Listened to audiobook version Aug'2022:

What else to say? I just love this book so much. It's one of my all-time favorite treasured keepers. Infinity stars!

Re-read 2/17/19 (Ten years after my first/original read):

5++++ stars – Contemporary Romance

This still remains one of my absolute, all-time favorite books. I especially love the last third of the story (from page 274-418), which I've read countless times. The romance between Liberty and Gage never fails to make me swoon and cry!

I really hope Lisa Kleypas writes Carrington's book one day. And I would love to see this made into a movie!


Edited 8/24/13:

5++++ stars – Contemporary Romance

Sugar Daddy is the book that initially made me a Lisa Kleypas fan, but I love everything she’s written. I’ve reread this several times now and it’s still one of my top all-time favorite beloved romances. I can’t wait for Joe’s story!

I really wish this series would get made into a movie!

Original Review 4/24/09:

This is the first novel I have read by Lisa Kleypas, and I mainly read it in order to have the necessary background to read “Blue-Eyed Devil” and “Smooth Talking Stranger”, both of which had sparked my interest. I honestly didn’t have very high expectations of “Sugar Daddy” based on the mediocre book jacket description, after reading some of the mixed referring to it as chick-lit rather than romance, and that it’s written solely in first person point of view, which isn’t my preference.

Needless to say, I was very pleasantly surprised and completely blown-away by this book. I read it on a plane and made an utter embarrassment of myself because I cried and laughed out loud through the entire book, often feeling both emotions on the same page! It’s extremely funny, touching, and emotionally moving.

I simply adored Liberty’s character and found myself rooting for her a bubbly cheerleader. She goes through so much pain, turmoil, and hardship and yet maintains such a positive outlook on life. Witnessing her transition from an awkward, shy, self-conscious adolescent to a strong, independent, courageous, beautiful woman is heartwarming, especially since she always remains true to herself and her roots and puts her sister Carrington’s needs before her own. Liberty is funny, brave, selfless (almost too much so), caring, loyal, and innocent yet wise. She’s one of the most lovable heroines of any book I have ever read.

I agree that “Sugar Daddy” is perhaps more chick-lit than romance considering that the romance element doesn’t pick up pace until about a third of the way through the book, but I loved sharing Liberty’s life journey so much that I really didn’t mind it. Once the romance factor does heat up, it takes center stage in the story, and although it’s PG-13 and I usually prefer my romance to be a little (okay a lot) steamier, it’s absolutely engaging and beautifully written. There were moments when I would have d for some of the narrative to come from Hardy's and Gage’s points of view, but the bottom line is that it’s Liberty’s tale and her life struggle and perspective are what drive the story.

As far as romantic interests for Liberty, there are two main hunks in the story, Hardy and Gage, and initially I thought I would be a Hardy fan, but I found myself being Team Gage all the way (at least as the best love interest for Liberty). Hardy might be sinfully sexy and devilishly charming, but I found myself rooting for steadfast Gage. He treats Liberty with so much respect and tenderness that it melted my heart butter. He’s an absolute dreamboat once she manages to get past his tough exterior and defenses. The romance between Liberty and Gage is syrupy sweet...I couldn’t get enough of it!

Here are some random/favorite things that I loved and/or laughed about in “Sugar Daddy”: the emu story, Liberty giving her mom’s delivery nurse a folder with birthing instructions and preferences, the tender sister moments, references to how Texans love to deep fry everything (very true) and southern cooking and recipes (including my own sister’s favorite red velvet cake), accurate depictions of the differences between people from Dallas, Austin, and Houston, the sign “property of Liberty Jones” moment when Liberty gets custody of her sister (serious tears shed there), the relationship development between Liberty and Gage, and there are so many great life quotes and valuable life lessons in this book that it’s impossible to mention them all.

I grew up in Fort Worth/Dallas, have spent time in Houston for work, have lived in Austin for the past 8 years, and have family from/in various parts of Texas, and I can tell you that Kleypas’s portrayal of Texans and Texas culture in all three of her Travis’s series books (“Sugar Daddy”, “Blue-Eyed Devil”, and “Smooth Talking Stranger”) is quite fair and accurate.

