Series Review: Chased by Piper Lawson

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Synopsis for Chased (from Author):
Two college track stars. She wants her spot back. He’s looking for redemption. Throw them together and what do you get? Fights, sparks, and a whole lot of endurance jokes.
They say runners have the best sex. So…Your pace or mine?

~

Being a twenty-one-year-old screw-up has its perks:
Sleepwalk through class.
Drink all day.
Nail anything that walks.

Easy f#*$ing peasy.

In another lifetime, I was the fastest guy at Fielding College. I broke more track records than anyone on the West Coast.

But since my world fell apart last year, all I want is to be left the hell alone.

Ariel Hastings isn’t just a wrench in that plan—she’s a bomb. The quiet girl with secrets shows up out of nowhere and suddenly our fates are tied together. She wants to run with me, learn from me, even live with me…everything but f*ck me.

Now we’re spending way too much time together and it’s threatening to bring back the old Chase Owens. I crave something she won’t give me and I sure as hell can’t ask for.

Because we’ve both got pasts that won’t let go. Even if I can survive hers, we can’t outrun mine.

SERIESous’ Top Picks: Canadian Author, New Must Read Author
Series: Chased
Author: Piper Lawson
# of Books: 2 (Chased: Part 1; Chased: Part 2)
Book Order: Chronological
Complete?: Yes
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Drama, Sports
Heat Rating: really warm
Point of View: First Person, Alternating
Publication Dates: October 2015 – April 2016
Source & Format: Author–eARC

Buy on Amazon: Chased – Part 1 | Chased – Part 2

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

Piper Lawson’s novel Schooled is one of my favourite New Adult reads of the year. It was great from start to finish and I put her on my “must watch” authors list soon after. When she asked if I would want to read Chased, a series that is a little darker and a little edgier than her Travesty Series, I was immediately on board.

The Plot:

Part 1 serves more so as an introduction. You have the boy meeting the girl and you learn a little bit about who they are as people. It started a little rough for me simply because Chase is a bit of an asshole and I was having a hard time finding his redeeming qualities. BUT, as I read more and learned more about Chase’s background, I really warmed up to his character. And that’s what Part 1 is: the development of Chase and Ariel’s characters as they explore this new relationship between them.

Part 2 is more drama and it’s of the slightly over-the-top variety. It’s still very feasible drama but it isn’t your typical, everyday New Adult drama. I thought it was a lot of fun regardless and it kept me eager to see what was next.

The Characters:

Like I said before, it took me awhile to warm up to Chase but once I did, I respected his character. He has great character growth from start to finish. It takes a good writer to make you like a character you initially disliked so props to Piper for that one.

Ariel also had great character progression as well. Despite the POV alternating between the two, I thought Chase got more air-time but it really is his story so it didn’t bother me too much. Sure, it would have been nice to explore some of her character traits a little more but I was satisfied with how it all worked out in the end in terms of her character’s story.

The Romance:

In Part 1, the romance was more slow burning and antagonistic. I love the tension that comes from people who don’t know how good of a match they are for each other until that “big moment”. I thought Chase and Ariel complimented each other beautifully. She’s exactly what he needs, though he doesn’t know it yet, and I loved watching that dynamic come to life. Part 2 really builds upon that I think. They both have their flaws but they bring out the best in each other and that’s all you can ask for.

Series Rating: 4/5

Chased: Part 1 4/5 | Chased: Part 2 3.5/5

This series was a quick read that entertained me from start to finish. It was a little heavier than your typical sport-romance reads but I liked its approach!

Read if You Like: duologies, shorter stories, sport romances, high drama
Avoid if You: want more “realistic” drama, a lighter read