Rating: 
Summary: Consider it a fairy tale...
Review: Despite the fact that the politics are idealistic and the plot somewhat far-fetched, this is a highly entertaining read. Cornelia Case, widow of an assassinated president, forced to continue in the role of First Lady, escapes the White House and watchful eyes of the Secret Service to begin a road trip to ordinary life. Along the way her car is stolen and she meets ex-journalist-looking-for-a-story Mat Jorik and the two children his ex-wife claimed were his on their birth certificates. The girls, Lucy and Button, are wonderful characters, Mat makes a perfect tough guy with a soft heart hero. And Nealy makes an appealing heroine. Don't take this one too seriously and you'll enjoy yourself immensely. I would have given it 5 stars, but the corny epilogue ruined it for me. The novel should have ended in Mabel the Winnebago where the love story began.
Rating: 
Summary: First Lady is a first rate, tender, rollicking read!
Review: Nobody does it better than Susan Elizabeth Phillips. For all her vaunted talent in creating wonderful romantic comedy, SEP knows how to create characters that walk right off the page and straight into your heart. The laughs and chuckles are there--and so are the heart-tugging moments. Mat is, IMHO, one of her best heroes, a strong man who can fall in love with a woman who's achieving her own personal growth and strength--and yet not be threatened by her success. His strength comes from within, not from artificial measurements of macho. And that's the best kind of tough in my book--and in this book, too. Shoot, this guy is tough enough to cope with a teenager, a baby with a mind of her own, and to love Nealy even when their lives head in an unexpected direction at the end. A real hero indeed.As for Nealy? Gosh, I adored her. Her journey across America and back echoes the journeys a lot of us have taken. While the ending initially surprised me, I think it's perfect. Here's a woman who learns her own strengths, learns what family and community in the largest sense are about, and learns to accept her own special talents. And as for Button and Lucy? SEP has created 2 more memorable characters. This book is one you won't want to put down--but it should be savored. It has everything: a sexy hero, an appealing heroine, bust-your-ribs funny scenes, and achingly, meltingly beautiful moments between characters you just want to wrap your arms around. First Lady is really special--and the ending leaves a reader with a theme that speaks to all women.
Rating:
Summary: Very Enjoyable!
Review: This is another very good book by SEP. I loved all the characters (even the special agents) and I really liked the road trip set up. The only thing that bugged me was that Mat did not tell Nealy that she had left her keys in the car. What kind of jerk wouldn't tell someone that!? And he knew there was a disreputable looking man nearby. I had a much more difficult time than Nealy of forgiving Mat for that. SEP does a wonderful job of developing and showing the growth of both Mat and Lucy. I especially loved the way she took Lucy from being snotty and rebellious to loving and mature. Well done! The only problem I had was with the character of Nealy. In the book she goes from total burn out to ready to jump back into politics with both feet. That's a good set up but I never really saw the change going on in her. So at the end it was difficult to understand why she would want to go back and get even more involved.I mean, is there really such a thing as a politician who doesn't enjoy the power and fame involved? Because those seem to be the only compensations (along with financial secuity) to a life almost devoid of privacy. I am a complete sucker for happy endings so of course I LOVED the ending. Thank you Ms. Phillips!
Rating:
Summary: A Good Read - But a little disappointing at the end
Review: As a die-hard Susan Elizabeth Phillips fan who has read and LOVED all of her books, I was a little disappointed with "First Lady." Typical of SEP's books, the characters are well drawn (especially Lucy and Button), and the story moves along quickly with great dialog and SEP's unique humor. As the widow of an assasinated President who is persuaded to continue in her role as First Lady, Nealy Case is fed up with being a revered public icon and escapes to enjoy the freedom of being an ordinary person. She delights in everyday experiences that most people take for granted or even find annoying, and seems to blossom as she sheds her well groomed, perfectly mannered exterior. Along the way, she meets up with Mat Jorik and his two charming charges - Lucy, a surly teenager, and her adorable baby sister, Button. They travel together headed for Iowa where Mat hopes to leave the children with their grandmother. Naturally, along the way the dynamics between Mat, Nealy and the children evolve in humorous and touching ways. This part of the book gets 5 Stars! My problem is with the conclusion of the book. Given Nealy's desire to escape from her controlled existance (first as the daughter of a Vice President and then as the widowed First Lady) and her delight at experiencing "real" life first hand, it didn't seem logical that she would reverse course completely and return to an even more restricted existence - not only for herself but for Lucy and Button as well. I loved the interaction between Mat and the two children. Actually, Mat's relationship with Lucy and Button was more interesting and believable than his relationship with Nealy. And like another reader, I didn't understand how Mat would or could give up his role as a journalist and let his strong personality be absorbed by someone like Nealy who until the very end of the book didn't seem to really know who she was. It should be said that SEP on a bad day is FAR BETTER than many writers on their best days; so I'm glad that I've read this one. But I'm looking forward to her upcoming work that brings back Kevin Tucker and Molly Sommerville. If it's anything like "Heaven Texas", "It Had To Be You" "Nobody's Baby But Mine" or "Dream A Little Dream", it should be a great book!
Rating:
Summary: The very best a romance can be!