Tammy’s review here on GR is great and includes a spot on story background, so I highly recommend checking it out.

“Sugar Daddy” is an utter delight, full of laughs and heartwarming moments, with characters to love and cheer for and terrific writing. I absolutely loooved it, and I would give it much more than 5 stars if I could...so big 5++ Texas stars!

The Travis’s series has turned me into a big Lisa Kleypas fan, and I plan on reading all of her historical romances now as well.2009-reads author-lisa-kleypas best-top-favorites ...more160 s Christy4,135 34.8k

4.25 stars



This was once again, a book I would have never picked up had my favorite book pusher not recommend it to me. Thanks, Rachel! When she heard I had never read Lisa Kleypas, she demanded I read this one as soon as possible. I picked up the audio shortly after and was so happy I did! I fell in love with the writing and with Liberty Jones story.

Liberty Jones is a teenager living in a Texas trailer park with her momma. Life takes her through a lot. A baby sister, her momma passing, becoming guardian of said sister. All Liberty wants is for her sister to have a good life and she is great to her. She meets the Travis family and things really start to turn around in her life. Especially when she becomes romantically involved with the oldest Travis son, Gage.
Sometimes life has a cruel sense of humor, giving you the thing you always wanted at the worst time possible.
Once it finally feels all is coming back into place, her first love comes back into her life and she’s got a huge choice to make. I was very happy with how it all turned out!

After reading this, I am definitely looking forward to reading more from this author, especially the other Travis brothers and Hardy! I’ve already gotten book 2 loaded on my audible and am going to get to it as soon as I can! A wonderful contemporary romance I highly recommend! ?2019-audio134 s Auntee1,325 1,428

With already 446 of this book, I'm sure everything's already been said..but I'll add in my 2 cents!

I've had this book on the TBR pile for years--and I don't know why. I love LK's historicals (she's one of the few historical authors I read), so I don't know what kept me from trying this one. Maybe I didn't have faith that Kleypas could weave her magic with a contemporary as well as a historical? Well was I ever wrong! I thought this book was just wonderful. Yes, there were just a few things I wish I could change, but for the most part, this book was perfection. It had me in its grip from the first page, and I enjoyed the sometimes sad, sometimes triumphant, but always compelling journey that our heroine, Liberty Jones (who aged from 14-25 in this book) took from an East Houston trailer park to a Houston mansion. I adored all the characters, but OMG...Hardy...words cannot describe how I loved this young man!

As usual, Kleypas's storytelling is first rate. Her characters, her dialogue, her descriptions, her plotting...well I felt I was there, right along with young Liberty, experiencing all her trials and tribulations right along with her. And her description of East Texas? Well, I've never been, but she made me feel a native.

I don't know if I can add anything else, or convince someone who's at all hesitant about this book to give it a try. But if you already have it on your TBR pile---please pick it up! If you LK's Wallflowers or Hathaways series---pick it up! I guarantee you'll admire Liberty Jones, you'll fall in love with Hardy Cates (is there a more mature, understanding, compassionate young man than him?), and you'll swoon for Gage Travis. You'll probably shed a few tears for Liberty and Hardy, and what could've been, and maybe even be a bit upset with the direction that LK steered this couple. But no worries, things had a way of working out the way they were supposed to, and I was satisfied. I will admit at one point I thought "How can she keep these two apart--how can she do that to me?" But then I met Gage (*sigh*) and it was almost "Hardy, who?" for me!

Gage...


If I had one thing (or things) to nitpick over, things that held this back from being a 5 star read, it was this: I thought Gage got a little short-changed on his back story, and I would've d to read more about Gage and Liberty as a couple. They didn't actually meet until late in the book, and didn't get a whole lot of pages devoted to them (as Liberty and Hardy's early years did). I also thought the book wrapped up a bit too quickly. I'm guessing that with over 400 pages, something had to give--but I sure would've enjoyed about 50 more pages devoted to Liberty and Gage's story. So my complaints had nothing to do with the quality of the story, but rather the desire for more.

Another thing I should mention was that this story was told in first person, from Liberty's POV. This didn't bother me...much. But boy, I would've loved to hear what Hardy (or Gage) was thinking. Even a chapter here or there from their perspective...it would've made a great read even greater.

