Chasin' Eight (Rough Riders Book 11)

I Loved, Loved absolutely Loved this book! Chasin' has it all. All the characters are amazing! I loved Chase and Ava's story and and how they found each other and fell in love.
Rough Riders is my all time Favourite Series!!

I am really getting to start and hate this series because every time a new book comes out I end up staying up way to late to try and finish the darn thing and turn into a zombie the next day. Too many times, I also feel compelled to go back and read the prior books to refresh my memories on the family members. That means that I spend days and days rereading and enjoying nothing but Lorelei James books and do not get into any of the new books/authors that I have already downloaded. (Lorelei James is one of only a very few authors that I will do a pre-buy on. Which means that I open up my Kindle to read and THERE IS A NEW Lorelei James book appearing to compel me to forget about anything else. I totally blame her for the state of my house during that time period and for other books not getting read on a timely basis.)

All of Lorelei James books are fast paced, original, HOT love making, and draws the reader in and takes them on a emotional roller coaster ride that you do not want to end. And this comes from a once dedicated Sci-Fi reader who now can't put down a Lorelei James western romance novel.

Most of the books in this series can be read as stand-alones but to really understand the dynamics of the family, I really recommend that they be read in order. WARNING - CAN BE EXTREMELY ADDICTIVE.

Chasin’ Eight is a story that makes the heart clench in the most beautiful way and in the saddest.

Chase…quite the entitled cowboy. When I read about him in previous books, I thought, “eh just another playboy cowboy.” Boy was I wrong. In my opinion, it’s really sad when it takes something hard to make someone consider their life choices and make changes. However, it is effective. Chase has a heart that he ignored for way too long. There were parts of him that helped me find parts of me that I had ignored.

Ava…I really liked her. She seemed very down to earth despite her financial status and lifestyle. It seemed that she saw and felt more, and it took public embarrassment to get her to show it. I could see why she was so close to Ginger.

The ending seemed rushed and there was no epilogue like I had come to expect from the Rough Riders books. However, I did like it. It’s filled with love, serious hotness, joy, sadness, sorrow, and a bit of enlightenment. Nice installment!

(I received a copy from a friend at NO cost to the author.)

Chase McKay is bad boy of Professional Bull Riding (PBR) circuit that finds himself in compromising position which earns him a suspension without any clear hope of returning to PBR circuit. Chase decides to use his down time to get back to basics of bull riding and swearing off women as well. Chase asks Kane if he could lay low at Ginger and Kane's trailer without letting his family know he's around. Ava Cooper Dumond, a Hollywood actress, just wants to get away from it all and decides that Wyoming is the place to be. Little did either Kane or Ginger know that they both agreed to let Chase and Ava stay at the trailer at the same time. Imagine Chase's surprise at finding a knockout already sleeping in the only bedroom and kicking himself for swearing off women just now. When Chase proposes that they go a road trip to get him back in good riding form. Ava jumps at the chance to go on an adventure. Chase sets limits on how traveling is going to work which really surprises Ava. Along the way Chase meets Ryan Ackerman, a young and naive rodeo bull rider, that makes him want to share his knowledge and companionship too. Can Ava really live in Chase's world? Can Chase really live in Ava's world? What benefits will Ryan's friendship bring Chase? Or are they still worlds apart? Your answers await you in Chasin' Eight.

I've wondered where Chase's story would go after he was introduced. Chase is the ultimate bad boy personified. Chase is selfish, ungrateful, and mostly unwilling to change his ways until he's kicked off PBR circuit. Chase learns alot about himself and how he treats women. Ava is feeling burned on many levels yet remain spoiled rich girl. Ava is unsure where her life is going and needs to find sense of direction. Together, Ava and Chase chemistry is off the charts. The Rough Riders Series continues to be unexpected, creative, real, and centering around the people as whole. Definitely looking forward to my next adventure in this series.

