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Fast Track #3
Hot Finish
Desire is about to reach its peak.
Suzanne Jefferson is broke, which is why she's given up charity work for wedding planning. Fortunately, she has a high-profile client-and best of all, he's paid in advance. There are just two teensy problems: the bride is a bona fide bridezilla, and Suzanne's stock racer ex- husband is the best man. At least she though he was her ex-husband...
Suzanne Jefferson is broke, which is why she's given up charity work for wedding planning. Fortunately, she has a high-profile client-and best of all, he's paid in advance. There are just two teensy problems: the bride is a bona fide bridezilla, and Suzanne's stock racer ex- husband is the best man. At least she though he was her ex-husband...
284 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 3, 2010
67 people are currently reading
2,688 people want to read
About the author
Erin McCarthy
205Ìýbooks4,816ÌýfollowersUSA Today and New York Times Bestselling author Erin McCarthy sold her first book in 2002 and has since written over a hundred novels and novellas in teen fiction, new adult, and adult romance. Erin has a special weakness for high-heeled boots, beaches and martinis. She lives in Ohio with her family, two grumpy cats and a socially awkward dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 425 reviews
August 7, 2010
4 ½ stars � Contemporary Romance
Fast Track is one of my favorite contemporary romance series and not just because of the smokin� hot, studtastic cover hunks...really, I swear! , with sweet, doting Elec Monroe falling hard for older widow Tamara and her kids, is one of my favorite romances and much more to him than meets the eye, Ty, and quirky, brainiac Imogen were loads of fun together and burned up the pages in .
The sexual tension between Suzanne and her ex-husband Ryder has always been electric, and I’ve looked forward to their story, Hot Finish. Although I really enjoyed this, especially the humor and scorching hot, erotic sex scenes, I didn’t like it quite as much as the previous two books, mainly because I didn’t feel as strong of a connection with the characters.
The plot’s pretty basic...Suzanne and Ryder thought they were divorced two years before but find out that because of a paperwork glitch and no-show in court technicality, they’re still married. Ryder, who never wanted the divorce anyway and still lusts for his not so ex-wife is secretly thrilled and thinks it might just be their much needed second chance, but Suzanne...yeah, not so much.
Suzanne’s got a wacky wedding for airhead, bridezilla Nikki to pull off or she’s in the poorhouse, and the last thing she wants or needs is her infuriatingly charming, gorgeous ex-husband, who’s not really her ex, driving her crazy like he always does. But when Ryder turns up the sexual heat and promises Suzanne all the pleasure she can stand, how can she possibly resist?
Suzanne’s the b*tchy girlfriend with a big heart who always entertains friends Tammy and Imogen, while also giving out advice, with her snarky, biting wit. I’ve liked Suzanne’s clever humor in the previous books, but she was a bit much to take at times in this, even though she was definitely still funny. She’s the kind of person that a little bit of them goes a long, long way. But I did understand her insecurities and defensiveness better after learning more about her past.
I liked Ryder’s easygoing attitude and playfulness and was really cheering for him. His adoration for Suzanne was obvious, and he tried so hard to earn even the smallest hint of her affection. But he could also be pretty damn dense at times, too, so some of Suzanne’s frustration was understandable.
Their lack of communication and stubborn refusal to express their feelings was exasperating, but it’s also pretty typical, and realistic, of a lot of marriages. I’m sure we all know couples that we’ve wondered about why the heck they’re married, but then realized it’s probably because nobody else could put up with their sh*t or that they deserve each other. That’s how I feel about Suzanne and Ryder. And even though they got their Romancelandia HEA, I definitely see some much needed couples counseling in their future.
I really enjoyed the male bantering between Elec, Ty, Evan, and Ryder, but I would have liked a bit more of Ryder and Suzanne together and a little less wedding planning distraction. Hot Finish isn’t my favorite of the supersexy Fast Track series, but I still found myself thoroughly entertained, laughing out loud, fanning myself, and even tearing up a couple of times, like with the quote below.
“And everyone is always saying that marriage is really hard and takes a lot of work. But the thing is, Suzanne, when you know that you love someone, those things don’t matter. You have to push all the everyday things and the outside world away, and just enjoy knowing that this is the man who has the chest your head is meant to lie on.�
And one last random observation...Erin McCarthy seems to be fond of using the phrases girl bits and hoohah, LOL!
So, 4 ½ stars for this steamy, fun read. Now I can’t wait for Evan’s story, next!
Fast Track is one of my favorite contemporary romance series and not just because of the smokin� hot, studtastic cover hunks...really, I swear! , with sweet, doting Elec Monroe falling hard for older widow Tamara and her kids, is one of my favorite romances and much more to him than meets the eye, Ty, and quirky, brainiac Imogen were loads of fun together and burned up the pages in .
The sexual tension between Suzanne and her ex-husband Ryder has always been electric, and I’ve looked forward to their story, Hot Finish. Although I really enjoyed this, especially the humor and scorching hot, erotic sex scenes, I didn’t like it quite as much as the previous two books, mainly because I didn’t feel as strong of a connection with the characters.
The plot’s pretty basic...Suzanne and Ryder thought they were divorced two years before but find out that because of a paperwork glitch and no-show in court technicality, they’re still married. Ryder, who never wanted the divorce anyway and still lusts for his not so ex-wife is secretly thrilled and thinks it might just be their much needed second chance, but Suzanne...yeah, not so much.
Suzanne’s got a wacky wedding for airhead, bridezilla Nikki to pull off or she’s in the poorhouse, and the last thing she wants or needs is her infuriatingly charming, gorgeous ex-husband, who’s not really her ex, driving her crazy like he always does. But when Ryder turns up the sexual heat and promises Suzanne all the pleasure she can stand, how can she possibly resist?
Suzanne’s the b*tchy girlfriend with a big heart who always entertains friends Tammy and Imogen, while also giving out advice, with her snarky, biting wit. I’ve liked Suzanne’s clever humor in the previous books, but she was a bit much to take at times in this, even though she was definitely still funny. She’s the kind of person that a little bit of them goes a long, long way. But I did understand her insecurities and defensiveness better after learning more about her past.
I liked Ryder’s easygoing attitude and playfulness and was really cheering for him. His adoration for Suzanne was obvious, and he tried so hard to earn even the smallest hint of her affection. But he could also be pretty damn dense at times, too, so some of Suzanne’s frustration was understandable.
Their lack of communication and stubborn refusal to express their feelings was exasperating, but it’s also pretty typical, and realistic, of a lot of marriages. I’m sure we all know couples that we’ve wondered about why the heck they’re married, but then realized it’s probably because nobody else could put up with their sh*t or that they deserve each other. That’s how I feel about Suzanne and Ryder. And even though they got their Romancelandia HEA, I definitely see some much needed couples counseling in their future.
I really enjoyed the male bantering between Elec, Ty, Evan, and Ryder, but I would have liked a bit more of Ryder and Suzanne together and a little less wedding planning distraction. Hot Finish isn’t my favorite of the supersexy Fast Track series, but I still found myself thoroughly entertained, laughing out loud, fanning myself, and even tearing up a couple of times, like with the quote below.
“And everyone is always saying that marriage is really hard and takes a lot of work. But the thing is, Suzanne, when you know that you love someone, those things don’t matter. You have to push all the everyday things and the outside world away, and just enjoy knowing that this is the man who has the chest your head is meant to lie on.�
And one last random observation...Erin McCarthy seems to be fond of using the phrases girl bits and hoohah, LOL!
So, 4 ½ stars for this steamy, fun read. Now I can’t wait for Evan’s story, next!
December 24, 2016
Written March 4, 2015
4.2 Stars - OMG, this m/f was so much fun - I just want to hug and kiss these adorable lovebirds
I loved the first one two years ago. I enjoyed the second book last spring. is a m/f contemporary romance series about NASCAR drivers (stock car racing) which has been very good stand-alone romances (in my taste) so far. (Reviews: )
Well, it was time for the third part 'Hot Finish'. This time with the 7:15 hrs audiobook narrated by in a terrific way.
Yay, yay, yay - A lovely second chance story...
This was a perfect witty, funny story and good audiobook for this lady today. Once again did give me a wonderful entertaining romance. Wow!!
**
We know the divorced Suzanne Jefferson from previous books. She is broke, which is why she's given up charity work for wedding planning. An important high-profile client wedding seems to be a big mess. Suzanne's Stock Car Racer ex-husband Ryder Jefferson is planned to be the honorable best man. Oh no, our poor stressed Suzanne has to manage this teensy little problem.
These two characters are just adorable to follow. I remember I liked and felt interest for them already in the two previous books. Their banters, attraction, heat and smex together was full point. A second chance story always makes my heart bump extra. ...And Ryder Jefferson, our hero here, is "My Man". Gosh, I loved him.
**
I repeat myself... � Is there anything better than smart, hot and sexy, sweet romances books about adults (experienced and mature) who fall in love, get together and let me join them to a grand lovely HEA.?
Is there a chance for giggling smiles, will I meet nice old "friends", get some yummy swooning moments, meet another sexy manly racer-star, enjoy a strong heroine —and best of all; there are no baddies, pesky intrigues or heartbreaking anxiety. Just straight on towards another amusing romantic love-tale. ~ Is that what you want, it's at least what I often want, then might this 'Fast Track' books suit you perfectly.
**
Simply great in this lighthearted good-feel genre. No complaints whatsoever. This was fun from start to the grand end. I really liked to listening to this female narrator, she "did it" for this book (applause). Looking forward to soon pick up the next part (#4, Evan Monroe's book) as an audiobook as well.
I LIKE - to smile when listening
~ Still silly smiling. ~ I'm always so very happy when I enjoyed yet another lovely romance book. Books that make me laugh and love this genre (romances) yet so much more all the time. ~
4.2 Stars - OMG, this m/f was so much fun - I just want to hug and kiss these adorable lovebirds
I loved the first one two years ago. I enjoyed the second book last spring. is a m/f contemporary romance series about NASCAR drivers (stock car racing) which has been very good stand-alone romances (in my taste) so far. (Reviews: )
Well, it was time for the third part 'Hot Finish'. This time with the 7:15 hrs audiobook narrated by in a terrific way.
Yay, yay, yay - A lovely second chance story...
This was a perfect witty, funny story and good audiobook for this lady today. Once again did give me a wonderful entertaining romance. Wow!!
**
We know the divorced Suzanne Jefferson from previous books. She is broke, which is why she's given up charity work for wedding planning. An important high-profile client wedding seems to be a big mess. Suzanne's Stock Car Racer ex-husband Ryder Jefferson is planned to be the honorable best man. Oh no, our poor stressed Suzanne has to manage this teensy little problem.
“This was fun. We should find out we're still married more often."
"Why, so every day can be a special new plunge into hell?"
"Nobody I'd rather burn with than you, babe.�
These two characters are just adorable to follow. I remember I liked and felt interest for them already in the two previous books. Their banters, attraction, heat and smex together was full point. A second chance story always makes my heart bump extra. ...And Ryder Jefferson, our hero here, is "My Man". Gosh, I loved him.