Any story that can entertain and keep me reading late into the night (losing sleep!) as well as this story did, is a winner in my book. It left me wanting more, more more, and luckily I am fortunate to have Hardy's story (Blue-Eyed Devil) all set to read. If it's as awesome as I suspect it will be, I will be one happy reader! 4 1/2 stars2011_reads contemporary-romance keepers ...more111 s Baba 859 3,959

FULL REVIEW NOW POSTED

Sometimes life has a cruel sense of humor, giving you the thing you always wanted at the worst time possible. The irony of it split my heart open, setting loose more bitter regret than I could bear.



Be aware that my review is a little bit spoiler-ish; nothing major though

About my rating
When you read my review you will ask yourself why I rated this book so high. Well, even though I dis chick lit I think it wouldn't be fair to give it a low rating. That's a personal preference and has nothing to do with the quality of Sugar Daddy. Ms. Kleypas is an excellent author and as a matter of fact, this story is very well-written. It's absolutely engaging and Sugar Daddy kept me turning the pages. Further, I adored Liberty and I LOVED the extremely charming Hardy. *dreamy sigh* Liberty is a very strong and determined heroine. She showed some spine. Kudos! On top of that, there are many interesting and complex secondary characters. You see many reasons to justify a more than average rating.

I LOVED Blue-Eyed Devil which is my absolute favorite, then Smooth Talking Stranger (loved it too) and far behind…Sugar Daddy. I'm sure that Joe's story will take third spot pretty easily. Conclusion: I don't chick lit!

????????????????????????????????

Jeez, I'm so very, very glad that I read this series out of order. If I'd've started with Sugar Daddy then I'm not sure if I'd've gone any further. At the moment my feelings are so ambivalent. On the one hand, I'm pleased for Gage and Liberty but on the other hand, I am incredibly disappointed for Hardy and Liberty. After reading the first few chapters I thought they'd be the perfect couple. I found myself thinking how sweet these two were together and they were supposed to end up together. Their chemistry was great and I wanted Hardy to be her first lover. Well, this was not going to happen. Unfortunately. Then again, I'm glad that Hardy found the perfect woman in Blue-Eyed Devil. I just can't help it but Sugar Daddy feels kinda wrong. I'm not really happy.

It didn't help either that Gage and Liberty didn't get enough page-time. By far not enough! The focus of the story is not on Gage and Liberty's evolving relationship (I wouldn't even call it an evolving relationship), and Sugar Daddy is not my usual romance. Well, Sugar Daddy is not a romance story. That's the moment to admit that I don't chick lit. Even though I adored the heroine, I don't particularly it when a story revolves MAINLY around the heroine and her family and friends. I want to see the heroine together with the hero, and that's the reason I love to read romance.

Gage made a bad first appearance after I hit the 57 % mark. In fact, when I was 59 % done he said:

"Look," he said curtly, "I don't give a damn if you're banging the old man. That's not my business." "You're right," I said. "But I draw the line when you bring it into this house." "It's not your house."

Seriously? Yeah, Baba, hold your horses…deep breath…I mean I have to wait a loooooong time to get to see him and then he is telling such crap and he acted stupidly. I agree, he is a first-class jerk. Gah! That said, I went from this I-wanna-tear-off-my-hair moment to….ah…yes…I-wanna-kiss-you-Gage moment. So, yes, he did redeem himself eventually. Gage doesn't to talk about his feelings; he has a hard time to admit that he's vulnerable and he's got commitment issues. I d him a lot, however, I didn't love him. Yet. Surprisingly, I found him extremely lovable from the get-go in Blue-Eyed Devil. He was Haven's perfect brother--very caring, protective and loving. Admittedly, I'd to have such a brother any day. Let's see…here are some memorable Gage scenes:

The first kiss. Holy smokes--it was incredibly H.O.T., passionate and sensual.

Quotes that made me him a lot--I put them in a spoiler to shorten my review

"All right, but just so you know, I usually take too long--"
"I don't care if it takes all damn night. It's not an audition."
"What if I can't manage to…" For the first time I realized how much harder it is to talk about sex than actually doing it.
"We'll work at it," Gage said. "Believe me, I'll have no problem helping you practice."

