Heroes Are My Weakness: A Novel
Heroes Are My Weakness: A Novel book cover

Heroes Are My Weakness: A Novel

Hardcover – August 26, 2014

by
Price
$14.49
Format
Hardcover
Pages
384
Publisher
Avon
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0062106070
Dimensions
6 x 1.21 x 9 inches
Weight
1.15 pounds

Description

“Details of smalltown New England life round out this powerfully successful homage.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) “realistically quirky yet all too relatable characters, polished writing, tart humor, and an abundance of potent sexual chemistry. [...] another romance to treasure from one of the genre’s superstars, and proof positive that good things come to those readers who wait.” — Booklist (starred review) “Heart-wrenching and uplifting, with witty dialogue, emotional depth, and details that give substance and texture to an already entertaining, engrossing story.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “In a stunning change of pace, Phillips reveals a brilliant flair for the gothic as she channels the Brontës, Daphne du Maurier, Victoria Holt, and Phyllis Whitney [...] An unforgettable, deliciously spicy romance that readers won’t want to put down.” — Library Journal (starred review) New York Times bestselling author Susan Elizabeth Phillips is back with a delightful novel filled with her sassy wit and dazzling charm Deepest winter.An isolated island off the coast of Maine.A man. A woman.Puppets. (Yes, puppets . . .)And . . .A mysterious house looming over the sea . . . He's a reclusive writer whose imagination creates chilling horror novels. She's a down-on-her-luck actress reduced to staging kids' puppet shows. He knows a dozen ways to kill his characters with his bare hands. She knows a dozen ways to kill an audience with laughs. But she's not laughing now. Annie Hewitt has arrived on Peregrine Island in the middle of a snowstorm and at the end of her resources. She's broke, dispirited, but not quite ready to give up. Her red suitcases hold the puppets she uses to make her living: sensible Dilly, spunky Scamp, and Leo, the baddest of bad guys. Her puppets, the romantic novels she loves, and a little bit of courage are all she has left. Annie couldn't be more ill prepared for what she finds when she reaches Moonraker Cottage or for the man who dwells in Harp House, the mysterious mansion that hovers above the cottage. When she was a teenager, he betrayed her in a way she can never forget or forgive. Now they're trapped together on a frozen island along with a lonely widow, a mute little girl, and townspeople who don't know how to mind their own business. Is he the villain she remembers, or has he changed? Her head says no. Her heart says yes. It's going to be a long, hot winter. Susan Elizabeth Phillips is axa0#1 New York Times bestselling author whose books have been published in over thirty languages. Guided by the motto, “Life is better with happily-ever-afters,” she loves writing about love in all its forms. Among her accomplishments, Susanxa0createdxa0the sports romance with her novel Fancy Pants .xa0She is best known for her Chicago Stars and Wynette, Texas series, as well as multiplexa0stand-alonexa0books.xa0Visit Susan’sxa0website atxa0www.susanelizabethphillips.com. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • New York Times
  • bestselling author Susan Elizabeth Phillips is back with a delightful novel filled with her sassy wit and dazzling charm.
  • He's a reclusive writer whose imagination creates chilling horror novels. She's a down-on-her-luck actress reduced to staging kids' puppet shows. He knows a dozen ways to kill his characters with his bare hands. She knows a dozen ways to kill an audience with laughs. But she's not laughing now.
  • Annie Hewitt has arrived on Peregrine Island in the middle of a snowstorm and at the end of her resources. She's broke, dispirited, but not quite ready to give up. Her red suitcases hold the puppets she uses to make her living: sensible Dilly, spunky Scamp, and Leo, the baddest of bad guys. Her puppets, the romantic novels she loves, and a little bit of courage are all she has left.
  • Annie couldn't be more ill prepared for what she finds when she reaches Moonraker Cottage or for the man who dwells in Harp House, the mysterious mansion that hovers above the cottage. When she was a teenager, he betrayed her in a way she can never forget or forgive. Now they're trapped together on a frozen island along with a lonely widow, a mute little girl, and townspeople who don't know how to mind their own business.
  • Is he the villain she remembers, or has he changed? Her head says no. Her heart says yes.
  • It's going to be a long, hot winter.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(955)
★★★★
25%
(796)
★★★
15%
(477)
★★
7%
(223)
★
23%
(731)

Most Helpful Reviews

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Creepy

Although I've watched many of my once-favorite authors slide into mediocrity---Lisa Kleypas, Christina Dodd, Susan Wiggs, possibly Julia Quinn---I never thought I'd be adding Susan Elizabeth Phillips to the list. 'Heroes are My Weakness' is a dreadful book---I gave up on it on page 81.

