Whenever I read a book I love, I run off to my blog to tell people about it. This has been a longstanding tradition for me. The fact that I haven't done it in a while just means I've been writing more than reading lately. However, I was lucky enough to get my hands on a copy of Making Chase by Lauren Dane.

Here's the blurb.

Tate Murphy is a girl from the wrong side of the tracks. She grew up a million miles away from the easy life Matt Chase has had. She's spent her life pulling herself and her siblings up and out of that trailer by the railroad tracks and she hasn't looked back. Matt Chase is a dream of a guy and she's certainly not going to turn down a short fling with one of the most handsome men she's ever seen!

Matt Chase has watched each one of his brothers find love and he knows he's ready for that too. It's all a matter of finding the woman who captures his heart. He's certainly sampled his fair share of them but none has moved him the way Tate Murphy does when he goes to her shop to thank her for some cookies and a thank you note.

But as Matt gets to know Tate and appreciate her strength and unique beauty, he also realizes she's got some big self esteem issues about her past. To build a future, he's got to find a way past some big road blocks.

Dude. Making Chase was un-put-downable, exactly the kind of book I love. It reminded me of the most heart-warming of Nora Roberts's family sagas. In fact, some of the interactions between Tate and Matt reminded me a little of Eve and Roarke. I don't mean it's derivative, just that these characters have that same perfect chemistry, married to marvelous banter. Tate isn't all melty-girly; she's more likely to say, "Then fuck me, bub" than anything more subtle. No hearts and flowers for her. She's a realist, not a romantic.

I didn't mean to devour it in one sitting; I really didn't. I opened the file to make sure the pdf downloaded correctly, and lost the whole morning. I was supposed to be writing, dammit! I want to read the first three now, but I cannot buy any books until I finish WANDERLUST, because as I have just demonstrated, I have no willpower.

I love Lauren's writing--she has such a charming style. A couple of my favorite bits were "the visual donut" and her creative cursing. Of those inventive phrases, I giggled most heartily over "fuckadoodledoo."

You don't want to miss this one.

Labels: reviews