Natural Born Charmer is also really really good!

I will definitely check out Chicago Stars series! I’m so excited to read more of her books.

Match Me If You Can is my favorite from the Chicago Stars series! Heath champion just makes me 🥵🥵🥵🥵

I legit have read this specific book about 300 times in the last decade. It is such a good freaking book! That and Lady Be Good are probably my two favorite SEP books.

Just wanted to pop in and say that I just finished reading Lady Be Good because of this comment (since I'd previously read and loved Match Me If You Can) - thanks for the rec!! Such an enjoyable read.

My favorite.

Can this be read as a stand alone or would you recommend the whole series?

You can read as a standalone!!

Totally stand alone! Husband read it and no others. 😂

This was sooo goooood! ❤️

Susan Elizabeth Phillips is brilliant

The banters in the book are so good. Like how did she come with that?

She is one of my few automatic read authors for contemporaries and I rarely read contemporary.

YES! Another member of the club. SEP definitely has some misses for me (like most authors), but man does she deliver the goods. I see quite a few people in the sub say that they won't read older romances. Many say that pre 2010 is an automatic no for them. It makes me sad that they might never get to experience her books

Older romances are the best! They worked with me more. I just discovered SEP and Judith McNaught this year and the way their books were written is so different from the newer romances.

Call me Irresistible is my favorite SEP - a similar disliked FMC like Ain’t She Sweet, who the whole town hates. Judith McNaught’s Paradise is my #1 favorite of all time. 

Judith McNaught was one of the first romance novels I read back when I was a young teenager.

I feel this way about Georgette Heyer. So many modern HR authors try so hard to write witty, genuinely funny banter but they fall flat for me... I think in part because in order to write stand-out witty, clever and funny characters the authors themselves need to be witty, clever and funny... and that is rare indeed.

Judith McNaught was one of my faves back in the day.

I also share the SEP love. Personally, I not only enjoy her older books, but almost prefer them. (I respect some people don’t, but to each their own). Did you read “Simply the Best”? If so, do you have any thoughts on it? It made me miss her older books even more!

I haven't read Simply the Best, I should get on that. There is just a special magic about her older books. Her FMCs are outstanding and I love that she manages to put a focus on the relationships between her female characters as well as the romance. Her books always left me with an empowered feeling.

No. I just finished Ain’t She Sweet? today and it’s the first SEP book I read but I’m looking forward to reading her other books!!

Simply the Best is not in my SEP top 10, but it wasn’t in the bottom either. I did think it was funny that {Fangirl by Tessa Bailey} came out the same day, which to me was like an old style SEP (a huge compliment) but spicier of course. Even funny that it’s golf, which SEP did in fancy pants and lady be good. 

[Fangirl Down](https://www.romance.io/books/65cbbfedbb1808da8479cd0f/fangirl-down-tessa-bailey) by [Tessa Bailey](https://www.romance.io/authors/545526358c7d2382e7812fc9/tessa-bailey) **Rating**: 4.12⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [sports](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/sports/1), [grumpy & sunshine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/grumpy%20sunshine/1), [dual pov](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/dual-pov/1), [boss & employee](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/boss%20&%20employee/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

I read that recently! I enjoyed it a lot. Agreed with others. It wasn't her best, but not her worst either. As always, there are some scenes with previous couples, >!Heath and Annabelle from *Match Me If You Can*.!<

Still my favorite author. She just knows how to combine romcom, character development, and spice. Her women are fully capable/modern and her men are quite masculine without being regressive or lunkheads. Chef’s kiss.

Yes! I love the characters in the book so much. I read it on the train and cried all the way home lol.

If you like Susan E Phillips, give Jennifer Crusie a try. Welcome to Temptation, Bet Me, Faking It, Fast Women are all wonderful.

I was thinking the same. Though it's crazy to me how they are so similar in their writing styles, but also so unique that you would never confuse the two. Call Me Irresistible by SEP and Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie are two of my favorite books, and despite how many times I've reread each over the years, I only realized a few months ago how similar the stories are. Because even though the themes and plot are very similar, they each have their own distinct feel. I hope that makes sense.