**
I repeat myself... � Is there anything better than smart, hot and sexy, sweet romances books about adults (experienced and mature) who fall in love, get together and let me join them to a grand lovely HEA.?
Is there a chance for giggling smiles, will I meet nice old "friends", get some yummy swooning moments, meet another sexy manly racer-star, enjoy a strong heroine —and best of all; there are no baddies, pesky intrigues or heartbreaking anxiety. Just straight on towards another amusing romantic love-tale. ~ Is that what you want, it's at least what I often want, then might this 'Fast Track' books suit you perfectly.
“And the thing is, we can’t fail. We’ve already hit the bottom and come out of it. From here on out, if we just love and listen, we can’t go wrong, babe.�
**
Simply great in this lighthearted good-feel genre. No complaints whatsoever. This was fun from start to the grand end. I really liked to listening to this female narrator, she "did it" for this book (applause). Looking forward to soon pick up the next part (#4, Evan Monroe's book) as an audiobook as well.
I LIKE - to smile when listening
~ Still silly smiling. ~ I'm always so very happy when I enjoyed yet another lovely romance book. Books that make me laugh and love this genre (romances) yet so much more all the time. ~
August 5, 2010
Not my favorite of the series (hard to top Elec and Tamara from or even Imogen and Ty from ), and at times I had issues with the sometimes bitchy, often snarky Suzanne Jefferson and the way she treated her sometimes clueless ex-husband Ryder, but all-in-all a pretty entertaining (if unspectacular) read.
Suzanne works as a wedding planner, and she really needs the money she would make from planning the wedding of air-headed bridezilla Nikki Borden to stock car racer Jonas Strickland. Suzanne has been divorced for two years from her husband (of four years) stock car racer Ryder Jefferson. Suz walked out on him (and I'm not really sure why, except they weren't getting along) but has never really stopped loving him (although she would die before admitting that to him). Ryder never stopped loving Suz either, but he has a hard time communicating his feelings, as does Suz. Really, these two have no idea how to talk without someone getting defensive, which leads to arguments about nothing. Anyway, due to some technical glitch, Suz and Ryder find out that they're still legally married. This puts all kinds of thoughts in Ryder's head, because truthfully, he never wanted to get divorced, and he thinks this may be a sign that they should stay together. But how will he convince Suz of that? They've always been red hot in the bedroom, so maybe they can start there?
This book basically revolves around the plot of Suz planning the wedding of crazy bride-to-be Nikki (who once dated Ty from ) and all that entails, her interactions with her soon-to-be ex Ryder (who happens to be the best man in the wedding) and her friends and their spouses who are also in the wedding, and deciding if she really does want to call an end to her marriage once and for all. There's plenty of hot sex with her almost ex husband, lots of reminiscing about their good times, and wondering just why their marriage fell apart. The reader finds out that this couple's problem is basically a failure to communicate their feelings--I thought Suz and Ryder's problems stemmed from them never really sitting down and talking and listening to each other--they just made assumptions about how the other was feeling. Many times in the book I was yelling out "just tell her" or "talk to him" or "ask him"...whew, this couple exhausted me!
There's plenty of humor in this one, plenty of sex--including some inventive use of strawberries, chocolate, and whipped creme (the one place where Suz and Ryder communicate is in the bedroom!), and a little plot twist that you knew was coming with Suz and Ryder spending so much time together...The only question was, were Ryder and Suz ever going to open up to each other and lay their cards on the table?
Fans of this series will probably enjoy this one, even though the H/h weren't quite as likable or the story quite as exciting as the first two in the series. But it was nice to see the gang all together again, and we see a bit more of Evan Monroe (Elec's brother) in this one, who seems to have quite an aversion to marriage. Like I said, not the best of the series, but a solid 4 star read. Now bring on Evan's story !
Suzanne works as a wedding planner, and she really needs the money she would make from planning the wedding of air-headed bridezilla Nikki Borden to stock car racer Jonas Strickland. Suzanne has been divorced for two years from her husband (of four years) stock car racer Ryder Jefferson. Suz walked out on him (and I'm not really sure why, except they weren't getting along) but has never really stopped loving him (although she would die before admitting that to him). Ryder never stopped loving Suz either, but he has a hard time communicating his feelings, as does Suz. Really, these two have no idea how to talk without someone getting defensive, which leads to arguments about nothing. Anyway, due to some technical glitch, Suz and Ryder find out that they're still legally married. This puts all kinds of thoughts in Ryder's head, because truthfully, he never wanted to get divorced, and he thinks this may be a sign that they should stay together. But how will he convince Suz of that? They've always been red hot in the bedroom, so maybe they can start there?
This book basically revolves around the plot of Suz planning the wedding of crazy bride-to-be Nikki (who once dated Ty from ) and all that entails, her interactions with her soon-to-be ex Ryder (who happens to be the best man in the wedding) and her friends and their spouses who are also in the wedding, and deciding if she really does want to call an end to her marriage once and for all. There's plenty of hot sex with her almost ex husband, lots of reminiscing about their good times, and wondering just why their marriage fell apart. The reader finds out that this couple's problem is basically a failure to communicate their feelings--I thought Suz and Ryder's problems stemmed from them never really sitting down and talking and listening to each other--they just made assumptions about how the other was feeling. Many times in the book I was yelling out "just tell her" or "talk to him" or "ask him"...whew, this couple exhausted me!
There's plenty of humor in this one, plenty of sex--including some inventive use of strawberries, chocolate, and whipped creme (the one place where Suz and Ryder communicate is in the bedroom!), and a little plot twist that you knew was coming with Suz and Ryder spending so much time together...The only question was, were Ryder and Suz ever going to open up to each other and lay their cards on the table?
Fans of this series will probably enjoy this one, even though the H/h weren't quite as likable or the story quite as exciting as the first two in the series. But it was nice to see the gang all together again, and we see a bit more of Evan Monroe (Elec's brother) in this one, who seems to have quite an aversion to marriage. Like I said, not the best of the series, but a solid 4 star read. Now bring on Evan's story !
June 14, 2010
Erin McCarthy’s amazing Fast Track series is considered contemporary romance, but I think it’s a little hotter than most, and that’s just fine with me ;) (#1) gave us the story of stock car race driver Elec Monroe, one of the sweetest, hottest beta heros you’ll ever meet. (#2) was hilarious and the opening love scene was one of the most well-written, ever!, with Ty and his little “reversals�<--sweet torture.
The chemistry between divorced couple Suzanne and Ryder Jefferson was evident in the previous series installments and reaches the breaking point here :) In Hot Finish, Suzanne is still refusing additional alimony $$ from Ryder, and back into the wedding planning business for none other than Nikki Borden, that air-headed bimbo that was chasing Ty in Book 2-->Yes, Nikki’s still just as brainless, but this leads to a lot of laughs ;) Nikki’s finally snagged a driver willing to marry her, and Suzanne will do just about anything to make the high profile, ridiculously themed (thank you Nikki) wedding a success and secure the future of her business. Of course, Nikki’s an attention whore, too, so she has enlisted all the stock car race drivers you know and love, including Elec, Ty, and Ryder, to be groomsmen.
It’s clear very early on that Ryder never stopped loving Suzanne. The way he’s so supportive of her, and helps her in ways her sometimes stubborn ass can’t refuse, just melted my heart. Without going into too much details, communication breakdowns, false beliefs and unmet expectations led to the breakdown of their marriage on round one. Those problems don’t simply go away for Suzanne and Ryder because it’s their story, and I thought McCarthy did an excellent job of handling this. It seemed very realistic and at times, I felt like I was almost eavesdropping on a real couple - in serious trouble. Suzanne and Ryder were fiery in their conflicts when they hurt each other, but in the bedroom as well! Hot Finish has all the heat I have come to love and expect with this series. Suzanne and Ryder have none of that awkwardness that a new couple might experience. Ryder seems to realize their marriage is worth saving much sooner than Suzanne, so he’s almost wooing her? Damn is it hot! Especially when Ryder suggests a little change in scenery - YOWZA! But there’s more than smokin� hawt sex - this is also full tender moments I love, like when Ryder wants to say more, and tell Suzanne that he loves her and wants a chance to be a better husband...but instead keeps things light for fear of scaring her off. I liked being in Ryder’s head, so to speak ;) And I’d like being in his bed, too, but I’ll just say ;) This was a great installment to the series, and I look forward to more, especially after the special preview to , (driver Evan Monroe’s) story, at the end of Hot Finish. If you need a fix to satisfy you until August, when Hot Finish is released, you can access 2 excerpts to Hot Finish, plus a plot summary for The Chase, by becoming a member of Erin McCarthy’s website (it’s free). Happy reading and enjoy these hot & sweet stock car race heros! :)
The chemistry between divorced couple Suzanne and Ryder Jefferson was evident in the previous series installments and reaches the breaking point here :) In Hot Finish, Suzanne is still refusing additional alimony $$ from Ryder, and back into the wedding planning business for none other than Nikki Borden, that air-headed bimbo that was chasing Ty in Book 2-->Yes, Nikki’s still just as brainless, but this leads to a lot of laughs ;) Nikki’s finally snagged a driver willing to marry her, and Suzanne will do just about anything to make the high profile, ridiculously themed (thank you Nikki) wedding a success and secure the future of her business. Of course, Nikki’s an attention whore, too, so she has enlisted all the stock car race drivers you know and love, including Elec, Ty, and Ryder, to be groomsmen.
It’s clear very early on that Ryder never stopped loving Suzanne. The way he’s so supportive of her, and helps her in ways her sometimes stubborn ass can’t refuse, just melted my heart. Without going into too much details, communication breakdowns, false beliefs and unmet expectations led to the breakdown of their marriage on round one. Those problems don’t simply go away for Suzanne and Ryder because it’s their story, and I thought McCarthy did an excellent job of handling this. It seemed very realistic and at times, I felt like I was almost eavesdropping on a real couple - in serious trouble. Suzanne and Ryder were fiery in their conflicts when they hurt each other, but in the bedroom as well! Hot Finish has all the heat I have come to love and expect with this series. Suzanne and Ryder have none of that awkwardness that a new couple might experience. Ryder seems to realize their marriage is worth saving much sooner than Suzanne, so he’s almost wooing her? Damn is it hot! Especially when Ryder suggests a little change in scenery - YOWZA! But there’s more than smokin� hawt sex - this is also full tender moments I love, like when Ryder wants to say more, and tell Suzanne that he loves her and wants a chance to be a better husband...but instead keeps things light for fear of scaring her off. I liked being in Ryder’s head, so to speak ;) And I’d like being in his bed, too, but I’ll just say ;) This was a great installment to the series, and I look forward to more, especially after the special preview to , (driver Evan Monroe’s) story, at the end of Hot Finish. If you need a fix to satisfy you until August, when Hot Finish is released, you can access 2 excerpts to Hot Finish, plus a plot summary for The Chase, by becoming a member of Erin McCarthy’s website (it’s free). Happy reading and enjoy these hot & sweet stock car race heros! :)
July 14, 2010
By the end I felt unsatisfied and harassed. Which was sad, because I was looking forward to this book. The story revolves around 2 people who fell out of a marriage and somehow manage to get it back. Yet they are constantly miscommunicating and bickering. It was all just so exhausting. Unfortunately, they are way too much like an average couple with big problems. Although, they do have some funny bantering before the hot sex-a-thon starts.