Rodeo cowboy Chase’s priority is riding bulls. Buckle bunnies are a secondary necessity, and the McKay family is last on his list of priorities. Ava is from the privileged set but determined to be an actress. Cross communications find Chase and Ava in the same place at a vulnerable time in each of their lives and together they discover who they truly are and the value of family. Their chemistry is off the charts! Interesting McKay family secret inserted into this storyline and will hopefully appear in a new book.

Chase and Ava were made for each other!! Chase is having trouble with the tour and is having to take a mandatory break from it. Ava is having guy trouble and papparazi trouble.
Both wanting to hide away, they end up at the same place and end up traveling together while Chase rebuilds his Rodeo career.
Crossed starred lovers for Chase and Ava!!
Enter Gavin Daniels!!

I adored reading about Chase & Ava becoming friends before they became lovers! Their 2 months on the road together were an awesome mix of teasing, friendship, sharing and then eventually... LOTS of sex!! The way Ava tried to support Chase after Ryan's tragedy was so sweet - this book brought tears to my eyes many times.

Chase developed into likable person, especially since he met Ava. The twist of a fourth McKay puts a new story into play. The Taz and Ryan put the rodeo events into a new perspective, Taz at the end and Ryan just beginning, Chase in mid career. I cried when Ryan died, I felt the loss that Chase and Ava felt and how altered their relationship. Great read!

I found this book on the list Top Romance Reads - 2011 by Goodreads... This is very adult romance between hollywood star and PBR rodeo star - who are both escaping from their chaoic lives. Chase McKay starts the book with a very heated scene where important PBR people bust into his room and catching him with some rodeo bunnies. Ava Cooper is hollywood star and heirest has the tabloid reports following her due to her last boyfriend 'coming out of the closet.' Chase and Ava go on the adventure on the rodeo tour attempt to find their real self. I this very adult and steamy - great writing. Off to find more by this author!

If you enjoy this genre I would also suggest;Make Mine a Bad Boy (A Deep in the Heart of Texas novel),Caine's Reckoning (Hell's Eight),The Cowboy Way (Harlequin Blaze),Good Time Girl.

Chase McKay, champion bull rider, is forced to take some time off and heads to his brother's place to lick his wounds. Ava Cooper, actress, needs to get out of Hollywood and heads to her friend's place to hide from the media. Bull rider meets actress - what could go wrong? I loved Chase and Ava's story!

Reviewed by Sophie for My Secret Romance Book Reviews
This book was provided by the author/publisher in return for an honest review.

I had three different thoughts that came to me on the morning of 6.28.11 when I woke.

The first thought was: I LOVE the store KINDLE!

My second thought: I love Lorelei James because she writes such cool books!

My third thought: I can hardly wait the sixty seconds it takes to download a kindle book to start reading Chase McKay's story!

I started at 6:00 a.m. PDT on June 28, 2011 and finished at 12:32 p.m. PDT on June 29, 2011. Of course, I paused to sleep, eat and shower. But I could have stayed awake all night if I didn't have to work the next day. In the end, I concluded that this was one of the BEST books I read in 2011. If you ever ask me, I will repeat it once, twice and as many times possible: THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE WINNER!

Without turning the whole review into a spoiler, I want to point out some interesting things this book has that I didn't find in her previous ones:

As Lorelei James stated in an interview I once read, "This book is different from the rest". It is. Not only because it's not her average friend-lust-passion book (like others) but because it really gets into the psyche of each character. Chase realizes before he hits his 30 (and a brick wall) that he MUST turn his life around and fix his behavior. This will also help the very determined Ava show the world she's more than a Hollywood bimbo.

The way you learn about the western cowboy life is beyond incredible. I think I've learned more about cowboys in a day and a half reading this book than I could've by watching a year full of cowboy events on TV. (If I were ever able to find live cowboy events on TV here in L.A).

