Having made a memorable splash with her debut novel "Love Under Contract," Cassie Connor is back with a unique take on a reality TV trope, blending a mix of second chances, enemies-to-lovers, grumpy vs. sunshine, and a dash of suspense!
A connection between strangers unlike any other. Two nights of unbridled passion. The memory burns deep in the recesses of Lydia Smith's mind until that memory turns into reality when she lays eyes on the one man who has ruined her for any other. Tom Dereborn turned her life upside down, but just as quickly as he swooped in, he was gone. A year had passed with no contact, no reunion, nothing but memories of the best weekend of her life. Now, they are reunited as unexpected colleagues on a work trip, and he pretends not to know her or even acknowledge what they shared. Two can play that game until the stakes change. What should have been a brief encounter on a business trip has turned into a living nightmare. Hoping to save her grandmother's house, Lydia signs up for the reality show "Fleeing for Your Life." What she didn't expect was to see Tom at the tryouts. Worse yet, they somehow end up partnered together. Trapped with her newfound nemesis, Lydia must decide what's worse: not winning and watching her grandmother's house fall into further disrepair, or being stuck with the last person on earth she wants near her heart ever again!
The reality TV aspect adds a fun twist. It introduces external challenges (weather, environment, nondescript characters) and heightens the importance of the secondary characters (the hunters, other teammates, and family members). We're not only following Lydia and Tom, but we also get a grand tour of the countryside, complete with unpredictable obstacles from the "hunters."
Cassie's portrayal of Tom is a fascinating yet risky approach. Initially, you're happy to accept the enemies-type connection. Tom is unpleasant, crass, and Lydia seems to have dodged a bullet. But given the luxury of a dual POV, we gradually understand that his apathetic demeanor is a defense mechanism.
His inner conflict is what makes Tom's character fascinating; however, what makes the approach risky is the emotional whiplash he imposes on Lydia. Some may deem his erratic behavior as bordering on abusive.
The pace of the story was incredibly slow but engaging. We experience the reality show's process in real-time, sharing every waking moment with the characters. Each day seems to be composed of two chapters, providing a dual perspective and allowing the reader to always know where the minds of the characters are at any point in the story. This choice of narrative created a 360-degree reveal that was suspenseful and engaging, with the romance taking a backseat.
While I loved most aspects of the book, two things bothered me. One issue likely stems from it being an ARC. With better editing, "Hot Pursuit" could easily be rated a solid 4 to 5 stars. Again, this may already be resolved, but if it stands, I will warn readers of the presence of redundancy and the bizarre switch between overly extravagant vocabulary usage and more basic vernacular. It makes you wonder what is causing the large discrepancy—is it overuse of a Thesaurus or simply the start-and-stop nature of the writing process with external factors influencing the terminology used? Whatever the cause, it pulls away from the story.
The other concern involves the intimate moments feeling out of place. As mentioned above, the story has placed romance in the backseat and the suspense of the reality TV show in the forefront. Removing the flashbacks of their initial encounter, as well as the steamy campsite moment and spicy cottage scenes, would have zero effect on the narrative.
What tipped the book from a 3-star to a 4-star read was the last few chapters. Once we finally understood Lydia and Tom, were back on the road, and moving towards the conclusion of the reality show, everything just slid into place perfectly. At this point, it was hard to put the book down. The need to know what happened next and how it would all end drove out any other concerns that may have arisen previously.
As Cassie has a third book, "The Big Game," hitting the stands in January 2025, I am curious to see what approach she takes. Her writing is evolving, and while the love for this book isn't as strong as it was for "Love Under Contract," the learning process between the two may make her third book the best one yet!