Suzanne's a guarded, tough gal with a uncontrollable barbed tongue. She spews harsh words for fear of being rejected first. It's a great character to start with, even one I can identify with, but she doesn't undergo growth. By the end, I'm not convinced she can hold onto her HEA.
Ryder's a simple guy. Too simple. His thoughts are, "Suze is hot. She's all I want. I love her. She is so gorgeous." There's a point where those sentiments start becoming boring. I kept feeling like we were getting the dumbed down version of what a woman believes goes on in a lovable jerk's head. Although, I did like Ryder a lot more than Suze. He put himself out there with words and feelings, and once he realized what he was doing wrong, actually set about rectifying it. Plus, he was often adorable when trying to win her over.
The level of conversation throughout is shallow. Then we get bland internal monologuing that pretty much always goes, "Why did I say that? I love him/her so much but I'm too afraid of being hurt so I'll just say mean things instead."
Suze and Ryder didn't identify things they liked about each other that felt genuine and non superficial. Although Suze did go on and on about how great Ryder is in bed.
Ugh, plus there was so much negative crap flying around, especially from the not so funny wedding plot.
Maybe I'll have more luck with another one of Erin's books, but this one just fell flat for me. :(
Suzanne's a guarded, tough gal with a uncontrollable barbed tongue. She spews harsh words for fear of being rejected first. It's a great character to start with, even one I can identify with, but she doesn't undergo growth. By the end, I'm not convinced she can hold onto her HEA.
Ryder's a simple guy. Too simple. His thoughts are, "Suze is hot. She's all I want. I love her. She is so gorgeous." There's a point where those sentiments start becoming boring. I kept feeling like we were getting the dumbed down version of what a woman believes goes on in a lovable jerk's head. Although, I did like Ryder a lot more than Suze. He put himself out there with words and feelings, and once he realized what he was doing wrong, actually set about rectifying it. Plus, he was often adorable when trying to win her over.
The level of conversation throughout is shallow. Then we get bland internal monologuing that pretty much always goes, "Why did I say that? I love him/her so much but I'm too afraid of being hurt so I'll just say mean things instead."
Suze and Ryder didn't identify things they liked about each other that felt genuine and non superficial. Although Suze did go on and on about how great Ryder is in bed.
Ugh, plus there was so much negative crap flying around, especially from the not so funny wedding plot.
Maybe I'll have more luck with another one of Erin's books, but this one just fell flat for me. :(
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 29, 2010
Hot Finish was a great entry to this series!
Was it the best in the series? *IMHO* no, but it damn sure earned it's spot!
Suzanne and Ryder find out in this installment that they're not legally divorced. While Suzanne is making a comeback as a wedding planner. Her first job is to plan Nikki & Jonas wedding.(bridezilla) Ryder does everything in his power to help make it work for her, since she will not accept any financial help from him. This includes standing up as best man to Jonas & Nikki's wedding.
While it confused me some on why they divorced to begin with. I think it was communication error that could be resolved quite quickly, but then again there would be no story.
As usual McCarty gave me plenty of laugh out loud moments and a big ole smile when I closed the book.
My favorite quote of the book was
"Did I ever tell you the difference between a Northern fairy tail and Southern one? Northern one starts 'once upon a time', while a Southern one starts 'y'all ain't gonna believe this shit'"
There is a *sneek peek* to the Chase at the end of the book that looks awesome! Also fans of this series, I read on her site there will be a total of 6 books in this series...
4 1/2 stars ;)
Was it the best in the series? *IMHO* no, but it damn sure earned it's spot!
Suzanne and Ryder find out in this installment that they're not legally divorced. While Suzanne is making a comeback as a wedding planner. Her first job is to plan Nikki & Jonas wedding.(bridezilla) Ryder does everything in his power to help make it work for her, since she will not accept any financial help from him. This includes standing up as best man to Jonas & Nikki's wedding.
While it confused me some on why they divorced to begin with. I think it was communication error that could be resolved quite quickly, but then again there would be no story.
As usual McCarty gave me plenty of laugh out loud moments and a big ole smile when I closed the book.
My favorite quote of the book was
"Did I ever tell you the difference between a Northern fairy tail and Southern one? Northern one starts 'once upon a time', while a Southern one starts 'y'all ain't gonna believe this shit'"
There is a *sneek peek* to the Chase at the end of the book that looks awesome! Also fans of this series, I read on her site there will be a total of 6 books in this series...
4 1/2 stars ;)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 4, 2010
Suzanne and Ryder Jefferson were first introduced as a divorced couple in Erin McCarthy's Flat-Out-Sexy. These two would snarl and verbally spar at each another, but underneath all their blustering, they still had feelings, or at least lust for one another. Now in Hot Finish, they're in the "hot seat", so to speak. Suzanne and Ryder are on friendlier terms, although Ryder wants Suzanne back as his wife and in his bed. Suzanne feels the opposite. She wants to be start a new phase in her life. That's why she's going into wedding planning and working with the Bridezilla of the century. But Suzanne has no choice, because she's out of money and Nikki, the beyond ditzy bride-to-be, who is marrying one of NASCAR's finest, Jonas Strickland, is ready to hand over a nice pay check for the wedding of her dreams (even if in entails dressing like Priscilla Presley and recreating her wedding to Elvis with high hair and baby blue tuxedos). Suzanne grins and bears it, and actually doesn't mind that Ryder is there to lend a hand because of his friendship with the groom.
Things become even more difficult when Ryder is sent a letter from their divorce lawyer. It seems they are still married and have only been separated after two years since Ryder never did his part with finalizing the paperwork for their divorce. Suzanne is now stressed out beyond belief because not only does she have to be in charge of this weeding from hell, but when they file for taxes, there's bound to be even more headaches. Ryder doesn't see what the big deal is. He's actually quite pleased and this will give him the perfect excuse to win Suzanne back.
While Suzanne navigates through bridesmaids and wedding dress fittings, including searching for the perfect wedding cake for Nikki, Ryder tries to keep her calm and help her relax through hot sex. Since Suzanne is in desperate need of stress release and Ryder is such a sweetheart in helping her out in more ways than one, she takes him up on his offer, making sure he knows that their "friend's with benefits" situation can't go any further than that. Ryder is all for it and has a plan to make Suzanne fall for him all over again where she'll want to tear up those divorce papers instead of signing them.
Hot Finish was a much anticipated book for me since Erin McCarthy is one of the best contemporary romance authors writing today. Unfortunately, Hot Finish felt flat in so many ways. Ryder and Suzanne do engage in some steamy animalistic sex together, but other than that, I can't see this couple together in an emotionally stable relationship. There is a major lack of growth on both their parts that doesn't improve by the end. Ryder is very laid back, perhaps a bit too much. Even when he has an emotional break through with Suzanne because of something heartbreaking that occurred in their marriage, it rang very false to me. Suzanne, who in the first two books of the Fast Track novels came across as a cunning and intelligent women. Here she is more of a shrew and a worrier if anything. I guess you can chalk that up to all the stress she has to deal with. But then why would she play around with Ryder knowing he wants her back and will do whatever he can to make it so? Suzanne's actions left a lot to be desired.
I couldn't root for the Jeffersons in the way I wanted to and there were still many unanswered questions in regards to trust between these two. Yes, Suzanne and Ryder have a go at it with too many sex scenes to count, but even with that, I felt there was no tenderness or understanding, just two people relieving their frustration with one another.
Hot Finish is a steamy romance with some moments of humor and outlandish behavior, mainly on the part of the character of Nikki, who became a bit too grating. Hot Finish does end in a way that should make most readers happy, but I can't help but wonder how long it takes until Suzanne begins to second guess her decision to be with Ryder, while he just acts uninvolved to the point he'll take her to bed to make her forget.
Things become even more difficult when Ryder is sent a letter from their divorce lawyer. It seems they are still married and have only been separated after two years since Ryder never did his part with finalizing the paperwork for their divorce. Suzanne is now stressed out beyond belief because not only does she have to be in charge of this weeding from hell, but when they file for taxes, there's bound to be even more headaches. Ryder doesn't see what the big deal is. He's actually quite pleased and this will give him the perfect excuse to win Suzanne back.
While Suzanne navigates through bridesmaids and wedding dress fittings, including searching for the perfect wedding cake for Nikki, Ryder tries to keep her calm and help her relax through hot sex. Since Suzanne is in desperate need of stress release and Ryder is such a sweetheart in helping her out in more ways than one, she takes him up on his offer, making sure he knows that their "friend's with benefits" situation can't go any further than that. Ryder is all for it and has a plan to make Suzanne fall for him all over again where she'll want to tear up those divorce papers instead of signing them.
Hot Finish was a much anticipated book for me since Erin McCarthy is one of the best contemporary romance authors writing today. Unfortunately, Hot Finish felt flat in so many ways. Ryder and Suzanne do engage in some steamy animalistic sex together, but other than that, I can't see this couple together in an emotionally stable relationship. There is a major lack of growth on both their parts that doesn't improve by the end. Ryder is very laid back, perhaps a bit too much. Even when he has an emotional break through with Suzanne because of something heartbreaking that occurred in their marriage, it rang very false to me. Suzanne, who in the first two books of the Fast Track novels came across as a cunning and intelligent women. Here she is more of a shrew and a worrier if anything. I guess you can chalk that up to all the stress she has to deal with. But then why would she play around with Ryder knowing he wants her back and will do whatever he can to make it so? Suzanne's actions left a lot to be desired.
I couldn't root for the Jeffersons in the way I wanted to and there were still many unanswered questions in regards to trust between these two. Yes, Suzanne and Ryder have a go at it with too many sex scenes to count, but even with that, I felt there was no tenderness or understanding, just two people relieving their frustration with one another.
Hot Finish is a steamy romance with some moments of humor and outlandish behavior, mainly on the part of the character of Nikki, who became a bit too grating. Hot Finish does end in a way that should make most readers happy, but I can't help but wonder how long it takes until Suzanne begins to second guess her decision to be with Ryder, while he just acts uninvolved to the point he'll take her to bed to make her forget.
February 27, 2011
I was soooo not looking forward to reading this book. Suzanne has gotten on my nerves since book #1 and I wasn't really sure I could handle listening to her bitchyness for a whole book!
