Review: Chase & Chloe

''I'd kill him if I wasn't so bloody in love with him.''

★★★★★

Wow. Another gripping biker romance from Simone Elise. This one didn't let me get away from its grip, so I stayed awake the night before falling asleep in the early hours. And, of course, as soon as I woke up the book was back in my hands.

A bit background first. Chase is the president of his motorcycle club charter. As the eldest of his siblings, the responsibility of the McKenzie family fell on his shoulders with the death of their father. So, when he finds Chloe on the side of the road with her car broken down, he can't help himself but help her.

Chloe is used to having her walls up. She doesn't trust anyone, especially men, and suddenly finding Chase in her personal space is overwhelming. Having run away from her stepfather she needs to go as far as possible, but running away doesn't seem to be the option anymore. Not with Chase on her heels.

I've got a feeling this is going to be a long one.

The story is set in Australia, both smaller towns and big cities. The way the story moves in different settings was amazing. The author had placed the events very well according to where they were at a time: Big cities mean longer distances and more white noise in the background. 

Being a Motorcycle Club Romance there were no ''and we sat in the car/on the bike/etc.'' in the book. In a few other books from the same genre, the characters sat still and looked at the passing trees, while Elise could make the time on the road enjoyable without prolonging or hurrying it too much.

The story is told from multiple viewpoints. Most of the time we hear the story as told by Chloe or Chase, but towards the end, we get to hear the thoughts of the other McKenzie brothers as well. At first, I thought it was a necessary evil to continue the story smoothly, but then I realised how amazingly well all the characters were built. Although they were presenting characteristics which identified them as a family and the Club, they all had their individual tweaks. And, oh Lord, they were perfect. Not, you know, faultless, but otherwise perfect.

Let's talk about Chloe. Chloe is a very self-doubting character. She doesn't rely on her emotions at all due to trauma which is explained in the book. Having Chase hover around her all the time and without understanding his intentions since she hasn't been brought up in the Motorcycle Club world turns out to be a bit too stressful to her. Chloe character was very powerful on the psychological side. She felt a lot, sometimes drowning her emotions, and that, dear peers, was so well written. Her entire character kept together throughout the entire book without her psyche experiencing any 'miracle healings' or three-sixty turns. 

Chase.  What to tell about him. Oh, I've got the perfect quote for this!

'' I couldn't help but think that while his exterior said rough, mean, and I'll kill you with pleasure, inside he was gentle, warm and caring, right down to the little things. ''

Being the president of his charter requires a lot of responsibility. And that responsibility he tries to exert over everyone. His entire nature oozes the 'I got this' attitude. Nothing goes past him. Except for Chloe. When it comes to Chloe, Chase is like entirely another man. He changes from rough and mean to warm and caring. Switching between those two roles in his life felt natural. There were no obvious jumps to the other persona, they just blended together perfectly. Being human and with the lifestyle they support, Chase is always on the edge. And when he goes over the edge, all h*ll is loose. 

There is an age difference between Chase and Chloe. Chloe being nineteen and Chase in his thirties it's big. I know there are some readers out there that do not want to read books with 'too big' age gaps, so I thought to warn you. My thoughts? Didn't bother at all. And the best of all, it's is acknowledged in the book several times, so it's not the elephant in the room.

The tempo of the story was great. Fast paced events with the minimum breathers in between ensure you can't put the book down. Despite being well over five hundred pages, it doesn't feel that long. Actually, it felt quite short. So I hope there's more to their story than just this book!