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Wheels of Steel #1
Wheels of Steel
Jason, better known as Top, is an up and coming DJ. He’s a white guy that knows more about Hip Hop than most and he also has cerebral palsy. His group Wheels of Steel is comprised of self-proclaimed misfits that are made cool by their talent. But despite his talent and popularity, Jason is plagued by issues of trust and anger.
Robin is a shy black girl that takes a job as his home healthcare aid. Her crippling nervous condition makes everything difficult for her, not just her bad tempered client with cerebral palsy, but also his close knit friends, and even her mother with her best intentions. Their saga takes them along a musical journey of self-discovery and love.
This three part interracial love story explores the spirit of love and acceptance between a person with an obvious disability—and someone whose disabilities are not always quite so obvious.
Robin is a shy black girl that takes a job as his home healthcare aid. Her crippling nervous condition makes everything difficult for her, not just her bad tempered client with cerebral palsy, but also his close knit friends, and even her mother with her best intentions. Their saga takes them along a musical journey of self-discovery and love.
This three part interracial love story explores the spirit of love and acceptance between a person with an obvious disability—and someone whose disabilities are not always quite so obvious.
405 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
36 people are currently reading
608 people want to read
About the author
Pepper Pace
66 books843 followersWho is Pepper Pace?
Pepper Pace is the pen name used by the author. Born and raised in Cincinnati, she has always enjoyed creativity. At a very young age, Pepper had a gift for art and would spend most of her spare time drawing images that she later began adding stories behind. Soon writing became more important than the illustrations and though she still loved art, it took a back seat to her real love.
Pepper wrote her first novel when she was 12 years old and had written 2 more by the age of 18. Too shy to share her work with anyone, Pepper stock piled her many stories into notebooks until she came upon Literotica.com and was compelled to share her craft.
Pepper became instantly popular and won several awards each year in which she submitted a story to the site. After receiving popular feedback, she grew in confidence and created a popular blog entitled Writing Feedback where she encourages her readers to interact with her on topics concerning, music, writing, art and pop culture, and can be contacted at her blog:
pepperpacefeedback.blogspot.com/
Pepper lives in Cincinnati where many of her characters also reside.
Other Websites:
http://pepperpacefeedback.blogspot.com/
http://pepperpace.tumblr.com/
Pepper Pace is the pen name used by the author. Born and raised in Cincinnati, she has always enjoyed creativity. At a very young age, Pepper had a gift for art and would spend most of her spare time drawing images that she later began adding stories behind. Soon writing became more important than the illustrations and though she still loved art, it took a back seat to her real love.
Pepper wrote her first novel when she was 12 years old and had written 2 more by the age of 18. Too shy to share her work with anyone, Pepper stock piled her many stories into notebooks until she came upon Literotica.com and was compelled to share her craft.
Pepper became instantly popular and won several awards each year in which she submitted a story to the site. After receiving popular feedback, she grew in confidence and created a popular blog entitled Writing Feedback where she encourages her readers to interact with her on topics concerning, music, writing, art and pop culture, and can be contacted at her blog:
pepperpacefeedback.blogspot.com/
Pepper lives in Cincinnati where many of her characters also reside.
Other Websites:
http://pepperpacefeedback.blogspot.com/
http://pepperpace.tumblr.com/
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
April 1, 2012
What an amazing read! (Books I, II and III.)will not disappoint. You're guaranteed to never look at a person in a wheel chair or a person with cerebral palsy the same again! What an out-of-the-box love story. Wheels of Steel has all of the ingredients that I wanted to see in books I like to read....romance, drama, friendship, steamy sex, but most importantly I think that the author's books are so informative about the illnesses of said subject matter. Pepper Pace is one magnificent author!
April 27, 2012
I could not put this book down once I started reading it! Too interesting!
August 5, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. **Spoiler Alert**
Robin is a shy twenty one year old who is getting over the death of her father and readjusting to the new dynamic of her relationship with her mother after the loss of the buffer that kept their squabbles at bay. Having made the choice to move out and live on her own because she refused to go to college, she struggles to make ends meet. A tip from a work colleague sends her down the path of becoming a home care assistant (HCA). Her first client is an old woman who she eventually befriends. Her second client is Jason. Who on the surface is a surly student who has cerebral palsy (CP). Their friendship blooms.
