First Star I See Tonight

Where has this Susan Elizabeth Phillips been hiding for the past few releases? This is the wonderful contemporary romance author that I have missed so much! First Star I See Tonight is a sparkling, witty, funny, sexy romance between two strong, memorable characters. There is none of the heroine-humiliating that has marred so many of her recent books (see Call Me Irresistible and Dream a Little Dream), and although our heroine Piper is slightly unconventional she never resorts to the batsh*t crazy behavior of a few of SEP's previous leading ladies (I'm looking at you, Jane from Nobody's Baby But Mine and Molly from This Heart of Mine). The fact that she is incredibly competent and not in the least ditzy puts her at the top of the list of best ever SEP heroines.

Cooper is one of the Chicago Stars football heroes that have been featured in multiple SEP novels dating back to 1994, and that don't impress me much, but he's a decent guy and never underestimates or mistreats Piper (there is one spanking scene that left me horrified but I decided it was me being prudish in this 50 Shades day and age, so I let it go). When you have dialogue like this, the fact that I don't care for football is irrelevant:

(Piper is wearing a black and white chauffer's uniform from her other job to visit a fancy boutique clothing store with Cooper)
“Ladies, this is Piper,” Cooper said. “She's given up her career as a mortician, but she's having a hard time breaking old fashion habits.”“You've come to the right place,” an uberstylish redhead said. “Working as a mortician must have been super depressing.”“Not so much as you'd think, “Piper said. “That's how I met Coop. Burying the ashes of his career.”

Like most SEP novels, there is a glorious finale in which the hero makes a grand gesture to get the heroine back, and in this case Cooper's actions show exactly how well he understands Piper and why they are perfect for each other.

Heath and Annabelle from Match Me If You Can make a few appearances, but frankly I don't remember enjoying their story half as much as this one. The extra zaniness thrown into the plot gives it a touch of Jennifer Crusie (although there's no ugly dog present) and the whole thing is just delightful. Now I remember why I liked SEP so much. More like this one, please!