Book Review & Giveaway: Thrill of the Chase by Christina Crooks

Thrill of the Chase by Christina Crooks

Publisher: Amazon Kindle Editions (originally Five Star in Hardcover)

Publish Date: November 14, 2007

289 pages
Contemporary Romance

My Review:
Why I read this: The author contacted me, I enjoy racing and thought a romance set in the racing world sounded like a winner to me.

How is the novel driven: It's a romance, so it's primarily character-driven, but there are some other good plot things going on as well - you have to have some sort of conflict :)

My thoughts:  First up I will confess I am a NASCAR junkie.  This book takes place in the drag racing world.  Do you need to have a knowledge of any type of racing to understand or like this book.  No, absolutely not.  Will you like it if you do have an interest in the racing world, yes, sure.  I know little about Drag Racing, it is completely different from NASCAR, but I was never lost in this book.  The main thing to realize is no matter what the type of racing it is - it's still a man's sport (and yes I do know Danica Patrick races Indy, but she is an exception) and that is the key to this book.

Sarah is a tomboy - she's grown up in her dad's racing shop and she drag races everytime she gets a chance.  She's also been in love with her best friend and fellow racer Craig for forever, she's just waiting for him to notice her as well.  Then comes the proverbial monkey wrench (I know poor pun), and he comes in the form of handsome Gordon who is helping out at her dad's shop.  When Sarah turns to Gordon for advice on how to be more desirable to a man, she suddenly isn't sure where she stands anymore on who she is attracted to.

Then the story progresses and I don't want to give anything away.  I will say the story is well-paced.  The sexual tension is perfect, you never quite figure out which man she really wants as she can't figure it out.  There is some great racing action and great character-development on the part of the three main characters.  It was really a joy to watch develop.  This is a great romance and I look forward to reading more of Christina's books in the future.

My Rating: 4.5/5.0


About the Book:

Sarah's a whiz at tuning engines and winning races. Winning Craig, the local drag race hero, proves more difficult. He only has eyes for gorgeous women who are hot in the sack, not grubby tomboys. Sarah’s world gets an overhaul when her father hires Gordon. Soon she’s torn not only between two men she wants, but between the drag race winner she is and the woman she feels pressured to become.
About the Author (from Goodreads):

Christina Crooks lives in Portland, Oregon. She has a bachelor's degree in English literature and is a member of Romance Writers of America. Visit her at her website or on Facebook.

Hands On is available as a Kindle pre-order here.
Thrill of the Chase is available as a Kindle edition here.
L.A. Caveman is available as a Kindle edition here.

Giveaway:

Christina has generously offered 1 signed copy of the hardcover version of Thrill of the Chase for giveaway.  Simply comment to enter.  Extra entries for following (RSS, GFC, email, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and for tweeting/blog posts/sidebars (1/day for the tweet).  All entries can be placed in one comment if you would like, and add additional comments for tweets.  Open to US/Canada, ends 11/17.

FTC Information: I received this book from the author for review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.