I've been looking forward to the Body Shop Bad Boys ever
since I read the
McCauley Brothers series by Marie Harte. This is a spin off
from that series
and while it's set in the very garage that the last heroine
in the McCauley
Brothers series works at, you don't need to have read the
previous series to
enjoy this one. However, I will say that there are
inevitable walk-on
appearances from the Del and the others. Truth be told, I
was hoping this
book would actually be J.T.'s book because he was so great
in the last one,
but I found that Johnny was just as interesting and charming
as he was.
Johnny works at the garage with a few of the other boys
you'll soon meet.
Johnny, Foley, Sam and Lou are a bunch of fun-loving,
egotistical brutes that
are so fun to read. They are constantly hassling one another
and you can
definitely feel the camaraderie between them all. At the
center of it all is
Johnny, who at first glance, is the typical bad boy. Known
for his reputation
with women, he's the ultimate charmer. But his charm hasn't
worked on
bartender and student, Lara Valley.
Lara is as hardworking as she is beautiful. So it's no
wonder why Johnny has been
absolutely head over heels in love with her for years. When
he is finally able
to get her to go out with him, it's a slow build that burns
brightly. Marie Harte
takes her time with this book and while to some it can seem
slow, I definitely
appreciated the attention to detail. Instead of the
"instalove" that most
contemporary romances can fall back into, Harte really
focuses on the
romance between Lara and Johnny, making it more believable.
What's even
more interesting is the fact that Harte doesn't stick Johnny
into the
womanizer category and keep him there. As the book goes on,
she reveals
several new things about this character that made me love
him even more.
In addition to the expert characterization, TEST DRIVE is
hotter than hell too! I
was expecting some steamy scenes from Harte but she will
certainly plant
some new fantasies in her readers with this one!
Amusing from beginning to end, TEST DRIVE is an amazing
start to the Body
Shop Bad Boys series. I already can't wait for more!
GET TO KNOW THE BODY SHOP BAD BOYS Johnny, Foley, Sam, and Lou are the rough and tumble mechanics of Webster's Garage. These reformed bad boys are used to living fast, but it's the women in their lives who take them from zero to sixty in a heartbeat. JOHNNY Johnny Devlin's a charmer with a checkered past. He's has had his eye on scorching-hot bartender Lara Valley for ages, but she's rejected him more than once. That doesn't mean he won't come to her aid when some dirtbag mauls her. When she asks him on a date as a no-strings-attached thank you, he can't say no. And then he's saying nothing but hell, yes.
Excerpt
He heard Lara moving around, as well as a few other close-by tenants on either side of her place. It made him appreciate his rental all the more, because he never heard his neighbors. His cheek throbbed and reminded him to watch out for Lara’s asshole of a brother-in-law. Good for her sister for divorcing the schmuck. He’d met rich guys like Ron before. Dickheads who thought they could buy their way out of trouble. Ron might have financed his way through life, but he hadn’t been able to buy Lara. Satisfaction at her refusal almost made his aches go away. He sat back at the table and waited. His stomach rumbled, the sight of that plate of cookies so near causing him to salivate. Lara returned in a pair of sweats and a worn, long-sleeve T-shirt. She had her hair still up in a ponytail, but she looked fresh, scrubbed clean. She came to the table, carrying a small box. “Sorry. Had to get the stink of Ray’s off me.” “You mean Ron.” She grinned. “Him too.” He couldn’t stop thinking about what he’d felt when he’d seen her getting mauled. Pure, unadulterated rage. It had taken some serious control not to bash Ron’s brains all over the concrete slab. He’d been distracted enough by the thought of her trauma to let the ass get a shot in. Sloppy of him, and he resolved to do better next time. With Ron, he had a feeling there’d be one. “What’s in the box?” She set it down by him then slid a cookie his way. An open invitation he couldn’t refuse. He took a bite and closed his eyes. “These are sooo good,” he moaned and blinked his eyes open. “I took a hit to the face. That means I get more than one, right?” Her finger grazing his cheek stilled him, and he felt the contact all the way to his toes. He swallowed the cookie he’d been chewing and stared at her. “I’m so sorry you got hurt because of me, Johnny.” Her hand felt like pure heaven, and he cupped it to him, loving her touch. “Not because of you, honey. Because some dickhead needed to be taught a lesson.” “If you say so.” She tugged, and he let go. “At least let me patch you up.” Fascinated, because he hadn’t had a woman take care of him in…forever…he sat still while she scooted her chair closer. “Drink your milk.” She nudged his glass to him. “Yes, Mom.” “Smart-ass.” He chuckled and continued to watch her. She looked all professional as she withdrew some antiseptic, cotton balls, and a bandage from her plastic box. “So you’re studying to become a nurse, huh?” He could totally envision her in one of those naughty nurse costumes from Halloween—which was coming up in another month. He wondered if he could talk her into wearing one. “Yep. I’ve been piecing together classes for a few years now, but I finally decided to stop messing around and fully commit. I’m now fulltime, and seriously, it’s a bitch. We’re starting clinicals again, where we actually follow a nurse around and do what they do—on real people.” She smiled. “So you’re not my first bandage. Fun stuff, let me tell you. Fall term just started, and I got a little lazy, having the summer off.” She dabbed something onto a cotton ball and raised it to his cheek. “This might sting a little.” Hell. His cock was hurting worse, so he didn’t much mind. Anytime around Lara, he ached with a fierce need to kiss her. Hug her. Slam her against a wall and fuck her until he passed out. He’d never been so captivated by a woman before. He’d seen prettier women. But something about Lara Valley struck him in the heart, the brain, and yeah, right between his legs. He hoped she kept her gaze on his face, because he couldn’t do much about his erection with her so close. She dabbed his cheek, and it stung. But then she blew on it, and he swallowed a moan. Dear Jesus, she was killing him. He smelled the flowery soap she’d used to wash her face. Fresh and clean, the way he always thought of her. “Sorry.” “What?” He sounded hoarse and had to clear his throat. “For hurting you. I saw you flinch.” From wanting you too much. “Don’t tell the guys, okay? I have a rep.” She chuckled and continued to be gentle with him. “I promise. I owe you.” He stopped her from swabbing his cheek, his hand over hers. “No, you don’t. You don’t owe me a thing, Lara. I’m serious.” He didn’t want her gratitude. It made him uncomfortable, felt wrong, somehow. Taking care of her was no big thing. It just was. Her slow smile warmed him all over again. “Okay. I don’t owe you. Then can you do me another favor and be a willing patient while I practice my nursing skills on you?” “Well, if you put it like that. And you did insist I eat your cookies.” “I did.” She tried to look solemn, but her smile ruined her attempt. He sat, staring at her, while she took care of him. Man, she was something else. So damn beautiful it hurt to look at her. She’d make eye contact before quickly glancing away, her eyes dark, a fathomless brown, rich and addicting and impossible to deny. His heart raced any time she was near. And damn if he didn’t want to protect her from the world—himself included—while lusting after her all the same. I am so totally gone on this chick.
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