deanie's review
3.0
Attorney Gemma Wells life is in shambles when she comes to Bliss. After finding her fiance cheating on her, she attacked them in a public meltdown that ended up on YouTube. Now she's in her mother's hometown, trying to put her life back together and caring for her mother as she recovers from cancer treatment. Mechanics Jesse McCann and Cade Sinclair have shared women before, but neither one is sure they're ready for a new relationship, especially with Gemma, who has a reputation for being a bitch. But love is stronger than fear, and Gemma will need her men at her side when her ex-fiance comes back -- to kill her.
Maybe it's the fact that most of the Bliss books feature menage relationships that consist of two men (who are best friends, brothers, etc.) and one woman, but there's a sameness to the Bliss books that I don't like. On its own, the plot, characters, and actions are good, but Chasing Bliss is a lot like the other books that came before it.
Maybe it's the fact that most of the Bliss books feature menage relationships that consist of two men (who are best friends, brothers, etc.) and one woman, but there's a sameness to the Bliss books that I don't like. On its own, the plot, characters, and actions are good, but Chasing Bliss is a lot like the other books that came before it.
lyshreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lenoreo's review
4.0
OK, I loved the awkwardness and inexperience of Gemma. She was sassy, strong, but strangely vulnerable. The whole scene where she finally decides to sleep with them....just perfect. So, normal and real. It was quite refreshing actually. And Jesse was just fabulously sweet. Even the cowardice of Cade was believable and not too over the top and frustrating. Seeing his struggle was heart breaking. Yeah, but mostly it was Gemma. LOVED the glimpses more of Nell and Henry...who-wee I'm excited to read their backstory!!
bookbae96's review against another edition
4.0
Separately, Gemma Wells, Cade Sinclair, and Jesse McCann are all a little bit broken. They all have some rough edges, some 'quirks,' some things that just don't fit out in the world. But Bliss, Colorado, is a magical sort of place, a place that people can be who they really are, once they strip away the shells that they've cultivated to 'make it' outside. And, like it or not, these three are just what's needed for each of them to discover who they really are and where they belong.
In Bliss, author Lexi Blake has created a place away from rules, a place where Gemma, Cade, and Jesse can discover that three really is the perfect number, at least here. That their three pieces make the perfect whole, and free them in ways that each needed but never really knew. Lexi does a wonderful job of marrying humor, suspense, and steaminess to create stories and characters that are enjoyable and endearing, and painting a picture of a place that, while seemingly odd to those on the outside, couldn't be more perfect for the people that live there.
CHASING BLISS is the next perfect chapter in this series. The characters may live their lives in a way that seems foreign to a lot of us, but the common denominator is love, and I couldn't have enjoyed it more.
lauraanne9's review against another edition
3.0
What works about these books, and what worked when they were first published, is that you like and are invested in all of the characters.
Cade, Jesse and Gemma are the leads in this title and you like them and their story.
With a menage title you need to have an instant, or close to it, attraction or the story stalls and I enjoyed how this was handled.
I enjoyed and recommend this title.
Cade, Jesse and Gemma are the leads in this title and you like them and their story.
With a menage title you need to have an instant, or close to it, attraction or the story stalls and I enjoyed how this was handled.
I enjoyed and recommend this title.
bookishlynerdy's review against another edition
3.0
I’ve enjoyed some of Lexi Blake’s books before. I’m not gonna lie. There’s something fascinating about this kind of relationship. The kind that takes three. Not two. The kind that requires a little bit of know how to make work.
This book demonstrated that know how. The sex was never gratuitous. It was never overdone. It simply was a part of their relationship, just like it is a part of most everyone’s relationships.
There was intrigue. The ex was a terrible person and at times I had to stop reading because I was gonna punch the guy in the face. Despite the fact that he’s not real. But we all know someone like that. Where looks are more important than anything else and are willing to kill to get ahead. Literally. Those kinds of people are often exaggerated in books and media but Gemma’s ex definitely wasn’t. I’ve met people just like that and I have no idea how I wasn’t arrested.
Cade and Jesse were not the typical macho man. They had macho thoughts, yes. But they were not macho men. My fellow booknerds, there is a distinct difference between coddling someone, doing everything for them and not letting them do a thing and doing everything for them because you want to and you feel good taking care of them. Chasing Bliss made that point very clear. Gemma was a gogetter. She wasn’t going to back down nor was she going to roll over just because someone told her to.
She definitely wasn’t going to allow any man, much less two, tell her what to do. However, Jesse liked taking care of everything around the house and Cade liked to cook for her. Neither one of them were doing it because they thought she couldn’t do it. Just the opposite. Because she had been doing it for so long on her own, they wanted her to rely on someone else and relax for a little. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Now you might look at the above and say, “Well why didn’t you give it a five if you liked it so much?”
Dear booknerds, because, despite all the above, I didn’t like it all that much. It was a little tedious for me to read and occasionally the pace would skip as though it were a broken record player. Mind you, this is with three POVs so sometimes repeats are bound to happen. But I guess I just wasn’t in the mood. I might come back next year and change it but so far….
This book demonstrated that know how. The sex was never gratuitous. It was never overdone. It simply was a part of their relationship, just like it is a part of most everyone’s relationships.
There was intrigue. The ex was a terrible person and at times I had to stop reading because I was gonna punch the guy in the face. Despite the fact that he’s not real. But we all know someone like that. Where looks are more important than anything else and are willing to kill to get ahead. Literally. Those kinds of people are often exaggerated in books and media but Gemma’s ex definitely wasn’t. I’ve met people just like that and I have no idea how I wasn’t arrested.
Cade and Jesse were not the typical macho man. They had macho thoughts, yes. But they were not macho men. My fellow booknerds, there is a distinct difference between coddling someone, doing everything for them and not letting them do a thing and doing everything for them because you want to and you feel good taking care of them. Chasing Bliss made that point very clear. Gemma was a gogetter. She wasn’t going to back down nor was she going to roll over just because someone told her to.
She definitely wasn’t going to allow any man, much less two, tell her what to do. However, Jesse liked taking care of everything around the house and Cade liked to cook for her. Neither one of them were doing it because they thought she couldn’t do it. Just the opposite. Because she had been doing it for so long on her own, they wanted her to rely on someone else and relax for a little. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Now you might look at the above and say, “Well why didn’t you give it a five if you liked it so much?”
Dear booknerds, because, despite all the above, I didn’t like it all that much. It was a little tedious for me to read and occasionally the pace would skip as though it were a broken record player. Mind you, this is with three POVs so sometimes repeats are bound to happen. But I guess I just wasn’t in the mood. I might come back next year and change it but so far….
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