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Abby and Ben are finally ready to tie the knot. It’s an event everyone has been waiting for – ten years in the making, in fact. But just months before the big date Ben breaks it off. Via Facebook.

Mortified and single once again, Abby is facing a summer as a shut in binging on Ben & Jerry’s. Her friend Grace has other plans, though. A coworker’s summer rental has fallen right into Grace’s lap and offers both of the girls an opportunity to get out of the city and enjoy some fun in the sun. Abby finally agrees, also vowing to hit the dating scene while she’s there. Sadly, a lot has changed in the decade since Abby was last single.

Erin Duffy’s Bond Girl was hilarious and witty, setting the bar quite high for On the Rocks. Fortunately, Duffy’s second release is just as charming and funny as her debut. This time instead of Wall Street Duffy takes on the world of dating, and it’s horrible. Dating, that is – not the book. Anyone who’s dated – ever – can sympathize with Abby’s experiences.

But On the Rocks isn’t just a summer romance, or a story about a girl searching for romance. It’s a story about friends and being there for one another. Sure, it’s filled with lots of hilarious dating horrors, but it’s also packed with the warm and sweet sentiments that are shared by the best of friends. The ones who stick by you when you’re down and try to pick you back up again.

9/14 Becky Lejeune

ON THE ROCKS by Erin Duffy. William Morrow (April 22, 2014). ISBN 978-0062205742. 320p.

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Phillips is my favorite contemporary romance writer and I always look forward to her books. That said, if this was written by any other writer I probably would have put it down 10 pages in. The main character is Annie, a ventriliquist, and the book opens with Annie conversing with her puppets. Not my thing but since it was Phillips, I kept going and I’m very glad I did.

This book is a bit of a departure for Phillips.  Our hero is Theo Harp, a young widower returned to hide away in his childhood home, a spooky mansion on an isolated island off the coast of Maine.

Annie’s childhood friend Jayce is keeping house for Theo. Jayce is a single mom with a mute 4 year old daughter and Annie tries to rekindle their friendship.

Annie has recently lost her mother, who had a vacation home down the hill from the manse that she inherited along with an unusual deed restriction. Annie must stay on the island for the requisite number of days, or the property reverts back to the original owner, Harp’s family. Annie has returned to the island, a failed actress, destitute, and recovering from an illness that has left her having trouble breathing.

Annie and Theo grew up together, but had a major falling out as teens. Theo appeared to turn violent and frightened Annie badly. She’s still somewhat frightened of him, but also strangely attracted to him. Then sinister things start happening. Her cottage is trashed, a threatening warning is written on her bathroom mirror, and a gunshot narrowly misses her.

Eventually the romance kicks in but the gothic atmosphere is pervasive throughout, an obvious nod to one of the original Gothic romances, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. The requisite happy ending had even the puppets finding a higher purpose. Bottom line? Phillips is a great storyteller and has penned another winner.

8/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

HEROES ARE MY WEAKNESS by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. William Morrow (August 26, 2014). ISBN 978-0062351128. 384p.

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Good thing you can’t judge a book by its cover, otherwise, I never would have picked this one up. But Phillips is one of my favorite authors, so despite the cover I read it anyway – and I’m happy I did.

Lucy and Ted are getting married; that is, until Lucy’s best friend and maid of honor, Meg shows up. Meg takes one look at her friend and knows something’s wrong, and keeps pushing until Lucy admits she really doesn’t want to marry Ted, and takes off, leaving him at the alter.

Ted is no ordinary jilted bridegroom. He is the town hero, their mayor, their favored son, Mr. Perfect. Tall, good looking and rich, every woman in town was after him but they accepted Lucy with good grace. But Meg is blamed for the debacle, and everyone in the small Texas town of Wynette is mad at her.

That complicates things for Meg. Her father, a superstar actor/writer and her supermodel mother have cut her off, demanding the free spirit earn her own way. Meg has a problem – she thought Lucy’s family was paying for her hotel, but they’re gone and she’s stuck with the bill, no cash and a maxed-out credit card. She tries to sneak out of town in her old rustbucket of a car, but is stopped by the Sheriff and the Mayor, the jilted groom himself.

Her only options are work as a maid at the hotel to pay off her bill or go to jail. Meg chooses work. She has no money and no where to live so she is sleeping in her car. She remembers Lucy showing her a beautiful old church that Ted bought for her, and she decides to crash there. You can bet that is going to create additional problems.

The economy is bad and Ted is trying to lure a wealthy investor to build a sustainable golf course on the old landfill, and everyone in town is hoping it goes through. When the old rich guy takes a shine to Meg, Ted knows he needs her help. Meg is the only one who sees through Ted’s perfection and he doesn’t know how to handle it. They end up having an affair and Meg falls hard for Ted, distressed that she is now acting like every other woman in town. But Ted falls too, only it takes him a while to figure it out.

The crazy characters of Wynette add a lot of humor to this romance, and a hero like Ted is hard to resist, so don’t even try. Just sit back and enjoy turning every page – I did.

8/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

CALL ME IRRESISTIBLE by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Harper Collins Publishers India; Reprint edition (March 27, 2012). ISBN 978-0061351532. 384p.

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Susan Elizabeth Phillips is one of the queens of the romance world, one of the elite few that have crossed over from original paperback publication to hardcovers, along with the likes of Nora Roberts, Jennifer Crusie, and Jayne Anne Krentz, AKA Amanda Quick, AKA Jayne Castle and who knows who else. Phillips’ crossover has been hugely successful; her books are best sellers.

The main hunk in this book was apparently introduced in her previous book, Match Me if You Can. Dean Robillard is the “natural born charmer” of title fame. A star quarterback for the fictional Chicago Stars, he’s gorgeous, rich, and famous – a deadly combination for Blue Bailey.

Blue is our down-on-her-luck heroine, who Dean rescues after her boyfriend dumps her for a blonder model, and effectively strands her in the middle of nowhere. She allows Dean to rescue her, and they embark on a road trip to his vacation home in rural Tennessee, bantering all the way.

Of course, nothing is more attractive to a man like Dean than a woman he thinks is playing hard to get. Little does he know that Blue is determined to be impossible to get.

The small town setting in Tennessee adds to the appeal; there are no malls and no chain stores, and the dowager who inherited the town is determined to keep it that way. Lots of crisp, witty dialogue highlight this warm, fast-moving story that draws the reader in. The characters are sympathetic and believable, and we get to know them well.

There are multiple story lines that mesh well together, creating a heartwarming, romantic tale that is fast, sexy and fun yet still emotionally appealing. This terrific diversion is as light and sweet as a snow cone, perfect for a summer day.

8/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

NATURAL BORN CHARMER by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Avon (April 29, 2014). ISBN 978-0062118196. 384p.