I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
Jacked Up
by
Erin McCarthy
contemporary romance in a paperback edition on June 5, 2012 and has 296 pages.
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Other books by this author which I have reviewed include High Stakes, My Immortal, Bit the Jackpot, An Enchanted Season, Fallen, The Taking, Bad Boys of Summer, Bled Dry, Flat-Out Sexy, Sucker Bet, Hard and Fast, Hot Finish, When Good Things Happen to Bad Boys, First Blood, Slow Ride, The Chase, The Night Before Christmas, Out of the Light, and into the Shadows, A Date with the Other Side, Heiress for Hire, Bad Boys in Black Tie, True, Seeing is Believing, Believe, Shatter, Sweet, Burn, Gone with the Ghost, Murder Drama with Your Llama
Sixth in the Fast Track romance series revolving around a group of race car drivers and their friends and families. The couple focus is on Eve Monroe and Nolan Ford.
My Take
This was a fun if slightly uncomfortable read with the uncomfortable due to Eve’s personality and the different perspective we get. I do wish McCarthy had gone a little deeper with Nolan’s discomfort with Eve’s higher income. Although, she did find an easy out with Eve’s eventual choice at the end. It certainly solved a cause of a lot of Eve’s anger and made sense even if it was too easy.
I loved “watching” Nolan get through to Eve. Man, that girl has got more defenses and auto-responses than any fifty people! With her father and brothers so wrapped up in the family sport with all the attraction it has for males, you just know how Eve protected herself and survived as a kid.
it feels as though there is less exposure to the racing world in this story than in previous installments. Most of the action centers onNolan’s melting Eve’s worries.
I liked the adjective McCarthy used — very unexpected! “Jalapeño pepper hot”! The whole tattoo thing with Eve is a crack-up! She certainly came up with the perfect complement to “Open 24 hours”! It suits her personality perfectly as Eve is the girl who just blurts stuff out without thinking, no sense of time or place.
A tiny bit of submission. Eve is honest, all the way around. Honest in her reactions which put most guys off. Honest in the sex she wants. I like that Nolan sees Eve all dressed up in a turtleneck and corduroy and thinks it’s sexy — he just wants to unwrap her. Eve is freaking about marriage while Nolan, heck, nothing fazes him. He’s a glass half-full guy while Eve is panicking over how empty it is.
You will crack up over Eve’s mom’s reaction to Nolan — and his cute butt! Just too funny.
Some interesting possibilities exist for the future with interaction between the wealthy Monroes and the working class Fords with the introduction of Nolan and his kid brother Rhett whose troubles are hinted at.
The Story
Eve is such a funny character — she’s such a guy! And she’s on another rant and getting herself all jacked up over a minor faux pas, a simple wardrobe malfunction. If Eve keeps going on like this, she’s likely to end up with an ulcer or a breakdown. This girl needs r-e-l-e-a-s-e! One that is already on her doorstep and already in love, the happy, easygoing Nolan Ford.
Can his acceptance and sense of fun penetrate Eve’s shell of fear and worry?
The Characters
Eve Monroe is in charge of her brothers’ public relations and she hates it! All she thinks (and sleeps) is business with her phone practically attached to her hand on a permanent basis. She’s a sweetheart under that battle-axe exterior and she cares about people and loves kids, but she’s feelin’ that clock ticking away. Cindy is her cool mom while her dad is a lot too much like Eve.
Nolan Ford is a jackman on Evan’s pit crew. He’s been in love with Eve for years. Rhett is his baby brother and the gas man on the crew. (McCarthy is setting us up with Rhett’s issues.) Their mother is a total wet blanket!
Jacked Up also lets us catch up with Ryder and Suzanne and baby Track and touch base with Tuesday Jones with a mention of Diesel, Imogen Wilson, and Eve’s brothers: Elec and Tamara and Evan and Kendall, another driver.
The Cover and Title
It’s a shirtless Nolan, arms crossed, leaning back against a gray car inside a gray background. Ya know, we ladies really can’t complain when the guys put up their pinup calendars and leaf through their magazines…we’ve got guys like Nolan to drool over.
The title is perfect with its dual reference to Nolan’s profession and how both Eve and Nolan feel, all Jacked Up.
