Lady Be Good

Wynette, Texas #2

by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Lady Emma Wells-Finch has only two weeks to destroy her reputation. The ever-so-proper headmistress of England's St. Gertrude's School for Girls, Emma arrives in Texas knowing that only one thing will save her from losing everything she holds dear: complete and utter disgrace. Meanwhile, world famous playboy-athlete Kenny Traveler—suspended from the sport he loves because of very bad behavior—knows the only thing that can restore his career is complete and utter respectability. Unfortunately, he's been blackmailed into chauffeuring around a beautiful, bossy, single-minded Brit who's hell-bent on visiting honky-tonks, tattoo parlors, and worse. . . . Much worse.

The incomparable Susan Elizabeth Phillips gives readers a wild and sexy story brimming with hilarity and heart—a tall Texas tale of the sparks that fly when a gorgeous god of a man who can't afford another scandal hooks up with a hardheaded woman who's determined to cause one.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Sports, Fiction, Sports Romance

Audio Cassette

First published February 1, 1999

About the author

SUSAN ELIZABETH PHILLIPS

Susan Elizabeth Phillips has been called the “Queen of Romantic Comedy and is the creator of the sports romance, beginning with her 1989 bestseller, FANCY PANTS. An internationally acclaimed author, her books have been published in over 30 languages. She’s the only four-time recipient of the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Favorite Book of the Year Award, and a recipient of their Lifetime Achievement Award.

Susan's newest book, SIMPLY THE BEST, is coming in hardcover, ebook and audiobook in February 2024. SIMPLY THE BEST is book #10 in the highly acclaimed CHICAGO STARS football series. Susan is also known for the Wynette, Texas book series and many stand-alone women's fiction/romance novels.

In addition to being a New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, and USA Today bestseller, she is a hiker, lazy gardener, horrible singer, passable cook, passionate reader, wife, mother of two grown sons, and grandmother.

You can visit Susan on Facebook, Instagram or on her website.

https://www.facebook.com/SusanElizabe...

https://www.instagram.com/SEPauthor/

http://susanelizabethphillips.com/

Reviews

[♥Sharon♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve only recently come upon this author and this is only my second book by her but I truly enjoy her writing. Susan Elizabeth Philips creates story lines and characters that are humorous, unique, sexy and so much fun to read.

Lady Be Good is the second book in the Wynette, Texas series. I’ve read Fancy Pants which is book #1 and loved that one too. This is the story of Lady Emma Wells-Finch and Kenny Traveler. Their meeting is arranged to help with a situation that Kenny is in, but with one little “misunderstanding” Emma and Kenny find themselves not quite knowing what to do with each other.

Kenny ~ I loved him. He was a pro-golfer who was a bit of a womanizer I guess you could say. But he was also a little misunderstood. Right now what he needed to do was stay out of the limelight and do whatever it took to get his suspension from the PGA lifted. Agreeing to watch over Emma for a few weeks was a way for him to do this. He just had no clue what Lady Emma was capable of. ❤



Lady Emma~ was so much fun to get to know. She was sweet, funny and a little bit proper. When she first lays eyes on Kenny she gets a bit flustered. She wasn’t expecting such an attractive man with such beautiful eyes. She corrected herself quickly though. Emma wouldn’t let him ruffle her feathers. Or so she thought anyways. ❤



Both Emma and Kenny have their own little plans that they need the other for but not everything is apparent to the other. Emma is devising a plan to ward off the Duke of Beddington from marrying her and Kenny is looking to get his suspension from the PGA lifted. But Kenny’s patience will be tested and Emma will find out that she just can’t control everything. Did I mention that Emma is a bit bossy?



Slowly everything that is swirling around Emma and Kenny becomes more than what they both bargained for. Emma thought she could control her feelings for Kenny because of what was at stake but sometimes there is no way to control your feelings.



And Kenny got to that point of not knowing if he was coming or going. He wasn’t conditioned to deal with a woman like Emma. He is used to handling woman but none of them challenged him like she did. It was fun watching this guy squirm a bit.



