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Drive Me to Distraction

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Sometimes life or death decisions are easy. Alex Radford has a choice – borrow the money to treat her mother’s rare and aggressive cancer from sleazy moneylender Hamish MacCameron. Or do nothing and watch her die.

MacCameron has an agenda. He wants Alex in his bed, and he wants her to help him exact revenge on his sworn enemy, Robert Dryden. He is only too happy to lend her what she needs, but the strings attached form a tangled web from which Alex has little hope of escape.

It’s not all bad. Since she was a girl Alex has had one dream: to become a Formula 1 driver and show the boys how to drive a race car. MacCameron’s money gives her a shot at fame, and in a move that scandalizes the F1 racing fraternity she becomes the new driver for Rob Dryden’s struggling F1 team, Prometheus.

Alex tries to keep her distance from Rob, knowing that one day she will need to betray one of the few people who ever had faith in her. But things begin to unravel when Hamish MacCameron is murdered and she and Rob are the top suspects on the list …

305 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2012

10 people are currently reading
462 people want to read

About the author

Caitlyn Nicholas

6 books83 followers

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5 stars
28 (17%)
4 stars
53 (32%)
3 stars
40 (24%)
2 stars
26 (16%)
1 star
15 (9%)
Displaying 1 - 29 of 30 reviews
Profile Image for Alexandra.
88 reviews3 followers
January 23, 2013
This was a surprise, it was free on amazon and I like fast cars..so why not!

I would describe this as a romantic suspense/action, although the love story is there it's fairly subtle..it's much more about the plot, the attempted sabotage and blackmail that's going on!! There's A LOT going on!

This is a fast read, I needed to keep going and find out what happened next, the writing was good and kept me hooked till the end. I enjoyed reading a story set in the UK for a change, there are so many books based in the US, this felt like home!

I liked the backdrop of the race track, although you don't experience too much of it, but it's refreshing and as I already said..I love fast cars!

This is well worth a read.

Profile Image for Sami.
Author 30 books136 followers
November 7, 2012
A great adventure with a dash of romance. The female formula one driver heroine was a new twist and the details about the racing world make you feel like you're right there. Great story.
Profile Image for Veronica.
4 reviews4 followers
December 8, 2012
I read this in one fell swoop and enjoyed every second of it.
Profile Image for Alison.
3,688 reviews145 followers
September 30, 2013
So I don't think the Amazon blurb does a very good job of describing the book because it refers to something that happens quite near the end as if it is the start of the story - very confusing.
 
So Alex is a fantastic driver and wants to drive formula 1 cars, but of course she is a girl and so no formula 1 team will give her a chance, even though she is winning every single formula 3 race she enters. At the start of the book she is giving driving lessons at a race track in performance cars - think stag day racing!
 
Rob has just inherited a formula 1 team, plus his father's toy factory (which apparently operates from inside the family home?). He has resigned his position as CEO (I think) of a lingerie company to come back and run the family businesses. To get a better feel for the formula 1 business he books a test drive with Alex's company. He drives badly, she mocks him (not realising that he could give her a dream job) and she drops him off in the village to get a cab. For some reason despite the mocking and anger between them Rob kisses Alex as he gets out of the car.
 
In order to shore up the failing formula 1 business the company decides to try to win new sponsors and gain publicity by hiring a female driver (a move suggested by Rob after his meeting with Alex). The catch? The driver must contribute £200,000 personally.
 
Then Alex's mother announces she has a rare form of cancer, treatment for which is only available privately for £80,000.
 
Alex's ultimate boss, MacCameron, is a creepy rich guy who keeps hitting on her. He offers her the money for her mother and the buy-in to the formula 1 team so long as Alex does what he asks. As they are agreeing the contract terms he slips a date-rape drug into her champagne and tries to molest her. Whilst under the influence of the drugs she signs the contract.
 
Most of the story concerns Alex's trials and tribulations as a racing driver with a management team who treat her like a bimbo and dress her in sexy revealing clothes rather than the safety clothing she should be dressed in. For one reason or another Alex spends a lot of time in press conferences apologising for her behaviour.
 
Rob and Alex become friends but she discovers MacCameron is even more sinister than she first believed. How can she and Rob become close when MacCameron is out to ruin Rob and his family?
 
MacCameron is killed and there are a whole host of suspects.
 
So, plot summary over (at last). I enjoyed the book. It did read a bit like a cross between an Agatha Christie whodunnit and a chicklit novel with a nod to Downton Abbey with ocassional nods at James Bond/the Bourne trilogy.
 
It was well-written and engaging, I would definitely read more from this author although the killer's identity was fairly predictable.
Profile Image for Radd Reader.
1,004 reviews603 followers
October 7, 2018
Plot wrapped up quickly. I didn’t guess the culprit or see the big reveal coming. In the end, there is a HEA.
Profile Image for Michelle ♥ The Romance Vault ♥ .
1,166 reviews97 followers
March 3, 2013
Wasn't sure what this book was going to be like and I was pleasantly surprised by the chatty prose and believable characters.

Alex sure is a feisty girl but when you brought up on the F1 circuit amidst boys and your father wanted a boy then it is going to have an effect on you.

Rob was great, I loved his character, he had a lot on his plate and he was still an affable person and a great male without too much alpha. He had just the right mix of authority with charm and a good sense of humour.

MacCameron, ooh now he's one of those character you just love to hate and hope he gets whats coming to him. His character was written really well.

The things I had a hard time with is the locations. Like when Alex drove Rob to Chichester to St Johns hospital, was this a name change on person, I live not far from Chichester so it seemed strange to have the hospital renamed. Also I don't think the residents of Rogate will my that pleased with the way it was described, yes there are council houses in Rogate but also some very nice residences too. I thought it was slapped as a down and out area unfairly. Sometimes little wrongs like that can really put you off of a good story and although they did play on my mind I wasn't going to let it get to me.