The only thing that I disliked about the book was that there were a few spelling mistakes. I got the feeling that there may have been something wrong with Ms Pace's keyboard as every time she meant "than" we got "then". Also, now that I think of it, I did find the dialogue a bit hard to follow as I wasn't always sure who was speaking as there would be something said but the proceeding action was something of the person being talked to which made it not too clear and required a quick reread.
Now, what I liked about the book. Robin's characterisation was fantastic. A shy nervous girl who disliked crowds and being shouted at. I could really relate and the author conveyed this condition with great understanding. I also loved that although Robin was shy and nervous she had a strong side making her very dynamic. As the book proceeds we see her gaining more and more confidence and growing into herself.
Jason is grumpy when we first encounter him but soon it is explained were this stems from and he becomes a very sympathetic character. The relationship between him and Robin develops in a very natural way, refreshingly realistic and devoid of M&B cliché moves and dialogue. The situation of Robin being a HCA to Jason is handled very well. The author not shying away of dealing with every detail. It was interesting to see how Robin, whose duties involved doing some pretty intimate tasks for Jason, then has to see him in a romantic light.
I also loved the smooth changing of point of view between Robin and Jason. It felt good as a reader to be able to get into both of their heads.
My one big tip would be, have book 2 at the ready as you will want to reach for it as soon as book 1 ends, trust me. I am really looking forward to reading the next two books in this series.
Robin is a shy twenty one year old who is getting over the death of her father and readjusting to the new dynamic of her relationship with her mother after the loss of the buffer that kept their squabbles at bay. Having made the choice to move out and live on her own because she refused to go to college, she struggles to make ends meet. A tip from a work colleague sends her down the path of becoming a home care assistant (HCA). Her first client is an old woman who she eventually befriends. Her second client is Jason. Who on the surface is a surly student who has cerebral palsy (CP). Their friendship blooms.
The only thing that I disliked about the book was that there were a few spelling mistakes. I got the feeling that there may have been something wrong with Ms Pace's keyboard as every time she meant "than" we got "then". Also, now that I think of it, I did find the dialogue a bit hard to follow as I wasn't always sure who was speaking as there would be something said but the proceeding action was something of the person being talked to which made it not too clear and required a quick reread.
Now, what I liked about the book. Robin's characterisation was fantastic. A shy nervous girl who disliked crowds and being shouted at. I could really relate and the author conveyed this condition with great understanding. I also loved that although Robin was shy and nervous she had a strong side making her very dynamic. As the book proceeds we see her gaining more and more confidence and growing into herself.
Jason is grumpy when we first encounter him but soon it is explained were this stems from and he becomes a very sympathetic character. The relationship between him and Robin develops in a very natural way, refreshingly realistic and devoid of M&B cliché moves and dialogue. The situation of Robin being a HCA to Jason is handled very well. The author not shying away of dealing with every detail. It was interesting to see how Robin, whose duties involved doing some pretty intimate tasks for Jason, then has to see him in a romantic light.
I also loved the smooth changing of point of view between Robin and Jason. It felt good as a reader to be able to get into both of their heads.
My one big tip would be, have book 2 at the ready as you will want to reach for it as soon as book 1 ends, trust me. I am really looking forward to reading the next two books in this series.
January 23, 2024
5.0⭐️ This ends in a cliffhanger. Until I read the rest of the books in the series, and I can definitely write a more robust review about the series—Book 1, absolutely OUTSTANDING!!
November 7, 2013
I love this author, I love how she can write a love story about people with all kinds of obstacles to over come. I normally love all her leading men because they are always lovable, even if they create some drama its always because they love their woman so much. I did not fall in love with Jason at all. I thought he was mean and childish. I totally loved Robin and she demonstrated the characteristics of how someone truly in love behaves. She becomes a little Ghetto and bares her teeth to Jason and shows him she won't put up with is rubbish which I loved.
The series is well written and engaging. I just did not take to Jason at all which is so unusual with her leading men, I usually always love them. Highly recommend the series!