There really isn’t much more I can say about these two without giving away things you should read firsthand. It was delightful to find myself locked into the story within the first ten pages when Kenny see’s Emma with her perky little hat and her brolly. I knew it was going to be another fun and sweet romantic read.



One last thing. I found this in Fancy Pants too that SEP gives you a secondary plot. In this one it center’s around Kenny’s sister Tori who was also so much fun to get to know. Her father is trying to arrange it so that she marries this guy Dexter O’Connor who by all means is not the type of guy Tori would ever be interested in. Imagine geek meets sexy smartass girl. I loved Tori’s fowl mouth and Dexter’s directness. They made me laugh! They were a lot of fun.

[Mo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally read this a few years ago and gave it 5 stars. Just finished a re-read and it would not make the 5 star mark today. If Dallie and Fancy Pants hadn't show up, it might even be lower. I don't even know why I didn't love it as much this time around.


I am kind of afraid to re-read the rest of the series for fear that I might find fault with them also.



Still, she is a great author and she will be an "auto-buy" for me.

[Beatriz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hace tiempo que no me divertía tanto con un libro, de verdad, donde otros sólo me han sacado una sonrisa, con esta lectura me sorprendí riéndome a carcajadas. Es que SEP crea unas situaciones comiquísimas con unos personajes caracterizados de forma impecable.

Por lo mismo, la sentí más una novela de personajes que de argumento, aunque por supuesto hay todo un conflicto asociado a la necesidad de Emma de destruir su imagen de perfecta aristócrata inglesa y así desincentivar a un duque pomposo, egocéntrico y arrogante en su decisión de casarse con ella. Obviamente, para lograr su objetivo, a Emma se le ocurren las cosas más descabelladas y en las que arrastra a Kenny Traveler, un golfista que, por el contrario, debe hacer hasta lo imposible por mantenerse alejado de cualquier lío para que le levanten una suspensión.

Emma y Kenny son polos opuestos en el sentido más amplio de la expresión, por lo que sus pullas son constantes y… después de medio libro, la verdad empiezan a cansar un poco; a esa altura de la lectura me tenía más interesada una relación secundaria que la principal. Además, si bien la personalidad de Emma era un soplo de aire fresco, con Kenny no empaticé nunca, fueron demasiadas páginas de un protagonista indolente como para que al final se redimiera conmigo.

Como dato, este libro es el segundo de una serie, pero no es necesario leer el primero. Éste se puede leer en forma absolutamente independiente.

Reto #19 PopSugar 2018: Un libro acerca de o relacionado con un deporte

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic Susan Elizabeth Phillips! Lady Be Good is the second installment in her adult contemporary romance series titled Wynette, Texas. I just love Ms. Phillips' ability to write amazing humor and romance and she excels at both in this one. Golf is one of my least favorite sports so the male lead's pro-golf career was a bit of a bore for me personally but this is such a fun book! If you're into adult romances filled with laughs, check out this author!!!

My favorite quote:
“Now, this is where I draw the line! It's bad enough everybody in town's going to be thinkin' I'm sleeping with a depressed, lice-ridden, hemorrhoidal foreigner who likes to be tied up and might be pregnant, although-since she's just about cornered the market on condoms-I don't know how that could have happened. But I will not-you listen to me, Emma!-I absolutely will not have anybody thinkin' a woman of mine needs a vaginal moisturizer, do you hear me?”

[Piper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was properly delightful!! It is the third Susan Elizabeth Phillips novel I have read, and I was just as smitten by it as I was the first two. She writes in a way that makes you laugh out loud, reflect on life’s afflictions, rejoice in second chances, and love falling in love.
Lady Be Good is the second installment in the Wynette, Texas series. The main characters once again depict a Texas golfer and a British lady. Brought together by an “innocent” matchmaker (who also happens to be the heroine from the previous book, Miss Fancy Pants herself), Kenny Traveler and Lady Emma Wells-Finch couldn’t be more opposite of each other. One of them is extremely bossy and independent while the other is quite lazy and passive. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t sparks to be ignited. Those sparks, however, do not a solid relationship make, as they each struggle with issues that originate from their past. However can they possibly find a middle ground to make their relationship work? There was quite a lot of self-misconception construed through much of the story which made it a journey that was fun and rewarding to watch unfold.
As has been the case thus far in my SEP reading experience, we are also entertained by some interesting and enjoyable secondary characters and are allowed a glimpse into their stories as well. In an odd and unlikely match, Dex and Torie discover what they thought to be an impossible situation develop into very much the opposite. We also are reunited with an older Dallie and a now young adult Ted (Teddy) which was definitely a treat.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys some great humor, just a bit of angst and a sweet happily ever after.

