Crazy About Love 💕's Reviews > Heaven, Texas

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ four stars -

* LATEST REREAD 7/2022 - re-read, re-rated, and re-shelved

* UPDATE TO RATING - new review info follows:

* Well, I don’t think I’ve ever done this before, but I am UPPING a rating after a reread. I usually rate down on a reread, not up!

I feel that this book has only gotten better due to the fact that: 1. I’m more familiar with SEP’s writing style after this last reread (I’ve now read at least five of her books, and have enjoyed them all to varying degrees); 2. I appreciate the out-of-the-box action more - it’s not the same old-same old “spunky heroine/grumpy boss office romance” I seem to gravitate to; 3. I enjoyed myself enough to overlook the character flaws this last time around (I was willing to see the H’s actions more as growth).

Overall, I just plain old enjoyed myself more on this last reread. Maybe it’s because I simply haven’t found anything else out there that’s been entertaining 💁‍♀️ I’ve read so much crap lately, that this was just a nice break with quality writing that I could appreciate.

New rating is now four stars. Do recommend.

* Original review follows:

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Three stars for this 1995 romance novel from SEP. “Heaven, Texas” is part of Phillips’ Chicago Series, and is book number two.

I am reading the books in this series out of order, and am having absolutely no trouble keeping up with the storyline, nor do I feel as if any of the romantic suspense is spoiled for me by reading them in this fashion. If you choose to read them in order, or in my own haphazard random way, I wouldn’t think that it would add or subtract anything from your own reading enjoyment.

The original string of books was originally started by SEP back in the mid to late nineties, and the latest installment in the popular Chicago Stars installments (“When Stars Collide” - book nine) was just recently published in 2021, so it’s still an ongoing series.

I personally feel that these earlier books in the series are a tad dated, and some are so problematic for this reader, that they ended up on my dnf shelf. However, this book, “Heaven”, I did finish and did mostly enjoy.

The points that landed it at three stars for me are going to be the constant hang up about physical appearance, the H’s dated rougher sexual treatment toward our h, and the inclusion of a love scene in which our H’s mother is the star performer.

I really am wondering if SEP has hang-ups about physical appearance. The level of attractiveness or lack thereof of physical appearance by a character is mentioned near constantly, and no one is safe from her criticism of their person; not even an innocent baby. Walk onto the page, and expect a commentary as to level of attractiveness, not mere physical description. It comes off a bit too shallow for my taste, but the author does this in nearly every book I’ve read from her. In the case of “Heaven”, subjecting a baby to this treatment was a bit much.

A few of my fellow reviewers that rated this in the one and two star range noted the H’s rough sexual treatment of our h that occurs in two scenes. I particularly noted this as I knew it was coming up (I always peruse the one and two star reviews before I read anything so I am aware of any possible triggers that would impede my own enjoyment), and I was prepared for a rough scene. In my opinion, it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. A bit dated? For sure, but it didn’t make the H irredeemable in my eyes, so I accepted it as a part of his character development, and moved on.

Now on to our H’s mother. I loved her, and really feel that Suzy deserves her own story. I have noticed that widowed characters have been a reoccurrence in a few SEP’s stories. I always feel as if these characters add a lot of emotion to the storyline she weaves. The emotional aspect of this character aspect is heartfelt, and always touches this reader. I love emotional reads that speak to me, and this trope just gets me 💔

Emotional aspects aside of Suzy’s inclusion into the plot, I really feel as if including her own sex scene with her new beau in the story merely distracted the reader from the main romance storyline between Bobby Tom (our Hero) and Grace (our main heroine here). I was more on the confused side as to why a scene with Suzy was thrown in here, when I was more invested in the story with our h and H, and was impatient to get back to more dialogue and action between the intended mc’s; I also was not on board with a graphic sex scene featuring our H’s mother 😳 It really felt as if SEP had run out of material for our mc’s, so she was forced to include Suzy’s story in order to give us that emotional piece 💁‍♀️ Suzy’s story, while emotional and interesting, most definitely detracted from the main romance plot line, in my opinion.

Overall a solid three star read for a solid, well-told, well-plotted, well-thought-out romance from the wonderful SEP.

Do recommend for the mature romance reader, with caveats as mentioned above.