Chaser by Kylie Scott is live!

 

 

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Blurb

Given his well-earned bad boy reputation, Eric is having a tough time scoring.. When single Jean moves to town, she seems heaven sent by the sex gods. Only problem is, she not only wants nothing to do with him, but it turns out that she’s pregnant.

Starting over in a small town, Jean is determined to turn her wild lifestyle around and be the kind of mother she always wished she’d had. Since local bar owner and all round hottie, Eric Collins, is now determined to steer clear of her pregnant self, it should be easy. When she goes into labour during a snow storm and her car slides on some ice, it’s Eric who comes to the rescue.

There seems to be a bond between them now, but is it enough? And can Eric give up his manwhore ways to be the man Jean needs?

 

 

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Review

4.5 stars!

This is the third book in the Dive Bar series, and though this book could be read as a standalone, be aware that you will be diving into a world with an already-established group of friends, family and colleagues, and you will be missing some context – though a good overview is given.

In the series timeline it’s been a little while since the last book, and things have moved on a bit for this group. And Eric Collins is feeling the shift. He is the bartender and part owner of Dive Bar, and he’s had some pretty big things to contend with over the last few books. Honestly, I haven’t been his biggest fan, and with his solid reputation as a conscienceless “fuckboy”, it’s clear that even those close to him don’t think that highly of him. But Eric is turning over a new leaf. He’s suddenly wanting something more than what he’s had in the past, and his journey to do that throughout this book is something truly special.

This book is written entirely from Eric’s POV, and it didn’t take him long to completely win me over. I loved getting inside of his head as we get to know how playful, funny and completely endearing he is, and he is a wonderful narrator for his story.

Life is like taking off a girl’s bra. You never know exactly what you’re gonna get, but however it turns out, it’s basically awesome.

Eric is determined to make changes in his life, and that starts with a vow to stop sleeping around and actually find somebody to have a relationship with. With one glance at a gorgeous woman who steps into his bar, he thinks he’s found somebody he actually wants to spend time with. She’s gorgeous, and after a bit of flirting he learns that he’s attracted to more than just her looks. But then he gets a really good look at her and discovers that she’s heavily pregnant. Not the kind of commitment he was looking for, no matter how badly he wants to change.

Man, I still couldn’t believe this was happening. God hated me or something. Pregnant women and me were enema. Anathema. Whatever.

But even with her impending single motherhood, there is something about Jean that lures him in, and Eric very quickly becomes friends with her. He can’t just switch off his attraction to her and figures there’s nothing wrong with hanging out with her. And then when he’s the one that just happens to be there when Jean goes into labour, it creates a new bond between them and something significant shifts inside him as he finds himself drawn to the little family.

Jean and Ada were the best things to happen to me in a long time. Being with them made me feel good, gave me a purpose. They made me want to be better, to do better. No messing around, no sex or anything to make things confused. I was going to be someone they could both rely upon if it killed me.

OMG, I love the setup for this book! A badass boy who falls for a baby is such a beautiful thing to watch, and seeing Eric with little Ada is ovary-exploding gooeyness! He’s so straight-up and matter of fact about it, still keeping true to his jokey self, but his obvious care for Ada is so beautiful to see. As is the way that he continues to be there for Jean, falling hard for her without fear or reservation, and I freaking loved it!

“Do I look that bad?”
“No. You look fine.”
“The whole yoga pants, old T-shirt, and messy hair things really works for you, huh?”
I just smiled. The truth being that her whole existence worked for me. Jean breathing and moving and being herself was beautiful in every way.

The progression of things between them is gorgeous, with lots of fun, banter and sweet moments. And the mix between heartfelt, fun and sexy is fantastically balanced as they begin to test the limits of things between them and everything begins to change – made all the more awesome through Eric’s open and hilarious narration.

“If you want, I’ll show them to you later.”
“Sorry, what?” My gaze returned to her face.
Only to have her point to her breasts. “I said, I can show them to you sometime if you want.”
“I would like that very much.”
“Okay then.” She grinned. “Next make-out session, no shirts. Agreed?”
I was a total winner at life. Forget how much money currently sat in my bank account. Ignore my maturity levels and emotional stability or lack thereof. Jean had offered to show me her tits. The year had only just started and mine was already made.

The rest of the Dive Bar crew all form a part of the story, and I loved catching up with them. I was annoyed at Nell’s behaviour, thinking she was incredibly unfair towards Eric, but her journey with him is an important part of his story and there were clearly changes that needed to be dealt with before either of them could move on. But I loved seeing everybody else watch Eric’s development, especially when it came to him and Jean.

“Jean and I are just friends.” He gave me a long look. “Dude, swear to God, you’re going to get sick of spinning that shit someday soon and I for one cannot wait to see what happens.”

This is a beautiful story. Wonderfully written with humour, wit and heart, and a hero that you cannot help but completely fall for. Jean is the perfect match for Eric and they are fantastic together, and the addition of little Ada to the story just made it all the more adorable. I was completely swept up in Eric’s story, and in the gorgeous romance – the bad boy falling hard is always a brilliant thing to see – and I absolutely loved this one.

