by SB Sarah • Monday, October 20, 2008 at 12:30 AM
Jane has mentioned before that the contemporary romances that doesn’t feature vampires, campy vampires, werewolves, immortal peril, mortal peril, suspense out the wahoo, or extraordinary extraterrestrial extraneous circumstances seem to be fewer and far between. Every now and again I hear declarations that the contemporary romance is a dying subgenre and it’s harder and harder to find, and that if you’re not an established name, you’ll never get anywhere, because fewer people want to read contemporary romance.
So when we read Flat Out Sexy by Erin McCarthy, we were both blathering to each other about how awesome it was and how refreshing to have actual conflict between people caused by realistic tension stemming from ordinary life experiences between two marvelous characters. Contemporary romance done right? More please! So, following this review, read more about a multi-level contest sponsored by Dear Author, Smart Bitches, Berkeley and Erin McCarthy, a contest we hope will be a semi-regular feature here and at Dear Author where we try to Save the Contemporary.
Let it be said: This is a NASCAR romance. I had a ball reading it. There’s a lot of assumptions made about NASCAR fans and the folks who participate in the sport, particularly as far as class and intellect are concerned, and many of those assumptions are plain looneytunes. From the skill and endurance needed to be a successful driver to the extensive education in engineering (at a minimum) needed to be in a pit crew, NASCAR is a greatly misunderstood but very interesting culture. Hm. I wonder if there are any book genres like that.
NASCAR creates a unique environment for contemporary romance in particular because it allows for an entirely new setting for some traditional elements of romance. First, there’s the class and status that come with belonging to a racing family, or being a crew member thereof. Then there’s the wealth of the drivers, their families, and the generations ahead and after them that continue in the racing circuit, and the sheer shitfuckton of money involved in the foundation of the sport itself. Add to that literal life and death stakes and you have plenty of opportunities for external tensions acting against the protagonists that, when placed on a NASCAR track, seem completely different and allow for a new examination of traditional tropes.
What makes Flat Out Sexy so charming and refreshing is that the conflict between the couple stems mostly from between the couple and their perceptions of themselves, but I never once got the feeling they were standing in their own way merely to prolong that tension. Single mom Tamara Briggs is finally reentering her old social circle a few years after her NASCAR driver husband was killed in a race. Elec Monroe is one of the hottest rookies in the current group of drivers, but since he’s a handful of years younger than Tamara, she doesn’t recognize him when she literally runs into him at a cocktail party. Theirs is an instant attraction, and Tamara decides that a one night stand with a man as hot as Elec can’t be a bad thing. And of course, the sex is as incredible as the attraction hinted it would be. But when they wake up the morning after and she realizes that not only is he younger than she is but the son of a family that’s had a longstanding feud with her husband’s family, she’s horrified at herself and decides that once ought to have been enough.
Trouble is, she doesn’t necessarily want that to be the case, and Elec definitely doesn’t want theirs to be a one shot deal. The conflicts large and small that affect their relationship range in size and tenor, from the feud between their families to Tamara’s own feelings of insecurity about her body after giving birth to two children. There’s also the fact that she has children and has been a single, independent mom for a few years now, and is fiercely protective of her family, her routine, and their privacy - particularly in a sport like NASCAR with its own gossip mill. Elec has his own set of issues, including a very personal and sad secret that he keeps from everyone. But Elec is determined to swerve past all of these blocks and simply be with Tamara.
What impressed me time and again about McCarthy’s skill in creating these two characters was their responses to everyday human conflict: they acted like grownups about it. Seriously. Even at her most embarrassed, Tamara owned up to her self consciousness about her body, and Elec was dumbfounded (because really, what guy notices the things a woman notices about herself?) and deliberately thoughtful in how he responded because he wanted to be careful of her feelings. When Elec faced a rip roaring confrontation with his sister, who handles his PR, he admits to having completely forgotten about an appointment she’d made for him, and apologizes. No spoiled diva behavior, no taking for granted his sister’s hard work: he mans up and says he’s sorry. McCarthy’s skill with dialogue - never once did I think “Come on now, people don’t talk like that,” - yields true characters, protagonists and supporting cast alike, who are wonderfully realistic, with nuanced depth and at times heartbreaking problems.