"What's the other rule?"
"I'm in charge." (…)
"Trust me to decide when and where and how long. You don't have to do anything except relax. Let go. Let me take care of you." His mouth lowered to my ear, and he whispered, "Can you do that for me, darlin'?"

His hand moved to the highest curve of my hip. "And you think this"--a subtle stroke that sent my nerves jumping--"is going to die down?"
"Well," I said weakly, "it's supposed to."
"You let me know when we got to the reality stage." His voice was dark velvet. "I'll see what I can do to get your hormonal high going again."

"Remember this."

"I'll take the sex for now and work on getting the rest later."

"There's my girl."


I had some issues with Liberty's mother. I found myself thinking that she was pretty selfish. Liberty's mom is going out, enjoying her life, while her daughter stays at home and is taking care of the baby. And when she senses that something is going on between Hardy and Liberty, she tells him that he shouldn't spend any more time alone with her daughter. There's more but I don't want to give away too much. Since Liberty is spending so much time with her sister, they have a special connection. The bond between Carrington and Liberty is closer than that of sisters; it's more that of parent and child. After a particularly sad event, Liberty came to a conclusion:

And I finally understood what Miss Marva had said about living by your own lights. When you're walking through the darkness, you can't depend on anything or anyone else to light your way. You have to rely on whatever sparks you've got inside you. Or you're going to get lost.

Although I loved Hardy, he did something stupid the biofuel deal which was very predictable and he hurt Liberty but this quote here made me feel so much stronger for him. Hardy, you're THE man.

"Be happy, honey. No one deserves it more. But don't forget…I'm keeping one little piece of your heart for myself. And if you ever want it back…you know where to find it."
chick-lit74 s Mo1,382 2

This was a re-read – loved it the first time around….


Liberty Jones, living in a trailer, with her Mom, with no prospects …




She meets Hardy Gates, an older guy, living in the trailer park also. They become friends but he wants OUT of Welcome and he knows if he gets involved with her, that won’t happen.




He leaves town and Liberty has to grow up fast…. Her Mom has another child, Carrington, who Liberty loves, as if she were her own…



It takes place over a number of years…. Liberty takes control of her life and enrolls in Beauty School.



She meets an older man, Churchill Travis and they become fast friends. She goes to work for Churchill as a Personal Assistant. Churchill is a Widower with 4 grown up children.

Gage Travis is the oldest and sparks fly when he and Liberty meet – they do not each other.


Won’t say much more but relationships develop, faces from the past show up, secrets are revealed. Very enjoyable read.


68 s Alex ? Deranged KittyCat ?651 422

Buddy Read with the lovely people at the Unapologetic Romance Readers in April 2016.

Last night I would have given Sugar Daddy more stars. This morning, refreshed and having thought about it, I'll settle for 2 Gage stars.

Seriously! Why was Hardy in this book to begin with? He was barely there for Liberty during her childhood. And he couldn't help scratch her itch. And don't give that I won't be able to leave if I have you nonsense because I don't buy it.



Also, the next book in the series, Blue-Eyed Devil, is about this Hardy person.



Right! Because I want to know him better! He just seems such a nice guy and all.



On the other hand, the guy who actually loves the girl gets barely any screen book time. And he always feels in a rush. After all that long crap about Liberty's childhood, we barely get a few pages that explain her adult life or her love choice.



In the spirit of this book, I'll rush the end of my review and say I choose not to read the next one.adult buddy-reads romance66 s Geri Reads1,232 2,117

The first time I read this book, I wasn't too enamored by it. First of all, the hero and heroine didn't meet until halfway through the book. Second, I thought another guy was going to be the hero and I was rooting for him. Turns out, he wasn't the hero. The latter turned out to be a blessing in disguise since this guy became the hero in the second book, which is my favorite in the series. So it's not surprising that I d this better the second time around because I've gained some perspective on a few things especially with the author's decision to pair Liberty and Gage instead of Liberty and Hardy.

That said, I would suggest that to enjoy this book more, you have to throw aside a few expectations. For one, this isn't a romance book. Not really. It does have romance in it but it's not really the central theme. I'd say this book is more women's fiction or chick lit. Sugar Daddy is all about Liberty's journey of finding her identity, her strength and ultimately, finding her one true love. Two, this book -- I said -- is heroine-centric. Gage and Hardy still stood out to me but this is Liberty's story. To expect anything more than that would invite disappointment.

65 s Danielle The Book Huntress 2,676 6,408

Sugar Daddy was one of those books that I dreaded reading, in all honesty. Let me tell you why.

1)I do not chick lit or women's fiction. I a story that has a defined beginning and a defined end, that has landmarks, and ends on a happy note. To my understanding, chick lit and women's fiction does not need to meet these expectations.

2)I was dismayed that one of my most beloved authors was leaving the historical romance scene (my most beloved subgenre within my favorite genre) to write contemporary novels. I feared that the amount of quality historical romances would be that much more diminished than before with her leaving it behind.

3)Because I am such a big fan of Kleypas, I was afraid I would read this book, and truly hate one of her books for the first time.

4)Let's be honest, I abhor love triangles. Whenever I pick up a book, and it has the phrase, 'torn between two lovers,' it goes back on the shelf. I won't buy it. I my romance predictable in this sense. I want to know who the heroine ends up with before I start the book.

So, having said all these reasons I put off reading Sugar Daddy so long, I am very glad I read it, and I found it to be an excellent book. Was it perfect in meeting my expectations? To say yes would be a lie. I did have the following issues with Sugar Daddy:

1)The beginning seemed drastically different from the end. The book starts out as a coming of age story about a young woman, Liberty, and her journey through life, the good and the bad, and her all-encompassing, soul-defining love for her sister. The end becomes a romance story in which Liberty has to decide which man was right for her. The large shift was quite jarring for me as a reader. Although I dis chick lit/women's fiction, I am a great big sucker for a great coming of age story. I read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte last year, and that is probably one of the best I've ever read. I'd also put forward Where The Heart is by Billie Letts, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, and of course, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee as my top list of coming of age stories. I loved this aspect of Sugar Daddy. I was transfixed by the story of this young girl, and how her life evolved. Then, all of a sudden, it became about which man would she end up with. One could argue that this was part of her story, and yes, it is. But I felt the focus had shifted from Liberty's journey to explaining which man was right for her, almost a bit of show and tell, to me as a reader. I would have d to see more of Liberty putting the pieces together and coming to a more organic understanding of the man she belonged with. Also, there seemed to be less focus on Liberty's relationship with Carrington towards the end of the story. It was noticeable, because of how prominent a character Carrington is earlier in the book. It's not that I didn't want to see Liberty have a life and a love outside of her sister, but I thought the tone should have remained consistent. Fundamentally, I was left with the feeling that I didn't know what kind of book Ms. Kleypas was trying to write here.

2)This evolves out of my first issue. I felt that the romance aspects were slightly underdeveloped. In my opinion, more time should have been spent on developing the romance between Gage and Liberty. In my opinion, much more time was spent on the romance (or at least the evolution of Liberty's love for Hardy) between Hardy and Liberty. I could see in a general way, why Gage was right for Liberty, but I really needed more for my heart to accept on a deep level that he was the right choice. Part of this unsureness came from the fact that I think having Hardy betray Liberty was a bit of a cop-out. Yes, we know that Hardy was committed to getting ahead by any means necessary. But it didn't quite ring true for me. Hardy was shown as a very good, honorable person growing up (even if he didn't believe it about himself). Yes, he was a bit of a skirt-chaser, but he stuck with girls who were up for the game. His caring for his family and for Liberty and her family didn't match up with how he acted when he returned to Liberty's life. So I was left feeling that, perhaps Liberty would have chosen Hardy, if he hadn't betrayed her that way. That didn't convince me on the romance between Gage and Liberty. Don't get me wrong. Gage was definitely the right man. Although I didn't get quite as much of a fix on him as I did Hardy, I could see his appeal and why he was the man that Liberty would fall in love with as an adult. But more narrative on him, definitely would have been appreciated.

