"Checker Flag for Britton"

Pamela Britton is mostly known for her Regency era Historical Romances. So I was curious how she made the jump into Contemporary Romance with a NASCAR theme. I must say Britton is hitting her stride here, her voice more fluid as a Contemporary writer. She's obviously done her racing homework, and strongly portrays the NASCAR world. It's a nifty drama that leaves me hoping Britton does more contemporaries.

Cece Blackwell is a FBI Agent. She's in the middle of a case ready to break open when her boss yanks her from that assignment and pushes her into a racecar circuit case. She has to work undercover, posing as a NASCAR groupie, while trying to get to the bottom of a racecar driver's death. She threatens to quit her job because of it, but her boss is determined to keep her on the case since she is the only one with enough knowledge to be believable in the high- powered, high-states world. Exacerbating the upset is the fact her high school crush, Blain Sanders heads one of the racecar teams. Sanders' NASCAR team employed the man who died. When she confronts Blain, he says he requested she run the investigation. He knows she is good with the cars, the circuit and can blend in well, so will cause minimum fuss while the investigation runs its course. Blain would accept the death of the other driver was an accident, but for the threatening letters, which came just before the man died.

Cece must race to find a killer, while the throttle on her attraction to Blain is thrown wide open. The fast pace of the writing matches the racing theme, and the hero and heroine are deliciously attractive, drawing you in to the high-profile world of stockcar racing. Britton makes the transition from historical romance writer to contemporary romance writer with ease. It's pedal to the metal fun.

Reviewed by DeborahAnne MacGillivray
Posted August 5, 2005

Summary

Special Agent Lea Blackwell is smart, savvy and knows her way around a race car. Heading up a team to investigate the murder of a NASCAR driver is right up her alley. The only problem is NASCAR star Blain Sanders, the man who requested her. Blain is well-heeled, well connected and drop-dead gorgeous-and he knew Lea when she was a drag-racing tomboy with grease under her nails. But Lea has grown up since then, in all the right places. And while catching the killer is her main objective, she's not above making the man who ignored her as a teenager squirm a little. Two people on a surefire collison course. But Lea and Blain are about to discover that the sweetest victory does not always come from winning. . .