Holly‘s review of On the Move (A Harlequin NASCAR Book) by Pamela Britton
Contemporary Romance released by HQN 1 Sept 2008

I started reading the Harlequin NASCAR books a couple of years ago. I know Sybil will tell you it’s because I’m a redneck, but the truth is, I’m not a fan of NASCAR in real life. I’ve been to the sprint car races a couple times (mostly in high school) but that’s the extent of it. I generally find the action to be a good backdrop in these novels, though. Not enough that I’m now going to start following NASCAR, but still…

I really loved Vicki in the beginning of this book. She didn’t let Brandon get away with acting like a jerk or flirting with her just to get his way. She stood up to him and told him exactly how things were – not only with her agency, but also with her personally. I was really excited to see a heroine who didn’t act like she was better than any man, but who was strong enough to stand up for herself. She didn’t delude herself into thinking she was a Perfect Ten model, but she also didn’t sell herself short.

Brandon? Well, Brandon I never really liked. In the beginning he acted like a spoiled child. He was mean and hurtful just to be mean and hurtful, but worse, he was immature and acted out like some angst-filled teenager. I think the author wanted us to be sympathetic to him because of issues he had with his father, and also because he was illiterate. Sadly, it didn’t work. Rather than coming off as a character I wanted to empathize with, I kept thinking, “Seriously? You’re an adult?”

I kept reading because Vicki was a great heroine and I really enjoyed watching her stand up for herself and keep Brandon in line and because Brandon showed brief flashes of kindness and decency. But then, about 3/4 of the way through, Vicki turned stupid, too. She became jealous and shrewish and started demanding ridiculous things from Brandon. For the first time in the entire book, I was totally sympathetic to Brandon. It was sad, seeing that strong woman reduced to teenage antics.

Honestly, I can’t find much to recommend this book. I kept waiting for the turning point, where everything would come together and both characters would realize they were acting like morons, but sadly it never came. Brandon did show some emotional growth when it came to relationships with people other than Vicki (his road crew, the owner of his car, etc), but any progress he made was overshadowed by the petulant way he acted around Vicki. Vicki was great in the beginning, but she totally lost me when she saw Brandon shooting a commercial with some hot country singer and demanded he marry her. When she stormed off in a huff and then sat crying by the phone while waiting for him to call, it was just the icing on the cake.

Grade: D

Summary:

Vicki Bradford might work for the most ruthless sports agent in the business, but she’s no quitter, even when she hits the lowest of career lows—acting as a glorified babysitter to NASCAR’s disruptive newcomer, Brandon Burke. But his devilish grin and the gleam in his eye tell her he won’t be so easy to tame.…Brandon isn’t about to let his wild ways on and off the track be tempered by a buttoned-up stunner hired to make him behave. And he’s not above a little pulse-pounding game of seduction to send her running. But one kiss ignites something powerful between them. And now it’s a matter of how to avoid the crash and burn of two opposites steering recklessly toward love.

Read an excerpt.