Two storm chasers find a love that could blow them away in this electric debut romance.

Wedding photographer Sloane Michaels spends most of her year running after brides, but she lives for the six weeks each spring she chases tornadoes instead. When the prestigious magazine Nature Shots announces a storm cover contest, Sloane knows that winning could be her best opportunity to establish herself in landscape photography.

The last thing she needs is a distraction in the form of reckless “Wild Wes” Talbot. A legend among storm chasers, he’s been Sloane’s close, personal frenemy for the last decade and is the man to beat for the cover contest.

Sloane isn’t surprised when Wes gets in an accident that jeopardizes his chances. But with an active weather pattern emerging, she doubles down on her need to beat Wes fair and square, and begrudgingly invites him to join her for the remainder of the season.

As they race through hail, high winds, and stormy skies, Sloane realizes that Wes might be more than the rich, flirty, Texas wildcard she thought she knew — and that the feelings blooming between them are more charged and dangerous than the storms they’re chasing.

My Review

“For the ones with lightning in their veins and storms in their hearts.”

I can’t put into words how excited I was to read this book. The blurb is a combination of some of my favorite things, romance, storms, and road trips. I’m a total weather nerd, and this book felt like a perfect fit. I also can’t tell you how much the dedication made me feel seen.

Sloane is a storm lover at heart who looks forward to chasing season every year, but of course her competition and longtime rival, Wes, is always in her way. With a tight-knit friend group, plenty of banter, and access to the same locations, they just can’t seem to stay away from one another.

“Wes might be beautiful but he’s beautiful the way tornadoes are beautiful, something to be admired from afar or risk getting caught in the storm. I have no intention in becoming collateral damage.” — Sloane

I’m already convinced I need a physical copy of this book just so I can highlight all my favorite quotes, and I’ve barely started.

This year’s chase season gets even juicier with a photography competition and a magazine feature on the line. As a photographer, Sloane has a real chance at winning, but her season gets cut short when real life and bills get in the way. I love how grounded this story feels, with work obligations, money concerns, and time commitments affecting the characters’ choices.

Wes comes from a Texas family and turned to storm chasing for the thrill of it. He’s competitive, tall, dark, and absolutely swoon-worthy. We haven’t gotten his POV yet at this point, but I’m already eager to learn more about him.

The rivalry on the road is punctuated by fun, sassy texts and incredible descriptions. The story paints such vivid imagery that it pulls you right into the chase. I absolutely adore the chemistry, banter, and rivals-to-lovers energy.

“Sloane? You in there or has the man’s ass mesmerized you? I might not swing that way, but even I can admit that’s gym goals.” — Eric

Of course there’s forced proximity and very close quarters. Inside, I’m squealing at all the banter this setup is going to create. The little things Wes does that show he’s a genuinely good guy are incredibly swoony. I also adore the road trip atmosphere and the way it captures the feeling of a summer adventure.

“His lips curve, eyes doing that intense thing again. “All right,” Wes drawls, his attention still focused a little too much on me. “I’ll give you some, but only when you ask.””

The audiobook moment involving migraines was so relatable that it genuinely had me laughing out loud. The migraine representation felt authentic, and I appreciated seeing it included in the story. This romance heats up just like summer temperatures, slow, tempting, and impossible to resist.

I love how many quotable lines this book contains. If I owned a physical copy, it would be covered in highlights. I’ve watched just about every storm movie I can find, and while I love the classics, I could absolutely see this story on the big screen. It would be one heck of a ride.

This story is a beautiful portrait of trust, love, respect, and resilience. Watching these characters develop feels like watching a supercell build right before your eyes. The adventure is exciting and daring, but it’s also emotional and heartbreaking at times. Of course things couldn’t be easy, it had to storm a little before the rainbow could appear.

Wes and Sloane absolutely stole my heart. The good girl/bad boy dynamic works so well, and the similarities between them become more apparent as the story unfolds. They’re much more than rivals. They find common ground out on the road, but what happens when real-life tragedy changes everything?

I absolutely adore the atmosphere of this story, and the playlist was such a nice touch. This easily climbs into my higher-rated reads of the year because it combines so many things I love, romance, adventure, heart-wrenching moments, and heartwarming ones. Most of all, I appreciate the humanity woven throughout the story. The chronic illness representation, the baggage both characters carry, and the way they fight for each other made this book incredibly special. If you couldn’t tell, I’m completely swooning over this one.

This book was an absolute page-turner filled with action, romance, and emotional depth. I loved the fade-to-black romance, which still delivered plenty of tension and chemistry while allowing the focus to remain on the emotional connection between Wes and Sloane. I don’t want to spoil anything, but if you love storms, road trips, and rivals-to-lovers romance, you need to read this book.

Thank you Netgalley, Berkley and Penguin Random House for the arc read. I am leaving honest review on my own volition.

If you would like to read Chase Me If You Can by Heather Frances, I highly recommend this book. You can find this debut novel on Amazon. It is releasing 7/ 23.

If you like this book you may also enjoy books with these tags and categories: Only one bed , Rivals to Lovers, and Forced Proximity.