3)I really disd the scenes in which Liberty was exploring her sexality with Luke, who was her high school boyfriend, and the guy she dated as an adult before Gage. Now, I will admit that this ties into my dis of chick-lit. I to see a romance between two people, the heroine and the hero. I don't want to see them having sex and being involved with other people. If they had other relationships before, then I'd that to be in the past, and not revealed during the book, other than a couple of lines of exposition, or through something that is revealed in dialogue. I knew that Liberty didn't love those guys, and she was a woman who wanted love. So it felt wrong to me. I especially hated the scene when she lost her virginity. I was really mad at her for that decision, although I could understand the pain that drove her to it. This would have went over better with me, had the women's fiction aspect of the story been continued through to the end, without the shift to a romance. But since the last 1/4 of the book was written as a romance, this left a bad taste in my mouth. I really didn't the way things unfolded when Hardy returns into her life. The passionate kiss with Hardy felt wrong. Could you do that with an ex if you were deeply in love with a new man? Liberty wasn't the flighty kind of person who would do that. It felt out of character to me. Also the part in which Liberty decides to spend time with Hardy to find out if there was anything there. In my mind, if her feelings for Gage were so strong, would she have felt right doing that, even if he was a good enough man to let her? I don't know the right answer, but it didn't feel right to me. I think this is something that I would expect in a chick lit novel and not a romance.

One aspect of the book that I didn't really love, but I could see why it was done, was the attention to detail on the accoutrements of the upscale life that the Travises and their associates had. I think Ms. Kleypas did a great job of describing this through Liberty's eyes, but I was kind of 'meh' about it. To some degree, those of us who grew up with modest surroundings, do have a wide-eyed awe at what those who 'have' possess. But it is only so interesting. I think I would have preferred more time spent on showing Liberty's emotional interactions with Gage and his family, to a greater degree. Maybe dropping a designer name here and there, and describing things as needed could have sufficed. Perhaps this is unfair of me to comment on this, considering that Ms. Kleypas's phenomenal ability as a writer of beautiful, vivid description, is one of her strong points for me as a reader. I think in this instant, it was too much of a distraction from the emotional focus of this story.

So you may ask, how this book garnered a five star rating. I have to give it five stars, because it's a really good novel. It really affected me emotionally as a reader. And that is one thing that will always have a writer coming out ahead, for me. I found the love story between Liberty and Carrington to be the most beautiful and profound aspect of this story. The scenes in which Liberty takes on this responsibility and shows her love for her sister excelled. I cried numerous times reading this book.

Other reasons I give this book a five star rating: The beginning is excellent. The way in which Ms. Kleypas describes Liberty's life in a small town in Texas really resonated with me. It took me back to my time at this age. Hot, lazy summers, kooky relatives and neighbors. Having a family that wasn't always perfect, but loving them hard and strong, regardless. The awkwardness of being a girl who is in that stage where she feels ugly and invisible. This book could have been about a girl I knew growing up. Maybe a little bit of me, as well. That identification factor was so powerful, that I was sucked in as a reader. I wasn't going anywhere and doing anything until I finished this story.

And then there's Liberty. She's an unforgettable character. She had grit and determination. She had a unique way of looking at the world. She approached situations with the tenacity that I could not help but admire. Her strength was the best kind of strength to me. Not cussing out people or fighting at the drop of the hat, but hanging in there, enduring, doing what had to be done to keep going, and to achieve one's goals. I loved Liberty being that kind of person. And I wanted her to be happy. I cheered when she did get her happy ending. That's what I read this books for, after all.

Also, there are few writers who can create such appealing heroes as Ms. Kleypas. Gage had a magnetism that reached out of the book and slapped me in the face, in a good way, for all the short time he had in this book. Although he was a jerk to Liberty, initially, you could still see his appeal. I wanted more of him. And then there's Hardy. Well, I fell in love with Hardy as a young man. I could see why Liberty loved him so hard and so long. That's why I had some issues with the way he was written when he returned, because he made such an impression on me initially in this book. I know that I definitely have to read Blue-Eyed Devil to get more of him, and to see him become the man he should be, not who he thinks he is.

