Slow Ride

by Kat Morrisey

Kyla O'Grady hit the gas and drove her Mustang out of Rock River, Pennsylvania with one goal in mind: find somewhere to start over. Her life had gone sideways back home and Kyla needs something new, something fresh, and she needs to find the music again. But on a stretch of road off the coast of Maine, her car has other ideas. Broken down just inside the town limits of Ashten Falls, Maine, Kyla is stranded.

Cooper Moretto has a problem. In fact, the whole town of Ashten Falls has a problem in the form of a corrupt town official. Cooper had enough on his plate to last a lifetime, but on a stretch of highway heading into the town he spots a '67 Mustang Coupe and does what any decent mechanic would do: stop to help. But getting this car back on the road is the last thing on his mind when he sees its owner, singing as if she weren’t in the middle of nowhere.

Kyla is speeding away from her past, unsure how to move forward. Cooper has been on cruise control, just hoping to get through every day without being arrested or harassed. Can the two slow down long enough to see that maybe the answers to both their problems lie in each other? And can they survive when enemies that are lurking in the shadows try to destroy them both?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary

248 pages, ebook

First published January 13, 2014

About the author

Kat Morrisey wrote her first series of short stories—Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys fan-fiction—when she was ten, and moved on to New Kids on the Block fan-fiction when she was twelve. Her route to becoming an author has taken many twists and turns including earning a degree in English from St. Bonaventure University, earning a law degree from Syracuse University & passing the NYS Bar. After having a law practice and teaching as an adjunct at a local college she now works as a project director at a non-profit agency.

Despite the detours she has taken her destination has remained the same--to write books loaded with love, hope, a side (or a lot of sides) of sexy, and of course, a happily ever after.

She resides in Marcy, New York where she has easy access to half-moon cookies and tomato pie. When she isn’t writing she can often be found writing, reading, or facing off against her adorable but moody cat, Olive.

Reviews

[Shari-amor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Won in a giveaway held by the author

Kyla O'Grady is leaving her past behind to start fresh again out on the road when her car breaks down outside a small town in Maine. Cooper Moretto, a mechanic in Ashton Falls, spots her on the side of the road and swoops in to help her out.

Was a pretty good read. I enjoyed both Kyla and Cooper. I loved reading Kyla's journey and watching her develop into a stronger person. Was a beautiful thing.

Although I felt Cooper had strong feelings toward Kyla and was protective, I felt it was overbearing and I found him to be dismissive of her. Yeah they talked it through in the end but it was mostly on his terms. If Kyla wanted a chance to step back and simmer, he wouldn't go for that. Sometimes a person just needs to collect themselves.

I felt the subplots were more of an afterthought, it didnt really have too big of an effect on the storyline or the characters that I thought it would.

Overall, a decent read.

[Sunny☼ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book from the moment I started to read it. I fell in love with Cooper the minute I saw his picture on this extremely hot cover and the words inside reinforced my initial feelings. He knows what he wants and how to get them. His control is gentle but consistent. He is man enough to say he is sorry when wrong and he listens to Kyla's reasons for how she feels. He listens. Cooper just hit my all time hot heros list.
Kyla was skillfully written to stay true to how her history influences her and to her self progress from the dark to the light. The red herrings worked and the climax was a white knuckle read. I can't wait to meet Sam. This series is a must read.

[Gemma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started badly, lol, I didn't like how the female was coming across, just bitchy and weak. After the first chapter I WAS HOOKED! LOVED IT. Our guy was hot, sexy, alpha male but still soft and sweet.

Our main girl got over her issues, wasn't too needy or broken even though she had a right to be.

Seriously hooked, give this book a chance you won't regret it.

Will be looking for more from Kat Morrisey thats for sure.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow Ride was just okay for me. A woman fleeing an abusive relationship tries to start over in a small town rife with police corruption and some real nice, caring people. She meets a big, hunking mechanic when her car breaks down and they eventually form a solid relationship. There are a lot of side stories, like the police corruption, that are never really focused on. The book seems to skip around a lot. And, don't be fooled by the "motorcycle" cover, this definitely isn't an MC book.

[Tiffany Do · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Thanks to the author for providing me with a free e-copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.*

Kyla O'Grady is on the road, trying to escape everything that happened to her and on her way to an unknown place in her Mustang when all of a sudden the engine starts to sputter and die off. Cooper, a mechanic and also a person whom helps others in order to help them better their lives sees Kyla on the trunk of her bed singing away like her car didn't break down. From the very first moment, he becomes intrigued by this mysterious beauty and she with him, this handsome but irritating mechanic. Helping her out with her car, Cooper soon becomes enamored with everything about her and they soon start to cross unchartered territories with one another hoping not to overstep any boundaries.

Slow Ride was an amazing book. I felt like Kyla was a really great character. She was strong, maybe sometimes a bit stubborn, but she was fierce for a female character. I liked how she wasn't afraid to say what she was thinking of but at the same time could defend herself if someone did something to her or talked bad to her. Cooper was sometimes a bit overbearing, but I felt as though he was a great character as well. He just cared way too much about Kyla and sometimes did things without a second thought or glance of what Kyla might've thought which was sometimes annoying. However, their relationship progressed at a really good pace and I liked all of the characters in the book except for the few which were the enemies. The part where there was a bit of fighting was great because I really didn't see it coming. I was just so shocked and it was great to see Kyla using some of her defensive skills in order to keep herself alive. Her being abused by her ex in the past was horrible to read about, but this was her fresh start and it was read about that happening. However, there could've been more to the story with Frank and whatnot. It would've been interesting to read about if he ever encountered Cooper and the gang. All in all though, it was a great book and I really enjoyed reading it.

