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Fast Track #4

The Chase

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Kendall Holbrook is determined to make it to the top, even with the challenge of being a woman on the male-dominated racing circuit. She doesn't have time for romance-especially not with racing rival Evan Monroe, the man who nearly crushed her dream years ago. Tricked into meeting him, Kendall is experiencing all those old feelings again-and she can't deny that they still have enough chemistry to set fire to the track.

280 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 5, 2011

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2682 people want to read

About the author

Erin McCarthy

215 books4,826 followers
USA Today and New York Times Bestselling author Erin McCarthy sold her first book in 2002 and has since written over a hundred novels and novellas in teen fiction, new adult, and adult romance. Erin has a special weakness for high-heeled boots, beaches and martinis. She lives in Ohio with her family, two grumpy cats and a socially awkward dog.

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Displaying 1 - 29 of 317 reviews
Profile Image for Leah.
1,320 reviews342 followers
May 5, 2017
This book was very good. For the most part. I really enjoyed most of the novel. There was something at the end that just didn't sit well with me at all and made the book go to hell in a hand basket, but I will get to that in a bit.


I never really thought much about Evan (Aven, anyone?) in the previous three books, but I was pleasantly surprised by him in this book. I actually really like him, and I thought he was utterly adorable. He was really sexy, too. Which sucked because I couldn't seem to picture him sexy! Whenever I pictured Evan in my head, I kept thinking of Evan from the television show Royal Pains.

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Adorable but not sexy to picture naked!


Kendall I loved in the beginning. I really did. She was awesome, especially after the 10-year miscommunication between her and Evan was cleared up. I didn't start having a negative opinion about her until The Event At The End That Pissed Me Off. But we'll get to that in a moment, as I said before.


I absolutely love Tuesday, and I think that there is a real possibility that she will become my absolute favorite female of the series. I cannot wait to read her book when it comes out in October.


Finally, I will discuss The Event At The End That Pissed Me Off. Be warned: there will be spoilers in this paragraph and I am not hiding them. So, with about fifty pages left in the book, Kendall and Evan get married. Cool. Whatever. That didn't make me mad. A few pages later, we find out that Evan got a girl pregnant five months before. Also didn't make me mad. What made me mad about the baby thing:

1.) I felt like the pregnancy thing was just thrown into the story in order to cause conflict and drama between Kendall and Evan. Because, clearly, the fact that they impulsively jumped into marriage after barely getting to know each other after a ten year separation and "dating" for only a month was not enough of an issue. Now we just have to throw a paternity issue into the mix! That is the solution to too much happiness!

2.) It was almost exactly what happened to Elec (Evan's younger brother) in Flat-Out Sexy. The only difference is that Evan actually was the baby daddy and Elec was not.

3.) This is the thing that bothered me the most about the baby bomb: Kendall's reaction. I think that Kendall was being extremely childish about the whole thing. She was so gung-ho to get married so now she has to act like a married person. How about, gee, I don't know, actually talking to your husband instead of being a baby, locking yourself in your bedroom, making him sleep on the couch, and then ignoring and avoiding him. Yeah, you are real mature. Fucking idiot. All she had to do was talk to Evan about it. He made mistakes in his past and she made mistakes in hers. Instead of holding it against him and pushing him away, she needs to pull on her fucking Big Girl Panties and have a rational discussion with her partner about how they are going to deal with the situation.


Overall, I think that the book was pretty good. I mean, the baby thing pissed me off, but I really, truly enjoyed the book before that and liked it again once Evan and Kendall finally worked the damn situation out. However, the baby thing left a bad taste in my mouth, or mind as it were, taking the starage down one.
Profile Image for Auntee.
1,356 reviews1,469 followers
April 11, 2011
Oh...soooo much better than the last book of the Fast Track series (that would be Suzanne and Ryder's story, Hot Finish). The Chase is a lovers reunited story, and the lovers in this case are NASCAR race car driver Evan Monroe, 29, and 28-year-old rookie driver Kendall Holbrook, each driving for the same team. Kendall and Evan were young lovers 10 years ago, headed for marriage, when a big misunderstanding came between them. They wasted 10 years being angry at each other, when a simple conversation could've cleared things up. Now thanks to a friend of Kendall's (Tuesday Jones) they've finally cleared the air between them, realized their foolishness (okay, they were young) and decided that they still have feelings for each other. Can Kendall and Evan pick up where they left off ten years ago, or will career pressures (her career is on the rise, his is on the decline) and a woman from Evan's playboy past come between their new found love? Will Kendall's continued insecurities threaten her happiness with the man she never stopped loving?