I understand that SEP wrote a contemporary Gothic novel, and that's part of the problem. As a 21st Century culture we know too much about mental illness to find it romantic. The hero, Theo, is self-harming, peeping Tom, would-be murderer, S&M author who is apparently sexually attracted to his dead sister. Annie, the heroine, hears voices, and coldly breaks and enters this mentally unbalanced man's home in order to gaslight him with malicious pranks designed to tip him over the edge. That's not "quirky" behavior; it's criminal.
If we heard about these two on the evening news, we wouldn't sigh and think of Rebecca and Maxim. No indeed, their story reminds us of Sandra Bullock, Erin Andrews, David Letterman, John Lennon, Jody Foster, and their respective stalkers. Creepy stuff.
6 people found this helpful
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Look closely. There are no heroes.

Since I turned 70, I have given myself permission to stop reading if I'm not hooked by page 50. I found the plot weak and unbelievable. The characters were flat and unlikeable. The setting was well described but not enough to make up for the novel's other flaws. It's going back to the library on Monday. I have not read other SEP books and probably won't now.
6 people found this helpful
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DO NOT read if you like SEP

So . . . who wrote this? What is this? I just don't understand. SEP went from my all-time favorite author to someone that I put off reading their book for a few days and then think, ugh what is that? Again, what is this? Annie is incredibly unlikeable. The whole puppet thing was worrisome and not cute and quirky (like the talking animals in Molly's books). Instead, I worried for her sanity. Her mother was a horrible person who treated her horribly and she put herself into massive debt to take her to London before she died, even though she was already putting her life on hold to take care of her. Ok, she's your mother, albeit a horrible one, so you're taking care of her before she dies. Why go to the extra expense of going to London? You are a failing actress who only realizes that ten years in? Ten years? You decide to visit Maine in the dead of winter with no money, recovering from pneumonia. Sure. She told so many horrible stories about Theo but she acted so horrible and Theo so normal that she came across as completely unhinged. Annie acted like she was entitled to visit his house and boss him around even though she hadn't seem him in twenty years and had nothing to do with the place for twenty years, but because he was a jerk when she was younger, she was entitled to treat him like dirt. But her mother treated her like dirt for thirty years and was forgiven and taken to London? Annie just did not come across as a likeable or strong person. That hurt my perception of all of her interactions, with everyone. Plus, I just didn't like the set up. Sugar Beth had redeeming qualities and she and Colin came at each other on equal ground. This book felt like it was trying to be another Sugar Beth and Colin and just failed.
4 people found this helpful
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Not up to SEP standards, A BORING and Creepy Heroine

Did SEP REALLY write this? Susan is one of my all time favorite authors. I own every book she has written in both HC or PB format, as well as most in audiobook format because I love to listen to them after I read them. But this book I may not even keep in my hardcover version, it is horrible. I haven't even finished it after 4 months, every time I pick it up I read about 20 or 30 pages and lose interest. The puppet storyline is downright creepy, and makes our heroine unlikeable. The hero hasn't really "bloomed" into a likeable person either; and seriously, as a life long resident of Maine, I can tell you that I am not recognizing much of this "winter" version of island life in Maine. No one makes love in an unheated building in the dead of winter in Maine unless they want frostbite! It will take a lot of 4 AND 5 STAR reviews before I buy the next SEP novel, no pre-order for me after this dud.
2 people found this helpful
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Worst book ever

Any story that has ventriloquist character dialogues as part of the main story line is in trouble! This made my list of top ten worst books ever written! I am a huge fan of Phillips and have enjoyed her books for years. This one was a major dud. I gave it one star because that was the lowest available. It did not deserve even 1! Don't waste your time or your money on this one.
2 people found this helpful
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SEP has some fun with the Gothic Novel

