Review: First Star I See Tonight by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Review-First Star I See TonightFIRST STAR I SEE TONIGHT
Series: Chicago Stars #8
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Release Date: August 23, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

FSIST

A star quarterback and a feisty detective play for keeps in this sporty, sexy, sassy novel—a long-awaited new entry in the beloved, award-winning, New York Times bestselling author’s fan-favorite Chicago Stars football series.

Piper Dove is a woman with a dream—to become the best detective in the city of Chicago. First job? Trail former Chicago Stars quarterback, Cooper Graham. Problem? Graham’s spotted her, and he’s not happy.

Which is why a good detective needs to think on her feet. “The fact is . . . I’m your stalker.Not full-out barmy. Just . . . mildly unhinged.”

Piper soon finds herself working for Graham himself, although not as the bodyguard he refuses to admit he so desperately needs. Instead, he’s hired her to keep an eye on the employees at his exclusive new nightclub. But Coop’s life might be in danger, and Piper’s determined to protect him, whether he wants it or not. (Hint: Not!) If only she weren’t also dealing with a bevy of Middle Eastern princesses, a Pakistani servant girl yearning for freedom, a teenager who just wants of fit in, and an elderly neighbor demanding Piper find her very dead husband.

And then there’s Cooper Graham himself, a legendary sports hero who always gets what he wants—even if what he wants is a feisty detective hell bent on proving she’s as tough as he is.

From the bustling streets of Chicago to a windswept lighthouse on Lake Superior to the glistening waters of Biscayne Bay, two people who can’t stand to lose will test themselves and each other to discover what matters most.

Buy LinksAMAZON | iBOOKS | B&NReview-DGR4 starsFirst Star I See Tonight-DGR teaser

She was a woman who attacked life instead of waiting for it to unfold around her. And her general imperviousness to him had stirred up some kind of primitive bullshit need to conquer.

#HappyFeels
This book.
*Attempts to wipe goofy grin off of face*
*fails*
*grins even bigger*
I mean…THIS. BOOK.

As a long time fan of SEP and especially her Chicago Stars series, when I heard the news that she’ll be releasing another book in one of my most beloved contemporary romance series, I downright wet myself in fangirling excitement. True story. Well…maybe not the wetting myself part. But close. I was dang excited, mkay?!

I mean let’s face it, no one, and I do mean no one does an enemies to lovers romance quite like this author. She delivers these irresistible grumpy alphas that are just the perfect amount of endearing and sexy. They’re not perfect, but that’s what makes them perfect. Am I even making sense here? Let me put it this way; have you ever read about a hero that has a trigger happy moment yet manages to come off all the more endearingly sexy for it? Yeah? Didn’t think so.

If you love quirky, sassy, and adorably awkward heroines with just a dash of crazy to them, you will simply adore Piper. The woman is a downright nutter and I couldn’t get enough of her antics. If you’ve read any book in this series, you already know that SEP can deliver some of the best banter, and this book certainly didn’t disappoint in that department.

Did I ever mention what a bad lover I was when I first started out?”
“I don’t believe you did,” she said.
“I got lots of complaints, so I had to work at it. Treat it as a job.”
“Put in the extra practice time, right?”
“Precisely. When I think of the mistakes I made…”
“Mortifying, I’m sure.”
“But I kept my eye on the ball.”
“Only one? Curious. Oh, well, I hope your deformity didn’t make you too self-conscious. I’m sure you could still-”
“I finally got the hang of it when I was about-”
“Thirty-six?”
“Eighteen. I was a fast learner. All those older women willing to take a young kid like me into their loving arms…”
“Blessed are the merciful.”

20173970I love a slow burn, and that’s exactly what I got with this romance. Sparks flew between Cooper and Piper right away…but not of the sexual variety. Oh no! Piper is hilariously failing in her job to trail former Chicago Stars quarterback. The problem? He makes her right away and is not entirely pleased about the slightly deranged woman that seems to be everywhere he turns lately.

The fact is…” She released her breath in a whoosh. “I’m your stalker.”
“Stalker?”
“Not a dangerous one. Lord, no. Merely obsessed.”
“With me.” A statement, not a question. He’d been here before.
“I don’t make a habit of stalking people. This…quite got away from me, you see.” She didn’t know exactly how this tactic will save her, but she plunged on. “I’m not full-out barmy, you understand. Just…mildly unhinged.”
He cocked his head, but at least he was listening. And why not? Lunatics were always fascinating.

This book will make you laugh, and laugh some more. Piper’s antics are downright hilarious.

Watching the unwilling development of a relationship between these two go from antagonistic, to grudging respect, to something more, was pure gold. I couldn’t get enough of the two of them. Of course it didn’t hurt that I got plenty of cameos from one of my favorites. If you’ve read Match Me If You Can, you’ll definitely appreciate it.

First Star I See was everything I’ve come to love about this author and so much more. It was full of fun banter, swoony moments, fantastic secondary characters, and the perfect slow building romance.

What about your scruples? I’m still the hired help.”
He leaned forward and nibbled on her bottom lip. “You’re not the help. You’re the obstacle.”
She nuzzled the cleft in his chin. “To what?”
“My peace of mind.”

It was the perfect light hearted sort of read I needed and I loved every single page of it. It reminded me exactly why I fell in love with this series in the first place. SEP fans are in for one delicious treat with First Star I See Tonight. If you’re in the mood for laughs and swoons, this book has EVERYTHING. The perfect contemporary romance to satisfy any romance lovers!


CHICAGO STARS SERIES

IT HAD TO BE YOU (Chicago Stars #1)
Heaven, Texas (Chicago Stars, #2)
Nobody’s Baby But Mine (Chicago Stars, #3)
Dream a Little Dream (Chicago Stars, #4)
This Heart of Mine (Chicago Stars, #5)
Match Me If You Can (Chicago Stars, #6)
Natural Born Charmer (Chicago Stars, #7)

★DGR’s Ultimate List of Hate-To-Love Romance★

DGR-Ultimate list of hate-2-love Let’s talk about hate-to-love for a hot minute here, shall we? It just so happens that this is easily my favorite trope to read…EVAH. No joke. Something about the banter, that repressed sexual tension, the sparks that fly between the H & h when they argue yet you know they’re probably 2 seconds from jumping each other. *shivers* Delicious. So obviously what this means is that I’ve read a lot in this genre…like a lot. So much so, that when I started to put together my list, my brain began to hurt. There are so many books that I wanted to put on this list, but they’ve also been in my previous ones and so I decided not to mix genres. A lot of the hate-love I read in my dark romances, but since that’s not everyone’s cuppa and I already made my ultimate list of Anti-Heroes, I decided not to be redundant and skip this particular genre. If you’re curious about the Anti Hero list, you can read it HERE.

If you’re new to my blog, my Ultimate List is a monthly feature that I do on the last Saturday each month with my favorites in various categories, tropes, and whatever else. If you’ve missed any of my previous ones, you can read them all here:

★ULTIMATE LIST OF DIRTY TALKERS★

★ULTIMATE LIST OF ROCK STARS★

★ULTIMATE LIST OF FIGHTERS★

★ULTIMATE LIST OF ANTI-HEROES★

But let’s get back to hate-to-love. You’ll notice my list is random and features books that were recently published and some from quite a while ago. I’ve read all the books on the list and they’re my go-to recs for this trope. I loved them! Of course there’s probably plenty that I haven’t read yet, so I’d love to hear about any of your favorites that I may have missed in the comments below. Now without further ado, let’s get to the list!


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