Evan...
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I really loved this one, so much more than Hot Finish. I think it was because I enjoyed Kendall and Evan so much (compared to Suzanne--who I often found annoying, and Ryder). Evan was a sexy sweetheart; impulsive, laid-back, but a bit naive. Kendall was a petite, buxom blonde tomboy who made it big in a man's world, yet struggled with insecurites about not being "good enough". She was prone to running away when the going got tough emotionally, and there was a time or two when I wanted to slap her and say "grow up"--look at all you have and what you've accomplished!

The sex scenes between Kendall and Evan were mega hot, but did not take over the whole book. There was a story here, and Erin McCarthy did a good job telling it. The story moved at a good clip, and there wasn't one moment where I wanted to put it down. I did think that maybe it ended a little too soon, with a few things left unresolved. But maybe we'll catch up with this terrific duo in the next book, reporter Tuesday Jones's story (Slow Ride).

Fans of this series, don't miss this one. Evan is almost as desirable as his younger brother Elec (Flat-Out Sexy), and you'll be rooting hard for him to work it all out with Kendall. You'll also wonder just what is going on with his publicist (sister Eve) who surely needs her story told too. You'll catch up with Suzanne and Ryder, and Elec and Tamara, and witness some sibling rivalry between Evan, Elec, and Eve. There's plenty of hot lovin', some potholes in a passionate relationship, but plenty of reason to believe everything will all work out. This was one quick reading, passionate, contemporary romance...and boy was I sorry to see it end. A very enjoyable 4 1/2 stars.
Profile Image for Shawna.
3,803 reviews4,733 followers
April 10, 2011
4 stars – Contemporary/Sports Erotic Romance

This was an enjoyable read, but it’s not a series favorite for me. Evan and Kendall were hot together, and their romance was both steamy and touching. But something about their relationship also felt a bit immature and like overeager, anxious, reunited teenagers in love. I felt like they each had some growing up to do and together as a couple.

I loved Evan! He was so unbelievably sexy, sweet, and understanding that at times he seemed almost too good to be true. I understood Kendall’s insecurities with trying to gain her place, recognition, and success in the male-dominated, competitive world of stock car racing, and there were times that I wanted to both hug and shake her. Evan was so supportive, affectionate, and tender with Kendall, even when he showed his goofy side. They seemed to bring out the best in each other, and I was glad when Kendall finally realized how well Evan understood, accepted, and respected her as both a sexy, desirable woman and a top-notch, capable driver.

I was really rooting for their developing, strengthening relationship, and the big, shocking twist out of left track that tested their commitment really pissed me off. The ending felt rushed, and I didn’t like how the major issue was glossed over and left relatively unresolved. I’m hoping we’ll see more of Evan and Kendall together in the next Fast Track story, Slow Ride, which has me intrigued and excited after reading the enticing excerpt at the end of this.

So although it’s not my favorite book in the series, The Chase is still an entertaining, smokin’ hot contemporary sports romance with a sexy, sweet hero, a genuine heroine, funny and touching moments, and steamy love scenes. 4 stars!

Profile Image for Ingie.
1,480 reviews167 followers
May 23, 2015
Written March 19, 2015

3.3 Stars - Nice, romantic, steamy,...well okay.

Book #4


The Chase is the fourth part in a m/f series I really liked so far. As book number 3 was I listening to the (7:40 hrs) audiobook again. ~ Very, very well narrated by Emily Durante once again.

Fast Track is a m/f contemporary romance series about NASCAR drivers (stock car racing) which has been very good stand-alone romances (in my taste) so far. (Reviews: )

***********************************************************

It was time for the fourth part. This time was it the story about the female driver Kendall Holbrook and Evan Monroe, the man she had an intense (teen) love-affair with ten years ago which ended heartbreaking. They have both tried to avoid each other all these years but from now on driving for the same racing team isn't it possible any longer.
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I'm sorry to say but I think this one was a lot of smex and a lack of story. There was a nice "second chance" topic, some surprises and good drama, lovely easy liked characters, nice short meeting with old acquaintances, and fun moments in between the steam scenes.

