ARC Review: Jacked Up by Erin McCarthy

Jacked Up

by Erin McCarthy

(Fast Track # 6)

There is something about fast cars, being around the racetrack and even a little bit of grease that I just find irresistible, and there is no better series to fulfill that need than the Fast Track series.  With some light humor, romance, sexual tension and a good storyline, I usually find myself anxiously awaiting the next book.  And JACKED UP did not disappoint!

Eve Monroe is the sister of some of our favorite drivers!  She is also their manager and the one that keeps everyone in line.  So when she is faced with the PR nightmare of having one of Chase's crew members jump the wall, rip his pants, and while changing a tire have his ass and family jewels showing on national television because he didn't wear any underwear... well, there's not much she can do other than do some yelling.

She is tough and everyone sees her as a bit of a bitch, but in the end this is really not what she wanted to do or who she wanted to be.

Enter Nolan Ford.  OMG he is adorable, ass hanging in the wind and all!!!!  He is just a small town boy, you can tell he comes from a loving family, and truly loves his job.  And he has a crush on Eve.  Nothing, not their financial differences, or the fact that they technically work together, will keep him from getting to know her better.

I really liked the fact that Eve doesn't end up with a driver.  Nolan is perfect for her.  Even though she comes from racing royalty and grew up differently than him, he is willing to give her the best that he can and truly wants to make her happy.  When he helped her fix her car, or the whole Vegas thing.  Just adorable!

One thing I love about this series is that the stories are nothing alike.  Each is very unique, the issues they have to go through and their journey to their HEA, and this couple was certainly not the exception.

I see a lot of potential for new characters in this series developing from the Ford family (or would that be a spin-off?), could that be possible?  I can't wait to see who's next!  Because there is another one, right? Right?

Favorite Quote:
"Look, they're open twenty-four hours. Just like your thighs, babe."

*ARC provided by publisher

Purchase Links: Amazon

Review: Slow Ride by Erin McCarthy

Slow Ride

by Erin McCarthy

(Fast Track # 5)

Contemporary Romance

I find myself at odds on how to rate this book. First of all, I haven't been a fan of Ms. Tuesday Jones a.k.a. Tuesday Talladega, gossip blogger extraordinaire. But she started to grow on me in the last book. Fast forward to the beginning of this book and I was actually liking her.

Her father has just passed away, which was a big thing for her and she's still struggling with her grief. Her best friend just got married. And she has to figure out how to deal and move on.

Along comes Diesel. He's a retired stock car driver, who had a pretty bad accident and because of that has been off the track and off the public eye since. Tuesday and Diesel are about as polar opposites as you can get. She's outspoken, outgoing, calls it like it is, and pretty much doesn't know what a mouth filter is. Diesel is more serious, very private, and likes to be in control.

As a couple, these two had me from the get-go. Their relationship worked, they complemented each other nicely. When she wanted to bitch and rant, he would be nice and cool her off. When he wanted to be sexually dominant she gave up control and enjoyed the ride. They just worked. Plenty of chemistry, and a lot of hot sex! Riding crop, hat and boots... just saying!

So the romance worked for me. We also got the light, fun style of writing I have come to expect from Erin McCarthy. Her books are always so easy to read, and quite frankly very enjoyable.

But I did have some issues. Every time Tuesday was facing something emotionally difficult she went for a bottle of wine. It didn't bother me as much in the beginning. What bothered me was Diesel's immediate reaction to her having a glass of wine. He had a pretty bad and judgmental attitude about it from the start when it didn't seem to me like it was a big deal. But towards the end you can see it does become a bit of a problem, just not handled correctly.

Another thing that bothered me, actually pissed me off, was Tuesday's lack of respect for Diesel's feelings and request. I won't say what it is, but she does something towards the end of the book that is a complete betrayal and even if she was intoxicated at the time, she should've had more sense than to think that was ok.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the story. I do think the characters are cute together, and even though we didn't get any racing storyline, it still felt it was part of the series.

Now, of course I had to read the teaser for Eve's book. I've been waiting to see Eve get her HEA since book 1. And this is looking up to be an interesting one! Can't wait for summer 2012! 

Purchase from Amazon

Review: The Chase by Erin McCarthy

This might be my least favorite book in this series. *cue gasps* It would get 3.5 feathers if we did half ratings.  However, it was still a great book, and such a romantic story of lovers reunited.

Evan Monroe... we know him as Elec's playboy brother, who swore he would never marry. Hot body and a sweet talker, he can charm his way into any girls pants. What we didn't know was that 10 years ago he was ready to propose to his girlfriend, Kendall. And then she broke his heart without an explanation. This is where I started "not liking" Kendall.

When we find out the reason why she dumped Evan I just wanted to roll my eyes and shake some sense into her. Even so, Evan wants her back because he realizes he's still in love with her.

Except now she's also a driver. This throws a whole new set of problems at them, and again, I feel she doesn't deal with this situation well. When we finally get a happy moment there's a twist that I was expecting and almost predicted at one point, and she almost ruins their relationship for good.

