Synopsis:
Meg Koranda has come to Wynette, Texas, for the wedding of her best friend, Lucy Jorik, to Wynette’s favorite son, Ted Beaudine. He is so perfect that Meg can practically hear angels singing every time he enters the room. He and Lucy are a strikingly attractive, perfect couple. Too perfect. Meg can tell that Lucy is making a mistake. And as Lucy’s best friend, she knows it is her obligation to discuss it with her friend. So she does. The result? The wedding is abruptly halted just as it is beginning. And Meg instantly becomes the town pariah.
Unfortunately for Meg, she is stuck in Wynette because her wealthy parents, a former super model turned high-powered Hollywood agent and successful film actor, have cut the purse strings. Meg dropped out of college and has traveled the world — on her parents’ dime. But before she arrived in Wynette, they cut her off. Because they refused to continue making payments on her car, she has limped into town in its clunker replacement which she not-so-affectionately refers to as “The Rustmobile.” Her parents have also canceled her credit cards, which means that she cannot pay her hotel bill and escape Wynette. She is homeless, broke, stranded . . . and desperate.
When Ted walks outside, birds start to sing and sunbeams follow him around. To Meg, his perfection is beyond annoying. In fact, Ted is so revered in Wynette that he was elected mayor, even though he didn’t run for office! When Meg attempts to skip town, he makes a deal with the hotel manager: Meg can avoid being arrested for vagrancy and work off her debt as a hotel maid. Ted is clearly enjoying watching Meg suffer, determined to continue making Meg’s life miserable for as long as she is in town. After all, she ruined his wedding day.
But as the old saying goes, a very fine line separates love and hate . . . Could love possibly bloom between Mr. Perfect and Ms. Screw-Up?
Review:
Meanwhile, on the surface at least, Ted does not seem particularly heartbroken about his aborted nuptials. He is focused on snagging a major investor for an ecologically-friendly golf course and resort that Wynette desperately needs to develop in order to stimulate its economy and create new jobs. Ted is ready to do whatever is required to broker the deal, including pressuring Meg to spend time with the much-older Spencer and dating Spencer’s business-savvy daughter who, like every other woman who encounters Ted, quickly sets out to snare him. Meg initially perceives Ted as pragmatic, self-absorbed, and incapable of feeling the kind of real passion that would compel him to give his heart to a woman completely and without reservation. But as she gets to know him, she gradually realizes that appearances are often deceiving and when she feels herself falling for him, tries to convince herself that it is nothing more than fleeting physical attraction that will flame out after a brief fling.
Wynette is populated with a colorful cast of eccentric and often hilarious supporting players, including Birdie, the hotel owner, and her teenage daughter, Kayla, in addition to the other ladies who make up the Public Library Rebuilding Committee, all of whom initially despise Meg. Phillips incorporates a dark plot twist: someone begins terrorizing Meg, unequivocally attempting to run her out of town.
Call Me Irresistible is fast-paced and laugh-out-loud funny, but also a poignant story of a woman who finds her inner strength and resilience, learning, at long last, to be independent and accountable for herself. It is juxtaposed with a tale about a man who must learn to relinquish some of the order, discipline, and focus on attaining goals that have provided the benchmarks of his life and surrender to his emotions and feelings in order to have a fully loving relationship.
Phillips can be forgiven for the predictability of the overarching plot, because the journey to its resolution is delightful and the complications Meg deals with along the way are anything but predictable. The series of odd jobs she must perform in order to support herself, the ingenuity she displays in order to survive in a town where she is not only its newest resident, but also its most reviled, and the manner in which Meg and Ted find their way to a future together are unique. The result is a humorous, touching story that will leave you wanting to read more about the characters who inhabit quirky little Wynette. Fortunately, Ted, Meg, Lucy and some of the other characters have been featured in previous titles from Phillips. Click here for more information.
Enter to Win a Copy of Call Me Irresistible
One lucky reader, selected at random, will receive a copy of Call Me Irresistible, generously provided by the author.
31 Comments
Thanks for the opportunity to win a copy!!
I love stories about strong independent women and from your review – it sounds like this character becomes one! Thanks for the giveaway.
i like the romantic element reminiscent of P&P’s Elizabeth and Darcy plus the addition of the mysterious…. excellent sounding read!
I love funny books!
insanityisnormal(at)gmail(dot)com
You can’t go wrong with charming and irresistible!
Glad you enjoyed this one – it sounds like a lot of fun. Thanks for being on the tour.
Pingback: Susan Elizabeth Phillips, author of Call Me Irresistible, on tour August/September 2011 | TLC Book Tours
I like the fact that it has some humor and that it sounds like a girl story. I totally want to read it!
I loved how you described the characters in your review, I feel like I know them pretty good already!
mamabunny13 at gmail dot com
There is something so compelling about a novel that contains a romance where the protagonist thinks that the attraction is purely physical.
I’d love to get a chance to read this.
Thanks for the giveaway!
strs4u2000 @ yahoo.com
The fine line between love and hate is always a great attribute in a romance novel. Thanks so much for the giveaway!
nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com
This author is wonderful, I love all of her books. She writes so succinctly and infuses her words with humor, thank you very much for the chance to win!
sounds like its going to be a good book for me to read
thanks for the chance to read this fabulous novel 🙂
I like that this is a book about finding inner strength. Something I am going through now.
The characters sound great. I love the romance part of it also.
Judy
magnolias_1[at]msn[dot]com
I like that this book is fast-paced and funny!
I love books that are entertaining and keep my attention. This book sounds like it definitely will!
I love reading Laugh-Out-Loud books – pick me!
I really enjoy this author and would love to win this copy. Thanks Lisa bookhimdanno.blogspot.com
I love stories about quirky towns
I love your giveaways! Thanks so much!! 🙂
Thank you for the giveaway. I’ve been meaning try SEP because I have heard some good things about her books.
Sounds like a great book!
nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net
Spoiled girl has it all and then loses it…sounds like a good way to build character! It sounds interesting, and I enjoy a humorous read!
Thanks for the giveaway!
darlenesbooknook at gmail dot com
Thanks for the chance! Jesterbuny(at)gmail(dot)com
Would luv to win a copy of Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips…luv reading her books…she is a very good author…..babyruthmac16@yahoo.com
I love a good funny romance and this sounds like one. Thanks for the chance.
The spirit of a woman who does what she needs to in order to survive is amazing. I love stories like this. I’d love to win a copy of this book.
The fact that you call it irresitable makes me want to read it
I love to read books that make me laugh out loud.
Pingback: Semicolon » Blog Archive » Saturday Review of Books: September 24, 2011