Synopsis:
Sarah Lange’s career as a New York lawyer is in high gear—and the stress has left her hormones sputtering. With strict doctor’s orders to relax, she books the cure: a spa vacation in the cool, green mountains of Virginia.
When a pothole sends her Porsche to the side of the road, she finds herself stuck in small-town Rapture. She’d love nothing more than to blow this Hicksville and be on her way…until she meets sexy stockcar mechanic Cole Cassidy.
Coles knows exactly how to handle that fancy car, and its uptight driver. Sarah’s not his type, but neither can deny that their attraction is firing on all cylinders. Soon he’s introducing her to the thrill of speed at the local track—in his car, and on it.
But Sarah’s troubles aren’t so easily left in the dust. Unless she forces herself to decide if she’s willing and able to let someone else take the wheel.
Warning: Contains a false start, breakdowns of the automotive and erotic kinds, creative uses of shower massagers and silk ties, and thrill-rides in, on, and outside of a racecar.
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My Review:
This is the debut novella from author Joy Daniels and let me tell you…..I finished this story last night, in one sitting, and am STILL daydreaming about Cole almost 24 hours later! Whoa, this is one hell of a read!
Sarah Lange is on a mission to get some R & R. She’s ditching her high stress job as an attorney in NYC for some spa time to decompress and try to get back to center. Not only has the stress of her job had her working way too many hours, but it’s affected her hormones…so much so that achieving the big “O” has become a distant memory for her *GASP*. Now, that last thing she needs is to nail a pothole from hell and be stuck in some Podunk town. However, the key to her *ahem* release just may be a yummy mechanic-in-shining-armor local with Southern charm and a body made for sin.
Cole Cassidy vowed he’s left the “uptight city girl” kind far behind when he broke it off with his ex. Too bad the striking blond stranded on the side of the road is too tempting to ignore…after all, his mama raised him to rescue the damsel in distress even if she does scream “city girl” like a Manhattan skyscraper in the middle of a cornfield. Now, he’s not only offered to fix her car, but give her a place to stay until he can get the parts he needs. He’s in need of fixing more than just her broken car parts…. he just doesn’t know it yet.
Yum….that about sums it up for me. I loved this novella. I find novellas sometimes are hit-or-miss. Revving Her Up was definitely a HIT! The characters are really well developed and both have a unique way about them. Total opposites attracting. Sarah starts off as rigid and unfriendly, although knowing about her “issue”, it doesn’t make her unlikable. If anything, it made me feel for her. As the story progresses, we really get to see a softer side of her and it’s really charming. Cole is a swoon-worthy Southern gentleman who also shows us a totally different side as we get to know him. He’s a grease monkey with a lot of intelligence that’s not only proven by his degrees hanging in his garage, but in the way he handles Sarah. Together they are scorching! There are scenes in this book that almost melted my e-reader.
One of the things I liked most about this story was it was hot without being trashy. I can only imagine that writing a scene to come across that way must be a challenging task. I also loved all of Cole’s car talk! I am married to a car nut…it’s what he does for work and play so trust me when I say, Joy nailed it! This wasn’t an overly flowery romance and I found it refreshing to read. This is surely a fantastic beginning for Joy and I can’t wait to see what she has on store for us next!
Five Loves
Revving Her Up releases on January 15, 2013 and is available for pre-order now!
Buy it from Barnes & Noble here Buy it from Amazon here
Fun stuff….the Revving Her Up playlist Joy put together can be found here
Your review makes me want to read the book, even though the genre is not something I may venture to read on my own. Gosh, your quasi-censored second paragraph left a smile on my face. Oh, to be a woman with those hormones raging–that’s the message I got. Nicely done. I also enjoyed reading your opinion on novellas, since I’m never quite tuned into the format as a whole, yet the way you described it made me think twice regarding previous books I’d read. Yes, it is hit or miss.
Keep up the good work, Jilly. You’re a fabulous read and I enjoy coming to your site every once in a while to see what you’re up to!
Jack, you are the BEST! Thank you so much for all your kind words! xo