Angel Beneath My Wheels

by K.S. Moore

Maybe she was his good luck charm. An angel beneath his wheels.

Beneath his playboy façade, NASCAR driver Luke Brandt yearns for family. Rachel Tate, an inventive, purity-ring-wearing mechanical engineer, wants to prove herself in a male dominated industry. When Luke outbids Rachel on the only two muscle cars she could use to test her new vapor-fueled engine, she writes him off. But Luke’s gentle ways and country charm may win her over—if his past doesn’t cause him to push her away.

When Rachel begins to touch Luke’s heart, he’s haunted by memories of the mother who abandoned him as a boy. But with an intense trust that God will lead her on life’s journey, Rachel perseveres and her innocence and grace breach his defenses. As they join forces to bring her remarkable invention to market, their love and their lives are threatened by the iron-tight grip that “Big Oil” holds over the auto industry. Will Rachel hold on to her values? And will Luke realize his final happiness must come through faith, in the One who has always loved him… and always will?

Genres: Contemporary, Amazon, Romance

260 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 3, 2016

About the author

"To inspire, comfort, and breathe faith and hope . . ."

An avid lifelong reader, I consume at least a book or two a week. When I’m not working, reading, or writing, I spend my free time enjoying the outdoors with my family, mostly at our home on a small lake in Southwest Michigan, occasionally visiting a rustic hunting cabin in Colorado and every once in a while, when we’re blessed with the means, a Spring break vacation in the Caribbean.


My stories are contemporary character-driven tales of ordinary everyday people and the challenges we all face in life: love, friendship, parenthood, morality, mortality, compassion, and faith. My favorite novels are those that reach down deep, wrap up my whole heart and soul, and make me laugh, and cry. And those are the types of stories I strive to write. I want to touch people’s lives. I want my readers to feel better, be better, and live better because they read my words and take them to heart. Through my words, I endeavor to inspire, comfort, and breathe faith and hope into anyone who may despair that they’re alone in this world.

If you'd like to receive an occasional short story about real people who touch the lives of others, and announcements of future releases, please join my email list via my website at KathrynSueMoore.com.

Reviews

[Lori Spielman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kathryn Sue Moore’s inspiring debut, ANGEL BENEATH MY WHEELS, is brimming with romance, passion, and heart. With a spunky protagonist who can turns head and change carburetors—how cool is that?!—Christian romance readers and NASCAR fans will flock to this charming and uplifting novel.

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I frankly don’t want to type up everything that happened Spiritually, Negatively, and Sexually in this book because I know the review would be over 1,800 words and I just don’t have time for that today. There are spoilers in this review.
This review is a Goodreads only review and will not be posted on Books for Christian Girls. It has been marked as a book teen girls should not read by our rating standards.
This review is not for young eyes and those older than 16 please read this review with caution. This is not a BFCG recommend book.

Content:
Negative: Lots of drinking, going to bars & clubs and drinking beers (up to semi-detailed); Fighting, hitting, being hit & blood (up to semi-detailed); Hunting, shooting a buck & blood (up to semi-detailed); Luke curses twice (not written); a “Oh, my God” is said; Many mentions of bars, beers, shots, & alcohol; Mentions of abusive relationships, abusive & the injuries (up to semi-detailed);

