Review: Great addition. Love this series!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 3, 2014
Once again, I really love this series. One of the beautiful things about the Racing To Love series is that we get the full family effect on all the characters. These aren't just little romance books between two people. These are beautiful books about our MCs as well as the wealth of "family" and friends that creates such a splendid atmosphere. I felt a part of their little world and the author completely drew me in.This story follows Eli, best friend of Carter and Jesse. It follows a few years after Jesse's book, after Eli has retired early due to a debilitating crash that changed his life. Now he lives in Pennsylvania with his racing family, running their training school. Here at the school we not only get Eli, we get to see all our favorites from the previous books, and that was a real treat. I love this group! Then we meet Honor, single mother to Dallas, who has quite a story of her own, and through the interceding of Molly, Honor and Dallas get to meet this gaggle of racers, and are steered onto Eli's path.One thing about these RTL boys is that they aren't shy about showing their affection to the women they decide are "the one" and Eli is no exception. I can see how this might bother some people, but if you have gotten this far in the series, then I imagine you are used to these bold boys and, like me, have come to love that they wear their hearts on their sleeves. Eli is sweet, sexy, and sensitive, and watching his world change as Honor and Dallas entered it was incredibly touching. I loved getting his perspective and seeing him fall for these two displaced souls. And let's be honest - there's nothing sexier that a man who cares for a mother and child.Then we get Honor, a single mom who has a world of hurts of her own, but is incredibly resilient and independent. She is also quite different from Molly and Emery, and I liked that she had a different kind of softness about her. Her love for her son is evident, but her past has carved a deep wound in her perspective, creating towering walls that not only Eli, but the whole gang, hope to overcome. The friendship between Eli and Honor was so sweet and different from the previous books. I really liked that the author took a different approach and it felt very genuine and sensitive to their circumstances.We also get the perspective of another character, whom I will not name, because it was a surprise and a treat to me. I was not expecting it, and while I was unsure about it in the beginning, I came to really love that the author engaged us in this new perspective. It was very well-played. And I look forward to reading more about this character in the next book.The story was sweet and beautiful, touching and tender. And the ending was fantastic. I loved Eli and Honor's story, tattoos and all! My only negative is that I wished there was more dialogue. There was a lot of describing and inner feelings and telling, which was great, but I have a love for the actual conversations being referred to. And while there was some great dialogue, I would have still liked more.**Update: I have since finished reading this entire series. I flew through the books and can honestly say I loved them. This is a great series with strong characters and beautiful romances that really stay with you. I love a series that creates a "community" and "family" feel, whether with or without the bonds of blood, where we get to see characters from each book progress in subsequent books. The Racing To Love series created just that. These character bonds are strong, real, touching, and wonderful. Amy Gregory did a fantastic job with this series. It's definitely one I look forward to re-reading.