I really enjoyed this book! A fun second-chance romance with likable characters, and I especially liked the added suspense without being a thriller.

I think I need to check out [author:Cassie Connor|22897579] and her other book [book:Love Under Contract|62795240]. I enjoyed [book:Hot Pursuit|207576964]. The concept was a mix between the tv game show "The Amazing Race" and The Hunger Games (only without the killings).

The story is about a race of contestants to win prize money. Our leading lady is Lydia, who had a hard childhood but always likes to look on the bright side of life if that life means that she is in control and independent. Our leading man is Tom, an aspiring and cocky future film director who gets pushed around by a controlling family that only shows love when you win it. Tom and Lydia met almost 1 year prior to the start of the story over a hot, heavy, and sexy weekend, but things turned weird. Now they are paired together again.

I enjoyed Lydia's character because she is a realist but always an optimist. She knows how to stand on her own two feet because she had to learn how to fend for herself. Most of the first chapters of the book are told from Lydia's POV and I have to say, I had quite a chuckle when we were inside her head. There were certain moments where I got Bridget Jones vibes from Lydia.

Tom was harder to decipher. At the beginning of the book, we didn't get many chapters from his POV, and when we finally did, the chapters were not fully from his side.
<i>Side note</i> I found this distracting and confusing. The chapters clearly had breaks in them to let the reader know when there was a shift in time or place. However, it also would sometimes indicate the change of POV from the characters but there was nothing to tell you that you were changing from Lydia to Tom or vice-versa until you had started reading. I got used to it after a while but I think this could have been done better. Hopefully this is something that will be corrected in future editions.
Tom was hard to get to know. He would give snippets or comments as to what his family was like or what he wanted to do with his future, but he was never transparent with the details. I would have enjoyed stories or memories from his childhood to explain how his family got the way they were or why Tom felt he couldn't be honest with them about his passions. Truthfully, I would have enjoyed this from Lydia as well to help us understand even better the kind of people her parents were, what she had to do to take care of herself at such a young age, and how her grandmother was the only person there for her.

At the beginning of the book, we quickly find out that Tom and Lydia know each other. As I said, they had a wild, sexy weekend together almost one year before the start of the story. However, we didn't get many details of what that weekend entailed. We know how they parted ways after their 48-hour rendezvous. We get some information as to how they met at the start of that weekend, but there is little description of the attraction they felt for each other, the lust and connection they made over those 48 hours, etc. So here we are, in the present, where Tom and Lydia are on a team together to win a race with a large sum of cash money. During their time crossing the country together there are obvious moments of attraction and steamy moments they share. However, the lead-up to those moments isn't very convincing because I am missing the details of the initial attraction or the flirting and physical buzz they are sharing.

I enjoyed the concept of the book, I liked the details and how they came together. I just needed a bit more background information on the attraction they felt for each other to really feel their connection. I love how Lydia was selfless and but everything on the line to help Tom. Her feelings for him were noticeable, and I did believe in them. Tom's were the ones I wasn't too sure about. Like I said, we got much more information from Lydia's POV and more of the book was from her side. Tom's chapters didn't start out too deep, so we didn't get a chance to really know him too well, so I didn't get to connect.

Overall, I think this story has great potential and is good for a quick read. It will definitely make you smile while reading it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opp to read this ARC copy.

Review to come…

The cover is so cute ❤️
The description is very intriguing.
This is a new author to me.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you HarperCollins UK & netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was genuinely going to give this book 3 stars and then I was reminded that Lydia's name is short for Chlamydia and I just couldn't!!!! like WHAT?!? And did Tom even find out her real name in the end?? I don't remember her telling him. I really wanted to like this book. The game show concept is very similar to shows like the amazing race where the contestants are racing from one place to another so I was very intrigued. However, this book fell short for me. I just found Tom to be so unlikeable! He was so rude and dismissive towards Lydia that it made it very hard to believe their feelings in the end. I will say that this book is quite spicy and the characters definitely have sexual chemistry but in terms of real love, real feelings, I am really unsure..

Hot Pursuit: ★★☆☆☆ (2)

Pub date: June 7, 2024

This is a really interesting story about two very different personalities but both yearning for love. The story is an interesting and intense adventure with a lot of love.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgalley

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The first part of the book was not my favorite, probably the whole reality TV show is not my cup of tea.

