"Her Best in Years"

This is the best Susan Elizabeth Phillips written in about 5 years. The story is great, the characters are great, and the whole book can be declared great.

The main characters are Dr. Isobel Favor and Lorenzo Gage. They are both fighting some major demons as they come together for a sizzling night of "no ties" sex. It doesn't turn out that way for either of them but since neither of them expects to see the other again, they both try to forget it.

Dr. Isobel Favor has risen from a lousy childhood to make herself a guru of self-help. Her Book, FOUR CORNERSTONES FOR A FAVORABLE LIFE, lists Healthy Relationships, Professional Pride, Financial Responsibility, and Spiritual Dedication as the four points of a happy life. She has her own radio program, financial security and a loving fiancee. Within a week, she looses all of this and finds herself broke and alone. She accepts a friend's offer of two months in Italy to think and try to see where she will be next.

Meanwhile, Lorenzo Gage, who has made a career on screen of killing people (and being killed in turn by all the most popular actors) is having a bit of a life crisis himself. He is depicted as "viciously handsome" a great description in itself. He is trying to decide what to do with his career and himself, since a woman he dated committed suicide, something he is blamed for by the tabloids.

How Isobel and Lorenzo meet, re-meet and become involved with each other, Lorenzo's first wife and children, and the Italians who are a part of his native village, make a fantastic story. The dialogue is laugh-out-loud funny in many places, witty and full of groaners, too. You will love this one!

Reviewed by Merrilee Heffernan
Posted July 18, 2002

Summary

She's Dr. Isabel Favor, America's Diva of Self Help...
He's Lorenzo Gage, Hollywood's Favorite Villain...
One unforgettable night, the two of them will meet.

Life is going well for Dr. Isabel Favor until?within a matter of weeks?the empire she's build comes crashing down. Before long, America's Diva of Self Help discovers the one person she can't help is herself. Broke, heartsick, and soul-weary, she heads for Italy in search of a little breathing room.

Lorenzo Gage makes his living killing people...on the screen that is. Now, this villain with a face to die for has big troubles of his own, and no easy way to fix any of them.

A charming, careless man who's walked too long on the dark side...
A vulnerable, determined woman who only wants good for the world...

When your life falls apart, sometimes you need a little breathing room.