Final Lap (Fast Track #8) by Erin McCarthy-a review

FINAL LAP (Fast Track #8) by Erin McCarthy-a review

Final Lap

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 7, 2014

Switching into high gear……

At a friend’s lavish wedding, Harley McLain and her twin sister, Charity, meet sexy stock-car driver Cooper Brickman. The more reserved Harley is immediately smitten—until he hits on her twin. But Harley has had enough of being the “nice” girl, and after trading dresses with Charity, she seduces Cooper for a night of wild sex.

……ready for a hot lap.

What was supposed to be a one-night fling gets complicated when Cooper needs a nanny to look after his kid sister—and is convinced sweet, dependable Harley would be perfect for the job. She can’t resist the money—or Cooper’s hot bod. But when her deception is revealed, will it destroy her dependable image—or will he finally realize how sexy sweet can be?

•••••••••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: FINAL LAP is the eight and final installment in Erin McCarthy’s contemporary, adult Fast Track romance series focusing on the men and women of NASCAR. This is race car driver Cooper Brickman and Harley McLain-a woman Cooper hires to ‘nanny’ his younger sister-thirteen year old MaryJane. Although this is the eighth book in the series, it can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty; some of the previous storyline characters play secondary roles but any important information from the prior stories is imparted where necessary.

The premise follows Cooper and Harley’s building relationship-one that has been predicated on a bit of a lie. Having met both Harley and her flamboyantly identical twin sister Charity at a mutual friend’s wedding, Cooper found himself attracted to both sisters but with different intentions in mind. Charity is the sexy, in your face sister who goes for what she wants; Harley considers herself the more quiet and demure of the twins. After a one night stand with the woman he believed was Charity McLain, Cooper sets out to hire Harley as his sister’s live in nanny. What he never expected was to develop feelings for Harley- a woman who is all too familiar-but for reasons he is unable to understand. The twins had pulled a switch-a-roo and it was Harley to whom Cooper made love the night of the wedding.

Harley has had a crush on Cooper for a number of years but when his eye finds Charity, Harley is brokenhearted. Switching places with her twin finds Harley in bed Cooper knowing the man believes he is in bed with someone else. Harley and Cooper’s relationship begins on a professional level but our couple soon begin to develop feelings for one another. Cooper and Harley dance around one another for a good portion of the storyline knowing that eventually they will end up together-one way or another. Harley is the perfect nanny for Cooper’s younger sister but when Mary Jane’s mother comes back into the picture, words are said in anger when an offer is made that Harley cannot refuse.

The secondary characters include many of the previous storyline couples. There is a small side romance developing between Charity McLain and her boss Jeff Sterling. Cooper’s sister Mary Jane is a thirteen year old whose online blog reveals to the world everything and anything about the gossip side of racing. The world building continues with the race car circuit trials and events, as well as the comararderie between Cooper’s on track competition and fellow drivers.

With Final Lap Erin McCarthy brings the Fast Track series to an end. The wedding celebration and fund raisers see most if not all of the previous characters reunited for their final goodbye. With the next generation of family growing fast, who knows if Erin has made any decision about a spin off or if we have finally seen the end of the Fast Track drivers and the women they love.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

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Fast Track by Julie Garwood – a Review

Fast Track by Julie Garwood – a Review

 

Fast Track
Buchanan/Renard series – Book #12
by Julie Garwood
Release Date: July 29, 2014

Fast TrackAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / The Book Depository/ BAMM

Description:
Cordelia Kane has always been a daddy’s girl—her father raised her alone after her mother died in a car crash when Cordelia was just two years old. So when he has a serious heart attack, Cordelia is devastated, and the emotion is only intensified by the confusion she feels when he reveals the shocking truth about her mother.

Cordelia can’t suppress her curiosity about the woman who gave birth to her, and when she discovers the answers to her questions lie in Sydney, Australia, she travels there to get them.

Hotel magnate Aiden Madison is Cordelia’s best friend’s older brother. He’s oblivious to the fact that she’s had a crush on him for years. When he gets railroaded into taking her along to Sydney on his company jet, he unknowingly puts her life at risk. He’s recently angered a powerful congressman by refusing to purchase overvalued land. Congressman Chambers is not a man to let such an offense slide, and he has the resources to get even and to get what he wants.

In Australia sparks are flying between Cordelia and Aiden, but multiple attempts on Aiden’s life are made while Cordelia is with him, and he realizes he must put a stop to the madness before he loses the thing he values most.

 

 Review:

Fast Track by Julie Garwood is the 12th book in her Buchanan/Renard series. I have read the last few books in this series, and have loved them. However, after reading this one, I need to go back and see which of the earlier books have the characters from this story. I totally loved them all. Unless you want to read the other books, it is not necessary as these books can be read as standalones very well.

We are introduced to our heroine, Cordelia (Cordie) when she was just 5 years old. She lives alone with her father, as her mother died not long after she was born. When she attends her first day at kindergarten, she meets her friends, Sophie Rose and Regan Madison. The three girls, would remain inseparable friends for life, as well as the other members of their families. Even at the age of 5, Cordie developed a crush on Regan’s older brother Aiden, but she hid her secret well.

We switch to current day, where Cordie, now in her twenties, is sitting by her father’s bedside in the hospital, as he is near death. Andrew Kane was a simple auto mechanic in the early days, who rose to be a multi-millionaire, owning all the Kane Automotive stores he built. Before he takes his last breath, he tells Cordie that he has protected her in his will, so that “she” cannot touch it. Confused, Cordie asks “who”? In his last breath, he tells her that her mother was still alive.

After the funeral, with her friends (Regan and her husband Alec; Sophie and her husband, Jack; both of whom we met in earlier books, Aiden and the other brothers) there to give her support, Cordie confides to them the shocking truth about her mother. She shows them the goodbye letter her mother wrote her father when she left him, saying she it was mistake, she wanted a better life, and did not want custody “You can have her”. With that statement, Cordie wants nothing to do with her mother. Only after a bit, she decides she would just like to see her once, to see if she got everything she wanted in life, with no feeling about her betrayal of her heartbroken father.

What follows is a great story of finding her mother with the help of her friends (Alex and Jack are FBI agents). Aiden, who begins see the grownup Cordie in a different light, finds himself being attracted, as well as protective of her. The story becomes very exciting, as she reveals to her mother who she is, and the repercussions are escalated. Her mother is part of a wealthy powerful family, and Cordie is deemed a threat. Her life is now in danger, and Aiden protectively guards her and brings her home. It is her friends and family that will stand by her and help her fight against the threats that follow her home.

Besides this suspenseful storyline, the romance between Aiden and Cordie is wonderful to watch. Cordie may have had a crush all her life on Aiden, but she never thought that there was ever any hope. This romance built with each passing day that they spent together, with Aiden taking control. The sparks flew over the pages, as their chemistry together was sizzling. I loved the humor between them

Fast Track is a fun filled story, with a wonderful couple, super secondary characters, and an exciting climax at the finish. The romance was a sweet and delightful one, and I adored the friendship of them all. Being a true romantic, I love when there is a nice epilogue, giving us a peek at our heroes at the end. Julie Garwood has another winner.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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