Sexual: seven cheek kisses, two forehead kisses, two hair kisses, an almost kiss, three not-detailed kisses, five barely-above-not-detailed kisses, thirteen semi-detailed kisses (kisses that are two to three sentences in describing the actions, feelings & emotions), five detailed kisses (kisses up to a paragraph in details) and three very-detailed kisses (two to four paragraph kisses normally with tongue action); Remembering kisses (semi-detailed to detailed); a recalled nearly rape scene (semi-detailed to detailed. He comes out shirtless and she notices the line of hair to his lower parts below his waist line.); ‘babe’(eleven times), ‘baby’(33 times), ‘hot’(eight times) and forms of ‘sexy’(four times) are all said; Luke notices Rachel’s legs and thinks she should wear very short skirts; Touches & Embraces (semi-detailed); Lots of Noticing, Staring, Nearness & Smelling (semi-detailed); Wanting to love someone physically; Luke is a player and has used many women; Luke pulls Rachel onto his lap once and later in between his legs; Luke imagines kissing, undressing her himself and making love to Rachel; Luke wakes up in the morning after “making love” with a girl who he was thinking & dreaming was Rachel (he does feel a bit bad for the girl and apologizes, but later toys with the idea of taking her home again.); Luke wants Rachel sexually and hungers after her; Luke almost says to Rachel that she “looks too pretty to leave the bedroom”; When Luke & Rachel almost have sex (she asks for him to make love to her), he finds out she’s a virgin and won’t take that away from her (he also says he doesn’t want to hurt her); Rachel asks Luke to make love to her twice (he doesn’t); A wedding night (undressing and noticing curves (detailed), kissing (very-detailed) and mentions of lovemaking, passion & desire); A crude jerk says that a girl “likes it rough, begs me for it” and that she can’t get enough (that would be one of the abusive relationships); A few mentions of a filthy, crude text (not written but implied to be very filthy); Mentions of assaults and the almost rape; Mentions of other women’s revealing clothing; Mentions of an affair that resulted in Luke’s birth; Love, falling in love and a ton of the emotions.

And that’s not even all of it.

One star all around.

Oh, good grief. That is not how I'd like to end the year, thankyouverymuch. I only picked up this book because I enjoy watching NASCAR races. I was hesitant because of the back cover saying he's a playboy. I was hoping that it wouldn't be too bad since this is a supposed to be a Christian book and maybe, I thought, just maybe, there would be a repentance or even (dare I hope) a part where Luke asks God to take away his sins—especially when he learns Rachel is a virgin and won't take that away from her. That right there is the only reason I kept reading, reading past Luke imagining undress Rachel and "making love to her". (Just come out say sex already. You've said that phrase more than enough.) But I didn't get that redemption moment. Sure, he prays near the end and thanks God for her, but that's not a “forgive me God, I'm a sinner” or a “God forgive me” prayer we all need to pray to be with God. There was no big faith moment I wanted and was waiting for.
On Rachel, I'm so disappointed in her. I was going to admire her faith and keeping her convictions, but she does a very poor job of doing so. She was more of the having no sex mindset than keeping her thoughts sexually pure as well--saying he has a sexy voice, really? Must you go there? And then, when they get close to doing it, she goes and leaves her purity ring in a different room and whispers for him to make love to her. Honey, that ain't how purity rings work! The ring isn't what keeps you pure! It's the pledge you made to God that should keep you being sexually imitate—physically and mentally—with a man.
I feel like the author just wanted to throw a monkey wrench in Rachel's side of the romance. His is that he's a player and women throw themselves at him.
{And before anyone comments, no, I do not wear a purity ring. I have nothing against those that do. There is just too many misnomers about purity rings out there.}
Luke was constantly lusting after her and imaging undressing her, taking her home and making love to her (there's that phrase again), not quite explicit but vivid and definitely not something that should be in a "Christian book". He really needed to get his lust and hormones under control, it was ridiculous. They were too sexually attracted. Rachel was so willing to give herself away to Luke for having taken her vow seriously prior to meeting him; she even said she felt safe with him after noticing he looked at her with passion and hunger, like he “wanted to gobble her up”. There wasn't a firm foundation of anything besides that and cars. No God foundation, no faith foundation.
The nearly rape scene recalled and mentions of abusive relationships (physically and sexually) was just awful and sad. I know those kinds of things sadly happen, believe me I know. But there was nothing truly about healing from those kinds of situations or giving it up to God.
I wanted Rachel to pray, to give up her wanting/desire of Luke, to put him and their (possible, they're still unequally yoked!) relationship at God's feet, to pray that Luke would come to God (possibly even without her leading him. She got caught up in that maybe God would use her to lead him back to his faith that she forgot that the goal should be Luke having a faith. Period. Her concern should be his relationship with God, not their relationship.) but no, she didn't do that. She prayed for want she wanted. She wanted him. She mentions she had hoped for a nice Christian man, but apparently she'll settle for an unequally yoked relationship. There was no character building or growing. They were too busy drinking, making out or thinking of having sex, that the faith moments were scattered and few.
The casual drinking was obnoxiously annoying. The casual bar/club going was just plain annoying. I don't feel like that should be glorified as okay in a Christian book. Rachel, who's supposed to be the Christian main character, drinks at a bar and has no concern for driving home. Um, what? Are we low-key promoting driving under the influence? Why was that bit not acknowledged?
Luke kept calling her ‘baby’ and ‘babe’ which has to be a huge pet peeve of mine, but I nearly lost it every time he called her “little girl”, especially when referring to her sexual purity. That’s not romantic, you twit.

