From #1 NYT Bestselling author Lauren Blakely, comes a steamy new standalone rivals-to-lovers romance…
JOY RIDE!
Now available on all retailers!Get ready for the ride of your life, and grab your copy today!
✮✮✮ JOY RIDE is here! Grab your copy today! ✮✮✮
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?
You can find this sexy standalone romantic comedy available across all retailers now!
✦ Amazon US ✦ Amazon UK ✦ Amazon CA ✦ Amazon AU
✦ iBooks ✦ Barnes & Noble ✦ Kobo ✦ Google Play ✦ Amazon Paperback
Absolutely.
Everything.
Max. Yes, perfect.
Henley. You guessed it. Perfect.
The balance of the heat and the humor? You guessed right again, perfect.
Here's the thing. I love Lauren Blakely, and she is not capable of writing a bad book. All of my reviews start with how amazing she is, how much I loved the book, how I related to the characters, laughed out loud, loved their chemistry. Because, I do. Every. Single. Time.
I could talk about the story of Max and Henley in the review, the superb writing, the impeccable comedic timing and I would write a pretty great review, if I say so myself. And, it is easy to do, because I am reviewing a phenomenal book.
But, what really stands out to me in Joy Ride is the balance of the humor, the heart and the sexy times. It is so perfect. Romantic comedy is tough. If it is too funny, I feel like I am reading a one dimensional romance and I am not invested. If it is too romantic, I wonder where the comedy went, and if I missed it. The balance is tough and this book is spot on perfection. Heck, the sexy times scenes are, at times funny...and hot. And, right there is the balance. You get both from this book in a way that makes it perfect.
Max, well, May is now up there with Simon and Michael as favorite Blakely men. Yes, this book is that good.
I recommend this one, and all the others in the series.
Max, oh my Max. He is such a deliciously sexy hero. There is a little extra fierceness to him that I really, truly enjoyed. I loved watching him fight his attraction to Henley so hard-only to lose the battle so spectacularly. He's intensely passionate about his work and about his life in general. He works hard, he plays hard and watching him try to balance that with having feelings for Henley had me on the edge of my seat. Seeing this "guy's guy" maneuver his way through the twists and turns of falling in love? Priceless.
Henley Rose is positively perfect. She's tough, yet sweet. Strong, but vulnerable at the same time. I appreciated how she hustled to make her own name for herself in a business that is clearly male dominated. I loved that she could go toe to toe with Max and hold her own-I love seeing strong female characters and nobody writes strong and sweet heroines like this author can. The way we get to see what Henley is thinking is unique and fun as well.
The tension between Max and Henley had been idling for years while they were apart, humming below the surface, just waiting for one of them to finally hit the gas and go for it. Their playful banter, their game of innuendo had me torn between wanting them to finally be together and drawing out the tension even more. I must say that their first kiss was quite possibly the hottest, sexiest first kiss I've read....and the rest of their sexy times live up to that first kiss.
The pace of this book is perfect. The writing is sharp, witty and at times perfectly dirty. There was a really fun twist in this book that had me laughing as well-but I'll let you figure that out when you read it. However, what this author does so incredibly well here (and in all of her books) is showcase the realness of a relationship. It's not all sex, all the time-not even in the honeymoon stage of the relationship. It's taking the time to take care of the person you love-whether that means spending time soaking in a claw foot tub or taking dance lessons together. It's making mistakes and learning from them and choosing to move past things instead of dwelling on them.
This is a standalone book but it does have moments where other characters from previous books make an appearance. I personally love, love, love when the author does this. (You definitely don't need to have read the other books to understand who these characters are or anything...but I do recommend them all) Seeing Chase and Josie again made perfect sense since Chase is Max's brother but I was delighted to see other favorites as well-Nick, Harper, Natalie, Wyatt and Charlotte and Spencer. I couldn't have wiped the smile off my face when they reappeared if I wanted to-and I really, really didn't want to. This also gives us an opportunity to meet some future feature characters as well which is great.
Joy Ride is an absolutely perfectly crafted book. Max Summers and Henley Rose are royalty in the custom car business but it's Lauren Blakely who is the Queen of hot, sexy, funny and flirty writers. This book proves again why she's a one click author for me. If I could rate this book higher than 5 stars I absolutely would.
“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.
✦The audiobook will be narrated by Sebastian York! Link coming soon!✦
“If I was going to place a bet on an author to consistently deliver a FANTASTIC romance time and time again, I would put all my money on Lauren Blakely. She always writes amazing comedic romances—they are sexy, entertaining and always original. Consider me a fangirl.”
~Mary, Harlequin Junkie
"At some points during my read, I would have to remind myself to breathe. I was so utterly consumed with what I was reading, with the compelling chemistry between Henley and Max . . . The S. E. X. Was. Soooooo HOTT. I'd argue it was Blakely's best writing by far."
~Jess at joandisalovebooks
"The dynamic between Max and Henley is addictive, and the story line in Joy Ride was down right juicy! I can't wait for you to read it."
~Angie, Angie & Jessica's Dreamy Reads
Add it to Goodreads here!
And don’t miss Lauren Blakely’s other standalone Romantic Comedies!
BIG ROCK
MISTER O
WELL HUNG
FULL PACKAGE
✮✮✮Enter to win this amazing JOY RIDE GIVEAWAY!✮✮✮
Celebrate the release of JOY RIDE with this amazing 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
http://laurenblakely.com/joyridereleaseweekgiveaway/
About Lauren Blakely: 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! laurenblakely.com/newsletter
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