The amount of reading you have to complete in order to finally get to a "hot steamy scene" in my opinion is the correct. More than erotica, this is a ROMANCE book. She wanted to show her readers that she can absolutely build up an expectation. Many will say, "OMG HOW COME SHE TOOK SO LONG, IT WAS BORING!" well I have to disagree. She kept me guessing what would happen next. If you are an avid romance reader, you will find this twist in her style very welcoming. It was just the correct amount for the correct time.

I just knew some day she would finally venture out of the Wild West to a big city. I just KNEW IT. I simply worshiped her for the turn in the story when they got to the big city. From the moment they land and all the fun they had, until they finally have to part. Each character had a taste from each other lives, and BOTH fitted accordingly.

The way the drama was involved, how the sad parts were exposed and the way how a great sense of humanity was projected from certain tragic events, was possibly the most realistic part she has written along all her books. I cried, literally. In the morning while reading this on my way to work I could not hold back my tears. I cried because what she described was absolutely true. It could happen to anybody.

And finally, even though I do appreciate the knowledge, drama, romance and passion, I also appreciated the human part. The real contemporary life she has described. Ava's character is a resemblance of the real deal for many spoiled kids who not necessarily have to be rich and famous but can be as simple and down to earth as any other mortal.

Mrs. James, if you ever read this, (which I highly doubt, but don't lose faith of) please know, that your stories have brought back to me a piece of human basics that I probably had lost long time ago. Each book of yours has had a message for me. Besides the fact that LOVE CAN OVERCOME IMPOSSIBLES, they also point out it doesn't have to come from where you're eagerly looking for it, but from some place you could never expect; which is exactly what happened to Ava and Chase.

Because I was so happy (and curious) to learn about Cowboy culture, I was lucky to assist last year to the 25th Annual Industry Hills Pro Rodeo, [...] sponsored by the PRCA (I know what it stands for now!). I took my nephews and they just LOVED all the
events. So yes, Mrs. James's books are not only a treat for all of us her loyal fans and avid readers, but they are also a bridge to learn a little bit more about our all American culture- hot cowboys included.

Lorelei was very wonderful in allowing us each to ask her a few questions for the blog tour. Here are the three chosen to ask. I must say, her response to the third answer is my favorite. It gave me goosebumps!

Eleventh in the Rough Riders erotic romance series complete with cowboys in Sundance, Wyoming. The couple focus is on Chase McKay and Ava Dumond Cooper.

I really wanted to go with a "3" for all the errors in this, but I have to appreciate the message that James promotes in this.

My Take
What can I say? I am so caught up in the McKay family and learning what's happening in their lives, you'd'a thought I'd've missed all the proofreading errors scattered throughout this story. Man, James, were you really in this much of a hurry that y'all couldn't be bothered? I mean, Mazerati, Manalos, let alone all the missing articles and prepositions???

It is pretty funny. Chase has sworn off sex and here's Ava dying for some. Nor does he want any of his family to know he's been kicked off the circuit...so why he decides to hole up on Kane's ranch is beyond me. He knows what the family is like.

For all the words James has written, there's no sexual tension between Ava and Chase. Sure, he's highly sexed and Ava wants some reassurance, but he's determined to stick to his vow. Which doesn't make much sense since he never has in the past. So, all of a sudden, for the sake of this story, he is gonna stick. Then Ava keeps letting Chase know how attractive she finds different guys, but she does absolutely nothing about it. Sure, we know it's inevitable that they'll get together, but, geez, couldn't James have put more sizzle into this?

There are some interesting bits of "raw honesty" in this. Desires one wouldn't expect. Especially from a guy. I think it's also the first story in this series with such a tremendous message to it, and I do appreciate what James is saying in it. She presents the attraction and mechanics of bullriding in a rodeo circuit and tempers it with a hard dose of reality in the need for more and better safety equipment.

One of the things I like about this series is that the family isn't afraid to get down and dirty with each other. They're supportive AND they tell it like it is.