Overall, I just disappointed. Not just in this book, new-to-me author or newer publishing company, but that the Christian Fiction market thinks this is all okay and that we have to be of the world now to witness to people. We're as Christians supposed to be in it, not of it...then why is a ton of our fiction books showing otherwise?

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was good and I enjoyed but it just didn't seem like something that could happen in real life. I loved how the purity ring was made a major part of the story, as was the girls faith in general. Yet at the end we're never told for sure if she's going to be marrying an unbeliever even though we're commanded not to, or if he's been saved. There was also just a bit too much of a graphic focus on sex in the book for my taste.

[Jennifer Robb · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of this book fooled me a bit--I expected one of the main characters to be in a wheelchair or to have one of the main characters end up in a wheelchair. Instead, the wheels in the title refer to a love of cars and engines. One of the main characters is a race driver and the other is an engineer with an interest in improving car engine efficiency.

I enjoyed the overall story and the characters, but I did wonder about Luke's cluelessness about women. It's hard for me to believe that one guy could make so many missteps with one woman (and that she would continue to forgive him so many times). I also didn't really understand Luke's reasons for not being on speaking terms with God (as he put it) nor what changed his mind about it.

I didn't like that the author had Rachel give in to her desires and be willing to break her purity pledge (even though it probably is realistic to what happens in real life). I think an opportunity was missed to show young readers who have made a similar pledge what they could do to keep their pledge intact even in spite of passions and emotions wanting to lead you down a different path.

[Aline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for a honest review. It's my first book by Kathryn
It's the story of Rachel women who grew up loving cars et being a gear head, et a NASCAR driver Luke et there love story.
It's not easy et she trusted in her faith et God to show her the way.
There was fights, mean words, jealousy, inventions. It was a great story. I loved how Luke renewed his faith.
It's a definite recommend.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent story, and while I'm not sad I read it, it's really not the kind of thing I typically prefer. Unfortunately (for me) I keep finding free things, and they're rarely the kind of thing I like to read.
The only major glaring error in this one is in the final pages, when the (spoiler) children are shown an experiment where the father drops two objects, and the marble hits the ground first (because it's more dense)? Seriously? Third grade science class will show you everything falls at the same rate in a gravity well, regardless of it's weight/density. Air resistance is the only thing that prevents this I.E. a sheet of paper has too much resistance to do this), marbles, balls, basically, anything that weighs enough are all going to fall at the same rate, regardless of their size/weight/density. Bad science there. (yes, that bothers me).
Overall though, a decent tale, but not my kind of thing.

[Mary Albers Felkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet and passionate read. Author demonstrated clear knowledge of NASCAR and mechanical engineering, created two southern TN characters who send sparks flying in both romantic tension and disagreement. I would have appreciated less mention of whiskey shots and beer drinking, given the hero was not wrestling with a deep-seeded problem with alcohol, but I also realize this fits the environment of TN honky tonk night life. For a girl who'd committed to keeping herself pure until marriage, wearing a purity ring to boot, she'd needed to find a Christian girlfriend or spiritual support outside her father. Alas, her friend group was limited to the relatively mild party gang. Despite incredible temptation, heroine fights to save herself for the hero. Bravo!

