It Had to Be You
What if a woman who knows nothing about sports inherits a professional football team? The Windy City definitely isn't ready for Phoebe Somerville, the outrageous, curvaceous New York knockout who’s taking over their home town team. And Phoebe is definitely not prepared for the Stars' head coach Dan Calebow, a sexist jock taskmaster with a one-track mind. Calebow is everything Phoebe abhors. And the sexy boss is everything Dan despises - a meddling bimbo who doesn't know a pigskin from a pitcher's mound.
So why is he drawn to the shameless sexpot like a heat-seaking missile? And why does the coach's good ol'boy charm leave cosmopolitan Phoebe feeling awkward, tongue-tied...and resdy to fight?
This is the book that began it all. The Chicago Stars are about to take the field... and they’re not the only ones playing for keeps.
The mismatched pair spark fireworks of all sorts in this sexy, heartwarming, and hilarious "prequel" to Phillips's This Heart of Mine.
- Spice
- 3/5
- Burn
- Medium
- Pages
- ~400
- Ending
- HEA
HEA means happily ever after: they end up together, for good.
How spicy is It Had to Be You?
It Had to Be You is a 3 out of 5 on our spice scale: steamy (open door). On-page sex scenes, a handful of them, with some detail. Spice supports the plot. Spice starts around the middle.
- Steam: Open door
- Burn: Medium burn
- When: Spice starts around the middle
- Pairing: One man, one woman
- POV: Dual POV (both leads)
- Ending: Happily ever after
Content warnings
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Show 1 content warning
- Sexual assault
Our editorial notes, which may be incomplete. If something is a hard limit for you, check the author's own content notes too.
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It Had to Be You: quick answers
How spicy is It Had to Be You?
It Had to Be You is a 3 out of 5 on our spice scale: steamy (open door). On-page sex scenes, a handful of them, with some detail. Spice supports the plot. Spice starts around the middle.
Is It Had to Be You a standalone?
No. It Had to Be You is book 1 in Chicago Stars. It is the place to start. The series is complete.
What tropes are in It Had to Be You?
It Had to Be You features football player, boss x employee, opposites attract, enemies to lovers. It is a medium burn M/F romance that ends with a happily ever after.
Does It Had to Be You have content warnings?
Our notes for It Had to Be You include: sexual assault. This list may not be complete; check the author's own content notes if anything is a hard limit for you.
What should I read after It Had to Be You?
If you loved It Had to Be You, try Sweet Home by Tillie Cole, The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker, The Chase by Elle Kennedy. They share its football player and boss x employee energy at a similar spice level.