Sammy’s Review of First Star I See Tonight (Chicago Stars, Book 8) by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Contemporary Romance by William Morrow 23 Aug 16

This is my very first read of Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I know. I know. You’re wondering where have I been? And … What’s taken you so long? So … Gasps of horror! This reader right here has taken the plunge into the world of the Chicago Stars Series. By plunge, I mean down the rabbit hole and I think I am going to stay for a while.

Piper Dove always wanted to be a  private detective, but her dad had other ideas for her. When her dad passes away, the only thing between her and her father’s detective agency is her evil stepmonster. Piper takes a chance by clearing out her bank accounts and paying her stepmother off to own the family business. Needless to say, Piper is achieving a dream once thought not attainable, but she has zero wiggle room in the money department.

Cooper Graham is a retired Chicago Stars football player, looking for a foothold on a post career of tackles and sacks. He’s opened up a hot night club in Chicago. He wants to be smart when it comes to his money he’s made. Looking toward his future, he wants to expand his night clubs all over the country.  He needs the right financial backing to make his dream come true.

Someone hired Piper to report on Cooper’s comings and goings. She sets out by following him to his condo, gym, night club. Each time in a new disguise. What Piper fails to realize is that she’s really bad at it. Cooper spots her following him and notifies his bouncers she’s a stalker. She gets busted in his club and they finally meet face to face in his office. Hilarity ensues from this point on.

The gig is up and no amount of lies or fast talk is going to solve her current issue. She just lost her only paying job. Negotiations are made between Coop and Piper and she goes to work for him part-time undercover to make sure his club is secure. While she’s cleaning house, she’s also making enemies.

There’s a suspense-y thing going on in this book. Coop’s being attacked – drones are flying over his condo while he has a multi-million dollar deal hanging in the balance. Piper is renting out her condo because she can’t make the mortgage payments. Coop offers her the apartment over his club while she works out the kinks in the place. She also takes a part-time job driving for a Middle Eastern royal family.

This part of the book had me scratching my head. She meets Faiza, a servant girl, and befriends her. In the course of the book the Prince is relegated to a mustache swirling, one-dimensional bad guy. I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that this part of the book made me uncomfortable. It was downright stereotypical bullshit. I felt like I was reading some 1979 sheik romance. Of course, Piper is going to play the white-hero savior, which turned me off completely.

Tension is building between Cooper and Piper, a nice slow burn, keep the pages turning. Halfway through the book they do the deed. All this is nicely built up, sexual attraction is finally coming to a crescendo. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t need an explicit rundown of sex. I have no problem with a closed door. I do, however, have a problem with a really badly worded sex scene. I almost wish it was a closed-door scenario. It was so cheesy and put tab A into tab B bad. I overlooked that bad sex thing and ambled on.

There is tremendous growth with both characters, mysteries are solved, servant girls are rescued, Piper loses her mind, and Cooper finds himself. I really enjoyed this book, minus the niggles I had above. So, readers, if I were to pick up another SEP book, where should I start? What’s your favorite SEP book?

Grade: B+

Summary:

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. The problem? Graham’s spotted her, and he’s not happy.Which is why a great detective needs a first rate imagination. “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 to fit in, and an elderly neighbor demanding that Piper find her very dead husband.

And then there’s Cooper Graham, a legendary sports hero who always gets what he wants—even if what he wants just might be an intrepid 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.

Other books in this series: