Heroes Are My Weakness A Novel

Susan Elizabeth Phillips — 2014

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.

Reviews

Colleen@mirificmoxie

Apr 15, 2023

This review contains minor spoilers! I picked this book up because I wanted something light and fun, and because I have a fondness for books set in Maine. The beginning was a little rough. It starts out with the main character Annie slightly delusional from fever and talking to her puppets. Yes, talking to puppets. She is returning to the island after many years away, and it was confusing at first to try to figure out the history. Clearly a lot of things happened prior to the start of the book, and it was hard to decipher who was who and who did what. At the beginning, the antagonist appeared to take the whole dark, brooding male stereotype a bit too seriously. The book hints at a dark past but only reveals the details slowly. However, once the information falls into place (and there are fewer conversations with the puppets), the book did get much more enjoyable. Rather than focus solely on the romance, the plot also includes Annie's relationships with some of the other islanders, dealing with the past, and with her personal growth. She was a spunky heroine, and this was a fun, quick read.

Jennifer Eggleston @jenneggs

Sep 27, 2022

SEP is such a great storyteller! I didn’t know if I was going to like this read but I should have known better. SEP has a way of weaving a story that just gets you so wrapped up in everything that you can’t put it down. Quirky and troubled characters in search of their HEA. Strong heroines and the moody AF alpha heroes.

b.andherbooks@bandherbooks

Oct 9, 2021

Spunky puppeteer confronts her childhood sweetheart (who she believes tried to kill her) while she tries to find the legacy her deceased mother hid in a small Maine island cottage. Taking hints from traditional Gothic romances, this is a somewhat unbelievable but fun tale.

Lynn Braden@ftbooklover

Oct 8, 2021

This book brings me back to what I loved about the books of Susan Elizabeth Phillips when I first started reading them. The emotion was packed tight in this book along with humor and likeable characters. I definitely recommend this read.