Joy Ride

Lauren Blakely

May 2017 · Lauren Blakely Books

About this ebook

From the #1 New York Times Bestselling author of FULL PACKAGE and BIG ROCK, comes a hot & hilarious enemies to lovers romance!

A good man is a lot like the perfect car. At your service. Ready to go all night long.

But when a wildly sexy brunette re-appears in my life, she throws a wrench in all my plans. She’s fiery, she’s talented, she’s gorgeous, and I’d really like to know what makes her engine hum.

Henley also happens to be my biggest rival, and now we’re forced to work together every day on the most important custom car build of my career. The trouble is I can’t quite figure out if she wants to kick me in the lug nuts or beg me to give her a good, hard fuel injection. Until one night that question is answered on the hood of a sports car when she calls out my name three times. And we can’t seem to put on the brakes.

If sleeping with the enemy is a bad idea, how much more dangerous would it be to fall in love with her?

Ratings and reviews

If Max Summers admitted that there was such a thing as a guilty pleasure, one-night stands would be it, but one thing he will never do is sleep with the enemy. Until he does. Max was attending an auto show for Summers Custom Autos, his own company, when he hears an unmistakable voice, that of Henley Marlowe’s. The ever delectable and fiery mechanic, whom Max had fired five years ago. She had worked as his apprentice for a year, until she overstepped her boundaries, and Max lost it. It did not help that he was driven to distraction by her luscious curves. Henley still hates him with a passion, and to add insult to injury, she is now lead builder for Max’s biggest competitor. As if things couldn’t get any worse, they are both hired to work together on a supercar for a TV show! JOY RIDE is Lauren Blakely’s latest in her series of interconnected standalones, which started with Big Rock, and this time two blue collar workers are featured in this war of the Manhattan mechanics. I liked that Henley was a real pro at her job, and still could remain a girlie-girl outside the workplace. Max is totally macho, except when it comes to his real guilty pleasure, and that was a truly fun touch. Again, told from the hero’s point of view, JOY RIDE captures the essence of a dude telling his story; Max is sometimes rather coarse. Henley is so very angry, snappy, and rather mean, while Max desperately tries, in vain and in rather funny ways, to convince himself that Henley is not attractive. I must say that I really didn’t like either Henley or Max at the beginning, because their animosity towards each other is very aptly described by the author, but both grew on me after a while, especially Henley. Henley is not perfect, but a she is a fabulously well-rounded character. JOY RIDE is very steamy, both Henley and Max enjoy angry sex, wild, spontaneous and unbridled sex. Theirs was a prickly situation as they are in direct competition, and my favourite part of the story is how they try to deal with this issue. Besides revisiting briefly with characters previously encountered in the other books, there are a few unforgettable secondary characters as well, and I don’t believe anyone will forget Roger… I completely fell in love with Mia, Max’s sister, and Patrick, a friend of Max’s, whom we saw interacting together for a brief and memorable chat, their chemistry is undeniable, and I couldn’t be happier that their story will be next! I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

Joy Ride is the latest addition to the long list of Lauren Blakely masterpieces. Amazing characters, witty and sexy banter, car themed innuendos and a monkey what more can you ask for? I had so much fun reading this book. I laughed. I swooned. I developed major crushes on both characters. You know, the typical reaction to a Blakely book. Gah! I am simply amazed how Lauren Blakely can rock our world time and time again. I am so addicted to her books!! Max Summers, the king of custom cars, partaker of one night stands, enjoyer of baths, is dedicated to being the best at what he does and doesn’t want anything to distract him. When his former apprentice - the smart, gorgeous, sassy Henley Marlowe - returns, Max discovers she has taken all her talents and fire to his biggest rival and is now competing for the same clients. An incredible opportunity arises when the producers of a new television show want to commission a customized Lamborghini Miura. The only thing is they want Max and Henley both to work on it. Forced to work together, their undeniable attraction towards each other is too hard to ignore. Their verbal sparing leading to some of the hottest moments ever! Oh my God! The sexy times in this book are fan yourself hot!! Their sexual chemistry is spectacularly sizzling!! These characters are everything!! Lauren Blakely has provided us with another fantastic, strong willed and talented heroine. I love that she never writes a weak woman. Henley is the marvelous blend of quirky, smart, and fun with a wealth of car knowledge. She’s thrives in a field dominated by men and does it in heels while listening to pop music and drinking hot chocolate. She’s the best! Max gave me a different vibe from his brother, Chase, or the other heroes in the male POV series - Spencer, Nick, and Wyatt. Still a good guy, fun and playful, yes, but with a serious and alpha side to him. It was really hot. I liked it A LOT!! The poor guy, he tried to fight his attraction to Henley but his urge to have her was too strong. These two worked so well together, professionally and outside of work. *sigh* I heart them. I can not state this enough. I love love love these male POV books by Lauren Blakely. LOVE!! If you want a light hearted, sexy, rivals to lovers romantic comedy with incredible characters and a fabulous plot line, Joy Ride is for you. I guarantee you'll fall in love with it just as much as I did.

This enemies to lovers romance is the exact reason why I love reading this kind of story! Max and Henley are both strong, intelligent, and ambitious. They are both extremely talented at building custom cars but for different companies. When they are surprisingly offered the chance of a lifetime to build a car together, they can't turn it down. Max and Henley have a contentious history. They were both unprepared for their mutual attraction when they worked together years ago. Now they are older, wiser, more confident and their attraction and chemistry is hotter than ever. But can you sleep with the enemy and not risk your business or your heart? I loved everything about this story. It’s not full of angsty drama, but more about finding that common ground and claiming love. It’s loaded with sexual tension, smoking hot passion, and witty banter. Ms Blakely creates wonderfully refreshing, multifaceted stories about real people who are interesting, socially conscious and face life head-on. There were so many laugh out loud moments but many sweet and heartwarming moments as well, not to mention their fiery passion! This is told from Max's pov but I love getting a glimpse of Henley's thoughts through her to-do list at the end of each chapter, they were brillant! Their family and friends all make appearances adding to the fun and setting the stage for upcoming stories that I can't wait to read! This book is the perfect combination of everything I crave in a story. It’s sweet, romantic, steamy, sexy, heartwarming, and witty all rolled into one wild Joy Ride! You must read it, you will love it, I promise!

About the author

A #1 New York Times Bestselling author, and #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that's hot, sweet and sexy. She lives in California with her family and has plotted entire novels while walking her dogs. With fourteen New York Times bestsellers, her titles have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists more than 100 times, and she's sold more than 2.5 million books. In September she'll release ONCE UPON A REAL GOOD TIME, a sexy rock star romance. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter! laurenblakely.com/newsletter