I was rooting for both Tamara and Elec equally throughout the story simply because they had to deal with realistic problems and because they dealt with each one like adults - adults who have the serious hots for one another and can barely see straight from the spicy hot attraction. Dinner parties will never be the same again in my imagination, lemme tell you. Plus, can I say how awesome it was to read about a romance heroine who is middle aged, who has two kids who are elementary-school aged, who holds down a full-time job plus manages her home and family and yes, finds it exhausting but doesn’t need rescuing from her existence? Tamara would be the first to tell you her daily routine is tough - particularly when the kids have the chicken pox - but never once would she wish for some knight on a stallion or some stallion at night to come sweep her out of her life. She loves her life. But sweeping her off her feet for hot sex? That’s another story. She’s on board for that. Me, too.
So what kept the book from solid A status? There was one particularly monumental conflict between them that was never explained in full, never really amounted to the Big Freaking Deal that it did in Tamara’s head, and was never truly resolved even after they’d experienced their super shiny happy ending. (Highlight to read teh spoilerz)
The family feud between the Briggs family and the Monroe family originated with the fathers, and the bad feelings between them come up several times from different characters during the course of the story. But the cause of the feud is never explained, even after Tamara and Elec’s relationship is public, and despite their relationship, the reader never learns how the Tamara’s father in law and Elec’s father deal with the bad blood between them. It’s a huge plot thread that seems to be left dangling, and the lack of resolution is jarring.
As I mentioned, McCarthy has Mad Character Creation Skillz, and the population of characters surrounding Tamara and Elec are ripe for stories of their own. I believe that the next one is about Ty, another NASCAR driver, and Tamara’s teaching assistant, Imogen, a super-intellectual Yankee who decides that a close and personal examination of the social and sexual culture of NASCAR is a great subject for her thesis. I’m down with that. Particularly because the initial sparks between Imogen and Ty are as incendiary as those between Tamara and Elec. Erin McCarthy is a fiercely skilled writer, and I’m upgrading my pants from happy to gleeful that I’ve found a contemporary romance that is complex and fascinating, but based firmly in the reality of human conflict, emotion, and triumph.
And Now: Buy a Contemporary, Save the World
Here’s the deal: we dig this book. We dig this book like damn and whoa, and we think you will too. So, in order to spread the word and the opportunity to read it we’re doing a multi-level giveaway in tandem with our reviews of Flat Out Sexy.
Part the First: free books! Leave a comment, and you’re automatically entered to win a copy. We each have 10 copies of the book to give away, so drop a word here and at Dear Author and double your chances. Comments will be open for 24 hours starting now.
Second: Spread the Word! Below is a Sprout widget about our campaign, and a simpler animated graphic. Right-click-and-save the graphic, or grab the Sprout for yourself, and put it on your site. Let us know that you’ve done so via email, and you’ll be entered to win a copy of the book, and a $100 gift certificate to Amazon.com, where you can buy many, many books. Oh, the delightful zest of the phrase, “Many, many books.” Spread the word, let us know, and you’re entered to win. That’s it.
The Spread the Word winner will be announced in 1 week, so tune in on Monday 27 October to see who wins a fierce Benjamin in our quest to Save the Contemporary.
Why? Because if there’s one thing that makes us sad, it’s the idea of contemporary romance dying out. So spread the word, buy a contemporary, and save the world.
I have never been much interested in racing, but I’ve been watching a lot recently because my son loves it. I wonder if there’s a market for Dakar Rally romance?
There’s only so much historical/werewolf and fantasy romance a body can take. I’ve got to say though that if you’re happy to have two female protagonists in your plot there’s some pretty good lesbian romance out there. ‘Sequestered Hearts’ is one that springs to mind for me.
but never once would she wish for some knight on a stallion or some stallion at night to come sweep her out of her life. She loves her life. But sweeping her off her feet for hot sex? That’s another story. She’s on board for that. Me, too.
