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Overheated
Things Crystal Hayes could do her looks, men obsessed with her looks, and guys who think they're God's gift to the ladies. She'd rather be behind the wheel of a truck than navigating cheesy pickup lines. But when Crystal makes a delivery to a NASCAR event, she meets the one guy who could blow all her preconceptions away.…
All his life Larry Grosso has lived in the shadow of his well-known racing family—but it's now time for him to take what he wants. And on the top of that list is Crystal—breathtaking, sweet…and twenty-two years younger. Their age difference is creating animosity within their families, and suddenly their romance is the talk of the entire NASCAR circuit!
All his life Larry Grosso has lived in the shadow of his well-known racing family—but it's now time for him to take what he wants. And on the top of that list is Crystal—breathtaking, sweet…and twenty-two years younger. Their age difference is creating animosity within their families, and suddenly their romance is the talk of the entire NASCAR circuit!
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 2007
2 people are currently reading
128 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Dunlop
466 books150 followersBarbara Dunlop is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over sixty romance and romantic comedy novels, including the new Paradise, Alaska Romance series for Berkley and the recent Gambling Men series with Harlequin Desire. Published in multiple languages across a worldwide market, Barbara’s books have received numerous awards with a number of her stories optioned for film and television.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 15, 2008
Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Aug08
When Harlequin first came out with their NASCAR series, I wondered how long it would last. Well, it’s been going strong for two years now and doesn’t appear to be losing any gas (pun intended). According to NASCAR statistics, about 30 million of their fans are women! So I’m guessing this venture is proving profitable for both parties and I must admit that I’ve enjoyed the NASCAR stories I’ve read so far. My latest from this series is “Overheated” by Barbara Dunlop.
Crystal’s a NASCAR fan by proximity mostly. Although her parents and their company do machining for the different crews, she’s just an underpaid and overworked truck driver and delivery person. She’s had to fight the prejudices that come with her model-looks all her life, so when a stranger tries to ‘help’ her lift her latest delivery to the pits, she’s not exactly welcoming. She’s secretly amused, but outwardly aloof. Turns out he’s part of a well-known racing family, but not involved in racing himself. In fact, he looks like a businessman, but is actually a rocket scientist mathematician. Who knew geek could look so good?
As for Larry, he’s suddenly realizing that his genius IQ doesn’t seem to be able to force his brain to process correctly when Crystal’s around. The more time they spend together, the more he’s attracted to her…and vice versa. But he’s 22 years older than she is. Heck, his son is older than she is! But when the solution is love, what do numbers have to do with the equation?
There are a lot of issues packed into this 250ish page novel--abandoned pets, age differences, single parenthood, financial burdens, death of a spouse, current space theory, and public/family opinions. While the author doesn’t preach on any of them, she does provide some interesting viewpoints that might make you ponder the subject a bit. I enjoyed the fact that the focus of the novel wasn’t a driver or mechanic or owner. Seems like most of the NASCAR series novels I’ve read featured one of those and I found it refreshing that this one did not. Her characters dealt with their issues in a relatively realistic manner, even if their incredibly good luck is something I’d love to have! The love scenes were very tame and I wouldn’t have any problems letting a teen read this one, but the tension was still there.
In all, I enjoyed reading “Overheated”. My only complaint would be the almost ‘too’ neat solutions to most of the couple’s problems. I saw it coming VERY early on and wasn’t particularly surprised by the ending. But if you’re a fan of a softer, sweeter romance with a hint of speed, then this latest by Barbara Dunlop should grease your wheels!
When Harlequin first came out with their NASCAR series, I wondered how long it would last. Well, it’s been going strong for two years now and doesn’t appear to be losing any gas (pun intended). According to NASCAR statistics, about 30 million of their fans are women! So I’m guessing this venture is proving profitable for both parties and I must admit that I’ve enjoyed the NASCAR stories I’ve read so far. My latest from this series is “Overheated” by Barbara Dunlop.
Crystal’s a NASCAR fan by proximity mostly. Although her parents and their company do machining for the different crews, she’s just an underpaid and overworked truck driver and delivery person. She’s had to fight the prejudices that come with her model-looks all her life, so when a stranger tries to ‘help’ her lift her latest delivery to the pits, she’s not exactly welcoming. She’s secretly amused, but outwardly aloof. Turns out he’s part of a well-known racing family, but not involved in racing himself. In fact, he looks like a businessman, but is actually a rocket scientist mathematician. Who knew geek could look so good?
As for Larry, he’s suddenly realizing that his genius IQ doesn’t seem to be able to force his brain to process correctly when Crystal’s around. The more time they spend together, the more he’s attracted to her…and vice versa. But he’s 22 years older than she is. Heck, his son is older than she is! But when the solution is love, what do numbers have to do with the equation?
