The minute I knew this book was going to be a fake relationship, surprise baby, friends to more plotline, I knew I was going to fall in love. Having read quite a few dark romances recently, I needed something with enough of an edge to keep me interested, but not too dark, and Chaser ticked all those boxes.
Grace’s world is rocked when she discovers she’s pregnant by her ex-boyfriend, a man she recently discovered wasn’t who he said he was. Unsure how her future will look, she turns to her close-knit friendship group who have her back through anything, especially her best friend Finn Duke, who she’s been secretly in love with for years. Finn has covertly reciprocated those feelings, and they’ve danced round their attraction, terrified of ruining the friendship they’ve built for something more. So, when Grace needs someone to act as the father of her baby in front of her parents, Finn eagerly accepts the role, wishing he had got his act together sooner so that they could be doing it for real. But soon the lines become blurred, and what started off as a fake relationship soon turns to real as they begin to navigate the pregnancy together. But when the biological father starts sniffing around, will it be the end of their blossoming love?
Both Grace and Finn had demons that they kept from each other, and whilst their friendship was deeper with each other than with anyone else within the group. Only when they became more did they reveal all about their pasts. They both kept their feelings to themselves for different reasons, but the minute they had to play happy families together, they realised how silly they’d been for fighting their love for so long.
Finn had a rough upbringing on the wrong side of the tracks, so constantly assumed that Grace was too good for him, despite her never putting that feeling across. He found it difficult to trust, having been let down by those who were supposed to love him unconditionally, and was used to people being able to walk away from him without a second thought. So it took a lot for him to put himself out there and put his feelings for Grace on the line, because he knew if he could convince her hew as all in, then he would finally have the girl, and the family, he’d always dreamed of.
Grace was a tough nut to crack, the hints that there was something going on behind the scenes with her starting even in the previous book, Straight Up, made me so intrigued into knowing more about her character. Fairly quiet and sweet, I thought she handled the whole pregnancy thing very well considering, and when all is revealed about her past traumatic experience, I felt her pain. She needed someone she could trust explicitly, someone who could make her feel safe and that person was Finn. I did wish she fought back a bit more when it came to her ex, I wanted more fight from her, but could also understand why she acted how she did. She just wanted to forget about him and move on with her baby, and I admired how she was ready to do it on her own and didn’t make Finn feel like he had to be there.
The Twisted Fox series has slowly cemented itself in my heart. While I wasn’t totally sold on the first book, I am so glad I carried on reading the stories of this group of friends, because the more I read about them, the more I want to be invited to their Taco Tuesdays and nights hanging out at the bar. Charity has set up the final book, Lola and Silas’ story, so perfectly, that while I’ll be sad to see them go, The Last Round cannot come quick enough!
*I voluntarily left a review after receiving an advanced copy.*