Call Me Irresistible

Wynette, Texas #6

by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Shannon Cochran (Narrator)

11 hours, 52 minutes

R.S.V.P. to the most riotous wedding of the year....

Lucy Jorik is the daughter of a former president of the United States.

Meg Koranda is the offspring of legends.

One of them is about to marry Mr. Irresistible - Ted Beaudine - the favorite son of Wynette, Texas. The other is not happy about it and is determined to save her friend from a mess of heartache.

But even though Meg knows that breaking up her best friend's wedding is the right thing to do, no one else seems to agree. Faster than Lucy can say "I don't", Meg becomes the most hated woman in town - a town she's stuck in with a dead car, an empty wallet, and a very angry bridegroom.

Broke, stranded, and without her famous parents at her back, Meg is sure she can survive on her own wits. What's the worst that can happen? Lose her heart to the one and only Mr. Irresistible? Not likely. Not likely at all.

Call Me Irresistible is the book Susan Elizabeth Phillips's readers and listeners have long awaited. Ted, better known as "little Teddy", the nine-year-old heartbreak kid from Phillips's first best seller, Fancy Pants, and as "young Teddy," the hunky new college graduate in Lady Be Good, is all grown up now - along with Lucy from First Lady and Meg from What I Did for Love. They're ready to take center stage in a saucy, funny, and highly addictive tale fans will love.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Fiction, Enemies To Lovers, Audiobook

12 pages, Audio

First published December 31, 2010

About the author

SUSAN ELIZABETH PHILLIPS

Susan Elizabeth Phillips has been called the “Queen of Romantic Comedy and is the creator of the sports romance, beginning with her 1989 bestseller, FANCY PANTS. An internationally acclaimed author, her books have been published in over 30 languages. She’s the only four-time recipient of the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Favorite Book of the Year Award, and a recipient of their Lifetime Achievement Award.

Susan's newest book, SIMPLY THE BEST, is coming in hardcover, ebook and audiobook in February 2024. SIMPLY THE BEST is book #10 in the highly acclaimed CHICAGO STARS football series. Susan is also known for the Wynette, Texas book series and many stand-alone women's fiction/romance novels.

In addition to being a New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, and USA Today bestseller, she is a hiker, lazy gardener, horrible singer, passable cook, passionate reader, wife, mother of two grown sons, and grandmother.

You can visit Susan on Facebook, Instagram or on her website.

https://www.facebook.com/SusanElizabe...

https://www.instagram.com/SEPauthor/

http://susanelizabethphillips.com/

Reviews

[Persephone's Pomegranate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm slowly getting out of my reading slump.



Enemies to lovers, banter, sassy heroine, non-abusive male lead, small town shenanigans.

All my favorite tropes in one book? SIGN ME UP.



Don't worry, this is not a love triangle. If that were the case, I would've rage quit. Speaking of love triangles… My teenage self used to think Twilight was the greatest book ever written. Thankfully, my taste in literature has evolved. but not by much

Meg Koranda is the daughter of Jake Koranda and Fleur Savagar from Glitter Baby. She also appeared in What I Did for Love. Ted Beaudine, the son of Dallas Beaudine and Francesca Day, was featured in Fancy Pants and Lady Be Good. Lucy Jorik is the adopted daughter of Nealy Case and Mat Jorik from First Lady.

Welcome to the cinematic (or should I say literary) universe of Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

“This is America. We’re entitled to our opinions.”

“Wrong. This is Texas. And my opinion is the only one that counts.”

Call Me Irresistible is one of my favorite books, hands down. It's 10 Things I Hate About You meets Pride & Prejudice meets Sweet Home Alabama meets Runaway Bride.

Meg's life is in a downward spiral. Her carefree life as the daughter of Hollywood royalty comes to an abrupt end when her famous parents decide to stop supporting her financially. She's broke, jobless, and completely directionless. She drives to Texas to fulfill her duties as a bridesmaid at her best friend's wedding. Upon meeting Mr. Irresistible, Meg instantly dislikes the groom-to-be and doesn't think he's the right man for her friend. Meanwhile, Lucy is having second thoughts about her upcoming nuptials. She pulls a runaway bride, Ted gets stood up at the altar, and Meg becomes public enemy No. 1.

Broke? Check.

No job? Check.

Stranded in a new town with no friends and family? Check.

Surrounded by hot, angry Texans? Double Check.

Meg needs to find a job, stay out of trouble (unlikely), and avoid her best friend's ex-fiancé (highly unlikely). He wants her out of his town. She'll leave when she's good and ready.

Mr. Perfect vs Miss Imperfect. *Marvin Gaye playing softly in the background*

A book is only as good as its protagonist. One of the reasons I stopped reading romance novels was because they became… generic and boring. It's the same formula over and over again. Nothing ruins a romance novel faster than a weak heroine. My tolerance for this BS ended a long time ago. So here I am, re-reading Call Me Irresistible for the millionth time. Meg is messy, imperfect, stubborn, free-spirited, kind-hearted, loyal, and utterly cool. She is the epitome of an anti-Mary Sue.



“Mr. Perfect on the outside. Dr. Evil on the inside.”

Let's talk about Ted Beaudine, aka my fictional husband. Ted is handsome, sexy, highly intelligent, nice (to everyone but Meg Koranda), multiskilled, versatile, and considerate (unless you're Meg). He's an inventor, environmentalist, and occasional golfer (I can overlook this one flaw). He is also the mayor of Wynette, Texas. I'm not even from Texas but I'd vote for him.

(if anyone knows a man like this let me know)

To quote TLC, I don't want no scrub, a scrub is a guy that can't get no love from me.

Ted is definitely not a scrub. We need more male leads like him.




No one does enemies to lovers better than Mrs. Phillips. I adore her wit and sass. A quasi-sequel called “The Great Escape” follows the adventures of Ted's runaway bride, Lucy. Not a fan tbh. Lucy was awesome in First Lady but she's kind of annoying in TGE. No shade, just my opinion.

In the words of Forrest Gump, that's all I have to say about that.

Meg and Ted are such a mismatch, but that's what makes them so right for each other. This book is part of the Wynette Texas series but can be read as a stand-alone.

“You were my best friend's fiancé! And if that's not good enough, don't forget that I basically hate you.”
He hit her full force with those golden brown eyes. “You basically like me, too. Not your fault. It just happened.”
“I'm going to make it un-happen.”


My Call Me Irresistible playlist:

Echos - Leave Your Lover
Tom Odell - Another Love
Lana Del Rey - Love Song
Lana Del Rey - Cinnamon Girl
Lana Del Rey- Happiness Is A Butterfly
Lana Del Rey - Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
Lord Huron - The Night We Met
Billie Eilish, Khalid - Lovely
Sasha Sloan - Dancing With Your Ghost
Ruth B - Dandelions (slowed+reverb+lyrics)
Matthew Mayfield - Follow You Down
Lewis Capaldi - Rush ft Jessie Reyez
Pearl Jam – Black
Guns N' Roses – You Could Be Mine
Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know
Melanie Martinez - Pacify Her

[♥Sharon♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I simply adore Meg Coranda and Ted Beaudine. These two stole my heart some 4+ years ago when I read this for the first time. You can read my praise below! But I have to say the audiobook kicked things up a notch. If there was a way to assign 10 stars I would. It was a FABULOUS audiobook.

Just putting a voice to Meg and Ted and all the other characters made me fall in love with this story all over again. ❤ I laughed, I cried and I swooned. These folks of Wynette, Texas truly are one of a kind!

***************************************************

You all must think I am a bit crazy reading one SEP book after another but what can I say. Susan Elizabeth Philips just does it for me. Her writing is a bit whimsical and her stories never fail to make me happy. Right from the beginning I always lose myself in the story, fall in love with the characters and all that is going on around them and as I emerge at the end, I always have a stupid grin on my face.

