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Chase the Storm
Up until he buys an old truck, Elijah Morgan lives life according to his family’s plan, never feeling like he belongs. Desperate to find his own path, he heads out on the open road, only to end up stranded in Nebraska. Not wanting to ask for his parents’ help, he takes a job with tough, independent farmer Chase McKenzie.
Despite their age gap, the attraction between Chase and Elijah soon becomes undeniable. They give in to their desire, but that night changes everything and threatens the secret Chase guards so carefully.
As the summer heats up, so does their relationship. When autumn arrives, Elijah is due back at college, and he’ll have to choose whether to continue his education and follow in his family’s footsteps… or to stay in Nebraska with the man he loves.
Despite their age gap, the attraction between Chase and Elijah soon becomes undeniable. They give in to their desire, but that night changes everything and threatens the secret Chase guards so carefully.
As the summer heats up, so does their relationship. When autumn arrives, Elijah is due back at college, and he’ll have to choose whether to continue his education and follow in his family’s footsteps… or to stay in Nebraska with the man he loves.
210 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 12, 2013
24 people are currently reading
1373 people want to read
About the author
V.M. Waitt
1 book110 followersV.M Waitt discovered her love for writing as a child, spending many hours writing countless stories about horses, her first love, some of which were published in an equine magazine. Her creative side fostered in college as a film major, but it was writing that drove her to further explore the plots in her head. Before braving the world of original fiction, she wrote fan fiction and found her niche writing erotic m/m stories containing conflict, angst, flawed characters, difficult topics, and challenging situations, often provoking emotional responses from her readers.
Author of Chase the Storm by Dreamspinner Press.
Author of Chase the Storm by Dreamspinner Press.
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June 2, 2013
4 stars.****Review completed June 2, 2013
Elijah Morgan comes from a rich and prestigious family. His parents are all about being successful but Elijah never cared about pedigree and being number one. He was a rather simple, young man who loved to read a good book. He enjoyed playing piano instead of traveling around the world or chatting with rich people. He felt like an outsider in the world of the rich and beautiful. Instead of studying music, he was expected to attend an established and large college and graduate with a business degree. After all, his parents wanted him to follow in his father's footsteps as a vice president of a Fortune 500 company. To top everything off, Elijah was gay.
One day, however, Elijah saw an old Ford pickup truck with a "For Sale" sign. He didn't think twice and bought the car. Instead of going home for his summer break he took a trip to no-man's-land to find his own path in life. Though when he arrived in Nebraska his car broke down. At the garage he found an ad where Chase McKenzie was looking for a hard-working and cheap farmhand. Even though Elijah is absolutely clueless about farming he wants to give it a try because he is in dire need of some money. That's how Elijah makes the acquaintance of Chase McKenzie. Chase cultures wheat and hay, but he also trains and sells horses. Their first meeting is not very promising because Chase acts judgmental.
Note to Chase: Don't be an ass.
Note to Elijah: Show him what you've got!
Even so, Elijah insists to stay on the farm. Elijah isn't afraid of Chase's condescending behavior and wants to show him that he can do the job.
Note to Chase: Mind out of the gutter please.
Note to Elijah: Yeah, Chase could teach you other stuff too, for sure. :)
Loss…
Nebraska
Chase the Storm is told in first person past tense from Elijah's POV. There is a lot to love about this emotional story. From the perfect title which provided so many good and thoughtful connotations to the plot and great and vivid writing, the lovely setting and interesting characters and finally the love scenes. It is very unfortunate, though, that the author took a serious turn into Sapsville for the final 15 % of the story. There was just too much sap and waterworks for my taste. That's the reason I had to deduct a half star.
As far as I can judge the author did a fine job at portraying the atmosphere of the horse barn; the horses and their grooming and feeding was beautifully written and I could almost smell the animals and the hay. Again, I love horses and Chase the Storm brought back so many good memories. Furthermore, I think the wonderful and remote setting enhanced Chase's character in a major way. That taciturn, brooding, and sexy as sin man really breathes and lives his land, and his personality merged perfectly with the environment. Plus, he is a terrific horse whisperer. Add in the fact that I really fell for the endless vastness of the land, the loneliness, and stillness and Baba was a goner. Isn't it funny that we crave what we can't have? Coming from a very small country with plenty of mountains I sometimes miss the vastness where I can lose myself, and yet there are possibilities of retreat in many different places, i.e. the most simple option being absorbed in a book.
What I especially adored was the intimacy of Chase and Elijah's erotic encounters. It was more than just sex and their hunger for each other was so intense and palpable. And while there were plenty of love/sex scenes neither was it overladen nor did the sex overshadow the plot. So, those readers who love lots of steamy and well-written sex will definitely get their money's worth. What can I say? Men lovin' is HOT!
Minor quibbles
Aside from the sappy ending, I've had some minor issues with both of the main protagonists. Chase acted for too long like an ass. I understand that he but the way he treated Elijah was not all right. I just wanted to give him a tongue lashing, telling him to get over it already and accept what Elijah offered him so unconditionally. As a quid pro quo I wanted Elijah to show more backbone. It was beyond me that he would swallow Chase's crap for such a long time. Maybe that's the moment where his inexperience and youthfulness were a handicap. What really annoyed me was the fact that Elijah put up with Chase's demeanor once again It was obvious what Chase wanted to accomplish and I had to give him some credit, however, it irked me nonetheless. Plus, I didn't like the endearment angel, but what doesn't suit me might appeal to you.
Minor issues aside, I totally enjoyed Chase the Storm, and I'm looking forward to reading more by V.M. Waitt.
Recommended read.
It's always worth taking a chance on love a second time.
Elijah Morgan comes from a rich and prestigious family. His parents are all about being successful but Elijah never cared about pedigree and being number one. He was a rather simple, young man who loved to read a good book. He enjoyed playing piano instead of traveling around the world or chatting with rich people. He felt like an outsider in the world of the rich and beautiful. Instead of studying music, he was expected to attend an established and large college and graduate with a business degree. After all, his parents wanted him to follow in his father's footsteps as a vice president of a Fortune 500 company. To top everything off, Elijah was gay.
One day, however, Elijah saw an old Ford pickup truck with a "For Sale" sign. He didn't think twice and bought the car. Instead of going home for his summer break he took a trip to no-man's-land to find his own path in life. Though when he arrived in Nebraska his car broke down. At the garage he found an ad where Chase McKenzie was looking for a hard-working and cheap farmhand. Even though Elijah is absolutely clueless about farming he wants to give it a try because he is in dire need of some money. That's how Elijah makes the acquaintance of Chase McKenzie. Chase cultures wheat and hay, but he also trains and sells horses. Their first meeting is not very promising because Chase acts judgmental.
"Ever work a farm, kid?" he asked condescendingly.
Chewing on my lower lip, I shook my head. "No, sir, but I learn quickly."
He snorted, his gaze falling to my expensive watch and designer clothes. "I don't think so. Wouldn't want you to break a nail."
Note to Chase: Don't be an ass.
Note to Elijah: Show him what you've got!
Even so, Elijah insists to stay on the farm. Elijah isn't afraid of Chase's condescending behavior and wants to show him that he can do the job.
His tongue ran greedily along the seam of my lips, and I parted them, unable to control the sounds I made when it entered my mouth and touched mine. His wet warmth was more incredible than I'd ever imagined. Our tongues met, retreated, and met again as I willingly let him explore the recesses of my mouth and he coaxed me to do the same to his. I wanted everything right then, I wanted to feel him in me, above me, around me, but his pace was languid, unhurried in his experience. Teeth tugged on lips, lips sucked on tongues, and nails burrowed into muscle.
"Where are the rest of the animals?" I blurted, trying to make conversation. His brows met in confusion. "Like cows and pigs."
"This isn't a nursery rhyme farm, and I'm not old McDonald." He chuckled.
"I mean, I expected a farm to have other animals and…stuff."
Bending over, I scrubbed the back of the saddle, singing with the music I could hear from downstairs, a song about saving a horse and riding a cowboy.
"I know a cowboy I'd like to ride," I snickered cleverly to myself.
"Hungry?"
I jumped upright, almost falling over, and spun around to find Chase in the doorway with Admiral's saddle draped over one arm and the bridle hanging on his shoulder.
Taking a chance, I spoke up. "Can you teach me how to ride?"
He coughed, quickly covering his mouth with the back of his hand before dragging it across. "Excuse me?" he choked.
"I want to learn how to ride."
"Ride…"
"Yeah." I nodded. "Something I've always wanted to learn since I was a kid, but there aren't many horses in the city."
"Horses…right," he murmured softly.
"So, will you teach me?"
Note to Chase: Mind out of the gutter please.
Note to Elijah: Yeah, Chase could teach you other stuff too, for sure. :)
Loss…
Nebraska
Chase the Storm is told in first person past tense from Elijah's POV. There is a lot to love about this emotional story. From the perfect title which provided so many good and thoughtful connotations to the plot and great and vivid writing, the lovely setting and interesting characters and finally the love scenes. It is very unfortunate, though, that the author took a serious turn into Sapsville for the final 15 % of the story. There was just too much sap and waterworks for my taste. That's the reason I had to deduct a half star.
As far as I can judge the author did a fine job at portraying the atmosphere of the horse barn; the horses and their grooming and feeding was beautifully written and I could almost smell the animals and the hay. Again, I love horses and Chase the Storm brought back so many good memories. Furthermore, I think the wonderful and remote setting enhanced Chase's character in a major way. That taciturn, brooding, and sexy as sin man really breathes and lives his land, and his personality merged perfectly with the environment. Plus, he is a terrific horse whisperer. Add in the fact that I really fell for the endless vastness of the land, the loneliness, and stillness and Baba was a goner. Isn't it funny that we crave what we can't have? Coming from a very small country with plenty of mountains I sometimes miss the vastness where I can lose myself, and yet there are possibilities of retreat in many different places, i.e. the most simple option being absorbed in a book.
What I especially adored was the intimacy of Chase and Elijah's erotic encounters. It was more than just sex and their hunger for each other was so intense and palpable. And while there were plenty of love/sex scenes neither was it overladen nor did the sex overshadow the plot. So, those readers who love lots of steamy and well-written sex will definitely get their money's worth. What can I say? Men lovin' is HOT!
Minor quibbles
Aside from the sappy ending, I've had some minor issues with both of the main protagonists. Chase acted for too long like an ass. I understand that he but the way he treated Elijah was not all right. I just wanted to give him a tongue lashing, telling him to get over it already and accept what Elijah offered him so unconditionally. As a quid pro quo I wanted Elijah to show more backbone. It was beyond me that he would swallow Chase's crap for such a long time. Maybe that's the moment where his inexperience and youthfulness were a handicap. What really annoyed me was the fact that Elijah put up with Chase's demeanor once again It was obvious what Chase wanted to accomplish and I had to give him some credit, however, it irked me nonetheless. Plus, I didn't like the endearment angel, but what doesn't suit me might appeal to you.
Minor issues aside, I totally enjoyed Chase the Storm, and I'm looking forward to reading more by V.M. Waitt.
Recommended read.
It's always worth taking a chance on love a second time.
January 29, 2015
This book set my soul on fire (excuse the cheesy metaphor, but, really, it did).
Cowboys are hot, but gay cowboys are SIZZLING.
I loved Chase and Elijah. Chase was grieving and gruff, falling for Elijah but scared to love. And Elijah, young and a little naive, just wanted Chase.
There were so many feels, I was sob-gasping at one point: the slow-burning sexual tension; the push/pull between the men; the painful separation; the scorching chemistry; the unanswered LETTERS; and the KISSES, god, the kisses were epic.
This was one of the best love stories (m/m or otherwise) I've ever read.
Revised September 2014 to add cowboy gifs.
BECAUSE BEAUTY LIKE THIS MUST BE SHARED.
Cowboys are hot, but gay cowboys are SIZZLING.
I loved Chase and Elijah. Chase was grieving and gruff, falling for Elijah but scared to love. And Elijah, young and a little naive, just wanted Chase.
There were so many feels, I was sob-gasping at one point: the slow-burning sexual tension; the push/pull between the men; the painful separation; the scorching chemistry; the unanswered LETTERS; and the KISSES, god, the kisses were epic.
This was one of the best love stories (m/m or otherwise) I've ever read.
Revised September 2014 to add cowboy gifs.
BECAUSE BEAUTY LIKE THIS MUST BE SHARED.
February 20, 2018
The audiobook made it tolerable.
Well this has so many good reviews so I am just going to be here in the corner, it’s not the book it’s me.
The beginning was good and promising, the writing solid and I was prepared to have a wonderful tear-jerking time, instead I ended up being angry, but I continued to listen hoping it would get better, but as the story progressed, I kept deducting stars.
I started by feeling sorry for Chase for losing his husband to not really liking him at all. His grief was not an excuse for how he treated Elijah, and Elijah made me angry for taking it all in and not fighting back, making excuses for Chase saying that it was grief that made him act that way. Ummmm! Nope!
If being a jerk is how to show you are grieving, then I can’t get on board with that at all.
Chase😖😡:
And Elijah was determined to prove this theory right:
The sex scenes were hot until they became too much and repetitive, I can’t believe I am saying that 😱😱😱, It reached a point I started to forward the audio, yap i got bored with the sex scene *SMH*
And this did it for me, I couldn't get past it: Damn! I need to learn to forgive some of the book characters that make me angry:
Overall the writing was good, the audio book good too but the story frustrated me.
Well sometimes…..
Well this has so many good reviews so I am just going to be here in the corner, it’s not the book it’s me.
The beginning was good and promising, the writing solid and I was prepared to have a wonderful tear-jerking time, instead I ended up being angry, but I continued to listen hoping it would get better, but as the story progressed, I kept deducting stars.
I started by feeling sorry for Chase for losing his husband to not really liking him at all. His grief was not an excuse for how he treated Elijah, and Elijah made me angry for taking it all in and not fighting back, making excuses for Chase saying that it was grief that made him act that way. Ummmm! Nope!
If being a jerk is how to show you are grieving, then I can’t get on board with that at all.
Chase😖😡:
And Elijah was determined to prove this theory right:
The sex scenes were hot until they became too much and repetitive, I can’t believe I am saying that 😱😱😱, It reached a point I started to forward the audio, yap i got bored with the sex scene *SMH*
And this did it for me, I couldn't get past it: Damn! I need to learn to forgive some of the book characters that make me angry:
Overall the writing was good, the audio book good too but the story frustrated me.
Well sometimes…..
June 9, 2015
DNF at 70%
The first 30% I really liked, they were awesome, but as it went on I just stopped being invested in the characters and they sorta started getting on my nerves :(
At 50% I started skimming and at 70% I got to thinking: "Will this book never end????"
That's when I decided to DNF.
The writing style here is pretty great so that wasn't what bothered me, I guess this is the situation: it's not the book, it's me. I lost interest and oh well, can't get it back now :(((
September 18, 2024
4 Stars
I’m late to this party, considering this is probably one of those staple M/M romances that many lovers of the genre read years and years ago — but I’m here now, and it is definitely a case of better late than never!
I was immediately drawn in by young Elijah’s sweet and hopeful personality and his wish to experience more and be more than his parents wanted/expected him to be. He was an easily relatable and likeable character; one I began to admire as he grew into the man he was meant to become during his intense summer on Chase’s farm.
Chase was a different kettle of fish. He was one moody and reticent bastard at times, and sure, he had experienced great loss in his life and was dealing with that the only way he knew how, but it was still hard to watch him constantly push Elijah away and generally just treat him like shit, especially when it was clear that together they could be something wonderful. I felt for Chase, I did, but I still couldn’t help but feel like his rejecting behaviour was too much at times.
Elijah and Chase’s relationship was one that was hard fought, with lots of push and pull between the two, mostly on Chase’s part, but with a shared connection and attraction that was undeniable. I definitely found their story deeply romantic at times, even with the intensity and frustration experienced throughout, but I guess that just made what they had between them all the more profound.
However, I’ll admit I lost a lot of my adoration during the events of the final chapter and in the rushed way the epilogue concluded their previously wonderful romance. I went from wanting to give this full stars to almost wanting to DNF — that’s how much I disliked the final chapters. It comes down to the fact that I just found what happened completely pointless, . It’s just a shame these chapters took away some of my previous admiration for the story, because up until the end, I was loving it.
Ultimately, this was an engrossing and emotionally wrought story, the kind I felt possessed to devour in under a day. Although the very end let me down a bit, I was still extremely impressed by Waitt’s writing and story. It’s a shame she hasn’t written more since (at least under this name???) because I’d definitely be open to read more by her.
I’m late to this party, considering this is probably one of those staple M/M romances that many lovers of the genre read years and years ago — but I’m here now, and it is definitely a case of better late than never!
I was immediately drawn in by young Elijah’s sweet and hopeful personality and his wish to experience more and be more than his parents wanted/expected him to be. He was an easily relatable and likeable character; one I began to admire as he grew into the man he was meant to become during his intense summer on Chase’s farm.
Chase was a different kettle of fish. He was one moody and reticent bastard at times, and sure, he had experienced great loss in his life and was dealing with that the only way he knew how, but it was still hard to watch him constantly push Elijah away and generally just treat him like shit, especially when it was clear that together they could be something wonderful. I felt for Chase, I did, but I still couldn’t help but feel like his rejecting behaviour was too much at times.
Elijah and Chase’s relationship was one that was hard fought, with lots of push and pull between the two, mostly on Chase’s part, but with a shared connection and attraction that was undeniable. I definitely found their story deeply romantic at times, even with the intensity and frustration experienced throughout, but I guess that just made what they had between them all the more profound.
However, I’ll admit I lost a lot of my adoration during the events of the final chapter and in the rushed way the epilogue concluded their previously wonderful romance. I went from wanting to give this full stars to almost wanting to DNF — that’s how much I disliked the final chapters. It comes down to the fact that I just found what happened completely pointless, . It’s just a shame these chapters took away some of my previous admiration for the story, because up until the end, I was loving it.
Ultimately, this was an engrossing and emotionally wrought story, the kind I felt possessed to devour in under a day. Although the very end let me down a bit, I was still extremely impressed by Waitt’s writing and story. It’s a shame she hasn’t written more since (at least under this name???) because I’d definitely be open to read more by her.
June 27, 2013
Wow. This book, by the end, really just stole my heart. The pace, which I thought was painfully slow in the beginning, turned out to be exactly what made this story as beautiful as it was.
Elijah, our 19 year old narrator, grew up in a privileged home with parents who have never really understood him. Against his wishes, but to please his family, he heads to Harvard to study business. Desperately unhappy, lost, and defeated after his first year, he spontaneously buys a beat up truck and heads wherever the road leads him.
The road leads him to Nebraska…and onto Chase McKenzie’s farm.
Chase is such a heartbreaking character. Having experienced loss over and over again, he’s basically shut himself down and resigned himself to living his quiet life on his horse & wheat farm. Needing an extra pair of hands to help out, he takes Elijah in and not only teaches him how to be a farmer, but eventually, also, how to be a man.
Elijah, though naïve, innocent, and inexperienced actually had such a burning strength inside of him. I loved how huge his heart was for Chase. His heart loved big enough to forgive Chase’s own internal struggles manifested in mistreatment, at times, of Elijah. And his commitment to seeing Chase to a place of healing was lovely.
Chase…*sigh*…I’ve never wanted to just hug and console a man as much as I did Chase. Broken, hardened, and painfully sad, the moment he begins allowing Elijah in, and even all the struggles to reconcile their relationship in his life following, all I wanted was to see him happy.
This book’s pace is slow and repetitive. But I realized about ¼ of the way in that this must be intentional. The life lived on this farm is slow and repetitive. And when something was introduced out of the norm, I felt as affected by those experiences as I believe Elijah was as well. The bond between these 2 characters was a slow growth and the end result is truly one of the most beautiful love stories I’ve read in a long time.
Emotional…I cried…a lot.
Sexy…damn are the two of them sexy together.
Sweet.
Heartaching.
Powerful.
Lovely.
This review can also be found at: http://sidlove.wordpress.com/2013/06/...
June 1, 2013
PLEASE CAN I TRIPLE MY STARS FOR THIS AWESOME BOOK?
Every now and then you see a picture, discover a poem, read an inspiring quote or like in this case, read a book that hits you in the gut, takes you to a different level and simply blows you away. Chase The Storm did all those things to me and more. I read a lot and I've been privileged to read some absolute gems in this genre so to find a new author ( for me ) and another jewel of a book that genuinely took my breath away was just wonderful.
I read the first paragraph and that was it. love at first read!
The writing flowed in that easy way, where you don't have to keep stopping to analyse because its overly florid or wordy. It's just eyes down,sit back, relax and let it take you on its emotionally charged journey. Elijahs voice as he tells the story is simple and beautiful and I deny anyone not to fall head over heels with this endearing 19 year old young man as he starts out on a road trip in his old truck with only his savings and not much else, to find himself - away from the pressures of college and the expectations of his rich family, and as a result discovers the love of his life in a stubborn, lonely, heartbroken older cowboy who not only stole and at times broke his heart during their tempestuous relationship but stole and put mine through the wringer too! From the moment they meet the air around them is electrically charged with some of the best written sexual tension and chemistry I've ever encountered in a m/m love story so be prepared for graphic, intense raw sex that doesnt pull any punches but at the same time is still beautiful, sensual, heart pounding and poignant, because of the emotional connection that these guys share and that jumps of the page in all their love scenes. Its not a perfect book, there will be things to question but because I personally adored this story so much, it was perfection for me. I class myself as a ' rose coloured glasses' reader because if a story grabs me I honestly don't look for or generally see things to pick at, I'm happy to allow a bit of poetic license and when I read Its always the pleasure that I get from it that I base my ratings on, and my enjoyment and connection to a story.... and I was heart tied to this from start to finish! I freely admit to being a high rater but this one I would triple the rating if I could!
The actual story you need to read for yourselves and I guess Chase's actions will hit everyone in a different way but however you feel about way he acts, I'm pretty sure he'll have you loving him with a pash by the end of the book. I fell under his spell the first time he was described in the story so I understood why Elijah put up with so much to be with him. Both he and Elijah are characters who will stay in my memory for a very long time. I was gutted when I finished it so as soon as Ive finished this review I'm going to start it all over again, something I've only done a handful of times when a books been so good, and this time I'm reading it interruption free. No stopping to write " OMG!" Style updates. * grins*
I loved this book so much!!! Thanks V.M Waitt for putting so much heart and soul into it and therefore giving such a pleasurable if somewhat teary eyed reading experience, because be warned you'll need the tissues ...Well you will if you're a big softie!
Thanks again to my bestest buds Mark, Gina, Bev and Tina. Extra thanks toTina for introducing us to this amazing book. Another great buddy read! A keeper never ever to be deleted.
Every now and then you see a picture, discover a poem, read an inspiring quote or like in this case, read a book that hits you in the gut, takes you to a different level and simply blows you away. Chase The Storm did all those things to me and more. I read a lot and I've been privileged to read some absolute gems in this genre so to find a new author ( for me ) and another jewel of a book that genuinely took my breath away was just wonderful.
I read the first paragraph and that was it. love at first read!
The writing flowed in that easy way, where you don't have to keep stopping to analyse because its overly florid or wordy. It's just eyes down,sit back, relax and let it take you on its emotionally charged journey. Elijahs voice as he tells the story is simple and beautiful and I deny anyone not to fall head over heels with this endearing 19 year old young man as he starts out on a road trip in his old truck with only his savings and not much else, to find himself - away from the pressures of college and the expectations of his rich family, and as a result discovers the love of his life in a stubborn, lonely, heartbroken older cowboy who not only stole and at times broke his heart during their tempestuous relationship but stole and put mine through the wringer too! From the moment they meet the air around them is electrically charged with some of the best written sexual tension and chemistry I've ever encountered in a m/m love story so be prepared for graphic, intense raw sex that doesnt pull any punches but at the same time is still beautiful, sensual, heart pounding and poignant, because of the emotional connection that these guys share and that jumps of the page in all their love scenes. Its not a perfect book, there will be things to question but because I personally adored this story so much, it was perfection for me. I class myself as a ' rose coloured glasses' reader because if a story grabs me I honestly don't look for or generally see things to pick at, I'm happy to allow a bit of poetic license and when I read Its always the pleasure that I get from it that I base my ratings on, and my enjoyment and connection to a story.... and I was heart tied to this from start to finish! I freely admit to being a high rater but this one I would triple the rating if I could!
The actual story you need to read for yourselves and I guess Chase's actions will hit everyone in a different way but however you feel about way he acts, I'm pretty sure he'll have you loving him with a pash by the end of the book. I fell under his spell the first time he was described in the story so I understood why Elijah put up with so much to be with him. Both he and Elijah are characters who will stay in my memory for a very long time. I was gutted when I finished it so as soon as Ive finished this review I'm going to start it all over again, something I've only done a handful of times when a books been so good, and this time I'm reading it interruption free. No stopping to write " OMG!" Style updates. * grins*
I loved this book so much!!! Thanks V.M Waitt for putting so much heart and soul into it and therefore giving such a pleasurable if somewhat teary eyed reading experience, because be warned you'll need the tissues ...Well you will if you're a big softie!
Thanks again to my bestest buds Mark, Gina, Bev and Tina. Extra thanks toTina for introducing us to this amazing book. Another great buddy read! A keeper never ever to be deleted.
July 15, 2015
CHASE
ELIJAH
Elijah is 19 and feels lost,he feels he doesn't belong in the life he has mapped out for him.His parents want him to carry on in his father's business so he is studying Business Studies but his real love is music.
One day he sees an old Ford pick up truck for sale and,on impulse,decides to buy it and instead of going home for the summer he takes to the open road not knowing where he is going or what he is looking for.
When his truck breaks down he takes a job on a farm to help pay for the repairs.This is where he meets Chase...
Chase is a solitary man,emersed in grief after a tragedy in his past.Initially it's just a working relationship with Chase trying to push Elijah away.I thought the Author did a great job with the descriptive of the farm setting.I could totally picture long hot summer days working in the wheat fields and tending to the horses
This is a slow burning love story with two very different characters...one very complex and the other totally open and honest.I must admit half way through I didn't care for Chase much and I hated the way he treat Elijah at times but by the end of the book I understood him much better.Elijah,well...I just adored that boy.Although we know Elijah is 19,we aren't told how old Chase is but I'm guessing around 30 and this is one of my favourite M/M themes..the older guy and the younger one.
The sex scenes are hot and well written.My only slight negative would be I felt the last 20% was a little rushed,bearing in mind the time scale it involved.
All in all a very enjoyable,well thought out M/M Romance....
ELIJAH
Elijah is 19 and feels lost,he feels he doesn't belong in the life he has mapped out for him.His parents want him to carry on in his father's business so he is studying Business Studies but his real love is music.
One day he sees an old Ford pick up truck for sale and,on impulse,decides to buy it and instead of going home for the summer he takes to the open road not knowing where he is going or what he is looking for.
When his truck breaks down he takes a job on a farm to help pay for the repairs.This is where he meets Chase...
Chase is a solitary man,emersed in grief after a tragedy in his past.Initially it's just a working relationship with Chase trying to push Elijah away.I thought the Author did a great job with the descriptive of the farm setting.I could totally picture long hot summer days working in the wheat fields and tending to the horses
This is a slow burning love story with two very different characters...one very complex and the other totally open and honest.I must admit half way through I didn't care for Chase much and I hated the way he treat Elijah at times but by the end of the book I understood him much better.Elijah,well...I just adored that boy.Although we know Elijah is 19,we aren't told how old Chase is but I'm guessing around 30 and this is one of my favourite M/M themes..the older guy and the younger one.
The sex scenes are hot and well written.My only slight negative would be I felt the last 20% was a little rushed,bearing in mind the time scale it involved.
All in all a very enjoyable,well thought out M/M Romance....
September 18, 2024
Still a gorgeous read.
----Original Review April 2015-----
In spite of the reactions my friends here said they had to this book (that it wrecked them in the best of ways, that it really stayed with them, etc) Chase the Storm took me by surprise. I cannot believe I have never run across this book on my own and I am very very happy my friend Eleftheria recommended it to me. Once I started reading it, I was hard pressed to stop until I hit the last page. Indeed, it consumed me, and once I came to the end, I wanted nothing more than to start all over again.
Chase the Storm is told from Elijah's POV. Elijah is nineteen and just finished his freshman year of college and he is miserable. He comes from a wealthy family who have certain expectations that are just not a good fit with Elijah at all. He doesn't care about the wealth his family has or the business degree he is supposed to be getting. He has no desire to own the trendiest anything nor to follow in his father's footsteps. He just feels trapped by everyone else's expectations. On his last day of classes, a 'for sale' sign on an old, beat-up pickup truck catches his eye and on that day, Elijah buys himself a little piece of freedom. That summer, instead of going home to intern at his father's company, Elijah takes another path.
Chase is a man in mourning. Still grieving the loss of his husband, Chase cannot imagine ever letting anyone else in. He stays isolated and is doing his best to make a living on his farm. Chase is in his early thirty's, but he stopped living the day that Owen died. Maybe it was fate that brought Elijah to his farm in search of a summer job. Maybe it was just chance. But there's no doubt that the day Elijah showed up is the day that Chase discovered that not all hope was lost. Chase fights his attraction to Elijah with everything he has. He feels all kinds of guilt over it, feeling like he is betraying Owen, but he cannot deny there is something there.
Their love story grabbed a hold of my heart and squeezed tight. It was beautiful and heart breaking, and I cried through the last two chapters and the epilogue. I don't actually recall another book where I was moved so much that I cried through the happy ending. There were so many feels, they had no where else to go except to make me a weepy mess. And I'd do it all again, and very likely will soon.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that enjoys m/m stories that really make you feel. It is angsty, but in the best of ways.
----Original Review April 2015-----
In spite of the reactions my friends here said they had to this book (that it wrecked them in the best of ways, that it really stayed with them, etc) Chase the Storm took me by surprise. I cannot believe I have never run across this book on my own and I am very very happy my friend Eleftheria recommended it to me. Once I started reading it, I was hard pressed to stop until I hit the last page. Indeed, it consumed me, and once I came to the end, I wanted nothing more than to start all over again.
Chase the Storm is told from Elijah's POV. Elijah is nineteen and just finished his freshman year of college and he is miserable. He comes from a wealthy family who have certain expectations that are just not a good fit with Elijah at all. He doesn't care about the wealth his family has or the business degree he is supposed to be getting. He has no desire to own the trendiest anything nor to follow in his father's footsteps. He just feels trapped by everyone else's expectations. On his last day of classes, a 'for sale' sign on an old, beat-up pickup truck catches his eye and on that day, Elijah buys himself a little piece of freedom. That summer, instead of going home to intern at his father's company, Elijah takes another path.
Chase is a man in mourning. Still grieving the loss of his husband, Chase cannot imagine ever letting anyone else in. He stays isolated and is doing his best to make a living on his farm. Chase is in his early thirty's, but he stopped living the day that Owen died. Maybe it was fate that brought Elijah to his farm in search of a summer job. Maybe it was just chance. But there's no doubt that the day Elijah showed up is the day that Chase discovered that not all hope was lost. Chase fights his attraction to Elijah with everything he has. He feels all kinds of guilt over it, feeling like he is betraying Owen, but he cannot deny there is something there.
Their love story grabbed a hold of my heart and squeezed tight. It was beautiful and heart breaking, and I cried through the last two chapters and the epilogue. I don't actually recall another book where I was moved so much that I cried through the happy ending. There were so many feels, they had no where else to go except to make me a weepy mess. And I'd do it all again, and very likely will soon.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that enjoys m/m stories that really make you feel. It is angsty, but in the best of ways.
June 2, 2013
When I've heard that Val brought out her first original fiction I was ecstatic. I had to read the book... and fast!
'Chase the Storm' is a story about 19 years old college student Elijah Morgan who doesn't want to live the life his family has planed and organized for him. He is so lost, never quite fitting in, never feeling comfortable in his own skin. So he sets off to find his own path. He buys an old truck, heads out on the road and ends in Nebraska, in the middle of nowhere. His truck is broken and the car mechanic needs a few weeks to fix it. So he takes a job as a farm hand on the farm of Chase McKenzie, a withdrawn and harsh but attractive man...
Chase is hurting and emotionally numb. He radiates pain and grief. He fights his attraction to Elijah every step of the way. Elijah learns to live with the battles Chase is fighting and you see a boy become a man...
Elijah and Lakota?
I don't know what to say...but I was fucking blown away right from the start. I adore authors who are gifted with painting pictures in their readers mind. You can smell the hay, hear the whicker of the horses, feel the burning heat of the sun and imagine the sweat running down your back and soak your shirt.
You feel the pain, the desperation, the love... and read about a lovemaking you will never ever forget...
It's the kind of story that doesn't let you down... you can't avert your eyes, you just can't...
Chase is thinking about Owen?
And...oh boy... when a story is a tearjerker like this one, when all the emotions and the heartache the MCs are feeling are melting into tears... than you know you are reading one of these rare gems that you never want to forget.
5 stars for a wonderful debut!
Val, make your dreams come true and write more of these wonderful novels. You told me on Twitter that you are thinking about writing Chase and Owen's story. Keep going, bb. We are soooo waiting for your next book!
Highly recommended! *Please ensure that you have enough tissues. You're going to need an awful lot. :)*
Thanks again to my lovely friends Gina, Bev, Mark and Macky for another great buddy read. I love you guys :D
April 18, 2023
For me, this book was about feelings and emotions. I've written so many pages of notes, but when it comes down to it, LOVE is the overwhelming theme....Elijah's beautiful first-time love for Chase, Chase's everlasting love for Owen, his dead husband...and of course, Elijah's absolute determination to prove to Chase that he was worth loving and that Chase should give his heart another chance. This was a stunning book, Val deserves all the accolades going her way, and to my mind, it's 5 HUGE stars and 
!!
I'm not going into great depth in this review. As I've said, I've written so many words down...
Chase. A very lonely and bitter man, alone since Owen's death 3 years before, Owen, who was himself Chase's White Knight after the death of Chase's father when he was 18. Chase is wracked with guilt at the thought of taking another lover after the death of his husband, and is almost brought to his knees by grief, throwing himself into his work and only interacting with the horses on the farm, rejecting overtures from friends trying to help him come to terms with his loss. He deliberately tries to push Elijah away, fighting his attraction to the other man (cos in his mind he's betraying the memory of his husband), BUT he is torn in two by his body's desires and needs. I have to admit that I was not at all happy with Chase at times...[furious 🤬 might be a better way to describe it], especially with the way he sometimes treated Eli with complete contempt and the awful, nasty and extremely mean things he said to him.
Elijah, sigh!! 🥰 I loved him to bits. What a wonderful young man, strong, determined and mature for his age, he ultimately fell head-over-heels for Chase, gifting his virginity to him, his first lover. He was absolutely obsessed with Chase (but not in a stalker-type way), Chase was the first thing he thought of when he awoke...and the last thing before he slept. There was a joy and elation in Elijah at the thought of having found someone he could love, but at the same time, this was tempered with shame and sadness at the apparent lack of control Chase had over his guilt and his refusal to want to start living again.
This book was sensual, tender, heartwarming and touching... I absolutely loved it, and you will need tissues Ladies and Gents!!
!!I'm not going into great depth in this review. As I've said, I've written so many words down...
Chase. A very lonely and bitter man, alone since Owen's death 3 years before, Owen, who was himself Chase's White Knight after the death of Chase's father when he was 18. Chase is wracked with guilt at the thought of taking another lover after the death of his husband, and is almost brought to his knees by grief, throwing himself into his work and only interacting with the horses on the farm, rejecting overtures from friends trying to help him come to terms with his loss. He deliberately tries to push Elijah away, fighting his attraction to the other man (cos in his mind he's betraying the memory of his husband), BUT he is torn in two by his body's desires and needs. I have to admit that I was not at all happy with Chase at times...[furious 🤬 might be a better way to describe it], especially with the way he sometimes treated Eli with complete contempt and the awful, nasty and extremely mean things he said to him.
Elijah, sigh!! 🥰 I loved him to bits. What a wonderful young man, strong, determined and mature for his age, he ultimately fell head-over-heels for Chase, gifting his virginity to him, his first lover. He was absolutely obsessed with Chase (but not in a stalker-type way), Chase was the first thing he thought of when he awoke...and the last thing before he slept. There was a joy and elation in Elijah at the thought of having found someone he could love, but at the same time, this was tempered with shame and sadness at the apparent lack of control Chase had over his guilt and his refusal to want to start living again.
This book was sensual, tender, heartwarming and touching... I absolutely loved it, and you will need tissues Ladies and Gents!!
September 30, 2014
So beautiful, lovingly and tenderly told and so hot and romantic - I'm mesmerized - 5 M/M Stars
I had intended to write a long and overwhelming positive review, but the time went...
... two and a half months later (5 Sept 2013)
The young University student Elijah Morgan buys one summer an old Ford Pickup (1965) to discover a "new life". He comes to the middle of nowhere in Nebraska and get an offer for a job over the summer in a horse farm. The owner is the quiet, hard working and almost timid farmer Chase McKenzie.
One is young, talkative and interested in everything. The other is slightly older bitter, hardspoken and with an immense sadness. Life on the farm is tough with hard work from early morning to late evening, and the former urban guy learns everything the very hard way.
It was anguish and at times I was so angry at Chase, he was so consistent, but ultimately they both had my full support. Age difference, life experience, great sorrow and understanding of what you want in life were themes in this book. All well made and no unnecessary between.
Two lonely men, horses, silence and irresistible attraction makes a wonderful story. It's a bit dirty and raw, the conditions for an HEA ending is small but this is beautifully told and a pleasure to read.
A wonderful steaming hot very well written love story. I loved it all and of course adore this two lovely men. Recommended!
I LIKE - a great novel!
I had intended to write a long and overwhelming positive review, but the time went...
... two and a half months later (5 Sept 2013)
The young University student Elijah Morgan buys one summer an old Ford Pickup (1965) to discover a "new life". He comes to the middle of nowhere in Nebraska and get an offer for a job over the summer in a horse farm. The owner is the quiet, hard working and almost timid farmer Chase McKenzie.
"Can I stay here?" I asked worriedly.
Even in the dim light, I saw a flash of emotion in his eyes at my question before he nodded.
One is young, talkative and interested in everything. The other is slightly older bitter, hardspoken and with an immense sadness. Life on the farm is tough with hard work from early morning to late evening, and the former urban guy learns everything the very hard way.
‘Keeping his eyes on the tractor in the ring, ha said with a hint of his crooked smile, "Stop staring".
"I can't help it," I said with a shrug.
"Try harder."
Rolling my eyes under my hat, I returned my attention to the tractors, and not Chase or...’
It was anguish and at times I was so angry at Chase, he was so consistent, but ultimately they both had my full support. Age difference, life experience, great sorrow and understanding of what you want in life were themes in this book. All well made and no unnecessary between.
“Sometimes I wonder if maybe he sent you to me.”
Two lonely men, horses, silence and irresistible attraction makes a wonderful story. It's a bit dirty and raw, the conditions for an HEA ending is small but this is beautifully told and a pleasure to read.
A wonderful steaming hot very well written love story. I loved it all and of course adore this two lovely men. Recommended!
I LIKE - a great novel!
April 18, 2023
Reread 2023
Dropped 2 stars because I found a lot of niggles this time around. The most annoying one is that Chase was kind of OTT angry and surly, it got to a point where it wasn’t even realistic (unless he was a bad person , and I really prefer to think he wasn’t). Another niggles is that this is a book where the second POV was really really necessary because all we see is Chase being a jerk but we don’t understand what’s driving him , we don’t get why Elijah falls for him because he has absolutely no obvious qualities . Also , the book has waaaay too much sex and Elijah spends a looot of time on his back lol He has very little self respect if you ask me , otherwise I can’t explain how after being treated worse than a leper all day he can let Chase fuck him all night.
A part of my 3 stars are purely nostalgic and the other part for the beautiful writing, for the settings , the isolation is palpable, the farm work is realistically hard and the overall atmosphere of the book is great. I also liked the last 20% of the book. I liked the separation, I liked Elijah’s stubborn love and I like that he got what he desperately wanted .
Dropped 2 stars because I found a lot of niggles this time around. The most annoying one is that Chase was kind of OTT angry and surly, it got to a point where it wasn’t even realistic (unless he was a bad person , and I really prefer to think he wasn’t). Another niggles is that this is a book where the second POV was really really necessary because all we see is Chase being a jerk but we don’t understand what’s driving him , we don’t get why Elijah falls for him because he has absolutely no obvious qualities . Also , the book has waaaay too much sex and Elijah spends a looot of time on his back lol He has very little self respect if you ask me , otherwise I can’t explain how after being treated worse than a leper all day he can let Chase fuck him all night.
A part of my 3 stars are purely nostalgic and the other part for the beautiful writing, for the settings , the isolation is palpable, the farm work is realistically hard and the overall atmosphere of the book is great. I also liked the last 20% of the book. I liked the separation, I liked Elijah’s stubborn love and I like that he got what he desperately wanted .
April 18, 2023
There’s not one thing I could say I liked about this book. If I could remove it from my memory I would. Chase infuriated me and Elijah deserved way better than him. I know Chase was grieving his dead husband but he treated Elijah absolutely horribly. Elijah was such a kind, genuine, understanding person, and it was very sad how forgiving he was of Chase. He let Chase walk all over him. If I was Elijah, I will have left long fucking ago. There was way too much sex, it’s basically all they did. It felt like that’s all Elijah was to Chase, like he was using him. And then after they would have sex, Chase was a total unforgiving asshole on multiple occasions. He said horrible things to Elijah and it hurt so bad because Elijah was such a young, innocent soul. Idec, my ass would never forgive Chase. He enraged me.
I just wanted them to communicate for once but they kept having sex and sex AND SEX. The ending sucked, it was too rushed. I hated the last few chapters with a passion. Elijah deserved better. What a disappointing read and it was unsatisfying in every way. Too bad since I love cowboys.
I just wanted them to communicate for once but they kept having sex and sex AND SEX. The ending sucked, it was too rushed. I hated the last few chapters with a passion. Elijah deserved better. What a disappointing read and it was unsatisfying in every way. Too bad since I love cowboys.
March 20, 2017
Over the top romantic, angsty, heart wrenching perfection. Exactly what I needed.
October 23, 2015
Frankly, I'm a bit conflicted on this rating.
For the first 75% of this book, this was me:
And really, that's no surprise. A silent cowboy, a virgin rich kid, broken boys, angst, a ranch, horses, and lots of hot sex. It felt like this book was made for me.
But then there was that last quarter or so.
I'll get to that in a bit. First, the good stuff.
I really liked the portrayal of ranch life in this book. Most often in cowboy MM, the actual hard work that goes in to running a ranch gets pushed to the back. But in this case, life on Chase's struggling homestead was front and centre. It added both charm and realism to the story. It also helped keep me interested during the slow beginning, while Chase and Elijah were still skirting around each other.
The audiobook was really good. This is my first listen by Hugh Bradley, and I was very impressed. The narration was well-paced, and the voices of the different characters fit very well.
What I liked most was how Chase and Elijah built each other up, helping one another overcome their stumbling blocks. Chase teaches Elijah to have confidence in himself and his abilities. And Elijah shows Chase how to open his heart again. The journey was angst-filled, but it was so good.
And then the author needlessly went over-board. I'll put this next part in spoilers. The epilogue did make up for some of it, but I can't deny that the unneeded nonsense left me with a bitter-sweet feeling.
If I'm being honest, these 4 stars are more so for the first three quarters of the book. If I let myself get worked up about that last quarter, I'd drop this to 3 stars. Even so, I can say that 'Chase the Storm' was a good read, full of angst, hot lovin', and many feel-good moments. The excellent audiobook made it even better.
For the first 75% of this book, this was me:
And really, that's no surprise. A silent cowboy, a virgin rich kid, broken boys, angst, a ranch, horses, and lots of hot sex. It felt like this book was made for me.
But then there was that last quarter or so.
I'll get to that in a bit. First, the good stuff.
I really liked the portrayal of ranch life in this book. Most often in cowboy MM, the actual hard work that goes in to running a ranch gets pushed to the back. But in this case, life on Chase's struggling homestead was front and centre. It added both charm and realism to the story. It also helped keep me interested during the slow beginning, while Chase and Elijah were still skirting around each other.
The audiobook was really good. This is my first listen by Hugh Bradley, and I was very impressed. The narration was well-paced, and the voices of the different characters fit very well.
What I liked most was how Chase and Elijah built each other up, helping one another overcome their stumbling blocks. Chase teaches Elijah to have confidence in himself and his abilities. And Elijah shows Chase how to open his heart again. The journey was angst-filled, but it was so good.
And then the author needlessly went over-board. I'll put this next part in spoilers. The epilogue did make up for some of it, but I can't deny that the unneeded nonsense left me with a bitter-sweet feeling.
If I'm being honest, these 4 stars are more so for the first three quarters of the book. If I let myself get worked up about that last quarter, I'd drop this to 3 stars. Even so, I can say that 'Chase the Storm' was a good read, full of angst, hot lovin', and many feel-good moments. The excellent audiobook made it even better.
November 19, 2014
I absolutely adored this book! One of my all-time favorite M/M reads!!
Sexy cowboys + coming of age + lots of drama and angst + horses + Nebraska (where I’m from!) + heartfelt story = a definite 5-star read for me!!
This story is told from Elijah’s POV. He’s a 19-year-old college student who doesn’t feel like he fits in anywhere. Instead of studying music like he wants to, he’s following his parents’ wishes and studying business at Harvard. Once his freshman year is over, he buys an old red pick-up truck and decides to head out for the summer to “find himself.”
His truck breaks down in the middle of nowhere, Nebraska. The mechanic tells him it will be a couple weeks before he can get all the parts he needs to fix it.
Elijah notices an advertisement on the bulletin board at the garage looking for a ranch hand. He doesn’t want to ask his parents for help, so he takes the job at Chase McKenzie’s farm. It took me awhile to warm up to Chase. He has a lot of emotional baggage that he’s dealing with and doesn’t let very many people get close to him.
As the summer wears on, the attraction between Elijah and Chase becomes undeniable, despite their age difference. And the sex is some of the steamiest I’ve read in a long time. I can’t tell you how much I loved this book!!
November 26, 2019
4.5 stars . This book contained so much heartbreak and raw, wild emotion but ultimately it was hopeful, romantic and damn beautiful, and I shed a few tears at the epilogue. Thank you V.M. Waitt, you have a new fangirl. 😍
Thanks again also to the sweetest ever elf Josy for the gorgeous audiobook, I completely loved it!! xx
It absolutely does bear mentioning *does it ever*, and Dani said it best in her review here, Cowboys are hot, but gay cowboys are SIZZLING . #Facts ❤️❤️
******
Holy crap, I am so damn spoiled! Josy is now cut off from gifting me LOL, after giving the the audible of this awesome book, I can't wait to listen. xx Thank you so much sweets!
Thanks again also to the sweetest ever elf Josy for the gorgeous audiobook, I completely loved it!! xx
It absolutely does bear mentioning *does it ever*, and Dani said it best in her review here, Cowboys are hot, but gay cowboys are SIZZLING . #Facts ❤️❤️
******
Holy crap, I am so damn spoiled! Josy is now cut off from gifting me LOL, after giving the the audible of this awesome book, I can't wait to listen. xx Thank you so much sweets!
April 2, 2017
After reading all the raving reviews about this one, I figured this would be the perfect book for me. I was wrong. I can understand why so many people loved this story, I however felt angry and frustrated.
Now beware because this review contains spoilers !!!!!!!!
Elijah is 19 years old and feels lost. He feels like he doesn't belong. Not with his family and not at Harvard. He's also gay, but hasn't admitted it out loud to himself or anyone else.
Figuring he needs a break, he buys a beat up pick-up truck and hits the road, in search of himself...
Ofcourse his pick up breaks down in some small town in Nebraska and he is stranded. Not wanting to give up and go home, he finds a job at a ranch, which also provides him room and board.
This is how he meets Chase, the handsome cowboy owner of the ranch. He's a bit older then Elijah, I think 31 to Elijah's 19. Elijah feels an instant attraction to Chase, which kind of puzzels me because Chase as an asshole to him right of the bat.
But Elijah doesn't give up, the more Chase pushes him away the harder Elijah works to be on his good side. Then the day finally arrives when Elijah gets what he wants. Chase popping his cherry. I admit it was pretty hot and I was so happy the push and pull was gonna be over. I was wrong...again.
The morning after (or the night itself), Chase reverses to his asshole ways and is even more horrible then he was before.
He lashes out verbally but he even pushes Elijah physically. I was astounded by his assholeness !
Now don't get me wrong, I know he was hurting and grieving, but to me that doesn't give him the right to treat other people like shit...not verbally and not physically !!! In my opinion there is no excuse for treating someone like that.
What had me even more upset however was the fact that Elijah just swallowed everything Chase gave him. It was pathetic ! This my friends is exectly the reason I started reading mm. The whiny and spineless doormat behavior frustrates the shit out of me.
Don't go making excuses for someone who treats you like that. It gives them permission to do it over and over again.... Which is also exactly what happens.
The ending also pissed me off. After Chase pushes Elijah away to college, because he feels like Elijah needs to find his path and finish his school, Elijah stays away for three years !! Finishing school while fucking other men...how freaking romantic. He goes back to the ranch, they smile and fuck.....the end. Now tell me....why did Elijah have to go away, only to come right back after 3 years with a diploma he will probably do nothing with on a ranch in the middle of nowhere.
The ending felt way too rushed for me, I wasn't satisfied at all !!
Now don't let my ranting stop you from reading this book. It wasn't all bad. The writing was actually really good. I just have peculiair tastes when it comes to books, so me not loving this book has to do with personall preferences.
I'm still gonna give it three stars though, because like I said, the writing was very good and the steamy scenes were very nicely done.
April 7, 2020
*** Amazing *** This deserves more than 5 stars !
This is a full length novel of brown haired college student,
19 yr. old Elijah, who breaks free for the summer,
venturing off on his own and finding his life.
Blonde and older, Chase owns a farm in Nebraska,
where he trains and sells horses, grows wheat, and bails hay. It's non-stop hard work, day after day, grueling yet satisfying.
Chase is continuing to mourn the loss of his husband, Owen, and fights his growing feelings for Elijah. We get vivid depictions of Chase riding "all out" while the tornado approaches, with wild wind, hail, lightening, all getting closer.
You can nearly smell the farm, wheat, horses, and country air. Amazing writing !
*** This story reminds me of the great Garth Brooks song - "That Summer" - where the young guy finds sex and life in the arms of the older woman he works for on her farm.
Here, it's first time kisses, touches, and sex for closeted-at-home Elijah. I was really mad at Chase for being so moody and aiming his moodiness at Elijah. He needed to get his attitude adjusted earlier. He's a grown up, and needed to stop laying his crabbiness at hard working Elijah. Finally he starts coming out of his pent up emotions, comes to his senses, and Elijah deserves his "whole" self, not just pieces.
They travel to the Auction and have a wonderful time, things change, plus the openness they get to claim followed them home. A bittersweet, a heartbreaking, an excruciating return to college. Have your tissues ready my darlings !
Is it perfect, no, but it had my heart and tears.
This magnificent story has a happy ending, and will bring you completely to your knees.
Highly recommended. ENJOY !!
===========================
This is a full length novel of brown haired college student,
19 yr. old Elijah, who breaks free for the summer,
venturing off on his own and finding his life.
Blonde and older, Chase owns a farm in Nebraska,
where he trains and sells horses, grows wheat, and bails hay. It's non-stop hard work, day after day, grueling yet satisfying.
Chase is continuing to mourn the loss of his husband, Owen, and fights his growing feelings for Elijah. We get vivid depictions of Chase riding "all out" while the tornado approaches, with wild wind, hail, lightening, all getting closer.
You can nearly smell the farm, wheat, horses, and country air. Amazing writing !
*** This story reminds me of the great Garth Brooks song - "That Summer" - where the young guy finds sex and life in the arms of the older woman he works for on her farm.
Here, it's first time kisses, touches, and sex for closeted-at-home Elijah. I was really mad at Chase for being so moody and aiming his moodiness at Elijah. He needed to get his attitude adjusted earlier. He's a grown up, and needed to stop laying his crabbiness at hard working Elijah. Finally he starts coming out of his pent up emotions, comes to his senses, and Elijah deserves his "whole" self, not just pieces.
They travel to the Auction and have a wonderful time, things change, plus the openness they get to claim followed them home. A bittersweet, a heartbreaking, an excruciating return to college. Have your tissues ready my darlings !