The series is well written and engaging. I just did not take to Jason at all which is so unusual with her leading men, I usually always love them. Highly recommend the series!
July 10, 2015
2nd re-read 7/10.
I really like Pepper Pace writing style.
Wow, I don't think i've read a book like this in a while, Jason being in a wheelchair didn't bother me, after reading another book where one of the mc had cerebal palsy I was a bit skeptical, but what can I say Pepper Pace is the author otherwise. I really enjoyed this novel, I loved how she took 2 people from completely 2 different world and brought them together, I thought they were really cute together, I didn't cry trust me I did with her other two books but this one was different from me. I can't wait to read the second and third books.
I really like Pepper Pace writing style.
Wow, I don't think i've read a book like this in a while, Jason being in a wheelchair didn't bother me, after reading another book where one of the mc had cerebal palsy I was a bit skeptical, but what can I say Pepper Pace is the author otherwise. I really enjoyed this novel, I loved how she took 2 people from completely 2 different world and brought them together, I thought they were really cute together, I didn't cry trust me I did with her other two books but this one was different from me. I can't wait to read the second and third books.
April 5, 2017
3.75 stars!
Wow! Ok this book was a breath of fresh air. This was such an unconventional love story that I was intrigued from the beginning. The hero of the story Jason has cerebral palsy and the author is unapologetic about showing us the challenges he faces everyday from being mostly wheelchair bound to having random seizures to gagging and choking on his food to needing help while performing bodily functions. The heroine Robin who starts off as his aide was able to look past all of this and look beyond his illness and eventually as they spend more time together, they start to fall for each other. It was a very sweet, very real story and the sexy scenes did not disappoint. I did enjoy this book and it does end in a bit of a cliffhanger but unfortunately for some reason it did not interest me enough to read book 2. I would definitely recommend it though!
Wow! Ok this book was a breath of fresh air. This was such an unconventional love story that I was intrigued from the beginning. The hero of the story Jason has cerebral palsy and the author is unapologetic about showing us the challenges he faces everyday from being mostly wheelchair bound to having random seizures to gagging and choking on his food to needing help while performing bodily functions. The heroine Robin who starts off as his aide was able to look past all of this and look beyond his illness and eventually as they spend more time together, they start to fall for each other. It was a very sweet, very real story and the sexy scenes did not disappoint. I did enjoy this book and it does end in a bit of a cliffhanger but unfortunately for some reason it did not interest me enough to read book 2. I would definitely recommend it though!
July 24, 2022
The hero was a petulant asshole… not for me 🙅🏻♀️
February 13, 2014
Liked this one. I thought it was a decent intro to this trilogy. Interesting network of complex characters & first impressions. There is a lot of character set up in this one. So for me, the 1st 40-45% of this book moved rather slowly. I felt since the set up, concerning Robin wasn't really all that gripping, that a lot of her side of things could have been trimmed down a bit. But once you get past that, things pick up. I was definitely engrossed after that. I can't wait to dive into book 2 to see what happens in the continuation.
One thing that bothers me though, towards the end, why didn't she just tell him what happened at the party when he couldn't find her? It wasn't a big deal, it was just a major misunderstanding. So the fact that she was treating it like it was some big guarded secret when he asked what happened, irritated me. I mean she saw how worried he was, since he knows how she is with crowds.
So I just didn't understand why she didn't want to calm him by telling him what had happened.
One thing that bothers me though, towards the end, why didn't she just tell him what happened at the party when he couldn't find her? It wasn't a big deal, it was just a major misunderstanding. So the fact that she was treating it like it was some big guarded secret when he asked what happened, irritated me. I mean she saw how worried he was, since he knows how she is with crowds.
So I just didn't understand why she didn't want to calm him by telling him what had happened.
February 22, 2014
Don't judge this book by it's cover. This was a very sweet read. I liked that the author chose for a different kind of love, for different kind of story and I loved the mixed racial relationship. Jason has cerebral palsy, is in a wheelchair and is going to college, in his free time he's an dj.
