Rating: 
Summary: How could you not love this book??
Review: If you love to review great books (and I do), when you compare the author's works with another's, at least stay within the genre. I would group Carly Phillips say, with the Lori Foster contemporary romance novels, particularly the Buckhorn Brothers series. The Chandler brothers are believable characters. Roman, Rick and Chase become real to me because I have known men who remind me strongly of them. Ms. Phillips has well-fleshed out her men with human frailties and sexy, charming traits. In The Playboy, Rick Chandler's mother is obsessed with marrying off her boys and becoming a grandmother. Later Raina admits she just wants to see her boys settled and happy as she was with their father. As a mother (or foster) of 7 boys, I can very much identify with Raina in this. Rick and Kendall Sutton meet in an amusing scene; eye contact jolts, the sparks fly. I love the page where we find out about Kendall's woefully untalented attempt to turn her blond hair to a rich auburn the night before her wedding. It was very pink/punk when she and conservative cop Rick meet. This scene is deftly and hilariously presented, and the reader can say to herself "I've been there"! Soon Rick comes up with the idea of Kendall playing his girlfriend so his mother (and the women in town) will leave him alone. Rick has good reasons for his fear of commitment. Kendall does not believe in the fairy tale of happy relationships with anyone. Her standard plan is to distance herself emotionally by packing up and leaving. Her character comes alive as we begin to understand her complex background; she belatedly realizes her younger sister has experienced a very similar childhood. This explains her teenage brattiness. Actually, I thought that Hannah had normal teenage brattiness with the habit of totally embarrasing her sister. Hannah is a wonderfully entertaining addition to the story at any rate. I found the book to be not only a keeper, but a one-nighter as well. Ms. Phllips writing style focuses on her characters in the foreground, with their surroundings rather sparsely covered. In a Regency novel I would be disappointed; but in a contemporary book I like to fill in the setting with my own imagination. This is another trilogy where you want to tell the writer to hurry up already.
Rating: 
Summary: A Very Predictable Ending
Review: In my opion this book was nice and warm but a bit predictable. Unlike the first book in Phillips's collection it did not fluctuate as much. Rick and Kendal had their ups and downs but not enough to make this book THAT interesting. I would suggest this book for a vacation or a plane ride. It is also a nice and warm book with a fairy tale ending. Obviously at the end of the 3rd book of the trilogy Chase and Salone will end up together. This series is just too predictable for me.
Rating: 
Summary: Jerry Springer Style
Review: It took me months to finish "The Bachelor" so I am really unsure as to why I thought "The Playboy" would be easier to read. The plot, although plausible, gets off to a wham bam start with meddling mothers, psychotic women chasing the hero, instant lust, and Kmart quality clothing descriptions. Perhaps I am getting old (32 in August) or maybe just jaded, but I felt like I was reading a Sweet Valley High on Summer Break novel.
Rick Chandler, the hero, was the most mature person in the cast of characters which includes his brothers, mother, and heroine, Kendell Sutton. Rick's mother is continuing to meddle in her son's lives, scheme and plot her fake heart condition, and beat herself up with guilt (albeit never telling them the truth), to the point where the reader wants to shake her hard and scream "Get a Life!"
Furthermore, the heroine is a little to quick to jump into spandex and Rick's sheets to be taken as seriously. Instant flames are great, and quick love scenes normally don't bother me, but the lack of emotional depth in the character makes it hard to believe that she can feel anything very deeply, other than maybe her tan lines. Her emotional immaturity and trashy mannerisms culminate in a confrotation near the end of the novel. Not all women are jealously possessive enough to pick fights; I kept wainting for the hair pulling to begin.
A trilogy is a great way to hook a reader. Look at Nora Roberts, she has it down to an art; however, this one seems to be the Jerry Springer version. It keeps the reader hooked the train wreck way - wondering "How much worse can it get?
Rating:
Summary: From Sceptic to Hooked
Review: My best friend gave me this book when we went on our summer vacation... I had a slew of other books to choose from, but she insisted I read The Playboy instead. Not only did I stay up until 2am finishing the novel, but I became hooked on the characters' lives and eager to read the other stories in the Chandler Brothers' Trilogy! This book can be considered predictable, but certainly not dull! To anyone who is used to using clues to unravel a mystery, some of the plotlines in this story may seem quite obvious; however, the frustration that is shown between the two main characters (Rick Chandler and Kendall Sutton) as they debate with themselves over their budding relationship can be understood by anyone who has ever tried to convince themselves they are not in love. This novel stands alone and it is certainly not necessary to read the other books of the trilogy. However, after reading one, nothing will stop me from going out and snatching up the others, just as quickly as I read this one! A+ and then some for this book!!! HAPPY READING! :)
Rating:
Summary: From Sceptic to Hooked
Review: My best friend gave me this book when we went on our summer vacation... I had a slew of other books to choose from, but she insisted I read The Playboy instead. Not only did I stay up until 2am finishing the novel, but I became hooked on the characters' lives and eager to read the other stories in the Chandler Brothers' Trilogy! This book can be considered predictable, but certainly not dull! To anyone who is used to using clues to unravel a mystery, some of the plotlines in this story may seem quite obvious; however, the frustration that is shown between the two main characters (Rick Chandler and Kendall Sutton) as they debate with themselves over their budding relationship can be understood by anyone who has ever tried to convince themselves they are not in love. This novel stands alone and it is certainly not necessary to read the other books of the trilogy. However, after reading one, nothing will stop me from going out and snatching up the others, just as quickly as I read this one! A+ and then some for this book!!! HAPPY READING! :)
Rating:
Summary: More sizzle than The Bachelor
Review: Officer Rick Chandler ' handsome son number two of the three Chandler men. Raina Chandler ' Rick's meddling mother who spent her time trying to get her sons married off in order to produce grandchildren for her. Kendall Sutton ' the beautiful runaway bride who drove into Yorkshire Falls and smack dab into the middle of Raina's schemes to marry off Rick. Rick had no intentions of changing his bachelor ways to settle down into married life like his younger brother Roman had recently done. His one foray into marriage had ended up with his bride taking off with the father of her son ' and he was not about to chance getting hurt with another woman. Rick enjoyed woman ' many women ' and was not about to choose just one. Kendall was a transient ' had been ever since her parents had chosen to leave her in the care of various relatives while they went off on their archeological digs. No way was she going to take a chance on settling down in one place and risk the hurt of being abandoned again ' not even for the love of a charming hazel-eyed handsome police officer. But neither Rick nor Kendall could deny the hot flames of desire that sizzled between them from the moment they first met. Fate has a way of stepping in and changing even the best-laid plans of mice and men.
