Thursday, October 15, 2015

Release Blitz & Review: Chaser by Staci Hart

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Synopsis
Everyone knows you should never say never.

Cooper Moore never saw Maggie Williams coming. She was just his best friend’s little sister, the curly-haired, freckle-faced girl from Mississippi who was absolutely off limits. And he never thought about her any other way — not until he saw her that night, broken and brave. From that moment on, he knew he’d do whatever it took to protect her, even if it meant he had to stay away.

Maggie never expected to find her fiancé banging her maid of honor an hour before she was set to walk down the aisle, but life’s funny that way. The only option to save her sanity is to get the hell out of Jackson and move to New York where her brother lives. The only downside: Cooper is there too. And she just doesn’t know if she can stay away from him — the filthy rich, dead sexy playboy who’s allergic to commitment.

The second Maggie sees him again, she realizes he’ll be impossible to resist. Luckily, commitment is the last thing on her mind, and Cooper is the perfect escape. As long as she can keep her heart in check, everything will be just fine. Because she can never have feelings for him. Or at least that’s what she’ll keep telling herself.

Chaser is a standalone romantic comedy and book 2 of the Bad Habits series.

Chaser Teaser 2
Excerpt
Cooper grabbed me by the hips and dragged me to the end of the bed where he knelt. I gasped — somehow, I was completely naked, but he was fully clothed, smiling up the line of my body, that crooked smile of his that made my insides turn into mush. My thighs rested against his shoulders, and his eyes were smoldering hot, locked onto mine as he closed his lips over me and sucked. Hard.

“Whoamygod.”

That’s what I tried to say, at least, but I think it sounded more like Humuguh. Not that Cooper needed clarification. His eyes closed, dark lashes against his cheeks, fingers digging into my hips as he licked and sucked, sending tremors up my thighs when he moaned softly against me. My eyes slammed shut, and my chin pointed at the ceiling as my fingers twisted in his dark hair. Within seconds, I was rocking against him with my heart doing its best to escape my ribs and the rest of my body begging him to keep going.

He broke away. I cracked my lids, which weighed about seven pounds each, and glanced down at him. His face was turned toward the closed bedroom door, with alarm written in every angle.
And then I heard the front door close.

Lily.

Cooper looked back at me, blue eyes wide, and we stared at each other for one stunned second before bursting into action. I rolled out of bed with wobbly knees, and he stood, scanning the room for a place to hide.

Here’s the problem: No one knew Cooper and I were hooking up.

Here’s the bigger problem: My brother, West, might actually kill Cooper if he found out.

Chaser Teaser
Review
Chaser is an absolute must read, this book kept me up to finish it and I was sad when there wasn't any left. I felt like I had to savor that last 25% of the story so it didn't end too soon for me.

Cooper is the hot shot rich boy who keeps his true self to his, well self.  He doesn't let anyone in fully, not even those he claims as best friends.  He often lets those around him think things that are not true, because he doesn't want them to know the truth.   Cooper is a complex man who's unsure of himself in a lot of ways, and cocky in others.  I was in love with him in about 2.5 seconds.

Maggie is working her way through her botched wedding, thankful in a way that she caught her fiance cheating before he became her husband, but also still hurting and reeling from it.  She's struggling to basically start over, but she keeps a lot of that internalized.  She's feeling like an idiot and taking it out on herself, but she's also trying to protect herself from further future pain.

But the biggest secret both Cooper and Maggie are keeping is each other.  At first its something neither can figure out, why is there a pull, why do they keep going back for more, but both agree that they can't let the others know.   But then, Cooper discovers that he isn't quite so happy with their "secret" arrangement and wants to prove to Maggie that they can have more.

Chaser is an amazing story that falls into the Brother's best friend trope, but also Friends to Lovers, and it is not even a little bit routine or ordinary.  Cooper and Maggie are such an interesting pair that its easy to forget the hows and whys and just focus on the two of them trying to figure things out and hold back on love. Not that there isn't love there.    Maggie thinks she knows Cooper, and in trying to protect herself, she wants to stick to rules and limits, and Cooper wants to break all of them and become something much more than a steady hook-up.

They try to keep it light and play it off, but its pretty clear from the start, that was a silly idea.  The pull, the absolute need to be with each other grows minute by minute and leaves them craving their next meet up.  The build up from a general friends with benefits relationship is steady and eventually they both have to admit there is more there.  But both have so we say issues so it of course isn't exactly a smooth transition.

But that's what makes Chaser a good book, there is drama, there are high stakes, it is oh so risky to start something with a friend and try to find more.  It's hard to put yourself out there, heart on the line, but ultimately when you find the one, its' worth it.   They have banter, they have some really funny moments, but they also have moments that leave you swooning or needing a fan.  There is a well rounded split from how they are among friends to how they are with each other and I felt that really showed how alone they were only a small part of who they could be together.

I really loved that it was Cooper that initially wanted more, that was a welcome change for me and I felt it made the story that much better because it wasn't the norm.  It's always amazing to see a newish spin on a favorite trope.  Fabulous job, Staci Hart.  I can't wait for more of your stories.




the series
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Buy Links
Chaser Promo

AMAZON * AMAZON UK

About the author
Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life -- a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can't forget that. She's also been a mom; she has three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She's been a wife; even though she's certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She's also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she's been drinking whiskey. Her favorite word starts with f and ends with k.
From roots in Houston, to a seven year stint in Southern California, Staci and her family ended up settling somewhere in between and equally north, in Denver. They are new enough that snow is still magical. When she's not writing, she's sleeping, gaming, or designing graphics.


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