Chasing Shade

by Sommer Marsden

If she was selfish, she’d let him love her. If she was more selfish, she’d tell him that she loved him too.Betsey’s trying to recover from a violent past that’s still haunting her. Paying emotionally for something she’s never done. She’s created a small safe life.Archie’s homeless, jobless, living on the road and clueless as to where he’s going. Until a hair pieceand gas station directions leads him to her. Then he’s just trying to hold onto his emotions as he finds himself falling hopelessly fast for the girl in the yellow uniform.Fate is not dealing them an easy happy ride, though. They’re trying to get through one day at a time. Making it work. Chasing shade…

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance

400 pages, Paperback

First published June 25, 2015

About the author

Professional dirty word writer, gluten free baker, sock addict, fat wiener dog walker, expert procrastinator. That sums it up.

Sommer Marsden has been called “…one of the top storytellers in the erotica genre” (Violet Blue), “Unapologetic” (Alison Tyler), “…the whirling dervish of erotica” (Craig J. Sorensen),and "Erotica royalty..." (Lucy Felthouse). Her erotic novels include Restricted Release, Restless Spirit, Boys Next Door, and the Zombie Exterminator series. Sommer currently writes for Harper Collins Mischief, Ellora's Cave, Xcite Books, Pretty Things Press, Excessica and Resplendence Publishing.

You can find Sommer's short works in well over one hundred and twenty-five (and counting) erotic anthologies.Visit her at Unapologetic Fiction http://sommermarsden.blogspot.com

Reviews

[❃**✿【Yasmine】✿**❃ · Rating 4 out of 5]

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ ARC received by NetGalley ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

3.5 STARS

Genre: Sweet Romance with Dark Angst.
Cover: 6/10
Writing: 7/10
Heroine: 7/10
Hero: 7/10
Humour: 1/10
Hotness: 5/10
Romance: 8/10
Extra book Details: Heroine & hero POV; 3rd person. Stand alone.

Chasing Shade started off very homely, a little old fashioned and very sweet. It turned into a insta-romance with a sweet edge and some dark angst.

When Archie has nothing left, he leaves his nothing behind, stopping for food, he meets waitress Betsey, who instantly helps to find him a place to live and a job. But soon Betsey's past comes back in full force and Archie desperately wants to help her deal with it.

I'm not entirely sure how much I liked Chasing Shade, on one hand the characters where very likeable; sweet and doting hero, strong and complicated heroine. The sex was sweet and hot but there felt like there was too much of it, and it turned a tiny bit BDSM-y. The angst felt unique, but it took over the book as the main storyline. And I liked how they met and that they were simplistic creatures, but within 2 days they were devoted and by the end of the week, everything was done and dusted, the love, the angst, the issues. It was entirely too quick in my opinion.

So 3.5 stars for a imperfect but fluffy, sexy, angst read.

[Flavs is Mrs David Gandy♥~♥’ · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC Provided by NETGALLEY

I gave this book 3.5 stars.

I feel like it had lots of potential. I just felt that everything happened so fast.

What Betsey went through was very traumatic and then she got involved with Archie and poor Archie got the short end of the stick. Not that it's a bad thing as he was there for her cause she needed someone to lean on. But she kept pushing him away, and I felt that he was also going through a rough time but he put his feelings aside and focused on her

I wanted to know more about him as well. But the story had a good potential.

