Rating: 
Summary: A definite keeper!
Review: I've reread this book so many times I can no longer keep count. It's not only a fascinating look at the birth of the PC industry, but it's a wonderful story of a woman finding herself . . . and discovering love as well. Don't miss this one!
Rating: 
Summary: this is not a typical SEP novel
Review: If you like Nora Roberts style of romance, then you will love this book. Susan takes a new view of Pirates of Silicon Valley. After all the stuff my Info Tech class made me read on Steve Jobs (of Apple computers) I see where she modeled Sam from. I loved the characters. If you have the patience to stick out the book, you will too. Usually, SEP uses humor and situational comedy to hook her readers, but here she tries something different. That does not mean it's bad! I almost didn't read it after a few of these reviews, but I am glad I took the time. As usual, I am upset that's the end of the story, I want to keep on reading about Susanah and hear how the rest of her life turns out.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a must read
Review: If you love SE Phillips' later works, this is not the book for you. Yes, the information on the birth of the PC was interesting, but the characters were not engrossing. I just didn't like any of them. Too bad.
Rating:
Summary: An antidote to typical romance novels
Review: It's been about three years since I've read this book, so I won't go into the nitty-gritty of the plot. I'll just tell you why this book has stayed in my memory all this time, despite the fact I don't read much romance, and even less contemporary romance. The basic story is that Susannah, a restless debutante in the late seventies, flees her society wedding on the back of a Harley driven by a sexy entrepreneur she's known for only a few weeks. The biker, Sam, is starting a computer business with his two friends, a straitlaced businessman and a "geek". Susannah and Sam are joined at the hip for years, but then his dark side comes out, and Susannah begins to see the jerk he really is--and realizes that the real Prince Charming is right in front of her eyes. Her party-girl sister, Paige, also finds love in an unlikely quarter. Here's what I like about this book, which I think is the same reason other reviewers are griping about it. It's one of only a handful of romance novels in which the "alpha male" macho jerk doesn't win the lady in the end. Most romances have the heroines falling for these violent, promiscuous, impulsive men, and end with the couple riding off into the sunset together, and supposedly this jerk has changed his ways. Come on, we all know most of those couples will be in divorce court in a year, when the woman realizes that the man is *still* violent, promiscuous, and impulsive. The guy with the attitude and the flashy clothes is not always the best catch, and this book is a wonderful illustration of that. It *begins* with the heroine riding off with the macho man, and then we get to see what happens next. I also liked the detailed research that went into this book's Silicon Valley setting. Some readers complain that the computer history is too detailed, but personally I prefer novels where the setting is more than a painted backdrop and a trunkful of costumes; novels where the background becomes real. But that's just me.
Rating:
Summary: An antidote to typical romance novels
Review: It's been about three years since I've read this book, so I won't go into the nitty-gritty of the plot. I'll just tell you why this book has stayed in my memory all this time, despite the fact I don't read much romance, and even less contemporary romance. The basic story is that Susannah, a restless debutante in the late seventies, flees her society wedding on the back of a Harley driven by a sexy entrepreneur she's known for only a few weeks. The biker, Sam, is starting a computer business with his two friends, a straitlaced businessman and a "geek". Susannah and Sam are joined at the hip for years, but then his dark side comes out, and Susannah begins to see the jerk he really is--and realizes that the real Prince Charming is right in front of her eyes. Her party-girl sister, Paige, also finds love in an unlikely quarter. Here's what I like about this book, which I think is the same reason other reviewers are griping about it. It's one of only a handful of romance novels in which the "alpha male" macho jerk doesn't win the lady in the end. Most romances have the heroines falling for these violent, promiscuous, impulsive men, and end with the couple riding off into the sunset together, and supposedly this jerk has changed his ways. Come on, we all know most of those couples will be in divorce court in a year, when the woman realizes that the man is *still* violent, promiscuous, and impulsive. The guy with the attitude and the flashy clothes is not always the best catch, and this book is a wonderful illustration of that. It *begins* with the heroine riding off with the macho man, and then we get to see what happens next. I also liked the detailed research that went into this book's Silicon Valley setting. Some readers complain that the computer history is too detailed, but personally I prefer novels where the setting is more than a painted backdrop and a trunkful of costumes; novels where the background becomes real. But that's just me.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: Nobody can say that SEP takes it the easy way out. Every one of her books is written with love and care. In addition, "Hot Shot," is just wonderful! Watching Suzanne's growth is painful and emotional as she shifts from suppressed daddy's girl to corporate leader. Yet I just wanted to root for her the whole way. It was especially interesting to see how Suzanne and Sam fell in love and then grew out of it. The relationships twist and turn and show real growth. It's not like the typical romance where the hero and the heroine fall in love and stay that way forever. Moreover, Paige was an interesting addition to the story. I couldn't help disliking her at the beginning, but she too was a little girl suffering inside. And Yank, oh Yank, what a sweet dweeb. But he has a happy ending too. I only wish that there had been more written on Suzanne and Mitch. I didn't want this book to end. As for the ending, it is sheer wit!
