Novel Review: Flat-Out Sexy (Fast Track, #1) by Erin McCarthy

Rating (Out of 5): ~2-2.5

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Berkley Sensation (Penguin)

Release Date: 2008

Spoilers?: Not really.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Independent single mother Tamara Briggs wanted to find a new, sexy, no-strings-attached man--just not one as young as NASCAR driver Elec Monroe. But he sure does get her heart racing. And after she’s tricked into a blind date with him, Tamara gives in to her passion. Things screech to a halt, though, when he asks to meet her children. Whatever happened to wham-bam-thank-you ma’am? Suddenly Tamara has to decide how much risk she’s willing to take to experience the power of true love.

The Cover:

I don't particularly like this cover. The position is a little off, it doesn't really stand out or look any better than most other adult romance covers. I guess the font and the fact he's leaning on a car (he is, right?) fits the book. I don't know, I'm just not a big fan of it.

Quotes:

• "...he had never seen any point in yelling about something that could just as easily be fixed by talking about it.” (Mass Market Paperback, pg. 82)
• "It had been something she’d taken for granted in her marriage, the soft and random brushes, the right to invade someone else’s personal space, and the ease of having a man’s strong hand on her waist.” (Pg. 112-113)

Review:

I was really hoping to like this, and all of the other McCarthy books I’ve read so far have been really good, but this one had one somewhat big problem with it.

I liked Tamara, and I liked Elec. They were both hot and sweet together, and I liked their chemistry. They were fun together, and I liked seeing them get closer. I also really liked seeing Elec get to know Tamara’s kids, those scenes were just plain heartwarming. I liked Elec’s family, and Tamara’s parents-in-law. It started out really good, and the ending was nice. It was a little slow at points, but overall not too bad. I would have liked some more conclusion for the mess with the girl blackmailing Elec, and his [omitted cause spoilers] problem, but oh well. I did really like, too, that Elec had a problem like that, if only for the fact that that’s barely ever mentioned in books.

But I did have one problem with it. There was a really bad amount of slut-shaming. At first I didn’t think it was going to be a thing, but then it kept showing up. And it flat-out made me uncomfortable. There was one scene in particular where a friend of theirs brought a ‘bimbo’ to a group dinner, and the girl was portrayed as extremely dumb and like she was simply there for her good looks and that she was a gold digger. And she was supposed to be an example of the driver’s groupies. It was uncomfortable to read, it wasn't needed, and it really pissed me off.

And not only that, but Elec and Tamara slut shamed other groupie girls, the girls who Elec used to be with and who wanted him now. While at the same time, they acknowledged that if Tamara did those things for Elec (like send nude photos), it would be totally fine. Like that isn’t hypocritical. It just pissed me off, it really wasn’t needed, and they didn’t learn anything from it. It made me knock off a bit from the rating.

I was hoping this would be better, but the slut-shaming really hit me the wrong way. I hope that whatever I pick up of McCarthy’s next is better.