Call me Irresistible was no different. I. LOVED. IT!

This is Meg Coranda and Ted Beaudine’s story. These two lived their lives so differently. Meg was rather undisciplined and Ted was rather compliant. They knew a little about each other, but had never met. But the big day was finally here. Lucy was marrying Ted and Meg was a bridesmaid. But shortly after Meg arrives she knows Lucy is about to make a big mistake by marrying Ted. Deep down Lucy knew this too. As the wedding begins, Lucy becomes that “runaway bride” making what everyone thinks is the biggest mistake of her life. Everyone thinks Meg is to blame. Poor Meg, it wasn’t a good day for her.



Ted Beaudine ~ he was perfect. Seriously there really wasn’t anything he could do wrong. There wasn’t one thing about him that you wouldn’t fall in love with. He was handsome, sweet, sexy, kind, brilliant and simply amazing. But so was Lucy, or at least the life she had settled in. They fit together but then they didn’t. When things fell apart he handled it was such grace and composure. But his feathers were about to get ruffled. Meg would be the one to make him lose control and be a little reckless.



Meg Coranda ~ she was perfect too. Not in the traditional way but in her own way. She was floating through life with no real sense of direction. She could have it all, the beautiful home, the perfect husband and all the material things every woman wanted. But she was still searching for that one thing she wanted to do, the thing that would make her the happiest. She stumbled upon that one thing while being in Wynette, Texas trying to come out from under a black cloud that settled over her. What she hadn’t expected to find was the one person that would make her settle…..to make her want a home.



Making this home and grabbing hold of what was making her happy wouldn’t be an easy task. The people of Wynette wanted the best for their Teddy. He deserved the perfect woman and in their eyes that had been Lucy and Meg was to blame for what went wrong.



Some of the ladies were not nice at all. Women can be such bitches. Birdie, Haley and Kayla did whatever they could to make Meg miserable. Francesca and Lady Emma were not too far behind but they had more class. Torie was the one to saddle up alongside Meg giving her the nudges she needed to stand her ground. Meg wouldn’t give in or give up.



But Meg was like this little yellow chick. She was trying to fit in where no one really wanted her. Ted wanted her though. They were both falling for each other. One was falling in love and the other was falling into something. Their passion and desire was apparent but would it be enough.

Ted’s control would be tested in a way it had never been tested and Meg would finally make the decision to settle and no longer be that wanderer. What would come of these two? Are these words said before it is too late?

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 STARS


I’m going to make this short and sweet. SENSATIONAL. Pure SEP gold… as I’ve come to expect it now. I have yet to give her less than full marks on any of her books.

This one takes us back to good ole Wynette, Texas, and all of the folks that go along with it.
And yes… the one and only…





Ted Beaudine. The devastatingly handsome only son and boy genius of the world famous golf champion, Dallas Beaudine and his equally famous and exquisitely beautiful wife, Francesca Day Beaudine. This guy is perfect in every way. Every woman who meets him falls in love with him. Pre-teens crush on him. Old ladies fawn over him. Even the birds sing in his presence and halos of light follow his gorgeous profile. His genius IQ has him saving the environment from the car he drives to the home he lives in. He’s so well known and loved in his home town of Wynette, that they elected him Mayor.

“He sounds like Jesus. Except rich and sexy.”
“Watch it, Meg. In this town joking about Jesus could get you shot. You’ve never seen so many of the faithful who’re armed.”

And just in case that isn’t enough, his lovemaking skills are a thing of legend. Completely unselfish. His mouth and hands perform magic on the female form like he was born to please.
He never gets upset, and his good deeds know no bounds.



And Lucy Jorik is about to marry him. How she landed this perfect male specimen she’ll never understand. But everyone says they’re perfect together. So why did she leave him at the alter during their highly publicized wedding.



The only one who understood what she was feeling was her best friend, Meg Koranda. The daughter of Hollywood royalty, Meg’s life was mess. She’d dropped out of college, she’d traveled to foreign lands, sought adventure at every corner of the earth, and completely fucked up her life. And, now she was fucking up Lucy’s as well.

At least that’s how everyone else saw it… After Lucy disappears, she left Meg to clean up the mess she left behind in Wynette. And Meg found herself trapped in a town that hated her. No friends, no money, and no family to dig her out of this colossal disaster.

And then there is the wrath of Ted.

No wonder he was a legend. He knew exactly how to drive a woman to her maximum sexual pleasure. So why was she so disappointed.

I absolutely LOVED Meg’s character. She was tough, quick witted, and completely comfortable in her own skin. Even when she’d lost everything, she’d just suck it up, hold her head up high, and do what she had to do to survive.

“Come on, Ted. I’m not exactly the type to be a rich man’s bimbo.”

“That’s true.” A world of compassion softened his voice. “Bimbos are generally good-hearted women who are pleasant to be around.”

“Spoken from experience, I’m sure. By the way, you may be God Almighty on the golf course, but you’re a lousy dancer. Let me lead.”

There were so many hilariously funny scenes in this book, and just as many touching ones.

The entire Wynette clan was present in full force, so it will be much better if you’ve read the series in order.

“This is America. We’re entitled to our opinions.”
“Wrong. This is Texas. And my opinion is the only one that counts.”

So many fabulous quotes, and the supporting characters were just fantastic. The final showdown is epic, with the whole town present for the fall of their town hero.

There was a epilogue with a lovely HEA. I loved everything about the book. Ok… I guess this wasn’t as short and sweet as I’d intended. Sorry. :)

“The sooner we get through this, the sooner I can strip you naked, lose my self control, and humiliate myself again.”

Enjoy the book. I’m on to Wynette #7. Lucy’s story!!!

[Mo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did a quick re-read in preparation for the next book of the series. Did I like it again the second time around? Yes, I did. It was great. She sure is a talented author. She is one author I would love to meet actually. I think she would be great fun. Her sense of humour seems to come through in her writing.

Her voice gained strength with the rightness of what she was doing. “You all know what I mean. The way the birds start to sing when he walks outside. That’s creepy, right? And those halos that keep popping up around his head?”

Ted is Wynette's Golden Boy. Everybody loves him. And what's not to love. He is Mr Perfect. But Meg realises he is not perfect for her best friend, Lucy. Lucy knows this deep down too and on her wedding day she runs.


And Meg is left to face the music.

But even though Meg knows that breaking up her best friend's wedding is the right thing to do, no one else seems to agree. Faster than Lucy can say "I don't," Meg becomes the most hated woman in town—a town she's stuck in with a dead car, an empty wallet, and a very angry bridegroom.

Skeet.


Meg is quirky, fun and not afraid to speak her mind. She is broke but that won't stop her surviving.


We get to meet characters from previous books. Dallie (swoon) ... Francesca. Jake, Fleur, Skeet.

These were Texan men - tall, lean, steely-eyed and rugged - manly men who'd never heard of male moisturisers, chest waxes or paying more than twenty dollars for a haircut. They were the genuine article - the archetypal American hero civilising the West with a set of golf clubs instead of a winchester.

This was his revenge. He was going to foreplay her to death.

Ted and Meg give into their attraction. But, being polar opposites, it's not going to be easy. There will have to be compromises. Hearts will be broken but hopefully it will all work out.


I don't play golf myself but do watch the big ones, the Masters, the Majors ... have even been to Pebble Beach Golf club! So there, Skipjack, you are not the only one that can name drop.

Did he ever lose control?

"Hard to get rid of old friends."

Check out SEP's little video about the book...

https://www.goodreads.com/videos/3268...