[Geo Just Reading My Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

“O lady rebelă” este o carte care m-a emoționat și-n același timp m-a făcut să râd în hohote. O lectură care te prinde încă de la prima pagină și pe care nu o poți lăsa din mână.
Lady Emma este descendenta unei familii britanice de conți. Manierată, cu o atitudine de general, aceasta reușește să-i dea peste cap viața lui Kenny Traveler.
Kenny este un jucător profesionist de golf, un tânăr ce pare leneș și indolent, un tip chipeș care preferă să nu dea explicații nimănui.
Este desemnat să se ocupe de Lady Emma cât aceasta va sta în America. În timp ce el este hotărât să se poarte exemplar și să nu mai apară cu scandaluri în presă deoarece dorește să i se retragă suspendarea și să revină în turneul de golf, lady Emma este decisă să-și distrugă reputația pentru a scăpa de un duce odios care o șantajează pentru a se căsători cu el.
Astfel, avem parte de momente tensionate, situații comice și dialoguri spumoase care ne destind, ne energizează și ne oferă o poveste absolut deosdbită.
Autoarea Susan Elizabeth Phillips a reușit să ofere cititorilor un moment de visare în această perioadă tensionată.
Mi-au plăcut mult cele două personaje principale. Firi antagonice, cei doi sunt precum doi magneți: se atrag și se resping în funcție de modul în care situația lor este într-un impas sau merge spre bine.
Iar momentul când emoțiile își fac simțită prezența este momentul în care lupta lor interioară se extinde.
O lectură pe care v-o recomand cu drag.

[Milica's Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Upravo sam završila sa čitanjem, napolju zora sviće a ja se cerim ko idiot.
Obožavam ovakve lagane, opuštajuće ljubavne priče sa malom dozom napetosti.

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

My second by SEP, I didn't like it as much as the first, though I liked it well enough. All of that is down to Emma, though. She's worried about becoming one of "those dear, old things" and is looking to change that with the added impetus of needing to turn an unwanted suitor off the hunt. Because her inherent decency and kindness and stability is warring with her need for change, her actions can be a bit erratic. The thing is, SEP does an excellent job making it reasonable so I didn't feel like I was being jerked around or that it was all convenient or an excuse for moving the plot where she wanted it to go and that let me fall in love with her and never look back.

It's unfortunate that Kenny is such a dead loss. He's a man-child who knows he's a man-child and couldn't care less. Which makes him manipulative and lazy and I never really cared for him at all—not least because of the damage you could see headed to Emma. Actually, SEP pulls off another minor miracle in making that relationship reasonable enough to bypass my dislike of Kenny. He is a good fit for her, or, at least he is when he can overcome his indolence. So even as I didn't like him, I was along for the story for Emma's sake and that was enough.

The thing that actually threw me out of the story the most was the stupid duke of Beddington nonsense. That misogynistic throw-back didn't ring true from the moment he steps on the page and him being the major motivation for much of the plot never did settle well for me. And it broke any connection I had to Kenny when it turns out Kenny is the duke's inside man. I'm sorry, but that betrayal was way out of bounds. It not only trips on the "betraying you for your own good" stupidity, it also sets him up as explicitly not caring at all about Emma for herself. So it's a good thing I'm able to edit stories in my head even as I read them. Editing the stupid duke out was probably the hardest live-editing job I've ever done, but I managed well enough to keep reading.

Which brings me to trying to rate this. I'm a bit surprised that I want to rate this at four stars, even though it was mostly a three-star read. I'm having a hard time reconciling that, actually. I think it comes down to the humor and the strong secondary characters. Torie and Dex were fantastic and I loved everything about their courtship. Kenny's family was outstanding all-around, actually, and I loved seeing them grow to love and respect Emma even before Kenny was able to overcome his inner toddler. Which means I'm probably going to go with four stars, after all, even though the central romance had Kenny and the duke in it...

