Texas), The Great Escape (Wynette

I have read everything SEP has written. The Great Escape was a delightful summer read, but I'm beginning to lose interest in the "continuing stories". I hope a brand new fascinating main character is in the works.

Great book. Lucy Jorik started out with a drug addict mother who died and left her at fourteen to care for her one year old sister. Amazingly the father of her dreams showed up and adopted her then married the mother of her dreams. She grew up and became a social worker then lobbyist. She left Ted Beaudine at the alter and rode off on a motorcycle with Panda to find herself. They had an affair and broke it off both we're miserable but Panda felt he wasn't good enough. They got together married and had children. And Ted married Lucy's best friend Meg.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips is a master at writing heroes and heroines at the pivotal moments of their lives. Her stories always start off with a bang - usually with the heroine doing something unthinkable - and end with joy and satisfaction.

The Great Escape is no exception!

Look, even not at her best, Susan Elizabeth Phillips is one of the best there is. Her writing really is head and shoulders above the rest of the genre. Her books are rollicking, big hearted, emotional, funny and relatable reads. I waited a year for this book, and I read it in one sitting. That's what I love about SEP. Now I'm sad I've finished.

Meg really wasn't my favourite heroine, she was alright, but I was waiting for Lucy. Lucy was wonderful, I loved her like I'd loved her in First Lady. Perhaps she reminded me a lot of myself, or maybe just because she was that rare heroine (who SEP often gets right when most other romance novel writers don't) that makes you want to be her best friend. I liked Panda a lot too, he was definitely very sexy in a way that made Ted seem totally superficial. Mind you, he was EXACTLY like Mat Jorik from First Lady, but that was the whole point. The secondary characters were just phenomenal. I loved Temple and Toby and Bree sucked me in too. The only thing is when I finished the book I sort of realised that I'd been holding out for more. Waiting for more. I didn't feel like there was any real emotional climax for Panda and Lucy, we never really got to see them together, the flairs of chemistry sort of puttered out without any satisfactory resolution. Still, I liked it quite a lot. And please Ms Phillips HURRY UP WITH YOUR NEXT ONE!!! SEP is still an automatic buy for me (or a preorder on my kindle) so she is doing a lot right.

I do not understand the negative reviews. I loved, loved, LOVED THIS BOOK!
All the characters were great and I enjoyed the side stories as much as the main
story. I did NOT have a problem with the name Panda...what is up with that anyway,
he was just sweet, sexy Panda to me. SEP...you go girl..I loved it, just keep em
coming!

Have loved this series since the beginning. Encountering characters from prior books is always fun - almost like catching up with old friends. And recorded books are the best! Makes a long drive less tedious... and makes housework fun! Recorded books: the only way to iron.

Some reviewers said that SEP had used a similar plotline before and I agree. However, Phillips does it so well so who cares. The book was a lot of fun to read and what else should you expect from a contemporary romance.

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A hasty escape from a perfect wedding with a perfect guy leads to a wild romantic ride and much much more.
A hunk in waiting is always a treat.
A delightful follow up to "The First Lady".

I have every book by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. This one did not disappoint. Her books make you laugh and are so well written. I did not want to put it down and finished it in 2 days! Can't wait for more!

I have been an avid Susan Elizabeth Phillips Reader for years and I have to admit that I was very disappointed with this book. I can normally read one of her books in a few days to a week and I am going on three weeks with this one. I would not recommend this one as I have her other books. Sorry SEP. My favorite book of all times is by this author is This Heart of Mine. I hope there will be more like that one to come.

I have adored SEP in the past...unfortunately this was one of her weakest...too much filler in tedious descriptions of background and ambiance...the Lucy/Patrick story was fine though at times a stretch...but the parallel Bree/Toby/Mike story was a big bore...I of course finished it in one sitting, but lamented the SEP of her best past works....where one laughed out loud over and over again, where the sex was steamy and the characters unforgettable...for vintage wonderful SEP try It Had To Be You...Natural Born Charmer...(one of her best and funniest)....Breathing Room...

I just finished reading The Great Escape. I was a bit hesitant to buy it after reading the negative review. Hmmmmm. I'm not seeing the problems. This wasn't my absolute favorite SEP (And I own all of them), but I know I will enjoy reading it again. I think it might be fun to read it simultaneously with Call Me Irresistable. The main characters are certainly in the book far more than "1/4 the time". The other characters are delightful. It seems like side stories are SEP specialties. Remember Natural Born Charmer?
Certainly if you are an SEP fan, buy this one, too. This is the first review I've ever submitted, and the trigger was the negative one.
My personal favorite? Ain't She Sweet.
The only SEP I don't want to re-read? Heaven, Texas

I thought this book was phenomenal! I know people critique Lucy's behavior/personality, but I personally related well to her. Lucy had trouble finding herself; she wanted to be free of judgement and find herself her own way. And she found herself on her own, it wasn't Panda that made her find herself-she did.
Overall, I thought the characters were wonderfully developed. And like others I am still quite curious about how Panda got his nickname! But I suppose that's part of his mystery! lol I thought the chemistry between them was amazing-they fit so well together!

