"Aims to snatch your heart at first sight"

The sophomore entry to Carly Phillip's runaway bestseller THE BACHELOR ushers the readers into the heart of Yorkshire Falls, where the Chandler Brothers with their famous matchmaking mama Raina live. After uniting globe- trotting journalist Roman with Charlotte, Raina now set sights on her second son, sheriff Rick Chandler, hyped as "The Playboy" due to his popularity with the local girls including the overzealous schoolteacher Lisa. Yet destiny dictates that he meets runaway bride Kendall Sutton on a SOS call. Kendall has come to Yorkshire with the intention of selling her aunt Crystal's house before moving on to Arizona.

The romance between an itinerant soul and a wounded heart hurt by a foiled marriage holds the hefty emotional baggage and obstacle here. Kendall secretly yearns to settle down but believes that - like her peripatetic parents - she could never have a real home. Rick, meanwhile, is afraid to risk his heart. Carly Phillips brings heart and poignancy to this frothy romance with her ensemble of amicable characters like the good-natured Raina and Kendall's abandoned sister Hannah. The overwhelming chemistry between Kendall and Rick compensates for the lack of surprises here but without the bog of exposition as in the first episode, THE PLAYBOY runs along smoother and better. It aims to snatch your heart at first sight.

Reviewed by Desmond CHan
Posted February 9, 2003

Will this sexy single get down on one knee?

Summary

There isn't a woman in town who's immune to the legendary Chandler charm.

Yet so far single cop Rick Chandler has managed to fend off the marriage-minded advances of Yorkshire Falls' entire female population. A past mistake has taught him never to put his heart on the line ... until he answers the SOS of a real-life runaway bride. In spite of her pearly gown and tiara, Kendall Sutton vows to never wed - which makes her the ideal pretend lover who can ward off Rick's legion of admirers. When their passionate charade flames into the real thing, Rick is suddenly thinking about two words that spell forever after. But will Kendall ever say "I do?" Can awoman who's had it with weddings tie the knot with the town's most popular playboy?