Mini Reviews: Full Throttle & Brandon's Bride

FULL THROTTLE
Fast Track #7
Erin McCarthy
Adult Contemporary Romance
304 pages
Berkley
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Easing into the turns…

As one of only two girls on the tween racing circuit, Shawn Hamby has always run with a fast crowd. But now at thirty-two, she doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone. And she definitely doesn’t need a man bossing her around off of the track…

Putting the pedal to the metal…

But after a silly girls’ night at a fetish club, Shawn can’t get Rhett Ford out of her mind. He’s younger than her, and he’s her best friend’s brother-in-law, which should be red flags. Rhett is looking for someone to lead in bed, but he can’t imagine that Shawn would ever submit to him. Boldly surrendering is more her style. And with Rhett behind the wheel, it’s going to be one wild ride…

MY THOUGHTS
Much like its title suggests, Full Throttle is a fast and romantically explosive read, giving us a leading pair who make us wonder if we’re in danger of singed fingertips should we hold the pages for longer than a second or two before flipping. While the intimate scenes are undeniably scorching, Ms. McCarthy deftly ensures that the emotional component of Shawn and Rhett’s relationship is given equal weight to their bedroom forays, providing a beautiful balance that ultimately more than satisfies both the hedonist and romantic in us all.

The highlight of the relationship between Shawn and Rhett is their communication, with Rhett the type of man who thrives on making sure all his cards are on the table and desires little more than a partner unafraid to lay hers down as well. Shawn does stumble a bit in the beginning when Rhett’s introduction to his leadership role in their sexual relationship throws the fiercely independent business owner in her off-kilter, but she never takes her confusion out on him, instead letting the maelstrom of emotions wash through her and dealing with them one at a time. Rhett is ever-patient with Shawn, forcing her to talk when she might otherwise hasten a strategic retreat, and she, blessedly, never seeks to assert control by refusing to be honest with him. They address their issues and misunderstandings when they happen, providing us with a sense of calm even when tensions run high because we know the two of them are just not the type to intentionally inflict pain and then let the wound fester.

Ms. McCarthy created a devoted fan in me with her new adult release True, and she has only cemented her status as a favorite author with this adult contemporary read.

Rating: 4/5

*Note: I have not read the first 6 books in this series, this is the first I've picked up and it easily works as a stand-alone.

  

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BRANDON'S BRIDE
Family Secrets #3
Lisa Gardner/Alicia Scott
Romantic Suspense
320 pages
Signet
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Three siblings searching for the truth about their family are about to find more than they bargained for…

For years Brandon Ferringer has sought to untangle the mystery surrounding his father's disappearance. Now training as a hotshot—a seasonal wildland fire fighter—Brandon feels he’s on the verge of finally discovering the truth. In need of temporary lodging, Brandon rents a room at a local farm, and is surprised when his attraction to the ranch’s alluring owner threatens to distract him from his mission.

Single mother Victoria Meese struggles to find time for herself in between raising her son, Randy, and running the Lady Luck Ranch. When she meets Brandon, she suddenly finds something to believe in again. But Brandon’s search for answers is about to turn dangerous, threatening their growing connection—and their very lives.

MY THOUGHTS
Brandon’s Bride is a story a bit heavier on the mystery element than the romantic relationship, something that’s not a flaw at all save for the fact that it decreases the believability of the love between our hero and heroine in the end. Victoria is someone extremely easy to like from the beginning, a woman who is refreshingly upfront and honest in all things, especially her desire to provide emotional stability for her eight-year-old son. As the story progresses though, we become increasingly frustrated with her tendency to slip up with Brandon with flirting or passionate kisses only to immediately push him away citing her son as the reason. Make no mistake, wanting to protect her son from getting comfortable with having someone around who’s ultimately only going to be in town for six months is admirable and more than understandable, her back and forth just happens a few too many times.