I couldn't really see who this heroine 'was' here. She ended up as kind of mysterious for me. ~ Why did a tough girl like Kendall who, as a unique 28 year old woman, managed to reach the top in this manly racing world behave so insecure, silly and anxiously teenage-like in other parts? Should not she, as an example and character, had slightly more strength and charisma. ~ The hero Evan however, as always in this book-series, is a drool-worthy stock car driver and a future-hubby-dream-guy.
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Whatever, I can't but be honest, there were just too much bedrooms time here for my taste. I wanted and expected, for good reasons and past experiences, much more from Erin McCarthy's gifted pen.

Add to that: this book ended kind of strange. I'm not sure I liked that. There was a HEA but anyway... — I really hope we will get more answers about the future for these lovebirds in the next part, Kendall's best friend Tuesday Jones' book (#5 - Slow Ride).

***********************************************************

Well, well, no more nagging...
This wasn't all that bad. The Chase is amusing and kind of good enough in this light & easy m/f romance genre. Not in the highest class this time though.

Applauses to this great female narrator. She does this kind of m/f books perfect.

I LIKE - yes I did, although I'm a tiny bit disappointed
Profile Image for Robin *loves sexy books*.
214 reviews
April 7, 2011
i originally thought this was going to be 4 stars, but the ending was incredibly sweet that i had to put 5 stars on it.

i liked kendall and evan from the beginning, and since they seemed to get together pretty quick, i wondered what the rest of the book was about and what kind of obstacles they would have to overcome.

well, there was a doozy!! i was not expecting sara (evan's one nighter 5 months ago) to show up and say she was preggo with his kid. 6 days AFTER he and kendall got married. wow.

i have to say that i thought kendall was a little bit of a brat the way she handled it. obviously not the ideal thing to happen, but they weren't together at the time, yada yada.

the way they got married, their vows, him giving her the ring he bought for her 10 years ago, the end where he sang and she ran into his arms....sigh, all of that was so sweet and i got choked up a couple of times too!

the only thing that bothered me a little is that there was no conclusion to the pregnancy thing. she left that open and didn't jump ahead to when/if sara ended up having the baby.

and it looks like tuesday's story picks up 5-6 months after this book, so hopefully she will revisit evan and kendall and baby.

cannot wait for eve's story!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Desperado.
75 reviews
September 7, 2011
The Chase is the 4th book in the Fast Track series by Erin McCarthy, a contemporary romance series about NASCAR drivers. The first two books, Flat-Out Sexy and Hard and Fast were extremely good. The third book, Hot Finish, was mediocre at best. I was hoping that McCarthy would get her groove back and that The Chase would prove that the hot mess of Hot Finish was a fluke. I was wrong. I didn’t think it was possible, but this book is actually worse.

I’ve always liked Evan Monroe’s character but never really thought of him as hero-worthy. In this book he proved that he could definitely hang with the sexy heroes preceding him, Elec Monroe, Ty McCordle and Ryder Jefferson. He had this endearing, laid back sense of humor and was possibly the most romantic of the Fast Track heroes. His desire to make it work with the girl who broke his heart as a teen and his determination to not let his fear of getting hurt impede him was both a joy and heartbreaking to watch. His scenes were by far my favorite.

Then there’s Kendall. Incredibly stupid, immature, insecure Kendall. Was there ever a moment when I didn’t wish she would get run over by a monster truck? Ah yes, the scenes where she shut the hell up. This girl-because that’s exactly what she is, contrary to what her birth certificate says-had issues out the ying yang. She had this amazing ability to get in her own way. You could even call it a superpower. Not only was she insecure about anything and everything-who the hell complains about their perfect breasts,anyway?-but she over-analyzed everything too. If Evan gave her a bouquet of flowers, Kendall would think “Is this his way of trying to break up with me?” Oh my God, how did this girl even manage to dress in the morning? And the immaturity! Kendall didn’t do much screaming, but there was a hell of a lot of stomping, silent treatments, not answering calls/texts, and locking doors. There is no doubt in my mind that Kendall was the worst of the ladies of Fast Track. Even worse than Suzanne-the heroine of Hot Finish-and Suzanne made me want to scream. If Kendall was excluded from this book, I’d give it an A+ and buy copies for all of my friends.