[Angel Hatfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

Archie was looking for something to eat as soon as possible. A man at the last gas station told him about the diner he just went into- the Double Star Diner. Being homeless and drifting had not been in his grand plan for this year. He had very little to call his own now. Settling down and starting a family, being a grown up had been his plan. Betsy worked at the diner and she can’t seem to keep her eyes off Archie since he walked in. Betsy loves her job at the diner but not her uniform. Archie noticed Betsy’s figure but he had no right to with his life a train wreck . Archie said he would rather be called Radar. Betsy told Archie her trailer park owner needed a handyman which included an old trailer with the basics and a paycheck she offered to take him there after she got off work. Betsy had created a pseudo family for herself from the diner. They were wonderful and full of life and very nosy. Betsy had been the victim of a brutal kidnapping but her pseudo helped. Betsy can see that Archie had been hurt and she feels she can only hurt him and he doesn’t need that. She tries to push Archie away a lot but he isn’t going anyway. Since their trailers are pretty close he can hear when Betsy has nightmares from her criminal ordeal/. He is there for her when she cries and needs him to lean on. But he also gives Betsy the freedom to move at her own pace.
I had mixed feelings about this book. I did enjoy it but I won’t be reading this a second time. I felt it was a little too much insta/love but on the other hand I liked Archie and Betsy together. I also really liked how Archie stood by Betsy even though she kept trying to push him away. I felt there could have been a little less sex scenes in this book. I would have liked more background on Archie. I liked the pace and plot. I read this in one setting. I liked that Betsy was willing to help Archie find a job and a place to live right away. I felt there was some unfinished parts in this like with Betsy and her kidnapper’s daughter. So as I said I had mixed feelings.

[Itsy Bitsy Book Bits · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chasing Shade by Sommer Marsden is not just about instant love, but about how instant love can be so strong you find a way to rise out of despair, hurt, and the ashes of being alone, from a past that nearly destroys you.

Archie Rader was running away from a past that had left him broke, angry, hurt, betrayed, and alone when he ran over a hair piece in the middle of the road. That led him to Betsey Smith who was hiding out from a past that nearly destroyed her. The victim of a brutal crime, she had no one to count on except the small pseudo family she had built herself.

For Archie, “being homeless and drifting had not been in his game plan for this year. Settling down, starting a family, being a grown-butt man…that had been his plan.” He was “At least six-foot three, he had dark-dark-brown hair and pale blue eyes.” Betsey noticed him the moment he walked into the diner where she was a waitress. Archie noticed her too “There was something almost painfully real and honest and kind about Betsey Smith. Definitely a when-a-life-hands-you-lemons woman.”

When Betsey discovers how bad off Archie is she immediately helps him find food, a job, and a place to live without a second thought. Archie can’t believe the kindness from this stranger and it makes him feel a connection to her. Their attraction is almost immediate and extremely powerful, which makes each of them think it couldn’t possibly be real. Betsey sees how hurt Archie is and is convinced that she can only bring him pain. She doesn’t think that she is good enough for him or deserves someone like him. Archie believes that she is just what he needs with her kind soul, which makes him desire her even more.

Archie is a true “knight in shining armor” because he doesn’t try and save her. Instead he is there for her, by her side, asking her what she needs and giving her the space to do it. She is able to lean on him, talk to him, ask him questions, and go at her own pace. When she is faced with a tough decision about her past, Archie becomes her safe haven, when she is in his arms it feels like home and she finds strength in that, that she didn’t think she had. As they each try to let go of their pasts, will they be able to build a future? A future that is real and true? Is it possible to have instant love that will last? Is there such a thing as happily ever after when there was no “time” to fall in love?

I loved reading my first Sommer Marsden’s book, it didn’t disappoint me at all. It took me less than one day to read it because it kept me so engaged. The author keeps a steady pace with the exception of one chapter that felt rushed. The characters are strong, complete with great background stories, feelings, and sexual tension. The author writes vividly and it feels extremely authentic.

[Eileen (Bangor Belles) Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for an honest opinion from Netgalley.

Firstly i thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a little different from my normal reads lately, and a new author for me, but it definitely won't be my last.
Betsy is a normal, upbeat, heart of gold young woman, and you admire her all the more once you learn the trauma's and things she's endured and come through in her past.
Archie is a jobless, homeless, living in his truck, normal but hot guy. Life changes for both of them when Archie walks into the diner where Betsy works and he's instantly attracted to her. Betsy takes Archie under her wing and helps him attain a job with accommodation at the trailer park where she lives. But would both their pasts pull them apart.
I found it so easy to connect with these characters, i think mostly because they were just "real". Betsy was outgoing and easily likeable and Archie, well he wasn't a billionaire with dominance issues, he wasn't a manwhore, he wasn't a badboy, but he was totally adorable, hot and charming.
The chemistry between Archie and Betsy was intense and although it was almost instant love between them, their relationship developed beautifully as the story progressed. I found myself turning the pages and so engrossed that i didn't even see time passing. It's just so good to have a love story that gives you all that emotional involvement and have you both crying and laughing and feeling a bit lost when its over !! I would definitely and will recommend this book. It's love story with twists and turns that really need to be read !!

[Silvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A stand-alone that can be easily read in one sitting, Chasing Shade makes for an interesting read, especially thanks to the dark past that keeps haunting Betsey. A past that now seems determined to ask/get something from her . . .

I must say, the romance was quite too fast for my taste, but I liked the storyline and the discoveries that we get to make during the read. Plus, with the hero being broke, I found a certain originality that definitely made for an appreciated, refreshing change. I won’t hide the fact that I would have preferred for Archie to be more of a mysterious character, but I still really liked his personality and how he helped Betsey with her issues. Yet, although understandable, her insecurities and breakdowns got on my nerves more than once. They seemed to be repetitive, and I also felt like less sex and more relationship development would have had a better impact.

Chasing Shade was my firs Marsden’s book, which—despite some issues—I enjoyed. I’m happy I gave it a go, and I will probably try some of her other titles in the future.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review. This does not affect in any way my opinion of the book nor the content of my review—originally posted on Darkest Sins.

[Holly *Confessions of a Lit Chick* · Rating 3 out of 5]

*An honest review in exchange for an arc copy, received via Netgalley*

This is the first time I have read anything by Sommer Marsden and I did enjoy the novel.

The first thing that drew me to the book has to be the cover, it is HOT! Plus pink is my favourite colour.

Now, for my opinion:

The heroine, Betsey was sweet and wholesome, very girl-next-door. But, she's haunted by a dark past and has a lot of guilt and trust issues. She's a woman who feels she doesn't deserve to be loved. I enjoyed her character, but, at one point, I really did just want her to admit her feelings for the hero. It was really obvious she had them and she still insisted she wasn't ready (willing) to say "I love you", yet.
The hero he was doting and handsome and had his own troubles, he's the knight in shining armour kind of hero. Your all American Dream-boy, except in a trailer park and was living out of his car, but the personality was there.

The characters were nice, sweet together, but the amount of break downs and crying and pushing others away, kind of got to me.

It was an enjoyable read, sweet with elements of dark situations and pasts.

3 stars because for me it felt too repetivie when it came to certain scenes. It was an easy read though.

[Mignon Mykel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't a huge fan of this story... The idea behind it, sure, was ok, and while the location of the story wasn't the worst I've read... I just had a hard time getting on board with it.

Archie ends up at a diner, down on his luck, and is immediately drawn to Betsey -- who has demons in her past that have decided to come out and play. Knowing that her little trailer community is in need of a handy man, Archie ends up getting a job there with the help of her. Betsey and Archie fall into a quick relationship. They live so close to one another that her nightmares wake him, even, and he goes to the rescue.

It took an enormous amount of courage to ask him [to go to bed with her]
My response? Well yes, because he's a stranger. He heard you screaming and rushed over. You would be safer with a teddy bear.

I have to say, though, that (eventually...) their dialogue and playfulness was fun -- my problem was simply the timeline.

The 'story' behind the title is based off of something that Betsey says: "...just trying to stay out of the bad stuff. Trying to stay cool and live a good life and..."

I think that Sommer had a great idea; it just didn't follow through the way it had potential to.

[Lucy Felthouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chasing Shade is a super-hot, super-romantic read from the never-disappointing Sommer Marsden. It tells the story of Betsey and Archie, two adorable characters with plenty of darkness and sadness in their respective pasts. They meet in regular circumstances, but things quickly turn irregular when Betsey manages to score Archie a home and a job in one fell swoop.

The attraction between the two of them is obvious from the off - but Betsey's past, in particular, has scarred her to the extent that she's frightened to love, and to let anyone love her. Can Archie help Betsey past her fears, or are they doomed from the start?

I loved this book. Despite the darker themes, this was a book I jumped right into and found it a very easy, enjoyable and engaging read. I was rooting for Betsey and Archie throughout, and thought the relationship development between them was very sweet and emotional, and the sexual side of things were explosive! Archie's a total hottie, and I could understand why Betsey was so attracted to him. So, if you're looking for an erotic romance with some grittiness, then you should definitely check out this book.