See what I mean about her sense of humour!!

[Geri Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Irresistible Stars!!

There is something to be said about reading a Susan Elizabeth Phillips's book that just get to me every single time. I don't know whether it's the humor, the witty dialogue, or the way you have to suspend reality and just immerse yourself in the story and get out of it feeling lighter with a goofy grin on your face. That's exactly how I felt after reading this book.

On paper, this is as far away from "realistic romance" as you can get. Not everyone happens to be the child of a supermodel and a famous actor/director or the child of a famous television personality and a golf champion. That alone should me hate the characters and I shouldn't be able to relate to them at all, right? And yet, I loved every single moment of it. Despite their elevated statuses as children of celebrities, I felt that SEP captured their insecurities, hurts, flaws and made it into a great love story.



I loved both Meg and Ted. They are total opposites of each other but at the same time, they are also similar. They are both children of celebrities and they have to live under the shadow of their great parents.

Meg isn't your typical heroine in that she was described as spoiled and irresponsible. I should have hated her but SEP just has this knack of making me like heroines like Meg. I truly did love Meg. She was witty and irrepressible and the way her character grew from being this aimless, irresponsible woman-child into a confident woman was just wonderful to watch. I was rooting for her all the way.

Ted was also a wonderful hero. Like many of SEP's heroes, he started off as a real jerk and very calculating. Although, it's truly understandable considering his fiancee left him at the altar but still, his treatment of Meg at first was odious. Even when he started treating her well, there was still this doubt in my mind about how sincere he was about Meg. But in the end, he had this epic epiphany of sorts which led to one epic groveling complete with a grand gesture that made me happy.



Loved the secondary characters. Not many authors especially in romance can write such vivid and interesting secondary characters. Sometimes they just fade into the woodwork unless there's a book planned for them. But in this book, the secondary characters were wonderfully written.

Another SEP winner for me. Definitely recommended for readers who love their HEA. And the epilogue was just right. Nothing too sappy or overdone. It was just right.

[Jane Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 ½ stars. Very enjoyable. I didn’t want to stop reading. Fun escape.

REVIEWER’S OPINION:
The author used a similar plot in several books. Heroine is down on her luck, in an unfriendly place, abandoned by family/friends, has no money. The locals bully, despise and/or humiliate her. She suffers, discovers things about herself, becomes responsible/successful, and finds love. If a reader complains that they’ve read this before, I say “Who cares. It’s a fun story and she does it well.”

The first time I read this I was uncomfortable seeing favorite characters from earlier books being mean to Meg. But the second time I read this that didn’t bother me at all - maybe because I knew they would all like her in the end. And the same thing with Ted’s feelings. The first time I read the book, I wanted more of his point of view. But the second time I read it, I was fine with what happened. This book is better the second time.

PRIOR BOOKS:
I suggest reading the author’s books in the following order for the character flow.

5 stars. Glitter Baby. Fleur is a beautiful model living a glamorous life, then has nothing, and then brings herself back to the world, developing brains, strength and relationships along the way. She marries famous actor/playwright Jake. Meg is their daughter who is now 30 and the heroine in this book. Meg’s best friend is Lucy.

5 stars. Fancy Pants. Francesca is a rich English girl, whose mother dies leaving her penniless and stranded in the U.S. She gets a job as a cleaning lady for a small town radio station. She marries famous golfer Dallas. Ted is their son, the hero in this book.

5 stars. Lady Be Good. Emma is headmistress of a girls’ boarding school in England. She visits the U.S. for two weeks and meets Kenny, a famous bad boy golfer. They marry and live in Wynette, Texas. They are friends with Francesca, Dallas, and Ted.

5 stars. First Lady. Cornelia is wife of the U.S. President who dies in office. She meets and marries Matt Jorik a journalist. They adopt orphan Lucy. Cornelia later becomes President. Lucy is now 31 and is engaged to marry Ted in this book. Meg is Lucy’s best friend.

4 stars. The Great Escape Lucy Jorik leaves Ted at the altar and runs away. She sees a stranger on a motorcycle Patrick Shade “Panda.” She asks him for a ride. Read this right after First Lady since Lucy has a significant role in both books.

STORY BRIEF:
Ted is close to perfect, handsome, genius IQ, everyone in town loves him. They made him mayor without asking him. Most females fall in love with him. He is engaged to marry Lucy, daughter of the former U.S. President.

Meg has never had a job, dropped out of college, and travels the world for fun. Her famous parents recently cut her off financially, hoping she will become responsible. Meg travels to Wynette, Texas, to be Lucy’s maid of honor. Meg raises some questions which cause Lucy to realize she is not in love. Lucy abandons Ted at the altar and wants Meg to do the explaining. Everyone in town blames Meg, thinking she talked Lucy out of the wedding. Lucy left town, and no one knows where she is. As Meg is checking out of the hotel, she realizes her credit cards have been cancelled. She doesn’t have enough money to pay the hotel. She has over borrowed from everyone she knows, and there is no one she can call. The police chief threatens to put her in jail if she can’t pay her hotel bill. Ted suggests she work it off as a hotel maid, which she does. She is sleeping in her car and has no money for food.

Spencer owns a plumbing company. He is looking for a location to open a factory and visits Wynette. The town desperately needs jobs, and everyone in town hopes he will choose Wynette for the factory. Spencer wants to be Meg’s lover and sugar daddy. She does not feel the same and tries to avoid him. Most people in town dislike Meg and have been mean to her, but they want her to be nice to Spencer to get his factory.

AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
Shannon Cochran was pretty good doing this book. But she was awful doing “The Great Escape” (TGE). In TGE she used a weird chipmunk type of voice for many characters. In the beginning of this book CMI she used that weird voice twice: once for Matt Jorik and once for Dallie Beaudine. But after that the narrator didn’t use the weird voice much. I was ok with most of the rest of the book.

DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 385 pages. Swearing language: moderate, including religious swear words. Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: 10. Setting: current day mostly Wynette, Texas, with some California and New York. Copyright: 2011. Genre: contemporary romance.

OTHER BOOKS:
For a list of my reviews of other Susan Elizabeth Phillips books, see my 5 star review of “It Had To Be You.”

[Christina ~ Brunette Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Top form SEP writing about what I think she writes best: opposites attract.
A runaway bride-to-be brings Wynette's golden boy and role model Ted Beaudine and bohemian outsider Meg Koranda together in a whirlwind of unexpected attraction, golf and small town intrigues.
Just one complaint, taking away a full star though, the fact that, unlike what usually happens in her books, Ted's pov is totally absent until the very final chapters and his actions and motivations annoyingly appear to always come out of the blue, leaving what felt like half of the romance (and the fun) out. But minor quibble aside, this remains a thoroughly enjoyable romantic comedy chock-full of quirky humour and gusto.

Buddy-read with Jill :)

[Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Swoon*

What an amazing ending. And by that I mean specifically the last 4 sentences.

5 stars for this one because I couldn't put it down and I really became consumed by the story.

It's been a long time since I've read a great book like this. SEP's better books are charming and hilarious but also a bit heart breaking. The storylines are dense and the characters are multi-dimensional, often making them annoying at times.

This was one of SEP's better books. And I haven't read one of her better books in a long time. The last book she released (ages ago) wasn't very strong in my opinion, and a lot of her other amazing books I read in a cluster all at once years ago. So it's nice to read some new, great material.

I HATED Ted in the beginning, that only grew to a mild acceptance of him. I didn't dislike him because he's a brat and treats Meg like garbage, his actions sort of add to Meg's allure in how she deals with him and it did build an interesting sort of chemesty. To be honest, I never took to the wunder-child in other books, and that's really the bud of my dislike for him. I appreciated his role in Fancy Pants, but was unimpressed by his older self in Lady Be Good. I didn't read this book for Ted, I read it for Meg. I liked the glimpses of Meg we saw in What I Did for Love, but even more so, I liked what was going on with Meg in the preview chapter that was released for this book. That's what made me excited for the read.

