Chased
I've never read a book by Hazel James before. I'm honestly not even sure how I stumbled upon this one, but I'm glad I did. At first, I wasn't sure how I felt, I was worried this was going to be another bust for me, but I'm glad I found it, and I'm glad I read it. The story ended up being beautiful. Aside from a few misses for me, this was a great read.
"Paige Landry I finally made it. I graduated nursing school, and I found the perfect job. Things were great until a tornado blew through the emergency room, turning my life upside down. I don't know if I can ever go back to the way things were before. Tornado survivors have a choice to rebuild, or pack up and move away. I'm twenty-two, and I know that one day I want the American dream: a husband, 2.5 kids, and a white picket fence. But that's the thing with rebuilding. What happens when the next tornado hits? Will I be blown away again? DH Roads Adrenaline. It's fueled me since I was thirteen. It's what I discovered while I chased tornadoes across Oklahoma. It's what I craved on combat missions in helicopters in Afghanistan. It's what I lived for, until one day when everything changed. Now, adrenaline is my drug. It numbs me when the memories become to much to bear. It reminds me that I don't deserve a wife, 2.5 kids, and a white picket fence. I've seen what tornadoes do to white picket fences. It's ugly. I'm the tornado. I've already destroyed one family. Don't chase me."
"If progress feels like a hole in your chest so big you'll never breathe right again, then yeah, progress is my motherfucking bitch."
I wasn't sure this story was for me. The way it was going I was worried about several things happening that I'm just not into when it comes to books. As the story progressed, I fell in love with it. I already loved the characters, and then I loved their story. Paige is safe, she does everything the safe way. She has a safe boyfriend, and she keeps to herself, that is until the tornado that is DH comes crashing into her life. He brings her out of her shell and makes her realize that she wants more from her life than what she has been allowing herself to have.
I loved Paige. I could tell she was a firecracker, and I could tell she was dying to come out of her shell and live a little. When she met DH, she was naturally pretty reserved, but as their friendship grew closer I loved watching her grow and live life. My favorite thing about her was what she would blurt out when she was tired, it was hysterical. Even though she didn't see herself as brave, as a reader, I did. How amazing was it that she moved away from her family to follow her dreams, that she didn't care what anyone thought, and that she was doing everything on her own.
"The kinds of romance that makes me crazy when I'm with him and crave him when he's gone. I want my relationship to fuel me the same way it fuels him. Screw the paper, I want chemistry."
I wont lie, I didn't like DH in the beginning. He was cocky, which is usually my favorite thing about a book boyfriend, but then he was a man whore. I hate that. I hate when they are man whores, it usually comes back to bite them in the ass, and it definitely did in this story. I grew to love him, as the story progressed, and I learned more about him, I didn't mind that he was a bit of a whore. I appreciated his character development as the story went on.
These two had some major chemistry, especially when Paige was still in a relationship. I don't like it when a book has cheating and I will let you know, this one does not, but their chemistry was through the roof, and I even found myself just hoping and praying I would turn the page and they would finally give in. I'm glad the author took the story in the direction she did, because it made me respect the characters more.
"Once upon a time, a girl who loved The Wizard of Oz fell in love with the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. He though he wasn't good enough. HIs heart was broken. He needed courage to move on from the past. It took a tornado to change all that."
This book dealt with a lot of heavy stuff, but it was dealt with in a respectable way. I felt for the characters, and it was almost as if I could feel their pain. I don't know if she had been through these things before, knew someone who had, or just simply put in the research, but it was told beautifully and it made the story that much more special.
Overall, I'm giving this one 4.5 STARS. What kept it from a 5 star review for me was only the fact that the main character was engaged to a guy, broke off the engagement, and then started a relationship with someone else within hours. I can see how it happened, these two felt such an instant connection, but I just kind of wish some time had passed or something. Other than that, this was a beautiful, emotional, and thoughtful story, I really enjoyed it, and I can't wait to read more from Hazel in the future!
"Paige Landry I finally made it. I graduated nursing school, and I found the perfect job. Things were great until a tornado blew through the emergency room, turning my life upside down. I don't know if I can ever go back to the way things were before. Tornado survivors have a choice to rebuild, or pack up and move away. I'm twenty-two, and I know that one day I want the American dream: a husband, 2.5 kids, and a white picket fence. But that's the thing with rebuilding. What happens when the next tornado hits? Will I be blown away again? DH Roads Adrenaline. It's fueled me since I was thirteen. It's what I discovered while I chased tornadoes across Oklahoma. It's what I craved on combat missions in helicopters in Afghanistan. It's what I lived for, until one day when everything changed. Now, adrenaline is my drug. It numbs me when the memories become to much to bear. It reminds me that I don't deserve a wife, 2.5 kids, and a white picket fence. I've seen what tornadoes do to white picket fences. It's ugly. I'm the tornado. I've already destroyed one family. Don't chase me."
"If progress feels like a hole in your chest so big you'll never breathe right again, then yeah, progress is my motherfucking bitch."
I wasn't sure this story was for me. The way it was going I was worried about several things happening that I'm just not into when it comes to books. As the story progressed, I fell in love with it. I already loved the characters, and then I loved their story. Paige is safe, she does everything the safe way. She has a safe boyfriend, and she keeps to herself, that is until the tornado that is DH comes crashing into her life. He brings her out of her shell and makes her realize that she wants more from her life than what she has been allowing herself to have.
I loved Paige. I could tell she was a firecracker, and I could tell she was dying to come out of her shell and live a little. When she met DH, she was naturally pretty reserved, but as their friendship grew closer I loved watching her grow and live life. My favorite thing about her was what she would blurt out when she was tired, it was hysterical. Even though she didn't see herself as brave, as a reader, I did. How amazing was it that she moved away from her family to follow her dreams, that she didn't care what anyone thought, and that she was doing everything on her own.
"The kinds of romance that makes me crazy when I'm with him and crave him when he's gone. I want my relationship to fuel me the same way it fuels him. Screw the paper, I want chemistry."
I wont lie, I didn't like DH in the beginning. He was cocky, which is usually my favorite thing about a book boyfriend, but then he was a man whore. I hate that. I hate when they are man whores, it usually comes back to bite them in the ass, and it definitely did in this story. I grew to love him, as the story progressed, and I learned more about him, I didn't mind that he was a bit of a whore. I appreciated his character development as the story went on.
These two had some major chemistry, especially when Paige was still in a relationship. I don't like it when a book has cheating and I will let you know, this one does not, but their chemistry was through the roof, and I even found myself just hoping and praying I would turn the page and they would finally give in. I'm glad the author took the story in the direction she did, because it made me respect the characters more.
"Once upon a time, a girl who loved The Wizard of Oz fell in love with the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. He though he wasn't good enough. HIs heart was broken. He needed courage to move on from the past. It took a tornado to change all that."
This book dealt with a lot of heavy stuff, but it was dealt with in a respectable way. I felt for the characters, and it was almost as if I could feel their pain. I don't know if she had been through these things before, knew someone who had, or just simply put in the research, but it was told beautifully and it made the story that much more special.
Overall, I'm giving this one 4.5 STARS. What kept it from a 5 star review for me was only the fact that the main character was engaged to a guy, broke off the engagement, and then started a relationship with someone else within hours. I can see how it happened, these two felt such an instant connection, but I just kind of wish some time had passed or something. Other than that, this was a beautiful, emotional, and thoughtful story, I really enjoyed it, and I can't wait to read more from Hazel in the future!
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