Thunderstruck by Roxanne St. Claire

Shelby Jackson is finding it hard to for her teams to stay competitive in NASCAR, but, Shelby finds herself confused when Mick Churchill tries to buy the other half of her team. On the one hand Mick could attract the new sponsors her team so desperately needs, on the other, sponsors aren’t the only thing he attracts. Despite her growing attraction to him, Shelby worries that selling out will mean the end of her family owned team. But while it’s critical that Mick owns a race team, it’s equally critical that his reasons behind the purchase stay hidden. But just how far is Mick willing to go to convince Shelby to sell?

This cute story pits a former European soccer star against a southern stockcar lady. But while I loved the story, and the characters, I felt that Mick acted more American than British. Still that doesn’t really detract from the story. I think this is a story that all NASCAR fans would enjoy.

Details: Harlequin NASCAR, February 2007

Excellence Rating: Very Good

Steaminess Factor: Romantic

A NASCAR Holiday by Kimberly Raye, Roxanne St. Claire, Debra Webb

In Ladies, Start Your Engines by Kimberly Raye, Savannah Calloway sets out to help NASCAR Cup driver Mackenzie Briggs win the New Year’s Eve charity race. But Mackenzie sets out to win Savannah’s heart instead. Now can Mackenzie finish first in both races or will Savannah be left on the pits?

In ‘Tis The Silly Season by Roxanne St. Claire, Lisa Mahoney a divorced mother of two is barely making ends meet as a waitress when NASCAR Busch racer Clay Slater hires Lisa to pose as his family at Christmas in order to land a spot with a NASCAR Cup team. But just how far will Lisa go in order to help Clay win?

In Unbreakable by Debra Webb, Dr. Maxine Gray’s research into athletics brings her to a NASCAR Cup team to answer the age old question: “Are race drivers real athletes?” Fortunately she has NASCAR Cup driver Rush Jackson at her disposal. But can Max wrap up her research before Christmas Eve or will she become another member of Rush’s team?

All three stories are very cute and full of emotion. They manage to keep things rated PG with no explicit sex described within. While I know that this is part of the style, I also think a peek inside the bedroom every now and then wouldn’t hurt ;) . The only flaw I found was some of the more esoteric details about the cars and the NASCAR circuit could have benefited from some more research. Unfortunately, Pamela Britton has set the bar very high for all NASCAR books with her devotion to detail. So unless you’re an auto mechanic or uber-NASCAR fan, you probably wouldn’t notice anything. This book is a must buy for anyone who enjoys NASCAR.

Details: HQN, November 2006

Bottom line: A very good book