Rating: 
Summary: WELL, WHAT ARE THE OTHER "TOP TIER" ROMANCE AUTHORS WRITING?
Review: I love this author. I have all her books and have watched her grow in breadth and skill. When she has a new book, I buy it immediately - new and in hard cover or revisions of earlier books.This one was a "small disappointment" - those who have read her STARS books will recognize the quote. Actually, it was a big disappointment. I found the main characters unsympathetic and somewhat boring. The concept of the book is great, making its reality somehow worse. SEP has a sense of humor about the realities of life, the challenges of growing beyond where a character currently is - fun, sexy, human and positive. BREATHING ROOM disappoints.
Rating: 
Summary: 2 stars in SEP's standard.........
Review: firstly i have to say that this is my leats favourite book of SEP's book ive read so far...... this is not really much of her humopr in this one and its just so and tooo SEP...... it seems to talk more about his ex-wife than him.... their story are not really developed the story was just liek okay.. it doesnt really get me excited or waiting to see whats next...... i have to admit its rather a disappointment.......
Rating: 
Summary: One of my favorite romances
Review: The first three chapters were downright depressing but after that I smiled my way through most of the rest of the book. The witty dialogue reminded me of one of those screwball comedies from the 1930s like "Topper" or "Bringing up Baby" -- so much fun!! This was the kind of romance where the two main characters enjoy the heck out of each other and you know that they will have a happy and lasting marriage. (I hate romances where the "hero" treats the heroine like dirt until the second to the last page where suddenly he declares his undying devotion.)Isobel and Ren start off on the wrong foot but they are able to mend the fences very quickly. I especially loved the character of Isobel. Sure she was a control freak, but she was willing and able to bend and grow. And Ren was the perfect man to help her to do it. I found Isobel to be the most mature heroine I've ever read about. And I mean that in a good way. And just because her life was in shambles doesn't mean she couldn't continue to be a good councilor - psychologists do it all the time. It's called being a professional. This book was not without its faults but I found the problems easy to forgive. I thought this was one of the best romance books I have ever read and definitely the best SEP novel. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: What Fun!
Review: I just finished reading "Breathing Room" for the second time. Nearly all of SEP's books are on my keeper shelf and are dog-eared from re-reads. This will, no doubt, be one of them One previous reviewer was turned off because Isabel was dowdy and plain. She wasn't! She just dressed a different way and had worked hard to make herself appear professional. The best thing about this book, other than the tour of Tuscany, is the banter and sizzle between Ren and Isabel. She doesn't take his guff and he is caught by that. He's bored by women throwing themselves at him. They are a perfect match. I thought the hunt for the fertility statue could have been left out, but it did serve to introduce some delightful characters. Also, the secondary romance of Ren's ex-wife and her estranged husband was wonderful. I enjoyed the heck out of this book both times I've read it. No doubt, I will again some other winter's night.
Rating:
Summary: ~ I Did Not Enjoy The Main characters ~
Review: I am giving this book 3 1/2 stars. I did not enjoy the two main characters in this s book. They did nothing of me. I did enjoy the others, I liked Tracy and her kids, and I also l liked her husband Larry, every time they went to Ren and Isabel, I couldn't wait to get back to Tracy and Larry, If the story was just about them then I would have give this book 4 stars. Happy Reading Lisa
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: Susan Elizabeth Phillips is a big deal these days... a big star in the publishing world, who sells lots and lots of books. So why should I write a review? After all, what does one more review matter? Well, I can't help myself. I just have to say to anyone out there thinking about whether or not to buy this book that ... it's wonderful. It's Susan Elizabeth Phillips at the top of her game, writing a deft, dramatic, emotional story about two people who find love with one another. Yes, they're both flawed. Yes, he can be a bit of a flake. Yes, she can be a sanctimonious prig at times. But who among us is without flaws? :) It's a romance novel, but don't let that label get you down if you're not a "romance reader." It's just a plain, old, wonderful story, with great characters and a description of Tuscany that makes me want to quit my job and run away to Italy tonight.
Rating:
Summary: Its Like Eating Chocolate!
Review: It's orgasmic, addictive, and just makes you want more when you're finished. I bought the book the day it came out and let it sit on my shelf for a week. I couldn't bring myself to read it because I knew I'd finish it in one reading and then I'd be craving more. Each one of SEP's books is interesting and written pretty well, but her last two hardcovers..."This Heart of Mine" and "The Breathing Room" are her best work. "The Breathing Room" isn't a conventional romance, it's a novel that comes alive and wraps itself around your heart. SEP sinks her hands into the depths of the human soul and truly captures every emotion in words that come together like poetry.
Both Ren and Isabel are well-developed, a truly complimentary couple. I love the fact that all of SEP's novels feature characters that are almost polar opposites, usually very stubborn, independent and righteous. Even the sub-plot between Ren's ex-wife and her husband is fully developed and thoroughly enjoyable. I'm the kind of reader that usually flips through sub-plot scenes but you can't really pull this one away from the rest of the story. It fits in there perfectly and without it the book really couldn't be whole.
You won't regret buying this one, don't wait for the paperback! Buy it. You'll probably be reading it more than once.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable
Review: This is the first time I have read a 368 page book in less than a week! This book really kept my interest...and believe me, that's hard to do. Very enjoyable story.
Rating:
Summary: Not much "breathing room" in this one.
Review: Hard for me to "breathe" with this one, it was too awful! I had this book for a long time until I got around to reading it. This was a good thing because by now I've forgotten what I paid for it so, I'm not sure how much of a waste of money it was. Isabel's negative traits: self righteous, controlling, arrogant, obsessive, superior, annoying, boring, judgmental, prissy. Those are just the ones I can think of offhand. Her positive traits: OK, let me think a minute, I'm sure there's something. She seemed to like kids? Her fiancé left her after falling in love with a frumpy older woman whom he had gotten pregnant. Her accountant ran off with her money. Her career tanked. But that didn't stop her from assuming she knew what was best for everyone else and telling them about it! She's definitely not in a position to give advice! Heal Thyself. Ren was a likeable enough guy, nowhere near the 'bad boy' the media would have you think. He was however either stupid or masochistic or both to get involved with Isabel. What could a man like Ren possibly see in this woman? Or really any man for Pete's sake. And how could she appeal to a man after she dictated her list of 'rules' for them having sex? 'Can't do this, can't do that, I'm in charge, I call the shots.' Can you say "kill the mood"? And what was with the last couple of chapters? For awhile there I thought I'd dozed off and woke up in another book! Castle ruins, lightning, goddess (yeah right), statues (cue dramatic music)! This definitely goes into the 'giveaway' pile! Although I'm not sure if there's anyone I dislike enough to give it to. I can highly recommend Ms. Phillip's "Kiss An Angel" which is one of my favorite books. Also "It Had To Be You".
Rating:
Summary: BELOW PAR.
Review: I DIDN'T THINK IT COULD GET MUCH WORSE THAN LADY BE GOOD AND DREAM A LITTLE DREAM BUT SHE HAD TO GO AND PROVE ME WRONG. NOT GOOD ENOUGH FROM THIS AUTHOR.
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