Then there were the contrived obstacles that were periodically thrown at Evan and Kendall to make their road to HEA-happily ever after-all the more difficult. As if being able to occupy the same room as Kendall wasn’t difficult enough. The “Being with you is going to get in the way of my dream” obstacle. The “My boss doesn’t want us to be together” obstacle. The “What if you don’t really love me? Maybe you just think you do?” obstacle. And the last obstacle, practically jumping up and down with WTFery, which I’m going to put in spoiler tags:



Whew. It felt good to get that off of my chest. Suffice it to say, this book was horrible and it had everything to do with Kendall and nothing to do with Evan, his wonderful friends and family and Kendall’s hilarious best friend Tuesday. As much as I’m tempted to continue this series because the next book is about Tuesday, I won’t. To quote a phrase Kendall used to excess in this book, I can’t do this anymore.
Profile Image for Dinjolina.
538 reviews548 followers
April 11, 2011
I could not wait to read this book!
These series are a fav of mine. The book before this one was a bit vague, but still miss Erin can pull a happy ending out of anything! And I really need my dose of non –angst-y happy endings.
Sure the third book was a bit off with that but I lived trough it and even liked it a bit.
So you can all see why almost fainted when I finally got it and started reading. I was hoping this one was fab! Boy, was I wrong.

I loved Evan in the previous books. He was a cute passing character and it made me glad he got his book. Woooho for him!
But I loved Kendall as soon as her name appeared on the pages. I mean really loved!
She was this strong stubborn type that did everything for her dreams. Dreams that were typically reserved for men. But she made it.
Still, she felt insecure. And how could she not? It was a tough world out there.
We find out she even broke up with the love of her life because they had a misunderstanding about her dreams.
So basically we have a female that was very real. She had real goals and real problems. How much fun was in for me huh?
I love it when characters fight normal life problems. Just love it! Don’t you?

So our two characters meet a lot of bumpers in their road. Don’t all romantic novel heroes? But I loved them so much I almost had a happy dance when they realized they love each other still. They always did. They always will. They were just sole mates.
And you know what? I liked this book so much up to this point! There were sports, fast cars, indipendent women, sexy men and everlasting love. What else, I ask you, what else?

So there I was gushing like mad because my hh will get a nice clean happy ending. There just are not a lot of those out there. It is like the authors just have to mess up all the good stories so the book could be longer. So there could be some angst.
Well listen to me!
My life is angst. I put myself trough school, I work, I am trying to build a future…I just see all the hurt in this life and I want no more of it in my reading.
Forget angst! Give me love!

Any way, I taught I was going to get it here.
But then….oh…then…then I wished I never read it in the first place.

Spoilers ahead. Please continue at your own peril!

The last I looked my characters were deliriously happy and married in haste so they could make up for all the lost time.
The heroine has just won a race and made her self a one woman legend.
Meanwhile the hero gets a text.
‘’I am pregnant you are the father’ from Sara, the stupid blond we all knew and shook our heads at in Ty and Imogen’s book.
What?
I ask you again but with a lot of shouting involved WHAT????!?!!
Here I debated with myself to just put the book down and send the author a hate mail.
Yes a hate mail.
I had this weird feeling that this was going to happen when it was revealed that Evan was dogging Sara’s persistent phone calls.
But then I stopped and said to myself – There is no way that this author, this very good author with so many romance book under her belt is going to pull the stupidest ‘lets thicken the plot’ move in cont. romance out there.
But she did.

The strange thing was it all felt like she just made it up in the last second. And this can not be true because Evan having sex with Sara was 2 book earlier. She had to have planed it.
So ,how did it all go so strange and wrong?

This girl in book 2 and 3 was a moron. A blond bimbo that spent too much time in the sun. When there was any conversation involved with her she was all like Nikki. Race car driver ooooh! stuff.
So who the hell is the Sara in this book?
Her doppelganger?
You are going all Vampire diaries on me here!
Because THIS Sara is a nice student that is going to become a nurse. She is smart and well mannered.
What?
WHATWHATWHAT?
And still, she was having a FU:KING kid because she was kind of hoping they would date.
No, I kid you not.
She had sex with a dude , a random dude without ANY protection. I mean, the pregnancy was kind of a win, right? It could have been AIDS!
And this drunk dude that had sex with you did not call you again.
Ever. And never returned your calls.
Se let me take a wild guess here.
He cared nothing about you.
You were what you were- a hussy he topped while drunk.
But now, in your 6th month of pregnancy you polish your angel halo and go tell him. By text. At a race.
OMG!
So, tell me, what is wrong with this chick?
She tells Evan, all pregnant, at the damn races, with his wife behind her:
Well I wanted this baby and you would not approve!
Why would you want a baby in the beginning of your 20 es while you are at school?And all this with a guy that you nothing about and had nothing but drunk sex with?
Well, she was hoping they would date.
You had a kid in hope he would date you?
OMG again! OMGOMGOMG!
I mean, when I was reading these points she made, my eyes were the size of saucers!
Some women should be put down like rabid dogs!
It’s like we were supposed to be born with a womb instruction manual that would be given to us when we enter our teenage years.
First rule : Do not have kids for stupid reasons!!!!!!
Any way….why did she not tell him sooner?
Well, she did not want to tell him over the phone.
But you know then she realized he got married and decided it was totally ok to tell him over a text while stalking him on the track.
Smile smile!
Do I even have to OMG you again? You get my drift.
And really all of this was Nikki’s idea.
Again, how can she be this smart little student at the same time as a moron that maintained a pregnancy out of moronic reasons while listening to her dumber then dirt best friend!
Oh and ‘she looked hungry’. so he gave her money. Is her best friend not the chick that lives on lettuce? And was Sara not her copy? Could it maybe be she was trying to be Adriana Lima and get out of her pregnancy with less weight than she had before it?
But no! This is not the end! It is the beginning!
This is where Evan goes all twilight zone on me.
He fusses about her.
And why does he fuss? Sure, she is having his kid. I would be worried too! She is a moron after all! But gentle? FU.KING NO! Look at all the stuff the crazy chick did! What is wrong with you? If she was not pregnant with your kid you should have kicked her senseless!
(and yes-OMG!!! Frustration!)

