I had so much fun reading Chasing Shadows. The chemistry, the snark, the suspense was great. it gave me everything I want in a romantic thriller. If you're into messy hookups that turn into high-stakes chaos, with a side of billionaire drama and courtroom tension, this one's for you.

Chasing Shadows feels like a vintage legal thriller in the best way. As a teenager, I loved the 90s writing of Scott Turow, John Grisham and Mary Higgins Clark, and Chasing Shadows is very much of this vintage - with some updates for the era. In the heyday of these books, the hero would have been a young prosecutor instead of a young public defender, but the book makes some really essential points about the difficulty of public defenders, who are often maintaining huge caseloads defending people who need social workers as much as an attorney, and are often mistreated by the system. The book feels incredibly topical with the recent shooting of a healthcare CEO, and the twists and turns are very conscious of social justice issues.

The one thing I would say is that the book does feel very pre #metoo with an early reveal that our main character, Annie, had a one night stand with a stranger. The men in her office are incredibly judgemental in a way that feels a bit more reminiscient of a 90s feminist backlash than a time when Tinder is widespread. I would have loved the book to go into the culture of that decision, rather than just observing it. Is there a particularly sexist culture in this public defender's office? Is St Louis a particularly regressive place? As someone who works in legal aid, I have found it to be a bit more liberal than most corporate firms and I wanted to get a better sense of Annie's office.

If you love your romance with a thriller edge, or if you loved vintage legal thrillers, this one is for you.

this is like Ally mcbeal on juice! with the same brilliant sparks of wit, tension and romance woven throughout the court and crime drama.
this book is so good though. you can really imagine these characters and why they are the way they are. and each instance they either make a mistake or think in a certain way you might not agree with it but you can totally get it because of their makeup and whats happened to them previously.
i loved how the crime and the mystery all built the tension but so did the relationships. its almost a Netflix film via a book. and held the same excitement and imagery as would a film plot.
i thought the starting plot was fab. how a man and woman meet at a event and the chemistry is steaming. so they spend a night together. but as she slips away the next morning little does Annie know that she will meet this man soon. and not in a good way for he is the victim of a crime she goes on to be a defendant on the opposing side for. the story and chemistry the builds whilst we learn more of our characters. there were times as i learn more about Annie that i felt so torn for her. ugh she had a lots to contend with.
the chemistry plays soooo well on the pages and it was equal and balancing to the rest of the story line.

I would like to leave a review of the intriguing novel "Chasing Shadows" by Cat Jameson 🌓.

Plot: a young lawyer Annie O’Toole meets a gorgeous man Mick at a charity event, and they decide to spend one night together feeling powerful chemistry. The next morning, Annie hastily flees the hotel room, leaving the man only a note of gratitude for their time together. However, Annie is assigned a new case at work: to defend a young man accused of attempting to murder a prominent businessman Michael Grayson, and when she sees the man's photo, everything in her shudders with growing anxiety of recognition…

Well, the book is imbued with the atmosphere of Hollywood detective films, thrillers with elements of romance, where strong feelings burn between the characters, while they also have to find the real truth and destroy their enemies.

I wouldn't say that it's exciting: it's just somehow... normal. For some reason, it seems that such a story could have been twisted in a more interesting way, so often everything was obvious. In my opinion, the characters are not very detailed, rather superficial even. In general, everything is very primitive, both with the main characters and the villains.

Annie is great a lawyer, but by the end of the book she's just a pawn. Her reaction to the dossier about her is inadequate, as for a person who knows how treacherous the world is and it is better to keep her finger on the pulse. I liked Michael better, he quickly recovered from his nervous outbursts when he heard explanations. And Annie's obsession with the idea that wealth is bad... I was sick of her logic. Michael did something stupid in the end of book. He deserved a better woman.

The chemistry between the main characters was there, if not for all the circumstances, they wouldn't have gotten out of bed....

And, of course, I liked the way the russians were humiliated: they wanted to steal something, as usual, and were smashed by the good guys. I wish it was always like that in life.

An interesting idea, nice presentation, could have been a little better, but I'm sure the author will develop a knack it over time.

