Drive by Sidney Bristol (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Aiden DeHart has a history—and secrets. His classic car garage is a front for an FBI operation. His current mission: get some evidence from a drug dealer’s ex-wife, then get out. Madison Haughton sending his engine into overdrive isn’t part of the plan, though, especially considering she might not be as innocent as Aiden thought…

Since her divorce from her sleazeball ex, Madison has sworn off bad boys, gotten some sweet tattoos, and become a star of Miami’s roller derby scene. But however fast she skates, her ex is always on her tail. When the sexy guy in the muscle car offers to help, he could be her ticket to safety—or a detour down a deadly road…"

My Thoughts:

I've been on a bit of a romance kick as of late and the summary of this one was just too good to pass up.  Also this sounded like romantic suspense which I can never resist.  It was a pretty good choice on my part as I enjoyed this one.  Last weekend we took the kiddos for a quick weekend getaway to an indoor water park and while the kiddos swam I sat poolside and devoured this book.  It was the perfect read for a weekend like this as I was able to set it down and pick it back up with ease, jumping right back in where I had left off.  It was fast paced enough to keep my attention and had me intrigued throughout the entire book.  You can't ask for more than that!  

What I really enjoyed about this book though was the chemistry and developing relationship between Aiden and Madison.  These two were so different from each other but I couldn't help but love them together!  One of the things that I loved about Madison was her drive and motivation.  She used her divorce from a truly bad individual to better herself and really develop her own identity.  I loved that she was in roller derby which isn't something that I know much about.  Heck, the entire book could have focused on her roller derby experiences and I bet I would have loved it.  It was so unique and fun, and I definitely wanted to read more about it.  I also really liked Aiden's character and was pulled in by his back story.  There is definitely more that the author hasn't shared in regards to Aiden and his partner Julian.  Actually all of the secondary characters or Aiden's "group" that he worked with left me excited as I'm eager to read their books.  The relationship between Aiden and Madison though was definitely what I wanted to read the most about and I really enjoyed watching this relationship develop.  The ending of this book was definitely the most intense part for me!  I found myself unable to put the book down by that point (no worries we were home by then).  I liked the way it ended but am curious to see what happens next.  Because you kind of know that everything can't possibly be over...not yet anyways.  Bring on the next book!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and thought it was a fun read!  The characters were really great and left me especially eager to learn more about some of those secondary characters that we got glimpses of.  I loved the racing and car themes that were present throughout the book.  And I especially adored the parts that focused on roller derby.  This book was a solid read and if I still did ratings would probably be an easy 3.5 stars.  I found it a perfect way to spend the weekend and can't wait to see what this author comes up with next.  Recommended!

Bottom Line:  A fun and suspenseful read that I enjoyed.

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher as part of a Tasty book tour.

Thanks to the publisher I also have an excerpt from the book to share with all of you.  To get a taste of this book read on below:

"There was a good way to start a week, and there was a bad one. Aiden

DeHart figured the jury was still out on this one.

“DeHart, microphones are live. Keep Ross near the car.”

“It’s a Chevelle, Kathy,” he replied to the disembodied woman’s voice only he

could hear. He hated this, working with the FBI, but they had him by the balls.

“Yeah, whatever. Keep him near the Chevelle.” Kathy chuckled.

Aiden tapped the steering wheel of his Chevrolet Chevelle and rolled his eyes

at the FBI agent chirping more reminders in his ear. Kathy was a good agent, a little

too motherly for his tastes, but a good woman.

He tuned her out and cleared his mind, inhaling the scent of the beach. The

simple truth was that every word he said needed to be carefully chosen.

Microphones were all over the damn car, which irritated the hell out of him that his

classic restore was getting adhesive all over the leather. He wouldn’t normally allow

it, but if this job led to taking down Michael Evers, it was worth it. The son of a bitch

had murdered Aiden’s sister and her cop husband to make a point to the Miami-

Dade PD. His brother-in-law had been a good cop. A bit too

good, unfortunately, and it had gotten both him and Andrea killed.

“DeHart, we’re in place.” CJ’s voice echoed in Aiden’s ear. Great, he had not

one, but two Feds in his head.

CJ and his wife, Kathy, were FBI agents undercover in Aiden’s garage, and

often worked support for him and his crew. He hadn’t known FBI agents could be

married to another agent in the Qeld, but he had the proof under his roof. Hell, there

was likely some extensive study with all sorts of data to justify the work/wed

arrangement. He could imagine CJ spouting said data as he got down on one knee.

Kathy and CJ were a . . .unique couple. He overlooked their uniqueness because

they knew their shit.

“Try not to break too many laws,” CJ warned. They might be FBI, but the deep

cover operation had them bending and breaking laws. Which was why it was Aiden

doing this gig instead of his co-owner and best friend, Julian. While Julian was a full-

Oedged undercover FBI agent, Aiden was a contracted employee, or asset. He could

break rules Julian couldn’t, though that line had begun to blur as of late.

“No promises there. Going silent.” Aiden sucked in a deep breath and blew it

out.

It was time.