However, I was pleasantly surprised. She's at a point in her life now where she almost has no self-esteem in a way. Alimony is over so she has to go back to work as a wedding planner and her first client is Nikki!!! Dear God! I wanted to strangle her. Which prompt my favorite quote of this whole book (by Suzanne of course): "That girl is so dumb, if she threw herself on the ground she'd miss"
All we've seen before is really a hard shell that Suzanne shows but there's a very insecure girl on the inside, who's always doubted her self worth, the love given to her, and the love she's craved but never gotten.
And talk about communication problems! I haven't seen 2 people that can't communicate more than these 2!!!!
Ryder is sweet and hot, but he does not know how to express things! I wanted to smack him around a few times just because of how he said certain things.
But then again, they are familiar, they know each other better than anyone, and you can tell they both still love each other!
I think I actually liked this book better than book #2!!!
However, I was pleasantly surprised. She's at a point in her life now where she almost has no self-esteem in a way. Alimony is over so she has to go back to work as a wedding planner and her first client is Nikki!!! Dear God! I wanted to strangle her. Which prompt my favorite quote of this whole book (by Suzanne of course): "That girl is so dumb, if she threw herself on the ground she'd miss"
All we've seen before is really a hard shell that Suzanne shows but there's a very insecure girl on the inside, who's always doubted her self worth, the love given to her, and the love she's craved but never gotten.
And talk about communication problems! I haven't seen 2 people that can't communicate more than these 2!!!!
Ryder is sweet and hot, but he does not know how to express things! I wanted to smack him around a few times just because of how he said certain things.
But then again, they are familiar, they know each other better than anyone, and you can tell they both still love each other!
I think I actually liked this book better than book #2!!!
August 4, 2010
3.5 stars
This is the 3rd in the Fast Track series. Suzanne and Ryder's relationship has been a staple in the first two books and in this one it comes to the fore front. They are divorced, but still have a hot relationship. Although the last two years have mostly been hot with arguments, there is still a spark between them that isn't about anger. When news arrives that their divorce was never finalized, things take a strange turn. Both start to question their relationship and wonder what really went wrong between them. As Suzanne coordinates a wedding for Ryder's race car buddy, Jonas, and his crazy fiancee, marriage and relationships are constantly on the brain.
The last two books have been leading up to this one. I've been so excited for Suzanne and Ryder's story that I could barely wait for it to be released. I started out reading this with such enthusiasm. The attraction and sexy bantering was fun and exciting. Ryder's buddies were funny and the bride-to-be was outrageous. I couldn't help but laugh and some of the craziness.
Suzanne is funny with her dark sarcasm and Ryder plays right along with it. They have great chemistry that just made me root for them to work things out.
At some point, I started to get a little annoyed. The sexy banter stopped being sexy and became a little raunchy. All they seemed to do was talk about sex--more specifically oral sex--and body parts. It seemed to overwhelm the story and ruined it a little for me--I didn't really need to read the phrase, "mossy balls". Along with that, there was too much thinking about them not communicating, but none of them actually communicating. They really were a little messed up.
The story itself was a little contrived and predictable. It was plainly obvious the way the story was going to go from early on in the book. I didn't quite mind, but it ruins the allure of the story. It made it easy for me to put the book down and go do something else.
In the end, I was happy to see a conclusion for Suzanne and Ryder, but it just failed to meet my high expectations.
Evan Monroe, the lead in the next book, The Chase, was given more face time and I am interested in watching him fall for the right woman.
Sensuality: Burning - includes lots of sex, oral sex, and sexy banter
This is the 3rd in the Fast Track series. Suzanne and Ryder's relationship has been a staple in the first two books and in this one it comes to the fore front. They are divorced, but still have a hot relationship. Although the last two years have mostly been hot with arguments, there is still a spark between them that isn't about anger. When news arrives that their divorce was never finalized, things take a strange turn. Both start to question their relationship and wonder what really went wrong between them. As Suzanne coordinates a wedding for Ryder's race car buddy, Jonas, and his crazy fiancee, marriage and relationships are constantly on the brain.
The last two books have been leading up to this one. I've been so excited for Suzanne and Ryder's story that I could barely wait for it to be released. I started out reading this with such enthusiasm. The attraction and sexy bantering was fun and exciting. Ryder's buddies were funny and the bride-to-be was outrageous. I couldn't help but laugh and some of the craziness.
Suzanne is funny with her dark sarcasm and Ryder plays right along with it. They have great chemistry that just made me root for them to work things out.
At some point, I started to get a little annoyed. The sexy banter stopped being sexy and became a little raunchy. All they seemed to do was talk about sex--more specifically oral sex--and body parts. It seemed to overwhelm the story and ruined it a little for me--I didn't really need to read the phrase, "mossy balls". Along with that, there was too much thinking about them not communicating, but none of them actually communicating. They really were a little messed up.
The story itself was a little contrived and predictable. It was plainly obvious the way the story was going to go from early on in the book. I didn't quite mind, but it ruins the allure of the story. It made it easy for me to put the book down and go do something else.
In the end, I was happy to see a conclusion for Suzanne and Ryder, but it just failed to meet my high expectations.
Evan Monroe, the lead in the next book, The Chase, was given more face time and I am interested in watching him fall for the right woman.
Sensuality: Burning - includes lots of sex, oral sex, and sexy banter
November 27, 2010
2.5 STARS
Not sure how to start this review. First I'll start by saying that I was extremely disappointed with this installment. I adored book 1, really enjoyed book 2 and just wanted to get over book 3 fast.I just never felt the love between this two. I could not enjoy a couple fighting all the time and trying to solve it later with sex. Also anything else between them just wrong, I never saw them behaving like a couple You could see it they loved each other and they could easily solve their problems talking about them, but they never did, just kept fighting ad then the last 10 pages decided they would be fine and will make it work.This two spent the 95% of the book fighting for the most stupid things ever while it was obvious the problem between them was lack of communication. Also the rest of the plot was extremely slow and boring. The racers were in their holidays so everything I loved about books 1 and 2 was not present in this one, nothing about the car racings in this installment, nothing at all. The rest of the characters never appealed to me neither. While I loved to see how they got their HEA in the previous books, I just didn't mind much about them in this one.
My ratings in this series are coming lower and lower with each new book. I'll try next one, but if it is as bad as this one I don't think I'll keep reading the series.
Not sure how to start this review. First I'll start by saying that I was extremely disappointed with this installment. I adored book 1, really enjoyed book 2 and just wanted to get over book 3 fast.I just never felt the love between this two. I could not enjoy a couple fighting all the time and trying to solve it later with sex. Also anything else between them just wrong, I never saw them behaving like a couple You could see it they loved each other and they could easily solve their problems talking about them, but they never did, just kept fighting ad then the last 10 pages decided they would be fine and will make it work.This two spent the 95% of the book fighting for the most stupid things ever while it was obvious the problem between them was lack of communication. Also the rest of the plot was extremely slow and boring. The racers were in their holidays so everything I loved about books 1 and 2 was not present in this one, nothing about the car racings in this installment, nothing at all. The rest of the characters never appealed to me neither. While I loved to see how they got their HEA in the previous books, I just didn't mind much about them in this one.
My ratings in this series are coming lower and lower with each new book. I'll try next one, but if it is as bad as this one I don't think I'll keep reading the series.
December 1, 2010
I was eagerly anticipating reading this book since the first in the series. I am a big fan of sarcastic humour so Suzanne is definitely a girl i would want on my team and loved every minute of reading this book.
Every chapter was filled with witty humour that had my giggling in my head as well as laughing out loud.
I don't want to drag on, so stating it simply.....THIS IS A MUST READ SERIES.
So many favourite quotes so I will only name a few:
"I cant hold it against the guy that he's marrying a woman whose voice is like a cheese grater on my nuts"
"That girl is so dumb, if she threw herself on the ground she'd miss"
"He wanted to kiss her. Badly
But he knew the reaction that would get, and despite the optimism his dick was displaying at the moment, he knew it would be less than happy when Suzanne's knee made contact with it"
Every chapter was filled with witty humour that had my giggling in my head as well as laughing out loud.
I don't want to drag on, so stating it simply.....THIS IS A MUST READ SERIES.
So many favourite quotes so I will only name a few:
"I cant hold it against the guy that he's marrying a woman whose voice is like a cheese grater on my nuts"
"That girl is so dumb, if she threw herself on the ground she'd miss"
"He wanted to kiss her. Badly
But he knew the reaction that would get, and despite the optimism his dick was displaying at the moment, he knew it would be less than happy when Suzanne's knee made contact with it"
February 11, 2025
My Review
I am honestly speechless over this complete hot mess of a book. Did Erin McCarthy right this book? Cause the communication, the unlikeable heroine and the numerous times I almost DNF this book because of it was really horrible. I just honestly didn't expect it from this author. I was really hoping that this heroine would grow and maybe get better....but does she? Nope lol She is like a yo yo lol You think she is getting better but then she makes assumptions and becomes bitter and hateful towards the hero. And its literally like that back and forth all the way through the book. I honestly felt for the hero ....to have Suzanne as his partner, he honestly deserved a woman who was mature and could actually handle conflict like an adult and not a child. It honestly felt like she was such a child through so many aspects of this story.
Overall I wish I had DNF this book earlier because it was a waste of my day lol I honestly can't recommend this one at all. Its such a toxic relationship that was beyond exhausting for this reader. I am being generous in my rating. Thats all .....hopefully the rest of the series is more like her other books in the series.
I am honestly speechless over this complete hot mess of a book. Did Erin McCarthy right this book? Cause the communication, the unlikeable heroine and the numerous times I almost DNF this book because of it was really horrible. I just honestly didn't expect it from this author. I was really hoping that this heroine would grow and maybe get better....but does she? Nope lol She is like a yo yo lol You think she is getting better but then she makes assumptions and becomes bitter and hateful towards the hero. And its literally like that back and forth all the way through the book. I honestly felt for the hero ....to have Suzanne as his partner, he honestly deserved a woman who was mature and could actually handle conflict like an adult and not a child. It honestly felt like she was such a child through so many aspects of this story.
Overall I wish I had DNF this book earlier because it was a waste of my day lol I honestly can't recommend this one at all. Its such a toxic relationship that was beyond exhausting for this reader. I am being generous in my rating. Thats all .....hopefully the rest of the series is more like her other books in the series.
August 3, 2015
22/6 - I knew it couldn't go on forever, my run of good luck with romances had to end eventually (fortunately this is the last in my current pile, hopefully by the time they rise back to the top of my pile they'll be back to being 3.5 stars or higher). This ain't impressing me. The stupidness of Nikki (a cross between Paris, Jessica and a generic bridezilla) is grating on my nerves, and so is Suzanne's constant insistence on reminding us of that fact. I was irritated with the writing from page two due to a grammar/editing problem
"And that's when you first starting dating your fiancée."
shouldn't that be started?
I'm also having a logistical problem understanding how and why Ryder and Suzanne would ever get back together. They have great sex, but can't calmly discuss something for more than a few minutes before one or the other says something incendiary and things dissolve into a screaming match. On page 68 it seems to me that the most logical ending for this book is that they have a final sex-filled fling, get closure with each other and go their separate ways - staying married just doesn't seem conducive to either's long term health or happiness. I have no idea how this is going to work out with any realism. To be continued...
