Review: Being Chase (The Chase Series, #1) by J.J. Scotts

Wouldn’t it be nice to be a celebrity?

Liam Collins is desperate for a job. Forced to jump to the big city, he can’t believe his luck when he suddenly gets an offer from a prestigious publishing company. Absolutely ecstatic, Liam doesn’t even bother reading the details. But on his first day of work, he isn’t ushered to a quaint cubicle. Instead, he’s brought to a classy high-rise and told that he’s been hired to be the face of the best-selling author, Chase Preston.

When Liam first meets Chase, he’s so captivated by the mysterious man’s imposing figure and deep-set eyes. Maybe Liam really did get lucky.

All Liam has to do is go to fan meetings and award events as a stand-in for Chase. It actually doesn’t sound bad, but Liam soon realizes that being with Chase is harder than it appears. Despite the challenges of Chase’s arrogant attitude, Liam puts up with it. What he finds difficult to put up with is Chase’s sexy body and brilliant blue eyes.

Even worse, the feeling may be mutual.

Being Chase is the start of a new series by J.J. Scotts with a really interesting premise and this was just enough of a tasty set up that made me want to read more. So far it’s more of an introduction to the players as the only character I feel like I have a handle on is Liam. Although I don’t feel as if I can form an opinion on him just yet either as he’s an ordinary guy in an extraordinary circumstance. All I can really speak to as far as the story goes, is that the set-up has a ton of potential and the characters have me curious. The writing is really good and the backstory flows well.

Here’s what I think of the characters so far:

Liam is a good guy with more of a story than we know just yet. I’m hoping that story will explain why he is putting up with the crappy treatment he’s been handed so far. He seems like a pretty centered person who just really needs a decent job. I don’t seem him as being desperately hopeless though, so there has to be something explaining why he’s afraid to set some boundaries and limits to these guys who are treating him so poorly. It’s a job, not a punishment. He’s attracted to Chase and all the mystery surrounding him. Chase knows and uses this and poor Liam and his blue balls are in for a long night or ten and painful relationship I fear.

Chase is a big mystery and a real asshole. So far all I really know is that he’s handsome, highly intelligent, scarred and a total prick to Liam. I’m hoping he has some redeeming qualities besides his hotness in the future because he can only ride the bad boy thing for so long. My real curiosity is with him, I want to know his story.

Eli and Landon are the good cop/bad cop in the mix. Eli seems like a pretty decent guy, but I would never assume that Liam should trust him while Landon is openly dismissive and insulting to Liam. I guess I just don’t really get the point of all the asshole-ishness. Call me old fashioned, but since when do we not have to use our manners? Really guys, no need to be such pricks. All that negativity was a little off putting for me, but if you love a bad boy, Landon and Chase won’t be a problem for you at all.

Josh is Chase’s younger brother and the only character I really liked. He’s very young, underage young, but he’s a brilliant junior chef already and his family supports his art through home schooling and training, the same way they did for Chase. He was the only one who really showed any kindness towards Liam and I hope he’ll make another appearance. Josh says that h almost never sees Chase, so it’s a mystery to Liam as to how they can be so different.

Overall I liked the beginning of this story. There is just so much mystery yet I can’t really speak to the story as a whole. It feels like it’s barely started. As I said though, it does have me curious though, and that is a good thing. Definitely go into this one knowing you aren’t getting a full story, if you’re aware of that it will help you appreciate the introduction to the series and the characters.

** a copy of this story was provided by the author for an honest review **

Review: Just Between Us by J.J. Scotts

Some secrets are meant to stay hidden.

Ryan wants to be more than Sam’s childhood friend; he’s wanted more for a long time. Afraid of pushing Sam away, Ryan kept his fantasies hidden. As a charming clean-cut high school English teacher, Ryan has been able to date attractive women from time to time to keep up the charade.

Sam, a popular prize-winning romance author, is everything Ryan could want. His devilishly handsome face and well-built tall figure has his many fans drooling over him and not just his books. Despite the attention, Sam prefers to stay under the radar.

One night, Sam asks Ryan’s opinion on writing a gay romance novel instead of his usual heterosexual romances. Why is he asking Ryan?

Is Sam trying to get Ryan to fess up? Will Ryan’s secret end their relationship for good or change it into something new?

Well hello Ryan and Sam.

This was a short and steamy friends- to-lovers story from a new author that I really liked. This is a story about friends from way back who have maintained their friendship into adulthood. Ryan is a teacher and Sam is a successful author. Ryan has been in love with Sam since their younger days, but has never confessed his feelings. He thinks Sam is straight and would never do anything to jeopardize their friendship even if it does leave him lonely and a little frustrated. This is mostly told from Ryan’s POV so I could feel his trepidation in the back of the limo when the guys are heading home after dinner together and Sam tells Ryan about the characters in his new romance novel. Sam is breaking his pattern and the love interests in his next book are both male, Ryan is surprised, but not for the reason Sam thinks.

What starts as an experimental kiss leads to panting confessions and some seriously steamy scenes. From the back of the limo to Sam’s bedroom, the two connect and make up for over a decade of unrequited lust. I’m a little leery about calling it love just yet. I could definitely feel Ryan’s love for Sam given the story is told from his perspective, I just didn’t get enough of Sam to feel confident in his love for Ryan. There were a couple of glimpses of his feelings, just not quite enough to take it to Ryan’s level and I wanted that for Ryan.

This was a really pretty well flushed out short story from a previously unpublished author and I would definitely read more of her work. There were a few editing issues, but I’ve seen a lot more from authors with dozens of books to their name, so it wasn’t anything that really took me out of the story. There were a few descriptions during the sex scenes that were a little gratuitous and I wanted to just reword a sentence or two to make them a little less cliché and more personal for Ryan and Sam.

Overall I would recommend this steamy short after a heavy angst filled read when you just need a break and need to clear the cobwebs. It’ll take you to a sexy happy place with likable characters I wanted to know more about.

A copy of this story was provided by the author for an honest review.