Looking for a very fun time? Here you go! Simply The Best combines a sexy romance, a perplexing murder mystery and loads of humor. It’s the latest book in the Chicago Stars series and my favorite of the series so far.

Rory wakes up from a one night stand to find $500 laying on a desk in her hotel room and realizes the handsome man she met at her half-brother, Clint’s birthday party, has mistaken her for an escort.  Brett Rivers aka ‘The River’, a popular sports agent, does NOT think it’s funny when he realizes he accidentally slept with his biggest client’s sister – his client being Clint, the quarterback of the Chicago Stars. Brett’s on thin ice with Clint who has been moping around since his girlfriend, Ashley, dumped him and Clint blames Brett for the breakup: Brett thought she was just after Clint’s money and, in a move he now regrets, told Clint his concerns. If Clint finds out Bret slept with Rory, well, Brett thinks it could be disastrous. Things get even messier when Ashley’s found murdered at Clint’s home and Clint vanishes. And when Clint becomes the number one suspect, Brett and Rory realize they have to work together to find Clint before the police do as well as work to clear his name by discovering who really murdered Ashley.

Phillips has often written fabulous characters and, in Simply The Best, she is on fire. Just about everyone who matters in the book is wonderfully portrayed, especially the two leads. Rory is a struggling chocolatier trying to make a living selling specialty chocolates from her food truck, The Royal Palace of Sweets. Brett is a successful sports agent and likes to make money.  His goal is to become senior vice president and take over Champion Sports Management, when Heath Champion (Match Me if You Can) retires. Rory is fun and quirky while Brett is charming and tenacious and their forbidden romance is hot.

There were a number of possible suspects and the mystery kept me guessing. It’s ingenious when Rory and Brett use samples of her chocolates to get suspects talking and the banter between them had me laughing. It’s so satisfying when they finally realize how perfect they are for each other. I also enjoyed the secondary romance with Rory’s step-mom, Kristin as she made some life changes.

You don’t need to read any of the previous books in the series to be able to follow the story. If you want to get a bit more out of the book, read Match Me if You Can. It got an A review here and Heath and Annabel both make appearances in Simply the Best.

Simply the Best is a gem – it’s hilarious, heartwarming and hot. I recommend it to those who enjoy fast paced, zany romcoms with mysteries.