The story was beautiful and funny and sweet; I loved the sub-plots-and who knows, maybe I'll head up to the Great Lakes to do some writing! SEP sure made it sound beautiful!
Great book, yet again!

As usual Susan Elizabeth Phillips knocked it out of the park! Loyal fans have anticipated Lucy's story since we were first introduced to her as a teenager in First Lady. The secondary story line and characters were as compelling as the leads and it kept me involved from start to finish. Thanks Susan for sharing your wonderful gift of story telling.

This book was well worth the wait. Lucy finally decided to stop trying to make her parents happy and focused on her own happiness. She runs away and hangs out to try to find herself. While helping herself, she helps others find their own happiness. Wonderful story! A must read.

Well, after getting the alert from her website about "The Great Escape" I instantly logged on to the store.com to purchase it for my Kindle. I sat down to read a few pages and ended up reading it all in one setting. Now I'm devestated that I'm done:(

It is a wonderfully entertaining & quick read with wonderfully flawed and beautiful characters!!! You would have a heart of stone to not be drawn in to this story of the two main characters as well as their friends' lives as well.

Highly recommended Summer read to anyone who considers themselves a "SEPPIE"...and if you aren't yet...what are ya waiting for?

This is bad, really really bad. So disappointed since I love her other books. Read 1/4 of it and even jumped ahead to see if it would get any better but no such luck. It was awful and didn't bother to waste my time finishing it.

SEP is one of my favorite authors. That being said, I was very disappointed in this book. It lacked her usual whitty dialogue and sparkle. Lucy, the main character, got on my last nerve - whinny and immature. I could not even finish the book. It certainly was not "Ain't She Sweet", which is my personal favorite!

★★★★½
The Great Escape is the seventh and final installment in Susan Elizabeth Phillips's adult contemporary romance series titled: Wynette, Texas. This story follows up on the opening scene from the sixth book: Call Me Irresistible when Lucy plays the role of runaway bride. That story swiftly segued into the groom's new romance, but what happened to Lucy? Well, Ms. Phillips spills it all in The Great Escape...and I loved it!

Ms. Phillips offers readers complex characters who have very complicated but moving moments. Issues commonly seen in the women's fiction genre are addressed, including family, adoption, reinvention, culture/race, disadvantaged circumstances, emotional/behavioral health, PTSD, and self-discovery. In addition, Ms. Phillips' classic humor, banter, and romance remain a loud and clear presence. My only real complaint and the reason for 4.5 stars instead of the full 5 was(view spoiler). If you haven't met the fabulous Susan Elizabeth Phillips yet then just eenie, meenie, miney, moe one of her series or standalones and get started. She's great!!!

My favorite quote:
"Be the best at what you're good at."

The Wynette, Texas series contains the following installments as of February 2016.
#1-Fancy Pants
#2-Lady Be Good
#3-Glitter Baby
#4-First Lady
#4.5-My Secret Service Valentine
#5-What I Did for Love
#6-Call Me Irresistible
#7-The Great Escape

I enjoyed the book, but was underwhelmed with the political correctness of color it contained! I guess I have always believed that a person's sense of value and worth comes to him or her through the love and care of their families, and even if that is lacking it comes primarily through your own sense of accomplishment and achievement! I cannot feel a sense of accomplishment simply because my parents were white, and I believe that is true if your parents are black! In fact to emphasize it as your primary value is, in actuality to degrade your self worth! Your can be proud of who you are, by the things you personally do to make yourself a better person, not because of something you have no control over. To me, it meant much more that the character Mike showed far greater care and connection with a half black/half white young boy than the character who was so convinced he was not being valued for what he was! This is fiction, but too much of this attitude bleeds over into life situations. Authors, let us not judge by political correctness, nor the color of our skins, our value, but by the way we conduct ourselves and treat others. Put PC aside and just write a good story!

Lucy Jorik is the adopted daughter of the former President of the United States. She has always been the perfect daughter, the responsible daughter - never straying from what is expected of her. It's her wedding day and she's marrying the perfect man; a man who treats her with love and kindness, loves her family and is beloved by everyone, everywhere.

She panics and leaves him at the altar and runs away with a rather shady man on a motorcycle.
Not a very responsible, perfect thing to do.
She just doesn't feel ready to marry the perfect man and settle down to the perfect life. She's not completely happy and isn't sure "who she is" so she wants to find herself.