Carly Phillips has once again produced a best seller with THE PLAYBOY. This one has even more sizzle than THE BACHELOR, the first novel in The Chandler Men. It is a must read. I look forward to the release of the last novel in the series, THE HEARTBREAKER. Reviewed by Kristie Leigh Maguire...
Rating:
Summary: Frothy and lighthearted but trite
Review: Phillips' "The Playboy" is a light-hearted romance that will appeal to those that like a little steam in their sex and little emotional involvement on the part of the characters. The author endeavors to give some weight to the characters by giving them past histories that would give anyone a fear of commitment. Unfortunately, the romance between the two isn't developed well, and I didn't particularly like the characters. I'm a fan of light-hearted contemporary romances, and I read many of the releases that hit the market. But I do like some emotional development to the characters, and this book didn't have it. If you liked the first book in this series, you'll probably like this one as well. It's a quick easy read that once again treats us to the eccentricities of small towns and their inhabitants. But if you like a bit more emotional weight in your books, this probably isn't your style. Instead of this fluff, I'd recommend Susan Andersen, Elizabeth Bevarly, Julie Kenner, or Jennifer Crusie, or even some of the genre romances by authors like Kate Hoffman and Kristin Gabriel.
Rating:
Summary: Second brother's the charm?
Review: The overall plot of the book was good, but not as good as "The Bachelor". With the first of this series I could not put the book down. This one, however, the chapters were a little tedious and the characters (from the previous book) did not seem to interact as much. In "The Bachelor", the whole town seemed to be involved in the romance but in this one Carly Phillips seemed to have made the town into more of a gossip central city and did not show the varied personalities of the townfolk. I did like this book, but I found myself disappointed in the ending. "The Bachelor" was a STEAMY,never-let-you-go,drop everything to read kind of book. "The Playboy" had a couple of steamy parts but you were not left with the same feeling(s) as with "The Bachelor". Perhaps it was just the character's (Rick Chandler) personality, but I was more intrigued by his two brothers than with him. I am REALLY looking forward to Carly Phillips' next installment "The Heartbreaker" and August can't come soon enough! The end of "The Playboy" has a preview of "The Heartbreaker" and it looks like it is going to be what "The Bachelor" is.
Rating:
Summary: Aims to snatch your heart at first sight
Review: The sophomore entry to Carly Phillip's runaway bestseller The Bachelor ushers the readers into the heart of Yorkshire Falls where the Chandler Brothers with their famous matchmaking mama Raina lives. After uniting Roman the globe-trotting journalist with Charlotte, Raina now set sights on her second son sheriff Rick Chandler hyped as "The Playboy" due to his popularity with the local girls including the overzealous schoolteacher Lisa. Yet destiny dictates that he meets a runaway bride Kendall Sutton on a SOS call who has come to Yorkshire with the intention of selling her aunt Crystal's house away before moving on to Arizona. The romance between an itinerant soul and a wounded heart hurt by a foiled marriage holds the hefty emotional baggage and obstacle here. Kendall secretly yearns to settle down but believes that like her peripatetic parents - she could never have a real home. Rick, meanwhile is afraid to risk his heart. Carly Phillips brings heart and poignancy to this frothy romance with her ensemble of amicable characters like the good-natured Raina and Kendall's abandoned sister Hannah. The overwhelming chemistry between Kendall and Rick compensates for the lack of surprises here but without the bog of exposition as in the first episode, The Playboy runs along smoother and better. It aims to snatch your heart at first sight.
Rating:
Summary: The Second Brother's Story
Review: This 2nd book is about Rick and Kendall... Cop Rick is fed-up with his mother's attempts to find him a bride. Rick meets Kendall when she has car troubles as she gets to town to sell her aunt's house. Kendall is a knock-out in a wedding dress- she left her groom at the altar. She doesn't want anything to tie her down. Rick and Kendall make a pact to help each other out while she's in town. But her little trip isn't as cut-and-dry as she hoped. Since Kendall has moved around a lot her entire life she finds it very hard to want to stay. Rick has problems of his own too! He married a friend since her boyfriend wouldn't owe up to getting her pregnant, when the boyfriend returned and his wife left him- he was crushed and hasn't truely trusted another woman since. The two end up falling for each other, but will they be able to get beyond their pasts to be happy? You'll just have to read and find out! Oh, and even if you haven't read the 1st in the series (The Bachelor), Carly Phillips updates you on everything you'd need to know! But I'd still recommend reading The Bachelor! I can't decide which I liked better The Bachelor or The Playboy... I love both stories! I can't wait for the 3rd in the series, out in August 2004- The Heartbreaker!
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