Tuesday, March 01, 2016

THE SWEETEST CHASE (HEART OF THE STORM #2)

Photographer Quinn Parker is getting married in a month, and she’s almost happy about it. Even though her mother is planning the whole wedding. Even though she’s secretly had the hots for Simon Chase forever. But he’s her best friend’s brother and her coworker…off-limits even if she were single. So she’s marrying the man who should be her perfect match—and that’s that.

Simon Chase’s life revolves around his family’s storm-chasing business. The meteorologist of the bunch, he’d rather be out in the weather than reporting it—especially if Quinn Parker is along to photograph the run. He’s been hiding his crush on her for a long time, and it’s only intensified. But she’s marrying someone else—and that’s that.

Or is it? When a Chase family wedding sets the stage for body temperatures to rise and the pressure of Quinn’s impending wedding to build, a new reality breaks. Quinn and Simon discover their unrequited affections have been mutual all along. When the gathering storm of their attraction finally reaches its peak, will it leave their lives in shambles? Or will they find shelter in each other?

Release Date: February 23, 2016
Montlake Romance
Heart of the Storm series book #2
Review copy provided by the publisher

Nikki’s Review:

Sharla Lovelace is a fabulous writer. It’s clear that she's researched tornados and those who track them. I love getting on board with the Chase family and going for a bumpy ride through a storm! It's exhilarating and scary all at once! I really enjoyed book 1 in this series, so I was eager to dive into this one!

Simon Chase has been secretly in love with Quinn Parker for years. She's engaged to another man, which means keeping himself in check. I love friends to lovers stories! I like that there was a relationship before lust enters the picture. Simon and Quinn are best friends, so the waters are a bit murky when changing things up, and the whole fiancé thing puts a damper on it too! 

Here's where I struggled in this book. Quinn's fiancé, Eric, is a nice guy! I wanted to hate him because then Quinn could just ditch his ass and get together with Simon. But that's not the case here. While, Eric isn't perfect, he has flaws like anyone else, he was a good guy. I wouldn't say he was the guy for Quinn though. He did stifle her in some areas, she lost a bit of her true self with him. There were moments were I felt like the story was bordering on cheating. Not true cheating, but a few passionate kisses between Quinn and Simon. It was enough to make me mad. I felt like Quinn was stringing Eric along, with him thinking that everything was ok. This went on until almost the end of the book. I really would have liked for her to let him go a lot sooner. Again, if Eric had been a jerk, I wouldn't have cared as much, but he loved Quinn and was a pretty good guy.

Lawd, it took FOREVER for Simon and Quinn to finally get together! Somewhere around the 90% mark. This went on for far too long. I would have liked to have seen them more as a couple finding their footing. Most of the book was the constant tug of war with Quinn's heart and the decisions she needed to make. The end seemed rushed. It was like, they weren't together, and then they were engaged and Eric was left dumbfounded. 


The writing is strong in this book, Ms. Lovelace is certainly talented! And though I struggled with a few aspects, I'm really looking forward to the other books in this series. This is a family saga, and I love those! If you're looking for a series with strong and likeable characters, give this one a try!

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