[Grace Morales · Rating 4 out of 5]

**ARC provided by publisher for honest review***
Main Characters: Archie and Betsey
Rating: 7
Steaminess: 4
New to this author? Yes
Page Turner: No
HEA: Yes
Insta-Love: Yes
Alpha-ness: None
Romance: 6
Love Story: 7
Angst: 9
Stand Alone: Yes
Overall:
Overall I was depressed reading the story, sad that someone with a personality as bright as Betsey had to endure so much growing up. She had one bad thing happen to her and her life went on a spiral. I have seen it happen to people and it just makes me sad. I don’t particular love reading about it, bc I was to be excited when I read, not much for the sad reads. Archie was adorable, he came to her aid when she was sick / crying / upset. He was great and he is what kept the story going for me. At the same time, I was so sad, I kept thinking that the author could have just written in a loyal puppy and had the same story almost. I don’t know I guess it evoked the feelings that the author was going for so that is what my rating is based on just not my cup of tea.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arc provided by netgalley for an honest review. Archie is homeless and jobless just drifting from place to place when he ends up in some place called Deep Creek Adjacent at a little diner for food. Betsey has had a rough past. She is very sweet but too hard on herself. When Archie walks in to diner she can't take her eyes off of him as Archie cant take his eyes off of her. She offers to let him come stay with her. The trailer park owner is looking for a handy man and also provided him his own hovel as Betsey calls its. Archie opens up to her the first night and things slowly come together for the two people who need each other. Betsey does everything she can to push Archie away. But he isn't going anywhere. Archie is really kind, patient and understanding of what Betsey needs. I liked the book and the characters. It was a good read for me.

[Yvette89 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Copy courtesy of Netgalley
Ok read.
Standalone with HEA.
This is a story about a young couple who seemed a lot older than they actually were. It may have something to do with their names. When I hear the names Archie and Betsey are names I would think of someone older. They both have been through experiences that can age you. Archie has already been married and divorced. He was pretty much homeless when he met Betsey. Betsey had a life changing experience that left her damaged. She became an addict and her life spun out of control. When they meet there is instant attraction. Within days it's love. Other than their past experience there wasn't much to the story. We really don't get much about Archie. After her experience you would think Betsey would be a little more careful around strangers. Just an ok read for me. However, I loved the title and its meaning.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chasing Shade for me was a bit hard to get through. This story has a lot of potential but everything happened so fast. Archie ends up at the diner where Betsey works down on his luck and with no money. She offers the perfect solution. A place to live and a job.

Their dialogue was okay but finally later in the story I enjoyed the playfulness. My other huge issue with this one is that Archie had his own problems but even with the story being told from both POVs, they sort of bypassed him and he set aside everything for Betsey.

YES what happened to Betsey was traumatic and she needs someone strong to lean on, but I felt like the story then became about just her versus the two of them together. ALl in all it was an okay book.

[Heather andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Archie knows how to woo his woman with words, "I like the feel of you beneath me. I like the feel of you next to me. I just like the feel of you. Hell –’ he stalled for a minute, still filling her but not moving ‘– I like the idea of you in this world, Betsey." Betsey, when she finds her courage and finally admits to what she really wants isn't afraid to ask for it, "will you take me out of this dirt trap and take me home? To my trailer or yours. Doesn’t matter. Both are home now. I want a hot drink and a hot shower and then a hot man." I liked this book, it was an experience for me I'm used to reading about billionaires and people with money so it was nice to see a book where the two main characters have struggles with money and in life it seemed real.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

The constant barrage of ugly yellow descriptors kept bringing me up short but overall this is still a 4 star read. The pace is fast and fun. There is humor even in the saddest of times. The amount of talking during sex made me roll my eyes and envy Archie's stamina.

Betsey works at a diner and lives in a trailer park but she loves her little piece of thrift store heaven. It is her own space and the people around her make her happy.

Archie's world has just crashed down around him. Leaving his truck and a few personal effects his only link to the past. Fate has brought him to the diner but Betsey will take over from here.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come shortly