Friday, February 12, 2016

review || DRIFT HEAT { blog tour } by Adrian Hale


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Adrian R. Hale | January 28, 2016 | Sport Romance
★★★★★

SOURCE: INKSLINGER PR

I didn't want to only be known as the pretty, blonde daughter of a famous race car driver. I wanted to make a name for myself and I wasn't going to let anyone get in my way. So when I saw the opportunity of a lifetime, I jumped. Being the face of the hottest new racing team in the business was a dream come true.

Until he showed up.

Griffin McGregor. Bad boy star driver. On the track, he's gold. Off the track? He's everything my daddy ever warned me about. Infuriatingly egotistical, explosive temper, argumentative know-it-all...why does he have to be so freaking hot? 

It'll be a miracle if we can get this team to the championship title without killing each other. Or worse. Because the last thing I'm going to do is wreck my career by jumping in bed with a race car driver.
amazon | bn | itunes

{ about adrian r. hale } .

Adrian R. Hale is a whirlwind of energy and optimism, just as ready to tell you about her books as she is to invite you over for cookies. She is a big dreamer and believes in chasing them down with speed and enthusiasm, much like the characters she writes. You can find her cycling around Austin, TX, running trails, baking gourmet cupcakes, beautifying people for weddings and photo shoots, and traveling all over the country in pursuit of those interests. Once upon a time, Adrian went to college thinking she would be a journalist but dropped out to go to beauty school. Later she wrote a novel about a hair and makeup artist, so things have definitely come full circle! She loves hearing from her readers at adrianrhale@gmail.com.



{ review } .

Can I be candid a moment?

I read many books at any given time. I have at least 4 in-process on my phone Kindle app, those 4 and maybe one or two others on my actual Kindle, let's not forget the one or two on my Nook from pre-reviewing days that I love to revisit (usually a Cristin Harber title, to be honest), and 3 paperbacks started and another getting ready to be cracked open.

I keep them all straight. I have a good memory like that (have to, when I have 20 or so books pre-written in my head...). I tend to read many books because eventually, my mind starts to wander when reading, and I have to put the book down -- but I still want to read, so I work on another book. Keeps my mind young, I say.

But this one... Drift Heat had me engrossed from the beginning, and I begrudgingly had to put it down just so I could start another book that was due for tour today. From the beginning, Griffin and Shelby drew me in with their sparring ways and hot chemistry.
I'm getting the feeling that this team is a little more touchy-feely than I'm used to...I'm not going to lie; it's pretty awesome getting hugs from so many guys. There's just one guy I don't expect to ever hug me. He's even pretending I don't exist right now...

Modeling for Smoke & Mirrors racing gives Shelby the in she needs to move on from the garage she ran with her father and brother. Doing so, though, semi-estranged her from her overprotective, former NASCAR racer & legend, father. Shelby has more respect for cars than she probably does for herself, something that comes across loud and clear as she's modeling on the team's prize Supra and the photographer is directing her to do poses that have her questioning how to execute said poses without hurting the car beneath her.

That is, until that car's driver comes barreling on the scene.

Griffin and Shelby start out rocky, to say the least. They're all harsh words and claws, but if there's anything Griffin needs in a woman, it's that she'll go toe to toe with him -- something Shelby will do time and time again throughout their story.

He keeps giving me shit even if he loves me to pieces...

I loved watching as Griffin thawed toward the woman he assumed was only a pretty face, just as much as I loved watching Shelby find a place in this team. She wanted to be more than her father's daughter, and she set off on a journey to do just that -- keeping her parentage to herself. One of my favorite early scenes was when she and some of the guys are shooting a video for the social media accounts Shelby took over.

And she promptly gets them to drop their jaws.

Granted, she then scrambles to come up with an excuse, still keeping her father's name out of everything, but she makes a name for herself, showing that she knows her way around a car and is more than capable of handling them.


This story was so much more than just a racer and a model; Shelby gets everything she wants and more, and Griffin does as well. The end of this story had me cheering for them both. I am hopeful that this is not the beginning and end for this racing team; I hope to see a series out of it! C'mon, like how about Ryan? I loved his early friendship with Shelby... And then Cole and Ezra, and their (slightly nerdy) superhero ways...? I suppose I could go to Ms. Hale's debut piece; I did just learn that Griffin's brother, Talan, has a book... I may just have to look into that....

{ giveaway } .

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