Thursday, September 8, 2016

TLC Book Tour for First Star I See Tonight by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

About First Star I See Tonight
• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (August 23, 2016)
  Chicago Stars, Book 8

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.


Purchase Links



About Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Susan Elizabeth Phillips soared onto the New York Times bestseller list with Dream a Little Dream. She’s the only four-time recipient of the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Favorite Book of the Year Award. A resident of the Chicago suburbs, she is also a hiker, gardener, reader, wife, and mother of two grown sons.

Visit Susan at her website, susanelizabethphillips.com, like her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.


Tour Stops
Wednesday, August 24th: Books and Bindings 
Monday, August 29th: From the TBR Pile
Wednesday, August 31st: Staircase Wit
Thursday, September 1st: A Soccer Mom’s Book Blog
Tuesday, September 6th: As I turn the pages
Wednesday, September 7th: Leigh Kramer
Thursday, September 8th: Queen of All She Reads
Friday, September 9th: Seaside Book Nook


A light hearted contemporary romance, First Star I See Tonight by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, was everything I hoped for and more.  Likeable characters, sizzling dialogue, a good deal of humor and a sexy but sweet romance had me turning the pages from start to finish.  Although the eighth book in the Chicago Stars series this is a book which can be enjoyed on its own.  It was also my first experience reading a book by Ms. Phillips - something I'll be remedying soon!  

Ms. Phillips did a great job introducing the main characters, Piper Dove and Cooper Graham.  While it took a little while to warm up to Cooper’s character, he was a bit too cocky and acted a bit like an overindulged former athlete, I had absolutely no trouble falling in love with Piper.  A single woman trying to make it in a male dominate occupation, private investigations and security, Piper is a strange combination of brains, beauty and bravado.  While she’s all woman, she’s also the perfect tomboy, and acts like “one of the guys”.  Which of course makes her irresistible.

As Piper inserts herself in Cooper’s life and business, what begins as a test and a job, quickly becomes an incredible friendship.  
I liked how Ms. Phillips developed the relationship between Piper and Cooper; it started out slowly and developed throughout the entire book.  Their verbal chemistry was great; I enjoyed their snarky dialogue and competitive natures.  While the physical chemistry between them was obvious from the start, they’re reluctance to act on it right away was a refreshing change. 



The secondary characters are also well developed and I especially enjoyed getting to know both Piper and Cooper’s best friends (many of whom were primary characters in the previous books in the series).  I even enjoyed getting to know Cooper’s employees at the nightclub, which played an interesting role in their story.  While the story is mostly a contemporary romance, Ms. Phillips added a touch of suspense to the story so she could bring the primary characters together and I enjoyed trying to figure out who was trying to sabotage Cooper’s business and threatening his life, though of course at first he he didn't believe he was in danger and then assumed he could take care of everything himself. 



Will Piper discover who has targeted Cooper’s nightclub before he’s put out of business?  Are the threats to his life tied to the nightclub?  And will Piper realize that falling in love is the best thing that’s ever happened to her?  You’ll have to read First Star I See Tonight to find out.  I loved it and have already downloaded the first book in this series to read about the other Chicago Stars players.

My Rating:  4.5 out of 5 Crowns




FTC Disclosure:  I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher as a part of a book tour for a fair and honest review.  

2 comments:

  1. I hope you love the other books in the series as much as you loved this one!

    Thanks for being a part of the tour.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Heather,

      I have read all of them now at least twice - I absolutely love this series!

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