The MMC was not lovable at all, and the MFC was a little bit mehh. Don't really know how to explain it, but the weakest part was definitely the characters needy personalities. One to be loved and the other one to be independent.

My favorite part was the ending. I love a good romance ending with all the hearts and mushy feelings.

Three stars! I was impressed with the reality show/race portion of the book... it was very well done! The romance was so so, the MMC was hard to cheer for . The FMC was just okay. Overall, a solid book.

First person, dual POV: Tom & Lydia
Rating: 2.5⭐️
Spice: 2 🌶️

I loved the idea of this, a two night stand turned reality show teammate with a bit of enemies to lovers/grumpy x sunshine. What could go wrong?
The MMC could be incredibly hard to like and the vibes fall flat. And unfortunately that’s exactly what happened.

The book is written well enough, aside from some really random POV switches without warning outside of a page break, and it’s fast paced. You fall right into the story fairly easily. It’s the characters that messed this one up. This took grumpy a bit too far to be enjoyable with Tom. And the connection with Lydia felt forced and lacking.
Then the whiplash started of feeling one way then acting or saying the opposite the next chapter.

I wanted so much more from this one, the blurb and the cover gave so much while the story gave hardly anything.
Also, if this is a reality show, where’s the crew?



✨ARC review✨

In need of the money, Lydia Smith happily signed up to ‘flee for her life’ on a survivalist reality show but finds herself contemplating running for the hills instead when her partner turns out to be her one-night-stand Tom Dereborn.

The two shared an unforgettable weekend of passion a year ago, but she hasn’t heard a word from him since. Now, trapped alone with Tom, with the show’s ‘hunters’ on their tails, suppressed emotions boil over and the past starts repeating itself. Soon it’s more than just the money that’s at stake – it’s also Lydia’s heart!

I really enjoy game show romances when they are done well. This one was just okay for me. I had a hard time with Tom and his attitude, and the relationship between them felt forced into a plot that didn't fit the characters. It was an entertaining read for an afternoon, though. 3.5 ⭐ rounded up, because I love the premise of this one!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

I am not usually a fan of game show romances however, I love the great outdoors and I thought the survival element of the book, gave a good twist to the story. I did enjoy the book but sadly I didn't love it.

Wanting to try something new, Lydia Smith happily signed up to ‘flee for her life’ a survivalist reality show, she thinks this is going to be a fun experience until her partner on the show turns out to be her one-night-stand Tom Dereborn. Her and Tom spent a few nights together nearly a year ago she thought it was the best night of her life and the start of something, until he rushed her out of the door the next morning. The pair have met since through work and have had an awkward relationship. It is clear that neither of them have truly gotten over that perfect weekend they spent together.

This book was very easy to read and the writing style was easy to follow, I think I just opened for a little bit more chemistry especially with the chilli signs on the front cover. It was cute, whilst it lasted.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, Once More Chapter for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

There are not enough stars for this book, it was perfect.
Tim and Lydia were brilliant main characters, their pasts were used to explain their flawed characters but never in a way which made them dislikable.
The story was great, a believable way for the main characters to be thrown together.
The steamy scenes were so much better than others I’ve read in books like this, the author got them spot on.

This was a nice and easy contemporary read! The author had well thought out characters who were relatable and endearing. The characteristics of their personalities was established in the first few pages and continued through until the last page. But the author keeps you guessing as to how and why the characters backgrounds have effected those personality traits. I was constantly looking forward to finding out what their families were like as well as when they would establish their own relationship.

I think that a lot of the suspense and action of the adventure was a little over done. Could they all be possible? Yes. Would they all be legal to show on a publicly aired TV show? No, I don’t think so. This made some of the plot to be a bit unbelievable. Did I enjoy reading it? Absolutely.

I greatly appreciate the opportunity to read and review this book as an ARC. Thank you to Cassie Connors, Net Galley, Harper Collins, and One More Chapter.

