SLIPPERY WHEN WET

Author: Kimberly Raye ISBN: 9780505527738 12/2008 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: DORCHESTER

The Flag is Up Jaycee Anderson is the first female to take the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit by storm, and after finishing fourth overall last season, she has her eyes on the prize: knocking Rory Canyon out of the number three spot. She'll do anything to see the job done, too, even transform herself from a tomboy into a glamour queen if that's what it takes to get sponsorship and the edge. Rory's the kind of infuriating chauvinist who's just begging to get the pants beat off him by a woman—on the track, at least; Jaycee's fairly sure he's never had to beg anywhere else. Not with the millions of female fans who buy his shirts and caps and posters. Rory's just the type who gets Jaycee's own pistons pumping, her wheels spinning, and her engine burning oil. With their past, she's surprised they haven't already seen a smashup that ended in flames. But this track they're running has some deadly curves . . . and it's getting more slippery by the minute.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Kimberly Raye takes readers on a wild ride into the world of NASCAR racing with her latest novel, SLIPPERY WHEN WET.

Jaycee Anderson is an up-and-coming female driver for Race Chicks, a new team formed after the death of her father, Ace Anderson, by her half-sister Riley, whom she never even knew existed until the reading of Ace's will. Together, the two have one year to make the team work and then they can split for all each of them cares. But that year will be a long one as the team struggles to keep the one sponsor they have remaining, Revved & Ready, a sport drink marketed towards women. And here comes the kicker: Jaycee needs to undergo a makeover so she can appeal to the customer base R&R is trying to reach—that is, young, hip women in the know, of which Jaycee is not.

In fact, she's the total opposite, having spent most of her life following her father around the garage learning about racing and cars. Even the one time she did doll herself up and try to appeal to the other sex, she was very abruptly turned down. Rory Canyon had always held a special place in Jaycee's heart until he rejected her all those years ago. Now, as they both race in the Sprint Cup, she is out to beat Rory and zoom into the Winner's Circle, high heels and all.

As Jaycee transforms herself into a knockout, Rory figures that she is just trying to knock him out—of his game, that is. And two can play at that as Rory decides that he'll just show Jaycee a thing or two about messing with him and his libido. The race is on and as both make their way towards the finish line, they'll find there's more to life than merely winning races; they'll also find love!

I enjoyed SLIPPERY WHEN WET as the novel had a great premise that was delivered well by Raye. Jaycee and Rory are at each other's throats before they are making out and it was fun to see the transformation in their relationship. Speaking of which, seeing Jaycee, a grease monkey through and through, turn herself into a sleek and beautiful woman was also a fun transformation to watch. I also saw the makings of a second novel featuring Riley, Jaycee's half-sister, and the ex-driver now turned TV host that she finds attractive, so I hope to be reading that story in the near future!

SLIPPERY WHEN WET by Kimberly Raye is a great NASCAR-themed romance that both romance readers and racecar enthusiasts will enjoy.

Maame Kanbi