Review: You must read this charming, wonderful, and unusual story of our own American princess, a protected and sheltered political pawn who finds the courage to go on the lamb. But hiding isn't easy for such a famous young woman, that is, until she is rescued by a reluctant, grumbling hero who rides in on..of all things...a Winnebago! I was fortunate enough to read FIRST LADY early and this book delivers everything you have come to expect from the Diva of Romance, Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I just loved it! You will laugh out loud at Nealy's attempts at instant motherhood. You will want to hug Lucy, the sassy, bright and mouthy teenager, close to your chest, and I guarantee you will laugh and cry along with these characters as they travel across middle-America and right into your heart. FIRST LADY is filled with charming yet vulnerable people you will adore. When you read the last page you will be craving more from Susan Elizabeth Phillips because her books are just the best there is today in romance. Enjoy it! I did.
Rating: 
Summary: 3 1/2 *s A little light on romance, but a nice story
Review: Not so much a romance as an homage to family (the non-traditional variety) and to those decent folks willing to subject themselves to the scrutiny and ugliness that can accompany a life in politics. First Lady Cornelia "Nealy" Case is burned out. She's been in the public eye all her life first as the daughter of the Vice President (now the party chairman) and most recently as First Lady. But the death of her President husband presents her with her first thoughts of freedom - until the new President, a widower, asks her to stay on and act as his First Lady. She very reluctantly agrees, but after six miserable months she plots her escape! Journalist Mat Jorik is in career crisis. He's looking to regain his journalistic integrity after an ill-advised foray into tabloid TV. All he needs is that Big Story that will put him back on top again. But in the meantime, he's got other, bigger problems. He's become responsible for the two daughters of his ex-wife who has recently died. The last thing he wants is to care for two kids that aren't even his (especially after practically raising his six younger sisters!), and so he packs them into a Winnebago and embarks on a trip from Pennsylvania to their grandmother's in Iowa. These unlikely travelers meet up at a truck stop when Nealy's car and money are stolen. Nealy, disguised as a pregnant woman down on her luck, is not recognized and Mat offers to let her travel with them if she will take care of the children and she agrees. And so begins this strange odyssey of a man who doesn't want a family, a woman who's getting her first taste of a normal life and two kids who desperately need a family. My heart went out to fourteen-year-old Lucy, sullen and cynical on the outside yet vulnerable and hopeful on the inside, she's desperate to get Mat and Nealy together so that she and her baby sister are not separated and put into foster care. As the days pass they begin to bond, but will Mat's reluctance for family life mean the girls' future is in jeopardy? And what happens when Nealy's true identity becomes known, not to mention when she discovers Mat is not the steelworker she assumes he is - that he's that sworn enemy of anyone in political life, a journalist? Is Nealy his Big Story? Would he betray her and all they shared to re-establish his journalism career? A very enjoyable story with characters you will care about. However, as with other reviewers I do have a couple of issues. Given how much she enjoyed her freedom, Nealy's choice to go back to life in the public eye (and subjecting the girls to it) seemed odd. And I would have like to have seen more romance between Mat and Nealy, though their close proximity to the girls made intimacy difficult. The kids (Lucy in particular) were almost more interesting than the adults and the epilogue was a little too cute and idealistic. A flawed but still enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: Pleasing and amusing story
Review: I was pleased by this romance story. It was the first I read by this author. The widowed First Lady (Nealy), who continues to serve as the First Lady for the man who takes over for her dead husband, decides to escape the White House for an adventure. She ends up traveling across several states with a grouchy ex-journalist (Mat), a bratty teenager and a baby (the teen's little sister). I liked how the author switched perspective occasionally, so that in addition to getting the story from Nealy, you'd get it from the teen sometimes, sometimes from Mat. She switched to sounding like a teen or an adult male very well. I liked how she gave Mat a whole group of little sisters to explain his fear of commitment (he felt he'd had enough female influence in his life after raising his sisters). That was at least a unique explanation. There was just enough realism in the background (with the Secret Service agents, Nealy calling real-life First Ladies to check in, etc.) to make this story believable, as long as you read in the spirit of fun. The ending was fanciful, but enjoyable. I hope that we do see a female leader like Nealy someday. I wouldn't mind going on to read more by this author.
Rating:
Summary: Some good stuff
Review: I was pretty surprised with this book. After reading the synopsis online, i was a little skeptic. After all, we're talking about the first lady running away and the people she's with don't figure it out? that's kinda stupid. But i'm an avid reader of Susan Elizabeth Phillips and she was the reason i expanded my reading to other authors of contemporary romance, so i gave it a chance.
I actually liked it better than i thought i would. Don't get me wrong, it's not her best work like Heaven, Texas or It Had to be You. But it was good.
The characters were somewhat realistic and there were references to her looking like the first lady. I was able to understand why she wanted to leave the white house and i felt sorry for her. So all in all, it was a good read, kinda disappointing in the end,but good none the less. If your a susan elizabeth phillips fan than i would read it.
Rating:
Summary: I loved this book.
Review: I always like Susan Phillips, but reviews for this one made me skeptical. I'm glad I ignored because it was hard to put down. The characters were so dimensional and there were so many humorous, heartwarming and romantic scenes that I wanted to keep reading until I was through. A definite keeper for me.
Rating:
Summary: I re-read the book ... and still find it a very good one
Review: I have it re-read in one day - not because it's boring and that I have to glance through it - but because the story is fascinating and the characters so lovable (especially the Baby Demon and the Teenage Terrorist) that I can't stop reading it.
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