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.
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.
A Runner and a Chaser – on paper, that dynamic should work with ease because the one following behind will ensure that the other doesn’t get too far away or end up completely gone. But for Maggie Williams (the runner) and Cooper Moore (the chaser), the complexities and feelings involved in their no strings, secretive relationship, the complication of Cooper’s relationship with Maggie’s brother, and Maggie’s past and strict rules create a guaranteed mess that is bound to break hearts and friendships regardless of how careful Maggie believes she’s being in keeping Cooper at arm’s length.
Cooper Moore – like a lot of rich, playboys – lives a glorious life of leisure, partying and womanizing long into the night, but if people willingly looked past the slacker persona and got to know the real Cooper, the one that he hides from most people, they’ll understand the reasons that Maggie has a difficult time keeping her feelings out of their arrangement because as Cooper and Maggie’s story progresses, readers witness his transformation into a man who now has a purpose – someone who has been altered to his core by a woman who may not have been his in the beginning but will soon be if he has anything to say about it.
Maggie Williams is broken and simply existing, trying to figure out where her life is supposed to take her now that it’s basically imploded with her fiancé’s betrayal. Cooper was meant to be someone who helped her through a difficult night and perhaps provide her with a few weeks of fun, but even with her carefully crafted rules, Cooper finds a way to sneak past her defenses and become someone she can’t get enough of, which is exactly what scares the shit out of her. Ever since her would be wedding day, Maggie has been running scared – afraid to get hurt…afraid to give her to her feelings…afraid to deal with anything too overwhelming, and all of that avoiding has caused her to truly face nothing, which only further complicates things instead of making them easier.
Cooper and Maggie may not make a lot of sense to those around them, but they actually give each other exactly what they need, which allows Cooper to find his place in life and figure out his path, and even though it will take Maggie a bit longer and quite a bit of sadness and torment, she’ll also realize what needs to happen in order to deal with her past and move forward but none of that is going to work if she doesn’t stop running.
Chaser is an incredible story about self-discovery and the simple and impossible ways life gives you what you want and need. I love that Staci Hart provides readers with both Cooper and Maggie’s perspective because it allows us to truly understand what they’re both going through as their feelings for each other grow and the fear that that brings to Maggie and the peace that it provides for Cooper.
Sometimes it’s good to be chased – and let me tell you, if Cooper Moore was chasing me, I wouldn’t mind getting caught, but I’d make him work for it of course;)
A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 Poison Apples
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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