A note about the series: This book was available while the first wasn't. Due to comparative ratings, I decided to go with convenience and and skip the first. I don't regret it. We get lots of Dallie and Francesca (the couple in the first book) in this one, but I didn't mind not having the details of their relationship. It doesn't hurt that there's a decade between their writing and SEP kept that timeline internally here. So they're an old couple now and presented as such. Which is my long way of saying it wasn't hard starting here and I'd recommend that to others as well.

A note about Steamy: This had two and a half plus one explicit sex scenes. Yeah, I'm getting complicated in my steam tallies. tl;dr; middle of my steam tolerance. Long story: I really liked the steam and the handling of Emma as a thirty year-old virgin looking to make a change. One area Kenny really shined is his ability to fully immerse with the needs of his lover and this showed him to his best advantage. Indeed, a lot of me being okay with the relationship at all is his care for her sexually. And yes, that's weird to write, but I mean it anyway. The plus one was Torie and Dex and I loved that SEP included it, even though it was kind of out of place.

[Dija · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Now, this is where I draw the line! It’s bad enough everybody in town’s going to be thinkin’ I’m sleeping with a depressed, lice-ridden, hemorrhoidal foreigner who likes to be tied up and might be pregnant, although—since she’s just about cornered the market on condoms—I don’t know how that could have happened. But I will not —you listen to me, Emma!—I absolutely will not have anybody thinkin’ a woman of mine needs a vaginal moisturizer, do you hear me?"

The good stuff:

1. The romance. It is thoroughly heart-warming and engaging and everything a great romance should be! I loved watching naive and proper Emma falling for lazy and all-American Kenny, and vice versa.
2. The humor. I love SEP's style, and the humor she infuses in the dialogue completely transforms the whole story. I pretty much laughed my way through the entire book.
3. The constant plot twists. The tiny unexpected twists that can be found in every chapter are engaging and do a wonderful job of keeping up the suspense, even if an HEA ending is a given.
4. Adorable starring characters, and lots of scenes with previous cast members. I loved reading about Ted as a grown-up, and it was really nice catching up with Francie and Dallie as well. Their romance is still as sweet and true as it was in their own book, and it's amazing seeing how well they've developed into a married couple.

The not-so-good stuff:

1. The ending. It seemed highly anti-climactic and toned down after such a great book. It didn't leave me with the best feeling in my heart, and that's where the lack of 5 stars comes from.
2. Torie and Dex. I hate Torie, and that hatred extends to Dex by association. I really couldn't feel these two and I think the book would have been much better without them.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lady Emma Wells-Finch is headmistress of St. Gert's School for Girls. Emma is desperate to create the perfect scandal that will convince the egotistical Duke of Beddington, the main benefactor of her school, that she is not appropriate marriage material. However, while she is trying her best to convince the Duke that she will not make a satisfactory Duchess, she cannot take things too far or he will sell St. Gerts out from under her.

Gorgeous Kenny Traveler - who needs to avoid scandal at all costs - is a world famous, pro-golfer who has been put on suspension by the acting PGA golf commissioner, Dallie a/k/a the "Antichrist", husband of Francesca (SEP's Fancy Pants). When Emma travels to the United States to perform research for an article in the great State of Texas, Francesca arranges for Kenny to "babysit" Emma as a favor to her. Francesca promises to intervene with her husband and convince him to lift Kenny's suspension if all goes well.

Emma's strong leadership skills and bossiness combined with Kenny's perceived laziness and great sense of humor makes this a fun read. The Katherine Hepburn/Spencer Tracey type of dialogue between Emma and Kenny is entertaining and immediately hooks you. Five pages into this delightful book I realized I would not be able to put it down.

When Emma first meets Kenny, she assumes he is a dim-witted driver who moonlights as a male escort. Kenny is annoyed with her bossy attitude and decides to go along with her misconceptions by telling Emma that he charges $30 a pop to have sex with women. Not only does Emma decide to pay the $30 and have sex with him, Kenny cleverly convinces her to cook his dinner beforehand!

