Slow Ride

Slow Ride is everything its predecessor, Driven to Distraction, isn’t. Ronnie Ashford and Jack Crew have a hilarious meet-cute and I’m all over this pairing like a wine connoisseur over a 1999 Château LaTour Pauillac (I totally googled that, a bottle recently auctioned for £330/$427 so ‘sgood). Ronnie doesn’t do commitments, no dating, no relationships, no friendships, no attachments whatsoever, just her job, even her apartment is ready to leave at a moment’s notice. She has some trauma in her past that makes her abrasive and standoffish. Then we have Jack who’s already renovating a house and does favours for his old school teacher and has so many community ties, he’s a walking Gordian Knot. But boy-meets-girl and slowly show more but surely, things fall into place. With suspense and a teensy mystery tossed in for flavour. And it does have flavour. The bad guy du jour, North Runde, skeeves me out. My first thought was literally, and I’m quoting from my notes here, “fudging serial killer obsessed with Ronnie”. The vibes coming off this guy made me glad Ronnie and I are of the same mind, never go anywhere without a knife. I’m a fan of Ronnie’s bosses, gothic twins Drake and Drew, and Ronnie is definitely my favourite character in this one. She’s stereotype edgy but I adore her because Lori doesn’t usually write characters like Ronnie and it shows that she’s expanding her character types. Yay!
I had a couple things I wasn't fond of in Slow Ride. I'm just going to get this out of the way. I keep calling the book Slow to Ride and that is a totally different connotation, don't you think? Jack's internal dialogue could be a bit, well, objectifying towards Ronnie. The cringey part that got me was post-"trust has been established" sex, he's lying there with her and thinking "He felt like he'd just solved a difficult puzzle, conquered a nation, scored first prize." Cringe! It was irksome to read. And yes, I did spend a good ten minutes venting about this scene while I was reading.

I want to put some content warnings in here for y’all. (on site this is hidden by a lovely button) We have unsolicited sexual harassment towards our hero (because sexual harassment isn’t okay no matter the gender), and “mild” animal abuse (all animal abuse is severe in my book but this is quickly abated by our hero and heroine and the animal is 100% unharmed and safe). There is also kidnapping and slightly descriptive talk of murder in here. Oh, and a stabbing scene. And gun violence.
Overall, I'm giving Slow Ride 4 stars and 4 flames because this is the Lori Foster I know and love. I highly encourage y'all to go find yourselves a copy if you're into respectful alpha men, mustang cars, weird collectors, and goofy dogs.

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Good second installment in the Road to Love series. This one is about Jack, brother to Driven to Distraction's Brodie. Jack is the face of their business, Mustang Transport Courier Service, as he presents a more refined persona than Brodie does. Where Brodie is blunt and occasionally on the raunchy side, Jack tends to be calm and polite to just about everyone. Both men are drop-dead gorgeous, protective, and bad-ass when they need to be.

Ronnie was in town to meet with the man her employers wanted to hire as her driver when she purchased items for their collections. She didn't want the help. Over the years Ronnie learned that the only person she could depend on was herself. She planned to offer him the job, but convince him not to take show more it. In the meantime, she wanted a distraction, and the sexy guy who walked into the bar was just what she was looking for.

The chemistry between Jack and Ronnie was combustible from the very beginning. Ronnie knew she wanted him as soon as she saw him, and Jack was right there with her. That first meeting was intense but also funny. Ronnie made her desire very clear and was in a rush to make it happen. Jack was just as attracted, but he was also somewhat amused by her intensity. He got a kick out of throwing a delay in the works by insisting on eating his meal first. But once he finished, he planned to enjoy himself. The sparks flew between them until he happened to mention his name, at which point Ronnie threw on the brakes. If they were going to work together, there would be no hanky-panky.

I loved the development of the relationship between Jack and Ronnie. Jack was determined to get her into his bed, but he also saw that he would have to get past her walls first. Spending so much time together to collect the items for her bosses gave them time to get to know each other and for Jack to show Ronnie that she could trust him. I loved his patience and his ability to put Ronnie at ease, making it easier for her to open up about herself. Her prickliness and independence fascinated Jack and no matter what she did to try to push him away, Jack would not budge. I loved how easily he saw past that façade to the woman underneath, and how much he liked her. Ronnie worked hard to keep Jack at an emotional distance, but his clear respect for her and her abilities went a long way toward getting past her walls. She also had some serious self-esteem issues making it difficult for her to believe that he truly wanted her just as she is. The chemistry between Ronnie and Jack was intense. I loved watching the tension between them build until they could no longer hold back. One of the best things was seeing the always- in-control-of-himself Jack lose it when he was with Ronnie. The connection between them went much deeper than either expected it to. Jack accepted it first and became intent on showing Ronnie that they belonged together. She was a tough nut to crack, intent as she was in protecting her heart from further pain. I loved their big moment at the end, as Ronnie finally believed that Jack's love wasn't going anywhere.

I liked the suspense in this story better than the previous one, as it seemed more intense. Some disturbing occurrences were what drove Ronnie's bosses to insist on her hiring Jack as a driver/bodyguard. Ronnie wasn't convinced that she was in real danger at first, but escalating events finally made her see reason. I loved Jack's protectiveness, and even Ronnie eventually had to admit that she felt safer with him. The occasional part told from the bad guy's point of view made the danger Ronnie was in practically ooze off the page. The final confrontation was truly frightening for both Ronnie and Jack. I loved Ronnie's presence of mind and her contribution to her rescue. I ached for Jack who was afraid that he would lose her. That confrontation had me on the edge of my seat until it was over.