Chasing Shadows is a gripping, emotional rollercoaster that blends suspense, romance, and heart-pounding twists. Cat Jameson masterfully balances vulnerability and tension, delivering characters you can’t help but root for and a plot that keeps you guessing. It’s intense, beautifully written, and impossible to put down.

Romantic suspense is not my normal genre but the description of a public defender involved with a crime victim intrigued me enough to pick this one up. I'm glad I did. The fully developed characters just jumped off the page, the continuing obstacles to their steamy romance kept the plot moving at a brisk pace and i was so hooked, i finished it in one day. Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Wild Rose Press for an advanced reader copy.

There was a lot to enjoy about this read. There's this swirl of mystery, a bit of suspense that kept me guessing, and characters that I loved getting to know. Annie is interesting, she has a very negative view on the rich, which keeps her a little on edge at times. But as the story flows forward we get deeper into her story, her history, and there are some moments that absolutely twisted my heart. Now, Michael, he's confident, yet cautious with his feelings. These two have a ton of heat, some ups and downs, and everything else you need from a story to completely pull you in. There were a lot of strong characters that added to the story.

Good read, intense made me smile in places, a beautiful defense attorney takes on corporate CEO to defend her client against an attempted murder charge.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you for allowing me to review

Thank you NetGalley and The Wild Rose Press Inc. for this ARC!

So glad I came across this because this was a fun time. Had all the features of a great romantic suspense but without too much doom and gloom lol.

It was such a quick and fast paced read and full of action. Loved the premise and the tension! The romance had just the right amount of angst and tender moments which I devoured wholeheartedly. Side characters were well developed as well. The mystery and suspense was easy to follow yet kept me on my toes. I also enjoyed the ending, it was super sweet and everything wrapped up nicely. Though the climax was somewhat anticlimactic, I didn't mind it that much in consideration of the overall plot - it didn't seem as high stakes as I thought it would be. I didn't even mind the minor third act conflict because it added onto their character development.

Would read again and highly recommend.

Overall rating: 4/5

This was a steamy, high-heat, contemporary romantic thriller. What stood out to me about the book was the chemistry between Annie and Micheal. While I generally prefer a slower build up for my romances, the chemistry between these two main characters just crackled, making their first encounter both believable and extremely hot! That’s not to say there were no problems. My main issue was the ‘suspense’ part of the book didn’t really feel urgent. I wasn’t invested in the mystery and would have preferred more time given to Annie and Micheal’s relationship. On a side note, I did find Annie’s “all rich people are evil capitalists” stance to be both naïve and unrealistic considering she belongs to a profession that I assume would requite unbiased judgement. Neither of these issues prevented me from thoroughly enjoying what is an engaging, fast-paced thriller with a sizzling romance.

Annie is a public defence lawyer. Michael is a wealthy airplane designer. They meet one night and end up having a mind blowing one night stand that either of them can forget about, even weeks later. But Michael has recently been shot, and Annie just so happens to be his alleged shooters lawyer.

When Annie's estranged grandmother calls and says she's dying, Annie is forced to return to her family's mansion, and her controlling grandmother. And just when one problem seems to be fixed, another one pops up. And Annie wants nothing to do with it, but things always seem to pull her back in.

A really great book, I was sucked in from the very beginning. I loved the characters, and all the twists and turns that they're put through in this. With a deep mystery and steamy scenes between the two characters, I couldn't wait to read more, and I was content with the ending. If you're into romance with a big mystery and a strong female lead, this might be something you want to check out for yourself. I know I loved it.

Chasing Shadows by Cat Jameson is a debut romance novel that starts off with a bang. A passionate one night stand turns awkward when our FMC, Annie O’Toole, finds out she is the public defender for the teen that is accused of shooting her one night stand, Mick, who turns out to be a billionaire CEO, named Michael Grayson. Yikes! These two have chemistry from the start and have to navigate this very sticky situation of their personal and professional lives colliding. No matter what comes their way, these two main characters always seem drawn to one another.

This book is filled with mystery and intrigue surrounding the shooting. This storyline draws you in from the very beginning. It is also an easy and fast paced read.

Overall, I loved the main characters’ connection and chemistry! I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.

Thank you to The Wild Rose Press, Inc. and NetGalley for the arc. All opinions are my own.