There are a lot of issues packed into this 250ish page novel--abandoned pets, age differences, single parenthood, financial burdens, death of a spouse, current space theory, and public/family opinions. While the author doesn’t preach on any of them, she does provide some interesting viewpoints that might make you ponder the subject a bit. I enjoyed the fact that the focus of the novel wasn’t a driver or mechanic or owner. Seems like most of the NASCAR series novels I’ve read featured one of those and I found it refreshing that this one did not. Her characters dealt with their issues in a relatively realistic manner, even if their incredibly good luck is something I’d love to have! The love scenes were very tame and I wouldn’t have any problems letting a teen read this one, but the tension was still there.
In all, I enjoyed reading “Overheated”. My only complaint would be the almost ‘too’ neat solutions to most of the couple’s problems. I saw it coming VERY early on and wasn’t particularly surprised by the ending. But if you’re a fan of a softer, sweeter romance with a hint of speed, then this latest by Barbara Dunlop should grease your wheels!
November 11, 2011
My first NASCAR romance. Pretty good may december story. The age difference here is 22 years. The heroine is 28 and the hero is 50. I enjoyed that the story involved difficulties revolving around their age difference. Their families did not approve. The ending was a bit facile but not so much that it impaired my enjoyment of the story. The NASCAR element was not overwhelming. So if you're like me and all you know about car racing is that they go around in a circle and occasionally crash, you won't be lost in the details. I particularly enjoyed the serendipitous story concerning Rufus, the dog. But really, why are so many dogs named Rufus in stories? I think more heroes should be named Rufus but maybe that's because it's my husband's name. And then there's Rufus Sewell. Seriously hot.
January 22, 2009
Chris and I met this guy (ie: the guy on the cover) in Amsterdam. I have to give the book five stars for that reason alone!
January 16, 2016
Overheated by Barbara Dunlop
Harlequin NASCAR Library
Secrets And Legends Series Book 9
Professor Larry Grosso has buried himself in his work since his wife passed away three years ago. Unlike his family that has four generations of racing in their blood he prefers solving mathematical problems rather than driving. His son Steve even joined the racing world by working with his cousin, Kent. When he meets the most beautiful woman ever he decides it may be time to move on with his life.
Crystal Hayes hates being beautiful. She’d done the trophy wife thing and never wanted that again. Even dressing down didn’t help hide her looks. When she met Larry she realized that maybe there was someone out there who could care for her beyond her beauty and even take the time to realize she had brains as well. If only she can convince him that being over twenty years older than her don’t matter.
Love don’t always make life easier. Steve is sure that Crystal must be a gold-digger and others tell Larry she deserves someone younger. Tell their hearts that. The series continues with past issues. Patsy wants her husband Dean to retire, but after trying for a championship for thirty years he’s not ready to quit without it. There are still past mysteries to be solved. Book ten continues back with the Murphy family in Teaming Up.
http://justjudysjumbles.blogspot.com/...
Harlequin NASCAR Library
Secrets And Legends Series Book 9
Professor Larry Grosso has buried himself in his work since his wife passed away three years ago. Unlike his family that has four generations of racing in their blood he prefers solving mathematical problems rather than driving. His son Steve even joined the racing world by working with his cousin, Kent. When he meets the most beautiful woman ever he decides it may be time to move on with his life.
Crystal Hayes hates being beautiful. She’d done the trophy wife thing and never wanted that again. Even dressing down didn’t help hide her looks. When she met Larry she realized that maybe there was someone out there who could care for her beyond her beauty and even take the time to realize she had brains as well. If only she can convince him that being over twenty years older than her don’t matter.
Love don’t always make life easier. Steve is sure that Crystal must be a gold-digger and others tell Larry she deserves someone younger. Tell their hearts that. The series continues with past issues. Patsy wants her husband Dean to retire, but after trying for a championship for thirty years he’s not ready to quit without it. There are still past mysteries to be solved. Book ten continues back with the Murphy family in Teaming Up.
http://justjudysjumbles.blogspot.com/...
June 7, 2009
I was a bit iffy whether or not I would be able to get into this story if it was NASCAR heavy but the sport just served as a backdrop to set the stage and lives of the characters more than serve as a center. Crystal and Larry are a cute couple and I really loved that Larry was a mathematician/rocket scientist who worked for NASA. Crystal was a bit too feisty at times but seemed at her best when caring for her family or dog.
The drama between Crystal and her family felt more developed and focused than the romance with Larry. Love scenes were kept "offscreen" and behind closed doors which would appeal to sweet romance fans looking for some good ole fashioned romance (although there's a good amount of witty sexual innuendo and banter between the hero and heroine). I wish there was a bit more chemistry developed between Crystal and Larry and perhaps it could have had the chance in a longer story. I felt kinda like Larry did every time they kept getting interrupted! Despite these minor flaws, I enjoyed reading their story as well as seeing how Crystal came into her own as a person and within her own family. The niece and nephew were too cute!
October 24, 2008
How could I not love a book whose main character shares my name?
September 25, 2009
Modern
October 15, 2018
A twenty plus age difference between the main characters.
It's not often I find a pair with the much of an age difference.
It's not often I find a pair with the much of an age difference.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews