Giving Chase (Chase Brothers, #1)

by Lauren Dane

• ISBN10: 1599982595
• ISBN13: 9781599982595
• Publish Date: 19 September 2006 (first published 27 June 2006)
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Samhain Publishing Ltd
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 204
• Language: English

Reviews

[ibeforem]

I read my first Lauren Dane novel, Once and Again, a few months ago, and was introduced to the charming little community of Petal, Georgia. A lot of the minor characters in that novel were members of the Chase family, so I thought I would give the actual Chase family series a try.

As a romance, I thought this was solid. It checks off all of the right boxes – instant attraction (or at least chemistry), a character (usually the woman) who doesn’t feel worthy of the other, inner conflict, and in this case, some outside conflict. And, a fair amount of sex. Somewhat explicit sex, in this case. I don’t think it rises to the level of erotica, but it’s more explicit than your run-of-the-mill Harlequin, for example.

Overall, this was exactly what I was looking for – a quick, satisfying read, even if the Chase brothers are unrealistically sappy at times. I liked the whole damn (perfect) Chase family, so I’ll be continuing this series.

[Angie]

I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, everything is way over the top, so much so that almost everything fell flat. The characters almost seemed like caricatures. I love a overly possessive, stalker story as much as the next person, but that plot-line was anti-climatic...like the sex.

Maggie is a sweet lady, but she's the stereotypical high school history teacher with the high necked collars, skirts to the floor, and tortoiseshell glasses. That is, until her best friend makes her over, and all of a sudden she gets the attention of the Chase brothers. Now, Maggie's character wouldn't be complete without being ridiculed by her evil mother and sister giving her an inferiority complex that she just can't shake. Both of them are beauty queens and blonde, and they look down on poor Maggie for being a nerd with red hair. Those two are so over the top with the meanness that I couldn't find them believable at all. They both say horrendous things to Maggie...in public! They're suppose to be Southern ladies, so I could understand some backhanded compliments, but not those flat-out insults.

Maggie herself is a bundle of contradictions, but that didn't give her depth, it just made her impossible to understand and connect with. She feels completely inferior thanks to her horrible family, and yet she's super outspoken and stands up to everyone, including her mother and sister. She's never been able to do that before, but now she all of a sudden does at every turn? She also claims to not have any sexual experience, even though she takes the lead and turns out to be a complete sex bomb! AND she's convinced she's a slut/whore/hoochie (yes, she actually says hoochie) just because she's gone on dates with two brothers, who she hadn't had sex with, and who she thinks just dated her out of pity. Yeah, I don't get it.

I was hoping for a light, sexy read, and I partially got that. There's really no action until about halfway through the book, and then it's pretty tame, standard sex. There were a few "oh, they're gonna do it now" moments sprinkled through, that always got conveniently interrupted. But it's not like the build up was so hott that I felt cheated when it didn't happen. But underneath all of my complaints, there is a very sweet love story, and it wasn't a bad way to pass the time.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.