Meg does not disappoint. I found her utterly charming and lovely right from the beginning. I once watched an interview where SEP says that her heroines are strong but that we might not always like them right from the beginning (cough-Francesca,-Fluer,-and-the-main-character-from-kiss-an-angelr-cough) but that wasn't the case with Meg. I loved her. Love love love! She could have really wallowed in deserved self pity, but she doesn't. And she is absolutely hilarious. I had to put the book down to relive reading, "She made a grand gesture toward the recliner. 'I’ve taken a new lover. Sorry you had to find out like this.'" in regards to moving in with Skeet. That's my type of humour. She's was a really well written character. Plus she spoke to me. I'm not in her shoes in many respects, but I am trying to find my 'passion' and figure out my 'calling'. So I could relate to her all-over-the-place-ness.

Love love love love LOVED Meg! Can't say the same for Ted or for a lot of the old characters that pop up in this book, but that might just be what makes it good. The story stirred up so many feelings and opinions. I really became passionate about those opinions I held. That type of interaction doesn't happen often from reading romances (at least not for me).

In the end: the storyline was great, Meg was magnificent, and even though the romance left a bit to be desired (i.e. no hot romance/sex scenes, no amazing declarations that really just hit the spot, sort of clumsy interactions from the conceded hero), this books was fabulous.

In my opinion, this book was a lot better than 'What I Did For Love' and probably as strong as favourites from the Chicago series and other gems from SEP's classics.

I'll be re-reading some of my fav. SEP books over the next while (not including Lady Be Good, because I reread that while reading this to refresh who Torie was).

[Sarah MacLean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect, perfect SEP. Funny, emotional, sexy...with a terrific, quirky heroine and a hero who wouldn't be right for anyone but her. I loved it.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a Wynette, Texas series reunion!!!!

Call Me Irresistible is the sixth installment in Susan Elizabeth Phillips's adult contemporary romance series titled Wynette, Texas. While this installment is its very own story, it features many characters from the other books in the series. I found these additions to be an unexpected but extremely entertaining treat.

Call Me Irresistible was a fun but somewhat complicated story about the woes of finding Mr. Irresistible. Our heroine Meg quickly learns that being with the "perfect" guy isn't all it's cracked up to be. Ms. Phillips dismisses more than that dream in this book though. Other envious situations tackled include the burden of being a town hero and the downside of being raised by rich and famous parents. As always, Ms. Phillips writes humor and romance like nobody's business. If you haven't read anything by her then just pick any random one and get started. You'll love it!

My favorite quote:
"Sometimes change is what we need. I guess it lets us look at our lives in a new way."

The Wynette, Texas series contains the following installments as of February 2016. In my opinion, they can each be read in any order as standalone novels.
#1-Fancy Pants
#2-Lady Be Good
#3-Glitter Baby
#4-First Lady
#4.5-My Secret Service Valentine
#5-What I Did for Love
#6-Call Me Irresistible
#7-The Great Escape

[Lynsey A · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! This felt like the SEP I love as I read this book. It reminded of such good books like To Kiss An Angel and Nobody's Baby But Mine. (There wasn't any side love story in this and I'm okay with that).

I read this book in one day and did not want to put it down. Ted and Meg were both great characters. Meg had it rough at the beginning of this one but I liked how she took control of her life. I wasn't so sure about Ted in the beginning. He treated Meg kinda rough at first. Although, seeing as how he blamed her for ruining his wedding to Lucy I can see why. However, Ted definitely improved on me.

There was definitely some great love scenes in this book. It's been awhile since I read a SEP but there seemed to be a bit more in this book.

The "bad guy" in this book was despicable.

All in all this was a great book and I did not want to see it end. I loved, loved the epilogue. It was a bit predictable (the epi) but I still enjoyed and laughed out loud at the scene.

Fantastic read!

[Jae · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't believe I gave 1 star to SEP's book.... But this book deserved only that.

The story line was so petty about the town folks who all were in love with Ted and hated Meg instantly when she supposedly broke his wedding. And they hadn't any qualm at all in pushing Meg into Spence's arms just so that they can have their golf resorts. And the story just kept revolving around the golf resort thing...

The characters were all very annoying and I hated them all. The town people were pretentious, Meg kept getting humiliated at her own expenses over and over (and she didn't mind at all). And lastly Ted the unfeeling Hero who hated Meg's gut but apparently didn't mind bonking her once in a while..

I absolutely had a hard time finishing this off.. A very BAD read..

[Eve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Series: Wynette, Texas, #5
Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: January 18, 2011

Susan Elizabeth Phillips has taken the enemies-to-lovers trope and written engaging, heartbreaking, sassy, funny, sexy, inspiriring story of love and redemption.



Ted Beaudine (first appeared in Fancy Pants, then in Lady Be Good), is now all grown up and about to marry Lucy Jorik. Perfect marriage between perfect partners. Everyone think that nothing can go wrong between these two. But how wrong they were! When Lucy's best friend Meg Koranda arrives, things start to go amiss...



The heroine, Meg is the daughter of Fleur Savagar and Jake Koranda of Glitter Baby. Feeling inadequate in her competition with her overachieving family, Meg has drifted through life, traveling and having no clear sense what to do with her future. In an act of tough love, Meg's parents decide to cut off her funds thinking that Meg will finally find purpose for her life. They do it at the worst possible moment, so Meg find herself suddenly broke, homeless, and unable to leave town where most of the people hate her, including Ted Beaudine. Meg has some pride left, so through trial and error, she learns to take care of herself. Ted does everything he can do to drive her out of town and make her life miserable, yet, you can see that their encounters send more and more sparks flying...



I loved to see the characters grow and develop. Meg's struggles weren't easy but it was admirable that she never gave up. Definitely another engaging story by SEP that I love to re-read and enjoy over and over again.

PS: If you want to find out what happened to Lucy after she took off, then read The Great Escape!

[Darcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author is an auto read to me, so often times I don't know what the book is going to be about as I don't read the blurb because it really doesn't matter as I will read it. But then I was chatting with some of my GR friends about this, all of us anticipating this book. At this point I thought, huh, maybe I should check out what this one will be about. After reading the blurb, I expected to hate this one.

I really loved the idea of Ted and Lucy together. They are some of my favorite characters from earlier books, precocious kids that had so much promise as adults. Meg, has never been a character that I really liked, I more felt ambivalent about her, but her seemingly a home wrecker, made me start out hating her before even picking up the book.

So with those thoughts in my head, I picked up this book to read while I was watching some DVD's today. It didn't take long before I was sucked into the story. And horrors of all horrors, when I was done watching the DVD's I kept reading this one instead of, gasp..... wait for it....... finishing the last 40 pages of Shadowfever, I just had to know how this one ended.

Even with her actions I really liked Lucy, I thought what she did had taken great courage, not sure that I could have done the same thing.

I didn't like Meg until about halfway through. All I saw was the spoiled woman that she was. It took seeing her at rock bottom and building herself back up before I started to change my mind. I loved how she took on all of these crazy townspeople and turned their own antics back on them.

With Ted I went through many different feelings, many of them mirroring what Meg felt. When Meg was getting her bearings, I hated Ted with her. He had a way to twist his surroundings to suit him making them not at all what it looked like. But slowly as Ted started to let his real self show, he redeemed himself in my eyes.

Meg and Ted's growing relationship was fun. They not only had to fight their own feelings, but the whole towns opinion as well. With everyone putting in their 2 cents it made for a mad house.

And we must mention all those crazy townspeople. As a collective they are a character in themselves. Many of them we have met in previous books, so if you want to check this book out, and you should, it is best to read all of her older books for a more through understanding. You will be glad you did because this author is a fun one to read!!

[Mareeva · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

You never truly expect to like a golf romance let alone find it hot until you see shit like this:


edit 06.2023: okay what the actual hell was I thinking 2 years ago💀 get that man off my screen

The moment Meg set her eyes on Ted Beaudine she quickly realised what type of man he is - the most perfect man alive. A walking saint whose steps cause flowers to bloom and vegetation to prosper. His hair catches light at all the right angles and the sun casts halos over his head. Birds sing when he approaches, women swoon when they catch sight of him and the citizens marvel over his perfect nature.

Except for Meg of course. Meg sees right through his saintly bullshit.

The problem? Ted isn't just any man but her best friend Lucy's fiance. A fiance who shares about as much fiery passion for Lucy as a dried piece of bread.

The good thing is Lucy was no fool and she fully realised the fatal mistake she was about to make, especially after Meg makes it clear that she thinks Ted isn't the man for her.

The solution? Lucy runs away leaving Meg with an angry groom.

In the eyes of the guests, she is responsible for "polluting" Lucy's brain which caused a broken engagement. Therefore Meg is hated and blamed for every future misfortune by a town that will crucify puppies for barking at their beloved Mayor of Wynette, or who you already know as Ted Beaudine.

"He’s the Lamb of God, and I’m the town bad girl.”

THIS BOOK WAS PRETTY MUCH A SEP CLASSIC:
It resembled Ain't She Sweet? a lot in particular

Heroine:
➾broke but with an extravagant upbringing -her parents are Hollywood stars-
➾hated by a small town but eventually wins them all over
➾gives no fucks
➾flawed in her own ways -which is a good thing-
➾works hard for the things she has
➾bad girl with a good heart
➾a free spirit, messy

Hero:
➾loved by the entire town -put on a really high pedestal too-
➾emotionless -but fakes it well for the public hence his saintly persona-
➾initially hates the heroine
➾in full control of everything

His cool to her hot. His orderly to her messy.

Other similarities:
➾a lot of gossipy and judgemental women
➾heroine forms a friendship with the kid of her enemy
➾OM that takes interest in the heroine

But I'll choose to ignore the fact that this is a slightly worse version of Ain't She Sweet? and focus on the things that made this book such a damn joy.

🛑spoilers from now on🛑

THE BANTER. FUCK ME THE BANTER.

You know what? It wasn't even so much the banter as it was the heroine's hilarious comebacks. She just kept roasting the hero 50% of the time.

“You’re living here rent free,” he pointed out. “The least you could do is keep beer in the refrigerator for company.”
“You’re not company. You’re an infestation. What do you want?”

First she calls him an infestation ON HIS OWN PROPERTY. A property that she initially lived in without his consent.

Literally no shame whatsoever😂

As Emma searched for the right word, Meg jumped in to help her out. “National humiliation? Public debasement? Looking like a weenie?”
“That’s uncalled for,” Torie protested. “Considering you were responsible.”
“I’m not the one who dumped his sorry ass,” Meg said. “Why can’t you people get that through your thick heads?”

Then we have Meg piling insult on top of insult about the hero's recent failed engagement THAT SHE LOWKEY CAUSED

He adopted a faraway look. “I sure do miss that woman. Smart. Funny. Sweet. She never gave me a moment’s trouble.”
“Gosh, I’m sorry about that. I knew it was boring between you two, but not that bad.”

Now she just straight up roasting his past relationship with Lucy


I'll end the tour on this last note and not a quote: He gave her the most earth shattering, multiple orgasm inducing, ultimate female pleasure, most perfect sex ever.

Sounds great right? WRONG! not for Meg it isn't.

She went right ahead and got disappointed, pissing him the hell off in the process. That's right sis, take his ego down a notch.

The problem was it was too perfect. The foreplay, amount of orgasms, the way he held himself above her was so meticulously calculated that it felt completely disconnected, just like everything about Ted. Meg wanted messy, she wanted him to let go.

THE SATISFYING DEVELOPMENT

The hero honestly was nothing special but I still loved the way the author made his "picture perfect" image. It made his unravelling by Meg's hands that much more satisfying.

And oh the havoc she brought upon that town and him. He went from not even blinking as his fiance disappeared to being beside himself after Meg did the exact same thing. The town that hated her suddenly missed her, her biggest enemies became her fiercest advocates.

THE FRUSTRATING BULLSHIT

➾ Lucy was possibly the worst best friend person in existence. That girl left her fiance, disappeared, lost all contact with anyone (except Meg), didn't stand up for Meg when everyone literally attacked and blamed her FOR LUCY'S MISTAKES (idk if she even knew but she should've used her brain and understood who they would blame), didn't show up for months, deadass just abandoned all responsibility.

➾ Francesca - mother of Ted and the heroine from the first book of the series was the most irritating, irrational, blind character in this entire book. Judging by the 1 star reviews on Fancy Pants I am going to take a wild guess and say Francesca was an annoying bitch there too. And yes I know she redeemed herself at the end but that doesn't erase how annoying she is

But all that frustration was worth it because Meg took none of the bullshit Francesca put her through.

Eg; When Fran requested Meg as a caterer for her party she never expected her to actually show up, the act was done merely to put her in "her place". Which btw is another similarity with ain't she sweet; the heroine had to cater to her enemies.

Well Meg, the bad bitch that she is, showed up with her head held high, ignored the whispering and catered the fuck out of the people that hated her.

And of course, we can't forget the hilarious banter they have once Fran basically becomes a Ted x Meg stan:

“You’ll see it when everybody else does.”
“I don’t understand why you let Kayla see it, but not me.”
“Because she’s my fashion consultant, and you’re merely my nagging future mother-in-law.”

She gives no fucks really.

“Will you marry me, Meg Koranda?” he said as he pulled her into the bathroom.
“Definitely. But I’m keeping my last name just to piss off your mother.”
“Excellent. Now take off your clothes.”

➾ Guessed all the plot twists beforehand

➾ The scene of their first kiss should've had a better build up

➾ Wasn't a fan of the way Meg acted towards Ted at the end. 3 months after his fiance left him Meg confessed her love and left town when he didn't say it back (there were other reasons too but that was the starting one). Why you pushing someone to confess their love for you?

OVERALL

Great but not the best I've read by this author.

PS; I don't think I have ever highlighted so many quotes in my damn life. What I used in this review is not even half of em

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the best books i've read from SEP. read it in less than a day! so love Meg. I hate Lady Emma, Torie and the rest of Wynette here. am definitely going to read this again. and again. and again. haha. S.I.Z.Z.L.I.N.G H.O.T.

*****

Amazing read! except for those times (which is a lot) when the whole town was ganging up on Meg just because they can (and they will!), it was really enjoyable.

Story:

somewhat hollywood-y to me. but it worked its charm. hooking up with your best friend’s ex-fiancee after their scandalous jilting-at-the-altar fiasco is super sneaky! the best part: Meg asks Lucy first for permission. lol. i thought it will be the twist of the book but it was not. Lucy was A-OK with it! it really is funny. then falling in love when Meg knew she was just a bootie call. whew. that’s one extra big luggage to carry, dear.

Meg:

a very lovable character. but i didn’t like it when she can defend other peeps when someone steps on them but not herself. especially when her family is the one doing the stepping on her. i believe that it is done for her benefit (to grow up, take a job and make something out of her life) but it is rather harsh. nevertheless, she did grew up. she’s been changing for the better now but i don’t see why she often pretend to be the same happy-go-lucky girl to everyone when she’s no longer that girl anymore. pity party, perhaps?