Me, too, too.
Great review. I wanna read this one.
I am so over para-normal. Give me normal.
Please.
There’s a lot of assumptions made about NASCAR fans and the folks who participate in the sport, particularly as far as class and intellect are concerned, and many of those assumptions are plain looneytunes.
Ya think? So the fact that number 88 permanently resides in my truck windows doesn’t make me a totally unedumacated redneck?
I am looking forward to a good NASCAR story. This will definately be on my go buy it list and soon.
I wish I had a website to post this on. Will it work on Facebook or MySpace? And if so, how? Technically challanged here. Now give me my toolbox and I am happy. Like the toolshed I put up yesterday.
Oh, damn, there’s that redneck thing again.
I thought you said he was a handful of years younger than her?? this is more like a couple of handfuls and feetfulls too!
I didn’t see anything that said otherwise, so I assume you’re happy to send it to Australia if I win?
It sounds like a great story, anyway, and I do like variety in my reading so I’m on board for not letting the contemporary romance die out. I like paranormals but I wouldn’t want them to be my only option.
I have always liked Erin McCarthy’s writing, since I came back to the world of romance reading after a hiatus. And yes, thank goodness for a book wihtout supernatural/paranormal stuff: I think I am close to baked on the attractions of vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, and aliens—and let’s face it: the genre is getting too familiar (or anemic?) compared to the early stuff.
My DH works for a NASCAR team owner. I haven’t been able to bring myself to read any of the stories for one of the reason you mention here. There is a lot of misconception about not only those who participate but the intelligence level of the fan as well. I’ve been around this sport for 25 years and it’s a rare occurrence to find a real ‘dumb redneck’. Most fans might be guilty of rabid fandom over a particular driver, doesn’t mean they have no brain.
If the story itself can overcome the stereotypical fan representation, then I think I’ll have to give this one a try.
Ya’ll do know, right, that us dumb rednecks find it real hard to read though, right?
Diana Peterfreund said on…
10.20.08 at 03:31 AM |
Thirty two is MIDDLE AGED? Sarah! Say it ain’t so!
LOL! It’s all relative I guess.
Elec? See, it’s not the Nascar theme that would stop me at the blurb but the name of the hero.
But I do like Erin McCarthy’s writing, including her vamps and demons so I would read this based on her paranormals… and I think it’s that diversity is what makes the romance reader’s world go round.
I guess here’s a good time to, uh, woman-up and say that I’m ready and willing to learn more about the NASCAR culture. Although I (hope I) don’t perpetuate erroneous stereotypes I certainly haven’t been one to be first in learning more. If I can read this book to start on the path to my own personal NASCAR healing and save the world at the same time, so much the better.
Will try to widget my blog tonight. I am usually woefully inept at that kind of stuff but try I will.
I also lament the lack of great contemporary romances as I am not a particular lover of the paranormals that seem so popular right now.
Being an Aussie living in Scotland I must confess to knowing absolutely nothing about Nascar. And romance protagonists behaving like adults - taking responsibility for their own lives and actions - hell yes!
As much as I like Erin McCarthy’s writing I doubt I would have read this book without your recomendation. I live in “Race City USA” NC so it’s really hard for me to get away from all things NASCAR. It’s not my favorite sport so I don’t look for MORE of it in my life! But this sounds very good so please put my name in the hat.
No death of the contemporary please! ....and not just because I have accidentally found myself writing one. :P And because I like well-crafted characters, I comment.
Thirty two is MIDDLE AGED? Sarah! Say it ain’t so!
Well, I’m thirty-three and figured I was, but age is entirely relative. You totally do have a point, there. I admit: I’ve been inculcated by so many young heroines that I think the default age is somewhere in her 20’s.
I hope contemporaries aren’t going to die just as I’ve finally raised my head above the regency parapit (is that an oxymoron or merely a really mixed metaphor?).
So may I please be entered for the loot? Ta muchly.