23/6 - Ugh, grumble, grumble, grumble. Ms McCarthy doesn't seem to know about the existence of the past tense of start - start ed . Starting and started do not mean the same thing. "...and being run over when she starting driving..." makes no sense, but if you change that 'ing' to 'ed'...ahh, it'll all becomes clear.
Even when McCarthy's not mixing up her tenses, I'm finding it hard to really enjoy the dialogue. A lot of Suzanne and Ryder's internal discussions and the conversations between Ryder and the other guys feels stilted and a bit...lame. In the two main manly discussions with Ryder, Ty, Jonas, Elec, and Evan the discussion starts out all macho with the men refusing to do what the women want (generally, specifically they made a plan to bail on the wedding in the first instance, then agreed that they didn't need or want their significant other around for boys night in the second). In both instances the men all start out strong, sticking to their macho 'women! who needs them?' attitudes, until one dissenting opinion is heard and suddenly all the other guys, who felt so strongly about their opinions, cave in and start agreeing with the dissenter. They reminded me of a group of women, immediately rushing to back each other up, no matter what they really think. I think McCarthy took the idea of the New Age sensitive man a bit too far. In a heterosexual romance I really need my men to be men. A man can love, respect, admire, and listen to his wife without becoming a complete pushover with no opinion of his own. To be continued...
Later on page 127 - Okay, am I imagining it or did they just have unprotected sex for the second time? Did I miss the conversation where she assures him she's on the pill and they assure each other that they're both clean and healthy (although how either of them could know that is beyond me)? Unprotected sex in a book written in the last 20 years, set in the last 20 years that isn't an immediate worry to both participants is so unrealistic it always pulls me straight out of the story to go "Hey guys? Babies? STIs? Where's the condom?" Another black mark for this one. To be continued...
Okay, two pages later we get the birth control mention, but still no discussion on the lack of condoms - I guess they trust their ex-spouses not to give them herpes.
Page 130 - The sentence is a glaring example of how distractive/disrupting a double negative can be. I've read it over and over and I'm still not sure if it makes sense.
"Thanks for making sure I wasn't the only woman around the campfire who didn't get some action."
I know what she's trying to say, but there's got to be a way to say it that doesn't leave the reader scratching their head in confusion.
One minute Suzanne is a five-year-old talking about her 'girl parts', then she's an 85-year-old granny calling it her 'hoohah'. For goodness sake, call it what it is - your vagina!
24/6 - This just didn't work for me on any level. As a race car driving/driver book? Where was the racing? I was expecting there to be at least one scene at the track watching the cars go round. As a romance? I don't believe Suzanne and Ryder will fair much better the second time around, child or no child. He will forget to communicate and she'll go back to being a man emotionally and they'll have to get divorced, for real this time.
I forgot to mention that this is my third 'read, review, re-donate' book this week. The first one's already been slotted into my library shelves, the second one was re-donated on Monday, and this will join its less fortunate buddy back at the library tomorrow. Although things did not go well with this McCarthy book I've decided to give her another go. This decision was precipitated by the fact that as I was re-shelving my re-donations on Monday, I came across another book from her Fast Track series. Knowing I already had this one at home (I hadn't started reading Hot Finish yet, I wouldn't have bothered with another from the same series if I had, but I did get it and I'm going to start reading it immediately), picked Hard and Fast up too (hopefully it's better than this one).
"And that's when you first starting dating your fiancée."
shouldn't that be started?
I'm also having a logistical problem understanding how and why Ryder and Suzanne would ever get back together. They have great sex, but can't calmly discuss something for more than a few minutes before one or the other says something incendiary and things dissolve into a screaming match. On page 68 it seems to me that the most logical ending for this book is that they have a final sex-filled fling, get closure with each other and go their separate ways - staying married just doesn't seem conducive to either's long term health or happiness. I have no idea how this is going to work out with any realism. To be continued...
23/6 - Ugh, grumble, grumble, grumble. Ms McCarthy doesn't seem to know about the existence of the past tense of start - start ed . Starting and started do not mean the same thing. "...and being run over when she starting driving..." makes no sense, but if you change that 'ing' to 'ed'...ahh, it'll all becomes clear.
Even when McCarthy's not mixing up her tenses, I'm finding it hard to really enjoy the dialogue. A lot of Suzanne and Ryder's internal discussions and the conversations between Ryder and the other guys feels stilted and a bit...lame. In the two main manly discussions with Ryder, Ty, Jonas, Elec, and Evan the discussion starts out all macho with the men refusing to do what the women want (generally, specifically they made a plan to bail on the wedding in the first instance, then agreed that they didn't need or want their significant other around for boys night in the second). In both instances the men all start out strong, sticking to their macho 'women! who needs them?' attitudes, until one dissenting opinion is heard and suddenly all the other guys, who felt so strongly about their opinions, cave in and start agreeing with the dissenter. They reminded me of a group of women, immediately rushing to back each other up, no matter what they really think. I think McCarthy took the idea of the New Age sensitive man a bit too far. In a heterosexual romance I really need my men to be men. A man can love, respect, admire, and listen to his wife without becoming a complete pushover with no opinion of his own. To be continued...
Later on page 127 - Okay, am I imagining it or did they just have unprotected sex for the second time? Did I miss the conversation where she assures him she's on the pill and they assure each other that they're both clean and healthy (although how either of them could know that is beyond me)? Unprotected sex in a book written in the last 20 years, set in the last 20 years that isn't an immediate worry to both participants is so unrealistic it always pulls me straight out of the story to go "Hey guys? Babies? STIs? Where's the condom?" Another black mark for this one. To be continued...
Okay, two pages later we get the birth control mention, but still no discussion on the lack of condoms - I guess they trust their ex-spouses not to give them herpes.
Page 130 - The sentence is a glaring example of how distractive/disrupting a double negative can be. I've read it over and over and I'm still not sure if it makes sense.
"Thanks for making sure I wasn't the only woman around the campfire who didn't get some action."
I know what she's trying to say, but there's got to be a way to say it that doesn't leave the reader scratching their head in confusion.
One minute Suzanne is a five-year-old talking about her 'girl parts', then she's an 85-year-old granny calling it her 'hoohah'. For goodness sake, call it what it is - your vagina!
24/6 - This just didn't work for me on any level. As a race car driving/driver book? Where was the racing? I was expecting there to be at least one scene at the track watching the cars go round. As a romance? I don't believe Suzanne and Ryder will fair much better the second time around, child or no child. He will forget to communicate and she'll go back to being a man emotionally and they'll have to get divorced, for real this time.
I forgot to mention that this is my third 'read, review, re-donate' book this week. The first one's already been slotted into my library shelves, the second one was re-donated on Monday, and this will join its less fortunate buddy back at the library tomorrow. Although things did not go well with this McCarthy book I've decided to give her another go. This decision was precipitated by the fact that as I was re-shelving my re-donations on Monday, I came across another book from her Fast Track series. Knowing I already had this one at home (I hadn't started reading Hot Finish yet, I wouldn't have bothered with another from the same series if I had, but I did get it and I'm going to start reading it immediately), picked Hard and Fast up too (hopefully it's better than this one).
August 24, 2010
By far not my favorite of the series. I didn't hate it, but I also didn't love it. I liked it enough, but was expecting a better story.
Series Note:
Third book in McCarthy's "Fast Track" series. I'd recommend reading them in order.
Summary:
Ryder and Suzanne Jefferson have been divorced for two years, but neither has gotten over the other. Suzanne still thinks about Ryder and seems to bump into him all the time and Ryder still doesn't really understand what went wrong in his marriage. He still cares for Suz, which is why when she gets a gig planning the wedding of a fellow race car driver he'll do whatever it takes to make sure the wedding is a success so Suz will get paid well and increase her reputation. Even if the bride is a bonafide bridezilla.
Then the two learn they aren't really divorced after all. Suz is horrified and wants to fix it immediately. Ryder, though, is thinking maybe this is his chance to get his marriage back on track. He doesn't want to lose the only woman he's ever loved. But getting Suz to go along will be a tough chore.
Review:
What to say about this book? I should start off with the good things and what I really liked about it and all that. But really, the first thing that comes to mind to discuss is how much I didn't particularly like Suzanne. She annoyed the frigging hell out of me.
She was irritating in past books, but in this one you get the full brunt of her neurotic, insensitive, rather self-centered ways. The woman treated Ryder like crap. Everything was about her. Her her her. It got so damn annoying. I wanted to shake her and tell her to knock it off.
And with her being so annoying, it made the romance a bit weak. I mean, why the hell did Ryder put up with someone treating him so badly? It was kinda masochistic. He deserved much better.
Aside from the romance being weak in that sense, it was also weak in other areas. By the time the end rolled around the two had their HEA, I never felt like all their many issues were resolved. All through the book you get these allusions to what went wrong the first time - like Suz being annoyed because Ryder never followed through on chores - but at the end, most of these issues don't seem to have been dealt with. At least it seemed that way to me. So even though the ending was an HEA, I didn't really feel like these two were on all that solid footing.
As for the rest of the book, it was average to above-average. The wedding thing was okay...though I couldn't have done without so much of the nitwit bride. I have no patience for people like that. I did enjoy all the time with past characters. And there's a nice little bit of setup for the next book. I did wish there'd been a little more of the NASCAR influence - considering Ryder is a driver - but oh well.
Not a bad book, though. I just was expecting a better story for Suz and Ryder. They've been intriguing readers since book one and I was really looking forward to finding out their story. This didn't quite satisfy me, but it wasn't horrible either. I'm still looking forward to the next book in the series.
WARNING, this book contains: some explicit sex and language, a scene with a little ass play, but everything else is pretty vanilla
Series Note:
Third book in McCarthy's "Fast Track" series. I'd recommend reading them in order.
Summary:
Ryder and Suzanne Jefferson have been divorced for two years, but neither has gotten over the other. Suzanne still thinks about Ryder and seems to bump into him all the time and Ryder still doesn't really understand what went wrong in his marriage. He still cares for Suz, which is why when she gets a gig planning the wedding of a fellow race car driver he'll do whatever it takes to make sure the wedding is a success so Suz will get paid well and increase her reputation. Even if the bride is a bonafide bridezilla.
Then the two learn they aren't really divorced after all. Suz is horrified and wants to fix it immediately. Ryder, though, is thinking maybe this is his chance to get his marriage back on track. He doesn't want to lose the only woman he's ever loved. But getting Suz to go along will be a tough chore.
Review:
What to say about this book? I should start off with the good things and what I really liked about it and all that. But really, the first thing that comes to mind to discuss is how much I didn't particularly like Suzanne. She annoyed the frigging hell out of me.
She was irritating in past books, but in this one you get the full brunt of her neurotic, insensitive, rather self-centered ways. The woman treated Ryder like crap. Everything was about her. Her her her. It got so damn annoying. I wanted to shake her and tell her to knock it off.
