Sugar Daddy

I was pleasantly surprised by how great a book this is. Push me over with a feather and color me happy I was surprised by this one! From the Amazon reviews, and gauging from comments on other websites, there seems to be some stigma against “going contemporary” in the romance genre. I can’t imagine why, if the books are as solid as Ms. Kleypas’ Sugar Daddy. Is romance is more romantic when it is historical (and therefore more escapist)? I don’t know. But I digress.

Liberty Jones is a small town girl growing up in a town called Welcome, Texas (right off the bat, these names are boss). She lives in a trailer with her pretty young mother, and all they have in the world is each other. Liberty’s father died when she was a young show more girl, in an accident on an oil rig. As for extended family, all Liberty knows is her momma doesn’t like to talk about them. But this never bothered Liberty, because all she and her mom ever really needed was each other. When her mom gets pregnant (from a deadbeat boyfriend), however, Liberty is ecstatic. Her little sister Carrington is born, and is the love of Liberty’s life. She takes care of the baby as if Carrington were her own, showing her more affection and time than even her mother does. Carrington becomes Liberty’s anchor in her turbulent life. Especially after Hardy Cates.

When they first move to Welcome, 14 year old Liberty gets a first glimpse of Hardy Cates—who will become Liberty’s childhood crush and first love. As the saying goes, the first cut is the deepest. Hardy Cates is ambitious, and is Going Places. He leaves Liberty behind, despite the undeniable pull they feel towards each other, because Hardy doesn’t want to turn into his father, and he needs to get out of Welcome and never look back. Just like that, Hardy Cates leaves Liberty’s life.

Shortly after this blow, an 18 year old Liberty suffers another—her mother is killed in a car crash, leaving both her daughters behind. Liberty manages to retain custody of Carrington, but times are hard. Since her mother did not have any life insurance, and Liberty does not have a job, there are bills that need to be paid. The struggle Liberty goes through to keep Carrington, to feed and care for them both, to find a job and still keep her head up are incredibly endearing. Liberty has always wanted to go to beauty school, and by some divine benevolence is able to secure a scholarship to one of Texas’ best.

Upon earning her degree, Liberty and Carrington (now ready to start preschool) leave Welcome behind and move to Houston. Ms. Kleypas’ rich detail and careful prose lovingly brings the city to life on the page—her descriptions of Houston, from the mannerisms of the people to the temperament of the weather, make the city tangible and very real. Liberty lands a job at a top salon, and is introduced to Mr. Churchill Travis, middle aged billionaire and the best ‘sugar daddy’ catch of them all, according to Liberty’s coworkers. Churchill immediately singles out Liberty, and requests for her. Over many manicure sessions, Liberty and Churchill become good friends. (No they don’t sleep together, and Liberty doesn’t take him as her “sugar daddy”, don’t worry). Such good friends, in fact, that Churchill asks Liberty to work for him as his new personal assistant, offering her a hefty salary, and a place for her and Carrington to live in his mansion. Liberty accepts, and her life is thrown into an entirely new direction as she meets Churchill’s family—most notably, his eldest son Gage (also a successful businessman and tycoon), who has some kind of grudge against Liberty from the start. (you see where this is going, right?)

This book isn’t so heavy a romance as it is just a plain good old fashioned story. Lisa Kleypas writes a remarkable, down to earth and vulnerable character in Liberty. Her struggles with growing up, with her ethnicity, with money and raising her baby sister, all rang true to me and had me rooting for Liberty the whole way. I love the details and descriptions of everything, whether it be the sweet texture of red velvet cake during a southern summer, or driving the streets of Houston at night. I have never been to Texas (outside of the airport at Dallas Ft. Worth), but I feel like I intimately know some alluring part of it because of Ms. Kleypas’ beautiful writing.

The only major issue I had with the style of the book was the early voice for Liberty. Ms. Kleypas writes this book in the first person, which can be a lot trickier than it seems. Liberty begins the story as a young, awkward girl of 14. Her ‘voice’ (the narration), however, feels as though it belongs to an older woman. Having read some of Ms. Kleypas’ historical romance novels before, I am familiar with her signature style—and early on in Sugar Daddy, it feels as though an older, more experienced Lisa Kleypas is narrating, not a shy teen. As the story progresses and Liberty grows older, however, Liberty grows into the voice and everything clicks into place.

I loved this book, I loved the choices that Liberty made, and I can completely agree with the guy she picked. As I know I’ve said before, I am loathe to read about love triangles, but this one is mercifully brief, and ends decisively. If this is any indication as to how contemporary romance works, I’ll gladly buy more.