Is it perfect, no, but it had my heart and tears.
This magnificent story has a happy ending, and will bring you completely to your knees.
Highly recommended. ENJOY !!
===========================
February 14, 2015
What to rate this??
For most of this book, I thought this was going to be a 5 star read. This was me:
It was so beautifully written. It was both heartbreaking yet tender. I felt each character's pain and their love for one another.
Well, let me tell you.
The writing of this book was 5 Stars. No doubt about that. My heart, however, is saying 3. Would I recommend this one? Absolutely. After rambling on I'm going with 3.5 rounded down but after some sleep I may rounded up.
For most of this book, I thought this was going to be a 5 star read. This was me:
It was so beautifully written. It was both heartbreaking yet tender. I felt each character's pain and their love for one another.
Well, let me tell you.
The writing of this book was 5 Stars. No doubt about that. My heart, however, is saying 3. Would I recommend this one? Absolutely. After rambling on I'm going with 3.5 rounded down but after some sleep I may rounded up.
September 26, 2017
All the beautiful stars for this book ... no sleep for me ! This was so well written and I was totally immersed in the story Elijah is 19 and feels lost - not fitting in, following his parents path and finding no joy in his life. He takes a chance, buys and old truck and ventures on a road trip that takes him to the middle of nowhere. There he meets Chase and begins to work on his farm over summer to help him decide what might be next for him in his life. Chase is gruff and has a stone wall very heavily around his heart. After suffering a tragic loss he is clearly protecting himself from ever becoming part of another persons life - be it friend or lover. The beauty of Elijah however, was his persistence and compliance, something Chase struggled to manage. Eventually after a very long slow burn these two connected and it was beautiful. Moments of joy until tears began to fall again. Three years passed ... three years too long for me, but I guess it needed to happen. The epilogue was lovely and I found some peace at the end of the book. These characters were extremely well written and created, no alpha male, not gritty dramas, just two nice guys trying to move forward and accept love. There was so much emotion in this book - so very well balanced. I think this will stick with me for a while. It's not hot or steamy, it's just warm ... perfectly warm ❤️
June 26, 2013
Beautiful, breathtaking, moving and overhwelming. A book that takes you on a journey of personal and emotional discovery, of highs and lows, of tears and then tears of joy!
You never forget your first time or your first love!
How many times has this been said, either for good or bad. Well, this was definitely the case with Elijah. After deciding on a whim to take off and burn as many bridges as possible due to a undeniably strong feeling of not fitting in at Universtiy, or anywhere else to that matter, buys an old truck and takes off on his very own personal road trip. I'm sure we've all had that urge ourselves more than once and this whole idea will for sure speak to that part of us just wanting to break the chains of our daily constrictions and restraints, duties and responsibilities. If we were all as lucky as Elijah, eh? This is where at the very beginning of the book the beautifully descripitive and flowing style of the author sets the scene of wide open spaces, fields and a sense of freedom, calm and peacfulness we all yearn for at times. Welcome to cowboy country.
Elijah's truck is old, breaks down and he has to find somewhere to stay until it is repaired. He takes a summer job at a local farm to pay and meets Chase the "Lonesome Cowboy" and here lonesome is right in all uses and connotations of the word. Chase is openly gay, but obviously hurting, a recluse who for whatever reason has very much cut himself off from as much human contact as possible. With the author's wonderfully sensitive writing you can pick up on this immediately. His hurt is as big and as wide as the open countryside and the never ending horizon in Nebraska, but also as big and wide is Elijah's heart which will be the balm for Chase's "Achy, Breaky Heart."
Chase is not expecting this in Elijah, a nineteen year old city boy on a road trip trying to discover himself and find out who he is. Well, to cut a long story short; they meet, the attraction is there, but it's a long, bumpy and emotional road until they both get to their HEA.
This book had me in tears, had me jumping for joy, also with tears thereof! For me it takes a extremely talented author to engage me in a whole book that revolves around just two MCs and their emotions. However, V. M. Waitt got my attention from the very first page. Her style is lyrical, descriptive, flows and draws the reader in with an ease you rarely find. She deals with the pain, the hurt, the joys and tears, sensitively and intuitively, but never flowery, gushy or tacky. Letting the reader feel and getting into the minds and emotions of her characters. I did have a few personal points I thought about picking up on, but they are really so trivial next to the book as a whole, I've now decided to forget them as not to mar this wonderful book. This story could rival Broke Back Mountain anyday!
Another super and thoroughly enjoyable buddy read with Gina, Macky, Tina and Bev. Thanks girls!
You never forget your first time or your first love!
How many times has this been said, either for good or bad. Well, this was definitely the case with Elijah. After deciding on a whim to take off and burn as many bridges as possible due to a undeniably strong feeling of not fitting in at Universtiy, or anywhere else to that matter, buys an old truck and takes off on his very own personal road trip. I'm sure we've all had that urge ourselves more than once and this whole idea will for sure speak to that part of us just wanting to break the chains of our daily constrictions and restraints, duties and responsibilities. If we were all as lucky as Elijah, eh? This is where at the very beginning of the book the beautifully descripitive and flowing style of the author sets the scene of wide open spaces, fields and a sense of freedom, calm and peacfulness we all yearn for at times. Welcome to cowboy country.
Elijah's truck is old, breaks down and he has to find somewhere to stay until it is repaired. He takes a summer job at a local farm to pay and meets Chase the "Lonesome Cowboy" and here lonesome is right in all uses and connotations of the word. Chase is openly gay, but obviously hurting, a recluse who for whatever reason has very much cut himself off from as much human contact as possible. With the author's wonderfully sensitive writing you can pick up on this immediately. His hurt is as big and as wide as the open countryside and the never ending horizon in Nebraska, but also as big and wide is Elijah's heart which will be the balm for Chase's "Achy, Breaky Heart."
Chase is not expecting this in Elijah, a nineteen year old city boy on a road trip trying to discover himself and find out who he is. Well, to cut a long story short; they meet, the attraction is there, but it's a long, bumpy and emotional road until they both get to their HEA.
This book had me in tears, had me jumping for joy, also with tears thereof! For me it takes a extremely talented author to engage me in a whole book that revolves around just two MCs and their emotions. However, V. M. Waitt got my attention from the very first page. Her style is lyrical, descriptive, flows and draws the reader in with an ease you rarely find. She deals with the pain, the hurt, the joys and tears, sensitively and intuitively, but never flowery, gushy or tacky. Letting the reader feel and getting into the minds and emotions of her characters. I did have a few personal points I thought about picking up on, but they are really so trivial next to the book as a whole, I've now decided to forget them as not to mar this wonderful book. This story could rival Broke Back Mountain anyday!
Another super and thoroughly enjoyable buddy read with Gina, Macky, Tina and Bev. Thanks girls!
August 29, 2014
This is one of those books that will be with me awhile and I'm sure that I will think of it often. It's one of those stories where the ending is so worth it because it took a lot of work by the characters to get there. They definitely earned their ending in this one.
I tried putting myself in Elijah's shoes several times while reading. I think he was a wonderful human being. Although he grew up extremely privileged, he wasn't a spoiled brat. He had the patience of a saint with Chase. I think I would have thrown in the towel several times, but he hung in there. Even though it was crushing, I
How does one get over losing their partner? This is the battle that rages within Chase throughout the book. Trying to find the balance of a chance at happiness vs. overwhelming guilt and grief. I know why he acted the way he did and Elijah knew as well. I'm not sure if I could have handled it with the same grace and determination. I thought it was so real when
Chase was very wise with how he knew things had to play out. Did he express his feelings in the best way? Who knows, but all humans react differently and I believe he was doing the best that he could and that's why I loved him (as well as Elijah). They both had a great amount of strength and courage.
I truly loved it!
I tried putting myself in Elijah's shoes several times while reading. I think he was a wonderful human being. Although he grew up extremely privileged, he wasn't a spoiled brat. He had the patience of a saint with Chase. I think I would have thrown in the towel several times, but he hung in there. Even though it was crushing, I
How does one get over losing their partner? This is the battle that rages within Chase throughout the book. Trying to find the balance of a chance at happiness vs. overwhelming guilt and grief. I know why he acted the way he did and Elijah knew as well. I'm not sure if I could have handled it with the same grace and determination. I thought it was so real when
Chase was very wise with how he knew things had to play out. Did he express his feelings in the best way? Who knows, but all humans react differently and I believe he was doing the best that he could and that's why I loved him (as well as Elijah). They both had a great amount of strength and courage.
I truly loved it!
August 24, 2015
To V.M. Waitt:
It's ROMANTIC.
And It's HOT.
I love complex stories, I love great plots. But there is something I love even more. The nothingness. I fall for (and hard) stories with no “plot”. The ones with no murderer to be caught or with no business to be overcame or with no Earth to be saved. In fact, no excuse to make the couple getting closer and moving forward to the HEA. The “stage-play” kind. The only-two-characters kind. They are the difficult ones. I could say they are almost doomed to failure. But this author has excelled.
The MC are authentic, true to themselves and to the reader. Elijah is young and in alienation: he doesn’t fit in this family, he doesn’t fit in his college, he doesn’t fit in the ideas he has been raised, he doesn’t fit in his mates goals. He never has found a place or a person to belong to. He is shy and prefers reading, he longs for studying music instead of business, he aspires to get further from his family and find people like him, he is old-fashioned and looks for love instead of sex. He doesn’t want to get rid of his virginity, he yearns for losing his virginity to someone he loves. I could put myself in his shoes because he is honest and true and I could feel identified with his desires easily.
So, in an uncharacteristic impulse he buys an old car falling in pieces and drives heading to the unknown. He doesn’t know where he is going to, he just know where he does come from and the further, the better. Destiny calls him when his car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, Nebraska, and applies for a farmhand job.
Here he meets Chase, and knows Chase’s storm in his eyes, and he chases this storm. Because there is no other alternative, and because he is everything he has been looking for in his life and because he doesn’t want to.
But the road is not smooth, Chase has his demons, and sometimes he is far from kind with Elijah. But Elijah is resilient and emphatic and mature. He surprised me once and again with his conviction and way of thinking. He doesn’t answer with ire or wrath or impatience. He is kind, calm and zen. He is human and suffers but he is unselfish and modest, and understands Chase and forgives him again and again. His martyrdom is astonishing but is not without a reason. He loves Chase that much that he places Chase’s needs before his own with an undeniable veracity. I have always admired people like that.
The sex is frequent and hot. I sometimes complain about too much sex scenes in books, but because I find them excessive or empty. Here they are not. Here they are attractive, captivating and full of feeling. They are sensual and heart warming. They are necessary and needy. I could feel the chemistry, the electricity of their touch and I only craved more.
