HEAVEN, TEXAS
Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Avon Books

Review by Kaye Hatfield

Kaye Hatfield and Susan Elizabeth Phillips.  Kaye attended a booksigning last summer (2003).

When I started this column several months ago, I mentioned that I would, from time to time, include a review of a contemporary romance book. Well, I have decided to review one and am starting with one of my very favorites Heaven, Texas by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

I happen to be a romance novel reader/reviewer as well as a sports fan. My main interests are football and basketball. When I read the first book of Phillips’ "Chicago Stars" series entitled It Had to Be You, I knew that I couldn’t stop until I had devoured all the books in the series. 

Heaven, Texas turned out to be my favorite because I fell in love with Bobby Tom Denton.  In my interview (Interview: Kaye Hatfield), I said that every woman should have a "Bobby Tom Denton" in her life for a little while. Phillips has created a character with the ability to make every woman he comes in contact with feel very special and beautiful in some way. She has also created a woman, Gracie, who accepts her own abilities in areas other than her bust size. Gracie has decided that at the age of 30 she no longer wants to be a virgin and guess who she has chooses to alleviate that problem?

The book starts out with Gracie beginning her first assignment with a movie production company. The assignment is to convince Bobby Tom Denton to leave Chicago and report to the site of the movie he has contracted to star in. Bobby Tom ("BT") has recently recovered from an injury which has ended his football career as the best wide receiver in the NFL. He enjoyed, and continues to enjoy, all the perks of a successful, famous football star including money, publicity, beautiful women, and a home town in Texas that worships him.

Gracie finally does manage to get him on the road but it takes several days and several stops for them to arrive in Telarosa for the filming of his movie debut. On the road to Telarosa, BT and Gracie begin getting to know each other and understand their different backgrounds. She has led a very sheltered life in New Grundy, Ohio, and he has lead a most unsheltered life as a football star in high school, college and the NFL.

I have always been fascinated with the egos that most famous sports celebrities possess and still touch the same ground that normal people walk on. BT is no exception to this rule. However, at times, he has a sensitivity that surprises the reader. He is generous to a fault. He also doesn’t burden others with the pain he feels over losing his football career. He is devoted to and very protective of his mother.

Gracie understands BT in a way that the beautiful, glitzy women he surrounds himself with are unable to do. Gracie decides to give him her love freely without asking for anything in return. She wants to be the one person in his life who gives to him instead of taking. This sometimes causes her problems because of BT’s generosity – especially to her.

I have read Heaven, Texas three times and each time I laugh and enjoy it as much as the first time. It grabs you right from the start and doesn’t let go until the last page. Phillips has a style of writing that keeps me up at night and reading in every situation that affords me a few minutes to pick up a book. Her creation of BT is so realistic that sometimes when I turn on Sunday afternoon football, I expect to see him marching across my screen.

I recommend all the books in the "Chicago Stars" series and am listing them following Phillips’ comments. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have and if you like contemporary romance, I believe you will also become a fan of Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

Comments by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

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