Hello, and welcome back! The boys were happy this week, as they got to sleep in twice with the little bits of snow we got overnight. Now, however, it's warmed up enough that even the short piles of shoveled snow off the sidewalk and driveway is melting away. Not that I did any shoveling this week: I'm still recuperating from my surgery Monday. Fortunately, recuperating doesn't mean no reading.

This time out, I have the first new book from Susan Elizabeth Phillips in two years: What I Did for Love (William Morrow). Actress Georgie York can't quite figure out how her great life went so wrong. Her equally famous ex is now happily married to another star actress, and spunky Georgie can't quite seem to get herself together. When she winds up hungover and married (in Vegas, no less) to her deadliest enemy, Bramwell Shepard, things could get even worse. Much, much worse. But Georgie and her former co-star Bram strike a deal to make this marriage not a public relations nightmare for her, but a collaboration that could put them both exactly where they want to be, career-wise. They just have to get along publicly for six months, maybe a year. Oh, and Bram demands his marriage not be a celibate one. Shouldn't be too tough, right? Along with trying to deal with Bram, Georgie's got her career-minded father, her small circle of best friends and her assistant to help her out. On the con side, there's Bram's housekeeper, who hates her almost as much as Bram. Okay, so maybe a little more of a challenge for Georgie. I had really high hopes for this one. I loved Ms. Phillips's last book, and many others before that, and we had to wait so long for this one. But Georgie comes across as kind of whiny for a while. Bram is hateful for no good, or apparent, reason, and, as much of the story is told in Georgie's point of view, we don't get inside Bram's head enough, and certainly not early enough. I also, and I can't believe I'm saying this, had a really hard time believing his sudden change of heart late in the story. It actually took me a while to get into this one; I kept putting it down, which has never happened to me before with one of Ms. Phillips's books. I didn't love this one. I didn't even like it very much, and I don't think I can tell you how disappointed that makes me. I know I'll pick up her next book, based on everything I've read prior to this one, but I'll be hoping, as I do so, that it's more like her previous tales.

Until next time, happy reading!