Leaving Home by T.A. Chase
This series has a really strong message about family. “..the best families were the ones they built for themselves.” and this continues in this book.
- No Going Home (book 1)
- Home of His Own (book 2)
- Wishing for a Home (book 3)
- Leaving Home (book 4)
- Home Sweet Home (book 5)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Blurb…
Chaz struggles with his addiction, while continuing to do his job of saving bull riders, but it’s all getting out of control.
Charles ‘Chaz’ O’Brien has been at the top of his profession for many years, enduring injuries that would have crushed a lesser man. Yet the top bullfighter isn’t calling it quits any time soon. He does his job with a fierce joy, all the while he’s hiding a terrible secret. One that could get him suspended, and could end up killing the very men he protects.
Peter Skinner loves working for Les Hardin and Randy Hersch. His bosses are amazing men, but seeing how in love they are every day makes Peter’s heart ache. He wishes he could find a man to love him like that, but he knows they’re hard to come by in Wyoming where he lives.
Until one day, Peter finds a man strung-out in an alley, and Peter is the only one around to deal with it. When Peter and Chaz meet, their worlds collide in a way that could be the best thing in the world for them both, or the worst experience of their lives.
So what did I think?
The story focuses very much on Peter, who has been rejected by his family, and now lives at the Hardin ranch and works as an accountant for Les. The story starts with Peter collecting his belongings but more importantly being ready to start over in a new home. “It might not be the family he’d been born with, but it was the one he’d chosen, and, to be honest, the men and women Peter was going to see in a few minutes were the people he felt the most real with. They had opened their hearts and homes to him, even when his grandfather had treated Les so poorly.”
Peter and his friends, are all good people. They go out of their way to give people a second chance and are not judgmental. It was nice to see the introduction of a character who had flaws, someone who was battling demons and making wrong decisions.
Peter finds Chaz in a alley – collapsed, dirty and strung out. He rescues him (he’s one of the good guys) and takes him home to the ranch. Peter actually feels an immediate attraction to Chaz which has him puzzled. “He needed to get a handle on this weird attraction. There was no way in hell Peter could want a dirty druggie who was more than likely homeless.”
The story follows the development of a relationship between Peter and Chaz. They face obstacles, including Peter’s friends protectiveness and of course, Chaz’s dependence on pills. However, it is easy to feel sympathatic towards Chaz (while at the same time wanting to shake some sense into him). He desperately wants to do the right thing by Peter “He was a good man who saw something worthwhile in Chaz, and Chaz wanted to live up to Peter’s expectations. but doesn’t not have the faith in himself “He’d screwed up enough times in his life that he wasn’t the kind of guy to make vows to people.”
This story was well-paced, the characters were fabulous and there was some great drama. Les’ interference at the end of the book annoyed me slightly as it delayed the happy ending I was hoping for, but there was a level of realism to the conclusion of the book that gave confidence that Peter and Chaz were definitely destined for happy ever after!
See my review of book 3, Wishing for a Home.
For more information on T.A. Chase and her books, visit the website.
Buy Leaving Home at Amazon