This book is full of those misunderstandings that we are all growing tired of, but they are written in SEP's witty and funny style that I truly enjoy. SEP has the ability to take a fun, contemporary romance and put a spin on it that includes an element of sweetness that most authors cannot pull off. The ending was a little far-fetched, but the end justifies the means.

Just a side note ... there is a secondary plot that is just as entertaining as the main plot. Kenny's father arranges for Kenny's sister, Tori, (a chick-lit cliche' who can out-cuss and out-talk most men) to marry sexy, uber-geek Dexter O'Connor or he will cut off funding to her emu farm. I loved this subplot and thought it deserved it's own story - I wanted to read more about Dexter!

[Amber’s reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

SEP has never let me down, and Lady Be Good is no exception. Susan Elizabeth's fabulous writing, witty dialogue, and lovable characters made this a fabulous audiobook that gave me so many laughs.

I'm about halfway through all of SEP's books and have loved them all. I've recently started listening to some on audiobook and have been extremely happy with the 3 narrators she uses. This book was narrated by Anna Fields, who does a fabulous job especially with Lady Emma's British accent.

Even though most of SEP's books have an opposites attract trope, they never get stale. She has become my go-to romance author. Major fangirl!

[Eve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Series: Wynette, Texas #3
Publication Date: July 1, 1999
This is part of the series but can be read as a standalone



Lady Be Good was amusing, delightful and engaging book. The characters sounded real, unique and quirky. The story moved along at a good pace, the dialog was funny (ok, sometimes over the top but I enjoyed it!) and I was absorbed by the drama that unfolded.

I liked to see how Lady Emma (30) plotted different schemes in order to lose her good name and reputation, so the Duke of Beddington would realize that she is no duchess material (I did not blame her for not wanting to marry that pompous man!). However, Kenny had to be careful and avoid any scandal to save his career. So his wishes constantly conflicted with Emma's crazy plans and it created lots of funny moments!

I also liked the side story between Kenny's sister Torie and Dexter (poor Torie was also suffering from the epidemic of marriage-by-blackmail :O).



I have only one wish for SEP:

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

- Loved it! After the previous book in the series I was pleased to get more of what I associated as SEP.
- Loved Kenny, liked Emma.
- Liked background stories.
- Very funny which kept me chuckling with more than a few full out belly laughs.
- Looking forward to reading Ted's story. Can't believe that adorable little boy has turned into one sexy young man!

[Vivi220414 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stelle
La SEP non sbaglia un colpo, lei sì, che riesce a farti leggere con piacere nonostante il periodo che stiamo vivendo!
Mi sono completamente immersa nelle vicissitudini di Lady Emma e Kenny, due persone apparentemente completamente diverse, ma che scopriranno di avere tante cose in comune, certo all'inizio i loro obiettivi sono in contrapposizione, mentre una si deve rovinare la reputazione per salvarsi da un matrimonio sgradito, l'altro deve invece ripulirla per poter tornare a giocare, questo comporterà tanti equivoci e tante situazioni esilaranti... Una bellissima commedia romantica e divertente, dove troviamo all'interno un'altra storia d'amore che sboccia  oltre a quella dei protagonisti, e ritroviamo un Ted Beaudine ventiduenne, quando era ancora simpatico 😂...

[Антоанета · Rating 5 out of 5]

2023 г.
Припомних си тази книга, четена преди 7 години и отново ми беше също толкова интересна, а пък колко забавна...!!! Бях забравила колко остроумни диалози може да пише Сюзън Елизабет Филипс (когато си поиска) и имаше моменти, в които едва съм се сдържала да се изкискам. Слушах прочита в Сторител и го препоръчвам на всеки, защото Петя Абаджиева чете феноменално - с невероятно чувство и великолепна интонация. Отново бих ѝ дала 5 звезди!

2016 г.
Много ми беше забавно през цялото време - страшен хумор. Кени не спираше да се бъзика с Ема и се заливах от смях. Хареса ми и паралелната история на Тори и Декс и как преоткриха любовта. Много по-изчистена от информация от първа част и затова ми хареса повече.

