Speeding Tickets ~ Valley Brown

Hola!!!

Okay..... so my body is suffering through a cold Canadian winter, but if you can tell by my greeting..... my mind is actually on an island.....
No tropics for me this year (Go ahead, pity me.....)

I am really trying to get back to reading (and blogging more) it's been hard with so much going on (stay tuned, I am sure I will tell you more eventually) but the good news is, I have completed another book for review.

I took a little 'me' day today with the purpose of finishing a book I started earlier this week. I was successful! Hoorah!
My much earned prize for completing such a 'me' task is a glass of wine.... only after I clean up the dinner mess and do the dishes.....

So what book did I take the time out to read?

One that I have had in my position for quite awhile now. 'Speeding Tickets' by Valley Brown.

Book One of 'The Rocky Road' Series, Speeding Tickets is a story about a widow named Christine (aka Chris) who decides to take up motorcycles as a bit of a hobby. She meets a handsome biker named Doug and the attraction is intense....

Here is the book description from Amazon.com:

Speeding Tickets is a contemporary romantic suspense novel centered around recently widowed Christine Cassler, whose journey through trauma and tragedy is intermixed with the hope of finding love once more. She is hardly prepared for a tumultuous romance with a mysterious handsome biker, though, and when she uncovers a scheme of deceit and embezzlement at work, it threatens not only her second chance at happiness, but also her very life.

My Take:

Christine is just trying to figure out life after her husband. After three years, she is just trying to move on and accept the fact that she still has some bounce in her step. It's time she made some changes. (Who hasn't been there? My hair appointment is this Saturday) She lives alone with her cat, works as a secretary and hangs out with her sister-in-law.

Doug's character threw me off. I honestly had to keep reminding myself he wasn't under the age of 30. (Ageism at it's best) It's not until you start hearing more about his life, that you finally realize he is older and has lived. I don't want to say too much about him, it's best you read the novel and get to know him that way.

I'm not going to lie, as the story went on I fixated on the how very vulnerable and 'young' the characters were for their ages. Their love story was remarkably like that of a teenaged couple.
It made for an interesting read, a mix of innocence and naughty (Now now, this is no where near a kinky romance like 50 Shades, so no getting your panties in a knot)

The way the book was written, while it isn't a 'heavy' novel at all, it did keep me on my toes a bit. I think it was just the combination of the features.I honestly didn't know what to really expect next.
It ended up being a fun, light and casual read. I thought at times, 'oh okay, it's going to get a bit sexual' and than it wasn't. (damnit!!) Now I'm not saying that in a 'bad' way.... but I will go so far to say that if the book was human, it would be a tease! All sexy talk, little action. I do wish though it had pushed the romantic limits a biiiiiiiiit more.

The mysterious side story with Rob the creepy boss had a surprise outcome. I didn't really know what the chocolate gifting, money thief was really up to... and I felt that way right until the end. That said, I think the story line needed a bit more meat on it's bones. It had a good base, I liked how it kept me from actually knowing how the end would play out, but I do wish we had somehow met his wife.

My favorite part happened to be the twist in the novel. I saw it coming a mile away, but I was excited to find out I was right! **spoiler alert possible with next comment** One thing I love in a novel is when something comes full circle! (If you read the first chapter of book you will understand why that is a spoiler)

All in all, this 'play it safe' romance is one you can recommend to your mom, but read yourself as well. 

I will be checking out the next book in the series. Let's see what happens to Chris and Doug next!

Happy Reading!