So, where are we now? Aha, yes! The author destroyed a perfectly nice HE with a stupid plot turner so she could get paid for 50 pages more.
And really this whole thing brought really little page time. It was all wrapped up so quickly I hardly had time to comprehend.
So why….God…why? :cries under the moon while shouting at the sky:

Catherine ,a friend here at goodreads wrote a thing I found most true.
‘What is mine is mine and I do not like to share. And what I like in life I like in my books’
Well, me being a chick and all I fall really hard for my heroines. So if there is angst I fell mostly her angst.
And boy, did I feel it in this book!
My heroine was super unhappy!
Some other woman was going to give birth to a child. A child that was part of the man she loved her whole life.
The man that did not have sex with women for years (as he stated himself).Just this stupid drunk blond mistake.
The man that she knew could have been hers for 10 years if she did not leave him. And she left him because of a misunderstanding.
Talk about angst.
I have enough problems with heroes that had kids in previous relationships. But for a hero to have a random kid, just now, just this minute while being with the hroine? For him to fuss over an other woman? An other woman that is going to give him his firstborn?
I mean, having kids is a woman’s biggest secret. They can not have kids without you. And you gave him a little part of himself that will live another life time, that will depend on him for good.
Imagine not being able to give him this first. Imagine being second fiddle to an other woman. An other woman that will have her dna mixed up with the the love of YOUR life forever! And he will experience the fist joy, love, care for a child with somebody else. You will not be the one in labor. You will not….you just will no longer be the one. You lost a part of him forever. And you will have to share. But mostly you will have to watch. Him fussing. Him caring. For the child, sure. But for the woman also.

I imagined how I would feel in this situation.
I would be devastated.
I am sure I would still love the man.
But could I get over the fact that life has stolen something from me?
I don’t know.
That is the thing. I have no idea if I could live with the jealousy. Really.
I mean, after this I can only thank God that I am already 3 years in a relationship and I already know all the previous sex encounters that did not involve me did not give my finace a child of his own!

And then Evan felt compelled to leave racing so he could be a future parent.
He was leaving his dream to be a father.
He was leaving it all to be with somebody else’s kid.
Super. Just damn super!
He will not be there to se K. win. He is leaving her, alone at the track at the beginning of here career. He will not be there at her wins. Well, maybe sometimes. But they will not be on the road together. No. He is going in to the parenting business.
Su-fu.king-per!

So…I hated this plot. It was terrible and I actually started crying.
Partly for the heroine and partly because I imagined being there, and it happening to me.
Agony.
And agony I did not need, to be frank.

Do you know what happened after this? Can you guess?
Believe me, you could not.
Because it was mostly nothing.
There was some ring tossing. A brake up. The usual.
Then the hero sang at a race and they made up.
So next thing you know they are sitting at their spot at the lake and being lovey dovey and he is telling her that he loves her because she understands him having a kid.

