Book Review: Chaser by Rick R. Reed

Caden DeSarro is what they call a chubby chaser. He likes his guys with a few extra pounds on them. So when he meets Kevin Dodge in a bar bathroom, he can’t help but stare, even if he does make an ass of himself. As far as Caden is concerned, Kevin is physically perfect: a stocky bearded blond with a dick that’s just right. (They met in the bathroom—of course he looked!) But Caden gets tongue-tied and misses his chance.

When Caden runs into Kevin one night on the El train, he figures it’s fate offering him a second shot. Caden manages to get invited back to Kevin's place for a one-night stand that turns into the kind of relationship he’s dreamed about.

But the course of true love never did run smooth, and Kevin and Caden’s romance is no exception. When Caden returns from a few weeks away on business, Kevin surprises him with a new and “improved” body—one that fits Caden’s shallow friend Bobby’s ideal, not Caden’s. Caden doesn’t know what to do, and his hesitation is just the opportunity Bobby was looking for. This isn’t the same Kevin he fell in love with… is it?

I really thought this would be a sweet story about two opposites who rose above the superficial and built a real life together. What I got was a story about a man, Caden, who turns out to be just as superficial as his manipulative best friend, Bobby.

I was really surprised by Caden's reaction to Kevin after his transformation and often wondered what these two men even saw in each other. They certainly shared a strong sexual chemistry, but beyond that, I never felt the major connection between them. Caden and Kevin fell for each other pretty quickly, but neither really knew anything about the other. Kevin was a wonderful character and probably the only one I liked in the entire book. Bobby was the ultimate villain. He lied, he manipulated and he schemed, all the while stabbing his best friend in the back. Caden acted TSFL when it came to Bobby's actions, even when the evidence was spelled out for him. He would rather believe the backstabber, whom he acknowledges as a bad friend, over the man he supposedly loves. I also felt the internal monologues of both Kevin and Caden became tedious after a while. I would have preferred more interaction rather than constantly being stuck inside their heads.

The ending was very abrupt and left me disappointed and questioning whether Kevin and Caden's relationship would even work in the future. Kevin seemed too good for wishy-washy Caden.

2.5 stars

Buy Links
Dreamspinner Press | Amazon


~ M