Review: Fast & Reckless by Amanda Weaver

Race into a sexy New Adult romance, set in the fast-paced world of Formula One. These friends-to-lovers are about to fall . . . fast and reckless.

He’s the one man she can’t have . . .

FAST & RECKLESS by AMANDA WEAVER

Series: n/a

Publication date: September 10, 2024

Published by: Zando, Slowburn

Genre: contemporary romance

 

SYNOPSIS

Mira Wentworth knows Will Hawley is trouble. Even if he revs her engine, flirting with the handsome new driver on her father’s Formula One team is not in the cards. Mira has sworn off on-track romance after a mistake as a teen cost her everything. Now she has a chance to win back her spot in F1 as a team assistant, and she's not going to let one cheeky, bad boy driver get in her way.

She’s the one woman he wants . . .

After his party boy antics nearly blew up his racing career, Will is finally back in the driver’s seat and determined to get onto the podium. He likes to think he’s reformed, but with one look at the boss’ daughter, he’s willing to risk it all.

As the heat builds between Mira and Will, their chemistry deepens into something more. But when the ugly events of the past come to call, their fragile new relationship is put to the test. Can Mira and Will’s love cross the finish line?

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Praise for Fast and Reckless:

“Weaver delivers a smart, sexy romance perfectly paired with the high-octane world of Formula One. Whether you’re already a fan of the sport or just getting up to speed, Mira and Will’s story is not to be missed!” ―Grace Reilly, USA TODAY bestselling author of First Down

“Amanda Weaver burns up the pages in Fast & Reckless, a gripping, sexy story between F1’s bad boy driver and a straightlaced assistant trying to outrace her past. With an exciting peek into the world of Formula One racing and the angst of forbidden romance, I could not turn the pages fast enough!” ―Liana De la Rosa, author of Ana María and the Fox

“Fast & Reckless is a high-octane forbidden love story, playing out on the global stage of Formula One racing. The heartfelt romance is enhanced by the glittering locations and adrenaline-filled moments of speed and danger.” ―Adele Buck, author of Fake Flame

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amanda has loved romance since she read that very first Kathleen E. Woodiwiss novel at fifteen. After a long detour into a career as a costume designer in theatre, she’s found her way back to romance, this time as a writer.

A native Floridian, Amanda transplanted to New York City many years ago and now considers Brooklyn home, along with her husband, daughter, two cats, and nowhere near enough space.

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REVIEW

Fast & Reckless: A Racing Hearts Novel by Amanda Weaver
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

   He could feel it happening, like something 

locking into place in his heart. He was 

falling for this girl like he’d fallen for 

racing: hard, fast, and irrevocably.

This book appealed to me because of the Formula one setting. I have read very, very few romances with this as a backdrop (only 3 come to mind!) so I was looking forward to something a little outside of my norm. This is also my first read by this author, so of course I had no idea whether or not I would connect with her writing style. I'm happy to report that I really enjoyed Amanda Weaver's writing-most especially her attention to detail in describing the racing world. You really get a behind the scenes look at not only some of what a driver experiences, but the support team including engineers, assistants, and principal. I don't watch racing, so it was great to learn a little bit more about this competitive field. You can really tell when an author takes the time to put in extensive research and it's glaringly obvious Amanda Weaver took that aspect very seriously. Kudos to her for bringing the characters and setting to life so brilliantly.

This book has a strong forbidden romance theme from both the male and female leads' side. Will is the new driver for Mira's father's team and he is determined to prove that his disastrous party boy ways are in his past. His reputation is still in tatters after he let fame get to his head and acted unprofessionally his first time as a driver.

   Will was the wild card, the hotheaded 

bad boy, the flashy angle they’d use 

to sell their stories.

He wants to redeem himself in the media and prove to his new boss that he made the right choice taking a chance on him. Getting involved with his boss' daughter is the last thing that would achieve that. On Mira's side, she has a lot to prove as well. She got involved with a driver from another team which caused a lot of damage to her father's team after a scandal broke out. Now both Mira and Will are looking for redemption-the absolute last thing they are looking for is an ill-advised attraction. I enjoyed this forbidden theme quite a bit, it added some tension and anticipation. There was also a sense of foreboding as they got closer to giving into their feelings because you know everything is going to blow up in their faces quite spectacularly. It's pretty much inevitable.

   Well, that extremely inconvenient blast of 

physical attraction was going straight into 

a trunk, padlocked, and dumped into the 

depths of the ocean, because there was 

no way. Not ever. He was one thousand 

percent off-limits for a million 

different reasons.

