Susan Elizabeth Phillips

staying up late and then waking up early to finish a book >>>

Loved LOVED LOVED Sugar Beth! BUT! I do think the secondary love story was given more interesting shit to chew on? Which is wild considering Sugar Beth falsely accuses the MMC of sexual harassment! Essentially, Sugar Beth and Colin's shit from enemies to pants feeling to I guess we're in love with one another felt a little too easy? There wasn't enough exploration of Colin being a teacher and now friends with everyone Sugar Beth show more went to high school with? Or the fallout from the accusations - which all seemed to wash away pretty fast. I guess I was hoping for more complicated confrontations wrt this aspect of Colin and Sugar Beth's history. I enjoyed the HS flashbacks and I loved how Sugar Beth was actually a bully bitch. She did some terrible things to people and this isn't ignored in the text. Her family history is MESSY in ways that I wish was more common in romance? Anyway, back to the secondary romance (Winnie and Ryan) who had all the messy, complicated conversations that the main couple did not have. Also, what Winnie did to "trap" Ryan WAS fucked up but we process this on page more satisfyingly: Ryan knew all along about what Winnie did and let that anger build up for over a decade. I loved not knowing if they were gonna make it - I was on the edge of my seat! But Sugar Beth and Colin? I stoped caring because I never really believed they meant anything to one another. show less

I only got about 5 hours of sleep last night, and I hold SEP fully responsible. I was about halfway through Dream a Little Dream when I went to bed, and do you think she'd let up a little so I could go to sleep? No. She even... (and I really hate to admit this) made me cry. I haven't met the woman, though I've heard stories HERE and HERE, and maybe I shouldn't have been surprised, but I didn't think she'd be the type to begrudge someone a few hours of sleep. Guess I was wrong.

(yes, I'm silly show more this morning--I only got about 5 hours of sleep! Weren't you paying attention?)

Anyway. The book. I was tearing up in the first 50 pages. What kind of sadist writes a little kid saying "Now, mommy? Are we going to die now?" God. And of course she had to go and make the characters compelling and interesting people that I really cared about.

Rachel is the widow of a charlatan televangelist. She and her 5-year-old son are homeless, living in their car. She's made her way back to their hometown in search of the money her husband had left hidden, and finds that people there have long memories and are not inclined to forgive what's left of a man who betrayed them all.

The only job she can find is helping angry recluse Gabe rebuild a drive-in movie theater. Gabe had lost his wife and son to a drunk driver two years before, and he wants nothing to do with a woman and child who remind him of what he's lost. Yet he can't bring himself to turn her away, particularly not when even his brother, the town's pastor, refuses to show her any compassion.

It's an intense story of a man who's given up, and a woman who refuses to.

There's just so much right with this story, I don't know where to begin. I normally don't like children in romances--they're almost never realistic with regard to their ages, and they tend to conveniently disappear for chapters at a time. That doesn't happen here. Rachel's son is a five-year-old boy for whom the only permanent thing in his life is his mother.

Likewise, Rachel's desperation and determination, and Gabe's despair and buried anger are very real.

And it doesn't stop there. The townspeople, most of them bitter and angry, yet professing themselves to be good Christians. Again, very real. And, surprisingly, they're not written as a criticism of religion--they're just human. Fallible, understandable.

There's even a secondary romance, between Pastor Ethan and his long-time friend and secretary Kristy, and they both have to grow and change for it to work.

I'm used to SEP's books being a little lighter--in the same way as Jennifer Crusie's: laughter over pain. Dream a Little Dream isn't like that. But it just proves what I've thought for a long time. Good writing is good writing, and almost always, if I like how an author writes one kind of book, I'll like how she writes another. show less

Where has this Susan Elizabeth Phillips been hiding for the past few releases? This is the wonderful contemporary romance author that I have missed so much! First Star I See Tonight is a sparkling, witty, funny, sexy romance between two strong, memorable characters. There is none of the heroine-humiliating that has marred so many of her recent books (see Call Me Irresistible and Dream a Little Dream), and although our heroine Piper is slightly unconventional she never resorts to the batsh*t show more crazy behavior of a few of SEP's previous leading ladies (I'm looking at you, Jane from Nobody's Baby But Mine and Molly from This Heart of Mine). The fact that she is incredibly competent and not in the least ditzy puts her at the top of the list of best ever SEP heroines.

Cooper is one of the Chicago Stars football heroes that have been featured in multiple SEP novels dating back to 1994, and that don't impress me much, but he's a decent guy and never underestimates or mistreats Piper (there is one spanking scene that left me horrified but I decided it was me being prudish in this 50 Shades day and age, so I let it go). When you have dialogue like this, the fact that I don't care for football is irrelevant:

(Piper is wearing a black and white chauffer's uniform from her other job to visit a fancy boutique clothing store with Cooper)
"Ladies, this is Piper," Cooper said. "She's given up her career as a mortician, but she's having a hard time breaking old fashion habits."
"You've come to the right place," an uberstylish redhead said. "Working as a mortician must have been super depressing."
"Not so much as you'd think, "Piper said. "That's how I met Coop. Burying the ashes of his career."

