- Jun 3
- 5 min read
I imagine that every romance reader has a soft spot for a ridiculous meet-cute, and it would be hard to find one more memorable than the opening of Chase Me.
Roxy Cumberland is barely keeping her head above water while trying to make it as an actress in New York. With bills piling up and opportunities proving elusive, she takes a job performing singing telegrams. Unfortunately for Roxy, her first assignment involves dressing up as a giant pink bunny and delivering a rather explicit song to a wealthy Manhattan lawyer on behalf of one of his former conquests.
That lawyer is Louis McNally II, and the encounter is awkward, hilarious, slightly mortifying. Exactly the sort of opening that immediately tells you what kind of book you're reading. Tessa Bailey wastes no time throwing her characters together and setting the tone for a romance that's playful, sexy, and thoroughly entertaining.
What I enjoyed most about this book was the chemistry between Roxy and Louis. Their attraction is immediate, but Bailey gives them enough personality and conflict to keep things interesting beyond the initial spark. Roxy is fiercely independent, determined to succeed on her own terms, and often unwilling to accept help even when she desperately needs it. While her stubbornness occasionally frustrated me, it also made her feel authentic. She has worked too hard and sacrificed too much to allow anyone to hand her success.
Louis could easily have become a stereotypical rich playboy hero, but Bailey gives him more depth than that. Beneath the expensive suits and privileged upbringing is a genuinely caring man who wants to do good in the world. His patience and persistence are what ultimately make him appealing, particularly as he begins to understand that winning Roxy over requires far more than grand gestures.
The humour throughout the novel is one of its greatest strengths. The banter is sharp, the situations are often absurd in the best possible way, and the story moves at a brisk pace that makes it very easy to keep turning the pages. Bailey seems to have a talent for balancing comedy with romantic tension, and there are several moments that had me smiling despite myself.
The novel also explores the realities of chasing creative dreams. Roxy's financial struggles, uncertain future, and determination to keep pursuing acting add an emotional layer beneath the romance. While the story never becomes particularly heavy, those elements help ground the characters and give the relationship something more substantial to build upon.
This succeeds at exactly what it sets out to do. It's funny, flirtatious, fast-moving, and packed with the kind of chemistry that romance readers pick up a Tessa Bailey novel expecting to find. The opening premise alone makes it memorable, but it's the warmth between Roxy and Louis that keeps the story engaging from beginning to end.
If you're looking for a light, entertaining contemporary romance with strong banter, plenty of steam, and an opposites-attract pairing that delivers on the chemistry, Chase Me is well worth adding to your reading list.
Book Details
Chase Me — Tessa Bailey
Paperback ISBN
978-0063329348 (Avon/HarperCollins edition; varies by region)
Hardcover ISBN
978-0062431134 (original Avon hardcover edition; varies by retailer and region)
eBook ISBN
978-0062431110
Genre
Contemporary Romance; Romantic Comedy; New Adult Romance; Adult Fiction
Subgenre
Romantic Comedy; Opposites-Attract Romance; New Adult Contemporary Romance; City Romance; Workplace-Adjacent Romance
Tropes / Literary Threads
Opposites attract; rich hero/poor heroine; struggling actress heroine; wealthy lawyer hero; pursuit romance; relentless hero; meet-cute; singing telegram mishap; forced interaction; fish-out-of-water social divide; class disparity romance; playboy hero redemption; grumpy/sunshine undertones; independent heroine; protective hero; emotional vulnerability; trust issues; self-made heroine; found family; roommates-to-family dynamic; New York City setting; career ambition; female independence; romantic pursuit; mistaken assumptions; slow emotional trust; personal growth; social class conflict; emotional healing; chosen family; persistence versus pride; love versus self-protection
Publisher
Avon Books / HarperCollins (US)
Series
Broke and Beautiful Trilogy (Book 1)
Formats Available
Paperback, Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook
Audiobook Narrators
Caitlin Kelly and Jonathan Ashford
Release Date
17 March 2015
Page Count
Approximately 304–336 pages (varies by edition)
Setting
New York City; Manhattan; Brooklyn; New Jersey
Primary Setting Details
Contemporary New York City; luxury Manhattan apartments; struggling artist housing; law offices; theatre auditions; city streets; restaurants and bars; working-class and affluent neighbourhoods that highlight the economic divide between the protagonists
Main Characters
Roxy Cumberland; Louis McNally II; Abby Sullivan; Russell Hart; Brent Mason; Belmont Clarkson; Peggy; Louis's twin sisters
Cultural & Literary Influences
Contemporary romantic comedy conventions; Cinderella-style class disparity narratives; New Adult fiction trends of the 2010s; urban career-driven romance; modern screwball comedy dynamics; pursuit romance traditions; aspirational New York storytelling
Major Themes
Independence versus vulnerability; class and privilege; ambition and perseverance; trust; self-worth; emotional growth; chosen family; romantic vulnerability; overcoming prejudice; love and sacrifice; identity beyond social status; pursuing dreams; resilience; pride; learning to accept help; personal redemption; emotional intimacy
Content Warnings
Sexual content; explicit language; financial hardship; housing insecurity; alcohol use; emotional manipulation; class-based discrimination; sexual references; mild violence
Comparable Titles
It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey; Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey; The Deal by Elle Kennedy; Beautiful Player by Christina Lauren; The Hating Game by Sally Thorne; The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez; Melt for You by J.T. Geissinger
Ideal Readers
Readers who enjoy contemporary romance, opposites-attract relationships, strong romantic chemistry, witty banter, wealthy heroes, fiercely independent heroines, New York settings, romantic comedies with spice, character-driven romance, and emotionally satisfying love stories featuring personal growth and class-divide dynamics.
Rating
★★★★☆ (4 Stars)
Spice Level
🌶️🌶️🌶️½ / 5
Where to Buy
Print Editions
eBook
Kindle Store
Audiobook
Kobo Audiobooks
Library Availability
Available through many Australian public library networks via Libby and BorrowBox (availability varies by region).
Danielle Robinson is a literary critic and writer whose work explores literature through the lens of atmosphere, memory, culture, and emotional experience. Holding a double degree in philosophy and theology, she combines academic insight with a deeply refined aesthetic sensibility shaped by more than three decades working across the creative industries as an internationally published, multi-award-winning makeup artist, fashion stylist, and interior stager.
She reads widely and rigorously, reading and reviewing more than 200 books each year as both an ARC reader and commissioned critic. Through Silk & Sentences, Danielle approaches literature as something immersive and lived with — not simply stories to consume, but works that shape the way we think, feel, and move through the world.
She writes from her rural Queensland home, where she lives with Alex, her husband of 33 years, their dog Oscar, and an ever-growing library of books.
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