I've been rereading SEP's books this past month and falling back in love with her novels, as well as catching up on some new ones which I enjoyed immensely.However, "Heaven, Texas" is NOT one of those books. The romance starts off distastefully with Bobby Tom Denton living the life of a rich, shallow, sexist NFL player who treats women like disposable 'sex' objects. Fine, usually this serves as a starting point for the 'hero' who will display inner worth and grow along the way. Instead, Bobby Tom's behavior and attitude not only refuse to improve but instead over the course of the novel plummet into the realm of HORRIFYING.As Gracie's trying to leave Bobby Tom and restore her means of self-respect, Bobby Tom breaks out of jail after a night spent assaulting his friends and being a mean drunk "sonovabitch", chases her down in a stolen squad car, and as she's running from him in terror -- a tiny 5'4'' woman against a tall, heavily muscled professional football player -- he's yelling at her to stop and ends up tackling her on the side of the road. Following this, as he's physically dominating her, she's begging him and crying for him to "Stop!" only to be rescued by the cops who arrest Bobby Tom.Upon seeing Bobby Tom resisting arrest, which results in his getting roughly handled by the arresting officer, Gracie leaps on the cop's back and starts screaming that he let Bobby Tom go free.This isn't a romance. It's a codependent horror story about a spoiled selfish man's devolving into an abusive, misogynist asshole and the woman who loves him despite how horribly he treats her and who cannot escape him. The reason Gracie called off their engagement in the first place was because he'd brutally rebuffed her efforts to help him and then he'd tried to force her to have sex with him, dominating her as she's once again yelling at him, "Stop!" and beating him until her hands are hurting. He apologizes, of course, never meaning for her to have hurt herself trying to get him to stop abusing her -- only for this behavior to be repeated in the climactic final scene without any sign of Bobby Tom or any aspect of the novel acknowledging this repetition establishes a pattern of abuse. There's no resolution, simply Gracie loving Bobby Tom despite his terrorizing her as he finally proclaims his love. And somehow this is supposed to be a happy ending?The ending is absolutely appalling as the Mayor and Bobby Tom's family arrive on the highway and the cop, who was in the process of arresting fugitive Bobby Tom, is castigated for upholding the law. Bobby Tom is released, he gets a few sharp words about getting into drunken brawl with a childhood friend, but any efforts to hold him to account for his horrifyingly abusive behavior is dismissed as everyone starts joking about how Gracie can't marry Bobby Tom until she passes the Football Test. What follows is Bobby Tom dumbing down the questions so Gracie is ~worthy~ of marrying this abusive piece of shit who just so happens to have won two Superbowls and is Heaven, Texas' favorite son.This novel is a throwback to the 'rape is romantic' tropes of the 70s and 80s. And I'm happy to say that SEP revisits this formula of handsome blonde charming Stars quarterback and spunky unattractively dressed woman with great personality in "Natural Born Charmer" -- only SEP finally gets it right with Dean Robillard and Blue Bailey. I'm deleting this book from my Kindle and I wish I could burn it from my memory. I've never been so disappointed by the ending of a romance novel before, as I watched what essentially amounted to a woman fleeing her ex in terror suddenly turn into her getting sucked back into his dysfunction and defending him from the only goddamn person in town who was holding him accountable for being a abusive asshole who's breaking laws right and left. The painful irony is that earlier in the novel, Bobby Tom becomes outraged at the suggestion that his mother's lover "raped" her. This book was in desperate need of a deus ex machina to swoop down from on high and rescue Gracie from Bobby Tom. Usually, at the end of these novels, there's this pleasant feeling as you close the book and you imagine the couple's happy future. Instead, I'm imagining how Bobby Tom's struggles to find meaning and direction in his life after having to quit the NFL due to an injury -- well, that'll no doubt be taken out on Gracie. Instead of watching a rough hero reform, this novel gives us a sexist guy who initially appears charming and misunderstood on the surface and shows his horrifying descent into abusing a woman who loves him, who actually has enough self-respect to try to leave her abuser, only for him to chase her down and tackle her and refuse to let her leave him.This is a horror story that attempts to romanticize the "hero"s misogyny and violence against the heroine. Gracie's terror in the final scene and how it suddenly evaporates into sympathy for her abuser's pain, leading to their getting back together and getting married -- it makes me shudder at how it glorifies the sexism and violence.I realize I'm rambling and repeating myself at this point. This isn't a cool and collected review. I'm genuinely horrified by how Bobby Tom's descent into villainy is brushed aside by everyone in town and by Gracie herself -- that final scene between Bobby Tom and Gracie is what I'd expect from a villain in a romance novel right before the hero swoops in and beats the shit out of him, rescuing the heroine, professing his love, they all live happily ever after, yadda yadda yadda. Yet there is no one to stop Bobby Tom, not even the police can stop this superstar football God born and raised in Heaven, Texas. More like Hell, Texas. Poor Gracie. There's no escaping Hell no matter how fast she runs.