I find it scary that you and Jane think the contemporary is in jeopardy. But contemporaries have definitely been seeming worn out lately. I take that as a sign that we need a new paradigm in what is considered the classic straight relationship between a man and a woman. I can’t imagine what it will be. But I can’t wait to see it.
Meanwhile, this book does sound interesting for its honesty in the relationship. But NASCAR? Sigh.
I love Erin McCarthy. Well, the 2 books that I’ve read which were You Don’t Know Jack and A Date With the Other Side and I’ve been eager to read more of her books but my library only had those 2. So, you know, I’d appreciate a free book.
So true about the difficulty finding a contemporary that doesn’t have were-somethings in it. I like the idea of urban romance but how many demon spawned heros/heroines can you have? Hope I win the book or I may just have to go out and buy it.
Having lived below I-10 for most of my life, I’ve definitely been inundated with NASCAR culture, and not always in a good way. :)
Your review, however, definitely makes me want to read this book. I love when the characters are strong, sexy and the heroine doesn’t need or want to be rescued!
I enjoy paranormals, but everyone needs a break now and then. How many brooding, nightwalking, bloodsucking creatures can there be??
One of my friends who knows I read romances bought me a NASCAR romance as a joke, and was shocked when I told him I couldn’t put it down. I’m not into racing and never thought much about it, but the situations in that book really pulled me in. Based on your description, this one sounds even better! And I could really use some brain candy right now.
Can I just say how damn refreshing it is to read a thoughtful, informative, SCINTILLATING review of what sounds like a great book? I mean, all the reviews HERE are thoughtful, but I am so sick of people discounting any juicy book as being anything other than fluff. Yeah, I know, old news, old comments…..........I just had an encounter with someone from my mother’s group book club who was all up in my face about the genre. Like every book I am supposed to read is supposed to tie my ass up in knots thinking about “my purpose” or “my message” or my fat thighs and gray hair. GIVE ME A BREAK! I ended the conversation by asking her if she watches anything other than PBS, CNN or the History Channel. When she said yes I could tell she doesn’t get it. People, it’s ENTERTAINMENT! Sheesh!
OK - going to get coffee now - WAY too grumpy….......
Well, I picked up Power Play based on your recommendation, so I’ll add this one to my list of books to check out. I’ll agree that the straight contemporary seems to be waning in popularity, but I also think, like historicals, it’s not really going to die. I remember hearing SEP speak once about how she was told she could never sell a book with a rock or sports star as the hero or heroine and then she sold It Had to Be You and that spawned a whole series of books. I seem to be seeing a lot of contemporary books in the last 5-6 years where the hero or heroine is involved in sports. I wonder if that’s going to be part of the evolution of contemporaries like changes in time period seem to have helped historicals.
I’m not big into Nascar as a rule, but the Smart Bitches have piqued my interest with their awesome review. A free copy would just be icing on the cake!
As a relatively fanatic Formula 1 fan, I can appreciate NASCAR even if I don’t enjoy it as much. I had no idea that it was seen negatively over there (I’m British). This book sounds great. I’ve had many “Come on, no one speaks like that!” moments recently, and am a little tired of reading about adults who behave like children… but I must thank you for reviewing Caught Running, which I’ve just read and enjoyed hugely for the maturity of the characters and the sweetness of the story. A great contemporary!
Love Erin Mccarthy! The Pregnancy Test was one of the funniest contemporaries I have read in a long time. Love her and glad to see her back to straight contemporary. But not a fan of NASCAR..
YES! Save the contemporary! I love to read modern day heroines overcoming the same time of cr*p I face in real life. Are sales of contemporaries falling because no one’s buying them or because they’re just not available in the stores any more? Chicken or egg?
I’ve been toying with the idea of writing a contemporary, but have never read one! So maybe I should read a couple of good ones, before I mangle the genre.
Throw me in the lot! And as an author of contemp romance I sure HOPE for the sake of my career that the genre still has a strong heartbeat! I’m not saying that I don’t enjoy a good para but a steady diet gets a little tiresome.
Sarah, I think if you are in the midst of young-motherhood, as we are, you feel middle aged. It might have something to do with hearing things like “Mommy! Every time I fart, poop comes out of my bum!!!”
