Just Imagine

If you are a fan of SEP, you'll like this one too. I steered clear of this one for a while, since the historical romance thing turned me off, but when I eventually ran out of other SEP books, I downloaded this. It did not disappoint. Strong heroine who butts heads with an intense leading man -- all you would want from a SEP book. Sad that Anna Fields didn't narrate, but this reader sounded very similar and made the man's voice sexy -- tough to do. I highly recommend. It's nothing new, nothing particularly deep, but a tremendously good time.

I did not care for this book. I only got it because it was the only one of Phillips I hadn't read. I wish I hadn't. I didn't like the characters, especially Kit, a spoiled brat. And I didn't like the setting--Post-Civil War America. It was too predictable.

this seems to be an attempt to rewrite a "Gone with the Wind" type story - but it doesn't quite get there. A shame as the author actually writes well - but the characters are so tormented and angry all the time that you want to smack them. it drags on a lot about the main characters' relationship being strained - a lot of North South rivalry stuff - could have been a great tale, but I was so annoyed at the constant "misinterpretations" and unsaid thoughts and misunderstood actions, that by the end, which is predictable, I just said, "UGH! finally!"
the narrator did do a good job though, and that was probably why I stuck with it.

I disagree with most of the other reviewers of this book. I am a HUGE SEP fan, and this novel is one of the lasts of her novels I bought because of what the reviews say. As one of SEP's older novels it isn't exactly what you would expect, but it is still great! "Just Imagine" is a bit darker and has a little less humor than the other novels, the relationship between Kit and Barron much more conflicting and harsher than what we are accustomed to, but I found that the bad made the good so much sweeter! If you are familiar with SEP's books than listening/reading to "Just Imagine" you can see how it is the matriarch, the seed, that other novels and characters came from; Kit could be the great great grandmother of Blue from "Natural Born Charmer" and the plot line close to a combination of "Dream A Little Dream" and "Fantsy Pants". I have more appreciation for this novel having the sense that is was the start of so many other great things. "Just Imagine" will manage to make you feel every emotion...you will laugh, get mad, cry, and smile from ear to ear and is less predictable than most romances so you'll find it hard to turn it off. All in All, if you're already an SEP fan but are weary I'm telling u it's worth the credit, if your are new to SEP use your credits towards another one of her novels so you'll be sure to fall in love then come back to "Just Imagine".

I quite enjoyed the plot and the characters. The overall story was very good. I'm happy that I bought it, and happy to have read it. I enjoyed the narrator, and her accents overall were pretty good. My only complaint about the book is that it's riddled with historical inaccuracy. Not "literary license", but just small goofs here and there. For instance, in one part an older Southern Lady mentions "The Battle of Bull Run". No southern lady of that time would call it that. To Southerners, both during and after the Civil War, it was referred to as the "Battle of Manassas". It's a small thing, but there were several small things of that nature, and being a history buff, it annoyed me. Still, the story was tight, the characters were engaging (even the secondary characters) and the ending was satisfying.

Just Imagine surprised me by being very entertaining. It is different than most of SEPs work, but the character development was very good and the narrator did a beautiful job. I wasn't going to download it because it was set post civil war, but I'm a fan of SEP's writing. Not sorry I purchased it. There were some surprises in it and I liked the secondary romance in this between Sephonia and Magnuss. If you are a SEP fan you won't want to miss this one!

Not every book written about the North & the South has to be compared to "Gone with the Wind". I found this book to be an excellent tale of two people from opposite sides after such a terrible war. It has well written characters and holds true to the time era it was set in. I think SEP did a wonderful job. Of course, if you don't like books written about the N & S civil war, then maybe you should stay away from this tale.

I have listened to almost all the SEP books that audible has to offer... and this one, set in the Jane Austen era just didn't work for me. sorry! big fan -- but don't waste your credits on this one.

There are so many great moments in this book. It took me several tries to get through the 1st chapter. I'd turn it on at night, then fall asleep after 5 minutes. Then I'd try again and couldn't stay focused on the story. This happened over and over. Why did I keep on trying? Because of other reviewers plus I've never read an SEP book that I didn't like. Finally, while on a walk I listened to the audio for 45 minutes without any interruptions. After that I was hooked. I really loved this book. I think it rates as SEP's best.

Kit was great. She was strong willed, strong tempered and determined throughout the whole book. She was a force!

This is credit worthy and an audio book I will be listening to again. I've recommended this read/listen to several friends looking for a vacation worthy listen. It is a super interesting, well written historical romance. There is enough in this book to keep you intrigued. There is lots of chemistry between the main characters as they develop and change and I'm so glad I listened to it!

Historical romance at it's best. Narrator one of the best i listen to books everyday.. You can't go wrong with an SEP novel!