Adding to the sense of frustration (and aiding in Victoria’s numerous retreats) is the fact that the two of them are continually interrupted by outside factors, the first couple times of course ratcheting up the tension and providing a delicious sense of anticipation, but after a while the interference of the mystery into the almost-intimate moments makes us want to give the book a slight shake. As a result their romance has a very staccato rhythm to it rather than a nice flowing build, and given all the stopping and starting it’s hard to fully embrace their declarations of love in the final chapters. That being said, both Victoria and Brandon do have their moments to shine in this story, particularly when Victoria finally makes a decision and refuses to let Brandon run from it, and our time with the two of them is certainly not time wasted.

Rating: 3.5/5
 

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These books were sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

 

Super Six Sunday: Love Stories

Inspired by Top Ten Tuesday from The Broke and The Bookish, Super Six Sunday, a new feature from the fabulous ladies at Bewitched Bookworms, has different book-related topics each week and asks participants to address each topic in the form of a list of six. Obviously.

This week's topic is love stories, and given how much I love romance, it's both an awesome and a terrible prompt for me. Awesome because there are so many amazing love stories out there that have made me swoon, and terrible because it was nearly impossible to narrow it down to just six. I had to limit the topic even further in my head in order to choose books, so I went with love stories that feature really strong heroines, emotionally and physically, who aren't afraid to challenge the men in their lives. I think all six of the below women push buttons, question, and frustrate their men, but they are also loyal, powerful in their own ways, and are absolute equal partners in the relationship. Love them.

KISS OF SNOW (Psy-Changeling #10)

Nalini Singh • Adult Paranormal Romance

Nalini Singh is one of my very favorite authors, and her Psy-Changeling paranormal romance series has been one I've been obsessed with for years. We meet Hawke and Sienna in book one, but it takes another 8 books–yes eight, I died a little inside when each book that released wasn't theirs–before they finally get together. To be fair, they need all that time as Sienna is significantly younger than Hawke, but their journey in this book is one I've taken with them over and over again and will continue to do so for years to come.

DARKFEVER (Fever Series)

Karen Marie Moning • Adult Urban Fantasy

I'm sure many of you have heard the word Barrons uttered (or exhaled on a shaky breath full of longing) even if you haven't yet read this series. Jericho Barrons is not your typical romance hero. He's often neither romantic nor heroic. He's downright cruel at times and the force of his personality can be overwhelming. It's as easy to hate him as it is to love him, but Mac holds her own and never takes a step back when he takes a threatening step forward. Instead, she meets him with a step of her own, and the two of them fight, taunt, argue and then explode romantically as the series continues, and I just can't recommend their story enough. It's definitely NOT a conventional love story in any way, and that's part of what I like so much about the two of them.

TRUE

Erin McCarthy • Contemporary New Adult

True came to be in my hands just at the moment when the New Adult genre got to be at its most frustrating for me, the angst and drama of the relationships starting to test my patience and grate on my nerves, but then along came Rory. Rory wouldn't know how to play a game romantically with a guy if someone gave her a series of directions to review beforehand, and her honesty with everything she's feeling quickly led her to the top of my favorite heroines list. Tyler is a bit more cliched - a bad boy with a difficult past, but he's not nearly as superficial as labeling him a bad boy makes him seem, and I couldn't have loved him with Rory any more if I'd tried.

FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS

Diana Peterfreund • Young Adult/Dystopian

This story is one of the most romantic stories I've read where the hero and heroine don't even do so much as kiss on page. Elliot and Kai are all tension and hurt, dancing around one another as they search desperately in each other for the person they knew when they were younger, but whereas Kai takes his opportunities to land his emotional punches, Elliot always pulls hers, earning my respect and her place on this list. Despite all the lingering pain between them, there are such beautiful moments in this tale, and I always look forward to going back and spending time with Elliot an Kai on a re-read.

UNRAVELING

Elizabeth Norris • Paranormal Young Adult/SciFi

Unraveling is one of those books that took me by complete surprise, the blurb initially one that held no interest for me, but when I was lucky enough to get a review copy I decided I might as well give it a try. I fell in love with Janelle on nearly the first page, her sense of humor and low tolerance for the petty games of the popular crowd winning me over immediately. When Ben enters the picture there is no swooning (except on my part), and their relationship is one of tentative friendship and wary attraction for a long time before it becomes something much more heartwarming.

