Heroes Are My Weakness

4.5 stars.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips puts a unique contemporary spin on the gothic horror genre in her latest release, Heroes Are My Weakness. Part mystery, part romance, this enthralling novel opens with Annie Hewitt's return to Peregrine Island, where she immediately crosses paths with her teenage crush, Theo Harp. Unsettled by the memories of a long ago summer when their romance abruptly ended with an attempt on her life, Annie tries to keep her distance Theo. However the two join forces to uncover the identity of the person responsible for trying to force Annie off the island.

Annie is a plucky and down on her luck heroine who is very conflicted about her return to Peregrine Island. Although she is haunted by memories of that fateful show more summer, she has little choice but to stay in the cottage near Theo's estate while she searches for the valuable legacy bequeathed to her by her late mother. She quickly becomes entangled in the lives of Theo's housekeeper, Jaycie and her troubled four year old daughter Livia. As she falls victim to malicious acts that have taken a decidedly dangerous turn, Annie's suspicions come very close to costing her a treasured friendship.

Theo has a dark and brooding presence with a seemingly sinister past. With those long ago memories of their time on the island still fresh in Annie's mind, she finds it impossible to trust him. As she learns more information about a recent tragedy in his life, she is sympathetic but wary when he strikes a deal with her that puts them in closer contact than either is comfortable with. Annie is soon confused when the disturbed boy she remembers is nothing like the kind, considerate man he has become. Once they put aside their differences, their smoldering attraction flames out of control, but is there any chance of a future for this mismatched couple?

The isolated island location gives the novel an eerie feel that only intensifies once it becomes apparent someone is trying to force Annie into leaving. However as Theo and Annie's relationship becomes less antagonistic, the overall story gradually lightens up. As their encounters become less hostile, the two exchange witty banter and their discussions gradually become more personal. Their growing closeness is enhanced by their passionate lovemaking, but Annie continues to keep an emotional distance from Theo.

Heroes Are My Weakness is an absolutely riveting novel. The characters are multi-faceted with interesting quirks and insecurities. The storyline is well-developed, fascinating and brilliantly executed. With plenty of secrets to uncover and intriguing mysteries to solve, Heroes Are My Weakness is not the typical Susan Elizabeth Phillips' novel but that is what makes it such a wonderful reading experience. Warm and witty with a dash of suspense and romance, it is a lovely story that old and new fans are sure to love. show less

Antoinette, “Annie” to her friends, is at the end of her rope, ending up on a solitary road in the middle of a blizzard on an island she only knew as a child. Her mother has died, leaving behind a small cabin filled with bad memories but quickly becomes the only refuge Annie has. When she returns to her former childhood home, she is assaulted by the memories of her mother and the presence of her former crush, Theo Harp, only creates a more tense situation.
Theo has overcome a very sinister childhood to become an accomplished horror author. He lives a truly solitary life and is still dealing with the death of his twin sister and the suicide of his wife. Unused to any disruptions in his lonely existence, he is disturbed by Annie’s show more return to her childhood home that coincidentally is just down the hill from his very own mansion. Theo and Annie come together in an explosion of murderous intentions, revealed secrets, a little laughter and a whole lotta love.
From the very beginning, you can tell this isn’t your usual Susan Elizabeth Phillips book. There is a very dark tone even in the first few pages that isn’t readily apparent in Phillips’ other novels. While it was very different for me, and at times I couldn’t believe my “go to” author was the actual author of what I was reading, the book worked for me.
There is a lot going on in this one, so bear with me a moment. Crazy siblings, homicidal wives, mistaken identities, greed, lies, crucial family dynamics, hidden fortunes, unknown fathers, and a whole lot more make up Heroes Are My Weakness. Theo and Annie’s relationship takes a backseat sometimes, but it builds slowly and surely. Not as sexy as some of her other books, I found myself enjoying the mysteries as they unfolded and was satisfied with the outcome of the story.
A different tone from other Phillips books, Heroes Are My Weakness takes on a whole new world where no one is safe from the machinations of others. Theo and Annie have led fairly disastrous lives but through no fault of their own, but lets face it, without their pasts they wouldn’t have ended up together. Different than her own novels, but no less special, Seppie fans will find her newest one no less intriguing than her famed Stars series. show less

This book was brilliant! The dedication is to Mary Stewart, Anya Seton, Charlotte Bronte, Daphne DuMaurier, Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney and their books serves as an homage to each of these classic authors. In true gothic style, we have a broken, brooding hero, an orphaned heroine with nowhere else to go. Its as if the ladies in the dedication scripted this book along with her, with the addition of Ms. Phillips's own brand of heroine--strong, snarky, independent.