[Ingie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars - Hilarious fun and so lovely. The best kind!

💖💖💖💖

The stand-alone #2 in the sweet SEP “Wynette, Texas” series and just as the other books was it a perfect read for me. I can’t but love these lovebirds and their struggling to a sugar sweet terrific grand
HEA. Yum, it’s heartbreaking nice...

I listened to the FABULOUS audiobook narrated by the best Anna Fields. 10:39 hours first class romance enjoyment.

Read June 1, 2020.

[Duchess Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

I think I love this series just as much as her Chicago Stars series. I feel like the Wynette, Texas series has a more serious tone to it, despite the pervasive humor. I've been listening to the audiobooks and the narration is spot on. Rarely do I feel like a narrator actually adds to my enjoyment, but this one does. Fantastic book, fantastic series.

[Manda Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread. So good. I'd forgotten how much I love this book!
Re-read 11/24/2015

[Dee · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

Some books are nice, very comfortable. And a point comes where these books stop becoming your comfort zone and shifting to 'just ok' category, this is one of those.

[Zeek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heart this book so much. Both hero and the heroine are right up there with my favorites. Written when SEP was at the top of her game, I can only give it five stars.

Lady Emma Wells-Finch, on a school break from her Head Mistress job at all girls St. Gertrudes, is taking the time to do some study on one of her favorite women in history. Instead, she finds herself in the unlikely position of being escorted around Texas, USA by one of the top players in golf world.

Kenny Traveler, one of the top players in the golf world, finds himself the unlikely escort of one the most bossy women he's ever met. After forced on suspension by the Antichrist, one Dallas Beaudine (Fancy Pants) acting commissioner of the PGA, he'll do anything to get back to the Masters. Even escort Head Mistress Lady Emma around for $50 a day.

Emma has some other plans too, to rid herself of an unwanted suitor without losing her beloved School, and the disreputable, downright lazy, Kenny Traveler will fit the bill quite nicely.

Who would have thought that this most unlikely pairing would turn out to be the perfect fit for a love of a lifetime?

Kenny and Lady E's love story is a joy to read. They're quirky and clever and both so well drawn you feel like you know them- certainly feels like you want to know them. I got the sense as I re-read this recently, that SEP had her character' motivation down while writing this and that makes all the difference for character driven romance novels. There's no hackneyed plot driving Lady Be Good, just two people finally getting their HEA who blessedly deserve each other- in all the best sense.

Read this book, romance fans (it's perfectly fine as a stand-alone), you'll thank me.

[Zeek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heart this book so much. Both hero and the heroine are right up there with my favorites. Written when SEP was at the top of her game, I can only give it five stars.

Lady Emma Wells-Finch, on a school break from her Head Mistress job at all girls St. Gertrudes, is taking the time to do some study on one of her favorite women in history. Instead, she finds herself in the unlikely position of being escorted around Texas, USA by one of the top players in golf world.

Kenny Traveler, one of the top players in the golf world, finds himself the unlikely escort of one the most bossy women he's ever met. After forced on suspension by the Antichrist, one Dallas Beaudine (Fancy Pants) acting commissioner of the PGA, he'll do anything to get back to the Masters. Even escort Head Mistress Lady Emma around for $50 a day.

Emma has some other plans too, to rid herself of an unwanted suitor without losing her beloved School, and the disreputable, downright lazy, Kenny Traveler will fit the bill quite nicely.

Who would have thought that this most unlikely pairing would turn out to be the perfect fit for a love of a lifetime?

Kenny and Lady E's love story is a joy to read. They're quirky and clever and both so well drawn you feel like you know them- certainly feels like you want to know them. I got the sense as I re-read this recently, that SEP had her character' motivation down while writing this and that makes all the difference for character driven romance novels. There's no hackneyed plot driving Lady Be Good, just two people finally getting their HEA who blessedly deserve each other- in all the best sense.

Read this book, romance fans (it's perfectly fine as a stand-alone), you'll thank me.