Because he's is plagued with daily seizures he needs a home health aid. Robin needs a second job fast she has trouble paying her bills. When the opportunity to make more money knocks at her door she takes it. Robin is extremely shy and Jason is a difficult person to deal with , because of his cerebral palsy he has lead a different live that made him say good buy to many times to people he depended on and liked. Jason is red haired and white, Robin has chocolate skin and beautiful eyes. This book is about life, first love, first sex, friendship. The sex scenes were well done, no cheesy shit. The author gave an good insight to what is means to struggle with being in a wheelchair on a daily basis. 3.5 stars can't wait to read the second book.
Because he's is plagued with daily seizures he needs a home health aid. Robin needs a second job fast she has trouble paying her bills. When the opportunity to make more money knocks at her door she takes it. Robin is extremely shy and Jason is a difficult person to deal with , because of his cerebral palsy he has lead a different live that made him say good buy to many times to people he depended on and liked. Jason is red haired and white, Robin has chocolate skin and beautiful eyes. This book is about life, first love, first sex, friendship. The sex scenes were well done, no cheesy shit. The author gave an good insight to what is means to struggle with being in a wheelchair on a daily basis. 3.5 stars can't wait to read the second book.
September 22, 2014
I wasn't really impressed with this one. I kept seeing this book around goodreads and I finally gave in and read it because I liked the concept of the story. It was slow in the beginning but when it picked up, things were interesting until she did the online thing. I thought that was unnecessary. I couldn't really get into their romance because she was getting paid to be his healthcare assistant. Just because she's young doesn't mean it's ok to sleep with the client and be his girlfriend. The love scene and party scene was too comical to take seriously lol. Oh and all of a sudden, the book included Amberly's pov, are you serious? I don't care about what that jealous girl has to say. The ending was annoying because I didn't like the fact that his friends were all up in their relationship business and all up in her private business. If she wanted to talk about her anxiety issues then she will on her own time. Why would he bring it up in front of his friends? I know this book is in a series but I'm not really motivated to read book 2 at this time.
June 11, 2013
5 stars. I do not give 5 stars alot, but this book from the first chapter to the end had me going haywire with anger, love, anger again then love again. It was so much of emotions that it is hard to explain. Robin a 21 year old shy woman, who is such a lovely person inside and out. Jason Cp but sexy man with issues of anger he has. Patty, my girl, love her they way she stand speak her mind. Amberly, well hmm, not much to tell. Jason's mom, and Robin's mom, what twits, honestly, I truly understand they love their kids. To the author bravo. Love her books. On to Book 2, hopefully it gets better.
November 28, 2012
I really enjoyed this book and could not wait to get to the second in this series. I know I treated this book like most people treat people they see in wheelchairs I knew about the book but did not want to deal with because I did not think I would enjoy a romantic story about a man with CP. Pepper Pace is wonderful because I am loving Jason and Robin. I see Jason as a man not some one in a wheel chair.
May 15, 2012
Books 1,2, & 3 are totally amazing! I hope Ms. Pace does a Book 4. YAY!
May 10, 2020
i liked the book and i was looking forward to the steam...and then i was utterly disappointed, which i have been with many romance novels lately. do these authors even know anything about s*x? you’d think so, considering that they write s*x scenes. but what is this thing with ”oh i don’t have a condom here but i’ll make sure to pull out”? the. pull. out. method. does. NOT. guarantee no pregnancy (you can get pregnant from pre-cum). normalizing unprotected s*x frustrates me to no end.
second of all, it is very uncommon for women to bleed because of a ”broken” hymen the first time having sex. one may bleed a little for other reasons such as being to tense etc. the hymen can’t even break, it can be torn in some places and it could shed a little blood from said small tears. i’m not saying that no one bleeds from first time experiences, but it was portrayed in this novel as being a universal occurrence. it’s harmful for women to believe in the hymen myth. expecting that it will hurt will actually make it hurt because the muscles clench out of fear. this got a bit detailed but i just had to get it out. dnf after the first s*x scene.
second of all, it is very uncommon for women to bleed because of a ”broken” hymen the first time having sex. one may bleed a little for other reasons such as being to tense etc. the hymen can’t even break, it can be torn in some places and it could shed a little blood from said small tears. i’m not saying that no one bleeds from first time experiences, but it was portrayed in this novel as being a universal occurrence. it’s harmful for women to believe in the hymen myth. expecting that it will hurt will actually make it hurt because the muscles clench out of fear. this got a bit detailed but i just had to get it out. dnf after the first s*x scene.
