This book was written in 1997, before Brockman honed her storytelling skills to the high level they are today. The characters are one-dimensional, the plot simplistic, and the book is just plain boring. There are a few hints of the excellent writer that Brockman will become, but there are not enough of them to make reading this book worthwhile.

Ladies Man by Suzanne Brockmann is finally back in print. It's a wonderfully told tale of love and trusting oneself.

College Professor Ellen Layne is spending the summer in NY with her two children. They are all pursuing acting careers this summer. As a favor to her talk show host uncle Bob Osbourne, she agrees to pick up her Aunt at the airport. While waiting she starts a harmless flirtation with a younger man.

Detective Sam Schaefer, as a kindness to his author friend T.S. Harrison agrees to meet Bob Osbourne's Aunt Alma. Sam is drawn to Ellen but she is still gun shy from her painful divorce.

When Sam is made aware of threats to Ellen, the cop in him takes over. Can he convince her to trust him with her life as well as her heart?

Though Ladies Man was originally written in 1997, I didn't find it dated at all. It was a romance for any time. Its exceptionally written and a delight for any romance fan.

I am glad I didn't buy this book, but got it from the library. It definitely is not a good representation of Brockmann's excellent writing. Maybe it is partly because I read this immediately after reading Lorraine Heath's "Parting Gifts" which is a true romance story and a 5++ star book. I was just turned off by the sudden sex in the limo with the stranger when it seemed so out of character for Ellen who has teenage children and has never had even close to a one night stand before. Then the sex in the limo leads directly to "I can't live without her", "I'm in love", without any relationship build up. Guess I am just getting tired of these trite storylines. I got tired of Ellen's constantly putting Sam off and telling him she's too old. After awhile I agreed with her and wanted him to find someone else. Her fear of being burned again just wasn't convincing enough for me. This really is the first Suzanne Brockmann book I haven't liked. She has a talent for writing romance with humor and good character development. It just wasn't evidenced here. For a really great Brockmann, try Heartthrob.

I've read most of Brockmann's books and this simple, little romance is one of her better ones. The romance that springs up between Yale Professor Ellen Layne and NYPD detective Sam Schaeffer works. The characters are believable, the writing appropriate for a romance novel and the mystery had just enough twists to make the book better than average. Personally, I feel in Ms. Brockmann's later books, she tries too hard sometimes with the adjectives, descriptions and current jargon--the stories don't flow as well as some of her earlier writings like Ladies' Man. This story was reissued from I believe the mid-90's and is better than her current hardcover in terms of the writing. It is a great introduction to the talents of Ms. Brockmann if you haven't read her and if you have, it is a great return to her romantic story telling!