Like most SEP novels, there is a glorious finale in which the hero makes a grand gesture to get the heroine back, and in this case Cooper's actions show exactly how well he understands Piper and why they are perfect for each other.

Heath and Annabelle from Match Me If You Can make a few appearances, but frankly I don't remember enjoying their story half as much as this one. The extra zaniness thrown into the plot gives it a touch of Jennifer Crusie (although there's no ugly dog present) and the whole thing is just delightful. Now I remember why I liked SEP so much. More like this one, please! show less

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: show more 😂😂😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖📖
Narration:🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨✨

First Impressions
Dream a Little Dream is the fourth installment in the "Chicago Stars" series and I absolutely had a blast with this one. My previous read had been such a hardship, so to jump into this one and be immediately entertained was the best feeling ever. I absolutely fell hard for this one and thi narrator really pulled me into the story right way. The first impressions into this story is that we have a small town setting, a character that is the pariah and some fabulous sexual tension due to the build up of our main characters being so opposite in personality from each other. There is also a side romance featuring the third brother Ethan so that was a plus because I was hoping we would see him get a HEA as well.

First Line
The last of Rachel Stone's luck ran out in front of the Pride of Carolina Drive-In.

The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Gabe Bonner
Widowed Gabe and tortured over the loss of his late wife and son in a car accident. A bit of a lone wolf, enjoys his suffering and doesn't feel he needs anyone but to be left alone.

The Heroine: Rachel Stone
Single mother, treated like a pariah due to the man she was married to. Determined to get a solid life for her son, no matter what it takes.

Summary
Rachel has come back to town with her five year old son. She was once married to a preacher who was a con man who is now dead. But she is to be blamed for his sins, sins that he kept from her most of their marriage. And now her son is a quiet boy who is still recovering from a bout of pneumonia and she has come back to find the hidden fortune her husband left here so she can get a life set up for herself and her son most especially. But they are living in her car and she needs to find a protector until she can locate what she needs. She then runs into Gabe Bonner, who is grumpy and doesn't want her or her son near, but he grudginly allows her to work for him and slowly sparks fly between them and something more builds. But Rachel doesn't plan on staying, but when she and her son find themselves finding a home in this little town, she is having to make a decision on the home they have built here and if her love for Gabe is worth fighting for...

What I Loved
This book....sigh...this one just delivered completely for me and gave me exactly what I needed. I was coming off a disappointed read and this book completely delivered all the way in what I needed. There is something about thi author's writing that is just catnip for me. I am not sure what it is, but I swear this is like romance drug to me that delivers such a high. The banter and chemistry that is mixed in together with the reads that this author writes packs quite a punch. I adored all the characters here. I loved the inner strength that we see from Rachel Stone. She has such courage to come to a place where she is so hated. But she still has some friends and this is where we see what makes a true Christian at heart. Phillips really handled the religious self righteousness just perfectly. I really enjoyed seeing that being implemented. I also couldn't get enough of her charming son. He is a bit quiet, but so devoted to his mother. You can see he has some growing to do and the author really showcases his growth and becoming such a bright child. Then we have our delectable grump of a hero. Now Gabe I had a blast with. He is a bit hard to like at the first of the story, but slowly, you fall in love with his character and how he is fighting for Rachel in the small monumental ways that matter the most. I love how even though he catches her in the worst of situations he believes in her more than anyone ever has. He is such a steady rock. The connection between Gabe and Rachel's son takes work and we see that "work" happen. This isn't a instant connection that we normally see in single parent small town books. We see that both Gabe and Edward have to work to build their relationship into what it needs to be and it takes faith and courage to do so.

Then we have the side romance between Kristy and Ethan and I had a blast with their sweet story. Its unrequited love a bit and so much pining from the heroine and seeing her fight for the love she has for Ethan and for Ethan to realize what has been under his nose all this time, was brilliant!

What I Struggled With
Some of the actions by Gabe in the beginning in how he treats Edward at times, but other than that I had zero issues with this story.

Narration
The narrator on this one is just right for this author. She really brings out the humor and tension just right and really brings out the personalities of characters just right.

Overall View
Dream a Little Dream is a charming, laugh your heart out, classic rom com that delivers heart and feels and has you never wanting to leave it is a priceless gem that I adored in every way!

Favorite Quote(s)
Who needs food? Your smile alone is enough to nourish me for weeks.”

Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy
Character Types: Billionaire, Widow/Widower, Single Parent, Tortured Hero
Themes: Small Town, Kids, Angst
Tropes: Grumpy Sunshine, Opposites Attract, Rags to Riches

Book Perspective
3rd POV

Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
A mix of both

Song This Book Inspires
Just The Way You Are by Bruno Mars

Recommendation For Reading Order
You can read as standlones if needed

Steam/Spice Explanations

Warmin' by the fire- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.

Narrators:
Anna Fields show less