[Kristine Brickey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though Christian romance is not my chosen genre, K.S. Moore asked me to read and review her novel. This is a very well written, descriptive tale that revolves around Nascar and uncommon roles in the deep South. As a survivor of domestic violence, I appreciated the truth in Moore's approach to her topic. I would rate the quality of writing her a 4.5, but simply because I personally do not enjoy the references to Bible verses and God's plans in my readings, overall rated this a 3. I would definitely read Moore again.

[Cheryll Snow · Rating 4 out of 5]

The premise of Ms. Moore's book is interesting. NASCAR isn't something I would normally want to read. But she keeps things interesting without bogging it down with too much description about the racing world. I really liked Rachel. She is not your typical female Christian protagonist. She's feisty, independent, and respects herself and her walk with God. I like that she's flawed, along with Luke. The southern dialogue was a bit cliched at times, but overall I think it's a solid debut from a talented writer. I look forward to future titles by Ms. Moore!

[Barbara Keigher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a mixed bag....the purity ring was featured and that was a good thing, but at the same time ,the girl did a fair amount of drinking....not that was sinful in itself, but when you drink as much as it seemed these young folk..... you might have a hard time, staying true to your promise to wait until marriage. Also there was a bit too much graphic sexual overtone.

[Bonnie Blackledge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book by K.S. Moore that I have read. It was very different from most of the books I read - probably the first one that revolved around a NASCAR driver and a woman who invents carburetors. I found it better than I expected, mainly because there was a lot of intrigue that I didn't expect. There were a few things I found difficult to accept. I'm sure there are people out there who wear a "promise ring," but although I consider myself a Christian, I don't know anyone who does. I also got tired of Luke always telling Rachel how pretty/beautiful she is. There's more to a woman than her beauty. Other than that, I did enjoy this book and recommend it.

[TRUDY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slow read.

Slow reading at first but it got better.I kept thinking that Austin would return to hurt them but that did not happen.Needs clearer presentation of the gospel message. A christian girl who drank? Not sold out for Jesus in my opinion.

[J. Sandra Wrobleski · Rating 3 out of 5]

NASCAR and a Love Story

If you enjoy both you'll enjoy this book. The darlin country twang and the Christian faith built in are a plus, and I like the influence of a woman mechanical engineer. There's also a little bit of music and danger to add for reading enjoyment.

[Lynda Knapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable!

Although I don't follow NASCAR, I enjoyed reading this book. I was nearly set to not like this book because of NASCAR, but I was hooked from the beginning. I loved Rachel - she was such a character. All of the characters were realistic. I do recommend this book.

[Patti · Rating 2 out of 5]

First half is TOO drawn out!!

[Precious Gaston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must be destiny

I got this book a year ago and realize i have not read it, i missed a whole year! Its wonderful! :-)

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book

Enjoyable story. I really enjoyed the plot and the characters. Would have liked a little more around her dad, but it was good.

[Lillie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story had an interesting plot of a NASCAR racer and a mechanical engineer, both inventing carburetors to improve gas mileage. However, it had too much emphasis on the physical relationship and too many moral missteps for it to be a good example of Christian romance.

[Michelle Kaderly Welsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Angel Beneath My Wheels by K. S. Moore is a novel racing fans, car enthusiasts, and romance fans will enjoy. Moore clearly knew her stuff about cars, racing, and the invention process. Luke Brandt, a hot shot race car driver, needs to learn about real love, and Rachel Tate, an intelligent and innovative engineer, needs to learn to trust again. Though clearly a romance, the novel tackles tough issues such as abandonment, abuse, grief, and date rape and also encourages earning promotions rather than getting them by knowing someone in high places. I like Rachel’s strong ethics and applaud Moore for including waiting until marriage as a worthy goal in her novel.