Well, for all the rambling that I did in this review, I feel that I could not have possibly expressed my feelings for this book with the clarity that I wish I could. It's so hard to unravel something so complex in such a short time for a review. But I feel that I have captured the essence of my feelings about Sugar Daddy. I do have to say a few things to Ms. Kleypas to end this review:

*Thank you for having the courage to write this book.
*Thank you for stepping out of the box and pouring your heart into this book.
*I'm sorry that I doubted that you could write a contemporary romance with heavy chick-lit leanings that I could enjoy.
*Will you please continue to write excellent books that challenge me as a reader, make me cry, and keep me up late at night because I can't bear to put the book down?

Lastly, I say from one huge Lisa Kleypas fan to another: if you have not read Sugar Daddy, read it. I think you will find much of value in this book.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review1st-person-pov awkward-misfit character-multi-ethnic-heritage ...more61 s ?Sharon?978 142

This is my first book by Lisa Kleypas. I stumbled upon it a few days ago and when I realized a lot of my GR friends loved it I decided to give it a go.



When Sugar Daddy starts out we meet a young Liberty Jones. She is living with her mom, trying to find her spot in world, dreaming about her future and falling in love any other teenager. She doesn’t have much but she surrounds herself with people that matter knowing that someday her life would be different.

While fluttering through her young life she meets Hardy Cates. There really wasn’t anything not to love about Hardy. He was sweet, sexy in his own right and he stole Liberty’s heart. It may have been innocent love but Hardy held a big piece of Liberty’s heart that she wouldn’t get back until much later in her life.



Liberty would soon find out that the life she was living wasn’t going to get any easier. But she was a fighter and a dreamer. When she finds herself becoming the sole care giver to her younger sister Carrington, Liberty has no other choice to grown up fast.

Liberty’s struggles would only shape her into the strong and independent woman that she becomes and when her life changes yet again she meets Churchill Travis. He was her Sugar Daddy. Churchill wasn’t your typical Sugar Daddy. Their relationship was never sexual. He filled a part in her life that she always missed. He was the father she never had. But there was more to Churchill that Liberty would soon find out.



With Churchill in her life she is also connected with his family. Gage Travis was the oldest of his boys. When their paths crossed things were a bit stormy. Gage was a bit surly you could say. He had his reasons. Liberty wasn’t about to let him rattle her though and soon enough she would get under his skin. A place Gage didn’t allow many to be.

Sugar Daddy was definitely a great read. I loved watching Liberty grow and change. I loved watching her falling in love, get her heart broken and fall in love again. And ladies, Gage is AMAZING. I just love a guy that calls his girl darlin. It just melts my heart every single time.



I really enjoyed it. I’ll be starting Blue-Eyed Devil book #2 right away. I need a little more Hardy. ?
53 s Marisa Sauco303 297

Me encantó conocer a Liberty. ¡La adoré! ??
A medida que ella me contaba su historia, sentí que iba caminando a su lado y creciendo con ella. Sentí su dolor y su frustración hasta el punto de querer abrazarla y contenerla. La admiré por la valentía de asumir responsabilidades que no se correspondían con su edad, y el coraje de luchar frente a cualquier adversidad sin perder la esperanza. Fui deseando que pudiera cumplir todos sus sueños y sus anhelos, y celebrando sus logros como si fueran propios. Sentí ternura por su primer amor adolescente, que despertó en ella sensaciones y emociones nuevas. Y me enamoré de su amor adulto, dulce, paciente, pasional y poderoso, de su amor real.

Si Lisa Kleypas me conquistó con sus novelas históricas, con esta, se ganó mi admiración absoluta, y mi corazón. ??50 s Lisa Kay924 523

This is my favorite LK series. Yes, I know, I know. I'm mainly a historical romance reader. Plus, I've never really been thrilled over first-person POV*, but these books sold me. This book leading the series is truly wonderful.

I still remember when I first saw the paperback was finally out in the bookstore and being so disappointed because yet another one of my favorite HR authors was bowing to pressure and going mainstream. I wasn't reading contemporary romances at the time, so I actually hesitated over the purchase of Sugar Daddy. In addition, I really loathed the title. Ugh! I started reading it standing there, eventually grouped blindly for a chair while I kept my eyes glued to the pages, then went running to the cash-register, my heart pumping erratically with adrenaline coursing to unmentionable pulse points for poor Liberty, the pit bulls, and Hardy. Man-oh-man! Don’t you love finding a worthy new book by a great author? I'm having the "Big O" just recalling it.

