Saturday, November 22, 2014

Switching Gears - Reviewed by Trix

Track Domination #3
by Megan Slayer 
Resplendence Publishing


Ethan’s about to meet his match in the last person he ever expected.

Ethan Long is a man on a mission—finish well and he gets to keep his ride at Flash Racing. Continue to crash and his racing days will be numbered. Other than being behind the wheel of a race vehicle, this good looking hot shot hasn’t got the first clue how to harness his ego or his talent. Until he locks gazes with Royce. Then all bets are off.

Royce Darden doesn’t play around. His no-nonsense attitude propelled him to the head of the merchandise sales at Flash. He’s good with numbers and facts…and a crop. Few people know about his wilder side and what he needs in bed. He sees the inner submissive in Ethan screaming for a turn. Can Royce convince the young driver that switching gears could be the key to his racing future?

Trix’s Review:
3 stars

Slayer presents two likable leads, and the chemistry between brash Ethan and the world-weary Royce has definite spark. The transition from the opening smartalecky "I'm just out for a good time, hot thing" flirtatious banter to soul-baring emotional confessions seems rather abrupt, and leads to some clunky story exposition. The sex scenes perk up the proceedings, though the BDSM is a double-edged sword. Ethan's willingness to explore submission as a method of personal growth is a powerful concept, but it's one that's hard to do justice to in such a brief book. (The logistics are presented in risky shorthand from time to time: until now I've never seen a Dom ask a sub whether or not he'll want to use his safeword before anything happens. How would a sub know whether or not he'll need to use one before a scene begins? Each time, Ethan assures Royce "hell no," apparently granting him free reign. This seems strange at best and dangerous at worst.)

Part of the problem may be that I didn't read the earlier two books in the series. While the story is presented as a standalone, there are many references to the couple Collin and Sam (from the previous book RUNNING HOT), who work with Royce and Ethan at Flash. It was interesting, if difficult to believe at times, to see the preponderance of gay couples in this macho racing environment, and the story doesn't address that fact in the greater context of the sport. While it's refreshing to see a sports story that doesn't go into the "X sport is a bastion of institutionalized homophobia" trope, it does seem odd that female groupies keep slipping Ethan their phone numbers, and guys don't notice either way. Slayer's universe is intriguing enough that I'm willing to read the other books to discover what I've missed.  

No comments:

Post a Comment