JOY RIDE
by Lauren Blakely
Released May 1, 2017
Get ready for the ride of your life!
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✦The audiobook will be narrated by Sebastian York!✦
Blurb
From the #1 New York Times Bestselling author of Full Package and Big Rock, comes a hot & hilarious new standalone romantic comedy…
Let’s be honest, ladies. A good man is a lot like the perfect car. You want a hot body, an engine that purrs, and superior performance under the hood…for the best joy ride of your life.
I’m at your service. Ready to go all night long.
But then a wildly sexy brunette appears in my life and throws a wrench in all my plans. She’s fiery, she’s talented, she’s gorgeous, and I’d really like to know what makes her engine hum.
Henley also happens to be my biggest rival, and now we’re forced to work together every day on the most important custom car build of my career. The trouble is I can’t quite figure out if she wants to kick me in the lug nuts or beg me to give her a good, hard fuel injection. Until one night that question is answered on the hood of a sports car when she calls out my name three times. And we can’t seem to put on the brakes.
If sleeping with the enemy is a bad idea, how much more dangerous would it be to fall in love with her?
Find Joy Ride on GOODREADS
Review
4.5 stars!!
Joy Ride by Lauren Blakely is another fantastic romantic comedy. This enemies-to-lovers story is well written, entertaining, and fast paced, and I could not put it down.
Max Summers owns Summers Custom Autos. He enjoys life to its fullest while indulging in the pleasures he loves, including women, cars, and alcohol. Everything in his life seems to work out well as long as he follows the rules he set.
Don’t be an asshole.
Always be a gentleman.
And never sleep with the enemy.
He’s the self-proclaimed “King of Pleasure” and doesn’t want to change, but he is in for an eye opener when Henley Rose Marlowe walks back into his life.
Henley used to work with Max, “used to” being the key phrase. Max is surprised to see her but he isn’t surprised by her reaction to seeing him after years apart.
Have I mentioned the last time I saw her she marched out of my shop in a blaze of angry glory?
Might be because I fired her sexy ass five years ago.
Yeah, there’s some bad blood between us.
They are huge rivals and now on the cusp of landing his dream job Max learns that the deal also brings Henley on as a co-worker.
That woman gets under my skin. Henley’s not just a thorn. She’s the thorniest thorn in the entire history of thorns. Two hours with her and I feel as if I’ve been cut all over. She’s like a kitten that paws at you and ten seconds later your wrist is bleeding.
Can Max and Henley put away their claws and get the job done or is the project doomed from the start?
I loved this book! It is a great take on one of my favorite tropes and adored the interactions between Max and Henley from the start. Max is swoony, sexy and oh, so sweet in his own alpha badass ways. It is absolutely hilarious how he tries unsuccessfully to fight the intense attraction he feels for her. The ramblings in his mind are somewhat goofy but I loved it all. His filthy mouth heats up the pages and makes the sexy time that much hotter.
Henley was fantastic. She is a fiesty, kickass heroine who is hardworking and awesome at what she does. She is sassy, bold, and can totally hold her own but also has a girlie side that I loved.
Henley Rose and a hot car go together like peaches and cream, like fine Scotch and a long, dirty night. Which means working with her was like walking into the Garden of Eden every single day. It was a test of willpower because the woman could craft a car as if it were an erotic dance.
I could feel the attraction between Henley and Max and this story cranks up the heat. There is a lot of unresolved sexual tension surrounding them when they see each other for the first time in years and it only gets stronger the longer they fight the powerful attraction they feel. Their chemistry is sizzling and their connection is palpable. The banter is epic and the way they can go from full on fighting to flirty teasing and dirty joking is fantastic.
The progression from enemies to lovers felt natural and real. I loved that they grew individually as well as together. The romance was passionate and intense and I believed it from the beginning.
I used to think aged Scotch, expensive pool tables, and one-night stands were the height of pleasure. Then, my greatest guilty pleasure ever…turned into the greatest bliss of my entire life.
I have said it before and I will say it again, Lauren Blakely writes amazing books from the hero’s POV. She has a knack for getting into their heads and giving us a comedy while also showing us how wonderful they are deep down. I enjoyed Max’s POV immensely but I was also glad that we got parts of Henley’s POV through her To-Do Lists. So funny!