I have not read all of SEP's backlist, but I'd venture to say this is her best work to date. I've enjoyed her other novels, with quirky, loveable heroines, but this one is the top of the heap for me. This is a book I will read again and again.

Annie, who has hit her lowest point in life, decides to go back to her childhood summer home on an isolated island off of the coast of Maine and think things through. There, she runs into Theo Harp, her once childhood sweetheart-turned-psychopath-turned-hero. But there's more to the story that meets the eye.
Having shunned the romance genre for predictability and cheesy one-liners, I really liked this book!
Why it's awesome: Elements of the Gothic are everywhere in this book: Annie as a forelorn heroine, Theo as the brooding hero, and a whole tribe of unfortunates that need to pick themselves up and do what's right to become heroes in their own right. I also love the reference to older gothic novels and incorporating elements of those show more historic pieces into this work.
The characters really shine, too.
Annie is at the bottom. Yet her personality is relatable, and the troubled relationship with Theo is believable. Her passion for puppetry makes the book definitely more interesting as well.
Theo has been harboring guilt over many past events that were not his fault. He's a bit dark, charming, and won't forgive himself easily. But he eventually learns to trust himself and make sure that he doesn't let Annie get away again. The genuine and realistic dialogue between Annie and Theo is a nice bonus.
The drawback: The only thing I didn't like was how Annie kept making remarks over and over about Theo's apparent instability and mental state, repeatedly calling him a psycho and talking about dead bodies. I thought her character would have been more sensitive after a while. For me, a few times was enough. But other than that, this book was a refreshing oasis in the vast desert that consist of disappointing romance novels. show less

In this novel Susan Elizabeth Phillip's pays homage to all the great Gothic Romance writers she read and loved. It is sure to be a hit with anyone who loved Gothic Romances as a child. Although the setting is contemporary, it features a crumbling mansion at the top of a dark hill on the isolated Peregrine Island. Our hero is the dark, brooding Theo Harp who our heroine firmly believes tried to kill her when they were teens. However, Annie Hewitt livens things up with huge doses of whimsy and dashs of madcap humor. Annie is a ventriloquist who believes in talking to her puppet alter egos, and sets out to convince Theo that his house is really haunted. As always, local author Phillips delivers an interesting, intriguing romance but with a show more lot of substance. But this may be Philips most humorous book yet! show less

I've seen a lot of negative reviews for this book, but I didn't think it was that bad. I really hate SEP books that rely on the heroine being totally humiliated, and while Annie was down, she wasn't out. The hero was more problematic - SEP's attempt to modernize a traditional Gothic hero didn't really work and he came across as too creepy at first and then too glib by the end. Lots of witty dialogue made up for some of the weaknesses. All in all, much better than the horrid hero of SEP's last novel, The Great Escape. I'll take troubled over A-hole any day.

SEP has long since passed her glory days but her books are still worth a library read.

A really cute story about a quirky ventriloquist whose puppets provide ongoing commentary to everything she does, but are at least mercifully silent during sex. It’s got a brooding, complicated hero, a couple of easily guessable mysteries, and a Happily Ever After, which I don’t consider a spoiler since this is a conventional romance. I mean really, the love interest is never a sociopathic murderer in these kinds of books, and you can certainly never trust an aging woman who dresses garishly and has a heavy hand with the makeup

What dragged this down from 4 stars to 3 stars was the eye-rollingly awful use of pop psychology, where characters who suffer extreme psychological trauma are instantly cured when they can finally be coerced show more into talking about it. And our quirky heroine knowing full well that only a trained psychologist should be attempting therapy, but since there isn’t one around, well, the couple of human psychology classes she took in drama school will do. No consideration that she might do more harm than good. Also, this story should have wrapped up a few chapters earlier, but it gets unnecessarily dragged out because our two lovers are incapable of having an adult conversation about their feelings for one another.

Audiobook, borrowed from my library via Overdrive, with an excellent performance by Erin Bennett.

Read for the 2017 Romance Bingo. It could fit any of these squares:
Headless woman: beheaded by the cover artist
Guy/Girl Next Door: they spent a summer living in the same house as stepsiblings, and are neighbors in the current timeline
Rogue: The MC believes her love interest is a sociopath who played cruel tricks on her and has even attempted murder
Second Chances: Also third and fourth chances show less