Whenever I am looking for something light to read, (especially after I read a Jodi Picoult!) I read a Carly Phillips title. She is always lighthearted, fun, and full of plenty of comedy and romance. ( )

I had a really hard time with this book. There were several times I had to read a sentence over and over again before I got what in the world she was talking about. She had missing commas EVERYWHERE... and awkward sentences thrown in that didn't need to be there. AND... towards the 2nd half of the book she got REALLY lazy with point of view. I would be reading a scene in one character's perspective, and then suddenly, without warning, she'd switch to another character. It would be fine if the whole book was like this, but she seemed to only do it when it was convenient.

As for characters and plot, they were okay. I didn't feel emotionally connected to any of them, though. I didn't shed a tear during the entire book for any of them, even though I think the intention was to be moved for the characters. The plot was contrived. The way she had it set up was so that the reader knows who the bad guy is before the main characters have even suspected him. There was no mystery about who was out to kill the main character because the reader was given a scene from the bad guy's POV to tell them who was after her.

Also, the author covered up her own plot hole by blaming a character's perception of the incident at the time. "Well, he was drunk, so he didn't realize that she couldn't sign over her trust at the time even though he knew the terms of the trust." Um... more like without that little fact, there would be no plot at all. Laziness.

My last issue with this book (without spoiling the story)... the main female character had two names for herself after she ran away from her home town. The author uses the names almost interchangeably for her. That was annoying.

So, it was an OKAY book. Some interesting moments... but overall, I wouldn't recommend it. ( )

As a teenager, with the help of her two best friends Ty and Hunter, Lillian Dumont faked her own death and disappeared into the mass of New York City. At the time she wanted to get away from her abusive, alcoholic uncle who was her guardian since the death of her wealthy parents. Ten years later Ty gets in touch with her to come back as her uncle is in the process of having her declared legally dead and claim her inheritance. Thus begins this cute, sexy, tale of friendship, rebirth, and forgiveness. ( )

I've read a few of Carly Phillips' books before and some were quite good, others were mediocre. This one rates well below mediocre.
It's not that it was poorly written - it just had no depth. The characters spoke as if they were reading from a TV script. Basic premise is that 3 friends fake the death of the girl in the group so that she can get away from her abusive uncle. Ten years later, the uncle is ready to declare her legally dead and help himself to her trust fund. She must come back to claim it.
The romance is between Lilly and Ty, with Hunter loving her quietly on the side lines. The beginning didn't grab me, I made it to Pg 30 before I began to skip ahead (never a good sign!). I read the ending and it looked satisfying enough with a great path laid for Hunters' story in Sealed with a Kiss.
This book was so bland, so juvenile - so BORING - that I'm sure I won't bother with the newest one. Too bad - her books have potential but they're much too fluffy without enough substance and the protagonists talk and act fake. ( )

Lilly, Ty and Hunter fake Lilly's death when they were teenagers so that she could escape her abusive uncle (and guardian). 10 years later, he uncle is going to declare her dead to get her inheritance... and she comes back to town to stop him. However, she's in danger, as attempts are being made on her life. Thru this all, the romance between Lilly and Ty is pretty hot. This book is a little bit of a departure for Ms. Phillips... it's more serious than her past works. I really enjoyed it and hope that a sequel will be made for Hunter and his love-interest (that was introduced in this book). Highly recommend! ( )