has arrived on Peregrine Island in the middle of a snowstorm and at the end of her resources. She's broke, dispirited, but not quite ready to give up. Her red suitcases hold the puppets she uses to make her living: sensible Dilly, spunky Scamp, and Leo, the baddest of bad guys. Her puppets, the romantic novels she loves, and a little bit of courage are all she has left.

Annie couldn't be more ill prepared for what she finds when she reaches Moonraker Cottage or for the man who dwells in Harp House, the mysterious mansion that hovers above the cottage. When she was a teenager, he betrayed her in a way she can never forget or forgive. Now they're trapped together on a frozen island along with a lonely widow, a mute little girl, and townspeople who don't know how to mind their own business.

Is he the villain she remembers, or has he changed? Her head says no. Her heart says yes.

It's going to be a long, hot winter.

Reviews

  • Heroes are my weakness

    5
    By Rose likes to tead
    Loved this book. Very entertaining characters and stories.
  • Heros Are My Weakness

    5
    By Tiggy/Cookie
    I don't know how I missed this book because I read every book this author writes. I loved it ! Thanks as always for transporting me, involving me, entertaining me with another wonderful story. As always I will be looking forward to your next book.
  • A wee bit quirky and awesome!

    5
    By Awaz7
    I love SEPs books! I will confess that at the start of this one I thought, huh? This heroine was more than a wee bit quirky even for SEP. And the hero, seemingly not much of a hero. But stick it out! It soon turns into one of her best, funniest and wittiest books. The ending is sublime. Hated to turn the last page on Annie, Theo and all the special characters in this book.
  • the balance of information, humor, intrigue, tension and personalities just worked for me

    4
    By glhince
    Recommendations aside, how was it possible for me to refuse a story described as a modern-day Jane Eyre and set off the Maine Coast (I summered there for years). Short answer – no way. And I am so glad that I did, despite the slower than expected start to reach the ‘meat of the story. Annie has returned to an island that she summered at as a kid, with several reservations: the island holds some bad memories of Theo Harp – an inveterate bully. Of course, the reasons for her return are mixed up with a legacy from her mother, and she’s not all that busy working now, so just how bad could it be? Theo is a writer of horror, and the setting and his initial introduction was less than endearing: from his nasty childhood behaviors to his rather emo personality kept him at arm’s length for me for quite a while. Phillips’ writing and developmental arc for him, however, did give him that Heathcliff feel, even as I found him more intriguing by the end. Of course, this is an island and in the middle of winter it should have felt claustrophobic, not as charming or endearing as in summer, but the interactions with the townsfolk, her never-ending interactions with her puppets (some quirky, others funny but always helping her to compartmentalize her own interior thoughts) and the moments with Annie and the Puppets and Livia, who at four does not speak, are wonderfully intriguing and full of life. While the mystery of who wants Annie off the island wasn’t overwhelming, the threads tied together nicely to keep a bit of additional tension. Slow to start, with lots of information presented in Annie’s conversations with her puppets, her character shows a deeply developed interior life that impacts her desire and intrigue for Theo – the need to know his why was more important than anything else. And his silence caused from guilt and deep sorrows is a deep well that she shines a light into. Their chemistry was variable: I’d see it then not – best shown with the dialogue and jibes they threw at one another, their slower more sensual moments became more believable as the story progressed. I’m not a reader who gravitates to stories that keep me filled with tension waiting for the shoe to drop, and the balance of information, humor, intrigue, tension and personalities just worked for me. I’m now off to add more of this author’s books to my shelf. I received a paperback copy of the title from the publisher for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility
  • Forgive is devine

    4
    By 2kasmom
    Annie Hewitt and Theo Harp go way back. They have a very painful and yet sexy past. He was all she wanted back then. He also barely gave her the time of day. Until the day he almost caused her demise. Now back on the same island in winter, they are both back at the same time. She is still scared of him, in fear of what he may yet still to do her. He is intimidating and yet, kind. How can that be? Theo has had bad experiences with relationships and seeing Annie again is changing his look on what could have been. Regrets steal moments instead of make memories. He is attracted to her, can he act on it without her doing him in? Annie is starting to see the man beneath the villain she has made him out to be. She cannot help but be attracted to him physically, his charm, his humor. Can you forgive someone who hurt you? Can you fall for them more than once? Annie and Theo are finding that sometimes life and love are not so simple. Many tragedies are happening to Annie and it cannot be a coincidence. Theo wants only to protect, but Annie is afraid to trust. This book is heartwarming, fun and makes me laugh out loud! I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this story. ***This ARC copy was given for review purposes only.
  • Good, not great

    3
    By Delikins
    Everyone's annoyed by the puppets but I think they're a clever device for revealing the heroine's inner monologues. I'm far more disappointed by the mediocrity of the love story itself, and by the lack of development of the hero's character. A good book but not a keeper. I felt no passion but only felt frustrated by a jumbled set of plot lines. Not up to par
  • Great story

    5
    By LaurelAR16
    I always love SEP stories. This was very original and kept me guessing on the mystery until the author decided to reveal.
  • Great SEP Book

    5
    By SR507
    I am big fan and have read all SEP books, being honest the puppet dialog was a little weird and had it not been SEP I probably would not have continued on the purchase this book. I am glad I did as this is another wonderful story, I enjoyed the witty chemistry between the main characters and weirdly the puppets worked. I found myself laughing out load as usually with her books, you just have to think outside the box, another good story.
  • Love the brooding hero!

    4
    By Cheryl SDS
    Good story with several shocking plot twists! The only thing I have to complain about is the puppet voices that kept talking to Annie throughout the book. Creepy! I almost did not read this book because of it. I'm glad I chose to read it. I love what Annie ultimately decided to do with her talent as a ventriloquist. Very inspiring! I'm also a little in love with Theo, who turned out to be one of those plot twists I mentioned earlier. Livia is so adorable. There's too much going on in this story to write a short paragraph about the events on the island, so you'll have to read it yourself. It's a very complete story with a weird beginning (due to the puppet conversations) that just kept getting better as I read further into the story. Any questions you have while reading are answered by the end. This is one of those books that you feel satisfied with by the time it's over. You just "sigh" because all is right in the world again. Received a copy in exchange for an honest review.
  • Good but not great (B)

    3
    By Janenaskro
    While I would rank SEP as one of the most consistent romance writers, I didn't think this was her best effort. The puppet dialog was distracting and off-putting. Frankly, had it not been SEP with her incredible track record, I would have abandoned this book after the first few pages. I'm glad I stuck with it, as I did enjoy the quirky heroine and her snappy dialog with the hero. Puppets had a place in the story. I just didn't like the constant dialog in the heroine's head (and even the hero had the puppet sickness by the end of the book!)

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