So she runs off with this motorcycle man whom she sort of recognizes as a friend of her now ex-fiance and she tries to disguise herself as she is one of the best known women in the country. After two weeks she still isn't sure what she wants so she continues to run but she runs right towards motorcycle man despite claiming to hate him.

Is Lucy 19? No, Lucy is 31!

Now I like my escapist novels as much as the next reader but they need to not be so jarring that I come out of the story to think about what 31 year old woman would act this way? I simply could not understand a woman of her age and background acting the way she did nor her parents condoning the behavior.

There is also a secondary plot about another woman, her young African American ward the man who loves her and her friendship with Lucy. And a tertiary plot about a famous woman also trying to figure out who she is. Yes, too many plots for one book.

The characters are developed but I can't say I liked any of them; Lucy was too old for this behavior. Panda (seriously?) was just ridiculous; he is educated, wealthy and has access to anything he could want and yet he acts as if he is not good enough for Lucy who is acting like a spoiled brat? Lucy's parents are over protective and treat her more like she is a teenager rather than a productive woman entering her 30s.

The ending, which consists of (SPOILER ALERT) Lucy and Panda getting together is absurd. Her methodology of "catching" him, her parent's behavior during their reunion and his acceptance of said behavior just doesn't ring anywhere near true. Granted this is escapist, romantic fiction but I didn't read anywhere that it was absurdist fiction.

I have not read anything else by Ms. Phillips and I do understand that this is a companion book to another novel. I obviously don't know if having read the other novel would have enhanced my appreciation of this book. I just didn't enjoy this one as a stand alone book.

The Great Escape
Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Morrow, Apr 2 2013, $14.99
ISBN: 9780062106186

In Wynette, Texas perpetual First Daughter Lucy Jorik jilted her fiancé retired PGA star Ted Beaudine. After she fled town with Panda Shade, a dangerous-looking stranger on a motorcycle, Lucy's BFF Meg Koranda married the town mayor (see Call Me Irresistible). Thirtyish Lucy feels overwhelmed with guilt and remorse. She needs time to think while ridding herself of the pretense of being the offspring of a POTUS. Instead she pretends to be a kick butt biker chick and behaves like a street hooker.

On the same island lives impoverished divorcee Bree residing in a rundown cabin. She is guardian to angry tweener Toby, who hates her. Though she wants no part of raising any child especially a hurting belligerent one, Bree needs to rid her acrimonious self-loathing; smitten Mike plans to help her.

The Great Escape is an enjoyable contemporary romance though the Bree subplot is the more realistic and entertaining of the two stories. Fans who accept Lucy's radical personality change as part of a coming of age metamorphosis will root for her to find contentment and love while also hope for the best for Bree.

Harriet Klausner

While this is not my favorite Phillips book, it may be just because the hero isn't my type and I never connected to him. The book gets three-and-a-half to four stars, simply because I enjoy Phillips' smooth, competent style, while the single star is for the audio book.

If I had only listened to the audio book, I would probably hate this story. The narrator is incapable of letting the the words do the work, and feels like she has to ACT. If something can be made cutesy, or oddly flirtatious, she'll put everything she's got behind it. It's very off-putting. Her voices are terrible. I wish she would have relaxed and trusted the material. Ask any comedian- things aren't funny if you push to make them funny.

When Lucy, the former President's daughter, decides at the last moment that she can't marry her perfect fiancé, instead of walking down the aisle she runs in the opposite direction. She ends up riding away on a motorcycle with a biker named Panda - a complete stranger. Thus starts a road trip adventure that ends up on a Great Lakes island where Lucy and Panda (aka Patrick) start to figure out what they really want in life. Helping them (as well as on their own search for what they want) are several support characters that add a lot of color to the story. I enjoyed them all and I liked Phillips' storytelling. She kept me turning the pages and sad to turn the final page - always my sign of a good book. This is a good Contemporary Romance novel so if you're a fan of the genre you'll want to read The Great Escape. Even though this is book #7 in the series its the first I've read. That didn't affect my enjoyment of the novel - I didn't feel lost at all.
I received a copy from the publisher for my honest review.

I slammed Phillips' last book, Call Me Irresistible, for its recycling of a slew of celebrity characters from earlier books that left me feeling like I'd plunged into the literary equivalent of tabloid TV. This book is somewhat of a return to form but still features one too many celebrities. In addition to the runaway bride daughter of the first woman U. S. president, Phillips throws in the star of a reality TV show on weight loss whose story and conflict detract from the central story. That story centers on the runaway bride's search for herself and her inevitable romance while hiding out in an obscure summer resort on Lake Michigan. Phillips tosses in a couple of subsidiary characters who add some interest, so all of the usual elements are present in this outing. While the story held my interest, there was nothing truly memorable.