Yeah, last week was a tough week.
That said… AWESOME CAMPAIGN!!!! Ha! You chicks are wonderful.
While a piece of my brain went TILT at the hero’s name (my knee-jerk reactions at reading it were 1) “Wow, that’s really… metrosexual”, and 2) a stray “Electra Woman and Dyna Girl” memory) I love Erin McCarthy’s work. And even though I write paranormal, I love to have my palate cleansed occasionally by some straight-up contemporary.
Victoria, were you living in my house this week?! Except instead of poop, my daughter learned if you fart against the sliding glass door, the window fogs up a little. Add a toddler giggles to it, and you get hilarity instead of grossness.
This is great-I’m not a fan of paranormal romance in general, and I love contemporary! Can’t wait to read this book-I’ll definitely have to look it up!
I’m always up for a good contemporary—and I have to admit, NASCAR culture probably would be a very interesting backdrop, now that I think about it. Sounds awesome, I’ll have to add it to my list, :)
Contemporaries are on the wane? Read British authors: paranormal romance doesn’t get a look-in here. I just glanced at my shelves and there are too many contemp. romances to mention.
I confess to scepticism about NASCAR (and why is it in capitals? does it stand for something?) although I did enjoy Janet Evanovich’s Alex Barnaby books. I’m just nonplussed: at least F1 and rally driving have, you know, corners.
Ha, all the “contemporaries” on my TBR shelf are from the 90s and 80s, from glomming backlists of authors, so I’m in no immediate danger of suffering if they go extinct. I’ll second what many others have said, I would never have normally picked up a NASCAR romance, but this sounds awesome.
BTW, if anyone wants another older woman, younger man story that is just amazing, I highly recommend Family Blessings by LaVyrle Spencer. Heroine is dealing with the unexpected death of her son and tries to deny the attraction and growing feelings she has for his best friend as she copes.
You must be right about the genre dying because I’m just now learning of it and I’m mad that it’s dying upon my discovery. I hope your campaign works and it rises again! I’m going to launch into a full-scale reading effort to see what I’ve been missing. Thanks so much!
Okay, I will be the first person to admit that I am a Nascar snob. The fact that its a bunch of people making a left turn over and over and over again is a little boring to me. But the history of the sport is fascinating. And this book sounds even more so.
I am a little sad to see the contemporary phase out. But, even so, trends go in cycles. Eventually the market will choke on all these paranormal, and we’ll be back to traditional people and traditional stories.
I’m going to keep my eyes open for this one and snag it when I see it!
NASCAR stands for National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. It all started with rum runners during the prohibition trying to get away from the law. My great granddad used to be a rum runner, he has some great stories about the early days after the repealed the law.
I had serious NASCAR prejudice until I found out my boss was a NASCAR fan. This is man is required to wear a suit to work every day (in fact, knowing the LA state police, it may be in the gaming rules and regulations that he must) - and if my white-collar well-educated boss likes NASCAR it can’t all be rednecks now can it?
I can understand it as a participation sport - but I still don’t get it as a spectator.
I’m ready for the paranormal novels to die a short and unhappy death. Some authors are inventive, but I now feel like I’m reading the same story 10 times all by different authors.
What’s scary is that my DH predicted two years ago that NASCAR romances and mysteries would be the next big thing. I should have listened. Count me in for the book here. And if I can figure out how to put the widgets on my blog other than sticking them in a post, I’ll email so I can get in on the other part.
okay… so I admit I am really new to romance in general… but I already have noticed the difficulty in finding a true honest to god romance… without some out of this world creature…. granted, I enjoy those, but I prefer to read about people I can relate to.
I am glad Erin is releasing another… she has become one of my favs!!!
I do pretty much read anything put in front of me, but I really kinda like the Nascar romances, in part because it’s a culture that surrounded us growing up, but never overlapped with my interests, so I’ve never understood why people watch it, and also because in the ones I’ve read so far there have been total infodumps of explanation of the physics of driving that I can totally see these being used to teach nascar wives enough of the technical detail that they can impress their spouse. :)
I don’t read a lot of contemporary romances (I was a fan of paranormals before they became the new thing, and I’m loving all the options I have now), but this review has definitely intrigued me. And I never turn down a free book. ;)
Flat Out Sexy is such a fun read! Erin McCarthy is always one author I can count on for writing great contemporaries.