4.5 stars.

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

 

Dive Bar

 

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Excerpt

I’d been tricked. Betrayed.

After Andre and Jean ate their lunch, we headed outside to deal with her stuff. The cold wind suited my mood to perfection.

Talk about disappointed.

“Don’t lift that, it looks heavy,” I snapped.

Jean blinked. “It’s a pillow.”

“The world’s largest pillow ever. You can’t be too careful.” My gaze roamed over her swollen middle.  “You’re . . .”

“Pregnant?” she asked with a voice dripping poison and sugar.

“Are you having trouble with the concept?”

“Absolutely not. I was just going to say huge, that’s all.”

She blew out an exasperated breath. “Thanks, Eric. That makes me feel so much better.”

“I just . . .”

“Don’t bother.” The woman turned back to her sensible, medium-sized SUV and got busy riffling through the contents. I was surprised she’d been able to squeeze into the driver’s seat.

Boxes and stuff took up almost every inch inside the vehicle. Each and every box seemed to have been neatly labeled with the contents.

The woman took her organization seriously. She looked over her shoulder. “You know, I can’t help noticing that Eric-the- smooth-moving- flirt has been suddenly replaced by Eric-the- awkward-jerk.”

“Well, you said you were single.” I folded my arms defensively across my chest.

“I am.”

And then there was an awkward silence.

“Yeah, but . . . I mean, in your condition . . .” I fumbled to a halt.

She turned, face all scrunched up. Like I was the one with the problem.

“Just hop out of the way so I can grab some boxes,” I said, voice gruff.

Still nothing from her. “It’s a second-story walk-up and you have a lot of stuff to get up there. You should be taking it easy.” Hands on hips, I tapped my black leather boot against the sidewalk, waiting her out. “Jean, I’m not trying to insult you. It’s the truth.”

She swore quietly, going back to fussing with the contents in the vehicle. I don’t think any woman has ever given me the silent treatment quite this quickly. Usually I’m good for at least a couple of hours after seeing them naked.

Man, I still couldn’t believe this was happening. God hated me or something. Pregnant women and me were enema. Anathema. Whatever. Now that I’d seen her out in the autumn light, however, she looked younger than I’d first guessed. Despite her tired eyes, her skin was smooth, soft looking. She was likely closer to her early twenties than mid.

“How old are you?” I asked.

“Why do you care?”

I shrugged one shoulder. “Just curious.”

“How old are you?”

“Nearly thirty.”

She sniffed. “I’m twenty-two.”

Young, like I’d thought. She was probably too immature for me, anyway.

“Come on, Jean. Let me get some of the boxes.”

Boyd ambled out of the Dive Bar, turning his head this way and that, looking up and down the street. I raised my hand and he started over in our direction. The big cook would make short work out of moving all this stuff. Behind us, Andre and Nell came out of the tenants’ entrance to the Bird Building. The place
was a big brick building about a hundred years old. Just past the door was an entryway with stairs leading up to the second floor, followed by two empty shops, their windows covered in flyers about local events. Concerts and parades and shit. They’d been vacant for a while, unfortunately. Andre’s Guitar Den came next, then Pat’s tattoo parlor Inkaho, and the Dive Bar on the corner.

“Everything’s good to go. Alex and I gave it a cleaning last week just to be sure,” said Nell, smacking a kiss on Jean’s cheek.

“You’ll meet Alex later. She’s probably busy working or something now. She’s sort of a shut-in.”

“You two didn’t have to do that,” said Jean. “Thank you.”

“Anytime.”

Andre leaned against the SUV. “Your furniture got delivered yesterday too, so it’s all good to go.”

“Excellent,” said Jean. “I can’t wait to sleep in a decent bed again. Road trips when you’re seven months’ pregnant kind of suck.”

“I bet.”

“Who’s minding the kitchen?” I asked.

“Lydia will text Boyd if they need something,” said Nell.

“We’re only going to be a few feet away from the place.”

I frowned.

“I own the kitchen, Eric. Not you,” she said. “You’re in charge of the bar, that’s all.”

One of Jean’s eyebrows inched up slightly. So I might have implied that I was the sole owner. Shit happened.

I crossed my arms. “Fine. No need to bite my head off.”

“My best online friend just moved to town. We’ve been texting and skyping for months. She’s been an absolute rock for me through all the nerves of being pregnant again,” said Nell. “Stop messing with my happy.”

And then there was an awkward silence. Great. If only there was some way to get out of helping without looking like a raging asshole. The possibility of anything happening between me and Jean had been buried six feet deep, never to be spoken of again.

 

 

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About the Author

Kylie is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author. She was voted Australian Romance Writer of the year, 2013 & 2014, by the Australian Romance Writer’s Association and her books have been translated into eleven different languages. She is a long time fan of romance, rock music, and B-grade horror films. Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet. You can learn more about Kylie on her website.

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