Taking Chase [Paperback]

Cassie Gambol has left her old life far behind and moved to the small town of Petal, Georgia. Her ex-husband effectively ended her career as a vascular surgeon when he attempted to kill her. He then fled while awaiting sentencing. Cassie, formerly known as Carly Sunderland, had no choice but to take on a new identity and move from Los Angeles, California. She has high hopes of being able to integrate herself into the tiny community with the minimum amount of fuss. She'll soon discover just how unrealistic that idea, especially since as soon as she drives into town she's rear-ended by the pint-size mother of the town sheriff.

Shane Chase has been zealously guarding his bachelorhood since his fiancé cheated on him with his best friend. From the moment he meets Cassie at his mother's newest fender bender, Shane instinctively knows that she's hiding something. She's beautiful and he's attracted to her but previous experience has taught him that women are not to be trusted.

Being involved in a traffic accident right after entering Petal brings Cassie to the attention of the entire town - something she was trying very hard to avoid. The Chase family has taken it upon themselves to make sure that Cassie feels welcome in the community - despite her protests. Shane's interest is more than friendly, and Cassie is forced to admit to herself that she is attracted to the large, overwhelming sheriff. Cassie knows that he is nothing like her ex-husband but that doesn't stop the fear or panic attacks. Shane quickly puts the clues together and realizes that more than likely Cassie is running from an abusive ex. He's determined to help her and he has the support of his entire family. How is Cassie possibly going to be able to withstand the friendly gestures of the whole Chase family? What will happen if her ex-husband does manage to find her?

TAKING CHASE is the second book in Lauren Dane's CHASE BROTHERS series. These stories are fun, fast paced, and full of heart. All of the brothers are sinfully sexy but what I really love about them is the closeness they share with their families and the absolute respect they have for their mother. You just have to love a guy who respects his mom! We were first introduced to Shane in GIVING CHASE and he was still reeling from being cheated on and wasn't ready for a serious relationship. Readers will adore Cassie. She's survived domestic abuse and comes away from it a strong person full of hope and a need to get on with life. In order to be together both have to struggle through their own fears but it's well worth the extra effort. I'll definitely be watching for the rest of the books in this series.

Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)

Terrible book! I don't know what else to say. I don't know how the author managed to fill as many pages as she did because, with the exception of the reader waiting for the crazy ex-husband to show up, the book was really over in the first 100 pages, for me anyway. The hero, while he seemed to care about women, was kind of crass (and I'm no prude). As sexy as a guy is, I would be turned off big time by him talking about my "p*ssy* and "f*cking" me. I mean, how romantic is that?!?!? Plus, he was so hung up on the heroine's looks and body, he came across as being a bit shallow. Oh, and the repetive use of the word "darlin'". Yeah, they were from the south, but come on! If all that wasn't bad enough, the book was full of typos and bad grammar, which were distracting.

All in all, time and money NOT well spent.