Defintely will post about this :D
I’m not a big Nascar fan (cars are not my cup o’ tea, unless they’re you know, actually getting me somewhere), but your excellent review has me ready to give this one a chance! As far as spreading the word, I’ve been thinking about starting a new blog, and this is def incentive to get going on that!
I love contemporary romance, whether it’s reading it or writing it. It sounds like Erin has a winner here; I’m definitely going to buy it after reading this review!
I will have to check this out - I loved McCarthy’s older Bravas, but didn’t follow her into paranormalandia. I WISH the contemporary market would come back as a reader and a writer. Nowadays I wait for the tiny droplets of SEP, Rachel Gibson, Christie Ridgway, and Lisa Kleypas to give me tiny bits of contemporary sustenance.
I love, love, love NASCAR, having returned to watching the races this season after a 20 year lapse. The men are MUCH hotter these days, and I squeed like a little fan girl when “my” driver finished 6th yesterday! I’ve tried a few of the NASCAR novels and not thought much of them, but this one sounds great! I would love a freebie!!
Should29—heh, should I wake up tomorrow magically aged 29 again, I’d definitely be looking for NASCAR love
For Cat Marsters, who asked why NASCAR is capitalized: because it is the acronym for the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racers. Or something like that.
I remember erin mccarthy won the first writting contest on lori fosters website i read her entry and loved it and because of that ive been reading her books!
I love car racing(esp. drag racing) and would love this book.
I believe we have to do something to keep Contemps from dying out and disappearing if we can. I love Contemporaries and am not in paranormal.
I’ve always found books involving subjects I wouldn’t otherwise be interested in oddly enjoyable. Football, for example. This sounds like one of those books. Great review, by the way. I miss contemporaries. I’ll have to check this out.
OMG I love Erin McCarthy, I stumbled upon her by accident at the library, and fell in love. I will so have to go get her other series. I dont read many contemporaries, but I will for sure, check this one out.
This book sounds awesome! I am such a sucker for the NASCAR romances, even though I don’t follow the sport AT ALL. I would love to get this for free, but I’ll totally buy it if I don’t.
I started out reading contemporary romance in my early teen years and always put contemporary romance on top of my most loved reading genres. Really good contemps are so hard to find, though. Although I do enjoy paranormals, the stores seem flooded with them, imo.
Erin McCarthy rocks and I can’t wait to read Flat Out Sexy. It’s been a long time since I read a really hot, well-written contemp!
Got the sprout posted on Facebook—and feeling quite techno-savvy (no matter how illusory that feeling may be).
My two cents on paranormals; they’ve become trite and cliched. It has become a lazy sub-genre where the few originals are being drowned out by a sea of cookie cutter protagonists. Yuck. I’ll keep on looking, but have learned to translate the cover copy to avoid disappointment.
Finding a gem has become more difficult, but more satisfying for that. There are times when a brooding hunk o’ supernatural mantitty is the perfect counterpoint to a crappy week.*grin*
My dad raced in NASCAR in the 1970s. I spent time in the pits as a child, so it’s a world I’m familiar with. At least in its older incarnation. There’s something magical about the throaty roar of stock car racing engines revving in the dew-dropped dawn of a West Virginia morning…
OMG, I LOVE Erin’s writing!! My bookseller recommended ‘Houston’ years ago, and I have thanked her for it since. I laughed my way through it and many others! I sure am looking forward to reading Flat Out Sexy!!
Would never have picked this up if you hadn’t recommended it.
Oh, I am firmly middle-aged, have a full-time job, full-time kids and full-time husband. I would be fine if someone stepped in and handled any one of those. My husband is down with it, too. He has always dreamed of being a kept man.
