Heroes Are My Weakness

Narrator Erin Bennett subtly differentiates the characters in this sassy, irreverent romance. In a story that is a slightly darker offering than Phillips's usual fare, Annie Hewitt, down-on-her luck but plucky would-be-actress-turned-ventriloquist, must spend several months on an island. Enter the dark and brooding but oh-so-gorgeous hero who must save her when a series of escalating pranks threatens her safety. Bennett's portrayal of Hewitt's talking dummies is especially entertaining--although spooky. Each is distinct, with the perfect voice. Bennett infuses the imperfect but manly love interest with a sexy voice that entices. She gives Annie herself a determined, animated manner that is appealing. A.C.P. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

Starred review from June 9, 2014
When 33-year-old ventriloquist Annie Hewitt returns to a Maine island and the isolated cottage where she spent her teenage years, she only expects to recover her health and search for a legacy left by her mother. She doesn’t expect to find widower Theo Harp in the manor house on the hill, or Jaycie Mills, the quiet woman who once saved her life, working as his housekeeper and raising a mute four-year-old daughter. Phillips (What I Did For Love) uses hints and references to Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca to create a sometimes tense atmosphere, using the structure of the older book to both fulfill and subvert the reader’s expectations. Theo fulfills his role as the stereotypical brooding hero, and Annie is much more independent than her counterpart as she learns about her past, helps Jaycie’s daughter overcome trauma, and investigates the mysterious occurrences that are trying to drive her off the island. Details of smalltown New England life round out this powerfully successful homage.

June 15, 2014
A down-on-her-luck actress finds herself trapped on a snow-swept island off the coast of Maine with a reclusive author famous for his bone-chilling horror novels. What's more, she's been afraid of him since childhood. But maybe he's changed? From a "New York Times" best-selling author; with a 200,000 copy first printing.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2014

Returning to Moonraker Cottage, her childhood summertime haunt on Maine's remote Peregrine Island, ventriloquist Annie Hewitt wants to stay only long enough to fulfill the terms of her inheritance and find a mysterious legacy left by her mother. She definitely doesn't want to have anything to do with popular author Theo Harp, the stepbrother whose cruel betrayal almost killed her as a teenager and whose twisted horror novels prove he's only gotten worse. When their interests collide, the aftermath is unexpected, throwing everything Annie believes into chaos. Old secrets, renewed passions, and hidden scandals combine with rapier wit and smart, sharp comments from Annie's puppet alter egos in this nonstop, red herring-laced romance. VERDICT In a stunning change of pace, Phillips reveals a brilliant flair for the gothic as she channels the Brontes, Daphne du Maurier, Victoria Holt, and Phyllis Whitney in a riveting, updated tale featuring a brooding, dangerous hero, a threatened (but definitely not classically helpless) heroine, and a chilling, foreboding setting (complete with a windswept cliff-top mansion). An unforgettable, deliciously spicy romance that readers won't want to put down. Phillips (The Great Escape) lives in the Chicago suburbs. [See Prepub Alert, 5/19/14.]

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 15, 2014

A down-on-her-luck actress finds herself trapped on a snow-swept island off the coast of Maine with a reclusive author famous for his bone-chilling horror novels. What's more, she's been afraid of him since childhood. But maybe he's changed? From a New York Times best-selling author; with a 200,000 copy first printing.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from July 15, 2014
Sick, broke and homeless, AnnieHewitt must retreat to the cottage her mother left her, even if it is on a remote island off the coast of Maine-and even if Theo Harp, the boy who tried to kill her when they were teenagers and who is now a best-selling horror author, is ensconced in the Gothic mansion next door.After making her narcissistic mother's last days as pleasant as possible, Annie falls ill with pneumonia and bottoms out financially. Desperate, she makes her way to Moonraker Cottage, the small home Mariah loved and bequeathed to Annie, along with a deathbed promise of a valuable legacy hidden there. Annie hasavoided the island since she was a teen, when she developed a huge crush onTheo-the psychopathic boy who played on her emotions and ultimately tried tokill her. She'd like nothing better than to never see him again, but once shearrives, in the dead of winter, she finds herself drawn into the lives of thepeople at Harp House: Jaycie, the injured housekeeper with a tragic past; hermute daughter, Livia; and Theo himself, sexy as sin and, she realizes,completely different from the evil teen she remembers. The longer Annie stays,the more it becomes clear that someone doesn't want her there, but for thefirst time in her life, she feels a sense of purpose and belonging, and she'snot going anywhere without a fight. Harp House and Moonraker Cottage bothconceal a wealth of secrets, and finding the truth could offer the wholeisland a better future. Ventriloquist Annie, with her cozy puppets andemerging fierceness, might save everyone-especially Theo, whose past hasconvinced him he's a villain but who is really a hero at heart. Romance starPhillips takes a new and intriguing direction that reads like an homage to theclassic gothic novel yet maintains her typical pitch-perfect characters andcompelling, complex plot.Heart-wrenching and uplifting, with witty dialogue, emotional depth, anddetails that give substance and texture to an already entertaining, engrossingstory.

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