August 18, 2020
This book starts out pretty slow but once they do get together it goes at super sonic speed so I think I would have appreciated better pacing. You'll also want to have the next book handy because the book ended on a cliffhanger and then pickd up on the next almost as if you were going from one chapter to the next. However I did start to really enjoy the characters and I think the series will just continue to get more enjoyable
April 21, 2018
A Very Sweet and Inspirational Romantic novel
Wheels of Steel is a sweet and Inspirational Romantic novel that earned a rating of four stars. I enjoyed reading this book and found Robin and Jason's love to be a sweet coming of age story. I would recommend this book to everyone who enjoys reading very good romance novels.
Wheels of Steel is a sweet and Inspirational Romantic novel that earned a rating of four stars. I enjoyed reading this book and found Robin and Jason's love to be a sweet coming of age story. I would recommend this book to everyone who enjoys reading very good romance novels.
October 23, 2019
Read this years ago and just realized never added it or reviewed it. It’s been awhile but I really enjoyed it and may read again. Very apt descriptions on living fully with a disability/ physical In his case and mental in her case. She made me a little crazy at a few points but have known people with these issues and it seems pretty right on.
August 28, 2024
2 stars and a half.
The premise is interesting and the prose is decent (though there are some capitalization errors in dialogues), but it's just not my taste. I like Pepper Pace's writing, especially in 1954. I'm just not into this book as much.
I understand that some dialogues of Top is actually from a real life person's conversation with Pepper Pace, and it's TMI for me.
The premise is interesting and the prose is decent (though there are some capitalization errors in dialogues), but it's just not my taste. I like Pepper Pace's writing, especially in 1954. I'm just not into this book as much.
I understand that some dialogues of Top is actually from a real life person's conversation with Pepper Pace, and it's TMI for me.
April 6, 2020
I loved this romance. This book is :
S o real ! It doesn't shy away or
W ithdraw from the hard truths of sickness,
E nabling Jason and Robin to
E njoy the profit of a
T rue connection.
S o real ! It doesn't shy away or
W ithdraw from the hard truths of sickness,
E nabling Jason and Robin to
E njoy the profit of a
T rue connection.
August 9, 2025
I can't believe that I have had this book on my Kindle for so long, and I had never read it. I really loved it. As a person with CP myself, I can relate to the male main character. I don't have the symptoms he does, but I know what he feels like sometimes. He was written well.
October 30, 2020
Epic read
I’ve read Wheels of Steel years ago and fell in love with Robin and Jason’s story. I highly recommend this series
I’ve read Wheels of Steel years ago and fell in love with Robin and Jason’s story. I highly recommend this series
June 29, 2021
Peppers writing is just everything…
…really good story. Pepper’s characters are always in your face reality, and once again she delivers!
Nothing sugar coated. Great love story!!
…really good story. Pepper’s characters are always in your face reality, and once again she delivers!
Nothing sugar coated. Great love story!!
February 11, 2012
I am a skeptic by nature so when I read that this book was about romance with a disable H with cerebral palsy, I did not think it would hold my attention for three books. But needless to say it did!! Once the H and h get together their relationship remind of Travis and Abby in "Beautiful Disaster." Even though the H was disable, he still was very confident and sure of himself.
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Jason, better known as Top, is an up and coming DJ. He’s a white guy that knows more about Hip Hop than most and he also has cerebral palsy. His group Wheels of Steel is comprised of self-proclaimed misfits that are made cool by their talent. But despite his talent and popularity, Jason is plagued by issues of trust and anger.
Robin is a shy black girl that takes a job as his home healthcare aid. Her crippling nervous condition makes everything difficult for her, not just her bad tempered client with cerebral palsy, but also his close knit friends, and even her mother with her best intentions. Their saga takes them along a musical journey of self-discovery and love.