He emptied his mind of the two people on the other end of the radio, of all

the little things he needed to do today and simply—let go. The road stretched out

ahead of him, a path to anywhere.

He hit the accelerator and shifted gears. The old muscle car roared to life. He

blazed down the well-kept street, mansions sprawling on either side of him. His

awareness narrowed to the bend in the road ahead and the gate leading to their

target’s home.

The humid Miami air rushed through the windows, beating him in the face

and carrying with it the cry of seagulls. The scents of freshly cut grass, salt water,

and Oowers drifted on the wind. Here, there was no Latino hip-hop music breaking

up the pristine silence. It was all opulence and wealth.

The gate yawned open to his right. He grabbed the hand brake, turned the

wheel, and let the Chevelle drift sideways through the space. The whole car

vibrated, tires squealing with the maneuver. A security guard in the gatehouse

dropped a magazine out of the window and yelled something, but Aiden was already

through and accelerating up the drive. Palm trees lined the quarter mile to the two-

story mansion. The drive circled around a fountain. Several sleek sports cars were

parked around the bend, like some fancy magazine spread. Those cars might have

the Oash, but his Chevelle had double the horsepower.

Aiden brought the car around the fountain, breaking and letting the tail end

swing around. It made for a jarring, Oashy stop.

Flash was what he was going for.

“Fuck, Aiden. Did you have to burn so much rubber?” CJ whispered in his ear.

The agent was a stickler for following the rules, and one of their biggest ones

was: stay under the radar. The Feds didn’t want to have to cover up their shit if

Aiden got in trouble, which was bound to happen on occasion. CJ had proven to be

an invaluable member of their team. Between his experience in the Qeld and his

wife’s quick thinking, they’d saved Aiden’s ass more than a few times.

He snorted and climbed out of the car. A trio of men in suits stood on the

stairs leading to the grand double doors. It might have been impressive, except the

whole community was one mansion trying to outdo its neighbors. At least a half

dozen guys in suits hung around, hands poised on their barely concealed weapons.

The whole setup was a little pretentious, but then again, men like Dustin Ross

weren’t exactly classy folk.

Two years ago, Dustin barely registered on the lowlevel crime scale. He’d

climbed the ladder fast thanks to his greed, and he liked to show it o/, unlike his

boss, Michael Evers. What Dustin probably didn’t know was that Evers ran through

guys like Dustin every two years, using them up and spitting them out to save his

own ass.

Dustin was just the latest in a string of dummies stupid enough to get into bed with

the Evers operation.

Aiden pushed his sunglasses up on his head and leaned against his car.

“Aiden DeHart.” Dustin shook the hand of one of the men he was standing

with before heading down the stairs toward him. “Wasn’t expecting you so soon.”

“I drive fast. You said you wanted to see me?”

 

“Yeah, why don’t you show me what this baby can do?” Dustin didn’t wait for

permission. He climbed in the passenger side and settled in.

Well, that was easy.

“Sure. Whatever you say, boss.” Aiden sank into the driver’s seat while CJ

snickered in his ear.

Aiden didn’t punch it hard out of the driveway. He did want to hear what the other

man had to say, after all.

And they needed a clean recording. Dustin suggesting they leave his property—

without security—confirmed Aiden’s suspicions. Whatever this job was, Dustin didn’t

want his boss to know about it.

In the grand scheme of things, Michael Evers was the real target. Dustin was

just a stepping-stone to taking down the criminal mastermind. Jobs like this should

never be personal, and yet here he was. Driving an asshole around one of the

ritziest areas of Miami, neither speaking. Which was Qne with him. Conversation

with

Dustin was about as stimulating as watching oil drip out of a car. He took his time,

winding through the houses, around the properties and eventually out onto the

highway.

“How fast does she go?” Dustin asked.

“One-eighty if I’ve got the distance.” The Chevelle wasn’t a race car, though

he liked its speed. It could perform, but he didn’t like to push the car too much. It

was a classic that deserved the respect of the road. He had a few newer, American

muscle cars tricked out and outfitted for racing.

“Nice.” He cleared his throat. “I really appreciate that job you did for me. The

guys were right when they said you were the person to go to if I wanted something

done quiet—and right.” Dustin peered at him through tinted glasses. For someone

with so much money, he still seemed sleazy. Maybe it was the o/-the-rack suit with

the

Rolex watch and store-bought tan.

“Glad I could be of assistance,” Aiden drawled. Thanks to a few dings on his

record, the FBI had been able to embellish the truth a little. Between their additions

and what came naturally due to racing, he had plenty of street cred and the

experience to back it up. He doubted old Uncle Sam had intended him to put the

skills he’d learned in the service to use chopping cars and pretending to be one of

the bad guys.

“That street gang, they don’t want to mess with us.” Dustin acted like he

were the one who’d chopped six cars of the rival gang.

“They’re punks. Kids. They don’t have any business playing with the big boys.

Just let them drive their toy cars in circles.”

 Dustin approaching Aiden out of the blue like that had shocked him and sent

their entire operation into chaos. While they’d had their heads shoved up Evers’s

ass, Dustin had begun a little war with one of the street gangs. One Aiden knew all

too well because he raced against them regularly."