Blog Tour: Racing Hearts (Book 1 and 2)

BOOK TOUR: RACING HEARTS (BOOK 1 and 2)

BY: LAURA LASCARSO

BOOK REVIEW: RACING HEARTS BOOK 1 and BOOK 2

See you at the finish line…

With the big race weeks away, eighteen-year-old Jesse Copeland struggles to keep his head in the game and his hands off his smoking hot competition. But when Brooke reveals a secret that could destroy Jesse’s family, it sends him into a tailspin of self-doubt. 

Jesse must pull himself together if he hopes to have a shot at the prize money, save his home, and win the heart of the girl he loves.

Can these two competitors overcome the sins of their fathers or will a shadowed history destroy their dreams forever?

Being a part of Laura Lascarson's Blog Tour, I was given an ARC of Racing Hearts Book 1 and 2.

I didn't know squat about muscle cars or professional racing or drag racing but that didn't hinder my enjoyment of this book. Laura Lascarson was able to tell a romantic, action packed novels that would steal your heart away!

Initially, I have thought of making seperate reviews for Books 1 and 2, however, I realized it would be better to just tell you short and simple why you should read these two admirable books.

I will start by enumerating the reasons why I thought Laura did an amazing job with Racing Hearts. First, you'll think that the subtle Romeo and Juliet feel of the book would be overrated, or irritating. It wasn't. It was modernized, something young adults would surely relate into. The romance wasn't sappy and I tell you, I love me all kinds of romance except teen angsty love. Laura surely did not disappoint me.

Second, there were lots of technical terms. There are terms that I first read or heard in this book and sometimes, that would throw the reader off. But Laura was able make it to a point that even though ninety nine percent of the time you can't conjure the freaking image of the car in your head, it wouldn't spoil the reading experience for you. Actually, it would be ton better if this would become a movie and we get to see those cars Jesse and Brooke have.

Third is all the characters, both the protagonists and the supporting characters. They are not, in any sense, one dimensional or like paper dolls. I felt them. They were real. Jesse wasn't perfect, that's what I liked most about him. He was unlike most of the twenty year old hot guys in other books who were bound to be cocky or a jerk. While Brooke was the total opposite. She's perfect. But suspicious. You will see the paradox of her characters. They are going through something and that drew emotional investment from the readers.

Fourth, it's not just about cars or teenage love. There's a depth in this book that touched me deeply. I liked the family issues. It's real. Surely, readers would feel the connection too because it easily flowed. I felt Jesse's longing for his father. I felt the pain and the acceptance that he wouldn't be coming back. Of all the characters, and maybe because it's in Jesse's POV, but he is my favorite. It's to him where my emotions were invested. All through the book, Brooke made me feel wary of her, suspicious but hoping that she indeed loved Jesse (or else I'll pull her hair out of her scalp). This book like I said is not sappy. It's clever and it has depth.

I could go on and on but I don't want to spoil the experience for you lot, so I suggest you go purchase the book or enter the give away at the end of this blog post to have a chance to win $10 Amazon Gift Card! Who doesn't like give aways right?

So before I end the review, my book rating for both Books 1 and 2 are five shining stars!

excerpts from racing hearts

#1 [Jesse and Brooke after her father takes Jesse for a ride]

“You’re back.” She smiled and swam toward him, slowing to stand in the shallow end. Her body filled out the thin fabric of her bikini in a way that forced Jesse to shift in his seat. He glanced back over his shoulder to see which Bradley might be spying on them. They appeared to be alone on the patio, for now.

           “I had a revelation while you were gone, Jesse.” She reached behind her to squeeze the water out of her long blond hair. Her nipples punctuated the triangles of her bikini top and Jesse was torn between needing to cover her up and wanting to tear the flimsy material away.

           He lifted his gaze to meet her eyes. Was this another of Shep’stests? To see if he could be trusted to be alone with his daughter?Because the answer, most assuredly, was, no.

“Here I was, worried about my dad not liking you, when really I should have been worried about him liking you too much.”

“I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.” He was still rattled from their conversation. He felt like he needed another shower he’d sweat so much.

She tilted her head and gazed at him as if sizing him up. Her brothers and Shep had done the same thing earlier that evening. “So, what did you and my dad talk about?” she asked sweetly.

           “Cars mostly.”

           “Did my name come up?” She narrowed her eyes as if gauging his level of confidence.

           “Once or twice.”

           She came closer, appearing before him like a lioness about to pounce. Jesse knew they were in dangerous territory.

“Anything that should concern me?” she asked.

           “He’s suspicious. But he didn’t ask me outright if you were entering the race and I didn’t offer it up.”

She chewed on her bottom lip, perhaps imagining the flavor of their conversation. “Do you think he knows about the car?”

“He didn’t mention it. He seems to think you’ve retired from racing, at the old age of 17.”

           She considered this information. Jesse could see the wheels turning. “So, by your estimation, we’re good?”

           Jesse swallowed, questioning again where his loyalties should lie: with Brooke who he knew was being dishonest or with Shep, who seemed to be trying to protect his only daughter?

“For now, it seems we are.” 


#2 [4th of July, after Brooke wins her first race down at the Circle-Circle]

“There one goes.” She pointed to the sky. “You missed it, Jesse.”

A lazy, contented smile spread across his face. His whole body felt relaxed, his mind at peace.

“So many falling stars,” she said dreamily.   

He turned his head skyward. “It’s not a star, babe, it’s a meteor.”

“A meteor?”

“A big rock being burned up by the Earth’s atmosphere.”

“A ball of fire,” she mused. “You learn that in school?”

“My dad was a backyard astronomer. That’s what he called himself. He had a few telescopes. We used to camp out in the backyard and stargaze.”

“What about stars then? Do they ever fall?”

“Not unless they’re being pulled by something bigger, like a black hole. Those are like anti-stars. They suck in energy and matter, like a vacuum. Some can swallow whole other stars, as big as the sun. Nobody knows where it all goes.”

“So we could be swallowed up at any second?”

Jesse had never thought about it like that. “Yep.”

“Just laying here, touching, talking and then whoosh, it’s all gone.”

“All gone.” He realized then that he’d been able to talk about his father without feeling quite so empty. In her company he felt better, about everything. He felt…happy.

He propped himself up on one elbow to look at her, inching down the blanket to reveal more and more of her beautiful skin. He leaned down to kiss the tops of her breasts and she didn’t stop him. Her eyes were on far-off places, pondering black holes and dying stars and the infirmity of life.

“I love you,” he whispered.

She looked away, embarrassed, and smiled her little smile. He leaned in and kissed her lips, sweet and low. She was summertime and honeycomb and everything sticky and sweet. A heady perfume that he couldn’t get enough of. He smiled, like a fool, not even caring that she didn’t say it back to him. He loved her and she was his.

That was enough.

about the author

links

Laura Lascarso is the author of RACING HEARTS, an e-novella series, which tells the story of two star-crossed lovers set in the world of competitive car racing. Her debut YA novel COUNTING BACKWARDS, which deals with mental illness, won the Florida Book Award gold medal for YA literature in 2012. Laura lives in North Florida with her two children, darling husband and a menagerie of animals. Follow her on Twitter @lauralascarso

Buy the Books!

Racing Hearts Book 1
Racing Hearts Book 2


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Racing Hearts Book 1
Racing Hearts Book 2

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