It Had to Be You (Chicago Stars, #1) by Susan Elizabeth Phillips Series: Chicago Stars #1
Published by Avon on March 5th 2002
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 376
Goodreads
Wonderful Charmer of a Book
IT HAD TO BE YOU is the first book in the Chicago Stars series. It is the story of Phoebe Somerville, who inherits the Chicago Stars football team from her father. Her father attempts to manipulate her from the grave by making the condition that Phoebe has to take over control of the team and have the team win the AFC Championship — an almost impossible task for the team. Phoebe’s father disagreed with her life choices, but Phoebe is running from a rape as a young woman and has constructed a shield of an aggressive sexual woman to hide her pain.
Dan Calebow is the coach of the Chicago Stars. After a divorce, Dan is looking for a sweet, motherly type to marry and have children. While Dan is attracted to Phoebe, he knows that this maneater is not for him. Of course, the two are soon striking sparks off of one another.
I absolutely loved this book. The story was funny at times but the pain that Phoebe feels was so visceral that I cringed at her reactions. I loved the relationship between Phoebe and Dan. The two are so well matched for one another. At times the storyline seems over the top and unrealistic, but it was so enjoyable that realism didn’t matter to me. I haven’t read many Phillips books so I don’t know how this book compares with others, but I enjoyed this book tremendously and will continue with the other books in the series.
I’d rate the book 5 stars.