Why was this plot even introduced, why was the heroine having a mental brake down , why was I having one right along her side just to turn the page and find her ok with it all?
The only thing I thought was-MAN THIS WAS SO STUPID! And it made no sense! Almost as much as Sara and her split personality!
The thing that baffles me is that all of this seems to hint that the author planned all this.
Why? The show us that an other pregnant woman can not destroy love?
That even thou one minute you feel like there are three people in your marriage (and you are perfectly right) the next you are cured? You feel not a spec of doubt or feel a second of pain?
Really, why?
Because it was really unnecessary. It destroyed a super love story about second chances (and this is my fav kind!). To what end?
I most certainly do not know.
But then I had an epiphany.
I did know.
The author told us a hundred times. K. could not get pregnant just jet because her future was just starting. So huh…what to do? Get Evan to have a kid, her to have a career, and all of them happy five years from then when she is retired an can give him more kids.
Oh, what a super wrap up!

Um…no.Wait. It was not.
The reason I liked this book in the start was because the heroine had real problems. So, if the author really solved those I would be the first one in line to tell her that she has my undying devotion. But this thing she did? It all seems like covering her tracks, trying to hide the fact that she bit more that she could chew.
And it all left a foul taste in my mouth.
So...4 stars for the the stuff before 'You are the father of my baby girl' stuff. And 1 for the horror that was after that.
So all in all...around two and a half stars.3 to be nice.
Profile Image for D.G..
1,439 reviews334 followers
April 4, 2016
Two things happened in this book that are two of my particular pet peeves:

1. One character gives everything, the other one takes: Evan was the one that made all the effort in this relationship. When they were young, they had dated but Kendall left him without an explanation because she misinterpreted the way he reacted to something. Instead of calling him out like any normal person, she never talks to him again, crushing the guy, who was crazy in love with her. Her behavior was of course, abominable, but she was so young that I could understand why Evan gave her another chance 10 years later. However, I couldn't BELIEVE when she did it again at the end of the book! When Evan needs her the most, she gives the guy the cold shoulder! She finds a way to make every situation (no matter how unrelated) about HER. I was so freaking MAD! Even worse, Evan is the one that reaches out to her over and over again.

2. The ridiculous public gesture: A woman that requires a man to make a fool out of himself to prove his love is a moron. I HATE this in books. HATE IT, HATE IT, HATE IT.

Kendall was one of those women that had her cake and wanted to eat it too. Even though she was successful, pretty and with breasts the size of melons, she didn't feel feminine enough. I guess being a race car driver wasn't enough for her, she had to be Martha Stewart too. Give me a break. I felt like slapping her and taking her man away from her.

Not sure if I'll read the next in the series. Maybe when I'm in the mood for something hot in audio.
Profile Image for Jess.
1,075 reviews158 followers
March 26, 2011
One of the oddest endings I've read. It's a fun story, Kendall and Evan are so lovable and their scenes together are sweet, sexy and just enjoyable. The "twist" at the end did nothing for me. It felt just kind of tossed in, and it didn't let the book really finish. Yes, there's a conclusion to Evan and Kendall's story, but this plot twist felt very random. It was used for 30 pages of angst, and I don't think it was needed.

Next up Tuesday's story, yay!
Profile Image for Ksenia.
222 reviews27 followers
April 6, 2016
I want to say right away that in this case 3 Stars is a positive rating. This book has one of my pet peeves, and it actually speaks volumes about Erin McCarthy’s writing that I still enjoyed The Chase so much. In truth in the past books with similar plot line ended up being 1 or 2 Stars for me.

Until 70 % mark The Chase was good. This book was about Evan Monroe, whom we’ve met in previous books and Kendall Holbrook who was the only woman in the car racing team and who also happened to be Evan’s first love.

We met Evan in the first book Flat-Out Sexy and he was present in the second and third books. I can’t say that I was a big fan of him. He came across as a careless player who was all for the sex and fun and had serious issues with commitment. In truth I wasn’t looking forward to read Evan’s story and thought about skipping The Chase. In the end I decided to give it a try and Evan surprised me. In this book I saw the real man behind his player facade and understood the reasons of his actions.

Kendall was a likeable heroine. On the outside she is very strong and brave, the first female race driver, but on the inside she is very vulnerable and insecure. Evan and Kendall fell in love as teenagers, but their relationship ended up abruptly leaving them both heartbroken and angry, so years later there were a lot of sexual tension, memories and feelings between these two.

The additional perk was that we get to see all couples from previous books. This book was like coming home: comfortable and familiar.

As I said before it all was good until 70 %. Then very insignificant event happened. But it made me very nervous. I had a really bad feeling where the story was heading. So during next chapters I was anxiously waiting if my suspicions would come true. About 80 % in it happened. After this revelation I actually thought about DNFing this book. I’ve read several books with similar plot line and unfortunately in all of them it was executed badly. One book particularly comes to mind. I’ll put it under spoiler just in case. In that book the hero behaved awfully, I wanted to into the book and strangle him. So at this point I thought that The Chase would end up the same way. And this is where Erin McCarthy proved me wrong. Evan dealt with this situation in such mature and responsible way; he totally won me over in this part of the book. And while I still wish that the story didn’t go in this direction, I amazed at how much I liked this book.

Overall The Chase was a sexy and funny second chance story. I’m sure most of readers won’t have any issues with this book, since it was my personal pet peeve that didn’t let me fully enjoy The Chase.

You can find my reviews: Ksenia's blog SomethingDelicate.com
Profile Image for Mandi.
2,352 reviews734 followers
April 8, 2011
The Chase is the second book I have read in this series and I liked it so much better than the previous book, Hot Finish. The Chase is full of humor, a very charming, sexy hero and a heroine who really appealed to me. Kendall and Evan have quite a history. They fell in love as young adults, only to break up and not speak for years. Now ten years later, their friends are tired of them carrying baggage around with them. So they are forced to talk about why they broke up all those years ago and they realize it was a simple miscommunication. Sitting together getting all of their feelings out brings about that spark of attraction – and of course some cocktails help speed things along too.

So from quite early in the book, these two are in a good place in their relationship. There are no huge obstacles they need to work through (except at the end which we will discuss in a moment). They really both love each other and just need to figure out how to reconnect and work their romance into their career driven lives. Evan reminds me a lot of Ford from The Sweetest Thing by Jill Shalvis. He is very charming, sexy and loves to tease. He is also having a very poor year as a racecar driver. It is nice to see a hero who is not perfect in life. His driving basically sucks, but that becomes not so important to him once he starts dating Kendall.

Kendall struggles with being the only female on the circuit, but she can hold her own. She is aggressive pursing Evan but still gets flustered around him. After they sleep together for the first time, there is an awkward moment where she is trying to leave and she gives him the thumbs up. She has these little dorky moments that make me smile. She is a tomboy who loves to be with the guys on the track, but she is still a girly girl inside.

This book is an excellent read up until about 40 pages from the end. And then this huge conflict is thrown in from left field that left me scratching my head. I would have been perfectly content with the story ending right before this happens. I just see no reason why this event had to be included in this story. And after it is introduced, I don’t think sufficient enough time is spent dealing with it.

Overall, The Chase is a super sexy, fun read that I definitely recommend.

Rating: B
Profile Image for Val ⚓️ Shameless Handmaiden ⚓️.
2,088 reviews36.1k followers
May 24, 2013
This is probably unfair and childish of me, but I'm rating this otherwise great book a 1 based solely on the horrible "twist" and its rushed, awful conclusion. I absolutely LOATHED the ending to this book. LOATHED.

First, it involves two of my biggest storyline pet peeves. Second, I couldn't stand how everyone just expected Kendall to easily accept and get over something that I consider a pretty big effing deal. It made me angry at the peripheral characters and it made me really dislike Evan.

I'm sorry, but when I read romance, I want an HEA and this ending was a disappointing, twisted perversion of it and I hated it. And I'm gonna be a big whiny baby about it and say that it's ruined the series for me.
Profile Image for Splage.
631 reviews395 followers
May 25, 2011
I am torn... and I have read many of the other reviews and I agree wholeheartedly that the twist at the end pissed me off and left me unfulfilled without a true HEA. That is all I am going to say about the twist because I accidently read it was coming in a spoiler and I wish I hadn't. I just wish it was resolved in a different way or wasn't true.

Now for the rest of the book, I LOVED it. This is a auto buy/favorite series of mine and a favorite author. Loved the first 2 books, 3 was good, but had expected more from it, but 4 was back to high caliber (minus that little problem that I am not going to talk about). The Chase was sexy hot! beautifully hot! tastefully hot! The dialog gave me lots of smiles, the chemistry between Kendall and Evan was explosive and sweet, the story was a page turner.

Kendall and Evan were madly in love at 18 and an immature misunderstanding broke them apart. She focused on her career of becoming the top female race car driver in a man's world and he hid his broken heart on wild living and continuing his family legacy of racing cars. The problem was that neither could move on because there was so much unresolved between them and they were always thrown together because of their careers. Finally a nosy friend of Kendall's (Tuesday, great character and I look forward to her book) figured out the miscommunication between them and threw them together so they could clear the air- great scene! Let's say they came clean, but got very, very dirty on the hood of a corvette. Her career was on the rise and his was falling fast so they had to overcome some obstacles in their relationship... and they did. I loved the sibling rivalry between Evan and Elec, so childish and yet realistic (at least in my family). I also love the spontaneous vows- priceless moment. I do recommend this book, I couldn't put it down. It would have been a no brainer 5 star read if not for that darn ending.

