The Great Escape

December 10, 2012
Phillips (Call Me Irresistible) reintroduces Lucy Jorikin in this delightful, if initially somewhat slow, romance. As a former U.S. president's adopted daughter, Lucy feels the pressure to be perfect. But when Lucy runs out on the perfect man, Ted Beaudine, on the day of her wedding, she shows that she wants something else. Throwing caution to the wind, she accepts a ride on the back of a motorcycle from a menacing-looking stranger nicknamed "Panda." Lucy isn't quite ready to face her family, and the rest of the world, again, and her growing attraction to the grizzled biker just makes it easier to keep her real life on hold. After a secret about Panda comes out, however, Lucy realizes that escaping her too-perfect life will be harder than it seemed. Readers may be impatient during the beginning and unconvinced by aspects of the ending, but with two such hot leads, a few flaws can easily be overlooked.

February 15, 2012

In last year's Call Me Irresistible (a New York Times best seller, of course), Lucy Jorik--dutiful daughter of the former President of the United States--left picture-perfect Ted Beaudine at the altar. Here Lucy is looking for adventure--by climbing on when a bad-boy stranger offers her a ride on his motorcycle. With a one-day laydown on July 10, a 250,000-copy first printing, and an eight-city author tour; essential where romances are read.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from June 15, 2012

Ever since Lucy Jorik ran from her own wedding in Call Me Irresistible, leaving Ted Beaudine at the altar and disappearing without a trace, fans have been on tenterhooks. Knowing that she rode away with a dangerous-looking biker--a wedding guest with the unlikely name of Panda--probably wouldn't ease their minds, but that's exactly what Lucy did--and that's just the beginning. After a prickly, briefly passionate road trip with Panda, Lucy's off on her own, morphing into Viper, the biker girl, and heading for a Michigan island set on finding out more about her enigmatic "rescuer." A troubled, mysterious hero haunted by the past and a stubborn heroine who's tired of being perfect send verbal barbs flying as they heat up the pages in a spicy, hilarious, and heart-tugging escapade that highlights some serious social issues. VERDICT With brilliant dialog, sassy humor, and laserlike insight into what makes people tick, Phillips gifts readers with an engrossing, beautifully written romance that satisfies on all levels. Another winner from a stellar writer who never disappoints. Phillips lives in the Chicago area.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from June 1, 2012
Phillips, the only four-time winner of the Romance Writers of America's Favorite Book of the Year Award, picks up the story she began in Call Me Irresistible (2011) with Lucy Jorick, an ex-president's daughter who knows that beggars can't be choosers. Especially one who has just abandoned her too-good-to-be-true fiance, Ted Beaudine, at the altar and now has the entire town of Wynette hot on her tail. So when bad-to-the-bone biker Panda offers Lucy a lift on his motorcycle, Lucy swallows any and all hesitations and climbs on board. What starts out as a fast getaway quickly turns into an unforgettable road trip with a man who would be right at home in a cave with a club. When Lucy begins investigating her road warrior, she discovers a few unexpected things about Panda, but learns even more about herself. With her latest flawlessly written romance, Phillips delivers the kind of complex, realistically complicated characters and richly emotional love story her fans have come to expect. Fueled with incendiary sexual chemistry, and deliciously witty, The Great Escape is another jewel from one of the genre's most incandescent stars.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)