When Stars Collide: A Football Romance

Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Jun 2021 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

#1 New York Times bestseller Susan Elizabeth Phillips returns to her beloved Chicago Stars series with a romance between a Chicago Stars quarterback and one of the world’s greatest opera singers—and a major diva.

“Re-entering the world of the Chicago Stars is like a beloved friend come to call.” — #1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr

Thaddeus Walker Bowman Owens, the backup quarterback for the Chicago Stars, is a team player, talented sideline coach, occasional male underwear model, and a man with a low tolerance for Divas.

Olivia Shore, international opera superstar, is a driven diva with a passion for perfection, a craving for justice, too many secrets—and a monumental grudge against the egotistical, lowbrow jock she’s been stuck with.

It’s Mozart meets Monday Night Football as the temperamental soprano and stubborn jock embark on a nationwide tour promoting a luxury watch brand. Along the way, the combatants will engage in soul-searching and trash talk, backstage drama and, for sure, a quarterback pass. But they’ll also face trouble as threatening letters, haunting photographs, and a series of dangerous encounters complicate their lives. Is it the work of an overzealous fan or something more sinister?

This is the emotional journey of a brilliant woman whose career is everything and a talented man who’ll never be happy with second place.  Tender and funny, passionate and insightful, this irresistible romantic adventure proves that anything can happen…when two superstars collide.

Ratings and reviews

What a fun and emotional return to Phillips Chicago Stars series! This has been one of my all time favorite series and I was excited to revisit this world. Chicago Stars second string quarterback, Thaddeus Walker Bowman Owens and one of the world’s greatest opera singers, and major diva, Olivia Shore, are thrown together on a tour to promote a line of high end watches. They did not like each other at first, despite being attracted to each other. After a few awkward and hilarious encounters, they soon learn to respect each other. Their attraction grows and so does their chemistry, but because of previous heartbreak, they try to keep their distance. As they spend more time together, it becomes impossible to ignore their feelings, and agree to a no strings affair towards the end of the tour. When strange, and dangerous events start happening, Thad's protective instincts kick in, and he will do whatever it takes to protect Olivia. As the walls come down, they begin to want more, but can two passionate people, who want to be the best in their demanding careers, be happy being second place to the other? I really liked both Olivia, and Thad, the way they challenged each other, making each other stronger, and their slow burn chemistry was palpable. I had fun revisiting this world that I have always loved so much, as well as learning a bit about opera. This fun, heartfelt, suspenseful, and steamy story is a great addition to this series.

I quite enjoyed this tale. The opera diva vs the backup quarterback. There was a lot of technical info incorporated that showed the author did some research or had very good advisors on the opera. Taking two people from quite different worlds and showing how they were similar in personality made a good case for relationships based on values and personality more than what they seemingly had in common. The misunderstandings were handled in a mixture of humorous and mature ways... mostly. The "I'm going to kiss someone to make you jealous" was a little off-putting. I wish the explanations at the end didn't feel so rushed. I've not read all of the previous books, but several, and it was nice to see old characters pop up. SEP is always on my TBR and one-click list when I have extra funds! I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley for review but my opinions are all my own.

5 long years! Wow, I never thought we would be seeing another SEP/STARS book, but here we go! And the wait was worth it. Then again, the series was supposed to have ended with This Heart of Mine, and I am so glad it did not. This book was a tad darker than in the past. There were fewer giggles for sure. At least that was what I thought until I started re-reading the books this weekend! All of the books have a bit of a dark, angsty side to them. For some odd reason, a relationship between an opera singer and a football player just seemed to be more 'out there' than the past pairings. But it worked. For me, it worked quite well. On an interesting side note, I had, as I had said, thought that an opera singer as the female protagonist was unusual until I re-read First Star I See Tonight I am sure as I keep re-reading the series find more things that delight me as much as this book did. There were so many mysteries to be solved, and I had to admit that I thought I had the mystery solved, but I didn't, and I love that! This book was dark but captivating, romantic, and sexy. The characters, Thad and Olivia, were the perfect foils for each other. For long-time fans of SEP, this is a beautiful read. If you are new to the series, this can be read as a stand-alone, but I think you will read the earlier works to see how SEP has grown as an author and read each character's books. I certainly hope that there will be some more books in the Stars collection, but I can understand why there may not be. This book is defiantly going into my re-read/comfort read book folder *ARC supplied by the publisher, author Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and NetGalley. Thank you.

About the author

Susan Elizabeth Phillips is a #1 New York Times bestselling author whose books have been published in over thirty languages. Guided by the motto, “Life is better with happily-ever-afters,” she loves writing about love in all its forms. Among her accomplishments, Susan created the sports romance with her novel Fancy Pants. She is best known for her Chicago Stars and Wynette, Texas series, as well as multiple stand-alone books. Visit Susan’s website at www.susanelizabethphillips.com.