Notable Quotes/Parts: All of the interactions between Liberty and her smart, lovable baby sister Carrington are just wonderful. In one scene, Liberty comes home with a date to watch a movie at her place. Carrington has a different idea for how the night should go, and she puts her lucky penny in her mouth then swallows it! Eek.

Additional Thoughts: There’s a saying that you should “write what you know”—and it became abundantly clear to me while reading this novel that Ms. Kleypas has some strong connection to Texas. Sure enough, after reading her bio it seems she lived there for some time.

Also, did you know Lisa Kleypas was Miss Massachusetts in the Miss America Pageant in 1985? Pretty cool.

Verdict: Wonderful book that I will keep and definitely reread. I can’t wait for her next in the series, Blue Eyed Devil, in stores March 25, 2008!

Rating: 7 Very Good

Full Review at:
http://thebooksmugglers.blogspot.com/2008/03/book-review-sugar-daddy.html show less

When Sugar Daddy was released, it marked Lisa Kleypas' first foray into contemporary romance. I had heard from some fans who thought it leaned more toward women's fiction, and in some ways, I can see why. It is written in the heroine's first-person POV, and the romance, for the most part, is limited to the first third and the last third of the book. In between, is the heroine's struggles to make ends meet and raise her little sister after the death of their mother. Ultimately though, I felt there was enough romance to keep it categorized in that genre. However, the romance is rooted in a serious love triangle which at times, left me feeling like my emotions were being yanked back and forth between two wonderful men. I'm not usually a show more fan of love triangles which left me with doubts that Lisa Kleypas could make me accept the man that Liberty chose in a relatively short amount of pages, but in the end, she pulled it off beautifully.

The story begins when Liberty is a young teenager. I liked that she wasn't exactly the prettiest girl, she wore glasses, was on the shy side, and had her share of fears. As she grows older, she gradually becomes stronger and more self-sufficient. She was a smart girl and very organized. When her mother went into labor, she had everything right down to a birth plan and all the right equipment ready to go on a moments notice and accompanied her mother to the birth center. It might have been unhealthy on some level, but Liberty loving her baby sister like she's her own child was really sweet and ultimately, it was that bond between them that kept them together through thick and thin when their mother died. As a young woman, Liberty was very strong and admirable for taking on the full responsibility of raising her sister, while also working and going to beauty school. She was essentially thrown into the role of a single mother straight out of high school. When Churchill hired her to be his personal assistant and live in his home, Liberty's awestruck wonder of being surrounded by the ostentatious luxury of his home and lifestyle was very realistic and well-done. She may have butted heads with Gage at first, but it was really sweet how she cared for him when he was sick. I think that was the turning point in their relationship, and he was able to give her what she'd been longing for all those years she spent struggling and lonely. When Hardy returned just as Liberty was starting to fall in love with Gage, I completely understood why she would succumb to his kisses and want to spend time with him again. There was never any real closure to their relationship, so she wasn't able to entirely stop loving him. In the end, I believe that Liberty chose the right man, but it wasn't an easy road to get there.

I loved how protective Hardy was of Liberty right from the moment he met her when they were just teenagers. I could easily sense the deep conflict within Hardy, between his heart, which was pulling him toward Liberty, and his strong ambition and determination, which was pulling him toward leaving Welcome behind and never looking back. He had a restless soul and needed to prove himself. While he stayed in Welcome, he was always there to lend a hand when Liberty needed it. He had this ruthlessly contained passion for her that he only allowed to surface a few times, because he was afraid if he got too close to her, he wouldn't be able to leave. Hardy was very easy to fall in love with. I liked him almost instantly and my appreciation of him only grew with time. I can see why Liberty pined for him for years. Ms. Kleypas did an excellent job of expressing the deep longing between this pair. If Hardy hadn't left town, I think he and Liberty could have shared the perfect love. A part of me wanted to be upset with him for leaving, especially when Liberty had to struggle so hard to make ends meet. I can't help thinking that if he'd loved Liberty enough, he would have found a way to make it work, but another part of me understood that he was young and restless and just needed to get away. Hardy's life turned out well except for not having Liberty in it, and when he returns, it seems that he still loves her, but in many ways, he is a different man.

Unlike Hardy, who was so warm and inviting, Gage initially had an air of hardness and coldness about him. It took a little longer for me to warm up to him, but once he realizes that Liberty isn't his father's mistress and really starts interacting with her and Carrington, I couldn't help but fall for him too. Gage was obviously a great son to come over every morning to help his dad shower and dress when he injured his leg. The way he helped Carrington with her school project and tried to be more helpful to Liberty was sweet. I loved how he was ready to whisk her off to London or Paris in an instant. Gage and Liberty had excellent chemistry, but admittedly, it was a little difficult to become fully invested in their relationship when I knew she was still pining for Hardy on some level. He was also involved with another woman when they first met and didn't break it off until after he first kissed Liberty. This all kind of made the rebound red lights go off in my head. However, Gage won me over pretty quickly with his warmth, tenderness, and passion. The way that Gage gently took control and gave Liberty the elusive pleasure she'd been craving for so long made their first love scene absolutely delicious.

Liking both of these men almost equally made for some rather difficult reading. I already mentioned that I've never been a fan of love triangles in romance, and that's especially true with books in which I know a wonderful person with a good heart is going to eventually be left out in the cold. Hardy and Gage are both great guys which made it almost impossible to choose between them. If it weren't for me catching a spoiler, I wouldn't have even known which man to root for. Even knowing who was going to win out in the end didn't really make it much easier, but I felt that Ms. Kleypas drew enough of a distinction between them by the end that I was happy with Liberty's choice.

Overall, Sugar Daddy was a beautifully written book that I really enjoyed. I realized while reading it just how good Ms. Kleypas is at the art of metaphor and imagery. Her words really helped to bring the story to life in my mind's eye. In addition to her three wonderful main characters, she also created some great secondary characters. Churchill initially seemed like a temperamental old codger, but he eventually became the kind of man anyone would be proud to have as a father. Liberty's little sister, Carrington, is cute and precocious. We're also introduced to Gage's brother, Jack, who becomes the hero of book #3 in the Travis series, Smooth Talking Stranger. For anyone who hasn't read Sugar Daddy yet, I won't ruin it by giving away who, but the guy who comes out the loser in this story becomes the hero of the next one, Blue-Eyed Devil. Sugar Daddy was, without a doubt, another wonderful read from Lisa Kleypas, and I can't wait to continue with the series. show less

When I first heard Lisa Kleypas was going into contemporary books unlike many other readers, I wasn’t dismayed. She is such a talented writer that I knew no matter what she wrote it would be good and since I love contemporaries too that was fine with me. I think there are a number of authors who can write good in different settings – Anne Stuart for example. And then I heard she would be continuing to still write historicals and I was even happier that we would be getting both.

Then I heard it was going to be in first person and I had a bit of a qualm as I don’t normally read first person books. But since I love the Stephanie Plum books I wasn’t really that concerned.

Sugar Daddy was amazing. I loved Liberty. I loved her down to show more earthness. I loved the love she had for Carrington. I loved the way she didn’t let life get her down. And another confession time here. When I was in Grade 3 I met a boy a couple of years older than me – the son of good friends of my parents – and I has a SEVERE crush on him for YEARS. Years I tell you. Right up until I moved to another city when I was 18 he was my main crush although others came and went. And if I were to see him today, I would still have strong feelings. So I could really relate to her feelings for Hardy and her mixed emotions when he showed back up in her life.

Both Hardy and Gage were interesting men. I could see why she was torn for a while.

And at the end – I’m glad Liberty made the choice that she did. I wasn’t sure I would be – but I was.

My advice – if you haven’t read this book yet because it was out in hardcover, it will be coming out in paperback soon. Buy it! Do not miss this wonderful story by a wonderful author. show less

You know that the ending is coming when you give a three star rating to one of your favorite authors. I adore Lisa Kleypas's historical novels and I thought it would be the same for the contemporary one.

From the blurb, it's obvious that there will be a love triangle, but I expected that this author would have handled it in a better way that somehow wouldn't bother me. Well...., I was wrong. The triangle-ish situation is happening to a small fraction of the book and it was awfully handled. I just wanted to smack Liberty and make her see things clearly. I am not happy with this love triangle. I find it completely unnecessary. The blurb doesn't mention Gabe which is completely wrong for me.

Actually the whole blurb is a mistake for me. It show more is focusing too much on Liberty and Hardy when Hardy is not even the main focus. I would have preferred the mention of Liberty's past in the blurb. More than half of the story in this book was happening in the past. It starts when Liberty is around 14 and ends when Liberty is 24. I found that a little tiring and I had to stop the book for a couple of days. The secrets from the family past aren't that big of a deal for me. The author prepares the reader for them from early on. After the events in the last chapters I am not sure what to think of Hardy. I am not sure I even like him. I wonder how I will feel when I see him in the next books.

The romance between Liberty and Gage is too short and I didn't have the time to be convinced that they were good together. I believe more in the relationship Gage and Carrington had than Liberty's with him. I still have the feeling that Liberty is Carrington's mother rather than Diana. She seemed to take care of her more than anyone.