First things first. I love the iridescent dust jacket and endpapers. I am glad that the publishers are doing Susan Elizabeth Phillip's books right. Heroes Are My Weakness is built on the tropes of a Gothic Romance novel. It folds in a little Rebecca, Jane Eyre, Mistress of Mellyn, and probably a good many others. The book is dedicated to Victoria Holt, Mary Stewart, and Phyllis Whitney among others. It was fun to figure out the many homages in this books to the various gothics I have read. The Hero (Theo) at first, seems dark and cruel, but of course we know the mystery of his past will be revealed and it will turn out that he is really a pussycat. I figured out the dark secret pretty quickly thanks to my familiarity with Rebecca. Annie, the Heroine, is all SEP: too quirky to live, and aided by, as in This Heart of Mine, some imaginary friends. In this case, not characters in a children book series, but puppets. I am glad to say the Puppets are actually fairly entertaining, and not annoying like Daphne and Benny in THOM. The typical Phillips humor is alive and well, much of it in the humorous way she plays on the cliches in a Gothic Novel. She could have wrapped it up a little sooner; the last few chapters kind of dragged a bit, but I guess she just couldn't resist inserting just one more scene common in many Gothics. I did love the setting on "Peregrine Island." It wasn't too hard to figure out that it was based on Monhegan Island, Maine. All in all, an entertaining read; Not her best, but well worth the time. I give it 3.5 stars, bumped up to 4 out of love and gratitude to the author for the many laughs and entertainment over the years.
2 people found this helpful
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Lazy, lazy, lazy......

She uses plot lines from her books, "Ain't She Sweet", and "This Heart of Mine". And if you think "Daphne the Bunny" from "This Heart..." was annoying, wait till you read the gosh darn puppets she has in this book. I almost shut the book about 1/3rd through because of the GD puppets. I'm also not a big fan of "lost" or "hidden" treasure as a plot line. Oh, well. Maybe next time.
2 people found this helpful
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I've never had to say that I've been disappointed with a Susan Elizabeth Phillips novel before

Wow. I've never had to say that I've been disappointed with a Susan Elizabeth Phillips novel before, but this one didn't do it for me. It's okay..not bad, not good, but I've come to expect so much more from her. For every single one of her previous books, I've absolutely fallen in love with the characters and the dialogue to the point that I wanted to reread it as soon as I finished.

Not with this one; I am sure I will never pick it up again. It was flat. The characters? OK. The storyline? Not so OK--actually a little boring. She still is head and shoulders above many authors, but if you've never read SEP before, don't start with this one. Start with "Nobody's Baby But MIne" or "Heaven TX" or "Natural Born Charmer." Those will make you laugh out loud at times and tug at your heartstrings at times. This one won't.
2 people found this helpful
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Phillips is a very good writer, BUT........

Ms. Phillips is a very good writer, and I have read most of her books and enjoyed every one----except this one. It's the talking puppets. They never shut up. The heroine of the novel comes off a little crazy, and not in a good way. And the constant commentary from her puppets gets on my very last nerve. I finished the book, but the aggravation factor was so high I don't know if it was worth it. Get Heroes Are My Weakness from the library or secondhand.
1 people found this helpful
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A Departure from the Traditional SEP novels we have grown to love

This book is definitely a departure from the traditional sweet and sassy stories by SEP. I have read all her books. The title is a bit odd, why not name the book Peregrine Island? The puppet thing is a little creepy and the story is very dark for SEP. Her stories are usually very upbeat and sweet and this is not like the stories we have come to know at all. Lead character Annie is full of conflict and so as her development plays out in the voices of the puppets. But there are so many very disturbing plots lines going on here. An unlawful group of Islanders that feel that they can do whatever they want, including shooting and murdering people, to better their place on the island. The lead character reminds me of Heathcliff or Mr. Darcy, with his wealthy handsome style but brooding and troubled past. Lots of mental illness here and that's a subject SEP doesn't usually take her readers. The sunny spot is of course Annie, who is by far the traditional heroine of SEP stories. Quirky, unlucky at love, broke, big heart and struggling to find her way. This is a different story for those that like SEP stories and many may find it disappointing not to find her typical sweet and sassy characters. There's also not a lot of humor in this story which we have come to expect.
1 people found this helpful

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