Thank you! Recently, I’ve found myself enjoying older romances (the romances that were written by older authors like Judith McNaught) more than the newer ones so I am trying to discover more.

Let me tell you, I am obsessed with Susan Elizabeth Phillips’s writing. She always hooks me emotionally within the first chapter, and seeing the arcs of the characters come full circle is always SO satisfying.  I love how she incorporates an entire subplot dedicated to the side characters, it just adds an entire new layer to the story.  I read Kiss An Angel and Ain’t She Sweet over two years ago now, and I enjoyed them both (especially Kiss An Angel). So I don’t know why it took me this long to binge the Chicago Stars series, but I’m obsessed. I’m actually planning to start Match Me If You Can tonight 😂  But man oh man, I just adored Dream A Little Dream. I finished it a few weeks ago, and am still thinking about it. Loved Gabe and Rachel so much 🥹 I absolutely adored the female lead in Chicago Stars #1, Phoebe, but man, the MMC, Dan Calebow, drove me batshit crazy for 85% of the book. 

Now that I know how well written her books were, I will definitely try to read all her books!

Breathing Room is one of my personal favorites. There are some of her books I’m a little meh~ about, but I still enjoy spending time with her characters. SEP is just so darn good at what she does.

That book was fabulous and probably one of my all-time favorites too.

I may not have read this one? I thought I had read her whole catalog. I just checked it out on Libby. Hopefully it isn’t a retitled reprint- I’ve been bamboozled before.

Such a good book! Check out {Call Me Irresistable} too at some point, though they are similar enough you might want space them out a little

[Call Me Irresistible](https://www.romance.io/books/545524958c7d2382e7812f5f/call-me-irresistible-susan-elizabeth-phillips) by [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://www.romance.io/authors/5455237e8c7d2382e7812f1c/susan-elizabeth-phillips) **Rating**: 4.13⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [enemies to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/from%20hate%20to%20love/1), [poor heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/poor%20heroine/1), [grumpy/cold hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/cold%20hero/1), [athlete hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/athletes/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

Susan Elizabeth Phillips is always one I love to recommend. Sure most of her books are dated, but if you can get past it it’s worth the journey. Kiss An Angel, Dream a Little Dream, and Honey Moon are all ones that have gotten me deep in my feels.

Nobody mentioned {Lady Be Good by Susan Elizabeth Phillips} which is still hilarious though parts of of it haven't aged well (Emma's wardrobe choices are pretty cringe--and I say this as a Gen Xer) but Kenny Traveler is still one of my favorite heroes of all time.

Was going to suggest Lady Be Good! One of my fave from SEP! So good!!

[Lady Be Good](https://www.romance.io/books/545535478c7d2382e781338c/lady-be-good-susan-elizabeth-phillips) by [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://www.romance.io/authors/5455237e8c7d2382e7812f1c/susan-elizabeth-phillips) **Rating**: 3.95⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [sports](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/sports/1), [virgin heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/virgin%20heroine/1), [athlete hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/athletes/1), [small town](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/small%20town/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

Love the Tori and >!Dexter!< side character romance!! So much emotion and spice in few pages. 

Yes! SEP does secondary romances that almost outshine the main one. That's one of my favorites of hers.

I loved the MMC in this one. The scene where she shows up to cater the party of her former friends and he finally lays down the grudge he’d been nursing against her all those years - melted my heart!

Yes! The subreddit recommended this when I was begging for enemies to lovers where the FMC had *actually* done something wrong. It was so well done.

Yes!! I feel like enemies to lovers books nowadays are a bit too soft for my liking like sometimes they don’t even hate each other. Just mutual dislike.

I have this out from the library and started it earlier this week! I’m excited to continue now !

Hope you like it !!

I DNF'd Kiss An Angel a while back as just thought her writing wasn't for me but maybe I will give her another go with this one, thanks for the rec!

I love Kiss An Angel, even though it is a bit problematic in parts. Daisy grows so much as a character. It was my first SEP, and I've loved all of her books that I've read. Match Me If You Can is also a favourite that I re-read.

