The Chase
by Elle Kennedy
Blurb:
Everyone says opposites attract. And they must be right, because there’s no logical reason why I’m so drawn to Colin Fitzgerald. I don’t usually go for tattoo-covered, video-gaming, hockey-playing nerd-jocks who think I’m flighty and superficial. His narrow view of me is the first strike against him. It doesn’t help that he’s buddy-buddy with my brother.
And that his best friend has a crush on me.
And that I just moved in with them.
Oh, did I not mention we’re roommates?
I suppose it doesn’t matter. Fitzy has made it clear he’s not interested in me, even though the sparks between us are liable to burn our house down. I’m not the kind of girl who chases after a man, though, and I’m not about to start. I’ve got my hands full dealing with a new school, a sleazy professor, and an uncertain future. So if my sexy brooding roomie wises up and realizes what he’s missing?
He knows where to find me.
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://geni.us/TCAmz
iBooks: http://geni.us/TCiB
Kobo: http://geni.us/TCKobo
Nook: http://geni.us/TCNook
Paperbacks coming soon!!
Excerpt:
“Dance with me?”
I want to say no.
But I also want to say yes.
I call this the Summer Dilemma—the frustrating, polar reactions this green-eyed, golden-haired goddess sparks in me.
Fuck yes and hell no.
Get naked with her. Run far, far away from her.
“Thanks, but I don’t like to dance.” I’m not lying. Dancing’s the worst.
Besides, when it comes to Summer Di Laurentis, my flight instinct always wins out.
“You’re no fun, Fitzy.” She makes a tsking noise, drawing my gaze to her lips. Full, pink, and glossy, with a tiny mole above the left side of her mouth.
It’s an extremely hot mouth.
Hell, everything about Summer is hot. She’s hands down the best-looking girl in the bar, and every dude in our vicinity is either staring enviously or glowering at me for being with her.
Not that I’m with her. We’re not together. I’m just standing next to her, with two feet of space between us. Which Summer keeps trying to bridge by leaning closer to me.
In her defense, she practically has to scream in my ear for me to hear her over the electronic dance music blasting through the room. I hate EDM, and I don’t like these kinds of bars, the ones with a dance floor and deafening music. Why the subterfuge? Just call your establishment a nightclub, if that’s what you want it to be. The owner of Gunner’s Pub should’ve called this place Gunner’s Club. Then I could’ve turned right around when I saw the sign and spared myself the shattered eardrums.
Not for the first time tonight, I curse my friends for dragging me to Brooklyn for New Year’s Eve. I’d way rather be at home, drinking a beer or two and watching the ball drop on TV. I’m low-key like that.
“You know, they warned me you were a curmudgeon, but I didn’t believe it until now.”
“Who’s they?” I ask suspiciously. “And hey, wait. I’m not a curmudgeon.”
“Hmmm, you’re right—the term is kind of dated. Let’s go with Groucho.”
“Let’s not.”
“No-Fun Police? Is that better?” Her expression is pure innocence. “Seriously, Fitz, what do you have against fun?”
An unwitting smile breaks free. “Got nothing against fun.”
“All right. Then what do you have against me?” she challenges. “Because every time I try talking to you, you run away.”
My smile fades. I shouldn’t be surprised that she’s calling me out in public. We’ve had a whopping total of two encounters, but that’s plenty of time for me to know she’s the type who thrives on drama.
I hate drama.
“Got nothing against you, either.” With a shrug, I ease away from the bar, prepared to do what she’s just accused me of—run.
A frustrated gleam fills her eyes. They’re big and green, the same shade as her older brother Dean’s eyes. And Dean’s the reason I force myself to stay put. He’s a good friend of mine. I can’t be a jackass to his sister, both out of respect for him, and for fear of my well-being. I’ve been on the ice when Dean’s gloves come off. He’s got a mean right hook.
“I mean it,” I say roughly. “I have nothing against you. We’re cool.”
“What? I didn’t hear the last part,” she says over the music.
I dip my mouth toward her ear, and I’m surprised that I barely have to bend my neck. She’s taller than the average chick, five-nine or ten, and since I’m six-two and used to towering over women, I find this refreshing.
“I said we’re cool,” I repeat, but I misjudged the distance between my lips and Summer’s ear. The two collide, and I feel a shiver run up her frame.
I shiver too, because my mouth is way too close to hers. She smells like heaven, some fascinating combo of flowers and jasmine and vanilla and—sandalwood, maybe? A man could get high on that fragrance. And don’t get me started on her dress. White, strapless, short. So short it barely grazes her lower thighs.
God fucking help me.
Review:
4 stars
****
This was a pretty good NA read! The Chase is Fitzy and Summer's book. Summer, the younger sister of Dean from The Score, is new to Briar University after an incident got her kicked out of her former college. She finds herself kicked out of the sorority house, and without a place to live, before she even moves in. Dean pulls some strings and gets her a place to live... with a few of his former hockey teammates, including Fitzy. Colin Fitzgerald, or Fitzy, had a run in with Summer a few weeks earlier, where they almost hooked up, but a miscommunication stopped that from happening. Now, they are living together and fighting the tension between them. I won't go into the story any farther, but they manage to work things out between them and fall for each other along the way.
This wasn't my favorite book by Ms. Kennedy, but I liked it. It had been awhile since I read an NA book and it took me a bit to put myself back into that college student mindset. Summer and Fitzy acted typically for someone that age. The weren't great at communicating. Fitzy, especially, had trouble expressing his feelings. I didn't mind their sometimes immaturity and insecurity. They both had a lot going on, with school, work and hockey problems. I enjoyed their relationship journey, as well as each of their personal journeys.
I liked Fitzy and Summer. Fitzy is a hockey player, but also thinks of himself as a nerd. He is an artist and computer programmer who designs video games. Summer is a fashion major, but she is a little lost. She has trouble with school because of a learning disability. Still, Summer is a fun-loving, happy, bubbly girl that everyone loves. The two of them are opposites, but they attract each other in the best way. Their relationship was a bit of a slow starter. There is also some ow/om drama, and while I didn't love it, it did not bother me a lot. At least it was G rated drama. It felt realistic and they did not know each other well. They were both feeling that college atmosphere where the possibilities for the future seem endless. Neither of them were pining for each other and both thought the other person did not like them. It took them awhile to work out their miscommunications, but the progression felt natural. I liked that they were roommates first, which added an interesting aspect. I loved their friends Hollis and Bre. Both were funny and great characters.
Overall, I liked The Chase. Fitzy and Summer were a good couple. There are also lots of fun, new characters that would make for good romantic interests in future books. I look forward to more from this series and Ms. Kennedy!
No comments:
Post a Comment