Stars:
5/5
Length:
320 pages
Blurb
Chase
Summers: Golden boy. Beautiful girlfriend, good friends, and a
promising future.
Nobody
knows the real Chase.
Chase
Summers has a razor blade to his wrist and the smell of his lover’s
goodbye clinging to his skin. He has a door in his heart so
frightening he’d rather die than open it, and the lies he’s used
to block it shut are thinning with every forbidden touch. Chase has
spent his entire life unraveling, and his decision to set his
sexuality free in secret has only torn his mind apart faster.
Chase
has one chance for true love and salvation. He may have met Tommy
Halloran in the world of gay-for-pay—where the number of lovers
doesn’t matter as long as the come-shot’s good—but if he wants
the healing that Tommy’s love has to offer, he’ll need the
courage to leave the shadows for the sunlight. That may be too much
to ask from a man who’s spent his entire life hiding his true self.
Chase knows all too well that the only things thriving in a heart’s
darkness are the bitter personal demons that love to watch us bleed.
Overall
I
think I read this in just under 24 hours, because sleep isn't really
necessary, right? That's what caffeine and pain meds are for the next
morning when you're hung over. A word hangover. I'm sure it exists.
Chase
in Shadow
gave me a word hangover because I couldn't stop reading that night
until I reached the point where I wouldn't be going to work the next
morning if I didn't stop, and the next morning I woke up early and
read some more.
This is not an easy
read. This is a grueling, glorious read that starts off with a punch
to the stomach and then jumps back a year to slowly peel away every
layer of skin and show where all the bruises are. Because of how it's
organized, I spent the entire time squirming, wanting to get back to
the beginning, but Lane makes the reader work for it, makes Chase
work for it, and when we do catch up, it's after several other
punches and frayed nerves.
This is not an easy
read: it's emotionally painful; a slow, grueling ride; and depressing
most of the time. And it's absolutely worth it.
Strengths
This story has an
excellent character cast, plus it includes some characters from
Lane's other novels. What is nice about this is the bad guys aren't
all bad, the good guys aren't all good and everyone is a medley in
between. There is a fairly large cast, but they are all handled well
and never brought up without some information clarifying who they
are, if it's been a while since they've been mentioned. A lovely
bunch that I'd want to hang out with!
The emotional
clusterfuck that this story contains is awesome. I know I LOVE these
types of stories, so I'm bias, but it was well done, well written,
and just powerful. It's a painful journey to get to the anguishing
climax (which is a relief as the pain subsides) and then an ache as
the story slowly closes and comes to its sweet resolution. It's a
wild, emotional ride, a delicious ache.
The pace is slow, and
while at times it's incredibly frustrating, I also enjoyed it. It
dragged out the story, making the anticipation all the greater for
when everything explodes. Or sort of explodes. A slow-motion
explosion of several stacks of dynamite. And then the building falls
down. And then you hear the screams. It's that sort of explosion.
Weaknesses
The slow pace will mean
this story isn't for everyone, and at times made me scream, "GAH,
just tell me what's going to happen!" It's also a darker story,
so not something to read when you need a pick-me-up. The format is a
little jumpy, which can be frustrating, but it worked with the story
and was appropriately utilized.
Finally, while I didn't
have any issues with Chase, others may: He is cheating on his
girlfriend, keeps everyone emotionally distant, and does a bunch of
stupid things that hurt other people. However, he's also his own
biggest critic and most of these things are forgiven by, as the other
characters explain, the fact that he's a nice guy making poor
choices.
Requested
this book for review.
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