Review and Giveaway: Final Lap

Final Lap (Fast Track - Book 8) by Erin McCarthy

Publication Date: 10/07/2014
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Sensation
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 304
ISBN-10: 0425261751
ISBN-13: 978-0425261750

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Sensation)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Indiebound

Erin McCarthy on the WEB: website, twitter, facebook, goodreads

Books in the series: 

Fast Track

1. Flat-Out Sexy
2. Hard and Fast
3. Hot Finish
4. The Chase
5. Slow Ride
6. Jacked Up
7. Full Throttle
8. Final Lap

Coverart: Click the Image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.

Excerpt from, Final Lap, courtesy of the author's website

Synopsis:

New from the author of Full Throttle and Jacked Up!

Switching into high gear…
 
At a friend’s lavish wedding, Harley McLain and her twin sister, Charity, meet sexy stock-car driver Cooper Brickman. The more reserved Harley is immediately smitten—until he hits on her twin. But Harley has had enough of being the “nice” girl, and after trading dresses with Charity, she seduces Cooper for a night of wild sex.
 
…ready for a hot lap.
 
What was supposed to be a one-night fling gets complicated when Cooper needs a nanny to look after his kid sister—and is convinced sweet, dependable Harley would be perfect for the job. She can’t resist the money—or Cooper’s hot bod. But when her deception is revealed, will it destroy her dependable image—or will he finally realize how sexy sweet can be?

Thoughts:

Erin McCarthy takes readers back to the track in her final Fast Track novel, Final Lap. Fans of the series will enjoy a last look into the lives of some of the previous characters in the series, as well as, a "switched" up romance that is sexy, funny and most importantly... hot! McCarthy does a fantastic job of showcasing the racing industry and keeps readers interested with a sweet romantic connection. A good final book to wrap things up with the series!

What I liked:

I wasn't sure I was going to go for the twins doing the whole switcheroo thing. But, fortunately Erin McCarthy knew what she was doing. I liked the fact that both sisters, Charity and Harley, were having issues with how they were being perceived. Harley wanted to be more sexy. She wanted to be seen as woman and Charity wanted to be taken seriously. How switching places for one night was going to bring that about, I wasn't too sure. It got the story rolling though, and I found it quite enjoyable.

Cooper had been Harley's racing idol for a long time and getting to talk to him at the wedding was supposed to be amazing, but he spent their time together obsessing over his issues with raising his kid sister and then hits on Harley's sister. Not exactly hero materiel in my mind, but he does redeem himself quite well. After Harley and Charity switch, Cooper ends up sleeping with Charity, who is really Harley. Are you lost yet? I didn't like him right off the bat, because he seemed a little irresponsible doing the one night stand thing, but after Harley goes to work for him as his sisters nanny, things start to get a little better.

Cooper begins to show signs that maybe he isn't this celebrity hot shot racer who gets what he wants when he wants it, including women. Readers start to see him as a guy who wants the best for his troubled sister, someone who is under a lot of pressure at home and on the track. When he starts having feelings for Harley that are based on more than just sex, he starts to grow on ya. And little by little I started to like him. It was nice to see how he treated Harley with such respect and dignity. How he cared for his sister and wanted to give her every chance he could. Not a bad hero, even if he started out as a real jerk.

Harley goes from being shy and timid with Cooper to really speaking her mind and trying to help him. As a live in nanny, she and Cooper start to spend a lot of time together and readers start to see a side to Harley that was not apparent in the beginning. She shows her spontaneous side, as well as, how much she genuinely cares about her job and Cooper's sister. I liked this different side to her. She had some spunk and she was still intelligent and thoughtful. A great character!

What I didn't like:

I wasn't sure one night of switching identities was going to change how either Harley or Charity felt about themselves. In fact I felt like in Harley's case it was probably a pretty bad idea. It did get the story headed in the direction the author was going and created a significant amount of conflict.

Bottom Line:

This was a pretty good book. The premise was probably a little far fetched, but if Coop didn't know either girl beforehand, and he was drinking, he might have mistaken them for each other. The sex was steamy as usual with an Erin McCarthy book and that was a plus. After I decided that Cooper wasn't a jerk and Harley was stronger than I first thought, the book took off and gave readers a sweet romance that ended the series on a good note.

Final Lap is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

Erin McCarthy is the USA Today bestselling author of numerous books including the Fast Track novels (Full Throttle; Jacked Up) the True Believers novels (Believe; Sweet; True) and more. She has written in the paranormal, contemporary romance, new adult, and young adult genres. A RITA award finalist and an American Library Association winner of the Reluctant Young Reader award, Erin is a member of Romance Writers of America, Horror Writers Association, and Ohioana.

Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Final Lap by Erin McCarthy.

~ You must be an email subscriber to participate.
~ US addresses only.
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, October 27th.

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