Teddy:

who doesn’t love him? oh, i do! he’s a prick who pretends to be a saint. and how the whole town worships him! and yet i liked it when he responds to Meg’s antics in such an un-saintly way. so the he is not perfect, after all!

ultimate high experience:

the bootie calls, of course! the author sizzled it with humor and romance all in one plate. wow. it never failed to make me laugh so hard, then go mushy all of a sudden. O_O

the verdict:

i haven’t read SEP books recently, but reading this one is worth the catch-up. one of my favorites.

[Sophie ♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This time he risked messing up her makeup to give her a tender kiss on her lips. “The sooner we get through this, the sooner I can strip you naked, lose my self-control, and humiliate myself again.”

He stole another kiss. “You know how much I love you, right?”

“I do.”

“Good. Hold on to that thought.” He scooped her into his arms, and before she could tell him it was unnecessary—that she’d pulled herself back together and he needed to put her down right this minute. Before she could say any of that, he’d started down the aisle.

“This one,” he announced to everybody, “is not getting away.”

Again and again I keep coming back to SEP just because I can't get enough her cliche storylines and quirky but hilarious characters. This is the first book I've read from the Wynette, Texas series and it oozed of irresistible chick lit appeal and damn, I loved it. Meg was such a fun and witty heroine and she really made the book come to life. That's exactly how I'd describe this book: lively.

If you're thinking this is your typical cliched chick lit book, then you are so right. But oh, how I enjoyed it. It was hard to not appreciate SEP's writing and wit in this one. I was fully sucked in the moment Meg stopped Ted's wedding. Poor Ted hated her guts and I was definitely sticking around to find out how it all turned out. Another winner from SEP for sure. I'm thinking about reading Emma's story next. I hope it's as good as this one.

Rate: 5 stars

[Elizabeth Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

How have I not heard of Susan Elizabeth Phillips? HOW????

My husband bought this for me at Target instead of another book I'd asked for, but I didn't say anything because he's so awesome and does like a million things for me all the time.

I looked at the cover one day, a few weeks after he bought it, thought it was cute, and read the inside jacket flap. I was a little wary because it seemed like I'd have to know all about the characters from other books of Phillips' that I hadn't read, but the book I was trying to read at the time was boring and annoying and so I decided to give it a try.

Two hours later, I put this down, let out a whoop! and went on-line to order a bunch of Phillips' other books. I totally get why she's so popular--her characters are all multi-faceted and charming without being too over the top, her love scenes--oh my!!--and she really gets how and why people can become so trapped in who they are that they forget how to be happy.

Throughly enjoyable and recommended for "women's fiction" (there has to be a better term!) fans who don't mind sex scenes.

I can't wait to read more of her books--and if anyone has any suggestions....

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a Susan Elizabeth Phillips fan than this book is a MUST!!

It has been so long since I started reading her books that I found it absolutely wonderful to go back and visit past characters. It was like a fun family reunion in Wynette Texas! LOL We get to see Francie & Dallie Beaudine from Lady be Good and Cornelia & Mat Jorik from First Lady and Fluer Savagar & Jake Koranda from Glitter Baby!! Their kids are all grown up now and causing all kinds of trouble of their own in the little town of Wynette. This book was funny, sweet and amazingly romantic in keeping with SEP style!!

I am hoping Lucy Jorik's story is next, she needs her HEA too!!

[Yuli Atta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a certain kind of weakness for Susan Elizabeth Philips' books. They are exactly what I like and what I want in these kinds of books and Call Me Irresistible is no exception.
It is a wonderful book, a very quick read and it left me with so many good feelings as every time I read SEP's books happens.
I loooove it! I just hope that soon I'd get the book about Lucy :3

[Judi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it when you read a book and it makes you experience a vast array of emotions - smile, laugh, cry, embarrassment for the characters, even to a small degree hate them, but by the time the final page is read, you need to see the main characters get their HEA. Any book that can wring all those emotions out of me gets the 5 star review.

Meg Koranda ventures to Wynette Texas for the wedding of her best friend Luck Jorik to Ted Beaudine. It doesn’t take long for Meg to stir things up, but really she was just being truthful when she told her best friend that she shouldn’t marry the God of Wynette, Mr. Perfect himself Ted Beaudine. So when Lucy leaves poor Ted at the alter and makes a quick get away, everyone in town is looking for someone to blame and poor Meg is right in the crosshairs. The town of Wynette sure can hold a grudge.

Meg may be the daughter of two very rich and famous people, but since they cut off her access to the family funds, she’s been trying to make ends meet on her own. With a hundred bucks to her name and no way to pay her hotel bill or support herself, Meg plans on making her own quick get away before the good folks of Wynette can lynch her for ruining the wedding of the century. Meg barely makes it to the city limits before the police are hot on her tail and threatening to put her in jail and leading the charge is none other than Mr. Perfect himself Ted Beaudine.

I loved Meg. She showed remarkable resilience, determination and a profound sense of loyalty to work her way out of her current predicament. I thought she got the raw end of the deal when the close nit people of Wynette turned on her - but they would do anything to protect their favorite son. With no money, no friends, no family to support her, I couldn’t help but feel for Meg as she was forced to clean bathrooms, go without food and showers and live in her car while she attempted to work off her debt. How can you not feel for the girl?

Ted Beaudine is perfect - literally. Birds sing when he goes outside and when the sun shines on him, it looks like he‘s wearing a halo. He never gets mad or displays a negative emotion. He is the town saviour. All the women love him, the men respect him and all the hopes and dreams for the town are riding on Ted’s shoulders. That’s a big burden for one mortal man to carry! So it’s no wonder the folks of Wynette rallied around him when his bride left him at the alter. The only one who didn’t seem all that broken up over his failed marriage was Ted himself.

I wasn’t sure how Meg and Ted were ever going to be able to have any kind of relationship given the town’s animosity towards her and the fact that Ted had been set to marry her best friend just a few weeks ago. Meg was the only women around for miles who didn’t practically become catatonic every time Ted was in sight and she certainly challenged Ted at every opportunity. What started out as outright mistrust and anger at each other, to agreeing to use each other to their mutual benefit, SEP developed their relationship slowly and believably.

I laughed - the golf caddying scenes were hilarious. I got choked up at Meg’s incredibly forgiving attitude toward the people of Wynette who had shown her nothing but their distain and hostility. She could have blown them and their precious chance to obtain a lucrative new golf course out of the water on more than one occasion and she didn‘t. Meg showed her true character when she could have ruined many lives and she took the high road. I loved her for that.

SEP delivers a sexy, funny, heart-warming love story and even though I finished Call Me Irresistible in one day, it was well worth the hardcover cost.

[Crista · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a devout SEP fan, I'm not always that objective about her work. With that disclaimer out there....I really liked Call Me Irresistible. The book is rated 4 stars because she has written some of my all time favorites (Kiss an Angel, Heaven, Texas, Glitter Baby and Nobody's Baby but Mine) which set the bar for my *5* stars. Call Me Irresistible wasn't quite up to par with my fav's, but it is definitely SEP and therefore COMPLETELY worth your time.

Here's what I loved:
1. This was like a huge reunion of characters that spans several of SEP's former books. Characters from Glitter Baby, First Lady, Lady Be Good, and Fancy Pants are given significant page time and I loved reconnecting with the couples from SEP's former books.
2. Meg Koranda was a classic SEP heroine. She's a "down on her luck" heroine who makes lemonade when life throws her lemons. I really liked Meg. She is someone who you'd like to know and that makes her a very special character.
3. The ending and epilogue. SEP specializes in some of the most memorable endings I've ever read, and Call Me Irresistible definitely has one of these endings.
4. Ted Beaudine....but only towards the very end.

