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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
I've always liked reading SEP, she adds a lot of smart banter between the romantic leads, fleshes out her characters' professional lives and creates good frisson that's delicious to read. The climax usually entails miscommunications and misunderstanding with separation supported with a bit of reflection that brings about a happy coupling at the end.
In this story we see an actual diva - Olivia is a renowned opera singer - team up with leading Chicago quarterback Thad Owens to endorse a luxury brand of watches, with a multi city tour promotion, but they begin by initially hating each other. They learn to become friends soon enough, partly due to Olivia's history with her insecure ex committing suicide and partly because there's someone trying to actively harm her throughout the trip. That's a mystery that gets solved near the end, but it's a little strange and the arc feels forced.
I didn't like the denouement, Olivia loves Thad and tells him so but he's not ready to be in a serious relationship with anyone, and especially not with someone equally or more driven than him and unwilling to compromise on her career. It didn't sit well with me that in the end she apologises for having her own (even if slightly skewed due to experience) reasons to not want a relationship with him.
The slightly disappointing ending mars an otherwise bright, fast paced story of travel and increasing attraction between Liv and Thad, two strong personalities who gel well. I stayed up the night reading three-quarters of it.
In this story we see an actual diva - Olivia is a renowned opera singer - team up with leading Chicago quarterback Thad Owens to endorse a luxury brand of watches, with a multi city tour promotion, but they begin by initially hating each other. They learn to become friends soon enough, partly due to Olivia's history with her insecure ex committing suicide and partly because there's someone trying to actively harm her throughout the trip. That's a mystery that gets solved near the end, but it's a little strange and the arc feels forced.
I didn't like the denouement, Olivia loves Thad and tells him so but he's not ready to be in a serious relationship with anyone, and especially not with someone equally or more driven than him and unwilling to compromise on her career. It didn't sit well with me that in the end she apologises for having her own (even if slightly skewed due to experience) reasons to not want a relationship with him.
The slightly disappointing ending mars an otherwise bright, fast paced story of travel and increasing attraction between Liv and Thad, two strong personalities who gel well. I stayed up the night reading three-quarters of it.
3.5 stars
I always enjoy a book by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and the Chicago Stars series is a favorite. This one is a romance with some suspense thrown in too. I felt for Olivia who was struggling with events from her past. Thad is the swoony hero we’ve come to expect from a Stars player. I enjoyed the contrast in these two characters. Overall this one was a sweet read that left me wanting a little more.
I always enjoy a book by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and the Chicago Stars series is a favorite. This one is a romance with some suspense thrown in too. I felt for Olivia who was struggling with events from her past. Thad is the swoony hero we’ve come to expect from a Stars player. I enjoyed the contrast in these two characters. Overall this one was a sweet read that left me wanting a little more.
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
When an opera star and a football player are both put on a nationwide tour promoting a luxury watch brand, there is so much backstage drama and conflict. Despite their differences, they agree to a no-strings attached hook-up situation for the duration of their tour.
I didn’t realize that this was book 9 in a series but I definitely think this one works well as a stand alone. I didn’t feel lost at all when reading it. There was a heavy element of suspense/mystery in this one which was fun and unexpected. I was hoping for a bit more comedy, but this ended up being a bit more dramatic than I anticipated. I think had I been aware of the suspense plot line going in, I would have loved this more.
I did a mix of audio and ebook for this one, and found that I preferred the audio in this case! The production was done well and I loved the narrators.
Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow and Harper Audio for the advanced copies!
I didn’t realize that this was book 9 in a series but I definitely think this one works well as a stand alone. I didn’t feel lost at all when reading it. There was a heavy element of suspense/mystery in this one which was fun and unexpected. I was hoping for a bit more comedy, but this ended up being a bit more dramatic than I anticipated. I think had I been aware of the suspense plot line going in, I would have loved this more.
I did a mix of audio and ebook for this one, and found that I preferred the audio in this case! The production was done well and I loved the narrators.
Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow and Harper Audio for the advanced copies!
The start of this book is an easy 5 star rating. There was a section in the middle that started to seem so unrealistic and was dropping it down to a 4 star read. But at the end (the literal end, at about 10 pages left) it got taken back up to a 5 star read. I easily recommend this book to my friends that are looking for a to die for romance, that doesn't seem like it was made for teenagers. A great enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers book
Literally delish. Classic enemies to lovers and the trauma they go through and overcome together is astonishing! Loved the epilogue
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
*This book was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*
I enjoyed reading this book. It's about an opera singer, Olivia, and a football jock, Thad, who both go on a tour where Olivia starts receiving threatening notes and have dangerous encounters which put their lives in danger. This is an emotionally important journey for both and a must-see if they can work things out. This is the ninth book of the Chicago Stars series but I will say that I haven't read books 1-8 which means you can read this as a standalone. Each book has its one main couple which I think is really amazing and would go back to read the other books. I enjoyed the author's writing in this book and it's my first book by Susan which I wasn't disappointed with it at all. I do have to say the beginning was a little boring but after 30 pages, the story picked up and I couldn't stop reading. I started to enjoy the pacing after the 30 pages and also enjoyed the setting which was many different cities in the US. I also enjoyed the mix of sports romance with mystery/thriller in this adult book.
This book is in both Thad and Olivia's pov. I enjoyed both characters as they were both very similar but also very different human beings. I enjoyed both character's character development as they went through so much and I enjoyed seeing their amazing journey. There were also some side characters that were involved in the book which I enjoyed but they were more involved in the book. The side characters were mostly just there and weren't really involved in the story. There is an enemies-to-lovers trope romance which I enjoyed but I was hoping for some steamy scenes in this book.
The ending was well done and I was so ready to see an epilogue which was a must need in my opinion. The book ended on a good note and I'm excited to see which of the side characters will be the main couple in the second book. There were of course some minor problems with the book but I for sure loved this book just because it had a lot of mix of different genres in this book with a great romance. I will for sure be reading the next book in the series and I recommend this book (don't have read books 1-8).
I enjoyed reading this book. It's about an opera singer, Olivia, and a football jock, Thad, who both go on a tour where Olivia starts receiving threatening notes and have dangerous encounters which put their lives in danger. This is an emotionally important journey for both and a must-see if they can work things out. This is the ninth book of the Chicago Stars series but I will say that I haven't read books 1-8 which means you can read this as a standalone. Each book has its one main couple which I think is really amazing and would go back to read the other books. I enjoyed the author's writing in this book and it's my first book by Susan which I wasn't disappointed with it at all. I do have to say the beginning was a little boring but after 30 pages, the story picked up and I couldn't stop reading. I started to enjoy the pacing after the 30 pages and also enjoyed the setting which was many different cities in the US. I also enjoyed the mix of sports romance with mystery/thriller in this adult book.
This book is in both Thad and Olivia's pov. I enjoyed both characters as they were both very similar but also very different human beings. I enjoyed both character's character development as they went through so much and I enjoyed seeing their amazing journey. There were also some side characters that were involved in the book which I enjoyed but they were more involved in the book. The side characters were mostly just there and weren't really involved in the story. There is an enemies-to-lovers trope romance which I enjoyed but I was hoping for some steamy scenes in this book.
The ending was well done and I was so ready to see an epilogue which was a must need in my opinion. The book ended on a good note and I'm excited to see which of the side characters will be the main couple in the second book. There were of course some minor problems with the book but I for sure loved this book just because it had a lot of mix of different genres in this book with a great romance. I will for sure be reading the next book in the series and I recommend this book (don't have read books 1-8).