OVERHEATED

Author: Barbara Dunlop ISBN: 9780373217922 8/2008 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: HQN NASCAR

Things Crystal Hayes could do without: her looks, men obsessed with her looks, and guys who think they're God's gift to the ladies. She'd rather be behind the wheel of a truck than navigating cheesy pickup lines. But when Crystal makes a delivery to a NASCAR event, she meets the one guy who could blow all her preconceptions away.… All his life Larry Grosso has lived in the shadow of his well-known racing family—but it's now time for him to take what he wants. And on the top of that list is Crystal—breathtaking, sweet…and twenty-two years younger. Their age difference is creating animosity within their families, and suddenly their romance is the talk of the entire NASCAR circuit!

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

OVERHEATED by Barbara Dunlop completely surprised me. It's a NASCAR romance, and although I've only read one other book in this line I really expected something different than what I got with this one. It was a very pleasant surprise! I'd enjoyed the other book in this line very much, but I loved this one. Why? Because although it is a race story, it is much more. I felt drawn in emotionally into the fast-paced, realistic issues surrounding her characters. They felt real, and the things they faced were more involved than pit crews, pile ups or lap counts. This was a layered love story that draws family, loss and renewal into the world of auto racing.

Crystal is a woman who rescues. While her ability to stare straight ahead, acting like she doesn't see or hear the wolf whistles her gorgeous good looks garner her has been perfected, she still sees more than she lets on. Specifically, she sees beneath the facade of ordinary life, something she's learned from personal necessity. She sees the loneliness in a dog's face, the heart beating beneath an older man's success and, maybe most importantly, she sees the family obligation that calls her.

This is a story of triumph over tragedy and love conquering all. It shows that the heart cannot count and even the saddest twists can have a happy ending. I loved this book, and will definitely look forward to reading more from Ms. Dunlop

Kay James