| Title: | Faster, Harder (Take Me...1) | |
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| Author: | Colleen Masters | |
| Publisher | Hearts Collective | |
| Publication Date: | October 2013 | |
| Publisher's Description | How does a responsible, intelligent, career-driven girl find herself half-naked and hooking up with a bad boy Formula One driver in a Barcelona night club bathroom stall? Siena Lazio is a lot of things but reckless isn't one of them. She's only in her mid-twenties and already Team Ferrelli's Director of Public Relations and heiress to the top Formula One racing team. The esteemed daughter of Alfonso Lazio, the greatest driver F1 has ever seen, Siena seems to have it all figured out. All she has to do is uphold her family's honor and ensure her brother Enzo's public image is pristine while he rises to fame and clenches the title as Formula One's new champion. Everything is perfect... ...Until she's swept mercilessly off her feet by the one man she can never be with. The one man who can fuck it all up. Harrison Davies is Team McClain's secret weapon and he's the only driver who threatens to steal the championship from Enzo. The tattooed British bad boy knows how to get what he wants. And always gets what he wants. Harrison and Siena fall deeper and deeper with each secret tryst. Passion flares, reality fades, and the lines between right and wrong begin to blur. Driven by lust and ambition the couple delves into a world of treachery, deceit, lies, and ultimate betrayal. Is Siena ready to place her fragile heart into the hands of a speed demon and will the thrill of falling for him be worth it when they wreck? Book #1 in the Take Me... Series Full Length New Adult Contemporary Romance Novel READERS 18+ ONLY - Contains adult themes and explicit sexual content. |
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| My rating: | ***.5 | |
Let’s just get this out of the way: these titles are so on the nose that they’re hilarious. It’s like the author gave a 14-year-old naming rights to her works. That being said: it doesn’t matter what you call these books, they’re entertaining. The separation of books one and two in this series felt arbitrary and artificial to me; the action in these books take place over a portion of a single F1 season, which is still taking place going into the third book (I gather, from book 2’s epilogue). I will never understand the compulsion to break into three parts stories that should be two or even one book. What is gained in revenue will probably be lost in poor reviews from readers who don’t appreciate the tactic. The revelation at the end of the second book felt like a fitting place to pick up the action in this series, and would have made for a more natural break from the first part of the story.
Another thing: this is a very enjoyable series, but these books should not be considered “new adult”. This is a contemporary romance novel featuring adult characters, period. The protagonists aren’t on the brink of adulthood, they’re full-fledged adults of 25 and 28(ish) with demanding jobs, extensive social support networks, and only semi-tragic parents. Having determined what I think these books are not, let me tell you now what they are: hot, enjoyable little escapes from reality.
I appreciate that Ms. Masters gave us a bit more character development than people might think to expect from erotic romance titles. I liked seeing Siena embrace with both hands what she wants out of life; when hot, sexy Harrison is who she’s embracing, so much the better. In a few well-executed scenes, Ms. Masters was able to show that pre-Harrison, Siena typically balanced familial duty with her own wants in such as way that her own desires always took a backseat to everything F1-related (sorry for the car metaphor; totally unintentional). Likewise, although there’s less of Harrison’s backstory and none of his perspective, he seems to change for the better once he becomes involved with Siena.
| Title: | Faster, Deeper (Take Me...2) | |
|---|---|---|
| Author: | Colleen Masters | |
| Publisher | Hearts Collective | |
| Publication Date: | November 2013 | |
| Publisher's Description | Fast Cars. Beautiful Women. Sexy Drivers. Pain, Lies, Deceit, Tears, Violence, Anger, Blackmail, Passion, Love, Lust... Sex. Siena wants Harrison, needs him, more than anything in the world, but she's falling in love with a man she can't have—Not without losing everything and everyone she's ever loved. Harrison's set his sights on Siena and nothing can stand in his way—He's going to get her, or die trying. Book #2 in the Take Me... Series. A Contemporary Romance/New Adult Romance Novel. |
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| My rating: | ***.5 | |
Although their romance is undeniably hot, seeing Siena become her own person, instead a cog in the Ferrelli machine or a supporting player in the Enzo show, was what I found to be most rewarding about these books. I liked how she and Harrison have to figure out how to navigate their relationship, and that they both make realistic missteps. I am anxious to learn of the resolution to their problems, and can’t wait to read book three.
I gave this book a 3.5/4 star rating, because I’m annoyed that I had to pay for a second book when this should have been one $3.99 title, but this is why Jesus invented Kobo coupon codes (50DEC).
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