Here's what I disliked:
1. Ted Beaudine. I know I'm contradicting myself here...but it's the truth. SEP does not allow the reader into Ted's mind until the very end, so his motives and feeling are kept hidden. I really did not connect with his character at all until the end when it was almost too late. Emphasis on "almost". When Ted decides to let us in to his mind and all the walls come down...it is a sight to be hold!

Here's what I missed:
1. There is no secondary romance in this book. In this book, the only romance is Ted and Meg's. I found myself missing the secondary romance which SEP does so well.

Overall, such a joy to read. I recommend this one and it can be read as a "stand alone", but with SEP's talent you'd be missing a lot if you don't fill in the blanks with her backlist and read them all!

[FlibBityFLooB · Rating 5 out of 5]

Important note for those who are going to read this: I highly recommend reading the following books before you read this since there are so many cross over characters and backstory -

As with most SEP books, I really loved the honest/raw emotions between the characters. I loved the animosity at times. It was a token SEP storyline. The plot was predictable, but still immensely enjoyable to read. I laughed. I cried. The only thing that would have made it better for me would have been if the former audiobook narrator that typically does SEP books hadn't died and was able to narrate this book. I always loved her slow-southern-drawal for the male characters. Still, I enjoyed this new narrator on the audiobook :)

[Anica · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE!!!
Seriously, this book is everything what I love about SEP! *sigh*

I have to say I wasn't that thrilled when I first found out that this book was of Ted and Meg. And Lucy. I dunno it just sounded not that interesting. Oh man, I was so wrong. I practically inhaled all the pages, I just couldn't put it away. ;) I mean the beginning is a bit hard to get into but as soon as Meg and Ted interact together, the story gets interesting.

What I love about SEP is her fab writing style. Funny, witty dialogues, but also drama. And her characters are so very well-written. Amazing! I loved Meg. I loved Ted, even if he was a jerk but you get why he behaved that way. At least when you finished it. But really, so very great. And all the supporting characters. Aww. It was so nice to see them together, like Kenny or Torie and Dex. Aww. And even Dallie and Francie who made me smile a lot (especially since their book was one of the worst I've read from SEP).

Anyway, I was smiling, laughing and felt for the characters. Such an incredible story how Mr. Cool/Superstar and Miss Chaos fell in love with each other. The ending is fucking brilliant and I still smile like an idiot. Seriously, I know I sound lame but this book was just perfection!

Love. Love. Love.

[Susan Mallery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! I was laughing throughout and ended feeling warm, mushy, and confident that these two people were meant to be together.

[A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

Once again the impeccable writing, awesome characters and dry humour reminded me why I love SEP so much.

But I can't give this book all the stars. The fact that Ted was Lucy's ex was like a persistent, annoying itch that wouldn't go away, no matter how long or hard I scratched. If only Lucy weren't Meg's friend...

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite Quote:
“This is America. We’re entitled to our opinions.”
“Wrong. This is Texas. And my opinion is the only one that counts.”

No real spoilers here but quite a few of my favorite quotes.

Call Me Irresistible is Ted Beaudine’s book. Ted (Fancy Pants & Lady Be Good) is all grown up and the ultimate catch. Good looks, money, famous parents, and a high IQ. Ted is getting married to Lucy Jorik (First Lady). But Lucy’s best friend, Meg Koranda (Glitter Baby & What I Did For Love) doesn’t like what she sees in Ted and feels Lucy deserves better. So Meg, unintentionally, stops the wedding and Lucy hightails it out of town. Meg tries to follow but circumstances have slowed her getaway. Her parents, tired of waiting for her to grow up and become responsible, have cut her off. That leaves Meg broke, homeless, and the most hated person in town. Enter the residents of Wynette.They completely blame Meg for breaking up Ted and Lucy’s wedding and are determined to make Meg pay. And pay she does. But Meg is made of sterner stuff. After all...she IS the offspring of the famous Glitter Baby. So Meg takes everything and then some that the town dishes out so she can get home. Now all she has to do is resist Mr. Irresistible. But that’s easier said then done.

I have been a HUGE fan of Susan Elizabeth Phillips for years. My first foray into her world was Fancy Pants. In Fancy Pants we meet the parents of Mr. Irresistible and learn how they came together. In later books, the Beaudine’s make appearances and we watch Teddy grow up. I was thrilled when I found out that Teddy, or Ted as he is called now, got his own book. Following her previous sets ups, we are once again transported to Wynette, Texas (which I’m convinced is actually inhabited by aliens because these people are above board hilariously strange).

Ted and the town do their best to make Meg pay for ruining his wedding. From almost getting arrested to being forced to play “nice” with a potential town investor, Meg has her hands full trying to survive from day to day. As Meg integrates herself into the town and becomes mildly accepted (which is not a compliment by the way) she begins to see that Ted is indeed irresistible. But Ted holds back emotionally and she wants all of him or nothing at all. When mild harassment turns to danger for Meg, Ted’s rigid control finally breaks and his world begins to race out of control.

He had gone wild and she wanted to race into the unknown with him. He was a fallen angel, consumed by darkness, and he took no care with her at all.

The characters of this story do a fabulous jov of keeping you laughing and groaning throughout the story. Well written with an abundance of personality and wit; you find yourself sinking deeper into their lives and becoming heavily invested in their outcomes. Filled with human flaws, Ms. Phillip’s characters are real and react as you or I might. The well plotted storyline entertains and exhilarates as the conversational style dialogue keeps the book flowing smoothly and has you thanking your lucky stars these people don’t live next door to you.

Francine Beaudine says it best:

“Did you know Ted was nine years old the first time he came to Wynette? Can you imagine how many of the local peculiarities he’d have picked up if he lived here from birth?”

I adored Meg from the first time I met her. Even if she is a screw up, her personality and exploits are hilarious and her gift of snark endeared her to me. Everything Meg does is from the heart and that is apparent from the beginning. You’d expect her to lay down in the face of everyone anger but her true nature takes hold and soon she pulls her self up and out from beneath the town and Ted’s thumb. Watching her grow in self respect & assurance is a joy to watch and had me doing quite a few “fist pumps”. She just needed to learn that she is every bit as glamorous and important as her parents.

Ted is an enigma. He comes across as the perfect man. Heralded for his business sense, looks, and talents in bed, you can find nothing wrong with him.

“Lucy neglected to mention that you’re also the mayor of Wynette...in addition to being its patron saint.

He’s a people pleaser, but like Meg, you don’t see any real emotions from him. In the beginning, I didn’t like him very much. Some of his actions come to light and his blasé attitude disgusted me. But as I got to know him, I sensed that there was far more to him then what you see. It’s only really towards the end that the real Ted breaks through and you hear, in his own words, how he’s felt since the beginning. It’s an emotional outpouring that moved me. I did feel though that the story and his characters would have been better served by allowing more of his POV to be seen.

He wanted to make her smile. Laugh. Make her love him again as deeply as he loved her.

The chemistry between Meg and Ted is apparent from the beginning but the romance is slow going. Ms. Phillips lets them realistically fall in love through out the entire book. Watching these two snark at each other, I learned exactly what the phase, “Hate is merely the flip side of love,” really means.

How could Ted and I have a future? He’s the Lamb of God and I’m the town bad girl.