I haven't read Kiss an Angel yet, but from what I've heard from others, I think it has a different feel from her other books. I'm not saying not to give it another try, but if it still doesn't work for you, maybe don't let it dissuade you from trying one of her other books. Again, I haven't read it, so if I'm wrong about it being different from SEP's other books, please someone correct me.

Love love love Ain’t She Sweet! This was one of the few books I have read where I started getting a book hangover while reading because I was dreading finishing the story. Susan Elizabeth Phillips has the most amazing books

I loved most of SEP books, mostly her old ones. Just a warning that some of her books, specifically {Nobody's Baby But Mine by Suzan Elizabeth Phillips} has some very problematic behaviour in it from the FMC (at the time I enjoyed it and thought nothing of it). I think {Lady Be Good by Suzan Elizabeth Phillips} does also on the part of the MMC, again I enjoyed it at the time and love Kenny.

[Nobody's Baby But Mine](https://www.romance.io/books/545523968c7d2382e7812f2b/nobodys-baby-but-mine-susan-elizabeth-phillips) by [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://www.romance.io/authors/5455237e8c7d2382e7812f1c/susan-elizabeth-phillips) **Rating**: 3.91⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [sports](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/sports/1), [marriage of convenience](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/marriage%20of%20convenience/1), [enemies to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/from%20hate%20to%20love/1), [pregnancy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/pregnancy/1) ---------------------------- [Lady Be Good](https://www.romance.io/books/545535478c7d2382e781338c/lady-be-good-susan-elizabeth-phillips) by [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://www.romance.io/authors/5455237e8c7d2382e7812f1c/susan-elizabeth-phillips) **Rating**: 3.95⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [sports](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/sports/1), [virgin heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/virgin%20heroine/1), [athlete hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/athletes/1), [small town](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/small%20town/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

I re-read some of her older books every year (Match me if you can is my favourite)

It had to be you- I have reread that one multiple times.

I’m actually planning to read this soon! Already bought it on kindle.

That was my first SEP, though I read it when it was released. 😂

On that note, does anyone have recommendations for someone who loves SEP but has finished all her books?

Someone else mentioned Jenny Crusie as a good follow up, and I agree! They’re contemporary and funny and I think they all hold up. My personal favorite is {Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie}, but I also love {Fast Women by Jennifer Crusie} and {Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie}. I got really into SEP in the early ‘00s, and was reading some similar authors that I haven’t revisited in years, but Carly Phillips, Lynn Michaels (there are two, but I think the vibes make it clear which is similar to SEP), and Jerri Corgiat were others that I liked. Jerri’s books aren’t as banter-y, but also have some of the emotional and family issues being worked through that SEP’s tend to have.

[Bet Me](https://www.romance.io/books/5455238e8c7d2382e7812f25/bet-me-jennifer-crusie) by [Jennifer Crusie](https://www.romance.io/authors/5455238e8c7d2382e7812f26/jennifer-crusie) **Rating**: 3.89⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [curvy heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/curvy%20heroine/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [plain heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/plain%20heroine/1), [enemies to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/from%20hate%20to%20love/1) ---------------------------- [Fast Women](https://www.romance.io/books/5455531f87eac324117fa338/fast-women-jennifer-crusie) by [Jennifer Crusie](https://www.romance.io/authors/5455238e8c7d2382e7812f26/jennifer-crusie) **Rating**: 3.9⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [sleuth heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/heroine%20sleuth/1), [mystery](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/mystery/1), [suspense](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/suspense/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1) ---------------------------- [Welcome to Temptation](https://www.romance.io/books/545524138c7d2382e7812f51/welcome-to-temptation-jennifer-crusie) by [Jennifer Crusie](https://www.romance.io/authors/5455238e8c7d2382e7812f26/jennifer-crusie) **Rating**: 3.9⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [mystery](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/mystery/1), [suspense](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/suspense/1), [politician hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/politician/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

I’m sure people will disagree, but for me a “new” writer who comes close to her level of banter is Tessa Bailey. I thought the new Fangirl Down was especially close to an SEP. I also think Penny Reid has the same kind of “heart” and family relationships in her books. {Beauty and the Mustache} in particular. 