The secondary characters are fantastic. Ronnie's bosses just seem weird at the beginning, and more interested in their odd acquisitions than in Ronnie's safety. But the more I saw of them, the more I liked them. It was also clear by the end that they cared for Ronnie and thought of her as family. As far as families go, Ronnie's was horrible. I hated the things that they did (and didn't do) to her. Jack's family, on the other hand, was wonderful. I loved their closeness and their support of each other. There was also a lot of teasing that went on, and it was fun to watch Ronnie's reactions when she was around them. I also adored the way that Jack's mom, plus Charlotte and Mary, mad Ronnie one of them so easily. The makeup session part was hysterical, and I loved seeing Jack and Brodie trip all over themselves trying to recover from stupid comments. I can't wait to read Charlotte's book. But my favorites had to be Howler and Peanut. I loved that mutt in the previous book, and he continued to make me smile and laugh in this one. Peanut was the kitten that Jack and Ronnie rescued and who wormed his way into both their hearts. I loved the parts of Howler and Peanut together and the image of that big dog taking care of a tiny kitten. show less

Veronica (Ronnie) & Jack got off on the wrong foot. She tried to pick him up in the bar & everything was going fine until he said his name. Once she heard Jack Crews, the brakes were put on & they each went home hurting. Ronnie is in town to offer Jack a job & she only does one night stands. When he won’t turn down the job, she takes anything else off the table.

Jack is different than his brother. His personality is more groomed, cautious, & calm - until he meets Ronnie. He’s instantly intrigued. Everything Ronnie does to push him away, pulls him closer. His naturally protective streak is upset about the situations she finds herself in doing her job. He’s determined to hold on to her one way or another. He’s a good man to have show more in your corner when you’re threatened as Ronnie discovers.

I love this couple! Jack has a wide protective streak which causes Ronnie to bristle. She can take care of herself. Ronnie doesn’t trust anyone except maybe her bosses. She has a lot of affection for them. From the very beginning, you could sense the push/pull aspect of their relationship. Ronnie is trying to push Jack away while he’s trying to pull her closer. The addition of Howler & Peanut added some needed levity. The contradiction of their sizes but the depth of their affection was perfect! They stole the scene when they first met! I could easily picture the whole thing in my mind. show less

Ronnie is prickly and abrupt but as her story unfolds the more endearing she becomes. Ronnie meets Jack when her employers send her to hire Jack to travel with her on her assignments. She tries to run him off but fails miserably. The heat between these two is off the charts and I fell in love with Jack from the beginning. This story has an animal rescue, cute, funny animals, rotten family on Ronnie's side, strange employers and a serial killer.

While I enjoyed this story at times all the different elements seemed too much.

This is a ARC copy I received through NetGalley. At the time of my reading there were a few electronic editing issues, I'm assuming will be fixed by publication.

At the beginning of the book I thought, wow this is almost exactly like book one. But I kept going and yes it’s similar, Jack and Brodie are brothers and they run a transport company. Mary and Ronnie both “collect” items for their bosses, but that’s where the similarities ends. Ronnie has been through a lot in a few years and it’s made her determined not to depend on anyone else. Jack manages to get through that tough exterior to find the woman within and bring her out into the open.

Loved the story, couldn’t put it down and I was happy to see there is going to be a third book in the series, Charlotte is next and ends up with someone unexpected.

This review is based on an ARC from NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. All show more opinions are my own. show less

Lori Foster does an amazing job of keeping the reader on the edge of your seat. Not only is the sexual tension crackling but the threat of danger is serious. When Jack and Ronnie first meet they are as attracted to each other as metal to a magnet. The only problem is they would be working together and Ronnie only wanted a once and done relationship.
The relationship between the two is touchy and Jack patiently works to make Ronnie comfortable with being loved. He draws her in without overwhelming her. In the meantime, something is going on and it seems like there is a very real threat to Ronnie.
I think this book was even better than the first in this series. Lori Foster writes strong alpha males who can be soft when needed. Her women are show more independent and feisty and when the two get together the sparks fly,
I received an advance copy of this book on Net Galley. show less

I have been a fan of Lori Foster for years, years and since I tend to enjoy her I automatically request her books and even if I don't get the ARC I tend to buy them because as I mentioned I am a fan, I also tend to reread them. However I wasn't crazy about this book, why you may ask because I truly truly disliked Ronnie and she ruined it for me. I get that Ronnie had some issues that made her tough but I don't find that excuse reason to be a bitch there is not need for it and I have found that in the latest book from Lori the woman are starting to be nasty and I can't do it, I like strong woman and respect them way better than a wishy washy heroine or a doormat but these new type of characters I hate them. Ronnie started off nasty from show more the get go and I honestly couldn't see why Jack would be attracted to her she was so nasty I stopped reading didn't want to finish the book which has never, ever happened with one of Lori's books, I made myself continue for Jack's sake and for the stories sake but I am going to have to stopped reading if we continue to get these type of main characters, I don't see the need for them and think they should have more respect in dealing with others, it is truly breaking my heart.

Rcvd an ARC at no cost to author..(netgalley) voluntarily reviewed with my own thoughts and opinions. show less