Two things about this book bothered me. One was Lucy. She ran away and left Meg to handle the fall out. I would have liked to have seen more of her then what we did. The other problem I had was how Ms. Phillips chose to humiliate Meg. This is a common theme in her books; usually deserved because the heroine is either phenomenally selfish and self absorbed or like Meg, needs a kick in the pants to grow up and accept the responsibility of their actions. But there were times when the humiliation went too far and went from being funny to cruel. Many times I wanted to reach through the book and pop someone hard in the head for some of the things they did to her.

The ending is predictable but the path to it is emotional. Ms. Phillips never gives her hero and heroine an easy HEA and you find your self crossing your fingers and toes as you watch these two stumble through some pitfalls.

Call Me Irresistible is a hilarious, riotous, engaging romantic contemporary that will have you laughing, crying, and begging for more once the last page is read. I look forward to the next one in this series which is Lucy’s story-currently untitled.

Rating: B

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is part of a series and has characters from a slew of other books. Really, the only important one you should probably read before this one is Lady Be Good as that sets up the town and many of the main characters, including a younger Ted. The same can be said for Fancy Pants but I skipped that one, myself, so I don't know if it would have contributed to my understanding of Ted and his parents. I didn't feel the lack as I had all I needed from Lady be Good. Meg's family is setup in Glitter Baby, but you don't see them much, and it kinda sucked so I'd suggest not bothering. And a note or two in the book indicate others (like First Lady) but they're only tangentially related and completely unnecessary.

What a convoluted background.

Anyway, Meg was awesome and Ted didn't suck. I really liked that Meg saw things others tended to miss (in Ted, yes, but also in others), starting with his need to please everybody around him. She doesn't think she has any talents (being surrounded by highly talented people all her life) so she doesn't value her ability to see below the surface of others, even as it becomes a key factor in her growth. SEP does a fantastic job giving us that perspective without it ever being dragged into the foreground by Meg and I really loved that. Being able to understand Ted in ways others have missed completely short-circuits the normal worship Ted is used to (not without good reason as he's a good guy others have come to rely on) and that rocked more than a little.

And while Ted is a bit too much of a paragon to take seriously, really, I still liked his emotional journey and his care for Meg. He starts out a bit of a jerk to her (not without reason) so that gives the reader a way to see past the adulation the town has and that helps make him more human (and relatable). He starts out way too cerebral and I liked watching Meg pull him past that in ways that confounded and delighted him.

Parts of this book were outstanding, but I had a hard time taking the townsfolk seriously and I don't get the attraction for the place. There are a few times when Meg sticking it out makes very little sense and has to happen pretty much by authorial fiat (her car never "dies" as is stated in the blurb). I also didn't like the whole plot with expecting Meg to appease the handsy jerkbag that was going to "save the town" with a big development. I kept wondering why they didn't just set up a development corporation of their own, seeded with some of the wealthy/famous residents, but inviting other investors along as well, and just do it themselves. A solution that, I note, Ted eventually comes up with in the end. For someone supposedly astute, and in a town with experienced businessfolks on-hand, it seemed kind of farfetched that it'd take that long to figure it out. Dealing with the sexist, arrogant jackweasel made little sense to begin with and watching Ted and Meg tie themselves in knots for really unpleasant people just pissed me off.

Which puts this at a solid four-stars with those questionable plot elements detracting from a wonderful couple I enjoyed watching get together.

A note about Steamy: There are only three explicit sex scenes and at least one is pretty short. There are other mentions of sex, but SEP doesn't go into detail because she doesn't have to. She also does something I thought was one of the more interesting plot elements with the sex that I've ever read. This happens early enough that I'm not going to spoiler-tag it. Ted, it seems, as the pleaser he is, has taken the time to gain . . . skills. He's a talented lover, is what I'm saying, and he not only knows his way around a woman's body, but he always takes the time to see that she "gets hers" (in triplicate or better) before he, uh, completes the deed. What's interesting about it is how Meg responds to this practiced approach. She sees it as the studied, non-engaged process it is for him and is completely disappointed emotionally even as she has to admit being sated physically. This frustrates the crap out of Ted because he can sense her disappointment and that just about drives him crazy. I really liked the exploration of how skill with talent can become rote and unsatisfying on one level, even as it is engaging on the other. That's an interesting dynamic and breaking down his reserve in order to have less physically satisfying sex to reach a more emotionally satisfying union was fascinating.

[Ingie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review written January 15, 2018

4.6 Stars - Wonderful with amusing lovely characters and just ... perfect for me

I just finished the standalone book part #6 in one of SEP’s (Susan Elizabeth Phillips) very loved contemporary romance series, Wynette, Texas. Still just my second in this series but I knew before I started that I usually (unbelievably much all thirteen so far) enjoy everything written by this author.

And my thoughts? ...
Who can resist a "loser" heroine as Meg or a hero as this "perfect blonde Texas boy" Ted? Not this Swedish already SEP loving fan girl anyway. Ahhh... just twelve delightful audiobook hours (narrated by Shannon Cochran).

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I giggled, laughed and smiled my silly very nerdy romance smile. — Call Me Irresistible is about (from the book blurb):

« R.S.V.P. to the most riotous wedding of the year...

Lucy is the daughter of a former president of the United States. Meg Koranda is the offspring of legends.

One of them is about to marry Mr. Irresistible—Ted Beaudine—the favorite son of Wynette, Texas. The other is not happy about it and is determined to save her friend from a mess of heartache. »

Fun, fun, fun ...
As all SEP romances does Call Me Irresistible has it all. — Two interesting “not perfect” main characters, a bunch of wonderful hilarious second characters, lot of humor, a small town set, heartwarming and also heartbreaking moments, and of course exactly the right amount of sweet heat and romantic stuff. Loved it 💕.

Terrific, new for me, narrator in Shannon Cochran. (We all miss Anna Fields - she was the very best - but this new narrator did it nearly as good.)

Highly RECOMMENDED for all SEP style CR admirers.

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Curiosities - book parts about MC’s parents...

• The first I read in this Wynette, Texas series was the #1 book written 1989 about this sixth part (written 2010) hero’s unforgettable stubborn parents more than 25 years earlier Fancy Pants (4.4 stars).

• There is a novel written 1987 about the heroine’ parents younger love story as well. Book #0.5 - Glitter Baby. A later on must read of course.

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I LIKE - old fashioned fun & witty very well written CR by Mrs Phillips

[KarenH · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book because I enjoy SEP's sense of humor and how she can take two people who are total opposites and make their relationship work so well. However, I had two problems with this book:

***SPOILER***
1 - I didn't care for the heroine, Meg Koranda, at all. She meets her best friend Lucy's fiance, Ted, at the wedding rehearsal...is totally rude to him and then basically works on the niggling doubt Lucy supposedly has about marrying him and convinces Lucy not to go through with it. Funny that, since Meg ends up falling for Ted and calls Lucy to ask her permission to sleep with him. I don't buy into best friends sharing a man, even if the first woman is "totally" over him. (Is that realistic? Could a woman go from being one step away from marrying a man she thought she loved, and then one month later tell her best friend "Sure, go ahead and sleep with him...he's the most wonderful lover you will ever have." I doubt it.)
***End of SPOILER***

2- The citizens of the town of Wynette. If you liked Francesca from "Fancy Pants" and/or Emma from "Lady Be Good", hold tight to those memories because they aren't very likable this time around. They fit right in with the other women in Wynette...catty, rude and hell bent on intruding in Ted's life to the point that Ted really needed to grow a pair and tell them all to just "f*k off" and mind their own business.

With that said, it was still nice to hear from SEP again. Although CMI doesn't quite rank up there with her Chicago Stars series, it is written in the same quirky, light-hearted manner that has garnered her so many devoted fans. Best of all, the ending in this book is one of those where you don't know whether to laugh or cry...and end up doing both at once. Classic SEP!