Honestly, I never though that I could be disappointed by Lisa Kleypas, but you know what they say, there is a first time for everything. I will start Blue eyed devil and hope for the best. I don't want to be disappointed again. Hopefully the next book will have more romance and less nonsense. show less

Avevo questo libro da anni ed ogni tanto lo guardavo e mi dicevo: "Prima o poi lo leggerò".
Ora l'ho finito e dico:"Ma perchè non l'ho letto prima??".
Che dire...stupendo, romantico, perfetto! La Kleypas è un portento. I personaggi sono tutti azzeccati e descritti che è una meraviglia. Mi sono innamorata di Liberty Jones, delle sue vicende, dei suoi amori. Mammamia quante emozioni e quanti sorrisi mi ha strappato questo libro. Grazie Lisa!!!

I loved this story of a Texas girl who has to grow up way too soon. Her single mother struggles to rase one daughter then finds herself pregnant with another baby. Their lives get hard but then they get even harder when tragedy strikes. Liberty Jones is a woman I can respect, and I enjoyed her heart wrenching story.
Liberty has never been allowed to develop normal relationships, her responsibilities would make most adults run for cover. She doesn't, she works her tail off. Sometimes she gets nailed to the wall, but she unhooks herself gets up and moves ahead.
There are several men in her life, one breaks her heart, one offers her a future and one really loves her. I loved all three wonderful men with their stupid men problems. I do have show more to say I want my own Gage after meeting him.
I am already reading the next book. show less

Lisa Kleypas writes wonderful historical romances so when I heard about her newest release a chill went down my spine. Was another wonderful romance author moving away from romance into the realm of women's fiction or historical fiction or mystery? Visions of Candice Proctor (now writing as C. S. Harris) sprung to my mind. So I waited for the reviews to roll in but unfortunately they were a bit mixed and no one was answering the question foremost on my mind.... did it have a HEA? I had no choice, no choice people, but to find out for myself. So when I finally got my copy, the first thing I did was read the last chapter.

The good news is .... yes, it has a HEA, so it didn't feel exactly like women's fiction... more like a like a hybrid show more cross with a contemporary romance. But it is written in first person like most women's fiction. The bad news is ... there is a love triangle and I'm not especially fond of them. But I still greatly enjoyed this book.

Liberty Jones is an interesting and complex character and I admired her strength and determination to make a better life for herself and her baby sister. The story, as told by Liberty, begins when she is 11 years old and moves into a trailer park with her mother, Diana, in Welcome, Texas. She meets a boy named Hardy Cates and develops a serious crush on him. But Hardy has ambitions and burns to get out town as soon as he graduates. When he leaves town to make his fortune on an oil rig, Liberty is crushed and I started to have doubts about finishing the book. Hardy was a huge disappointment and I wanted to kick and scream at him. I had to remind myself that this was not a 'true' romance and I knew how it ended so I bravely continued on. :)

When Diana becomes pregnant, she tosses her lazy boyfriend out on his ear. She has a baby girl that Liberty names Carrington and Liberty is completely devoted to her. In fact, she's more of a mother to Carrington than Diana. Life is not easy for them. Diana struggles to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads and clothes on their backs, but occasionally some extra money will 'luckily' land in their laps. But life becomes even harder when Diana is killed in a car accident and Liberty, who has just graduated from high school, is given custody of her baby sister.

Liberty moves to Houston and gets a scholarship to a beauty school. After she graduates she gets a job at a ritzy beauty salon. There she meets a wealthy tycoon, Churchill Travis, who takes a fatherly interest in her and eventually offers her a job as his personal assistant. But she and her sister must move into his mansion. It's not what you think...there is no intimacy between Churchill and Liberty, they become very close friends, almost like father and daughter. But Churchill's son, Gage, doesn't believe that and he is angry and suspicious. But he eventually figures things out and they fall in love.

Then lo and behold in walks Hardy back into Liberty's life and now she must make a decision. I won't spoil the ending but some secrets are revealed and Liberty ends up with the right person.

I'm not sure I can recommend this book to everyone. Some reviews I read really didn't like the book or were disappointed in it. I can see their points but I really enjoyed it. If you don't like love triangles or first person POV (or kids), stay away. It's not a 'true' romance, but more of a life saga with a romantic ending. Of course, if you are a huge LK fan and read everything she writes then you'll probably enjoy this one. Her characterization is excellent and the story moves quickly. It took me a while to come up with a grade. But the characters and story are still fresh in my mind even though I finished it months ago. So must be a keeper for me. GRADE: A- show less