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Smoke & Rubber by Adell Ryan
Series: Burnout #1
Publication date: June 30th, 2020
Pages: 233
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Synopsis:
Ever make it your life goal to stay far, far away from sexy men who live and breathe vehicles? No? Just me?
Most of my life has been spent hiding behind one of the West Coast's most infamous players in the automotive industry.
But when he unexpectedly dies and the family business falls under new management, I'm forced to step from the shadows. After being relocated across country, they demand I infiltrate the local street racing scene, find out who runs it, and aid in a takeover.
I convince myself there's no other choice. Failing to carry out these demands will result in the unraveling of my darkest secrets... the unraveling of me.
Then, I meet them--the men who bring light into my otherwise spiraling dark existence.
They are intoxicating, dangerous, and irresistible. And, as if things aren't complicated enough, they're my only leads to the underground world of fast cars and dirty money.
Will I be able to unearth enough information to keep my secrets buried without losing these men who are quickly stealing my heart?
Buck up for Fast & Furious meets Driven in this high-octane, edge-of-your-seat Reverse Harem Romance!
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Review:
Remi moved to the East Coast after a monumental loss with her brother and ex-boyfriend. Determined to make it on their own without their father around to protect them the only thing they can do is what they know and that's racing. There is a hot new underground crew that they hope to infiltrate and take over if only they can find out who leads it. Enter Remi. Nobody suspects the hot woman with nitrous flowing through her veins and danger in her heart. As three men suspected of being a part of the underground crew grow closer to Remi she starts to wonder if she has finally found her in that she has been looking for. She can't afford to fail in her pursuits or all her dirty little secrets will be shared with the one person she would rather die than hurt: her brother. Can Remi risk it all and sacrifice what could be her next great loves to pacify her blackmailer?
I was not expecting to love this book. I heard racing reverse harem and went, 'yawn'. But leaving my book selections to fate, I rolled the dice and was forced into this one. I read it in one night. I stayed up far too late gobbling up every moment of the first book and hankering for the second. I didn't even want to stop reading to write this review, but knew I needed to.
Remi is a badass sweetheart that has a few shattered pieces and sharp edges. The boys she comes in contact with don't know how to handle the secretive woman who seems to know more about cars than even they do. Her attempts to portray herself as a clueless groupie was lost the minute she is confronted with each of their amazing rides. Remi stole my heart from the moment I started reading about her loss and how she was struggling with it. I feel for her and want her to find the happiness she deserves. I found myself screaming at my Kindle to just pour her guts out to Trenton, Hayes, and Crow so she can finally be free of everything holding her back. But where would the turmoil be if she did that?
Out of every harem, I always have to have a favorite. This is the first where I actually had to give it some thought before I made a decision. Trenton is the loveable golden retriever who jokes around and is just the most easy going vibe of a man. Hayes is nerdy and awkward but he notices behaviors that escape others. He has a heart of gold even though he is on the quiet side. Crow his the typical bad boy. He slings insults to get a rise out of people and tries to play it cool while having an extremely protective feel to him. The three are all great but my heart belongs to Hayes. I am a sucker for a nerdy man, what can I say?
I think the story really flowed well and I was impressed with some of the racing lingo that I was completely clueless to. It shows that the author did more than just watch Fast & Furious and pick up some of the terminology from there. She put in work and I applaud the effort. Brava, Adell Ryan. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
