It's release day for And the Crowd Went Wild by Susan Elizabeth Phillips!
And the Crowd Went Wild
Series: Chicago Stars #11
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Release Date: February 10, 2026
Genre: Romance/Contemporary/Fiction
Publisher: Avon-HarperCollins
#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:
second-chance romance
enemies to lovers
forced proximity
childhood sweethearts
Susan Elizabeth Phillips
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.
The last woman that Clint Garrett wants to lay eyes on is the girl who broke his heart back in high school. He is certain that fame, time, and aging haven't made her a better person or a person he would want to share space with... but here she stands on his front steps asking for his help. Now he's caught between a rock and a hard place, should he help her or walk away like she did all those years ago?
As soon as I read the synopsis for this one I knew I had to read it, nothing screams wickedly entertaining like a heated, tension-filled reunion between old flames... and boy was I right, this book was outstanding from beginning to end! The tension between these two was palpable, you could feel the lingering chemistry, old feelings, and longing just hovering around them waiting to ignite. But you could also feel the distaste lingering there too, and that's where the real tension laid. There was a lot of hurt there and Clint wasn't letting her off so easily!
Clint did his best to keep Dancy out of sight and out of mind, but she is not the type of woman you can keep hidden for long. Every where he looked there was some sort of reminder of her or someone trying to push them together for one reason or another. All he wanted to do was focus on his game and get back to the player he knows he should be, but that's a little hard when someone is constantly doing something to cause your focus to stray...it's a complication he doesn't need right now, or does he?
I loved watching these two find their way back to one another, it wasn't an easy road, there were a lot of ups and downs, but that is what made it so believable and perfect. As with all relationships love takes a lot of work and these two definitely put in the work! If you like enemies to lovers stories than I highly suggest you give this one a chance, it comes brimming with all the good stuff to make you smile and swoon! Highly recommend!
I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, via NetGalley, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.
Avon-HarperCollins via NetGalley request
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