[JadeShea · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC:
Slow Ride begins when Kyla's precious mustang breaks down in the middle of nowhere... Well not really, it breaks down in a very small town that has a whole lot of crazy stuff going on with the local police chief. But when a sexy man comes to help her, Kyla's ready to tell him to hit the road until he says he's the only mechanic in town. Now she has to figure out how to come up with the money to take care of her car, and figure out with to do about the mechanic Cooper.

Cooper sees Kyla and instantly knows there is something about her that gets under his skin. So now he wants her to stay in town as long as possible to try to explore what he knows they have between them. He offers Kyla a job to help pay off the repairs for her car, and she accepts. These two then share a beautiful romance, that gets interrupted by outsiders who do not want them to be together.

This book was very good! I really enjoyed the story line. And the characters were awesome as well. I only have a few complaints and one is there were a few instances when something was explained and it happened a certain way to the character, but then a little bit further in the book that was explained again but completely different this time around. This happened a few times, not often but a few. And then the other thing was it felt like a lot of conversations were repeated, especially in the beginning. And that was just frustrating. It felt like Cooper said the same thing to Kyla quite a few times in the book. But other wise the book was awesome! And I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[PepperP0t · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25stars really
Kyla O'Grady has no idea where she plans to start her life over but her car Lola does. Not only has Lola decided their do over will begin in Ashten Falls, Maine, Lola's decided that mechanic Cooper Moretto will help. But Ashten Falls isn't the idyllic haven it appears nor is Kyla looking for a fresh start because she was bored, unfortunately those things have something in common.
There were a couple of minor things in the beginning of the read that annoyed me (i.e. how did she know his name?) but didn't detract from the story and the minor inconsistencies disappeared quickly. Also, since that's the worst I can say about this read - it really doesn't matter. I liked both Kyla and Cooper as a couple immediately, their flirting and getting to know each other felt natural and comfortable. In fact all the of characters were vividly drawn and easily definable when interacting with others. Even the villains of the piece seeped into the pages and their evil was felt long before they were introduced. I also enjoyed the flow of this delicately woven Sunday afternoon read which gave sufficient doses of romance, drama, humor, suspense and action - clearly saying there was no need to pick up another book. Another item of mention tucked in very neatly, but begging to be mentioned is the thread carrying a cautionary tale about dark romances. (Who says reading can't be educational?) It brought home that all ill-fated romances don't look the same but could be just as wrong for you.

[⚜️XAR the Bookwyrm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read, but felt a bit drawn out. There was a minor suspense angle in it, but that wound up being a bit of a letdown because it was a major source of tension and wrapped up too quickly and neatly for it to have been such a major part of the plot. The main characters were quick to jump into a relationship and that was mentioned too many times within the story. I liked Cooper’s way of being an Alpha hero, especially since he didn’t have a glamorous job like most stereotypical Alpha Heroes. Kyla was very much the tortured heroine, and while I admire the way she handled herself after her previous boyfriend, I didn’t care for how much she tried to retain her independence in the face of Cooper’s desire for a relationship. It seemed to come off kinda bitchy more so than anything else. All in all, a decent read and one I’ll likely re-read when looking for a touch of romantic suspense.

[Yazmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

<p>In <span><em><strong>Slow Ride by Kat Morrisey</strong></em>,</span> Kyla O’Grady is trying to get as far away from her previous life as possible. So she packed her bags and hit the gas on her car Lola, the farther away she gets the safer she will be. She is carrying a heavy guilt about her past, but is hiding even more from it before it catches up to her and finishes her this time.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Cooper Moretto and the entire town of Ashten Falls have a big problem, namely a corrupt town official that is killing the town. He and his close friends have taken it upon themselves to protect the innocent and the ones unable to protect themselves from said official. Read More...

[Fallon Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read this book twice now. I was sent an eARC by the author and I purchased a copy when it was released. I have enjoyed it each time I've read it. I liked Kyla and her determination to start over. I loved Cooper: he was tough and protective, but he wasn't a wimp and he wasn't a total jerk. The bad guys made me shudder even during the second read through. I loved the interactions between the different characters and especially all the friendships.

I look forward to reading more.

[Roseanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hooked from page one. Between the crocked cops, the diverse characters, and the mustang name Lola, I was thoroughly entertained. The story became somewhat predictable near the end, to me at least. I was pleased with the growth that Kyla had throughout the book. The secondary characters were well developed, and I hope that they will get their own book in the future. Grab your beverage, a throw, and get comfortable while visiting this small town.

[Natasha εïз · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book! I was, practically from the beginning, already running through scenarios on how this author was gonna wrap up the story because of the trouble in the storyline seemed almost predictable. Because I spent time guessing how she's wrap it up, it kindof took me out of the story. Overall it was a fun read.

[Kelly Marie]

This book was awful! I guess I could have tried harder to read the entire book but the violence against women was just too much for me! The language was a bit too much but I could overlook that, but not the violence. I would have liked to finish the book but it's not going to happen. Soory but that kind of content turns my stomach and is not enjoyable to read.

[Judi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a lot of problems with continuity. The timelines, days and weeks, jumped all over the place. Cooper mentions Kyla by name when speaking about her to Phil, then the next page he asks her her name.

Not major errors, but enough that I found it distracting.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd say really two and a half stars. I liked it okay, but although it had potential, not much depth in the romance or the underlying plot. I will probably read the next book just to see if it gets better.