[Namera [The Literary Invertebrate] · Rating 4 out of 5]

⤅ I can't believe this is the first SEP I've ever read. Boy, I've been missing out.

This book is, in a word, hilarious. It turns out SEP is capable of pulling off that rarest of rare things: a FUNNY alpha hero. Linda Howard occasionally manages this too in some of her better works, but too often she reverts to the default 'grumpy alpha' classic. Well, I generally prefer my heroes with a sense of humour, and Kenny is exactly what the doctor ordered. How can you not love a hero who pretends to the heroine he's a gigolo she can purchase for $30 a night?

The wider plot is a little meh - I found Emma's plan to break off an unwanted engagement through 'wild acts' a little weird and stupid. Fortunately I was able to mostly forget about it, because the character dynamics are brilliant. Secondary characters too - there's a cute romance between Kenny's diva sister and a local nerd with a hidden alpha streak, another trope I adore. This was my first SEP, but it definitely wasn't my last.

[Aou · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was fun and to the end, was angsty but also boring. Because of the satisfying end, 3,25 stars.

Re-read and half stars more due to the narrator Anna Fields even if her British upper class accent was not good enough!

[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

The H & h drove me crazy all through this book. I wanted to smack both their heads together! It definitely kept me entertained. I look forward to reading the rest of the series :)

[Bona Caballero · Rating 3 out of 5]

Si te gustan las contemporáneas descacharrantes y sexis, esta novela te hará feliz. Es una de opuestos que se atraen: la cursi inglesa lady Emma Wells Finch, y el golfista tejano Kenny Traveler, suspendido por la PGA. Ella se me atravesó un poco. Lo disfruté, sobre todo, por la buena historia de amor secundaria y... Ted, por supuesto, aquí veinteañero.
Es una novela SEP prototípica, en la que encontrarás escenas sexis estupendamente escritas, y unas cuantas situaciones extravagantes, muy divertida… El ambiente tejano es bastante estrambótico, defendiendo esa tesis de la autora de que en Tejas puede pasar casi cualquier cosa. La leí en español, y hay que reconocer que la traducción es de las poco inspiradas.
Crítica más extensa, en mi blog, donde hablo de mi experiencia personal con el look de las mujeres inglesas y a cual de los dos grupos (Westwood/Ashley) pertenece lady Emma.

[Selly - Leggere Romanticamente · Rating 4 out of 5]

La mia recensione qui -> http://www.leggereromanticamente.com/...


La mia opinione

Susan Elizabeth Phillips torna in libreria con un inedito ed emozionante contemporary romance della serie Wynette, Texas.
Mentre Fancy Pants non mi aveva fatto impazzire, Impudente e Malizioso mi ha catturata all'istante, grazie soprattutto alla spiccata nota umoristica ed ai due protagonisti di questa storia ricca di fraintendimenti.
Da una parte troviamo la britannica Lady Emma, l'autoritaria direttrice di una scuola inglese, arrivata in Texas con la scusa di fare alcune ricerche, ma il cui reale intento è quello di rovinarsi la reputazione per non dover sottostare al ricatto di un perfido duca inglese che vorrebbe costringerla a sposarlo.
Ad affiancare Emma nella sua permanenza in Taxas troviamo Kenny Traveler, un pigro golfista texano momentaneamente in sospensione per via del suo pessimo comportamento.
Come si conoscono Emma e Kenny? Grazie allo zampino di un'amica in comune, Francesca (la protagonista del primo libro della serie). Kenny accetta infatti di accompagnare Emma nelle sue settimane di permanenza in Texas, in cambio dell'aiuto di Francesca per ritornare sui campi da golf, visto che è proprio il marito di lei, Dallie Beaudine, l'uomo che ha deciso la sua sospensione.
Il primo incontro dei due protagonisti è un susseguirsi di fraintendimenti che inevitabilmente vi ruberà qualche sana risata. Sarà che lei è inglese, sarà che trovarsi di fronte un texano figo e affascinante come Kenny la manderà momentaneamente in confusione, ma Emma non sembra cogliere l'umorismo dell'uomo e lo scambia per qualcuno che non è.
Insomma, il romanzo parte proprio bene, ma continua anche meglio!
Lady Emma è un personaggio femminile di tutto rispetto, nonostante il suo aspetto rigido e il vizio di prendere le redini della situazione e comandare a bacchetta, ha un lato ironico tutto suo. Si impegna sul serio per rovinarsi la reputazione rendendo per noi la lettura particolarmente spassosa.
Kenny è un bel personaggio maschile che deve fare i conti con il proprio passato, i rapporti familiari e realizzare cosa conta veramente nella vita.
Lady Emma e Kenny sono una coppia ben riuscita per l'intero percorso narrativo che copre il romanzo, dopo un inizio bizzarro e qualche momentaneo scivolone e fraintendimento, ci regalano una lettura romantica, dolce ed emozionante.
Anche la storyline secondaria mi è piaciuta, la sorella di Kenny e il nerd Dexter sono stati una bella sorpresa, con i loro battibecchi mi hanno conquistata, anzi, avrei voluto vederli più spesso!
Tra i personaggi secondari presenti non posso non nominare Ted Beaudine, che ritroviamo in questo libro ormai ventenne!
Di ragioni per leggere questo romanzo ce ne sono abbastanza direi, una bella storia romantica, ironia, personaggi che non si vorrebbe mai lasciare e lo stile unico ed emozionante di una bravissima autrice che consiglio sempre di leggere a chi ama il romance!
Aspetto con ansia la sua prossima storia