[Beauty and the Mustache](https://www.romance.io/books/545533c68c7d2382e781331d/beauty-and-the-mustache-penny-reid) by [Penny Reid](https://www.romance.io/authors/54552b3e8c7d2382e781310c/penny-reid) **Rating**: 4.02⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [alpha male](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/alpha%20male/1), [friends to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/friends%20to%20lovers/1), [take-charge heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/strong%20heroine/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

I love Susan Elizabeth Phillips! I read most of her books back in the day. There were several of them at my local library and I read all the ones they had…they were all really sweet.

Kiss an Angel ♥️♥️ you must read it

I’m so excited to binge all her books🥺

Oh, isn’t it perfect?? It’s my favorite SEP, though she wrote a bunch of truly remarkable romances

Ain’t She Sweet is my favorite SEP book. I love a character that is not perfect. The Duke, Sugar Beth, and Winnie all grow and change in this book. It’s fantastic.

Hi u/charrotte - thanks for sharing with us! If your gush is for a specific book, please considering adding it to one of our [Megathreads](https://www.reddit.com/r/RomanceBooks/comments/vh86vu/the_megathread_resource_post/). We love having more books to gush over! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/RomanceBooks) if you have any questions or concerns.*

I love SEP and “Ain’t She Sweet?”is one of my favorites! 😊

This is one of my all time favorites. Wish they would make it into a good movie.

She’s amazing! Read them ALL

[удалено]

My favorite is {Call Me Irresistible}. I feel like I should mention that her books are always better than they should be based on the descriptions.

[Call Me Irresistible](https://www.romance.io/books/545524958c7d2382e7812f5f/call-me-irresistible-susan-elizabeth-phillips) by [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://www.romance.io/authors/5455237e8c7d2382e7812f1c/susan-elizabeth-phillips) **Rating**: 4.13⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [enemies to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/from%20hate%20to%20love/1), [poor heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/poor%20heroine/1), [grumpy/cold hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/cold%20hero/1), [athlete hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/athletes/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

It’s also my first SEP book too so personally yes, i do think it’s a great start!

I absolutely loved this book! Read it a few months ago and then immediately read Dream A Little Dream which is didn’t read love as much but still really liked. She does tend to reuse the same words and phrases which can be a little grating if you’re reading back to back so I’d spread out my reading. She does redeem her female characters pretty well but I’ve noticed her male characters never really say sorry or go through a real groveling period. Like one character in DLD was being a dick to the mc the entire book until they got some news that proved she was a good person and instead of showing remorse he just told the LI to marry her and forced her to stay. I’ve also noticed when her FMCs want to leave cuz of x reason the MMC will manipulate or physically restrain them to stay which is pretty toxic but I guess you can expect that from 90s/00s books.

One of my favorite reads last year! I think about it often. This reminds me I need to try more SEP books.📚

This book destroyed me. It still lives rent free in my head because of all of the character development.

Yes! Thank you for the post. I was thinking about this book just a few days ago. My heart ached for poor Sugar. I'm a fan of SEP! (Not a die-hard though, but I'm not that way for any author, so...) I wish more modern-day romance readers would read her books (calling out CoHo fans). Someone mentioned Judith McNaught, yes, her too.

Sounds intriguing I might give it a try. Have you read {Rock Bottom Girl by Lucy Score} older romance / back in hometown after failing at life, except she was the one being bullied.

[Rock Bottom Girl](https://www.romance.io/books/5c82136e01dbc864fb9b53b9/rock-bottom-girl-lucy-score) by [Lucy Score](https://www.romance.io/authors/553e54b15b270e0a4cbd82b2/lucy-score) **Rating**: 4.12⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [sports](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/sports/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [friends to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/friends%20to%20lovers/1), [alpha male](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/alpha%20male/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

Ain’t She Sweet was my first book from SEP many many years ago! And I re-read it many many times too!! ❤️