We are never in Chase’s head. We can only guess his thoughts from Elijah’s thoughts. But he didn’t feel less real of less human because of that. Elijah’s perspective brings a heartbreaking image of Chase. Chase is not separate from love but this distortion is natural and made me shaky in the knees (and other parts of my body). I suffered with Chase because of Elijah’s suffering but also because of Chase’s evident pain. A pain disguised in cockiness and cynicism. The façade is hard but the inside is warm and shattered.
I loved seeing the process of Elijah’s getting the pieces together. I could understand the falling of Chase for Elijah. It’s strange because with only Elijah’s pov we would only be able to watch his own falling but the author manages to reflect Chase’s falling too.
I loved the isolation of the MC. The diary routine and simple life they lead. I loved the horses and the leather smell and I loved everything combined. Sometimes I love different parts in a book pretty much, but when combined I feel there is something missing and that the pieces don’t fit together. But this puzzle is one of the most beautiful I’ve read.
It's ROMANTIC.
And It's HOT.
I love complex stories, I love great plots. But there is something I love even more. The nothingness. I fall for (and hard) stories with no “plot”. The ones with no murderer to be caught or with no business to be overcame or with no Earth to be saved. In fact, no excuse to make the couple getting closer and moving forward to the HEA. The “stage-play” kind. The only-two-characters kind. They are the difficult ones. I could say they are almost doomed to failure. But this author has excelled.
The MC are authentic, true to themselves and to the reader. Elijah is young and in alienation: he doesn’t fit in this family, he doesn’t fit in his college, he doesn’t fit in the ideas he has been raised, he doesn’t fit in his mates goals. He never has found a place or a person to belong to. He is shy and prefers reading, he longs for studying music instead of business, he aspires to get further from his family and find people like him, he is old-fashioned and looks for love instead of sex. He doesn’t want to get rid of his virginity, he yearns for losing his virginity to someone he loves. I could put myself in his shoes because he is honest and true and I could feel identified with his desires easily.
So, in an uncharacteristic impulse he buys an old car falling in pieces and drives heading to the unknown. He doesn’t know where he is going to, he just know where he does come from and the further, the better. Destiny calls him when his car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, Nebraska, and applies for a farmhand job.
Here he meets Chase, and knows Chase’s storm in his eyes, and he chases this storm. Because there is no other alternative, and because he is everything he has been looking for in his life and because he doesn’t want to.
But the road is not smooth, Chase has his demons, and sometimes he is far from kind with Elijah. But Elijah is resilient and emphatic and mature. He surprised me once and again with his conviction and way of thinking. He doesn’t answer with ire or wrath or impatience. He is kind, calm and zen. He is human and suffers but he is unselfish and modest, and understands Chase and forgives him again and again. His martyrdom is astonishing but is not without a reason. He loves Chase that much that he places Chase’s needs before his own with an undeniable veracity. I have always admired people like that.
The sex is frequent and hot. I sometimes complain about too much sex scenes in books, but because I find them excessive or empty. Here they are not. Here they are attractive, captivating and full of feeling. They are sensual and heart warming. They are necessary and needy. I could feel the chemistry, the electricity of their touch and I only craved more.
We are never in Chase’s head. We can only guess his thoughts from Elijah’s thoughts. But he didn’t feel less real of less human because of that. Elijah’s perspective brings a heartbreaking image of Chase. Chase is not separate from love but this distortion is natural and made me shaky in the knees (and other parts of my body). I suffered with Chase because of Elijah’s suffering but also because of Chase’s evident pain. A pain disguised in cockiness and cynicism. The façade is hard but the inside is warm and shattered.
I loved seeing the process of Elijah’s getting the pieces together. I could understand the falling of Chase for Elijah. It’s strange because with only Elijah’s pov we would only be able to watch his own falling but the author manages to reflect Chase’s falling too.
I loved the isolation of the MC. The diary routine and simple life they lead. I loved the horses and the leather smell and I loved everything combined. Sometimes I love different parts in a book pretty much, but when combined I feel there is something missing and that the pieces don’t fit together. But this puzzle is one of the most beautiful I’ve read.
July 17, 2014
3.5--Chasing Chase--Stars!!
I've had this book on my TBR forever and finally took the plunge and read it. Overall I liked it but there were a few things I found frustrating with both MCs.
Elijah is 19. He's sort of lost. He comes from a family with a lot of money and they've kind of dictated how he lives his life. Where to go to college, what to study, etc. At the end of his freshman year of college, Elijah sees an old beat up truck for sale and gets inspired.
He buys the truck and hits the road. Only the old beat up truck only makes it to some podunk town in Nebraska, where Elijah ends up getting hired by Chase to help out on his farm for the summer.
Chase is a loner. He lost his partner several years back and is bitter and cold. He hasn't really moved on. I'm not going to lie....a large part of the time I thought he was an ass.
I know he was hurting from the loss, but Chase didn't have to be SO mean to Elijah!
Does it count as insta-love, if they internally fall in love?
I think so. Even though he never said the words out loud, Elijah fell in love with Chase really quickly I thought!
Once Chase finally got on board with giving things a shot with Elijah I enjoyed the story a lot more. Elijah starts to find his way and he discovers that being with Chase, and having a life on a farm is exactly what he wants.
But Elijah had only planned to be there for the summer. Elijah wants to stay with Chase, but Chase won't let him. And....asshole Chase is back.
This part really frustrated me!
But I did like the ending. It was sweet. And the steam factor on this one was HIGH!
So overall, I liked it but I didn't love it!
I've had this book on my TBR forever and finally took the plunge and read it. Overall I liked it but there were a few things I found frustrating with both MCs.
Elijah is 19. He's sort of lost. He comes from a family with a lot of money and they've kind of dictated how he lives his life. Where to go to college, what to study, etc. At the end of his freshman year of college, Elijah sees an old beat up truck for sale and gets inspired.
He buys the truck and hits the road. Only the old beat up truck only makes it to some podunk town in Nebraska, where Elijah ends up getting hired by Chase to help out on his farm for the summer.
Chase is a loner. He lost his partner several years back and is bitter and cold. He hasn't really moved on. I'm not going to lie....a large part of the time I thought he was an ass.
I know he was hurting from the loss, but Chase didn't have to be SO mean to Elijah!
Does it count as insta-love, if they internally fall in love?
I think so. Even though he never said the words out loud, Elijah fell in love with Chase really quickly I thought!
Once Chase finally got on board with giving things a shot with Elijah I enjoyed the story a lot more. Elijah starts to find his way and he discovers that being with Chase, and having a life on a farm is exactly what he wants.
But Elijah had only planned to be there for the summer. Elijah wants to stay with Chase, but Chase won't let him. And....asshole Chase is back.
This part really frustrated me!
But I did like the ending. It was sweet. And the steam factor on this one was HIGH!
So overall, I liked it but I didn't love it!
November 16, 2013
Gently pressing his chest to my back, his strong arms wrapped around my waist as his nose caressed my hair and he breathed me in. Gasping at his touch, I reacted instinctively to my thirst for him and angled my head to the side. Surprisingly soft lips kissed the sensitive skin behind my ear. I was afraid to move, afraid as soon as I did, the mirage of his body against mine would disappear and I would be left alone.
Gah!! What a ride.
I loved this book. I cannot believe this is a first time published author.
If you like -
Cowboy/s
Coming of age
An age difference
Love that tears at the chest and the heartstrings
A lost character (or two)
Horses (I love them)
Good writing, erotic writing with a solid plot
Then you will find these things and more in Chase the Storm.
Full review at http://ontopdownunderbookreviews.com/...
June 1, 2013
AMAZING, WONDERFUL, HEARTBREAKING, HEART WARMING, EMOTIONAL, GRAB SOME TISSUES FOR SAD AND HAPPY TEARS BOOK!!
This book blew me away, I cannot express adequately how much this book moved me and captured my heart! OMG OMG OMG!!
Elijah is 19 and feeling confined and trapped in a life that he doesn’t want. So he buys a beat-up truck and takes off for parts unknown. Well he ends up in a small town in the middle of nowhere when his truck breaks down. Looking for a way to pay for it he takes a job a hired hand on a farm. He meets the owner Chase.
Chase is openly gay and Elijah quickly finds out Chase is mourning the death of his husband Owen. Chase is closed off, angry, withdrawn, distant. While most people in this situation would probably not put up with Chase, Elijah wise beyond his years sees the paid the anguish in Chase and endures. He offers Chase patience and acceptance and at the same time starts to fall in love with him.
I have to admit, i don’t really enjoy reading stories where one or both of the main characters are so young. What does a 19 yr old know about life and maturity? What i found was a young man I loved, admired and respected.
Chase is till walking around with a huge hole in heart that Owen used to occupy. It broke my heart to see his pain and anguish. But there were also times I didn’t like the way he spoke to or treated Elijah. I understood why he did some things, but I still wanted to hit him over the head with something!
The sex scenes in this book were awesome, plenty of heat and chemistry and intimacy. The author did an excellent job of letting me feel each characters heart and emotions in these scenes and through out the entire book.
I have read many books that have moved me immensely, but few have brought tears to eyes and moved me the way this book has. I will never forget this book or these two guys.
If you could see my face when I think of this book you would see bright shiny stars in my eyes! LOVED IT!
Thank you Mark, Bev, Macky and Tina for an awesome buddy read!!
This book blew me away, I cannot express adequately how much this book moved me and captured my heart! OMG OMG OMG!!
Elijah is 19 and feeling confined and trapped in a life that he doesn’t want. So he buys a beat-up truck and takes off for parts unknown. Well he ends up in a small town in the middle of nowhere when his truck breaks down. Looking for a way to pay for it he takes a job a hired hand on a farm. He meets the owner Chase.
Chase is openly gay and Elijah quickly finds out Chase is mourning the death of his husband Owen. Chase is closed off, angry, withdrawn, distant. While most people in this situation would probably not put up with Chase, Elijah wise beyond his years sees the paid the anguish in Chase and endures. He offers Chase patience and acceptance and at the same time starts to fall in love with him.
I have to admit, i don’t really enjoy reading stories where one or both of the main characters are so young. What does a 19 yr old know about life and maturity? What i found was a young man I loved, admired and respected.
Chase is till walking around with a huge hole in heart that Owen used to occupy. It broke my heart to see his pain and anguish. But there were also times I didn’t like the way he spoke to or treated Elijah. I understood why he did some things, but I still wanted to hit him over the head with something!
The sex scenes in this book were awesome, plenty of heat and chemistry and intimacy. The author did an excellent job of letting me feel each characters heart and emotions in these scenes and through out the entire book.
I have read many books that have moved me immensely, but few have brought tears to eyes and moved me the way this book has. I will never forget this book or these two guys.
If you could see my face when I think of this book you would see bright shiny stars in my eyes! LOVED IT!
Thank you Mark, Bev, Macky and Tina for an awesome buddy read!!
June 7, 2013
This one was just a touch too angsty for my tastes, but I still am going to give it 4 stars because I believe that circumstances in my personal life threw me off on it enough to sway me a bit. I look forward to the day I re-read this one to see if it will make a difference. It really is a great love story, but the downtimes just ate me up inside.
Beautiful story, but brace yourself for the angst. I can recommend this to M/M romance fans, yes.
Beautiful story, but brace yourself for the angst. I can recommend this to M/M romance fans, yes.
December 10, 2016
This was possibly the best buddy read ever!!!
I've had this one for a while now and every time I looked at it I kept thinking it would probably be one of those books that would read even better with a friend or if you're lucky maybe 2. I was lucky as it happened one of Christelle's friends brought it to her attention and opportunity knocked and I pounced on that door all smiles and sweetness..."We should buddy read this, I've been wanting to read it for ages? Maybe Josy will join us?" and thus was born an epic buddy read.
Thank you lovely ladies for making what I'm sure would have been a really good read...into an amazingly fun read that definitely required tissues, hand holding and so many cowboy gifs.
Having just finished his first year at Harvard Eli Morgan is about to face a summer internship working for his father. He's never felt like he belonged and he may not know exactly what his path in life is but the one thing he's certain of is he's not on it. It's when he spots a battered, 1965 Ford pick-up truck with a 'For Sale' sign that he makes a spur of the moment decision that will change the course of his life forever.
After purchasing the truck and loading his belonging into it Eli heads out in search of something, what that is he's not sure but filled with a sense of freedom and optimism he's determined to find out.
It's in Nebraska that Eli's truck decides to break down. Luckily circumstances and a posting on a bulletin board solve Eli's problem of where to stay while he awaits the repairs and what to do for the money to pay for said repairs.
Chase McKenzie needs help on his farm. He's been managing on his own every since the unexpected loss of his partner Owen, but he's still grieving and dealing with his feelings of anger and loss so having a sexy, young city boy whose all of 19 years old walk onto his farm and into his life and make his heart start beating again isn't necessarily his idea of help.
The relationship between these two initially is tenuous at best. Eli needs the job, Chase needs the help but it doesn't necessarily mean that he wants it from Eli, however, beggars can't be choosers and given the circumstances Chase can't afford to turn down his only available option so it's with more than a little reluctance that he takes Eli on as a farmhand.
I'm pretty sure that if I went through all the books that I've read I'd find a few that carry this same theme. Circumstances may be slightly different but the essence would be the same. What I wouldn't find would be a lot if any that grabbed me heart and soul the way this one has.
'Chase the Storm' for me wasn't a 'romance novel' it was a 'love story'. You may very well be wondering 'what's the difference?'. Truthfully, I've wondered this myself and I've given it more than a little consideration, I've even googled and the results were a variety of responses. There's even an article from the 'Huffington Post' that was written by an editor for Harlequin Romance. But I'm not going to go into all those details for this review since it's my review I'm simply going to share with you what the difference is to me.
For me the difference between these two types of stories is about how they make the reader feel. Romances are big and splashy, with people that are often bigger than life and impossible situations, there's almost a sense of impossibility about them but that's why we love reading them.They take us away from the real world and let us experience an imaginary version where we know that at the end of it all the guy gets the girl or the girl gets the girl or the guy gets the guy whatever applies to the story and everyone lives happily ever after. They're fun and enjoyable but when the stories done so are the feelings, we don't linger over them they aren't lodged in our hearts days, weeks months maybe even years later. Don't misunderstand me, I have no issue with romance stories, I've read more than a few and I'm sure I'll continue to do so in the future.
But a truly good 'Love story' that's a much harder creature to find because for me a love story is more about the feelings. Not just the ones between the main characters...no more importantly it's the feelings that the story creates to connect the reader to it and how strong that connection is. It's the ability to make you feel everything that the characters feel as if it was happening to you. To share their laughter and tears, their anger and fear, their joys and triumphs in a deeply personal way that stays with you well beyond the last page of the book.
Love stories aren't always about passionate romantic love between two people either, they can be about a parent's love for their child, friends, family. Love has many meanings and takes many different forms and a truly good love story will touch the heart like nothing else can no matter what form it is in.
'Chase the Storm' is one example of what I consider to be a love story. Practically from the beginning I willingly invested myself into these characters...heart and soul.
I jumped in that pick-up truck and rode down the highway right beside Eli singing those country tunes and anyone who knows me will tell you...Me in a ford pick-up? singing country songs? not gonna' happen but I'd do it for Eli. I loved him, I wanted to feed him milk and cookies and tell him to go make his music and screw his daddy and his Fortune 500 company but I'm a mom and I know better so I stepped back and watched Eli find his own path. It was a path that at times reduced me to tears as I watched him grow and mature and ultimately fall in love for the first time.
And for all that I loved Eli my heart came to care for Chase as well. I ached for his loss and how lost he was as a result. Chase's struggle to move on with his life is not something that is foreign to anyone who's shared his experience.
Eli and Chase's journey to be together was neither simple nor direct and the authors ability to take us on a journey that was filled with a sense of emotion, truth and realism that isn't always present in fiction often made me forget that this was a work of fiction and not someone's story that I was sharing in.
Just like the beginning and the middle the ending of this story was neither simple, easy nor direct but it was emotionally beautiful and filled with love because at the end of it all that's what separates a love story from a romance for me is that when all is said and done as I am drying my eyes I am left with a sense of contentment and completeness that I've just read a story that is as it should be.
I've had this one for a while now and every time I looked at it I kept thinking it would probably be one of those books that would read even better with a friend or if you're lucky maybe 2. I was lucky as it happened one of Christelle's friends brought it to her attention and opportunity knocked and I pounced on that door all smiles and sweetness..."We should buddy read this, I've been wanting to read it for ages? Maybe Josy will join us?" and thus was born an epic buddy read.
Thank you lovely ladies for making what I'm sure would have been a really good read...into an amazingly fun read that definitely required tissues, hand holding and so many cowboy gifs.
Having just finished his first year at Harvard Eli Morgan is about to face a summer internship working for his father. He's never felt like he belonged and he may not know exactly what his path in life is but the one thing he's certain of is he's not on it. It's when he spots a battered, 1965 Ford pick-up truck with a 'For Sale' sign that he makes a spur of the moment decision that will change the course of his life forever.
After purchasing the truck and loading his belonging into it Eli heads out in search of something, what that is he's not sure but filled with a sense of freedom and optimism he's determined to find out.
It's in Nebraska that Eli's truck decides to break down. Luckily circumstances and a posting on a bulletin board solve Eli's problem of where to stay while he awaits the repairs and what to do for the money to pay for said repairs.
Chase McKenzie needs help on his farm. He's been managing on his own every since the unexpected loss of his partner Owen, but he's still grieving and dealing with his feelings of anger and loss so having a sexy, young city boy whose all of 19 years old walk onto his farm and into his life and make his heart start beating again isn't necessarily his idea of help.
The relationship between these two initially is tenuous at best. Eli needs the job, Chase needs the help but it doesn't necessarily mean that he wants it from Eli, however, beggars can't be choosers and given the circumstances Chase can't afford to turn down his only available option so it's with more than a little reluctance that he takes Eli on as a farmhand.
I'm pretty sure that if I went through all the books that I've read I'd find a few that carry this same theme. Circumstances may be slightly different but the essence would be the same. What I wouldn't find would be a lot if any that grabbed me heart and soul the way this one has.
'Chase the Storm' for me wasn't a 'romance novel' it was a 'love story'. You may very well be wondering 'what's the difference?'. Truthfully, I've wondered this myself and I've given it more than a little consideration, I've even googled and the results were a variety of responses. There's even an article from the 'Huffington Post' that was written by an editor for Harlequin Romance. But I'm not going to go into all those details for this review since it's my review I'm simply going to share with you what the difference is to me.
For me the difference between these two types of stories is about how they make the reader feel. Romances are big and splashy, with people that are often bigger than life and impossible situations, there's almost a sense of impossibility about them but that's why we love reading them.They take us away from the real world and let us experience an imaginary version where we know that at the end of it all the guy gets the girl or the girl gets the girl or the guy gets the guy whatever applies to the story and everyone lives happily ever after. They're fun and enjoyable but when the stories done so are the feelings, we don't linger over them they aren't lodged in our hearts days, weeks months maybe even years later. Don't misunderstand me, I have no issue with romance stories, I've read more than a few and I'm sure I'll continue to do so in the future.
But a truly good 'Love story' that's a much harder creature to find because for me a love story is more about the feelings. Not just the ones between the main characters...no more importantly it's the feelings that the story creates to connect the reader to it and how strong that connection is. It's the ability to make you feel everything that the characters feel as if it was happening to you. To share their laughter and tears, their anger and fear, their joys and triumphs in a deeply personal way that stays with you well beyond the last page of the book.
Love stories aren't always about passionate romantic love between two people either, they can be about a parent's love for their child, friends, family. Love has many meanings and takes many different forms and a truly good love story will touch the heart like nothing else can no matter what form it is in.
'Chase the Storm' is one example of what I consider to be a love story. Practically from the beginning I willingly invested myself into these characters...heart and soul.
I jumped in that pick-up truck and rode down the highway right beside Eli singing those country tunes and anyone who knows me will tell you...Me in a ford pick-up? singing country songs? not gonna' happen but I'd do it for Eli. I loved him, I wanted to feed him milk and cookies and tell him to go make his music and screw his daddy and his Fortune 500 company but I'm a mom and I know better so I stepped back and watched Eli find his own path. It was a path that at times reduced me to tears as I watched him grow and mature and ultimately fall in love for the first time.
"...After all, what could a nineteen-year-old kid know about lifelong love?
But maybe the nineteen-year-old kid knew what love was because he felt it as his heart shattered in the aisle of a soundless barn."
And for all that I loved Eli my heart came to care for Chase as well. I ached for his loss and how lost he was as a result. Chase's struggle to move on with his life is not something that is foreign to anyone who's shared his experience.
Eli and Chase's journey to be together was neither simple nor direct and the authors ability to take us on a journey that was filled with a sense of emotion, truth and realism that isn't always present in fiction often made me forget that this was a work of fiction and not someone's story that I was sharing in.
Just like the beginning and the middle the ending of this story was neither simple, easy nor direct but it was emotionally beautiful and filled with love because at the end of it all that's what separates a love story from a romance for me is that when all is said and done as I am drying my eyes I am left with a sense of contentment and completeness that I've just read a story that is as it should be.
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