Punto di vista: terza persona
Sensualità: scene sensuali presenti, ma soft
Caratteristiche: romantico, divertente, emozionante
Stile narrativo: scorrevole
Tipo di finale: conclusivo

[İlkim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Güzeldi, bir çırpıda kendini okutan kitaplardandı. Sabah kargodan geldi ve ben akşama bitirmiş oldum. Yazarın kalemini seviyorum cidden.

[Jo ★The Book Sloth★ · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be honest I didn't begin the book with high expectations because when I tried to read Fancy Pants I kind of got bored with all the old tales and I haven't finished it yet but this book was a beautiful surprise just like all of the others I have read from Susan Elizabeth Phillips! I have to admit that I am a great fun although usually I only read books from this century and this goes a long way to show just how much I love them!

What made this book irresistible :

1) Kenny! I have read hundreds of books and I have seen heroes described with positive and negative comments but I can honestly say that I have never read about a "lazy" romance hero! It was such a sock that I couldn't wait to see what he would be transformed to by the end of the book. I have to admit that he remained lazy but not at such a maddening level! Cocky, selfish, difficult but with inner vulnerabilities Kenny proved again that Phillips has a talent with spinning tales to explain the bad and bring forward the good!

2) A sex scene! Lately sex scenes have lost their interest to me, you can only read so many before it becomes old and I usualy kind of skip them but in this book the first time the heroes slept together made about the most hilarious sex scene I have ever read!

3) The humor! Susan Elizabeth Phillips has a talent in combining the dramatic with scenes that leave you rolling on the floor with laughter! The heroes although usualy with inner insecurities and demons never lose their sense of humor and this book was no exception.


Been there done that

Although all the books have something new to offer it is kind of true the fact that the plot is usualy the same in the books. Yes there is always something new in the books to make them stand out but we have some patterns that are kind of repetitive "childhood traumas, cocky hero, insecure heroine" but luckily for us Phillips knows how to twist everything so we never get bored!


The black spot

Only one thing kind of messed with my overall love for this book but it was not enough to take a star out of it! At some points the dialogs between the leading couple got so out of hand that I couldn't keep up no matter how many times I reread the scene. Yes, it was funny watching them disagree about everything but some times it grew too stretched and lost any kind of sense.

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A zany rom-com style of book, but a bit too silly and over-the-top for me. Also feels quite dated. Published 1999. For me the weakest book in this series. It's kind of a do-over of Fancy Pants, but without the depth. I've read it before, and this time I just skimmed the last section because I remembered what happened (and didn't care that much.......) I just didn't really enjoy the characters or care what happened to them.

[Sibel Gandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bayan Ukaladan daha iyiydi ama bir Sensiz Olmaz da değildi 🙄