Hot Pursuit, by Cassie Conner, is a cute little second-chance romance with a little added spice to liven it up. It's a quick and somewhat predictable summer read. Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

⛺️Hot Pursuit ❤️‍🔥 by Cassie Connor @cassieconnor
Thank you @netgalley for this ARC, I’m leaving this honest review voluntarily!
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫(3.5)🌶️🌶️🌶️
“I never felt such desperation to get so close to someone. It was as if a jar of fireflies had been emptied into my brain, dazzling me with sparks. Every long, slow, drugging drag of his lips over mine made them brighten, and when his tongue touched mine, they exploded, sending cascading vibrations fizzing down through my sternum.”
My thoughts: This was very easy to read! I like the writing style and how both characters had a lot of personality. It started off so clear and straight to the point but didn’t feel so rushed. Their obvious attraction to each other made this so entertaining. I did feel like Tom’s character was hard to like, we were given his background for more about him but still, he should have the balls to stand up to his family for the girl he cares so much about especially after she stands up for him. I do like how he took care of Lydia, we like an attentive nurturing and protective man, just wish his personality was better. Both of them had heavy emotional baggage and it made a lot of sense on why they worked so well together and what makes them a great couple. The epilogue was cute and I definitely still recommend this to anyone who enjoys spicy second chance romance with the feeling of rivals to team mates to lovers with a fun survival aspect.

I decided to DNF about halfway through. This was really MEH for me - nothing horrible but nothing especially enjoyable and just not worth continuing. There wasn’t any fun banter or fun anything, really - them being “on the run” was just kind of boring and kind of unrealistic and poorly thought out? Like I know this is for a TV show but how is this safe for them? It really doesn’t seem to be. And them breaking into abandoned houses to sleep and hiding away with the luggage on a coach and not paying for the ride etc etc - none of this seems especially legal. And if this is for a TV show, what kind of footage are they even going to have? They’re hardly filming anything. FURTHERMORE in what I read there was only one spicy scene and it was pretty brief and nothing memorable.

This was just okay for me...

11 months ago Tom and Lydia share a passion filled weekend. She hasn't heard from him since and now they are teamed up on a survivalist reality show. They both really want the cash prize so work together they must.

I really couldn't stand Tom the first half of the book. He had the emotional intelligence of a 4 year old. I realize they both had their struggles but I found that they sulked in them a bit too much. I did enjoy Lydia being a hard ass though, that was fun. The plot was great and so were the subplots. But, for a cover that has 4 chillies on it I found the spice to be pretty meh.

If you're looking for a quick, sweet read with a tiny sprinkle of spice I think you might enjoy it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Harper Collins,One More Chapter for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Lydia had met a guy on a business trip nearly a year ago and hasn't been able to get him out of her head. Tom had an amazing weekend with Lydia but closed down any feeling that he had for her and marked it as two-night, one-night stand. Not expecting to ever see each other again, they're both surprised to find they are now co-workers for an insurance company. Insurance isn't Tom's passion, film production is and Lydia finds fulfillment in your job because she has nothing else. Lydia is going to take part in a reality tv pilot trying to win the money to restore the home she inherited from her grandmother. She mentions the reality tv pilot and Tom signs up too thinking it would be great to win the money to finance a film opportunity. This story was so good. Lydia had a horrible childhood with neglectful parents and made so much of herself. Tom had parents who were present but only happy when their children did what they wanted. Lydia risked everything for Tom to show him what love was.

Nice quick contemporary romance read. A perfect summer read where there is an easily predictable HEA - only light tension & you don't have to worry about cliffhangers. I wasn't expecting this to be the best book ever, so it fit my book-reading itch. The two main characters are relatable & definitely had some emotional baggage, but they worked great as a team & could truly balance each other. I liked to see their relationship grow authentically vs. the instalove that some books have. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

3 stars. An entertaining book!

Lydia needs money to fix up her grandma's house, Tom needs money to finally realize his dream of directing a documentary. They end up on a reality TV show where they have to "flee for life". Unfortunately, they have a history, and coincidentally they end up as a team.

Reality TV isn't my thing, but it didn't bother in this book, even though the reality TV filming was central in this book. The book was really nice to read. It was a relaxed and easy read. I will read more Cassie Connor's books for sure!

WHAT TO EXPECT:
* Difficult past
* Dual pov
* Enemies to lovers
* Forced proximity
* Hea
* One bed
* Second chance
* Third act: NO break up

Firstly, thank you so much for letting me read hot pursuit early.
Lydia thought Tom was just a one night stand that she would never be able to forget. Until they start working together. Then both sign up to a show to win 100k each if they win as a team.
We go through such a journey with them. It was such a lovely story getting to know them both