REVIEW: Racer by Katy Evans

In Racer (Real #7) by Katy Evans, Lana Heyworth is on a quest to find the best driver in the world to move her family’s racing team to the top of Formula One. It’s a last ditch effort and one in which she refuses to fail. But she’s not sure if she should thank her lucky stars or wonder if fate is laughing at her when she runs into Racer Tate. Like, literally runs into the side of his car. Turns out the illegal street racer is one hell of a driver and he sets out to prove he’s got the chops to drive a Formula One car. Lana can’t deny his talent but she will have to deny his advances. She needs to make sure he stays focused on winning so they can hopefully, finally see her father’s dream come true. Racer turns out to be everything her family needs in a driver. And he quickly becomes everything in her life that is right, showing her that it’s all right to think of herself for once and to take a chance on love.

“Let me love you.” He presses his forehead to mine, his rough whisper making my heart squeeze. “Love me back, baby.” He cups my face in one hand and asks it reverently, as if he doesn’t deserve to ask but is still asking.

‘I’m Racer Tate and this girl is mine.’ That’s Racer’s first thought when Lana crashes her car into his mustang and he gets a glimpse of the girl who will change his life for the better–permanently. Up until meeting Lana, racing was the only thing that filled the void inside him. His famous father, boxer/fighter Remington Tate, would like to see him enter the ring, but driving fast has always been Racer’s passion. Now it seems Lana is vying for first place in his heart and his mind–and he’s totally fine with that. As long as she can deal with his shortcomings and the issues that have popped up in the past couple of years. She’s got enough problems of her own with an ailing father and their racing career having lost momentum. But Racer intends to be the one to take care of Lana, win the Grand Prix for her family, and prove to everyone that the sky’s the limit when you have the right person by your side.

“You going because you want to race, or you want the girl?” Dad asks.
“Both. I’m racing; and I want the girl.” I look at him. “Tell me it can happen for me like it did for you. That I can find someone to get me. To take me, as is.”
…”I wish nothing more.”

Holy hotness!! Talk about insane chemistry. Racer Tate and Lana Heyworth made a spectacularly compelling couple, and their search for acceptance, redemption, and a HEA just blew me away emotionally.

“I’m standing in one of those moments where you realize beauty is made up of a thousand tiny pieces–some pain, some bittersweetness, some hope, some love–and the end product is that life is worth *living* it.’

There’s a very good reason why Katy Evans is one of my favorite authors: She just *gets* people. Their emotions, their flaws, their vulnerabilities, what makes them tick. All of it. Her characters leap off the pages and seem so real to me. Racer was no exception. Now, I’ll admit that I honestly wasn’t so sure about Racer Tate at first, so it made things a little slow going for a while. He was just SO cocky and arrogant. In that, he was definitely his father’s son. But the swagger, thankfully, was more about racing, about proving himself, than it was about how he was with family and friends. As we learned more about Racer and the battles he was facing, I came to simply adore him. I absolutely loved how he took one look at Lana and knew that she was The One. That he was going to marry her one day. Seriously…it was swoon-worthy. And it was sweet that Racer looked up to his parents, Remington and Brooke, and wanted to have a love like that, realizing that he might have found it in Lana if she could accept him, flaws and all.

‘Nobody said it was easy to fall in love with a Tate.’

Lana definitely had her own struggles to deal with. Her family was kind of in shambles, as was their racing business, and she wanted to find a way to save it all–to make her dad’s dream of winning the Grand Prix a reality. Lana had a lot of responsibility on her young shoulders. But she was a people-pleaser who liked taking care of everyone. It was so endearing to see Racer take care of her and make it known that that was his job, his pleasure, to make sure she knew she was loved and was cared for. *sigh* Lana was actually the one holding back emotionally in the relationship which made sense after learning about her past. Once she committed to her feelings, though, she was all in. I loved watching her strength shine through while being there for Racer, her father, and as she worked out her emotions about it all.

Okay, so Racer’s relationship with his family was pretty awesome. And, yes, we got to see Remy, Brooke, and even other characters from the Real series. But it was just ridiculously funny to see how Racer and Remy kind of (lovingly) picked at each other, flipping each other off and verbally scuffling. There was definitely a lot of respect between them and their struggles were similar, so I loved seeing them support each other. We even got to see Remy impart some important fatherly advice that brought tears to my eyes and which had things come full circle between Remy & Brooke’s story and their son Racer’s journey.

Uber romantic and hot as sin, Racer’s story was every bit as intense and dynamic as any of Evans’ previous novels, in my humble opinion. I laughed, I shed a few tears, and I remembered exactly why I fell in love with this series in the first place.
 

Book Info:

Publication: September 28th 2017 | Katy Evans | Real #7

A sizzling new standalone contemporary romance by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Katy Evans.

A bad boy with something to prove.
A woman with a mission.
The race of their lives.
The love of a lifetime.

I don’t think his parents expected him to live up to his name—Racer Tate—but once he felt the adrenaline rush behind the wheel, he was addicted.
He’s the fastest, fiercest driver around.
Scouting new talent brings me to his doorstep…
but his smile sends me to my knees.
The sexy, mysterious Racer Tate is not the kind of man a girl like me falls for. He’s secretive, reckless, elusive. But his proximity pushes me beyond reason, and his kiss….
This is our last chance to win, and he is our only hope. I’m supposed to watch him—make sure he doesn’t get into trouble. But it’s an impossible task. And now the one in heart wrenching, toe-curling, soul-crushing trouble is me. Because when your heart belongs to someone, their truths become your own, and their secrets become your salvation…or your curse.
He says he wants me. He says I’m the One. But he also thinks he’ll break my heart, one piece at a time until it’s gone.