5 STARS What a shocker! I have no idea how she did it, but Susan Elizabeth Phillips managed the impossible. I went into this one with a bad attitude. Yes.. I had absolutely no interest in a character named Bobby Tom anything. And even the heroine left me feeling completely B O R E D...*yawn* But somehow I ended up absolutely LOVING this book!!! “There’s no accounting for the mysteries of the human heart” Bobby Tom Denton was in the height of his career as the all-star wide receiver for the Chicago Stars football team. When a bad hit blew out his knee and ended his career at the age of 33, he was at a loss with what to do with the rest of his life. After two Super Bowl wins behind him, he had all the money he could ever want, and gorgeous women were lining up in droves to take the quiz… to be Mrs. Bobby Tom Denton. Even his hometown of Telarosa, Texas was pulling out all the stops to make him a living legend. So why was he feeling so lost? With nothing better to do, Bobby Tom signed a movie deal. But when the time came to get it started, he couldn’t find the guts to return to his hometown for the filming. So he decided to just ignore it. He'd get there eventually... when he was ready. Maybe. “I happen to be immature, undisciplined, and self-centered, pretty much a little boy in a man's body, although I'd appreciate it if you didn't quote me on that.” Enter Gracie Snow. A thirty year old virgin from Nowhere, Ohio, who grew up practically living in the nursing home her parents worked for. Now working as a production assistant for the up and coming movie company, Gracie’s make-it-or-break-it moment rides on her successfully delivering Bobby Tom to movie set, ASAP. So, in her rumply, oversized navy, J C Penny suit, Gracie shows up at Bobby Tom’s Chicago home to escort him back to Telarosa, Texas. But of course, he isn’t the least bit interested in going with her. He’s got a big party going on… and oh, did I mention that the stripper is late… ”Stella said you were hot, but I told her I wanted a blonde.” He regarded her doubtfully. “Bobby Tom likes blondes. Are you blonde under that wig?” ”Has it occurred to anybody at Windmill Studios that sending you after me was pretty much like sending a lamb to the slaughter?”So, honestly… I started out thinking… what desirable qualities does this Bobby Tom even have? What’s with the hero worship? He’s a redneck peacock for God-sakes! And Gracie was about the equivalent to a worn-out doormat with stars in her eyes. And he wanted nothing to do with her. So how in the hell did these two get together? He was Bobby Tom Denton, for chrissake. He might be retired, but that didn’t mean he’d sunk so low he had to get it on with a charity case like Gracie Snow. All I can say is… a little maybelline, a new hair cut, a tight pair of blue jeans and a lot of spunk is all the magic she needed. She'd already gotten under his skin, and a little ice cream on that cake pretty much sealed the deal. It was such a cute, romantic and hilariously funny story of unlikely love!!! And it kept me glued to the pages until the bitter end! And I loved every stinkin’ second of it!!! ”Gracie Snow, you’re turning into a trashy woman right before my eyes.” “He settled his hat back into position. She was a rookie in her first big game, and he’d never let her see how close she’d come to unseating a champion” ”Those women don’t know how lucky they are,” she muttered. “What women are you talking about?”“All of them who were fortunate enough to fail your football quiz.” He chuckled, lit up a cigar. I won’t say too much more. It’s better discovered as it all unfolds!. And the ending was just epic! A real "Hollywood” moment... a stolen police car, a highway chase, and an earth shattering revelation! He’d been playing hide and seek with the truth too long, and he knew the moment of reckoning had finally come. If he wanted to keep facing himself in the mirror every morning, he had to set aside his misgivings about mercy fucking and do what needed to be done. I love this writer. I don’t know how she does it… but she just does. ;) Now, go read this book!
What do You think about Heaven, Texas (1995)?
Tamam kitap çok güzel.Dili komik ve akıcı,çeviri de iyi. karakterler sevilesi. Çok severek okudum,ama küçücük bir eleştirim var. Bu yazarın erkek karakterlerinde benim pek hazetmediğim bir şey var. Ben ağır ama komik erkek severim. Bakınız : Matthew Farrel - Cennet. Ama bu kadının kitaplarındaki adamlar direk ipini koparmış,akılları fikirleri yatakta olan tipler. Arada bir ağır abilik görmek istiyorum ama hep lakayt hep zevzek yani. Kendilerine birazcık Matt'i örnek almalarını önererek, mutlaka okuyun diyorum. :D
—Büşra Bal
Rate: 5 solid stars“I know how you felt about each other, Mom. I saw it every day. Maybe that's why I've never had much interest in getting married myself. Because I've always wanted the same thing.”Gracie danced past in his peripheral vision, and at that exact moment, the fact that he could have the same thing his parents had had all those years hit him so hard he nearly stumbled.Jesus. As he held his mother in his arms and felt his father's presence, he knew that same intimacy was right here waiting for him on the other side of the dance floor. He loved her. The knowledge almost knocked him to his knees. He loved his Gracie Snow—funny clothes, bossy manner, and all. She was his entertainment, his conscience, the mirror into his soul. She was his resting place. Why hadn't he understood this weeks ago?Oh man. Another winner from SEP. I LOVED Gracie and Bobby Tom's story. She, the down-to-earth plain miss and he, the superbowl superhero. Even better the secondary story between Suzy and Way was the little cherry on top of the cake and added just that much more depth to the plot. This book was the perfect concoction of wit and emotion, and I even found myself tearing up at towards the end!For those of you who haven't read Susan Elizabeth Phillips enjoy chick lit or contemporary romance I would definitely recommend you pick up one of these books by her:Match Me If You CanAin't She SweetDream a Little DreamNatural Born CharmerCall Me Irresistibleand Heaven, Texas(I just thought I might share some of my SEP faves with you)
—Sophie ♥
A very average Phillips, with some recycled plot points from other books (or maybe it's the other way around since I haven't read them in order of publishing dates). The good old southern boy character is getting a bit stale. The strip-tease in front of friends the first time the heroine meets the hero is also somewhat icky by now. I really didn't like the lead male character, Bobby Tom, just the name made me just want to run the other way, the character is a boy-men, a very cliché Peter Pan type of hero. Gracie Snow the lead female character is just... well... paper thin.. not physically, although it's not said, but intellectually, emotionally. The two lead characters kind deserve each other. Why did I keep reading you might ask? Well, because even if her lead characters were very average, Phillips managed to created two very interesting characters in the male's lead mother, Suzy, a 52 years old widow and Waylan Sawyer the town's bad boy, turned philanthropic wealthy man. I wished that the book would have been focused on them. Suzy's still grieving her husband's death after all these years and Waylan has come back and found out he's still very much in love with the girl he couldn't even think of approaching all those years ago. Their story I would have wanted to have more of but it plays second fiddle to the young couples shenanigans. Too bad, there aren't that many well written older woman/man romance out there.
—Writerlibrarian