And with her being so annoying, it made the romance a bit weak. I mean, why the hell did Ryder put up with someone treating him so badly? It was kinda masochistic. He deserved much better.
Aside from the romance being weak in that sense, it was also weak in other areas. By the time the end rolled around the two had their HEA, I never felt like all their many issues were resolved. All through the book you get these allusions to what went wrong the first time - like Suz being annoyed because Ryder never followed through on chores - but at the end, most of these issues don't seem to have been dealt with. At least it seemed that way to me. So even though the ending was an HEA, I didn't really feel like these two were on all that solid footing.
As for the rest of the book, it was average to above-average. The wedding thing was okay...though I couldn't have done without so much of the nitwit bride. I have no patience for people like that. I did enjoy all the time with past characters. And there's a nice little bit of setup for the next book. I did wish there'd been a little more of the NASCAR influence - considering Ryder is a driver - but oh well.
Not a bad book, though. I just was expecting a better story for Suz and Ryder. They've been intriguing readers since book one and I was really looking forward to finding out their story. This didn't quite satisfy me, but it wasn't horrible either. I'm still looking forward to the next book in the series.
WARNING, this book contains: some explicit sex and language, a scene with a little ass play, but everything else is pretty vanilla
January 27, 2011
Suzanne is a fantastic character. She’s smart, fun, loving, but has this crazy hard shell around her. She’s also someone who doesn’t process with others, and internalizes. I can, yet can’t identify with her, and I like that. Suz is extremely pragmatic, and takes everything in stride except for her personal life, where she wants and expects more. Lucky for her, she’s the heroine in a romance novel, and she gets it. Suz is also very likable and has quite a temper. I appreciated that, and found it gave her many more layers. She also brazened out any number of situations, yet dealt with some very trying people with kindness.
Ryder is adorable. I want to say he’s an idiot, and he is, but he isn’t. It’s simply inconceivable to him that Suzanne wouldn’t know how much he loves and adores her. He saw Suz and fell for her from day one. His friends see it, and he just makes the assumption that she knows. After all, they were married for four years. The sticking point is that Ryder doesn’t exactly tell her. That, and the circumstances of their marriage could be considered suspect. To Ryder, that doesn’t matter. He’s caring, sweet, sullen, hot, and � well just a guy. Ryder for sure isn’t perfect, and definitely lived his own life while he was [divorced] - but that also helps make him that much more realistic.
Suz and Ryder have major communication problems. Normally this really annoys me when characters could resolve their issues and conflict much earlier in a book. In fact, that’s one of my pet peeves. However, it makes sense here, and works. (So basically I’m opposed to baseless extended conflict.) In Hot Finish it actually wouldn’t have made sense or been believable for Suz and Ryder to talk out their problems. Fancy that. I was fine with Suz and Ryder dancing around their issues and being unwilling to bring up the sticky difficult topics.
And you know, they both thought they had been divorced for two years as well.
This book was sexy, fun, amusing, and the characters had definite personality. After the first few chapters I felt I’d have known who was talking/what characters were in each scene even if names hadn’t been mentioned. (Although I’m definitely not suggesting that is what should happen in the future.) I’m having trouble writing this review because I just want to be mushy and frivolous. Really it’s a fantastic summer read. Who am I kidding. Spring, winter, fall, all great times to read this book. Then read it again.
And� lest you think my brain has gone mushy from all this squishy happiness� I have to say while I might not have it entirely down� (if I’m right) I hate the premise/concept of the next book. The heroine I think is a gossip blogger. And� blech. Blargh. Meh. Ugh. Not to say I won’t read it. I will. Very likely I’ll even love the story (I hope to) but� blech.
I’m going to be eagerly awaiting Evan’s book. He’s the eternal bachelor, so he’s going to fall hard. But we’re talking about Suz and Ryder. And their romance. And it was fantastic. It might just be my favorite of this series
Ryder is adorable. I want to say he’s an idiot, and he is, but he isn’t. It’s simply inconceivable to him that Suzanne wouldn’t know how much he loves and adores her. He saw Suz and fell for her from day one. His friends see it, and he just makes the assumption that she knows. After all, they were married for four years. The sticking point is that Ryder doesn’t exactly tell her. That, and the circumstances of their marriage could be considered suspect. To Ryder, that doesn’t matter. He’s caring, sweet, sullen, hot, and � well just a guy. Ryder for sure isn’t perfect, and definitely lived his own life while he was [divorced] - but that also helps make him that much more realistic.
Suz and Ryder have major communication problems. Normally this really annoys me when characters could resolve their issues and conflict much earlier in a book. In fact, that’s one of my pet peeves. However, it makes sense here, and works. (So basically I’m opposed to baseless extended conflict.) In Hot Finish it actually wouldn’t have made sense or been believable for Suz and Ryder to talk out their problems. Fancy that. I was fine with Suz and Ryder dancing around their issues and being unwilling to bring up the sticky difficult topics.
And you know, they both thought they had been divorced for two years as well.
This book was sexy, fun, amusing, and the characters had definite personality. After the first few chapters I felt I’d have known who was talking/what characters were in each scene even if names hadn’t been mentioned. (Although I’m definitely not suggesting that is what should happen in the future.) I’m having trouble writing this review because I just want to be mushy and frivolous. Really it’s a fantastic summer read. Who am I kidding. Spring, winter, fall, all great times to read this book. Then read it again.
And� lest you think my brain has gone mushy from all this squishy happiness� I have to say while I might not have it entirely down� (if I’m right) I hate the premise/concept of the next book. The heroine I think is a gossip blogger. And� blech. Blargh. Meh. Ugh. Not to say I won’t read it. I will. Very likely I’ll even love the story (I hope to) but� blech.
I’m going to be eagerly awaiting Evan’s book. He’s the eternal bachelor, so he’s going to fall hard. But we’re talking about Suz and Ryder. And their romance. And it was fantastic. It might just be my favorite of this series
May 5, 2017
I was really concerned about how I was going to feel about this book when I started it. I have loved Ryder ever since book one of this series, but...I've never really cared for Suzanne. At all. In fact, she annoyed me quite a bit. So I was worried about how that was going to turn out for me. However, the book was very good--I liked the plot--and I really liked it, which was due largely to Ryder's awesomeness.
I have a love-hate relationship with Suzanne--there were times I really liked her and times were I really hated her. What I hated was that she never actually talked to Ryder until close to the end because she "doesn't do emotions." Well, honey, that's most likely one of the reasons your marriage failed, eh? Instead of blaming Ryder for everything--which she does for most of the book--how about you accept that you made mistakes too and you also contributed to the end of the marriage. So, yeah, if you couldn't tell, I hate that she always seemed to blame Ryder for everything. Oh! And, she never took Ryder's emotions into account! What a shit thing to do. It was just...unnecessary. However, I did think she was kind of funny.
I love Ryder. He and Ty have been my favorite characters since Flat-Out Sexy and I continue to love the man. He is so sexy and sweet and clueless and smart and funny and adorable. I love how happy he was about the baby, even if he did proceed to mess things up with him and Suzanne right after (Although, I think it was totally unfair of her to get pissed because he didn't confess his undying love for her. Why should he when she shoots him down every other time he does?). He's a good friend and I love his silly jokes.
One thing that I really in hate, in books in general, is when everyone seems to assume that, in the relationship, the woman is always so serious and at risk of getting her heart broken and the guy is just messing around with her, using her as a fuck buddy, nothing more. Why can't it be the other way around? And, so far, they have done it in every book of this series. Suzanne did it in Flat-Out Sexy with Elec, then she did it again with Ty in Hard and Fast (Do I sense a pattern here?), and then Tamara did it in this book. It's not cool. Especially since you could tell that Ryder was completely serious about Suzanne, even when she kept saying that it was just a temporary thing. I don't know. I guess I just think it's discriminatory towards men. Why can't they be serious about a woman, too?
All in all, I really enjoyed this book and I'm glad I continued with the series after the shit pile that was Flat-Out Sexy. I can't wait to read The Chase next about the one and only Evan Monroe.
I have a love-hate relationship with Suzanne--there were times I really liked her and times were I really hated her. What I hated was that she never actually talked to Ryder until close to the end because she "doesn't do emotions." Well, honey, that's most likely one of the reasons your marriage failed, eh? Instead of blaming Ryder for everything--which she does for most of the book--how about you accept that you made mistakes too and you also contributed to the end of the marriage. So, yeah, if you couldn't tell, I hate that she always seemed to blame Ryder for everything. Oh! And, she never took Ryder's emotions into account! What a shit thing to do. It was just...unnecessary. However, I did think she was kind of funny.
I love Ryder. He and Ty have been my favorite characters since Flat-Out Sexy and I continue to love the man. He is so sexy and sweet and clueless and smart and funny and adorable. I love how happy he was about the baby, even if he did proceed to mess things up with him and Suzanne right after (Although, I think it was totally unfair of her to get pissed because he didn't confess his undying love for her. Why should he when she shoots him down every other time he does?). He's a good friend and I love his silly jokes.
One thing that I really in hate, in books in general, is when everyone seems to assume that, in the relationship, the woman is always so serious and at risk of getting her heart broken and the guy is just messing around with her, using her as a fuck buddy, nothing more. Why can't it be the other way around? And, so far, they have done it in every book of this series. Suzanne did it in Flat-Out Sexy with Elec, then she did it again with Ty in Hard and Fast (Do I sense a pattern here?), and then Tamara did it in this book. It's not cool. Especially since you could tell that Ryder was completely serious about Suzanne, even when she kept saying that it was just a temporary thing. I don't know. I guess I just think it's discriminatory towards men. Why can't they be serious about a woman, too?
All in all, I really enjoyed this book and I'm glad I continued with the series after the shit pile that was Flat-Out Sexy. I can't wait to read The Chase next about the one and only Evan Monroe.
June 21, 2012
Hot Finish: Steammmmmmy Five Star read that will have you racing to pick up another McCarthy book
In all honestly, I am always late when it comes to great authors and great books. This is my first time reading a Erin McCarthy book and boy have I been missing out. I know its crazy that I jumped in on the third book, but I don't do chronological lol. What I love the most about this book was how comfortably fun it was. I laughed my ass off and loved all the characters , flaws and all. I sped through this book , read it in under 3 hours, and enjoyed it beyond belief. I cannot believe, I have been holding out on this amazing author. Everyone should read this, however, I'm pretty sure that almost everyone on my friends list already has haha.
p.s. Any guy named Ryder who drives really fast and knows his way around more than just cars is quite welcome to teach me how to drive stick! ....oh yea, i went there
[image error]
Character Look Alikes
Suzanne
I imagine she perpetually walks around with this lusty look, at least thats how it seemed the way the hero was describing her ;)
Ryder
In all honestly, I am always late when it comes to great authors and great books. This is my first time reading a Erin McCarthy book and boy have I been missing out. I know its crazy that I jumped in on the third book, but I don't do chronological lol. What I love the most about this book was how comfortably fun it was. I laughed my ass off and loved all the characters , flaws and all. I sped through this book , read it in under 3 hours, and enjoyed it beyond belief. I cannot believe, I have been holding out on this amazing author. Everyone should read this, however, I'm pretty sure that almost everyone on my friends list already has haha.
p.s. Any guy named Ryder who drives really fast and knows his way around more than just cars is quite welcome to teach me how to drive stick! ....oh yea, i went there
[image error]
Character Look Alikes
Suzanne
I imagine she perpetually walks around with this lusty look, at least thats how it seemed the way the hero was describing her ;)Ryder
April 6, 2016
Hot Finish is the third book in Fast Track series, but it can be read as a standalone, though I recommend start from the beginning since the first book is my favorite book so far.
