Rating: 
Summary: An absolutely awesome contemporary romance!
Review: This Heart of Mine had it all when it comes to a great contemporary romance. The leads were well written and very likable, the story line did not have even one boring page, the secondary characters were really interesting, the romance was the primary emphasis throughout the book and the chemistry between the hero and heroine was sizzling. Add to that a most charming location, a very original story line, great humor throughout the book - yet a depth that kept this tale from being light hearted - and you have one of the best contemporary romances I have read in some time. Kevin Tucker is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and plays for the Chicago Stars. Kevin is quite the celebrity and is very dedicated to his profession. Although Kevin is a bit of a womanizer and is known to date a lot of women that aspect makes up very little of the actual man Kevin is. He has been playing professionally for ten years for the Stars and plans to stay with the Chicago team even beyond his actual football career. He envisions coaching the team someday and remaining within the Stars corporate environment even beyond that. Football is his job and he makes sure his personal life does not cross with his professional life. Part of that isolation involves not becoming too close to the family that owns and manages the Stars. He is friends with the owners but never even considers a relationship with the owner's sister although he finds her attractive. Molly Somerville is considered a spoiled heiress. Her sister owns the Chicago Stars football team and although Molly is very close to her sister and her family, she does not want or live a high profile life. In fact, the fifteen million Molly's father left to her now sits in a non-profit organization she created for a charity. Molly did not like the life of an heiress and her tendency to rely on her father's money rather than hard work for her living. So, she gave it away and now lives month to month as a fairly successful children's author. She loves her life and is actually quite mature in her life choices. She does not date men frivolously. When she finds herself sharing a vacation home, by mistake, with the famous quarterback of the Chicago Stars, she is quite startled by her overwhelming attraction to him. I can't say much more without giving away a portion of the story but this is the beginning of a somewhat reluctant relationship between Molly and Kevin. The book is quick to draw you in and has a most unusual beginning to the leads' improbable romance. This was a book I did not want to put down. I loved the story - laughing again and again and then alternately feeling a tender sadness for Kevin and Molly - both with their experiences and vulnerabilities. This very entertaining story has quite a serious side but Phillips is very talented at blending the two aspects into an entrancing story. The sensual rating is about 4.0 out of 5.0 (see More About Me for rating guidelines). Two of the secondary characters, who are age 50 and 50 plus, add a very sexy flair with their relationship. This is a welcome surprise for the many romance readers out there that are members of the baby boomer generation. I highly recommend This Heart of Mine. It was thrilling to find such a good book after a rather dry run in reading. This is my second Phillips book and I am eager to work through her backlist. It is a definite keeper.
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable
Review: I was a bit dissapointed by the lack of love there was in this story for the longest time. Hence the low four star rating. The hero runs around doing what he needs to do because he was told 'stand up and do your duty' as a child and the heroine just goes along for lack of anything better to do. Once they begin to fall in love and see each other though, the book really comes through with a great love story. By the end of the book I couldn't help but like all the characters in the novel. It made me want to run out and buy the other books in this series. I have a feeling they will be better. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Touchdown!!!!!!!
Review: I've read this book about eight or nine times, and every time I read it, I laugh out loud! The one-liners are some of the best I've heard and each time I read this book, I don't want the story to end. I recommend it to everyone I come across who is an avid reader of "chick" books!
Rating: 
Summary: If you can get past the sketchy premise, it's an okay read..
Review: I would definately agree with all the reviewers who mentioned the implausibility of the premise of the book- that a supposedly sane woman would be unable to control a compulsion to take off all her clothes and hop into bed with a sleeping man who is a near stranger-- Further, I would say that such a premise is ENTIRELY unappealing. I honestly had a hard time believing that Kevin would ever agree to be in the same room as Molly again after being so blatantly violated. I just can't get into a book that begins with a near blatant case of sexual assault... That said, the premise is just that-- a premise, to give the characters an excuse to get married and be stuck together. It plays basically NO part in the following 250 pages, so if you're able to block it from your memory, the book is a pleasant enough read, if you're stuck in a beach-house with your family, and don't know how to play solitaire.
Rating:
Summary: Captured my Heart!
Review: I was in such a good mood while reading this book I wanted to write my review before I even finished! It is the most fun refreshing read I have had in years! If you are in a funk read this story! If you are stressed out and tired of the news of the world.....curl up and read this book! It is just a sweet escape of a romance story with the best humor! Susan isn't corny at all.....she is just darned funny and RIGHT ON with her one liners!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Great little modern day romance
Review: Molly Somerville, children's book author, has had a crush on football quarterback Kevin Tucker for years. Her sister being the owner of the Chicago Stars, Molly has had unlimited opportunity to be around at the right time to "feed the crush." Kevin doesn't even know she exist. Kevin is sent to the family vacation cabin to concentrate on getting ready for the season while Molly shows up to be alone and concentrate on writing. Alone she is not. He refuses to leave and she does too. Its a stand off. They decide they are adults and can handle sharing the cabin. But Molly's imagination and feelings get carried away. She sneaks into Kevin's bed while he's sleeping- dreaming of a recent girlfriend, only to take Molly into his arms. When waking up during their lovemaking, Molly is embarrassed and Kevin is furious. This throws them together under unexpected circumstances. It is a wonderful story. Though Kevin is a hunk- Molly is not the usual beauty, but more so the average built, but yet pretty in her own way, woman. Love has to find its way- while first impressions and intruding family members have to be set aside. It's a great story, a lot of fun. You'll find yourself laughing at parts. Enjoy it!