This three part interracial love story explores the spirit of love and acceptance between a person with an obvious disability—and someone whose disabilities are not always quite so obvious.
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Jason, better known as Top, is an up and coming DJ. He’s a white guy that knows more about Hip Hop than most and he also has cerebral palsy. His group Wheels of Steel is comprised of self-proclaimed misfits that are made cool by their talent. But despite his talent and popularity, Jason is plagued by issues of trust and anger.
Robin is a shy black girl that takes a job as his home healthcare aid. Her crippling nervous condition makes everything difficult for her, not just her bad tempered client with cerebral palsy, but also his close knit friends, and even her mother with her best intentions. Their saga takes them along a musical journey of self-discovery and love.
This three part interracial love story explores the spirit of love and acceptance between a person with an obvious disability—and someone whose disabilities are not always quite so obvious.
August 13, 2015
Wow, I am going to try to get this review out quickly because I am itching to get to book 2. First I feel like an ass for sitting on this gem for so long! I love books that provide characters in which are different from the norm... It gives it the book something special, when an author can take a disability and show you a different way of thinking about things it makes it beautiful.
Needless to say I am in love with each and every one of these characters and Pepper Pace did such a wonderful job providing details on each one of them that it wasn't hard at all to picture.
I agree with some of the review saying it took a little to get into the actual meat and bones but you have to cook the meal before you can eat it... so that is exactly what happened.
Welp I would usually say what I loved in the book and what I disliked, HOWEVER I really want to start on book 2... so I am going to have to say " Read it!" it's so worth it!
Needless to say I am in love with each and every one of these characters and Pepper Pace did such a wonderful job providing details on each one of them that it wasn't hard at all to picture.
I agree with some of the review saying it took a little to get into the actual meat and bones but you have to cook the meal before you can eat it... so that is exactly what happened.
Welp I would usually say what I loved in the book and what I disliked, HOWEVER I really want to start on book 2... so I am going to have to say " Read it!" it's so worth it!
January 2, 2013
What I like about Pepper Pace is she writes about normal, everyday people. Her characters are not your typical heroes and heroines. What I liked best about this book was learning about the home health care business and what it's like for someone dealing with Cerebal Palsy.
I know that this is just the first of three books in this series. I looked ahead and the others and was not encouraged where the storyline is heading. I don't think I'll continue with the other books.
My biggest issue with this book was the improper usage of then vs than. This seems to be an issue lots of people have. But it's not difficult to figure out when to use "then" and when to use "than." It was very distracting. There were a few other misspelled words.
This book dragged towards the end and I was happy when it came to an end.
I know that this is just the first of three books in this series. I looked ahead and the others and was not encouraged where the storyline is heading. I don't think I'll continue with the other books.
My biggest issue with this book was the improper usage of then vs than. This seems to be an issue lots of people have. But it's not difficult to figure out when to use "then" and when to use "than." It was very distracting. There were a few other misspelled words.
This book dragged towards the end and I was happy when it came to an end.
January 28, 2014
This is such a unique story for the genre, I really liked the way that this shaped up. I found myself just riveted as it delved into the world of Cerebral Palsy with the day to day all the way into the events of the characters lives. I loved that it wasn't just strictly a romance but a full story to be told. And although, the plots and the arcs, and even the characters themselves were simple enough, it all works to deeply draw us in.
This book was everything you come to expect from a Pepper Pace novel - something that's different from the norm, well written, and involving.
This book was everything you come to expect from a Pepper Pace novel - something that's different from the norm, well written, and involving.
April 29, 2012
This is my 2nd Pepper Pace book that I have started and couldn't put down. I couldn't help but read to find out what happens between Robin and Jason. The two of them are young and their relationship is nice and refreshing. You definitely will have to be ready to read book 2.
August 22, 2012
This was awesome it kept me engaged what I liked the most is there imperfections that made them so real...the struggles for Robin I really was rooting for her...I'm glad she saw past Jason's set backs...I'm starting to read book 2 hopefully there love gets stronger.
July 12, 2015
Didn't think I would be interested in this couples journey and drama, but this series has so many human elements to it, that I found myself surprisingly intrigued by the events that take place in this couples relationship.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews