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Rags to Riches #1

Remove the Empty Spaces

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Finding a solution for his boss brings Ion to the point of having his deepest fantasies come true.

Being a mailroom clerk is a stepping stone for Ion Vasile. He doesn’t plan on working in the basement at Bellamy International forever. Ion spends a lot of his time fantasising about Adrien Bellamy, CEO and President of the company. He’s sure Adrien doesn’t know he exists.

Adrien Bellamy does know Ion exists. Even with all his money and power, Adrien isn’t sure Ion would want to go out with him. So he keeps his distance from the gorgeous mail clerk.

After Ion finds a solution to a troubling acquisitions, Adrien takes a chance and asks him out. Their attraction runs red-hot, and a serious relationship becomes a possibility. But first they have to deal with their families and the differences pointed out between them. Adrien must find a way to convince Ion his lack of money and name doesn’t mean anything because Adrien loves him no matter what.

89 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 3, 2014

3 people are currently reading
175 people want to read

About the author

T.A. Chase

161 books892 followers
There is beauty in every kind of love, so why not live a life without boundaries? Experiencing everything the world offers fascinates me and writing about the things that make each of us unique is how I share those insights. I live in the Midwest with a wonderful partner of thirteen years. When not writing, I’m watching movies, reading and living life to the fullest.

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5 stars
45 (18%)
4 stars
54 (22%)
3 stars
82 (34%)
2 stars
49 (20%)
1 star
10 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
Profile Image for Candice.
932 reviews
August 3, 2016

I guess I was expecting more from the story, the insta love/lust just didn't work for and the ending was too abrupt. What happened to visiting Ion's family? It felt like the ending was missing.
Profile Image for BWT.
2,253 reviews246 followers
January 22, 2016
Pretty bad that I only remembered I'd read this before after I was halfway through reading it this time around.

Which means it's mostly pretty forgettable.

Meh.
Profile Image for Duck.
360 reviews50 followers
January 8, 2014
I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. I felt no connection with either MC, and Adrien actually seemed like a jerk more often than not. Insta-love, hokey dialog. I've read other books by this author that I have enjoyed but this one fell short.
Profile Image for Zuzi.
6 reviews
February 27, 2016
2.50 I am being indulgent to give it even that much because of the author. i have read other books from this author that were written earlier that this series and were much better, i was very disappointed. If this was the first book i would have read by her I i don`t know if i would of continue to read anything.

So about the book: i didn`t like the names chosen for the Ion Vasile to name a character from a Romanian family Ion Vasile its like naming an American one John Doe or John Smith the most uninteresting, unassuming, name there is it gives zero personality and no power to the character.(this might be my personal problem as i am Romanian)
The stosry it linear there is almost no depth to it and very little to the characters. It was like going to theater and watch a play by bad actors with lines written for someone else. The ending was in a limbo state. The insta love was to instant. I understand that in 80 pages its hard to give depth to a book but this was way to superficial.
Profile Image for Tala  .
535 reviews34 followers
November 7, 2015
I have to say if there wasn't a second book with this couple it would be a one or two star.
Even with another story the ending was very abrupt.
Profile Image for Yoshi.
206 reviews3 followers
November 8, 2014
The story was cut in the middle to make it into two novellas.
Profile Image for Barb ~rede-2-read~.
3,767 reviews113 followers
May 13, 2017
Nice story of an exec and a mail room clerk. The clerk, Ion, is working his way through his MBA and wants to see a business from the ground floor up so to speak. He gets a chance to propose his ideas for a reorganization of a newly acquired company, bringing him to the boss's attention. A few hundred sex scenes later, they are in love and Ion is working in a position that he'll get formally when he graduates.

Unfortunately, the story ends somewhat abruptly and to get the couple's full scope, including Ion's family's full blast of homophobia and lack of acceptance we need to go on to the next story.

There were a few minor inconsistencies that took me out of the story. Mentions of items previously obtained and I believe one was clothing related - you know, naked one minute, and about to remove clothes the next. Those sorts of things always detract from the pleasure, but nevertheless, I got the next book and am going to finish this couple's story.
Profile Image for multitaskingmomma.
1,359 reviews44 followers
May 5, 2014
Original Blog Post: http://headouttheoven.blogspot.com/20...