Rating:
Summary: I almost threw it out.
Review: The beginning premise on how Molly and Kevin get together was a little too out there and if I were not stuck in the middle seat of an airplane I would have tossed it. Once you accept this premise like a good sport(?) the book falls into place and my plane ride zoomed by. Kevin and Molly strive for a solution to their problem and when they finally discuss it, it is very poignant. I liked that. There is no mean spirit in this book. The repartee is excellent between Kevin and Molly and Lily and Liam. I needed to know the solution. Well, after the children story prefaces to each chapter, it did seem to come together. Bringing in Phoebe, Cal and their family was great. Those girls were adorable. The baseball game did it for me! Loved it. Lily and Liam were an added hot item. The newly married couple were so funny! Stick with the book and you will enjoy it; I did.
Rating:
Summary: "The Author and the Athlete"
Review: Heroine: average She longed for him from afar--right under his very nose! Impetuous heiress-turned-authoress Molly Somerville has had a crush on leading quarterback Kevin Tucker for years, but despite her close ties to his team he's never taken notice of her. Gorgeous Kevin Tucker has been too busy riding high on his fame as an NFL star, loving the limelight and the bevy international supermodels that come with it to pay heed to the brainy girl-next-door sister of his team's owner. Thrown together under the worst of circumstances Kevin and Molly are left trying to make the best of a bad mess. What will it take to make the two of them breach each other's protective walls and discover the love hiding within them? What worked for me: As far as snappy dialogue and cute images, there were some great gems to be found in the pages of this book. Size-wise Molly was neither slender nor plump, but really quite athletic. Though she experienced some twinges over not having inherited her mother's showgirl body, she was glad for the healthy, whole body she did have. I especially liked the fact that this story dealt not only with the issue of size but also with age, since there was a secondary romance featuring an older woman (who also happened to have some trouble accepting her body.) What didn't work for me: The initial getting-together of the rather immature heroine and hero felt more like a plot device from an historical novel, and seemed totally out of place in a contemporary setting. Overall: A solid read. There were some awkward plot issues, but they may be worth overlooking for the fine humor and the interesting secondary romance.
If you liked "This Heart of Mine" you might also enjoy: "It Had to be You", "Lola Carlyle Reveals All", "His Seductive Revenge", "Dear Cupid", "Looking for Laura", "Fast Women", or "Too Much Temptation".
Rating:
Summary: A light, cute read in the shadow of its predecessors
Review: SEP writes a fine, humorous, light romance, and so although I wait for the paperback release I treat it with some respect. For This Heart of Mine, I re-read Nobody's Baby But Mine and It Had To Be You to re-aquaint myself with Kevin and Molly. I had a great time with both books, re-affirming my long-ago decision to put these two books in my 'keeper box.'
So I had high, perhaps unrealistic expectations for "This Heart of Mine," following in the footsteps of two great SEP comedy-romances. I was pleased with Molly--being a quirky children's book author made perfect sense for her, and made for some great, humorous lines. I agree with other reviewers, though, that Kevin was a disappointment; so much time was spent describing his muscles, and so little time spent on his internal motivations, that she could have inserted a cut-out of a Calvin Klein underwear model to the same effect.
Molly's tragedy is handled sensitively, and she is allowed a generous amount of book time to recover, but Kevin's turn-around from his own personal upheaval seems to happen in the blink of an eye. We never know why he is suddenly plunged into life-threatening activities, only that he is happy he finally found someone to share them with. I never felt I understood him. Given SEP's great track record as far as describing her male characters' thoughts, desires, and motivations, I can only assume that she didn't know what to make of Kevin, either.
So while I would most heartily recommend Nobody's Baby But Mine, It Had to Be You, and even Heaven, Texas (although it was a little 'over the top' for me), This Heart of Mine is a borrower, not a keeper.
Rating:
Summary: I laughed, cried and couldn't put it down.
Review: Susan Philips is one of my favorite authors because she can always give me a good hearty laugh. The story starts out a bit awkward, but as it moves on toward the middle of the book and the characters start to fall in love it gets much better. Philips captures the desperation of a miscarriage just as well as the intimacy of love's true kiss. I loved this book. Definitly pick it up and read it!
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