Hard & Fast

- Erin McCarthy -

One of my favorite things about Erin McCarthy's books is that her characters always come across as real people. Not cliched, too perfect for words romance novel characters, but people that you know or would totally be friends with in real life.

Hard and Fast is no exception. Ty and Imogen are both flawed, aware of their imperfections and very, very human. They are also funny as hell to read about and ride along with as their romance develops.

My favorite thing about this story in particular is how well Ty and Imogen communicate. A lot of romances stories feature couples who, usually for contrivance's sake, can't or won't speak openly and honestly with each other. This is certainly not the case with Ty & Imogen, resulting in some truly hilarious discussions due to their differing approaches to everything. Even the inevitable confrontation between them comes more from them saying the wrong things, or expressing themselves badly in the heat of the moment, rather than not communicating at all.

I am totally shocked by how much I am enjoyed the stock car racing world that both this and the previous book in the series, Flat Out Sexy, are set in because it is foreign to me and not something that I would generally be interested in.

But the family dynamics of the close knit car driving world is what really informs the atmosphere of these books and it is just really fun to read about and feel a part of.