I thought that Luke’s lustful thoughts were repeated too often. However, I like that Luke saw the importance and value of purity and kept her from disappointing herself in a moment of insecurity or weakness. I was a bit sad that she was willing to lose it after a hard long battle though it ended well. Luke’s true heroism is in that he respects, honors, and treasures this goal even thought he hasn’t achieved it himself.

I appreciate Moore’s characters’ honesty. I especially noted where Rachel “questioned whether she was following the path God intended for her or was it the path she wanted to follow.” Many people struggle with that question.

I admire Moore’s descriptions as they put the reader in the scenes, help the reader hear the race cars roaring, and feel the pain, fear, and anger of the characters.

This is a fine first novel by Moore. My only concern is that some readers may be uncomfortable with Luke’s vivid lustful thoughts.

I got my free kindle version through a special offer on Amazon.

[R.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from the author for the purpose of this review. All comments and opinions are entirely my own.

Learning to trust is hard, especially when the last person you trusted left deep scars.

This is the main issue both Rachel and Luke deal with all through the book, and believably so with their pasts. Rachel and Luke’s story is a memorable one, with plenty of highs, but also with the way they are able to overcome the lows.

It is clean of cursing and other language, however there are several detailed, intense kissing scenes, mentions of rape, abuse, and some other heavy topics that some readers may want to steer clear of. Our friend Luke also has the reputation of a womanizer and typically likes to take them to bed (though there are no detailed scenes of this happening, there is an instance in which we clearly know what happened between himself and another character).

Even though all of these issues were dealt with through the story, they were in place to show that no one is perfect and someone is always struggling with something. And especially that, yes, even Christians struggle daily, but when we turn our focus back on God, we are able to overcome those struggles.

Angel Beneath My Wheels is a fantastic book that I really enjoyed and would certainly recommend to others who want some realistic characters and a realistic story in Christian fiction for once. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

This review was originally published on Literature Approved (http://literatureapproved.wordpress.com).

[Dotty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for free in return for an honest review. I had to read this book being from and living in North Carolina, NASCAR country. I was not disappointed.
Good, clean believable story about forgiveness and trust. This is a book my granddaughters can read.
  Luke Brandt, NASCAR driver, and Rachel Tate, engineer, have a relationship worthy of several caution flags! Both have painful past issues to deal with, and that keeps them from being able to completely open up to each other. 
Luke Brandt has done well on the NASCAR circuit, and he gets plenty of attention from women. He feels abandoned as a child, he always pushes them away at some point, because getting too close may mean hurt. When he meets Rachel, he wants it to be different, because she’s different.

Rachel Tate loves cars and is designing a special fuel-efficient carburetor. When Luke comes into her life, she knows he’s bad news, but she’s drawn to him anyway. She can see a lot of potential in him, but he doesn’t have a strong faith, and their core values are different.

[Nikki Lostinsweetwords blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to thank the author for kindly giving me a copy of angel beneath my wheels to review.
This is such a sweet love story of finding yourself and learning to trust someone through all the odds.
Luke is the ladies man of NASCAR but underneath his front he wants to be a better man but with memories that are difficult to push away Luke finds its tough to let himself love someone. Until he meets Rachel she everything he could ever dream off and he won’t stop until he convinces her to give him a chance.
Rachel doesn’t get off to a good start when she meets Luke and wants nothing to do with him, she doesn’t need a cowboy strolling in thinking he can save her even if he is seriously charming. With Luke not giving up Rachel soon starts to soften to him when she sees a different side to him and begins to think Luke was put in her life for a reason. Can Rachel and Luke define all the odds that will push them apart?