Mira and Will both have their own individual struggles causing internal conflicts. Mira feels a deep sense of shame over her past foolish involvement with a man who used her horribly and ruined her reputation. She was a rebellious teenager who made a stupid decision and that choice almost destroyed her father's team as well as her own chance at a career in Formula 1. The man from her past is still around, and never fails to taunt her with her personal demons. Will is struggling to prove to the media as well as his team that his head is 100% focused on winning. More than that, he wants to become a success to finally make his snobby parents proud. He was always a disappointment to them for not joining the family banking business, and their approval is never within reach. I do wish this conflict was explored as much as Mira's was, but that's nitpicking if I'm being honest.

Mira and her father's relationship is damaged, but slowly, gradually, they begin to work their way back to a stronger place. There is a definite lack of communication between the two that has led to some hurt feelings and misunderstandings over her past mistakes. Mira is upset that her father seemingly judges her bad decisions and that there is still distrust on his side that she can be responsible. He is not the most expressive, open person so there is a bit of a wall between them. Their fragile relationship added another layer to the forbidden romance between Will and Mira because she did not want her actions to ever negatively impact her father again.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one and would definitely read another by this author in the future. Even if you're not a fan of Formula 1, there is a lot to appreciate with this romance and I'm sure you will find the detailed racing world immersive. There were hints that one of the secondary characters named Violet will be getting her own story told next, and I'm fully on board for continuing on with the series with that installment.

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Blog Tour With Excerpt: No One Does It Like You by Katie Shepard

College sweethearts reunite to restore more than just an old inn in this new romance by Katie Shepard, author of Sweeten the Deal

NO ONE DOES IT LIKE YOU by KATIE SHEPARD

Series: n/a

Publication date: September 3, 2024

Published by: Berkley

Genre: contemporary romance

 

SYNOPSIS

When’s the best time to tell your ex that you want them back?

Probably not in the middle of a Category 3 hurricane. But when Broadway actor Tom Wilczewski is about to dive into the floodwaters to rescue his co-lead, he calls the ex-wife he hasn’t seen in ten years to swear he still loves her and ask for a chance to make things right.

Two months later, Rose Kelly is tired of seeing pictures of her ex-husband Tom rescuing Hollywood darling Boyd Kellagher. Not that she’s jealous. Of course not. She’s far too busy taking care of her elderly aunt and worrying about the storm damage to the family B&B on Martha’s Vineyard to miss the love of her life. But after belatedly hearing Tom’s voicemail, Rosie asks him to follow through on his promises for once by helping her fix the inn. Thinking this is the perfect way to win her back, Tom agrees.

When they get there, things are…less than ideal. Rosie expected the inn to be in better shape. She expected it to have more beds. And she expected more help from her actual family—not from Tom and the rest of his Broadway cast. But Rosie begins to wonder if maybe the life she expected isn’t the one she really wants. If she and Tom can repair the inn together, can they possibly repair the damage to the relationship they both thought was long gone?

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EXCERPT

Rose clenched her jaw when she saw the article her aunt was reading.



"That newspaper is three months old," Rose informed her aunt.



  "Oh? Well, like you said, I have short-term memory loss. It'll be new to me," her aunt said with purposeful sweetness.



   Rose recognized the picture on the page because she couldn't mentally erase the image of her ex-husband's distinctive Greek-god nose smooshed up against the equally distinctive profile of Boyd fucking Kellagher.



   As if she needed something else to deal with! This was the year Tom had to make the national news with his tongue in someone else's mouth!



   If the Times article was to be believed, Rose had at least another year of news ahead of her about Tom smooshing faces with Boyd Kellagher onstage. And, hell, probably offstage too, based on the equally pervasive image of Tom dragging the movie star out of the floodwaters, the other man clinging to Tom's neck like a giant, chiseled damsel in distress. Rose did not want to see it again. Those photos gave her the same uncomfortable feelings as real estate listings for homes she could never afford or other people's holiday cards, pictures that made her quickly turn the page or close the card.



   It wasn't that she begrudged Tom his first big Broadway role in ten years. Or kissing Boyd Kellagher. Or even Boyd Kellagher kissing Tom. She was unsurprised he had a gorgeous boyfriend now. But if Tom was going to get everything he ever wanted-love, fame, professional success-could Rose not get just one thing? If not Tom, if not a family of her own, why could she not at least get a couple of happy weeks of vacation every year spent preparing extravagant meals and group photo shoots in matching sweaters? It didn't seem like too much to ask for.