Book Series Review: Rags to Riches Books 1, 2, 3 by T.A. Chase
My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

I am so excited about this series written by author T.A. Chase. I just stumbled on this by accident and I actually started with Following His Footsteps because a friend mentioned loving it but when I started reading about Winston's best friends and their impending marriage, I just had to stop and get my hands on the first two books. This way, I thought, I could enjoy it all the more.

Boy, did I enjoy these three books!

A word of warning though: this series is far from over. Although I have read these three books, the story of the third best friend, Sidney Richardson, has not been told yet so we have to wait it out a bit longer. Needless to say, I am really looking forward for what's next to come with this series.

The first installment, Remove The Empty Spaces, should not really be read without going on to the second installment, Close The Distance, immediately. These are a continuing story between Adrien Bellamy and Ion Vasile and if it is just the first book read, there is a huge hanging thingy going on that can be frustrating. The need to read book two is a must. Fortunately, although their story does continue onto book three, Following His Footsteps, they are now just side characters. The main focus of that particular installment is on Winston Tennant and Patrick Gaverson. Both men are in the first two installments so they are not really curious insertions. In fact, Patrick plays quite a huge role on Adrien's and Ion's relationship.

The first two books, as I already mentioned, tells how Adrien finally found the impetus to ask Ion out. Ion had been working in the main office's mail room and been seen by the boss from afar, seen and admired, but given their roles in the office, they hardly saw each other. It was one bright day when Adrien loses his cool over the lack of solution regarding the employment of thousands, that Ion finds his opportunity to strike.

Ion is on his last semester before he finally gets his MBA degree and is really a brilliant young man. The thousands at stake involved his own family and so he knew he needed to do something that would save them their jobs. Well, he did. Only problem is, how to get said solution into the hands of the boss man himself. This is where Patrick comes in.

Patrick is the Personal Assistant to said boss and so had all the means to get those files on the table. He did it. The board read. The solution was simple and implementable. Now to find the brilliant mind who thought it up.

That, as they say, is when the story of Ion and Adrien really began. When two brilliant minds meet, they can either clash or merge. In this case, the minds merged. Along with their bodies and their hearts.

This is a real fairy tale romance - just look at the series title. As fairy tales go, there can be times when things get dark, sometimes it could get adventurous, and then it could go oh so romantic and cheesy. Then again, that is what I am looking for in a fairy tale and this series did not disappoint.

As the drama unfolds in the life of both Ion and Adrien, so does the drama in the life of Patrick unfold. In comes, finally, a man Patrick could hold on to and give up his heart for. Winston Tennant did not have a good life while growing up. Yes, there were a lot of silver and golden spoons, but emotionally, he was a starved little boy who just wanted to feel some bit of encouragement from his parents, one that did not involve bloodlines and social status. When he came out to his parents after deciding to divorce his wife, he was disowned. Thanks to his best friend and that friend's father, Winston found his feet within the Bellamy empire and soon rose through the rank and file and is now heading the European division. Unfortunately, being in that position did not make his personal life any happier. It was just as bad as when he first came out. Again, the one that connects the stories is Patrick.


Patrick had had a crush on Winston since he first met him five years ago. Unfortunately, the man was straighter as straight and so shrugged it off as fate. When Winston turns his focus on Patrick after being solidly punched with a not-too-subtle setup by Adrien and company, Patrick decides to live life a little and just enjoy. Never did both men expect their relationship would go the path it did. But they worked it out and so begins, and ends the third book.

This was a very light and incredibly enjoyable, fast read and cannot recommend this enough.

But here I am, impatiently awaiting the fourth installment. I don't think I can stand the wait, frankly, so will just have to stalk this author more, I guess. I really need that fourth installment, I need to know what happens next between Patrick and Winston, and then of course, Sidney.

So yeah, 'impatient' is not the mild word that comes to mind. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Profile Image for Chris.
1,155 reviews13 followers
December 3, 2015
Schon seit geraumer Zeit arbeitet Ion in dem Unternehmen des reichen Adrien als Postzusteller. Jedoch hat er nicht vor ein Leben lang diese Arbeit zu verrichten. Nebenbei macht er noch seinen MBA und steht kurz vor dem Abschluss. Ion stammt aus der Mittelschicht und hat ein gutes Verhältnis zu seinen Eltern und seinem Bruder. Jedoch kann sich die Familie mit seiner Homosexualität nicht wirklich anfreunden und glaubt, dass es eine vorübergehende Verwirrung ist. Das richtige Mädchen wird kommen!

Dabei hat Ion längst ein Auge auf seinen scheinbar unerreichbaren Chef geworfen. Der temperamentvolle und gutaussehende Adrien geht ihm nicht mehr aus dem Kopf. Doch der spielt in einer völlig anderen Liga. Umso überraschter ist Ion, als Adrien ihn um ein Date bittet und ernsthaftes Interesse an ihm zu haben scheint. Doch Ion hat trotz aller Anziehung und Zuneigung Bedenken. Auf Adriens Status und seinen Reichtum gibt er nichts. Doch eine Beziehung zwischen Angestellten und Chef scheint sehr problematisch.

Mein erstes Buch bzw. meine erste Geschichte von T.A. Chase und ich war ehrlich gesagt etwas ratlos was ich davon halten sollte. Doch nein ... mir hat die Story um Ion und Adrien gefallen. Es ist jetzt keine tiefgründige Geschichte und es gibt weder abgrundtiefes Drama, noch eine hochtragische Hintergrundgeschichte oder Vergangenheit. Sie kommen halt aus völlig unterschiedlichen Gesellschaftsschichten und verlieben sich ineinander.

Für mich sind beide Protagonisten sehr stimmig und sympathisch. Trotz der Kürze erfährt man genug aus dem Leben der Männer um sich ein klares Bild von ihnen und ihren Familien zu machen. Kritikpunkt ist das Ende. Abgeschlossen und doch offen. Es gibt also noch einen zweiten Teil, wo die Story zu Ende gebracht wird. Das mag wohl viele Leser wenig erfreut haben. Nur so kann ich mir die schlechten Rezis erklären.
Profile Image for Riayl.
1,090 reviews44 followers
March 3, 2014
I know this an ongoing series but I didn't care for the way the ending was written. It was written as if everything was all tied up and done, when it clearly wasn't and didn't leave off with a even a thought about the next part. I'm guessing this is why so many reviewers felt like they had missed a chapter. Even one last sentence from one of the MCs "Now we just have to survive meeting Ion's folks" would have fixed this to some degree. Or at least not left it feeling like it was supposed to be all wrapped up.

Other than that there is my usual gripe of how things moved so fast. There was no time given to the two of them getting to know each other. Having worked in the same company for a year and lusting after each other from the glimpses they had, do not count as getting to know each other.

I do get where Ion is coming from with his family, if they won't accept his lover then he is done. At the same time I feel like he is making a major decision without taking time to think about it or even discuss it with his family and I don't feel like he is making it for himself, so much as he is making because of Adrien. I wish Adrien had encouraged him to talk with his family more, instead of just blithely accepting everything. Adrien's character is a bit harder to like. Supposedly he is promoting Ion because of this paper, but as it will seem to everyone else in the office, it really appears to have more to do with his interest in Ion. And let's not even get into the apparently inept staff and Adrien's raging at them. If they are that incompetent and nothing is done about it, then Adrien is the only one to blame. And take some freaking anger management classes, how unprofessional to be screaming and breaking things.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Cathy Brockman.
Author 5 books95 followers
May 14, 2014
I found this a fun refreshing story. I love T.A. Chase. The author has a way with characters.
This is sort of a Cinderella story formula, middle-class-boy, Ion, has crush very rich, hot sexy boss Adrien. Adrien has a secret crush on Ion too. The get together and love blooms.It does move fast. i mean 0-60 fast but for soem reason i like it. The story is interesting very sexy and fast paced. I was to the end before I knew it.( I will say I was a bit surprised at the abrupt ending and would have liked a bit more conclusion, but I got over it and picked up the next book. You should probably have it handy.