[Phyllis Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angel Beneath My Wheels by K. S. Moore

A lady at a race car auction? All Rachel Tate wanted at the auction was the engine of the 1966 Ford Galaxie, five hundred XL – specifically its high powered 427 FE race engine. A well-known race car driver, Luke Brandt bid higher than Rachel could afford to pay. He got the car. She got angry.
Buying old cars and restoring them was something they each did in their individual workshops.
Writer, Moore, delves into Luke’s thoughts and emotions, an unusual element to have insight into the guy’s reasoning in a romance story. Luke was intrigued with Rachel’s beauty and her lack of interest in most things considered girly. She was skilled and loved working on cars and was creating a new carburetor design for race cars. He mostly watched the designer.
There is enough conflict and excitement as well as mystery to keep the reader’s interest in turning the pages.

[Alex Haber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rachel Tale was a mechanical engineer who was determined to work in a business which was overpowered by men but Rachel believed in the guidance of God. Luke Brandt NASCAR driver acted like a playboy who had a lot of life issues beneath the surface. I can’t lie there were times where I wished I could talk to the characters to see why they did the things in some the scenes. I really enjoyed how the author wrote about the issue of rape. This book is grammatical correct which I appreciate makes the story easier to read and imagine and I really enjoyed the little hints of poetry. To be honest when I saw the title I thought about wheelchair wheels so the wheels of a car were a surprise and to say the truth I don’t understand a thing about cars and racing but I still enjoyed the pure love in it. I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the very first page, K.S. Moore grabs your attention and pulls you into Rachel and Luke's story. What I loved most about the two main characters was the authenticity of their relationship. I could relate to some of the things that they went through together, and was encouraged by the way they were able to overcome certain things. All of the characters were very real, and I really enjoyed the plot - I even learned some new things about NASCAR and cars in general! Anyways, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. it was a true page-turner, and I loved it! (I was provided a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for sharing my fair and honest opinion.)

[Nancy Mosier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was provided a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for sharing my fair and honest opinion. Angel Beneath My Wheels was an engrossing read and I recommend it for anyone who can appreciate cars, action and romance! It is refreshing that the main character, Rachel, is an Engineer and understands cars. She is building her career in a male dominated profession and not really looking for love. When the handsome and charming race car driver, Luke, enters her life, Rachel is true to herself and her Christian values even though it may cost her a relationship with him. In the end, they teach each other how to trust again.

[D.H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished a fun read called Angels Beneath My Wheels, by K.S. Moore, a NASCAR romance! If you know anything at all about me, you know this book was right up my pit road!
Luke Brandt, NASCAR driver, and Rachel Tate, engineer, have a relationship worthy of several caution flags! Both have painful past issues to deal with, and that keeps them from being able to completely open up to each other. The author shows the depth of Rachel's faith and how it effects Luke and their relationship well. Mysterious break ins in both of their shops, and a newly designed vapor-fueled engine draw the couple closer than trading a little paint. I was reading it during the Bristol race, even! I enjoyed it!

[Patricia Kiyono · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this fast-moving tale of a woman who learns to trust and a man who learns the true meaning of love. Fast with women as well as cars, Luke Brandt finds the one woman who isn't swayed by his fame and looks. Rachel is intelligent and complex - and she's perfect for him. This well-written story kept me reading far into the night, between appointments and even during meals! I highly recommend it to anyone who loves an engaging romance. I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Jessica Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher for sharing my fair and honest opinion. From page one of this book K.S. Moore had me hooked. The characters were relatable and realistic. When Rachel was mad with Luke so was I. When her hard exterior started to melt away and allow Luke in I felt like I was right there with her. This is more than a simple love story. It's about life and the effects it leaves on people and how those people can heal and find love in what seems like the most unlikely place. You will not be able to put this one down.

[Shawn Aulbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was provided a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for sharing my fair and honest opinion. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish. My attention was captured from the beginning and I was pulled into the story. I think anyone could relate and pull connections into their own lives from the characters. In addition, the imagery was amazing and the author captures the reader's attention, allowing you to see the story unfold before you. A story of romance, action, Christian values and trust! It was a hard one to put down….