ANGELFALL

Susan Ee • Paranormal Young Adult

Like Unraveling, Angelfall was a complete surprise for me, a story I entered into not really knowing what to expect but I quickly found myself blown away. Penryn is fiercely protective of her younger sister, and when she gets taken, embarks on a long and terrifying journey with the dubious help of wingless angel Raffe to find her again. I loved everything about this book and the relationship between Penryn and Raffe, the antagonism and distrust between them ever-so slowly fading to leave genuine affection in its place. Again, a bit darker and less traditional of a love story, but strikingly memorable and beautiful just the same.

Those are six of my very favorites, what love story would top your list?

Review: True

TRUE
Erin McCarthy
Contemporary New Adult
238 pages
InterMix/Penguin
Available Now
Received from publisher via NetGalley

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
When Rory Macintosh’s roommates find out that their studious and shy friend has never been with a guy, they decide that, as an act of kindness they’ll help her lose her virginity by hiring confident, tattooed bad boy Tyler Mann to do the job…unbeknownst to Rory.

Tyler knows he’s not good enough for Rory. She’s smart, doctor smart, while he’s barely scraping by at his EMT program, hoping to pull his younger brothers out of the hell their druggy mother has left them in. But he can’t resist taking up her roommates on an opportunity to get to know her better. There’s something about her honesty that keeps him coming back when he knows he shouldn’t…

Torn between common sense and desire, the two find themselves caught up in a passionate relationship. But when Tyler’s broken family threatens to destroy his future, and hers, Rory will need to decide whether to cut her ties to his risky world or follow her heart, no matter what the cost…

MY THOUGHTS
True is an utter delight to read, giving us characters rich in personality and charm who live lives full of a gritty realism we can't help but appreciate. Family plays a huge role in this story, with Rory and Tyler's families shaping them into the people they are and influencing their lives in both healthy and unhealthy ways, adding light and shadow to their worlds and creating a heartbreaking beauty through the contrast. While Rory and Tyler's romance does follow a predictable path to its conclusion (would we really want to read a romance that didn't end happily for the couple though?), at every crossroads in their relationship–both minor and major–Rory chooses the road so often less traveled in young adult and new adult fiction, opting to save herself and Tyler from unnecessary drama and in doing so completely winning us over.

Though typically in a romance like this the tattooed, sexually-experienced boy with a troubled past would be the swoon-worthy standout, the character who occupies 90% of our hearts and leaves only a measly 10% for the heroine and secondary characters, it's Rory who is the highlight. Normally a young woman who is exceedingly honest and often blunt can cross the line from endearing to abrasive, coming across as cool and indifferent and thereby keeping both those around them as well as readers at arm's length. Rory never once crosses that line, her honest approach to all situations with Tyler something we want to wrap around our shoulders and snuggle into because we find it so blissfully comforting.

When Rory is unsure where she stands with Tyler, she simply asks him. When they have an argument and he tries to leave without a resolution in place, she goes after him, explains how his actions made her feel and coaxes him to do the same. She never demands a certain reaction from him or throws the weight of her anger or embarrassment around, instead she puts herself out there first and asks through word or deed that he help her to balance on the fragile tightrope they're walking with their relationship, and in response he's able to open up to her in a way he never has with anyone else. The two of them together feel solid and genuine, and just as they trust the other with their hearts, we know we can trust them with ours, free to fall madly in love with them without worrying it will all blow up in our faces with cruel games, revenge antics, or monstrous miscommunications.

Overall, True is everything we could wish for when we crack the spine, love, laughter, and life splashed on the pages in all their glory and their pain, sweeping us of our feet with a bit of realistic escapism and then returning us firmly to the ground with a grin of supreme satisfaction when it's all over.

Rating: 4.5/5 

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