We first met Susanne and Ryder in the first book and they were present in the second one. Erin McCarthy writes amazing second characters; I loved both Susanne and Ryder in the first two books and was looking forward to read their own story.
Susanne is an amazing heroine. She is like firework: fiery with great sense of humor, she swears, she tells what she thinks openly, she is very protective toward her loved ones. I love her! And Ryder is a great hero. He is generous, kind and protective.
They were married for several years, but something went wrong. Now they stay friends though everyone around them can see that there a lot of chemistry and unresolved feelings between these two.
This is erotica so obviously there are a lot of scorching hot scenes. Erin McCarthy definitely knows how to write smut. As always there are a lot of funny dialogues and laugh out loud moments.
If you haven’t picked up this series yet I recommend it.
You can find my reviews:
We first met Susanne and Ryder in the first book and they were present in the second one. Erin McCarthy writes amazing second characters; I loved both Susanne and Ryder in the first two books and was looking forward to read their own story.
Susanne is an amazing heroine. She is like firework: fiery with great sense of humor, she swears, she tells what she thinks openly, she is very protective toward her loved ones. I love her! And Ryder is a great hero. He is generous, kind and protective.
They were married for several years, but something went wrong. Now they stay friends though everyone around them can see that there a lot of chemistry and unresolved feelings between these two.
This is erotica so obviously there are a lot of scorching hot scenes. Erin McCarthy definitely knows how to write smut. As always there are a lot of funny dialogues and laugh out loud moments.
If you haven’t picked up this series yet I recommend it.
You can find my reviews:
May 13, 2016
The women hate is strong with this one.
After sleeping on it, I realized I'm still spitting mad about this book and the heroine, and just saying fuck you Suzanne doesn't cut it.
The heroine is weak, insensitive, manipulative, rude and just plain dumb. She never talks out her issues, never voices what's bothering her and expects everyone to read her mind.
She's trying to start up a business as a wedding planner and the one client she has, she treats like dirt.
Not to mention all the (in)discrete skinny shaming going on.
Women all over the world have it already hard enough, we don't need to turn against each other as well. You don't need me to tell you that. This book is not a friend of feminism.
I haven't read the books before, so I don't really know if the reason they divorced is mentioned before, but almost 80% into this book and I still had no fucking clue why. I'm thinking lack of communication on her part might be dead on, but I don't give enough fucks to find out.
Book, go fuck yourself. I'm done.
DNF @ 79%
After sleeping on it, I realized I'm still spitting mad about this book and the heroine, and just saying fuck you Suzanne doesn't cut it.
The heroine is weak, insensitive, manipulative, rude and just plain dumb. She never talks out her issues, never voices what's bothering her and expects everyone to read her mind.
She's trying to start up a business as a wedding planner and the one client she has, she treats like dirt.
Not to mention all the (in)discrete skinny shaming going on.
Women all over the world have it already hard enough, we don't need to turn against each other as well. You don't need me to tell you that. This book is not a friend of feminism.
I haven't read the books before, so I don't really know if the reason they divorced is mentioned before, but almost 80% into this book and I still had no fucking clue why. I'm thinking lack of communication on her part might be dead on, but I don't give enough fucks to find out.
Book, go fuck yourself. I'm done.
DNF @ 79%
December 18, 2015
Originally read: June 2011
Re-read: December 2015
It was easy to see that Ryder and Suzanne belonged together, if only they had communicated the first time around they wouldn't have had to have so many years of heartbreak and pain.......Great story, well worth the time spent reading it at both the first and second time around.
Re-read: December 2015
It was easy to see that Ryder and Suzanne belonged together, if only they had communicated the first time around they wouldn't have had to have so many years of heartbreak and pain.......Great story, well worth the time spent reading it at both the first and second time around.
August 6, 2010
Ryder and Suzanne were frustrating at times, Suzanne more than Ryder. I wanted to scream at her. It felt like they just kept circling the pot and Suzanne wasn't willing to change until the very end. Very frustrating. Their bedroom scenes were smoking hot though.
February 27, 2023
Suzanne and Ryder Jefferson are divorcees (or so they thought) who are reacquainted when Suzanne is the wedding planner for a wedding Ryder is a part of. I liked it but didn't love it. I just couldn't get over the miscommunication and back and forth between the two. I was just ehhh with it. This was my first read with the series (yes I read it out of order) but will read book 1 and hope for a little more excitement. lol
June 14, 2015
Ugh!I made it to Chapter 9 and I couldn't take the characters (main or supporting) anymore. Both the main characters have been in the earlier books in this series. Suzanne and Ryder Jefferson were married and have been divorced since the series began. In earlier books, Ryder was somewhat of a sex machine with other women, but has still maintained a semi-friendly relationship with Suzanne.
In this book, they found out there was a "glitch" in their divorce paperwork and are still married. Okay, I could role with that. What I couldn't role with was the constant sniping between the two, and Suzanne in denial that she had feelings for Ryder. They get it on and she still maintains "this is only for tonight." I just wanted her to shut the heck up. Ryder needed to be more mature and act like the grownup he was supposed to be, for goodness sake.
The entire wedding planning around an annoying twiggy/bridezilla also got on my last nerve. I just hate stuff like that.
This book didn't work for me, but I'm looking forward to more books in this series.
In this book, they found out there was a "glitch" in their divorce paperwork and are still married. Okay, I could role with that. What I couldn't role with was the constant sniping between the two, and Suzanne in denial that she had feelings for Ryder. They get it on and she still maintains "this is only for tonight." I just wanted her to shut the heck up. Ryder needed to be more mature and act like the grownup he was supposed to be, for goodness sake.
The entire wedding planning around an annoying twiggy/bridezilla also got on my last nerve. I just hate stuff like that.
This book didn't work for me, but I'm looking forward to more books in this series.
August 22, 2015
I liked it but the conflict was a bit weak. Everything could be tied up with a simple conversation if the hero and heroine ever stopped and tried to listen to one another.
August 3, 2010
Suzanne and Ryder Jefferson have been separated and divorced for two years � or so they thought. A phone call from their lawyer however informs them that Ryder never signed the proper paperwork to finalize the divorce. Wedding planner Suzanne is surprised, but this is what Ryder does so it is not a total shock. This just confirms the reason they are getting a divorce to begin with. Having come from little money, and still not having a lot of her own, she is a little desperate for her current wedding client to work out well. The bride is young, very blonde, and annoys Suzanne to no end.
Stock car racer Ryder still looks upon Suzanne with much attraction. Since he is one of the groomsmen in Suzanne’s client’s wedding, he has the opportunity to spend some time with her. His interest lights up when he notices his casual flirting has an effect on her. Due to miscommunication and stubbornness, their marriage fell apart, but now that they are technically still married, he sees an opportunity to win her heart back.
Hot Finish is the first book I have read by Erin McCarthy, and she came highly recommended. I can see why. This book has some really hot and steamy romance scenes as well as a few times that had me laughing. I did want to understand why Ryder and Suzanne divorced in the first place. The history of their marital problems never seemed really clear to me. Maybe it was just miscommunication? Why now are they ready to reconcile? What have they been doing the past two years when they were separated? The explanation given is that Suzanne gets pregnant by mistake and she feels like that is the only reason why he married her. She always felt lower class than him. The reality of life just got in the way.Ìý I wanted to know more of the obstacles they had to overcome to make this relationship work.
What I did like about this couple is their playfulness and sparring in and out of the bedroom. They aren’t afraid to give each other a hard time, and tease relentlessly. Their humor came across as a couple that have known each other and knows the silly, corny things that can make the other laugh, like when they are getting ready to swim with dolphins:
And their romance scenes were very dirty indeed:
At times Suzanne’s behavior felt immature to me, but overall the banter back and forth between this couple and their attraction, although at times unwanted between them is really fun to read. Although I have not read previous books in this series, the supporting characters play a big role in this couple’s life and the glimpses into their lives is smoothly interwoven into the story.
I really like the way Erin McCarthy writes and she does a great job with both humor and romance in this book. Suzanne is not my favorite heroine, but I can definitely see why this series is a favorite for so many. I will definitely be checking out more of Erin McCarthy’s work.
Rating: 3.5/5
Stock car racer Ryder still looks upon Suzanne with much attraction. Since he is one of the groomsmen in Suzanne’s client’s wedding, he has the opportunity to spend some time with her. His interest lights up when he notices his casual flirting has an effect on her. Due to miscommunication and stubbornness, their marriage fell apart, but now that they are technically still married, he sees an opportunity to win her heart back.
Hot Finish is the first book I have read by Erin McCarthy, and she came highly recommended. I can see why. This book has some really hot and steamy romance scenes as well as a few times that had me laughing. I did want to understand why Ryder and Suzanne divorced in the first place. The history of their marital problems never seemed really clear to me. Maybe it was just miscommunication? Why now are they ready to reconcile? What have they been doing the past two years when they were separated? The explanation given is that Suzanne gets pregnant by mistake and she feels like that is the only reason why he married her. She always felt lower class than him. The reality of life just got in the way.Ìý I wanted to know more of the obstacles they had to overcome to make this relationship work.
What I did like about this couple is their playfulness and sparring in and out of the bedroom. They aren’t afraid to give each other a hard time, and tease relentlessly. Their humor came across as a couple that have known each other and knows the silly, corny things that can make the other laugh, like when they are getting ready to swim with dolphins:
As he fumbled with tying the strings, he told her, “I’m much better at undoing these.�
“Just pull it tight. I don’t want to flash the dolphins.�
“That’s not the porpoise, is it?� he joked.
“Oh my God. You are so ridiculous. Freak.�
And their romance scenes were very dirty indeed:
“Damn that feels good.�
“It does, doesn’t it?� she asked breathlessly. [�:]
“You don’t even know,� he said, eyes dark, jaw clenched. “Suz, I need to come soon.�
“Well that’s good.� Suzanne slid him in and out of her, her hips bucking, pace hard and determined. “Because I’m coming right fucking now.�
“You go, you sexy bitch.�
“You know it.�
At times Suzanne’s behavior felt immature to me, but overall the banter back and forth between this couple and their attraction, although at times unwanted between them is really fun to read. Although I have not read previous books in this series, the supporting characters play a big role in this couple’s life and the glimpses into their lives is smoothly interwoven into the story.