Now this book isn't filled with sex scenes at all, they are skimmed over and left to your imagination so if you wan't that in your romance then you possibly won't enjoy this book. I like books that do have steamy scenes in but I can happily read books that don't if the story is good enough and this certainly was good enough.
Author 34 books7 followers
March 10, 2013
Going by the racy title (sorry – I couldn’t resist that pun), you would be forgiven for thinking this book was an erotic novel, but one look at the cover should partly dispel that notion. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but having read Fifty Shades of Grey and enjoyed it, I was happy enough to see whether I really would be driven to distraction or simply driven nuts.
If you’re expecting erotica, then this book isn’t for you, but if you’re looking for an exciting read, you won’t be disappointed.
Alex is a female race-car driver who is trying to make the big-time: Formula 1 racing. She has to battle the odds, not the least of which is being a woman in a male-dominated profession. She is gutsy and determined and forced to make difficult decisions when the chance of realising her dream is dangled before her by an unscrupulous blackmailer. Her choices make for interesting reading and the action, twists and turns in the plot will keep you enthralled. Highly recommended if you like romance and a fast-paced read.
Profile Image for Dena McMurdie.
Author 4 books134 followers
October 6, 2013
This book exceeded my expectations in many ways. I really really liked the characters. Rob was a wonderful guy and exactly the kind of person I would love to be friends with. Alex was complex and interesting and I really liked the way she developed over the course of the book.

To be honest, the first few pages almost scared me off. They came across as shallow and suggestive, which are two things I don't like. However, by the end of the first chapter, I was hooked.

While the story had more content than I normally like, I didn't feel like it was over the top. There is some language, some non-descriptive love scenes, and a couple of instances of brutality. But most details are omitted and none of it is graphic.
Profile Image for Rebecca Holder.
44 reviews1 follower
October 20, 2013
I don't like to leave reviews based on my personal book preferences, there are books that are brilliant within their own rights and I don't like them because I just don't like them, not because they are lacking in anything. If his were the case I wouldn't leave a review and rating, however I found this book totally predictable and completely ridiculous. The characters Wernt believable, the plot line was way over the top and to be honest there wasn't one aspect that I enjoyed.

I know some of you will probably love it but I'm afraid it's a 1 star from me :(
Profile Image for Dena.
4,455 reviews12 followers
January 19, 2013
This book was a bit dry for me. At times I wanted to not finish it because it was slow. The girl is tough but not and super talented as a driver. She takes rob on a ride of his life and he never wants to get off. The chemistry is there and they make a good couple but sometimes she seems a bit naive and acts like an idiot.

Overall it could have been wrapped up sooner. The story was good and I enjoyed the ending.
Profile Image for Jessy.
404 reviews
April 6, 2013
I just didn't like it. I don't really know what genre to classify it under either. I didn't have any sympathy for the characters (I didn't like them), and their actions/reactions were unbelievable.

Overall, the book was bland and boring. The characters had no life in them. It could have gone through another two rounds of editing, as well; there were some glaring mistakes that were distracting and annoying.

I liked the concept, but the execution was poor.
Profile Image for Helen.
2,905 reviews67 followers
February 8, 2014
This is such a good story it has a bit of everything in it blackmail extortion secrets a fiesty heroine in racing car driver Alex and a hero Rob who is trying so hard to make things right in the family business after the death of his father lots of family issues and a very nasty villain. The romance between Alex and Rob is sensual an on an off this is a story that will keep you turning the pages I really enjoyed it and highly recommend this one.
Profile Image for Katie.
98 reviews12 followers
June 3, 2014
This book started off promising, but by the middle it was clear it could benefit from some editing for spelling and grammar, and F1 knowledge. That said, the plot was full of twists that kept me guessing, and made for a good mystery.
Profile Image for Kathy.
2,207 reviews30 followers
October 27, 2014
I tried… I really did, but I just couldn't get past the choppiness of the writing and fact that I don't like any of the characters. I will be honest and say I didn't finish this book, but after 3 chapters of trying with all my might to read this book, I just couldn't do it anymore.
Profile Image for Mary Mckeever.
86 reviews2 followers
January 14, 2013
It was a pretty decent book. Though a bit chatty at times I finished it in one evening. I can say I will be looking up more works by this author.
Profile Image for MadLoveBookBlog.
615 reviews47 followers
January 16, 2013
I started reading this book and boy I couldn't put it out! I went to bed at 4am, and read as much as possible at work! Very good story, now I want to race cars!!!! OH LORD!
1,330 reviews23 followers
January 29, 2013
This was free on Amazon. I expected to like this more than I did. Unfortunately, I found myself put off by the main characters right at the beginning and never could fully recover.
Profile Image for Lburt.
1,181 reviews15 followers
February 3, 2013
Fast cars, head strong girl, fame, scandal, blackmail, murder, romance what more could you ask for in a book.
731 reviews16 followers
February 17, 2013
I thought the synopsis sounded interesting and it totally lived up to expectations.
Profile Image for Danielle.
19 reviews
July 18, 2013
This book was so engaging! I could not put it down and stayed up all night reading it!
Profile Image for Paula.
259 reviews1 follower
October 7, 2013
This started of really good, then just seemed out of control, silly even, I read to the end, but really wasn't my cup of tea writing wise
Profile Image for Terri.
68 reviews1 follower
November 4, 2013
I kept reading hoping it would get better but it never did. Sometimes it was too bogged down with irrelevant details that I would just skip ahead.
Profile Image for Dena.
1,232 reviews13 followers
February 14, 2014
It's worth a read, not sure of the ending. I just couldn't figure out why she didn't. It was not explained
Displaying 1 - 29 of 30 reviews

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