A LONG, HARD RIDE - coming soon from Alison Kent - there's a giveaway!

I adore Alison Kent's work and I’ll be the first to admit that I could probably be drawn into a dishwasher repair guide if she wrote it. Early March will bring the next in a long line of Blazes by Alison and I was fortunate enough to get an early copy (Thank you, Alison!). This is an excellent book with smart, fun-loving characters, long-standing southern tradition, witty dialogue and steamy sex. No details on the steamy sex except to say that Alison has written some of the most satisfying shower scenes ever (THE SWEETEST TABOO, anyone?), and this one doesn’t disappoint!
Here’s a blurb:
Cardin Worth is ready to tune up her engine—with Trey, her former crush! However, he’s a Davis—one of her car-racing family’s bitter rivals. But she might be able to create peace, and also get some sizzling sex on the side…
… if Trey pretends to be her fiancé, that is!
Having a little fun on those steamy Southern nights seems like a great idea. Just to patch up the feud, of course. Then Trey’ll be leaving town again—this time for good.
But Cardin s not sure she can relinquish the superheated sex… Because Trey s the most talented, uh, mechanic to ever look under her hood!
From 0–60: Going from “Hello” to “How was it?” doesn’t have to take long!
And a link to a great excerpt!
My review:

Rolling into the small town of Dahlia, Tennessee as crew chief for the Corley Motors team at the Farron Fuel Spring Nationals, and subsequently winning, is as natural as breathing for Trey “Whip” Davis. Seeing Cardin Worth leaves him breathless. Whip and Cardin went to high school together, him being a couple of years older, but they never dated; never really even shared a conversation. What they did share was an undeniable, unspoken heat of the most basic kind. They both felt it but Whip left town before they could do anything about it.
Whip has personal business to attend to in Dahlia as well. After his father’s death six months ago, he's decided it’s time to clean out and sell his father’s home and he stays behind when the race team pulls out. When Cardin approaches him indicating that they need to talk, with a subtle promise of more than just talk, he’s unable to resist.
Cardin has her own issues to get straight - namely getting her recently separated parents back together. Their conflict is causing everyone distress, but they both refuse to budge. Cardin understands that their problems run deep and with their stubbornness it won’t be an easy fix, but she has a plan. She’s hopeful that Whip will buy into the fake engagement she’s hashed out, never doubting that the two of them will be convincing, given the emotions they’ve shared for so long.
It doesn’t take long for Whip and Cardin to feel comfortably at ease with the engagement ploy and they quickly realize that those early sparks, although never before acted upon, were simply a promise of things to come. But long-held traditions and grudges are slow to die and family secrets soon threaten to shatter the love that these two have just begun to discover.
I truly think this may be the best Blaze I’ve read to date. You might be thinking the false engagement premise has been done before and you find the notion silly or immature. I guarantee that Alison has done it right and you won’t be disappointed. The reactions to and the results of it are key to the story and it works, plain and simple. The racing lingo is understandable and not over-used, and the southern style and mannerisms of the characters is honest and accurate.

To help celebrate Alison’s book, I’ve decided to do a giveaway for two copies of A LONG, HARD RIDE. I’ll be drawing names prior to the book’s release so as to not interrupt those ever-important early sales, but obviously the winners won't get their books until I’m able to get my hands on them. If you’re interested – and who wouldn’t be, right? – just leave a comment here. You can talk about the usual things, favorite book, character, cover, etc. or chat about something fun on Alison's website or blog. Send a friend who mentions you and I’ll throw your name in an extra time. I’ll draw two names on Friday, February 27th – be sure and check back to see if you won because I won’t track you down!
If you want to pre-order so Amazon will send your copy on release day, pop over here for a copy. Thanks for stopping and thank you again, Alison, for allowing me to read and review A LONG, HARD RIDE for you!

Laurie