The book sounds great! I read some of Erin’s contempories and they are a lot of fun. She has a great voice! I still remember her entry for the Lori Foster Brava contest, it was my favorite that year.
Having a few scary family members very much into NASCAR (family motto: God, guns, and NASCAR!!!), I’m not so hep on the topic - especially for escapism. However, I love Erin McCarthy’s paranormals, and I’d give this one a try since it reviewed so well. Count me in on the book drawing. I’ll give it a shot even if I don’t win a copy.
Huh. I don’t typically read romances, just the reviews, and partly for their educational value - I learned a lot about NASCAR from that one, for instance. So I’m interested in reading the book now!
LOL, the first thing I saw about this post was the number of comments (I was scrolling up from the poll). I said, “Oh look, over 100 comments, must be a contest.” Yep, sure ‘nuff.
One of my first Nora Roberts books was a racing romance—IndyCar, not NASCAR, though. It was in a double volume re-release with a romance about tennis players, both solid contemporary romances without a lot of suspense/crime/evil people.
Okay, looked it up—Rules of Play is the re-release, and the racing story is Opposites Attract (okay, not a super-original title, but the story was good). I agree that it seems there used to be a lot more contemporary romances, without mystery and suspense plots. Not that I mind a good romantic suspense novel, especially La Nora’s! But I will be putting this one on my list, for when I need a break from crime. And I think this is a great idea, promoting the contemporary!
I love and miss contemporaries, and Erin is one of the best! Her contemporaries are some of my favorites and I really wish she’d write more and I’m VERY excited about this book. I’ve got it on pre-order at Amazon :) I am glad that someone has noticed the real lack of regular contemporaries out there!! I have a harder and harder time finding them…and my favorite contemporary authors are all busy writing their paranormals instead of their regular contemporaries, which is well and good but keep writing your regular stuff too! Erin, please please write the regular contemporaries as well as the paranomals b/c I really love your stuff! :) I just don’t get into the paranormals and the historicals only do it for so long until I need my fix ;) Thanks ladies for bringin our plight to the attention of publishers everywhere!
Heidi in TX
Where is everyone getting 32 for her age in the book? I am confused. She says in the widget excerpt that “she slept with a man half her age” and he is almost 26. ::snigger:: that is something a 6 year old would say isn’t it??
I always said that I would never read a NASCAR bookm but then when I read what you wrote about it beeing a “greatly misunderstood but very interesting culture” and “I wonder if there are any book genres like that” and I was like, “Shit! I’m a hippocrite”. This review also made me view NASCAR as horse racing of the future/present (I mainly stick with historicals and Regencies, but I like the modern horse books like Nora Roberts’ Irish Thoroughbred). Thanks for the good review and a new outlook on NASCAR.
and to really enjoy and appreciate NASCAR you need to go to one instead of trying it on TV first. There is a whole nother feeling to them. The adrenaline is amazing!!
In glorious bitchery karma, I am at BN and will be picking up some of her other titles. NASCAR does nothing for me but I have read at least one title of hers and forget to look for her.
OMG, I love NASCAR so I will hint to my BFF to buy me this for my birthday present. My fiance is actually a huge NASCAR fan too. He bought me a gorgeous diamond engagement ring from http://www.idonowidont.com and popped the question to me by placing the ring inside a matchbox racecar and had me open the door and pull out diamond ring!This was over the roaring of the racecars! It was pretty cute. I will have to read this book once my bFF buys it for me, haha. Thanks!
Never thought I would be interested in a NASCAR book but this one sounds too good to miss. My only questions is, will it help me understand the lure of going round and round and round 400 or 500 times?
I have not read a book by Erin McCarthy book yet. This sounds like a great one to start with. I would love to win this book. I love contemporary romances.
I’m not a fan of watching NASCAR, but not because of class assumptions. Actually, I’d love to go see a race live, but on TV it does nothing for me. The technology and atmosphere behind the races, though, is fascinating. I did enjoy Janet Evanovich’s NASCAR books (Metro Girl and Motor Mouth), and would love to read this book.
Death of the contemporary romance? Not on my watch!