The secondary characters were wonderful and I loved that we got to see individuals from the previous books. Though they are all standalone novels, the heroes and heroines are connected in one way or another and they frequently reappear in each book which always makes me happy. Not only does it reiterate the friendships, love, and support they have for each other, but also gives us updates for the other characters we love. And now that I have met Max’s sister, Mia, and his neighbor, Patrick, I can’t wait for their book, Hard Wood!
Overall, Joy Ride is a fun, easy, and fast read that will instantly put a smile on your face and I highly recommend it!
*ARC generously provided by the author and InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review.
Excerpt
I point to the guy behind the glass. “You want Peter’s number?”
“I don’t know. Do you think he likes piňa coladas and making love in the rain?”
For a flash second, a burst of wildfire curls through my veins. It feels like white-hot jealousy. Which is ridiculous since she’s not making love to Peter.
Or me, for that matter, obviously.
I fight off the envy with a full dose of sarcasm. “Have you ever noticed you never have a good pair of headphones when you need them?”
She huffs. “Message received. I’ll just shut up and read a book.” She reaches for her phone on the seat, but accidentally knocks it to the floor of the car. I lean down to pick it up, and when I hand it to her I see her playlist.
Nena’s “99 Luftballoons.”
The Go-Go’s “Vacation.”
Madonna’s “Like a Virgin.”
I smirk. That’s too fucking adorable. “You like bubblegum pop?”
Her cheeks go red. “There’s nothing wrong with bubblegum pop,” she says as she tries to grab her phone from my hand.
I. Can’t. Resist.
I don’t know what comes over me, but I’m pretty damn sure it’s the way this girl needles me. It’s her French maid routine. It’s her pushing all my buttons. It’s the way she detests me.
I hold her phone behind my head.
“Max,” she says, in a perfect plea. God, it’s hot. I can hear her saying it in bed.
I feign surprise. “Oh, did you want your phone back, tiger?”
Her eyes widen when I use that word. Frankly, I’m surprised I said it. But she is a tiger, especially right now as she leans across the seat, reaching for it.
Damn, I’m an asshole. And yet, I can’t seem to stop playing keep-away with her phone, jamming it far behind me so that it hits the side of the car. She lunges for it, thrusting her arm out, but only hitting my forearm.
She swats me. “Give it to me.”
My brain short-circuits. She would sound hot saying that bent over the bed.
Then in a flurry, she unbuckles her seat belt and lunges at me.
Foul play indeed.
She’s on me. She’s fucking on me. She climbs, stretching high, her tits near my motherfucking face, so help me God. They are saggy, drooping, ugly breasts.
Except they’re not.
They’re perfect. Lush, ripe.
Like her sweet perfume scent. Like her cinnamon breath that flutters across my cheek as she rises higher. As she reaches, her T-shirt rides up, revealing a sliver of her stomach.
I’ve never seen anything so sexy in my life.
I don’t move. I don’t breathe.
I simply try not to grow more aroused. But then she wraps one hand around my wrist and pries the phone with the other as her breasts smash against my eyes.
Man down.
Giveaway
The JOY RIDE giveaway is filled with:
✮ Kate Spade Patton Leather Tote and Kate Spade Desktop Planner ($325 value)
✮ $50 Gift Card to Bath and Body Works
✮ $50 Gift Card to Amazon
ENTER GIVEAWAY
The Escapist Book Blog is not responsible for this giveaway.
About the Author
A #1 New York Times Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that’s hot, sweet and sexy. She lives in California with her family and has plotted entire novels while walking her dogs. With fourteen New York Times bestsellers, her titles have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists more than seventy-five times, and she’s sold more than 1.5 million books. In May she’ll release JOY RIDE, a standalone romantic comedy. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, sign up for her NEWSLETTER!
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS
And don’t miss Lauren Blakely’s other standalone Romantic Comedies!
Big Rock (Spencer & Charlotte)
Review
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Mister O (Nick & Harper)
Review
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Well Hung (Wyatt & Natalie)
Review
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Full Package (Chase & Josie)
Review
Buy: Kindle Ebook | iBooks | B&N | Kobo | GooglePlay | Paperback | Audio
Joy Ride (Max & Henley)
Review
Buy: iBooks | Nook | Kobo | GooglePlay | Paperback