BTW, at the risk of sharing too much, I was right there with Liberty and the whole 68 thing and started reviewing my past loves. Oh, and the part about the emu? Absolutely killed me I was laughing so hard.


SPOILER added 4/10/11

I d what Kleypas did with , though it certainly ruffled a few feathers and made people call it "chick-lit" instead of "contemporary-romance". (I think it's a brilliant blend of the two, but maybe I'm repeating myself.) Anywayz...

I think most of us have a first love, or close to first love; one that was bittersweet; an "if only" young love, if you will. In this, we can all empathize with Liberty. I was right there with her, falling hard for young Hardy (gee, why did she name him that?). Kleypas wanted us to!

And "young" is the operative word here. We do things in our youth, and feel things so differently, that the passions of youth can resonate still, years later. (This theme is also accented with Churchill's enduring love of Liberty's mom, Diana Jones.) However, after Liberty’s journey, I was ready to fall for Gage, in all his sophistication and power, and I did totally; he’s perfect for Liberty. Yet, just my first love, I wanted Hardy to be happy. I think that is a true sign of love, though certainly morphed into something else, when you want someone's happiness.

Kleypas gives that to Hardy – and us too! – in Blue-Eyed Devil, where he struggles with the meaning of mature love and sacrifice too!

*My GR friend, Sans, calls first person POV "a flaming pile of crap in printed format". This expression worked nicely for me until this book.all-time-favorites authors-k authors-l ...more49 s Kelly (and the Book Boar)2,600 8,885

Find all of my at: https://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

Lisa Kleypas definitely doesn’t need my crappy little review in order to sell books, so I’ll make this short and sweet and then tell y’all how I ended up arriving terribly late to this party.

Liberty wound up in Welcome, Texas as a kid with her momma and momma’s deadbeat boyfriend. It was in Welcome that she met Hardy – boy next door (and on the wrong side of the tracks) who placed Liberty firmly in the friendzone due to their age difference. Fast-forward a few years and you find a Hardy who still maintains his distance in order to make sure nothing will stop him from blowing the dust off this one horse town, deadbeat boyfriend kicked to the curb, momma dead and Liberty trying her best to raise her baby sister. While working as an apprentice at a high-end salon, Liberty meets Churchill Travis – known around town as a “Sugar Daddy.” You’ll have to read the rest for yourself . . . . .



Oh yes. I did.

I seriously ATE. THIS. THING. UP. Really my only gripe????



Terms of endearment make me want to stab my own eyeholes.

Now let’s talk about how I discovered Sugar Daddy eleven years after it was first published.

I work in a large office and pretty much maintain the status that . . . . .



Therefore, I sit in my hole, do my best to make sure I take more than my fair share of work to counteract the fact that . . . .



And read during my downtime.

Occasionally I get approached by a fearless co-worker who is willing to invade my personal bubble in order to talk books. Usually those people are asking for a suggestion because they know how many books I read and what type of variety I’m interested in. I rarely have anyone brazen enough to suggest what I should read next (because seriously NO I DON’T WANT TO READ YOUR FANFIC OR CHURCH LADY GROUP’S BOOK OF THE MONTH SO GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE). Where was I? Oh yeah the ballsy little lady who told me about Kleypas. I explained that historical romance was not my bag and pretty much that . . . .



And read for pleasure so I actively avoid picking up things I already know I won’t . But little lady was super persistent and pointed out that Kleypas also writes some contemporary stuff and then went on to explain how they are real-life friends and that she’s simply a wonderful human and I should really give her a shot. So I put my name on the waiting list fully prepared to be a wrongreader and 1 Star this thing and get some rabid fanbase trolling me up the ass on a book I didn’t even WANT to read in the first place and being pretty much . . . . .



But I loved the G.D. thing. Color me shocked. I can’t wait to read the next one.

hide-the-salami i-read-it-right liburrrrrry-book ...more45 s Arini857 2,021

3.5 stars

not quite the Sugar Daddy that i had in mind, but i’d still say yes to being the sugar baby of the Travis family. please adopt me!
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