Thrill of the Chase by Kathryn Nolan

 

Summary (from the publisher): When rivals Harper and Eve are forced to team up on a high-stakes treasure hunt, sparks fly, secrets unravel, and the biggest prize might just be their hearts.

Reporter Harper Hendrix is chasing a career-making story―and the legendary Blackburn Diamonds are her ticket to the top. She’s smart, ambitious, and definitely not distracted by the infuriatingly hot antiques salvager standing in her way.

Eve Bardot has spent years searching for the diamonds, and she’s not about to let a pesky, too-charming reporter ruin her shot. But when rival treasure hunters close in, Eve and Harper strike an uneasy truce to track down the prize together.

Their partnership? Purely strategic. The bickering? Nonstop. The chemistry? A complete disaster.

As clues pile up and tension turns explosive, Harper and Eve must decide what’s more dangerous: the hunt…or falling for each other.

Review: Thank you to Entangled for a gifted copy of this book!

This was a fun sapphic romance with the addition of a treasure hunt plotline. Eve has spent years searching for the legendary Blackburn Diamonds and is at first very annoyed when persistent reporter Harper Hendrix shows up also on their trial. But when other treasure hunters close in on the case, they form an unlikely alliance to try to be the first ones to find the diamonds. 

I loved the queer representation in this book, not only in the main characters but broader within Eve's family history and the community the story is located in. I also loved the scene when Eve and Harper first meet that felt like Beauty and the Beast's ladder in the library! Eve walks in, spots Harper up on the ladder, and despite her annoyance at times, that is IT for her. 

However, overall this one didn't quite live up to my expectations. I was disappointed in the whole treasure hunt plot. Granted, that's not my normal cup of tea so maybe it is just me, but it just read as fairly juvenile and not super plausible to me. Also, while the meet cute was super cute, the dynamics in this between Eve and Harper felt way too instant attraction, which cut some of the tension for me. 

I switched back and forth between the physical book and audio for this one. The audio narration was great, except it was only one narrator. Given that the chapters jumped back and forth between two female POVs, it was a little difficult to keep track of whose perspective I was listening to with the same narrator for both. 

Stars: 3