The Story
It's similar disasters that find two completely different people meeting in the most unlikely place.

Ava Cooper has just been emotionally destroyed by her boyfriend while Chase is well on the way to destroying himself with his personal antics in the bar and the bedroom.

They each plan to lick their wounds and NOT each other when Chase stumbles over a sleeping Ava. He refuses to have sex with her, and he wants to get back into his groove while Ava tags along to experience something different, something real that isn't knocked up on a soundstage.

Hours, days spent on the road lead each to opening up in varying degrees to the other. Seeing the similarities and self-absorptions they share.

The Characters
Ava Rose Cooper Dumond is a actress who's never really hit the big time. She's also from a mega-wealthy family. Jake Vasquez is the boyfriend who has no manners; Decker is his boyfriend. Hannah is her assistant; Brad is Hannah's uncle, just doing her a favor. Her dad is Dumond of the Dumond Racing Team in NASCAR. Her mother is a Cooper, CEO of Cooper Hotels, while her brother Axel is involved with DRT and Cooper Tires. Marnie Driscoll is her agent. Petra is an actress friend of Ava's who married up---Arthur---and now does the New York high society thing.

Chase McKay, a.k.a., Bill Chase, is a great bullrider, but he's been coasting on his laurels. Ben is his furniture building brother. Aunt Joan has left Uncle Casper, which has sent his parents, Violet and Charles McKay, into a honeymoon phase. Quinn and Libby with their son Adam and baby Amelia (Wild Ride: Strong, Silent Type (Rough Rider, #6.5)). Gavin Daniels is the oldest...and longlost...brother. He has a fourteen-year-old daughter, Sierra.

Brandt and Jessie are honeymooning as well. Tell has become a licensed rodeo judge. And, hoo-ee is he angry! Dalton's still single. Wild Ride: Strong, Silent Type (Rough Rider, #6.5)
Ginger Paulson is Ava's lawyer and friend; she's also married to Kane McKay (Raising Kane (Rough Riders, #9)) and they currently have Hayden, Paul, and Maddie. Her dad still lives with them.

Cash Big Crow is going to help Chase get back his mojo. Gemma is his wife (see Rode Hard, Put Up Wet (Rough Riders, #2) ) and their kids are Ryder, Ella, and Jansen.

Carter and Macie McKay (Rode Hard, Put Up Wet; Macie is Cash's daughter) with their kids Parker and Thane (Gib and Braxton get a mention); Carter and Colby (he and Channing have added Talia to their brood; see Long Hard Ride (Rough Riders, #1)), his older brother and Chase's cousins, are helping Cash with his bulls.

Chet and Remy are building Keely and Jack's place (their story is in All Jacked Up (Rough Riders, #8)).

Elroy is Chase's PBR liaison. Winnie his PBR publicist. Sheree Bishop is a spoiled, rich lunatic who wanted Chase while her dad, Lou Bishop, has too much power, but not enough nouse to know his daughter. Rhea and Janae are really flexible in bed.

Ryan Ackerman is new this year to the PRCA bullriding circuit. He recognizes Chase, but keeps it quiet and, in turn, teaches Chase a few things. Jackie Ackerman is his mom. Taz is an old-timer on the circuit with his own set of stories.

The Cover
The cover is hot. It's not Chase or Ava. Simple, physical math dictates that. Uh-huh. He's 5-foot 7-inches and she's several inches taller. In flats. The graphics do follow the theme set for the series with its "carved leather scrollwork" and sepia-toned black-and-white photograph.

The title is all about why bullriders participate, why they obsess about Chasin' Eight.

This is another great story about one of the sexy McKay men! When the bad boy rodeo star and the tired actress decide to go trade in there famous names for some down time traveling together sparks fly! Lorelei James always tells a great story but I have to say I am a little disappointed in the audio-book. I think the narrator would be much better suited for a more sweet romance or at least a less masculine book. Every time she spoke as Chase it sounded like a 90 year old man or something. It just didn't fit to me.

great story about 2 opposite people falling in love. Ava needed a break. Chase needed a break. both worked together to get through some things in there personal lives and yet they fall in love. head over heels in love. great story a must read.

