Before You by Kathryn Freeman

Publisher: Choc Lit

Publication Date: June 21, 2016

Yay! Another summer read to add to your pile if you like romance with a good bit of story attached. Before You by Kathryn Freeman is perfect for reading at the beach or the park or perhaps on your deck or patio with a nice beverage of your choosing.

Melanie Hunt is a publicist with Delta, a formula one racing team. Aiden Foster is their new driver, coming over from another team to join the one his father drove for years earlier. His goal is to finally win a championship; hers is to stay as far away from him as possible since her last romance, which ended with her broken heart, was with a handsome driver and she believes that Aiden is cut from the same cloth.

This is the second book I’ve read from the Choc Lit publishing team and it won’t be the last. They seem to understand that readers want an interesting story attached to the romance and not just angst with some kissing, etc. thrown in.

In fact, I am not a race car fan by any means (please do not hate me oh-so-many Nascar and racing fans out there), but I found Freeman’s knowledge of the sport and obvious research intriguing. It was completely refreshing to read a romance by an author who had spent time learning about the world she was going to write about and then brought it to life for her readers.

The characters were all plausible, too, which is again refreshing. Just when it seems that Melanie might be going off the deep end emotionally, Freeman reels her back in and Melanie chides herself for her reaction, which, as a reader, I like because there are too many romance heroines who seem to sulk at the slightest provocation without demonstrating any self-awareness.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

From Amazon: Before You

Rating:  (4 out of 5 butterflies)