I really like the way Erin McCarthy writes and she does a great job with both humor and romance in this book. Suzanne is not my favorite heroine, but I can definitely see why this series is a favorite for so many. I will definitely be checking out more of Erin McCarthy’s work.
Rating: 3.5/5
August 27, 2013
Hot Finish was well...really hot but that's the best thing about the book. I really didn't understand the relationship between the leads and why they broke up so at the end I couldn't understand how they got back together. The worst part though was how contemptuous everybody was of a character, just because she was dumb. It was distasteful how she became the butt of so many jokes.
I understand that all of us have unkind thoughts of other people. You wonder how that hot woman could be in love with that dorky guy, or whether that fat man should be wearing those tight pants, or how many plastic surgeries has that old woman had. But if you are constantly criticizing a person because of their weight/looks/clothes, then something's wrong with YOU. In this book, EVERYBODY AND THEIR MOTHER comments on how dumb Nikki is. The heroine in particular goes on and on and on about it - at some point, she even says that 'it wasn't Nikki's fault that her breasts were 10 times bigger than her brain' (which I thought was particularly disgusting). Now, Suzanne was a wedding planner in charge of Nikki's wedding and Nikki had some bridezilla moments but Suzanne was very inpatient most of the time and would try to push Nikki to do things that were convenient for Suzanne (how unprofessional is that?)
Putting a person down because of lack of looks, brains, money, etc. is a shitty thing to do. Just because a person is not smart doesn't mean that they don't have other good qualities. At the end, it turned out that Nikki was braver than Suzanne because she was willing to accept the good things in her life and didn't let pride or stupidity get in her way of the relationship - just like Suzanne had done. Given that Suzanne spent the whole book putting Nikki down I would have wished she had acknowledged how in some situations, Nikki was superior than her but that never happened.
The relationship between the leads was a bit baffling. They supposedly never fell out of love but in previous books they didn't seem to have any feelings for each other. They seemed to have the same communication problems they had the first time around so I'm not sure how they thought everything would be different now.
The audio was really good though so if I find the next book in the library, I will pick it up. Otherwise, I don't think I'll go out of my way to read it.
I understand that all of us have unkind thoughts of other people. You wonder how that hot woman could be in love with that dorky guy, or whether that fat man should be wearing those tight pants, or how many plastic surgeries has that old woman had. But if you are constantly criticizing a person because of their weight/looks/clothes, then something's wrong with YOU. In this book, EVERYBODY AND THEIR MOTHER comments on how dumb Nikki is. The heroine in particular goes on and on and on about it - at some point, she even says that 'it wasn't Nikki's fault that her breasts were 10 times bigger than her brain' (which I thought was particularly disgusting). Now, Suzanne was a wedding planner in charge of Nikki's wedding and Nikki had some bridezilla moments but Suzanne was very inpatient most of the time and would try to push Nikki to do things that were convenient for Suzanne (how unprofessional is that?)
Putting a person down because of lack of looks, brains, money, etc. is a shitty thing to do. Just because a person is not smart doesn't mean that they don't have other good qualities. At the end, it turned out that Nikki was braver than Suzanne because she was willing to accept the good things in her life and didn't let pride or stupidity get in her way of the relationship - just like Suzanne had done. Given that Suzanne spent the whole book putting Nikki down I would have wished she had acknowledged how in some situations, Nikki was superior than her but that never happened.
The relationship between the leads was a bit baffling. They supposedly never fell out of love but in previous books they didn't seem to have any feelings for each other. They seemed to have the same communication problems they had the first time around so I'm not sure how they thought everything would be different now.
The audio was really good though so if I find the next book in the library, I will pick it up. Otherwise, I don't think I'll go out of my way to read it.
July 23, 2010
I really liked the previous books in this series as well as other books by this author, such as the Vegas Vampires series, The Pregnancy Test, Mouth to Mouth, and You Don't Know Jack. Erin McCarthy usually does a great job creating a laugh out loud funny romance that's both sweet and sexy. But this newest installment fell a bit short. It's not bad--it's just that her other books were really very good so my expectations were high.
The storyline is about an estranged husband and wife Suzanne and Ryder (who we know from the earlier books in the series). They had serious communication issues, which ultimately resulted in their breakup even though they both had feelings for each other.
What I usually love about McCarthy's books are that they are humorous, light reading--perfect summer beach reads to relax with. This book didn't fit that. They argued all the time and I kept getting frustrated with the characters. While some of the arguments were funny, they also kept stressing me out. I enjoyed seeing some of the characters from the earlier books like Elec, Tammy, Ty, Imogen, etc. And Ryder is a great leading guy. Yes, he has some communications issues, but when he finally shared his feelings he was oh so sweet.
And I'm not normally one to like book covers showing a guy with his shirt off (too cliche romance), but I have to say that whoever picked the models for the covers of this series did a great job. <> Love those abs!
The storyline is about an estranged husband and wife Suzanne and Ryder (who we know from the earlier books in the series). They had serious communication issues, which ultimately resulted in their breakup even though they both had feelings for each other.
What I usually love about McCarthy's books are that they are humorous, light reading--perfect summer beach reads to relax with. This book didn't fit that. They argued all the time and I kept getting frustrated with the characters. While some of the arguments were funny, they also kept stressing me out. I enjoyed seeing some of the characters from the earlier books like Elec, Tammy, Ty, Imogen, etc. And Ryder is a great leading guy. Yes, he has some communications issues, but when he finally shared his feelings he was oh so sweet.
And I'm not normally one to like book covers showing a guy with his shirt off (too cliche romance), but I have to say that whoever picked the models for the covers of this series did a great job. <> Love those abs!
April 13, 2012
First of all I need to say that I have not read the first 2 books in this series.. YET� I’ll admit I was drawn to this book when I saw it at the Library simply because of his hotness. I was unaware that it was the 3rd in a series.
PRO’S ==>
-The cover! OMG HELLO!! �
-It didn’t matter that it was the 3rd I fell into line as they gave me enough back story about the others to know what was going on.
-RYDER-.. AH-MAY-ZING! I loved the guy! Especially his silly jokes� He really got my “motor running� **cough** yes I went there with a REALLY bad pun **cough**. I have also always had a thing for that name.
-Suzane’s sarcastic humour and use of metaphor’s. � made me giggle
-this line "That girl is so dumb, if she threw herself on the ground she'd miss"
°ä°¿±·â€™S==&²µ³Ù;
-Suzanne, UGH she annoyed me! Just TALK to the man! Why would you not believe him when he told you things?
-Nikki, OMG I wanted to kill her, but fully understand that she needed to be in the book for the story, so Erin McCarthy has done the right thing with making me hate her as I’m supposed too.
All in all I thought this was a great book it made me happy. So yeah I liked it. I’m going back and reading the first 2 before I read the next one’s though.
PRO’S ==>
-The cover! OMG HELLO!! �
-It didn’t matter that it was the 3rd I fell into line as they gave me enough back story about the others to know what was going on.
-RYDER-.. AH-MAY-ZING! I loved the guy! Especially his silly jokes� He really got my “motor running� **cough** yes I went there with a REALLY bad pun **cough**. I have also always had a thing for that name.
-Suzane’s sarcastic humour and use of metaphor’s. � made me giggle
-this line "That girl is so dumb, if she threw herself on the ground she'd miss"
°ä°¿±·â€™S==&²µ³Ù;
-Suzanne, UGH she annoyed me! Just TALK to the man! Why would you not believe him when he told you things?
-Nikki, OMG I wanted to kill her, but fully understand that she needed to be in the book for the story, so Erin McCarthy has done the right thing with making me hate her as I’m supposed too.
All in all I thought this was a great book it made me happy. So yeah I liked it. I’m going back and reading the first 2 before I read the next one’s though.
September 15, 2011
2.5 Stars
I liked Suzanne at the beginning of the book and in the last two books but in this one she seriously got on my nerves. What the hell is wrong with her?! All she did was whine and I in no way felt sorry for her, so she had to stop living off her ex husband Ryder, big deal, get over it and get a job like the rest of the population! So, she still thinks she loves her ex go talk with him about it, stop whinging about how he can't possibly love you as he doesn't say what you think he should! I get being insecure but fricking hell stop being such a complete idiot and TALK TO HIM! This book could have been resolved in one chapter if the two main characters had sat down and spoke to each other. I don't like books that rely entirely on misunderstandings and miscommunications like this one did, it makes me want to smack some heads together and this book was no exception.
Okay, so rant over! What got this book the 2.5 stars is that the sex was hot stuff, Suzanne and Ryder may not know how to talk but they sure as hell know the best use for Champagne, strawberries and whipped cream!
I liked Suzanne at the beginning of the book and in the last two books but in this one she seriously got on my nerves. What the hell is wrong with her?! All she did was whine and I in no way felt sorry for her, so she had to stop living off her ex husband Ryder, big deal, get over it and get a job like the rest of the population! So, she still thinks she loves her ex go talk with him about it, stop whinging about how he can't possibly love you as he doesn't say what you think he should! I get being insecure but fricking hell stop being such a complete idiot and TALK TO HIM! This book could have been resolved in one chapter if the two main characters had sat down and spoke to each other. I don't like books that rely entirely on misunderstandings and miscommunications like this one did, it makes me want to smack some heads together and this book was no exception.
Okay, so rant over! What got this book the 2.5 stars is that the sex was hot stuff, Suzanne and Ryder may not know how to talk but they sure as hell know the best use for Champagne, strawberries and whipped cream!
August 9, 2010
I really didn't care for this book all that much.
I've been awaiting Suzanne and Ryder's story since Flat Out Sexy and to say "I'm disappointed" may be a bit of an understatement. The only thing this book did for me was make me understand why their marriage never worked in the first place. Suzanne and Ryder's lack of communication defies description (and it doesn't really get any better throughout the book). They definitely have a passionate relationship, but I can honestly say that this is one of those couples whom I doubt would ever "make it" in the real world. Suzanne has some major emotional problems that she is not dealing with, and Ryder is too passive when it comes to Suzanne. This is a couple who was doomed from the start of their first marriage, and I believe is doomed for the same fate with their "second chance" marriage.
Bummer.
I was looking for growth and maturation and all I got was a psychological example of a dysfunctional couple.
I've been awaiting Suzanne and Ryder's story since Flat Out Sexy and to say "I'm disappointed" may be a bit of an understatement. The only thing this book did for me was make me understand why their marriage never worked in the first place. Suzanne and Ryder's lack of communication defies description (and it doesn't really get any better throughout the book). They definitely have a passionate relationship, but I can honestly say that this is one of those couples whom I doubt would ever "make it" in the real world. Suzanne has some major emotional problems that she is not dealing with, and Ryder is too passive when it comes to Suzanne. This is a couple who was doomed from the start of their first marriage, and I believe is doomed for the same fate with their "second chance" marriage.
Bummer.
I was looking for growth and maturation and all I got was a psychological example of a dysfunctional couple.
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