   "I've seen it already," Rose said, trying not to sound as stressed as she felt.



   "So handsome," Max cooed, and she could have been referring to either Tom or Boyd. "I always liked him."



   "No, you didn't," Rose retorted, snapping at the bait before she could stop herself. This was revisionist history. "None of you did. You told me not to marry him."



   "Telling you not to marry him is different from liking him. I thought he was a nice boy. You should have waited for him to grow up."



   Tom's age had nothing to do with it. "We just ended up wanting different things." That was her standard line on their divorce, one that assigned no blame while obscuring the painful truth that Rose, specifically, had not been one of the things Tom wanted.



   "And you didn't even send us a wedding present," Rose said, certain that would get her aunt off the subject.



   Max raised her eyebrows, unimpressed. "I'm sorry, but we all assumed you were in a family way and too embarrassed to admit it before the wedding. I was going to get all your nursery furniture."

       Rose stiffened her shoulders in familiar hurt because she'd known what her family thought, but nobody had ever given her the chance to set them straight. 

   She hadn't married Tom because she was pregnant, then or ever, or for tax reasons, or to get him on her health insurance, or for any of the other reasons people had speculated about their marriage at twenty-two.

She'd married him because he'd asked her and because she'd loved him-she'd been utterly, stupidly in love with him-and she'd thought it would last forever. Which had made their breakup only a year later much more embarrassing than an unexpected baby would have been.



   But that was a long time ago now. What was really embarrassing was that she was still having feelings about it at all, which she decided she would stop doing at once.



   "Well, I wasn't. Obviously. And I'm happy he's finding success. He's a very talented actor, so I'm not surprised he's working with people like Boyd Kellagher," Rose said, getting herself in hand and saying the things the kind of person she wanted to be would say.



   "Are you going to see his new play?" her aunt asked.



   "It looks like I'm going to be busy over the next few months," Rose said dourly, checking the time again. Her family's tardiness did not bode well for their contributions to fixing up the inn.



Excerpted from No One Does It Like You by Katie Shepard Copyright © 2024 by Katie Shepard. Excerpted by permission of Berkley. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Praise for No One Does It Like You:

"Shepard’s authentic, imperfect characters lend credibility to the possibility of second chances. Readers will cheer for Rose and Tom to find their way back to each other."—Publishers Weekly

"Shepard's No One Does It Like You is a gorgeous, heartwarming look at love and second chances, and an unforgettable story about family (both the ones we're born into and the kinds we make for ourselves). It's full of both laugh-out-loud moments and scenes that made me cry, with the sort of prose you want to savor forever. I loved every second and can't wait for whatever Shepard writes next!"—Jenna Levine, USA Today bestselling author of My Roommate Is a Vampire

"The coziness of small town meets the yearning of second chance in No One Does It Like You. Shepard brilliantly stirs together the comedy of fandom personalities and the creativity of an HGTV show into a swoony love story full of lovable characters."—Julie Soto, USA Today bestselling author of Forget Me Not

"No One Does It Like You is pure brilliance: equal parts tender and sharply funny, and layered with a constant subtle wit that kept me hooked from the first page to the last. Second chance is my favorite trope, and Katie Shepard delivers it on a PLATTER with Tom and Rose's story. I gobbled up every word with my heart in my throat."—Jessica Joyce, author of You, With a View

"No One Does It Like You is a beautiful second chance romance from an author who writes with wit and profound emotional depth. Katie Shepard has a knack for making me laugh on one page and tear up the next, and I absolutely adored reading about divorced college sweethearts Rosie and Tom as they renovated an inn, wrangled a bizarre yet earnest Hollywood heartthrob and his erotic-art-drawing fangirls, and slowly rekindled their relationship. Shepard's characters are nuanced and lovable, and it was a delight to see these two rediscover how well they fit together. A powerful and sweet love story, sprinkled with hilarious jokes and winks at fandom culture."—Sarah Hawley, author of A Werewolf's Guide to Seducing a Vampire

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Photo credit: Katie Shepard

I write love stories. I write about people whose jagged edges happen to match up with someone else’s. I write love stories because I wanted to make happy endings for people who are afraid they won’t get them. 

I studied Soviet history and worked in human rights law before burning way, way out and achieving professional tranquility as a simple country bankruptcy lawyer. It’s just as exciting as it sounds!

I live in Texas with my husband, kids, and elderly rescue cat, but am often found hiking in the mountains of Montana or the virtual woods of Thedas.  

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