Limitless Publishing | February 2, 2016 | New Adult Romance
Chequered Flag, book 1
★★★★★
SOURCE: ENTICING JOURNEY
After one fateful night, Raine Wilkins’ life has never been the same…
Two years into a relationship with Formula 1 driver Teo Coates, Raine walks out of his life without offering an explanation. To shield him from horrifying events that are best kept secret, Raine breaks her own heart and the heart of the man she loves. And left with no choice, Teo is forced to abandon Raine to finish his race season.
However, Teo always wins, and losing Raine’s heart has only made him more determined to reclaim it…
Now, a year later, he’s back, and she’s his only goal. But Raine is no longer the same girl he left behind; she’s broken by the past and struggling to cope with each day. Unbearable memories have her nights plagued with fear, while her days are spent deliberately hiding away to avoid triggering full-blown panic attacks. Therefore, when Teo returns as England’s favourite driver, and demands answers, all of Raine’s careful planning is destroyed.
She is thrown into the one place she never wants to be—the spotlight.
Her newfound fame as Teo’s public girlfriend raises old dangers, and exposes her to a group who will stop at nothing to tear them apart. If Raine and Teo are to be together, they must confront their past. However, only Raine knows the truth behind what happened during that sinister night, and revealing her secrets may cause Teo to leave for good.
{ about mia hoddell } .
Mia has written over ten titles including her Seasons of Change series, the Chequered Flag series, the Elemental Killers series, and her standalone novels False Finder, Not Enough, and Bet On Me.
Her favourite genres are contemporary romance or romantic suspense, and with an ever growing list of ideas she is trying to keep up with the speed at which her imagination generates them. She also designs book covers on her website M Designs.
{ excerpt } .
“Raine, wait!”Footsteps thundered behind me, forcing me to run faster as my vision began tunnelling. Bouncing off the walls as I rounded corners, I attempted to trace my steps back to the exit through the labyrinth of hallways.
I could hear the footsteps growing louder, as if Nadine was right on my heels, but I couldn’t look without losing my rhythm.
Abruptly, I was jerked to a stop by a hand on my wrist. I spun at the touch, flinging my back against the wall with a scream. My movements were too fast to take anything in.
“What the f*** are you doing here?” The voice that snarled the words was not Nadine’s. Even full of malice I could never forget his tone. Despite that, my brain was no longer thinking logically.
I raised my hands instinctively to shield my face, the line between reality and my memories blurring. The brightly lit corridor was too tight and darkness encroached from every corner.
I was back in the alley. The rough bricks bit into my spine as I cowered into the building praying I could make myself invisible.
“No, not again,” I whimpered, my hands shaking. “Please, not again.”
In my mind they were coming at me, closing the distance.
No matter how tiny I made myself they could still see me.
“Don’t hurt me. Let me go!” White-hot panic rose in my chest, consuming me and fuelling the memory. Everything felt so similar, I wasn’t even seeing what was really in front of me.
{ review } .
Talk about a book I wasn't expecting...
Yes, I'd read the synopsis before signing up. Yes, I've read another book by Mia Hoddell, so yes, I had an idea of what to expect as far as writing style.
Still, I wasn't prepared for the full emotional journey this book takes us on -- as well as the emotional journey that sets us up for the next book.
Ms. Hoddell wrote Raine's character fabulously. A young woman who endured a terrible night and therefore forced a love to separate, shielding him from the pain and distraught the night brought her, is plagued with fears. She doesn't do dark and she doesn't do crowds. Our first look at her panic comes when she 'rescues' best friend (and brother to the man who's heart she broke) Dustin from a jail cell. Her anxiety was written incredibly well, and was only forgotten in the brief moments Dustin was making her laugh in the car -- but immediately upon returning home and having to leave the confinements of the car, her anxiety returns.
One of the things I found to be the best character decisions on Ms. Hoddell's part was that as the story progressed, as she allowed Teo back into her life, Raine still held that fear. The kind of fear Raine lives with isn't something that can be erased over night and I appreciated the fact that while we watched Raine grow strong, she didn't completely lose that fear -- but her strength was a wonderful thing to witness.
Raine and Teo's road isn't an easy one, especially when he knows she's holding back and wants her to open up. Raine has her reasons for keeping that night locked up tight, after all...
Hands down, this will be one of my favorite reads of the year. I connected with the characters and became engrossed in the writing. I love that Ms. Hoddell didn't blaze over the sport aspect, either, putting us at the race track a time or two, as well.
I can't wait to read the next book -- it's Dustin's, and that Coates has a lot of love and anger in his heart, and I just want to watch him overcome those black times.
Yes, I'd read the synopsis before signing up. Yes, I've read another book by Mia Hoddell, so yes, I had an idea of what to expect as far as writing style.
Still, I wasn't prepared for the full emotional journey this book takes us on -- as well as the emotional journey that sets us up for the next book.
Ms. Hoddell wrote Raine's character fabulously. A young woman who endured a terrible night and therefore forced a love to separate, shielding him from the pain and distraught the night brought her, is plagued with fears. She doesn't do dark and she doesn't do crowds. Our first look at her panic comes when she 'rescues' best friend (and brother to the man who's heart she broke) Dustin from a jail cell. Her anxiety was written incredibly well, and was only forgotten in the brief moments Dustin was making her laugh in the car -- but immediately upon returning home and having to leave the confinements of the car, her anxiety returns.
One of the things I found to be the best character decisions on Ms. Hoddell's part was that as the story progressed, as she allowed Teo back into her life, Raine still held that fear. The kind of fear Raine lives with isn't something that can be erased over night and I appreciated the fact that while we watched Raine grow strong, she didn't completely lose that fear -- but her strength was a wonderful thing to witness.
Raine and Teo's road isn't an easy one, especially when he knows she's holding back and wants her to open up. Raine has her reasons for keeping that night locked up tight, after all...
Hands down, this will be one of my favorite reads of the year. I connected with the characters and became engrossed in the writing. I love that Ms. Hoddell didn't blaze over the sport aspect, either, putting us at the race track a time or two, as well.
I can't wait to read the next book -- it's Dustin's, and that Coates has a lot of love and anger in his heart, and I just want to watch him overcome those black times.
{ giveaway } .
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