Yet another great book!! I ran the full gamut of emotions with this one. It’s a touching story of self discovery and of the importance of friendship as a foundation for deep love, with a very unexpected twist at the end...

Great summer read! When you just want to get away and get involved in the story without having to think about plot, characters, and all that other stuff, this is your book. Entertaining, lusty and all-around fun. All of Lorelei James books are great reads…you won't be disappointed.

Lorelei James' "Rough Riders" series is the best. Characters are real, stories and emotionally engaging and you can not do better than James. Buy her series - tell anyone about them that you can and make this lady rich - for she makes us rich with her talent!

Each time I think I have found a favorite Lorelei James book, a new book comes out and I have to change my mind :)! Chasin' Eight has it all...romance, friendship, family, laughter, tragedy...and lots of MEGA hot, curl your toes, leave your tongue wagging SEX! What I loved most about these characters was their honesty! They were not afraid to open up to one another and that's what made them fall in love...and what made me fall in love with them! I totally agree with previous reviews when they say they can't put the book down and then feel compelled to reread others in the series. I fully intended to take this one slow and linger and enjoy my time with the McKay's....but I couldn't wait to get to the next page. Another incredible Rough Rider book! I can't wait for the next Lorelei James book! Bring on the Cowboys!!!!!

I loved this book! I have read her entire series and have enjoyed all of them but this is my favorite. The characters are independent and neither needs 'rescuing' but they do need support. They become friends first and that is lovely. Their strong friendship makes the sex scenes even hotter because it is clear they already have trust and respect. If you like this author, buy this book - you won't be disappointed.

I absolutely loved this book. As have I, the rest of the series. Lorelei James has such a talent. She gets your attention and takes you on a journey from beginning to end. I loved this story, Chase was such a loveable character. I loved how different his story was yet similar to all the other McKay men. You can't help but love this family that we have all grown to feel we know.

I agree with previous reviews this is one of Mrs. James best books. I have read the whole serious and feel in love with Chase and Ava. I laughed, I cried and I couldn't put it down. I read the whole book in one setting. I recommend reading the whole serious but this one is a good stand alone. I love the McKay family and can't wait for more.

With careers on the line, our protagonists escape to regroup. They end up in the same bed, but don't act on the obvious. They spend time together, learning about themselves and each other. In the meantime, decisions are made, New directions are found. An insightful study and a roaring plot.

What a powerful story! Chase and Ava are both fairly well known people. Ava is a TV/movie star. Chase is the bad boy bull rider. When they end up together by chance they take the opportunity to spend some time traveling together, just as friends. Being as they are both hot, young people, the “just friends” idea doesn’t last for long. There is also a whole lot of issues regarding bull riding safety that get brought into the mix. I felt a lot of emotions involved in this story. As always Ms James has a very well written story with lots of hot scenes. She has a way of also emphasizing the characters insecurities, and how they play into the relationships, without it all sounding whiney.

Bring on Gavin’s story!!!

I enjoyed Chase and Ana getting to know each other really well as friends and how they learned to appreciate each others' good qualities before they began their relationship. Chase needed to give himself a month without ladies to hone his rodeo skills. Ana Cooper needed time to appreciate her own worth before trying to have a new relationship with Chase. Together, they became stronger on their own and then had more to give to each other. I think Chase is going to have a new career path when he is done on the rodeo circuit. It seems, with the death of a young cowboy who refused to wear a safety helmet, that Chase will teach safety to young kids. He already had the backing of the company which manufactured the helmets Chase began to use. He could be that company's safety representative and had the clout of a successful rider to be a major influence on the next generation of safer riders. Ana and he would find their relationship strengthened with their respective growth as human beings. Their love grew stronger also.