Books & Chat: Review: And the Crowd Went Wild

And the Crowd Went Wild by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This can be read as a stand-alone novel. There are mentions of characters from past books, but nothing you have to fret about.

Whew...I got lucky with this book. I had forgotten how much I like Ms. Phillips' style of writing; incorporating well-drawn characters, with a great story, excellent descriptions, but not so many that you get bored. She has a fantastic way of bringing an enemy-to-lovers tale to a conclusion without making you doubt that these are real people. Yes, I know they are not real in the physical sense, but her writing makes them real to me. I can see myself becoming friends with all of these people, were they actually real people LOL!

If you are wondering, there are steamy parts; after all, a romance is nothing without some steam, but there are no overly descriptive romantic scenes - no smut.

This book had me laughing, cringing and eventually crying. It is the embodiment of all good things that a great romance novel should have. This would be a perfect book for a book club read. There is a lot to discuss with other readers in this novel.

The book summary gives you an excellent idea of what you will be reading, but what it fails to mention is that there will also be two other storylines (one very minor) that are very interesting.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher Avon/HarperCollins, the author, and NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Summary: "#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Elizabeth Phillips is back with the latest novel in her beloved Chicago Stars series, featuring a romance between a star quarterback and one of the country’s most beautiful—and misunderstood—actresses.

After a mortifying—and very public—humiliation, Dancy Flynn is desperate to find sanctuary far from the crowd. But where can a washed-up sex symbol hide? How about making an unannounced appearance at the secluded lake house of the sweet, sensitive high school boyfriend she hasn’t seen in almost twenty years?

But Chicago Stars quarterback Clint Garrett is no longer the kid Dancy remembers. Now he’s a gridiron superhero, still holding a massive grudge against her for breaking his teenage heart. With no room in his life for either complexity or distractions, he banishes Dancy to a refurbished old railroad caboose tucked away in the woods…and out of his sight.

Except Dancy’s not good at staying invisible. Her efforts to rebuild her career clash with Clint’s desperation to regain his focus, all made more challenging by a rescue dog, a local woman in trouble, a meddling mother, an ex with an agenda…and the sizzle of rekindled emotions.

As Dancy attempts to get her life on track and Clint tries to get his groove back, can these two one-time lovers navigate their rocky pasts and complicated present to find themselves…and each other?

Tropes include: