Chasing Desire

by Jennifer Domenico

**This is a standalone book!**

High on life and all its luxuries, Brayden James has no intention of slowing down. That is until his womanizing ways catch up with him and he gets a much needed wake-up call. Just as he decides to clean up his act, the ultimate temptation enters his life.

When Mackenzie Reed meets Brayden, the attraction is instant and she knows that together they could achieve the kind of career success she’s always craved. But Mackenzie isn’t like most women. She has very good reasons for keeping her heart locked up tight. For her, this isn’t about love. This is about power.

Sparks fly as Brayden and Mackenzie try to avoid the one thing neither of them wanted. Each must choose between the life they’ve worked hard to achieve and the one they never imagined. Will they come to the same decision before it’s too late? Or will a hidden threat keep them apart?

Genres: New Adult

543 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 7, 2014

About the author

Jennifer Domenico writes contemporary and erotic romances. She loves alpha males with a soft spot, flawed characters, and strong, sassy women. Her characters usually have a side of kink and aren't afraid to demand what they want. The author doesn't apologize for that. She's a sucker for a happy ending as long as it comes with a lot of heat.

She lives in Phoenix, Arizona but is a Bostonian at heart. The way to her heart can be reached with a foreign accent, a shot of Fireball, and an unlimited supply of cupcakes.

She is also known under her alter ego, Jaelyn LaStoria, author of time traveling romances, because why not. The first title is Lost Within.

Reviews

[Christie«SHBBblogger»]

That's it. I officially quit this book. I intensely dislike it...and it's only getting worse.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very crazy ride. Gosh the train carrying Mackenzie`s baggage was almost as big as the list of girls Brayden had. So Brayden, well one word YUMMO. He is one in a million. I loved this character! He was a sexual harassment law suit just waiting to be assigned to a judge and prosecutor. I loved how completely driven he was career wise. Dont go there!

When Mackenzie comes into his life it is interesting. The author created a situation where she scouted him and Capella, his agency, out and wanted to be hired. He noticed her and wanted her. What I hated about her was the fact that she was so bold. I struggled liking her because she was alpha and so was he. He was the one who wanted a relationship. She had rules and they applied everywhere but with him.

What a fantastic book. Totally loved it for the right reasons. The authors creates two characters that I love to hate. There are a few minor characters that I loved too. Brayden's sister was a hoot ass well as Dan his best friend. Special mentions and best friend buddy, secretary, confidant and brilliant pal Macy. She was the root of my love for the people in Capella. It is so worth the read. Great for the beach or a long weekend and I think it is available tomorrow. It was over 400 pages and for that I was loving the author. Im also not gonna ruin anything but I will say there isnt any cliffhanger. There characters can be brought I am sure into another book but this is wrapped up. Brilliant!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

**See this full review and more at http://bookbriefs.net**

Chasing Desire was my first experience with a book by Jennifer Domenico. I have to say, I was really impressed. Not only is the writing top notch, but the plot of this book was continually evolving. It is so many things. Not only is it a kick ass romance, then it evolves into more of a secrets to overcome book, and then there is a mystery thrown in with a creepy stalker. This book felt long...in an awesome way. Mac and Brayden's story just kept going and going. It took them a longgg time to get to a good place. Things kept coming up and getting in their way. And I loved every bit of their journey.

I loved that while this book was told in dual narrative between Mackenzie and Brayden, over the first half of the book was just from Brayden's point of view. It really allowed us to get to know him. And we got to see Mac only from his eyes. She seemed like this out of worldly force. She was always so confident, so composes, and so powerful. It has been a long time like I have seen such a forceful female lead. It was empowering and awesome to read about. She is not afraid to go after what she wants and she is not afraid to be stern at work when she needs to be. She does not care that people will think she is a B (you know what I mean.) And because we only see things through his eyes, we can't be sure what is running through her head.

The second half of the book Mac gets a chance to show her point of view, and it was from here on that the chapters start alternating between the two of them. I was happy about this because by this time, I really had gotten to know Brayden and I wasn't ready for his point of views to stop. By the time we got to Mac's chapters, so much had already gone down between that the two of them that I thought I got a good idea of who they were. We still hadn't learned Mac's "secret", but I still felt like I knew her. And then I heard her voice and she was so different! Her secret transformed her into a completely different person, and it was refreshing to see another level to her.

Jennifer Domenico made such an impressive book! This single book could be a whole season of tv shows. One hour tv shows. That is how much she squeezed into one amazing novel. And none of it felt rushed. Everything was detailed, explained and perfectly paced. We really get to know Brayden and Mac and there is beautiful character development. Not only that, but the romance is so freakin' hot and the action is intense towards the end. Chasing Desire will leave you guessing, swooning and wanting more.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the honor and privilege to read "Chasing Desire" before the release date. Let me start off by saying Jennifer has done it again. She has a hot guy, steamy sex scenes what more could you ask for. I know an Italian hot guy!!!!

This book is centered around Brayden this advertising executive who is a womanizer and hits on anything in a skirt. He starting to have a few problems with his womanizing ways. When he meets Mackenzie Reed all bets are off. He decides to clean up his act.
He decides Mackenzie is the one.

Chasing Desire is fast paced with a bunch of interesting characters telling the story. I really loved this,book. This is a 5 star book for me.

BRAVO Jennifer!!

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

Chasing Desire is a great romance story about two people overcoming their pasts and focusing on changing themselves for the better. Braydon and Mackenzie sought each other out without realizing it. They were attracted to each other from the start. Mackenzie has her walls built solid around her heart and Braydon slowly chipped away at it. They fought outside forces that tried to break them up, and made their relationship stronger.

[Casey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review originally posted at Ramblings From This Chick

I will admit that I don't really know how to start this review. Chasing Desire by Jennifer Domenico left me with mixed feelings and I am a bit confused after just having finished reading it. This book was a lot different than I had expected, and I am not really sure what I am feeling right now. I think that this story started off good, and there was a lot of promise initially. But as the story progressed, things got muddled and turned into a mess for me. There was a lot going on, and yet it was really repetitive especially when it came to the dialogue. This one started off as being one I was really enjoying, but by the end of the story had lost my interest completely.

Braden James is the ultimate manwhore. He sleeps around, wants no commitment and has no problems with his life the way it is. But when he gets a promotion at his job and he starts to have women troubles as well as a bad dream, he decides to clean up his act a little bit. When Mackenzie contacts him about coming to work for his company, he is immediately drawn to her. He wants her and she wants him. But she is pretty much the female version of him and doesn't like to get involved with coworkers. Mackenzie and Braden find it difficult to fight what is between them and as much as they try to avoid each other, they eventually give in to their feelings. But can they make things work with their careers and their feelings for one another? And what happens when a threat they never realized was there arises and puts them in danger?

I really didn't like Brayden at first. He was cocky and arrogant, and a total user when it came to women. I like a reformed player as well as the next girl, but Brayden just rubbed me wrong right from the start. I did start to warm up to him though, and when he started to realize his actions and reputation were affecting his career I really did believe that he wanted to change. He started to become this great guy, and he was really sweet with Mackenzie. I believed in his transformation, and I could see that although he struggled with feeling love for the first time that he really cared about her and wanted things to work. Mackenzie was also a bit hard to warm up to. She had some issues and struggled with them which made her not be able to trust easily. She was having a tough time with her feelings for Brayden and didn't know how be in love with him either. I did like that she was able to eventually open up to him, but I think it took too long for her to get there and there was a lot of unnecessary conflict because of that. I think that Brayden and Mackenzie had a ton of chemistry together, and that is the one area that they never had problems with. They were really hot together from the start.

What really started to make me lose interest in this story is that we already had a ton of drama with Brayden's womanizing ways and the women who he left behind. But then things get truly bizarre when the contemporary romance turns into a suspense because a stalker randomly appears. Next thing we know there is someone stalking Brayden and Mackenzie, sending texts and making problems in their relationship, taking pictures of them together and sending them out and then a kidnapping. If this had been eased into from the beginning it wouldn't have been so much of an issue, but this doesn't even start until well into the book. Throw in an overzealous young virgin friend of Brayden's sister who won't take no for an answer and a bitchy coworker who is all bark and no bite, and this one just got weird. This book was pretty cheesy and had a lot of cliches and just didn't work for me. As good as this one might have started, it just steadily declined after the initial meeting of the hero and heroine. I kept reading thinking that it would get better only to realize that it was just the same thing with nothing to make it stand out or hold it's own. I wanted to like this one, but the repetitive dialogue and weird antics just made this one a miss for me. I think if readers go into this one expecting a suspense that it would help a lot, but from the blurb there is no indication of that at all which just makes it seem to come completely out of the blue. If you are a fan of suspense and like your romance on the cheesy side, you might give this one a shot.

**ARC Provided by Good Choice Reading**

[B · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Love is nothing but trouble. People get hurt. Love is for assholes."

Brayden is a player. He doesn't do relationships. He doesn't believe in love. He has a reputation in his office as a womanizer, a reputation that he proudly lives up to.

After some unfortunate encounters and a terrifying nightmare, Brayden thinks it's time for a change. He vows to keep it in his pants at the workplace. But then, he meets Mac.

“Once I decide I want something, nothing will get in my way."

Unbelievably sexy, confident, unabashed, forward...she wants him, she pursues him unrelentingly. They have chemistry. It's supposed to just be a private, monogamous, sexual relationship, they both agree. It's the perfect arrangement for them.

"We were going to be fuck buddies. We were going to join forces and rule the advertising world. We were going to have fun in bed and have lighthearted, non-meaningful banter.”

"He became my everything. He became my hope."

Neither knew they would fall. Hard. But there are walls that need to be torn down, and both of them don't know how to start doing that.

Brayden and Mac embark on a hot, emotional, turbulent journey, trying to learn what love is.

~~~~~~

I loved that both main characters were so strong-willed. They both had a past to be overcome, and they were also both confident and aggressive when it came to getting what they wanted.

Brayden's "adventures" before meeting Mac were hilarious! I definitely see why he was ready for a change at that point, he was really on a roll with the worst sex experiences ever! It was very interesting to see how the playboy fell so hard for the one woman who was emotionally unattainable. She frustrated me at times, but finally learning about her past and all that she had endured, I could see why she had issues with letting Brayden in fully.

As their pasts came back to haunt them, and knowing what they both standed to lose, I was on the edge of my seat to see how they would both work through the situations that arose! I thoroughly enjoyed seeing these two - so opposed to love - discover how wonderful, healing, and fulfilling love can truly be.

“No one, especially me, would have foreseen this moment. I was drawn to you before we even met and my need for you has only intensified. You are the yin to my yang, the female version of me, the Cleopatra to my Caesar, and my four leaf clover. I became a better man because you needed me to. You filled something in me I didn’t know was empty.”

[Stephanie- The Boyfriend Bookmark · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s all about the right pitch to draw a customer in a store or to a product. Jennifer Domenico has taken the advertising world by storm! This book is full of twists, turns and the unexpected gift of love. It is fabulous!

Brayden lives in this advertising world. Working at one the top agencies in the area, he is making deals and moving his way to the top of the ladder. That is what he wants out of life. He has no time or interest in a relationship. He has no desire to make a woman feel much more than just for that short amount of time they are together. He doesn’t want that. He saw how his parents did the whole relationship thing and he has no desire to follow in those steps.

He uses women and when they get clingy or to be more than he wants, he moves on. He isn’t looking for a white picket fence and he isn’t looking for 2.5 children running around. He doesn’t want the ring and he doesn’t want anyone to feel that way for him. But with his new promotion, his days of hooking up with interns and co-workers must come to an end. That is exactly how he is going to oaky it too. This is a big promotion and he needs to be respect, and not just as a sex God that will do any woman in the office. This is his opportunity to take this agency to new levels of amazing.

But with his new promotion, he has left a vacancy in positions. He promotes a co-worker and then hires a new woman to take over as an ad exec. But that woman proves to be more than he bargained for. Of course he knew that Mackenzie was hot, he saw her picture on the internet while doing research. He knew that she had to be smart with her bio… but when they meet in person for the first time, he knew he was screwed if he hired her.

She doesn’t date co-workers, he’s trying to keep it in his pants at work… this could be the most difficult thing that either of them had to do. But could they stay away? She was everything that he has always wanted. He was so much more than his bio. The chemistry between the two… HOT.

All of the characters in this book are great. The witty banter just made me smile over and over. Their pasts just tugged at my heart, but the pure emotion between Brayden and Mackenzie left me in awe. They were absolutely perfect for one another.

Where the story goes from that point is on a wild ride. Fasten your seatbelt this book goes from attraction to trouble to down right danger and it is super hot along the way. Jennifer Domenico takes Brayden and Mackenzie on a crazy train and it is an amazing journey. A five star must read!

[Cocktails and Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll start this off by saying I really enjoyed CHASING DESIRE. It was funny, sexy, emotional at times and had a couple of very naughty characters. There was even a bit of suspense written in that kept you guessing.

Brayden James was a crack up. I found myself laughing a lot at some of his dating (and I'll use that term loosely) fiascos. Brayden was a player and he had no qualms about sleeping with woman from his office, potential clients, random hook up at the bar....it didn't matter. If she offered herself up to him, Brayden would take it. But I equally enjoyed when Brayden got a bit of a conscious and decided he was going to grow up and not mess around at the office at virtually the same time the woman who would tame him starts in his department. Brayden's attempts at being professional (and failing miserably) were almost just as funny. But Brayden also started to realize that what he had with Mackenzie was much different than all his other hook ups and he began to grow up. I always love when the playboy suddenly finds himself wanting just one woman and wondering what the hell just happened. But instead of having MacKenzie fall at his feet, Brayden had to work for his woman. I think working for his relationship with her made them a better couple in the end.

Mackenzie had her own issues. She chased Brayden, because she felt the same connection to him as he felt for her. She pushed him when he tried to put the professional distance between them. But when she finally won him over, she wasn't expecting Brayden to break through her emotional walls. Mackenzie had issues with abandonment and was determined to keep Brayden at arms length. But her pushed through her BS and proved to her he wasn't like others that had abandoned her.

This book had a little bit of everything in it and was a book that I hated having to put down. Even when the humor left the book and it took a more serious, angsty tone, I still needed to be sure Brayden and Mackenzie would get their HEA. They were a couple that, despite the direction the storyline may take, you just had to keep going until the very end.

[Mihaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re looking for a cheesy romantic story this is the book for you.

Brayden is a playboy and quite proud of it. He doesn’t do commitment, ever, and has slept with almost all the interns at his working place.

Mackenzie wants to rule the advertisement world and knows that, in spite his womanizing ways, Brayden is the right man to be working for. And he’s not bad on the eyes either.

Who says you can’t mix work and pleasure?

Together, they are combustible. And not only inside the boardroom.

This is the perfect summer read. A romantic love story that will have you smile on your face from beginning to the end.

Why the low rating?

Well, I think the author created a little bit too much useless drama where Mackenzie is concerned. She created a serious condition for her then had her get over it just like that.

I’ve read this happening so many times and it really bothers me. I get it that the authors want to make the characters seem as “real” as possible and to do that, they must have flaws and all. But when you’re trying to portray a character suffering from a sickness that has affected his/her entire life then make it go away just like that … I’m sorry, I just can’t let it pass.

In this case we’re talking about an eating disorder. It doesn’t just go away. And it’s wrong to imply something like that. If you’re not planning on giving a little bit more details about the healing process and the condition itself, better not go there. Just sayin’.

Other than that I think it was ok. The mystery part was really interesting and it kept the story from being boring.

The writing style was good and I’ll definitely give her other books a try.

Happy Reading!

[books are love · Rating 4 out of 5]

The overall story is good and the premise of the story is nice. Mackenzie has issues with having someone get close due to her past and a eating disorder, Brayden is a womanizer who doesn't think love is for him. One day Brayden sees her on a competitors website and is enraptured. Along the way to meeting her and being swept off his feet he has some disastrous moments. Melanie with her bowel movements for example.

When they get together they have a lot of sexual tension and attraction. They don't want to get together because of work but Mackenzie convinces him otherwise and when they do come together it sizzles. Brayden though falls and falls hard. When she runs from him due to a misunderstanding and than when she gets scared, he is crushed and is not pleasant to others. Along the way, they have a stalker and a trouble maker who causes them problems. As they get to know one another they see they are the yin to the others yang.

Events unfold and they do come together and have a HEA. Macy his assistant is amazing. And the troublemaker is not who is expected. Brayden goes through a beautiful transformation that will put a smile on your face. Although the book is long and there are some things that can be cut down, the story is wonderful to read. The redemption from being a womanizer to a romantic sweet guy was wonderful and Mackenzie realizing that she can find someone that will be there no matter what if she just opens up is marvelous.

