Lady Be Good by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

I have always liked Susan Elizabeth Phillips novels. There is always so much humor and heat. Lady Be Good is about an actual true blood British Lady, Lady Emma Wells Finch. Here is the synopsis from Amazon.com

Lady Emma Wells-Finch is determined to cause a scandal. Nothing big, you understand, just enough to convince her pompous British suitor that she's not an eligible candidate for marriage. She's thinking along the lines of, oh, maybe a discreet tattoo. But when suspended Texas golf pro Kenny Traveler meets her plane at Dallas-Ft. Worth Airport, Emma decides that he's the perfect candidate to destroy her reputation.
Kenny, on the other hand--who desperately wants to be reinstated on the golf tour--is just as determined to keep a low profile and remain squeaky-clean. If Lady Emma weren't a close personal friend of the golf commissioner's wife, he'd never have agreed to squire her around town. Unfortunately for Kenny, his weakness for the British beauty is growing daily, and it seems as though Emma may have feelings for him as well. In a bizarre turn of events, wild man Kenny finds himself trying to keep the prim and proper British lady from causing a scandal the size of which even the lone-star state has never seen, and the results will leave you laughing with delight.
--Lois Faye Dyer



Now onto my review: The thing about Susan Elizabeth Phillips is that her best novels are farces that (minus the sex) could have been filmed by Carole Lombard. I really liked this novel and even though I feel like the last conflict was a little contrived and unneeded I still enjoyed this book. Kenny is hot, funny, and full of a heart he takes pains to hide. Since this is my favorite kind of hero all I can say about Kenny is yum! Lady Emma is prim and bossy, but she also takes up for Kenny when no one else would, even Kenny. This endeared her to me and helped keep her primness from being annoying until the end.

This brings me to the most annoying romance plot device ever. Unfortunately it is also the the most used. The "you don't love me so I must leave (hand on forehead in full swoon mode) device. I hate this plot device so much. Especially in historical romances, but that is another post for another day. The plot is brought down by the overused and irritating plot point. But overall this was a page turner and time well spent.

Pros: Screwball comedic plot with a lot of heart. Also three dimensional characters that you would not mind having a spot of tea with.

Cons: Only an overused plot device at the end.

So do I buy this love? Absolutely!! This book is better than tea with the Queen ever could be. If you have never read SEP before this is a fine introduction to a charming author.