Warning: Spoilers possible for several SEP books.
I think that Susan Elizabeth Phillips writes the best secondary characters. The best. What makes her secondary characters so great is that they don’t take away from the primary characters. Oftentimes, I’ll read a book where the secondary characters outshine the primary ones. That’s not a good thing. When secondary characters are done right, all they do is make the story better.
Torie and Dex in Lady Be Good: Torie is Kenny Traveler’s sister. After several failed marriages, her dad decides to blackmail her into a political marriage. While that particular part didn’t go over very well for me, the whole relationship really worked. Dex was a total geek. I loved that he didn’t try to be someone he was not. He also manipulated Torie without being malicious. Their first time in the bedroom was hilariously funny, yet sweet at the same time (reminiscent of Yank and Paige in Hot Shot).
Suzy and Sawyer in Heaven, Texas: This one annoyed me at first. Mostly b/c Suzy Denton was so helpless without her husband, who had been gone for years. Reading more, you see that she’s more in sort of a mid-life crisis and her feelings for Sawyer throw her for a loop. I do wish she would have stood up to Bobby Tom a little more, but other than that I really liked how SEP threw in a couple that shows you can be happy no matter what age you are.
Lynn and Jim Bonner in Nobody’s Baby But Mine: This is one of my favorites of SEP’s secondary characters. Lynn and Jim Bonner have been married for years. After he got her pregnant, Jim did the right thing and married her. He ended up becoming a small town doctor instead of the big-time researcher he wanted to be. They come to a crossroad in their marriage and Lynn finally makes a stand to be the person she wants to be, not the person that Jim wants her to be.
Those are just a few of the secondary characters that have stuck with me. What are some of your favorite SEP secondary characters? Or even some non-SEP?
My favourite are Kristy and Ethan Bonner in Dream a Little Dream. Mind you, I also really liked Portia and Bodie and Suzie and Way.
Me too. I just love perfect Ethan and “I’m a fox” Christie. Especially because the main plot is so dark, those 2 bring a nice comic relief to the book.
favorite line : Christie saying to Ethan “shut up and take your pants off”.
You mentioned great secondary characters Casee. Torie & Dex had such a cute little secondary storyline that I really enjoyed. I was also going to mention Ethan and Kristy as well. I loved them to pieces!
Can’t forget about Teddy Baudine. I cannot wait to get his story but I really enjoyed getting to know him as a secondary character in both Fancy Pants and then again in Lady Be Good.
Oh, I remember Suzy and Sawyer from Heaven Texas! I thought their love scenes were WAY HAWT!!!
(Anyone remember when they’re in the walk-in closet in the dark and she she thinks “Oh, this!” ) And, what about the spa scene? OMG! Those older ones can teach the kids a thing or two!
Ren’s sister and her husband were pretty good in Breathing Room also, but I think my faves are Suzy and Sawyer. I really enjoyed their story.
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Kristi and Ethan are my favorites – I actually was more interested in their story than I was Gabe and Rachel’s. Lynn and Jim were close seconds – I was fascinated by their’s because of the history they had.