Wednesday, February 8, 2012

[NetGalley + ARC Review]: "Ride with Me"

Ride with Me by Ruthie Knox
Publisher: Loveswept (February 13, 2012)
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Summary (Amazon.com):
In this fun, scorching-hot eBook original romance by Ruthie Knox, a cross-country bike adventure takes a detour into unexplored passion. As readers will discover, Ride with Me is not about the bike!



When Lexie Marshall places an ad for a cycling companion, she hopes to find someone friendly and fun to cross the TransAmerica Trail with. Instead, she gets Tom Geiger--a lean, sexy loner whose bad attitude threatens to spoil the adventure she's spent years planning.


Roped into the cycling equivalent of a blind date by his sister, Tom doesn't want to ride with a chatty, go-by-the-map kind of woman, and he certainly doesn't want to want her. Too bad the sight of Lexie with a bike between her thighs really turns his crank.

Even Tom's stubborn determination to keep Lexie at a distance can't stop a kiss from leading to endless nights of hotter-than-hot sex. But when the wild ride ends, where will they go next?



Where to Buy*: Kindle | NOOK
More Info: Author's Site | Book Site



My Review:

Alexandra Marshall—or Lexi as she prefers—thought she was getting a safe, older man for a bike partner. But when she finally meets Tom Geiger, she's faced with just the sort of man she was hoping to avoid—young, broody, handsome...in other words, tempting in so many ways!. How can she ride with this man across the U.S., camp with him every night, and not sleep with him eventually? Or, more importantly lose her heart to him?




Tom's pushy sister was the one who set him up with a bike partner, springing it on him last minute. But Tom—and his sister for that matter—was expecting a man (Alex) not a control-freak, but very pretty, woman! He plans on finding her a new partner as soon as he can; after all, he didn't want a partner—period—little loan a woman. But he quickly finds himself intrigued by Lexi. She may be a bit controlling, believing that the only way to enjoy life is to plan out every minute in advance, but on those rare moments when her sassy side shows itself, Tom can't help but be attracted to her. He also knows that if they stay together for much longer, he won't be able to resist her any longer...



Ride with Me was a quick, charming read. I enjoyed the storyline; it was new (for me at least) and the romance was pretty good as well. I'll admit that I would have enjoyed a bit more spice in the romance, but I can't complain too much. What was there was pretty hot, if a bit brief!



Perhaps the one thing I loved most about Ride with Me was the banter between Lexi and Tom—both in bed and out! Their conversations were often witty and very lively. I particularly enjoyed their exchange in the Mexican restaurant at the beginning of the book. Lexi challenged Tom to a hot sauce eating contest—which Tom had the upper hand for, but doesn't say anything and amuses himself by watching her bravely suffer through the hottest sauce there is!



But perhaps my favorite banter happens much later in the story. This time they are in a much more...intimate position. Lexi is telling Tom about her previous relationships, along with her latest “companion” (her vibrator). Her name for the toy? Dick. Well, Tom, unable to let this joke go, keeps pushing her, teasing her about Dick. His teasing continues beyond mere words—and quickly progresses to full-body taunting. Lexi, although enjoying this, teases him back, stating that Dick was better because, and I quote, “He vibrates.”. I couldn't stop giggling throughout this scene! It was not only wickedly witty, but sexy as well.



Lexi and Tom were perfect for one another. He has a horrible past marriage hanging over his head, as well as the belief that it is his fault that the family company failed a few years back. He's now living his own life, almost as an anti-social hermit. Lexi, on the other hand, is very strict in how she runs her life and often forgets how to stop and smell the roses along the way. She, too, has had more then a few ruined relationships in her past, and believes she will never attract Prince Charming. Together, the two slowly start to work through both of their problems.



3.5 STARS! Charming, witty, and sexy, Ride with Me is a fun contemporary read that any romance fan will enjoy. I wouldn't mind my own Tom, that's how much I liked him, which is, I think, always a good indication that the author has done a good job with the novel. I will be putting Ms. Knox on my list, as I am interested in trying more of her work in the future.


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I received an e-book copy of this book from the publisher, sent via NetGalley.
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Don't forget to stop back on February 23rd, when I will be hosting Ruthie here on the blog. She'll have a guest post for us, revolving around banter between the hero and heroine. You won't want to miss it!


Oh, and did I mention that she's giving away a copy of Ride with Me to one lucky reader that day? :D



Enjoy!







Until Next Time,
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*TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!

3 comments :

Blodeuedd said...

I would not mind biking with him, lol, lucky gal.

And I see a guest post is coming soon too :=D

The_Book_Queen said...

Blodeuedd--
Very luck! :) I don't care much for biking, but hell if he's the prize, I'll bike across country! LOL.

I hope you stop back for the guest post--I think it's going to be quiet fun!

Enjoy,
TBQ

Em said...

I have this on my TBR, I think it sounds like a lot of fun. This will be the first book about bikers (the non motor kind) I have read.