Maybe I just like Evan too much, but I was in his corner throughout this whole book, and even though there's been a bit of lack of communication in every book in this series, this one just had a lot of immaturity.

In the end they get their HEA and Evan makes a decision that I'm a bit surprised about but it's a nice turn of events.

Of course, I had to read the excerpt for the next book! I wasn't too sure if I would want to read a book about Tuesday, however, we learn a bit more about her in The Chase because she's Kendall's best friend, so I was a bit interested. After reading the excerpt all I have to say is it sounds like it'll be a fun book and I can't wait to read it!

Review: Hot Finish by Erin McCarthy

First of all I have to admit I was soooo not looking forward to reading this book. Suzanne has gotten on my nerves since book #1 and I wasn't really sure I could handle listening to her bitchyness for a whole book!

However, I was pleasantly surprised. She's at a point in her life now where she almost has no self-esteem in a way. The alimony payments she was receiving from her ex-hubby are now done so she has to go back to work as a wedding planner.  And her first client is Nikki!!! Dear God! I wanted to strangle her.

Which prompt my favorite quote of this whole book (by Suzanne of course):

"That girl is so dumb, if she threw herself on the ground she'd miss."

All we've seen before is really a hard-ass, don't-give-a-shit attitude that Suzanne shows but there's a very insecure girl on the inside, who's always doubted her self worth, the love given to her, and the love she's craved but never gotten.

Ryder is sweet and hot, I've thought that from chapter 1 of book 1.  But he does not know how to express things! I wanted to smack him around a few times just because of how he said certain things. Talk about communication problems! I haven't seen two people that can't communicate more than these two!!!! From the original problems they had the first time they were married, to their divorce, and now getting back together!

But then again, they know each other better than anyone, and you can tell they both still love each other! So it was a really sweet story to read in a way.   I think I actually liked this book better than book #2!!!

Review: Hard and Fast by Erin McCarthy

So I was really excited to read this book since I liked Imogen from the beginning of Flat Out Sexy. She is just quirky, a bit weird and has a crude personality. She's very smart but doesn't really know how to interact with other people. Ty on the other hand gave the impression of being the carefree player. However, there's a whole other side to his story. He has dyslexia and was never able to learn to read, something he has battled his whole life with and kept secret. Once we get to know him more, he is actually very thoughtful and a character with deep emotions.

Imogen figures out a topic for her thesis. She will follow the rules outlined in a book on how to snag a race car driver. Of course, she's never been good at flirting, how will she be able to do it. And of course the one driver she decides not to test the rules with is Ty because she has an interest in the result. But Ty doesn't let her get away with that. He can't figure out what it is about her but he is fascinated and just has to have her. Even after finding out what she wants to do for her thesis.

Their sexual encounters are hot, their conversations are hillarious. She really just says whats on her mind, you gotta love her. Even though at the end it seemed a bit rushed for them to want to get married in my opinion, the whole proposal was so romantic and their problems at the end felt real considering they hadn't been even dating that long.

I am not really looking forward to Suzanne's book. Even though I didn't mind her character in this book as much as in the first one, now she got a bit depressing along with her annoying qualities. Boo hoo, so you have to go back to work because your ex husband is not supporting you anymore. But I'll get to her book soon enough. I do enjoy this series and how its written!!!

Review: Flat-Out Sexy by Erin McCarthy

This is the story of Elec and Tamara, which I had to do a double take because after reading the prologue I thought it was a story about Imogen and Ryder. So after I got over that and realized who the story was about, I really enjoyed it.  This is now one of the series I always look forward to a release!

We find ourselves in the world of professional race car driving. Yes, this is totally different, at least for me, in my choice of books to read, but I loved it.  Tamara was married to somewhat of a racing legend, Pete Briggs, who died during a race accident years ago. She has two beautiful and sweet kids, she hasn't dated since Pete's death, not really, and she has a lot of insecurities about her age, her looks, her body, her image, her duty, responsibility, etc.  She has a picture in her head of what her life is supposed to look like, and who she should be with, at her age.

She then meets Elec Monroe, rookie of the year, youngest son of another legend, and who's father and Pete's father used to be friends but now are enemies and the families are supposed to hate each other. He is also only 26 years old!  And all her ideas of what she "should" be doing go out the window, because she can't deny the chemistry between them.  Except, she doesn't want their relationship out in the open, it's supposed to be a fling.  She can't be serious about a guy so young, and especially she can't have another relationship with a race car driver.  But he is THE perfect guy.   He is sweet, and patient, and sexy, and good with the kids, and loves all of her, and at the same time comes from a famous family and has the pressures of starting out in the racing world, but he still manages to make Tamara feel like she is the center of his universe!

They have obstacles to overcome, personal fears, family issues, at the same time dealing with the media scrutiny and racing politics.  And all this happens in the blink of an eye, they fall hard and they fall fast!  Their story is the classic contemporary romance, but it was very well written. And for some reason, I felt it was over sooo fast!!