I loved these men. Actually I loved everyone in the book. Ion is hard working and sweet. Adrien is successful but not so caught up in his riches that he looks down on others. He is perfect. ( hey it’s a book we can have perfect.) I even loved Patrick, Ions best friend and Adrien’s personal assistant. He is fresh and flamboyant and I wanted more of him. Adrien’s Parents were great too, though Ion’s were a bit off.

So if you are looking for a sweet, fun, charming story, with some hot sex to fill an hour or so I strongly suggest this ( and book two also).
If you like expensive suits, mail-boys with big ideas and crushes on boss, hot sexy multimillionaires, family ties, great friends and some hot mansex this book is for you!
I received a free copy from MMgoodbookreviews for an honest review.. http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/
Profile Image for Joyfully Jay.
9,104 reviews520 followers
March 14, 2014
A Joyfully Jay review.

2 stars


I wish I could tell you that the combination of lowly employee and hot boss (a kind of cinderfella) falling instantly in love really worked in the case of this novel, Remove the Empty Spaces. I felt as though the beginning of a good story was in place. Author T.A. Chase gave us two charismatic men who are interesting and dynamic in their own right and very hot and engaging when together. But then the story seemed to veer off into this one upmanship as both men began to discuss taking the other to meet their parents. And while Ion has so many concerns about the disparity in their social status—his low income versus Adrien’s silver spoon type of life—each time they were tossed aside and never really fully realized or discussed.

Read Sammy's review in its entirety here.
Profile Image for Bea.
325 reviews14 followers
November 15, 2015
No he podido terminarlo, no sé si lo retomaré algún día.
No me ha gustado nada el estilo de escritura, muy seco y directo, la forma en que uno escribiría un libro para un niño. Sin un mínimo de tensión ni de misterio. Sin construir historia. Sorprendentemente, al mismo tiempo es cursi y redicho; me ha parecido bastante cutre y aburrido.
15/11/15
Me he decido a volver a leer este libro y esta vez he podido acabarlo; aunque el final lo mejora un poco, sigo pensando más o menos lo mismo. La forma en que empiezan a salir y a conocerse e incluso algunas de las escenas de amor/sexo, están contadas con la misma pasión que uno contaría una transacción bancaria.
Por otro lado me ha sorprendido como acaba la historia... se queda completamente a medias O_o
Profile Image for ★MC's Corner★.
965 reviews45 followers
January 17, 2014
I love the story. But there’s something off. I think it needs more polishing.
I read the Every Shattered Dream; I love everything about so I got this one. I am bit disappointed.

I love teasing. It was hot. But there are times when it was hot then its corny.


@gleekidMC
Profile Image for Jennifer.
458 reviews
February 4, 2014
Sure the dialogue was corny, but my biggest gripe is to do with how a company can stay in the Fortune 100 with what must the most useless senior management teams in corporate America - Adrien is an appalling example of a CEO for hiring these people alone.
Profile Image for Rachel Emily.
4,474 reviews381 followers
March 2, 2014
Hmmm, just not up to par with the quality I'm used to reading from this author. Not a fan of the character names, and also I didn't really feel anything as far as chemistry between Ion and Adrien. Things just didn't make sense as far as business goes, and it just didn't really work for me.
Profile Image for Beth.
406 reviews2 followers
May 28, 2015
Abrupt ending but there is a sequel later on in the series. I don't think I will be reading on though. It was all right but I'm not riveted. I have to say I was a bit bored but I have also been reading a lot of suspense lately so maybe I just wasn't in the mood for a book like this.
Profile Image for P.
210 reviews1 follower
January 11, 2014
The story ended very abruptly, I wanted to know how Ion's family took the Sunday dinner.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Sabi.
349 reviews
January 12, 2014
I love this author, but with this book I felt that I missed a whole chapter, the last one! what happend with Ion´s family? Do they accept them?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Anke.
2,506 reviews97 followers
Want to read
January 31, 2014
Only .99c at ARe - you can't go wrong with that, right? Hopefully:)
Profile Image for Det.
131 reviews21 followers
September 13, 2014
The blurb was so interesting but awww too bad the insta-love just didn't work and the story a disappointment.
4 reviews2 followers
May 28, 2015
It was cute. Just too short and stopped abruptly when it looked as if things were going to finally happen. I hope book 2 answers some of my questions.
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