Test Drive

This book is in the "free series starters" section but it says it costs $5.99. That's false advertising. You should fix that.

Johnny first met Lara four years and eight months ago, he was attracted to her from the day she started at Ray's as a bartender. He has asked her out twelve times and each time she turned him down, the night he asked her for the 13th time, she finally said yes. He saved her from her jerk of a soon to be ex-brother in law who was attempting to force himself on her. Johnny grew up watching the women his father dated come and go. The women his father dated were typically from the strip club he owns, and just as commitment phobic as him, but in the end it made Johnny afraid to really put himself out there. He thinks of the women at the strip club, he sometimes helps out in, as family and is like a mother hen when it comes to protecting them. He is a natural with children always willing to help Lara with her nieces. Johnny is a man of many colors, he may be a mechanic, but he's smart, he loves to read, and has a geeky side. Since Lara is a nursing student she is always busy, but Johnny is willing to wait until she has free time to see her. He is an all around great guy that is willing to do whatever it takes for the people he cares about. Johnny thinks he is good enough to date but not good enough to love and it takes Lara and his friends some time to make him see that he is worth loving. Johnny is a guy that any woman would be lucky to have. So he screws up, and pushes Lara away. With the help of Del, the shops manager, he gets the courage up to go talk to her to fix things. It just so happens on the night he decides to give it another try, he walks up to the door and hears Lara yelling at someone. When he busts open the door he finds her sister's ex laying on the ground with his *^%$ hanging out of his pants. After Lara beat the crap out of him, they drag him out of her apartment. They luck out because an officer is there visiting family, who takes pictures and drags the jerk to jail. The characters of Test Drive were complex from Sam and Foley to Lara's best friend Rena. They're all so different but they fit together. I enjoyed seeing Johnny with his friends and watching him be himself, even when he zones out. Although I enjoyed the story, it did take me a little time to really get into it. The Body Shop Bad Boys is a spin off from the McCauley Brother's, which is phenomenal and if you haven't read it you should. Del is engaged to one of the brothers we luck out and get to see him and his son, Liam. But Johnny was front and center, he is a man that has a lot of charisma and draws the attention from other characters. I was surprised how much I enjoyed getting to know such a dynamic character, who is also lovable. Can he be my new book boyfriend? I can't wait to read the next book in the series about Foley. Received ARC as a giveaway winner from Marie Harte

Squealing and I don’t mean tires, Marie Harte has a new series. It is based in the garage of Delilah Webster from her McCauley Brothers series, we get everything we’ve come to expect from Harte and more…strong ties that go deeper than blood, explosive chemistry and swoon worthy characters that make you want to get a little greasy. That also comes with well-developed characters with heart felt emotional ties. Since this was the first in a new series, it a had somewhat slow start but I soon found myself pulled into the individuals that make up Harte’s Body Shop Bad Boys world. I received this ARC copy of Test Drive from SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca in exchange for a honest review.

Holy heck! Those body shop boys are smokin! This story is about Johnny, one of the body shop bad boys and Lara but you get a lot of the rest of the bad boys in this book as well. I loved every single one of them and I can't wait till they each get their own book. Johnny was quite the charmer but he's also a bit damaged from his childhood. His mom died when he was young and the one woman his dad dated, that he cared for, up and left both him and his dad without a backwards glance. Since then his dad went through one woman after another. All Johnny has ever known is that women leave. Why should he think Lara would be any different. Lara comes from a middle class hardworking family. Her parents work non stop and don't have much to show for it. Her sister is a bit of dead weight, going from husband one to husband four, expecting every man in her life to take care of her and her two girls. Lara wants more out of life and all she knows is if she's going anywhere, it will be up to her to make it happen. It was fun reading about these two getting together. Neither believed that the other was serious about each other, yet they both clearly were. It's like watching a train wreck, but a happy train wreck. I wasn't cringing away but laughing at their attempts of trying to stay casual. Johnny was so freakin cute but in a tough guy way with a soft heart. It was easy to fall for his character. Lara was a great heroine. She didn't need Johnny but she wanted him I her life. She was tough yet very likeable. It looks like Foley will be the next in the series and you get a glimps of his heroine who was tough as nails. The sparks are gonna fly! ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.