Flat-Out Sexy

4.5 stars

This reminded me a lot of Jaci Burton's [b:The Perfect Play|8341567|The Perfect Play (Play by Play, #1)|Jaci Burton|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1301853642s/8341567.jpg|13039143] only with a much cooler heroine. Tamara Briggs is raising her two children on her own after her husband died in a NASCAR accident. Getting back into the dating game isn't easy for her. She's sworn herself off from race car drivers to avoid the emotional pitfalls that come with such a dangerous profession, but she's stuck in a boring relationship with a stuffy professor. She bumps into the handsome Elec Monroe just as she's made up her mind to break off her current relationship. In the nick of time, I'll say! The sparks fly, and she soon finds herself doing something she's never done before – a one night stand ...... with a younger man. After a passion-filled night with her young lover, the morning after bring some big surprises Good thing Elec is persistent and goes after what he wants.

I adored this story. Okay fine, I adored Elec, but who wouldn't? He was so genuine and sweet, he gave me cavities. He always put her feelings and wants before his own, which allowed her to come to him in her own time. Tamara behaved pretty much the way I expected someone in her position would behave, just with less angst and doom and gloom than I'm normally used to, which was refreshing for a change. This was a sweet, romantic read with characters one could identify and fall in love with. ( )

I love a romance story where there are cars involved. And race car drivers - yum! I was a bit apprehensive about the kid factor but it turned out to not get in the way of my reading enjoyment. I usually don’t read romance novels where they are children involved (kind of defeats the purpose of an escape).

I loved the characters, and not just the main hero/heroine but the rest of the characters in the racing scene. I can't wait to read everyone's story, especially Suzanne and Ryder's. The author's sense of humor is hilarious! I see great potential in the remaining books in this series. Author set up the next book nicely.

A fun, fast page-turning read and the romance is hot! ( )

Not going to bother writing a big long review for this, but I am so glad I broke my rules to buy and read this one. There was so much to love about it.

The relative absence of external conflict left a refreshing focus on the main characters. The conflict grew naturally out of their own understandable hang-ups. Widowed Tamara Briggs is wary of dating at all after her stock car racing husband died in a crash at Talladega, never mind dating another racer. She's also 32, with two kids and the resultant stretch marks, and as much as she's wildly attracted to Elec Monroe, she can't help but wonder what a 25 year old guy sees in her cottage cheese ass.

For his part, Elec has been avoiding commitment in his previous relationships, but McCarthy turns this trope on its head. You see, as much as he's a monogamist at heart and loves kids, he's sterile, so he's avoided the marrying type, because he doesn't want his heart broken when she leaves for a man who can give her children. Naturally, Tamara's children are an attraction for him, a ready-made family where he assumed he'd never have one at all. The commitment-focused hero breaking down the widow's reservations was a breath of fresh air.

I just had a few issues with the book, both thematically and stylistically. It's written in a rather folksy tone, and that makes sense for a book about stock car racing set in Charlotte, but there were times where it went from folksy to just inelegant. Swallowing a "bucket of spit" is a rather strange phrase to show up multiple times. I also didn't like how she couldn't leave the dead husband alone. Can't she have an HEA with Elec without having to enumerate her first husband's flaws?

In any case, I loved the book so much, I've broken more rules to buy [b:Hard and Fast|5303134|Hard and Fast (Fast Track, #2)|Erin McCarthy|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1256088882s/5303134.jpg|5370574] to read next. I'm weak. ( )

I am not really a contemporary romance kind of girl, but a friend recommended these books to me and promised I would love them. I was in the mood for something light, so I downloaded this book and dove in. I really enjoyed that there was some conflict in this book, but it was not nearly as much angst as the books I am used to, in a good way. There were issues between the two main characters and things they needed to work through, but it was never overly dramatic. Erin definitely knows how to write a steamy scene and there were plenty of them laced throughout this book. There were also numerous laugh out loud moments and the humor was a welcomed surprise. I just loved this book and have already downloaded the next book to see what happens between Imogen and Ty. ( )

An enjoyable book. I hesitated to read something about NASCAR, as I'm not interested in racing, but the subject doesn't overwhelm the book and you needn't be an expert or fan of the sport to either understand or appreciate the book. The author struck a good note with the heroine and hero. Both are realistic and sympathetic -- any single mothers will recognize themselves in Tamara's problems juggling children, career and love life. And the sex scenes are very hot. ( )