a book on love and having love transform you into a better person. A wonderful albeit a wee bit long read.

[Jena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super sexy, super thrilling, and enough chemistry to light up the pages, Chasing Desire is a contemporary that will definitely keep you hooked!

With Brayden James, he's definitely sexy and definitely hardworking and that's sexy as heck. I could have done with out his womanizing times a million, but hey there was a reason for it and I'm proud of him for finally realizing it wasn't worth it. On the other side with Mackenzie, this girl has been through the ringer and yet she is still a strong and fierce woman and that's admirable. I adored watching her and Brayden fall for each other and deal with all the crap thrown their way.

The only few gripes I had with Chasing Desire is it is classified as a new adult contemporary, and I'm not sure I would put it there. For one, the characters are older than I imagine for new adult and there is a ton of sexual moments. Not that that's a bad thing, I would just classify it as a more adult read. Also, the beginning just didn't grab me like I wanted it to. There was too much focus on Brayden and how much of a womanizer he was, when I wanted to just jump into the story. Other than that, once Mackenzie came in the picture...I was hooked.

If you're looking for a sexy, romantic read with some thrill thrown in definitely give this one a try!

Find this review at Shortie Says

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a long book with a split personality.

Brayden's a womanizer who has met his match in Mackenzie, a new hire at the firm where he was recently made partner and where he's promised himself not to sleep around with the staff anymore. Mac pursues the chemistry and their relationship turns from casual sex to something deeper when the womanizer realizes that he's got feelings for the woman who won't commit.

Then, it starts to turn into a suspense novel because there appears to be a stalker sending crazy texts to Bray and Mac and this friend of his sister who's got a crush on Bray. It was weird.

There wasn't anything really new here, except that Mac has fake boobs, and that's not a characteristic of the heroine that I've read recently. I had issues with how Bray and Mac meet -- hey have a Friday night dinner (huh?) because she wants to join his firm and she works for a competitor and then during dinner she suggests that she could give him a sample pitch (they're in advertising) if he comes back to her apt with her and then her sample pitch is about lingerie -- um REALLY???? Just annoyingly ridiculous.

Let's cross Emma Chase's Tangled (told from a male POV, a womanizer falls in love with a woman who doesn't make it easy for him) with an unnamed romantic suspense where there's a stalker and a kidnapping. I'm not a huge fan of romantic suspense... and Tangled was just executed better and was funnier.

[Kate Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

First let me tell you that Jennifer Domenico is one of my favourite authors, so it goes without saying that I was going to love this book.

Chasing Desire had it all. A swoon-worthy male lead, strong female lead, suspense and lots and lots of hot sex. I loved Brayden and Mackenzie and the chemistry they had was so palpable it was like I was witnessing it in real life and not through a book. It has a twist in it you just don't see coming, well I didn't anyway.

Jennifer, another great book girl. Loved every single minute of it.

[BethyMac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Brayden and Mac's story so much... 5 sexy stars review to come

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this book, I totally judged it by the cover and was glad that the story was just as great as the cover. I enjoyed this book because I could completely relate to where the leading lady was coming from with her views on love... this brought the story home for me and I recommend it to anyone that likes to see a man-whore brought to his knees :)

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this book and at first I was all ehh I really don't like this guy.. but as the book progressed I fell more and more in love with him. this book had highs and it had lows.. it had moments where I was on the edge of my seat just waiting to read what comes next.. LOVED IT!! WAY TO GO JENNIFER DOMENICO!!

[Carissa Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ohhh very sexy

Ohhh very sexy

I gotta say I wasn't expecting Mackenzie her forward ness lol but I loved it. they totally were each other's opposite. they completed each other. I loved it cuz that's how I feel for my own husband crazy lol

[Shelly Matheny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book!!

[Lin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very long and no epilouge :(

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book! Jennifer Domineco wrote fantastic characters that kept you engaged, not to mention they were HOT together! I'd highly recommend it!

[Yezz · Rating 1 out of 5]

CNF.....

I'm pretty sure I have never heard a man use the word "Yay" . Really hard to visualize Brayden as a male in this character. Couldn't get past the first few chapters.