Rating: 
Summary: This is NOT a romance
Review: SEP is one of my favorite romance authors - I was hooked with "Nobody's Baby but Mine" and "Lady Be Good" - so when I was looking for more of her books to read, the reviews I found here convinced me that I had found another winner. I couldn't have been more surprised and disappointed by how truly BAD this book is. It lacked all of the wit and sparkle of her other writing and the characters were completely without depth and failed to capture any of my sympathy. (I actually actively disliked both Susannah and Sam for the first half of the book. I grew resigned to Susannah but still couldn't see what she saw in Sam, an arrogant and vulgar jerk.) As one of the other reviewers here noted, SEP probably did do a tremendous amount of research for this book. But her research overshadowed the romance of the story entirely. If I had wanted to read about the history of microcomputers I would have gotten one of the books that SEP suggests in her acknowlegments. And where exactly were the editors of this book? One of the first rules of fiction is "show, don't tell" but this book consists of LONG passages of tedious narration and flashbacks when a few well done scenes could have conveyed the information much more effectively. In other cases, repetitive phrasing such as "electronics permeated the air" and "a public relations nightmare" was used over and over on the same page, which just smacks of amateurish writing. The only time I actually laughed during the book was when Mitch and Susannah were speaking. Mitch asked Susannah to let him use a video game before her and she refuses. His reply is, "at least I don't have to beat off Yank too." I would have given "Hot Shot" NO stars if I could have. I am a lone dissenting opinion here but if you are a fan of SEP's later work, I suggest you give this one a miss. If you simply must read it, check it out of the library and please, please, please let this title fade off into "out of print" land...
Rating:
Summary: a GREAT read (but not a romance)...
Review: Since I usually read romances (and as many others have already commented, this isn't a typical SEP romance), I'll admit that it was slow going in the beginning of this one for me. However, once I really started reading it, I couldn't put the book down. Susannah is a wonderful character, and this book is basically about watching her becoming her own person. That being said, if you're looking for a snappy romance, this probably isn't what you want. But if you're willing to wander a little out of the romance genre, you won't be disappointed in this book -- it's one of those stories that makes you feel so close to the characters that you'll convince yourself you actually know them in person. This book is absolutely fantastic.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: This book is one of my absolute favorites! The characters draw me in and allow me to read it time and time again. Mitch is a wonderful character, and I love how Susannah and Yank and Paige and Mitch fit together. A wonderful, funny read!
Rating: 
Summary: Slow start but a great ending
Review: This book was definitley a slow stater, but once it picked up, I couldn't put it down! Watching "Suzie" grow after she left a family that was holding her back was a lot of fun. She starts out timid and shy but becomes a strong woman who is enjoyable to read about. There were several parts that got under my skin - specifically the parts with her pain-in-the...husband, but she overcomes the obsticals that are in front of her and, true to most romance novels, finds the happiness she deserves.
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