Heroes Are My Weakness

By: Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Narrated by: Erin Bennett

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 from a windblown cliff. 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.

©2014 Susan Elizabeth Phillips (P)2014 HarperCollinsPublishers

Fabulous!

I stumbled across Susan Elizabeth Phillips' books when a good friend recommended her Chicago Stars serried to me. I proceeded to blaze through all her novels while I studied abroad in Europe without my family or boyfriend. They kept me in excellent company. This book has been livening up my commute to law school, and I don't know how anyone could fail to love Theo and Annie. Ms. Phillips' wry humor and pop culture references have me giggling on the ferry every day. The twist at the end was wonderful; I definitely didn't see it coming! My favorite part of all her books is the empowering nature of all her heroines. They take charge of their own lives, and become the strong women they were meant to be, while finding a man who lets them be exactly who they are and loving them all the more for their strength and quirks. I highly recommend this book, and all of Ms. Phillips' other stories.

Heroes are my weakness too...

I had a little trouble getting by the puppets at the beginning but my faith in SEP kept me going and I ended up really loving this quirky tale - the narrator was perfect as well and that always helps! Thank you, Susan! 😘

I loved this book

I love everything Susan Elizabeth Phillips writes but this is one of my favorites. Quirky characters, beautiful setting and shit of mystery.

Looking for a romance that has a mystery?

Where does Heroes Are My Weakness rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is in my top ten. Love the author love her characters. I even ended up liking the crazy puppets!?!

Who was your favorite character and why?

I came to enjoy the hero as we learn more of him.

Which scene was your favorite?

I love the conflict between the two characters especially in the cottage.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, but I won't give a spoiler and tell you what.

Any additional comments?

Love this author. Great characters. Good sex. What's not to like?

Not the usual Susan Elizabeth Phillips

What did you like best about Heroes Are My Weakness? What did you like least?

Very dark and repetative. The characters were contrived and I never connected with them. I never felt that the lead characters were either really hurting, damaged, threatening or happy. The only really scary character to me was the housekeeper. The wonderful wordplay and banter, at which Ms Phillips, is so talented, was sadly missing because it didn't fit the mood of the story. The mood of the story was very Jane Eyre-ish but with puppets - odd. I did enjoy the descriptions of the island and island life in a Maine winter. I also enjoyed the use of the puppets to engage the child, Livia.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Least interesting was the search for the "legacy". Totally pointless until suddenly it's found and then not really dealt with again.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Erin Bennett?

It would depend on the book.

Do you think Heroes Are My Weakness needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No.

Nice nod to Gothic romance

I always enjoy Susan Elizabeth Phillips. She has a way of developing interesting quirky characters. This wasn't her best but still very enjoyable.

Heroes Are my Weakness

Would you listen to Heroes Are My Weakness again? Why?

I wouldn't listen to the first half again, but did listen to the second half two times. After a slow, tedious start with too much puppet talk, the ending was very good.

Would you be willing to try another book from Susan Elizabeth Phillips? Why or why not?

Yes. I have read or listened to all her books - some better than others, but liked them very much.

Have you listened to any of Erin Bennett’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but she is good.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not the first half.

Any additional comments?

I think the first half could have been condensed and the puppets less annoying, but overall a good read

Another great from SEP!

I love all her books and this was another. Good story, good performance. I only wish she could write them faster...

A change

If you could sum up Heroes Are My Weakness in three words, what would they be?

Not the same

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

not really

Any additional comments?

I love SEP books, but this one is not the same as her others. But I still liked the story, I have all of her books and I think they all are Great, so if this is your first book that you have tried and you didn't like it, Then you need to try another one, they are really good.

SEP in a whole different setting

Setting: an island off Maine, USA.
Genre: Contemporary romance
I love this book. It's definitely one of those I'll listen to again, even though my TBR list keeps growing. I really liked the character of Annie from the beginning. She's a survivor. Independent and strong, though she doesn't see these attributes herself. She's mouthy and she has the funniest lines. But Theo? I thought, how in the world is SEP going to turn this guy into a hero? He's dark and brooding, and has enough baggage to need a freight train to carry it all. There are actions in his past, in regards to Annie, that suggest instability. The secondary characters include a rather manipulative housekeeper, her traumatized 4 year old daughter, and an island full of quirky people. The plot has mystery and suspense in a pretty creepy setting, but in my opinion the book is very character-driven. But by the end, everyone experiences growth of some kind, and it is altogether satisfying.
The narrator, Erin Bennett, is new to me. She does a good job with the male and female voices, as well as children and geriatrics. I enjoyed her performance.