YES! Save the contemporary! I love to read modern day heroines overcoming the same time of cr*p I face in real life. Are sales of contemporaries falling because no one’s buying them or because they’re just not available in the stores any more? Chicken or egg?
See now that’s why I DON’T like contemporary very much. I’m reading to escape—I don’t want to read about my own problems! However, I have read some very good cont. (usually based on recs, thanks SBs!) and it would be a shame to see the genre go the way of the dinosaur.
I’m so glad Flat Out Sexy got a good review. I’ve been a fan of Erin McCarthy and her books for years now and can’t wait to read this new one by her. Contemporary is my favorite sub-genre, and I certainly don’t want it to die.
I’ve only read one book by Erin McCarthy, Fallen, and I adored it. her characters are so real and the dynamics between them are so true to life. Hopefully this book is equally good.
Hello! I like contemporary romance, today I am very sick, and I can rarely afford to buy books, so it would be very exciting if I got a free one!! Thank you!
I love Erin McCarthy’s books. Love em like a fat kid loves cakes :) I’m excited about this book and can’t wait to read it. Also so excited about all the great reviews :)
I’ll admit that I have some preconceived notions about NASCAR, but I do have an open mind about it. And I LOVE that this is a straight up contemporary with no stupid contrivances. Hook me up, bitches!
I felt a little ashamed of myself for all the dumb stuff I’ve said about NASCAR in the past, given how heatedly I defend the romance genre….good point, SBs!
I’ve read a couple of NASCAR romances. My husband spotted them on the rack and tossed them at me. I laughed at the idea of a NASCAR Romance, but they weren’t bad at all.
As far as NASCAR goes, my husband is from Arkansas and while he is not a big fan of it, he does enjoy watching it. His dad is a big fan and his sister and her husband actually own a NASCAR memorabilia shop. They used to sell stuff on ebay too. They are HUGE fans. My nine year old loves it, my six year old could take it or leave it. I’ll watch it if everyone else is and I’ll get into it, but I don’t actively set out ot watch it. Kind of like the Discovery Channel.
such a hot cover, love erin;s books, love them cant wait for this one. sucha great contest. i love contemps read teh most only congrats on teh book erin. thanks ladies
Commenting super-quickly, to beat the deadline! Whee!
(also, I do rather wonder if the origins of the feud will form part of subsequent volumes… if this is a series, it would make sense to not reveal everything all at once…)
Yeah, way too many vampires and werewolves in books these days!!
But is 32 really “middle-aged”?! Maybe in the world of romance novels…
(& I realize this post makes me sound like I’m 80! “You whippersnappers with your paranormal romances… in my day, Regency romances were contemporary! & we had to walk barefoot in the snow, uphill both ways, just to buy them!” I’m really not even middle-aged by romance novel standards!)
I have no place to sprout, alas, but I have too agree with the sentiment. I have to search high and low to find a full length contemp that isn’t trying to be slapstick or doesn’t have a cops and robbers/murder mystery/spy subplot. I want contemporaries that focus on relationships, damnit!
I know that Toni Blake isn’t a favorite with many of the big names in the romance blogosphere, but I was crazy happy about her last two releases precisely for those reasons. That plus her characters had adult conversations about their relationships and her heroines were sexually expeirenced. As well, they actually seemed to have knowledge of the bar/party/singles scene of todays world, and I find that rare. Lots of contemp heroines seem unlike the chicks I know that are single.
I am glad that McCarthy is veering out of the paranormal again, although my favorite of hers, Heiress for Hire did have a ghost.
I have to say I haven’t read a contemporary for a loooong time…I figured if I was going to read something with silly dialogue (and while there are exceptions, that covers most of contemporary romances I’ve ever met) I might as well read something with silly dialogue AND time travelling werewolf/vampire demigods.
May have to try a normal one again…
Sometimes I just want to read about a normal human being. I’m all for reading contemporary books.
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Nonfiction: I’ve bought it. Especially in college, there was usually at least one or two self-published books on my required and/or recommended reading list from the professor. I also got a few gift cards to a small bookstore that sold…
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