Profile Image for Dee.
1,501 reviews173 followers
December 18, 2015
Originally read: June 2011
Re-read: December 2015

Kendall and Evan had been together years ago and right before he was gonna ask her to marry him she cuts him out and breaks his heart. They meet 10 years later and hook up very quickly and predictably fall in love again, although it would seem that neither of them had fallen out of love.

I was unsure about Evan before starting this, in previous stories he came across as a no feeling man-whore who was determined to never marry, but we soon learn why and he come across as a very loveable character. I loved Kendall until we got to the last couple of chapters. Yes, it is understandable that she was upset but it wasn't as if
Profile Image for Auj.
1,678 reviews118 followers
January 30, 2021
I liked it, but I couldn't tell you what they talked about or what their love was based on besides they made each other happy & had smoking hot chemistry. In the end, I think Kendall should have talked more about what she was insecure about because it seemed like a lot. Instead, Evan was like just I know.

However, I do like that the author wrote a book in this series where both characters are stock car drivers. And I'm sure that helps the relationship because both are interested in the same thing & know what each other is dealing with.

Also, I didn't like the end. I'm sure everyone else will complain about it in the review section. It also was rushed & I felt that the author to add some conflict at the end of the story for a climax because the book did not have too much conflict.
Profile Image for Shelby.
3,332 reviews93 followers
May 28, 2020
I enjoyed this story. I love how driven Kendall is to be her own woman and she has earned every bit of her place as a driver. But for as confident as she is on the track, in her personal life she's struggled after her first love. Not many people know about her and fellow driver Evan's past relationship. But she should hate him for how things ended, but seeing him at the track is still not easy. Evan for his part has no idea what happened to end his relationship with Kendall, but his reaction to her is still the same.

I liked watching these two find their way back to each other. Their breakup was due to a lot of miscommunication and really they just needed to talk things out to realize that the feelings were still there. This was pretty low angst all told. Feel good romance was just what I needed.
Profile Image for Saly.
3,437 reviews578 followers
April 7, 2011
This is Evan's story and it is awesome. Evan is awesome, he is sweet, he is impulsive and in a word amazing. Kendall is the first female stock driver and that makes her an anomaly and also confused. She doesn't really fit in among the men and also in her family. 10 years ago Evan and Kendall were dating, when it ended for a really stupid reason, trust me when you find out you will go wth?So, they clear the air because of Kendall's best-friend Tuesday and get hot and heavy(really hot scenes) and when they get the same sponsorship the relationship progresses. Kendall is highly confused, she initially doesn't want more than one night because she is just starting out and it may jeopardize her career and Evan and Kendall are also told by everyone that they shouldn't date each other. Kendall tries to resist but their feeling are too strong. And there is some awesome food-sex :D
This was my favorite quote in the book said by Evan
"I just want to know that when I wake up in the morning, I have the right to expect to see you that day, and when I go to bed, it’s you I say good night to. I just want to get to know you again.”
How sweet is that?I like that McCarthy's characters are never shy when it comes to expressing their feelings and saying the 3 words but what I hate is that in this entire series at the end she plays out some stupid conflict and then there is some apology in front of the camera. It was played out in Elec's book and this one as well and frankly it irritated me and it wasn't needed. I enjoyed this book but it gets a 4 star for this.
Profile Image for Laura.
731 reviews54 followers
June 5, 2019
I loved this one. The only thing preventing a 5 star rating is that there are a lot of unresolved issues here and since the next book is about a different couple will they be addressed? (Hope so!)
Profile Image for jenjn79.
723 reviews266 followers
April 20, 2011
I wasn't thrilled with the last book in this series, but this one was a nice improvement. It was much better in line with the previous books in the series. I enjoyed it.

Series Note:
Fourth book in the "Fast Track" series about race car drivers.

Summary:
Ten years ago, Kendall Holbrook and Evan Monroe had a hot and passionate relationship that both though would last, but a misunderstanding leads to ten years of being angry with each other. With the help of a friend, the two finally meet and talk about what happened between them. And it isn't long before they realize the feelings they once had are still there.

Jumping back into a relationship isn't that simple, though. Kendall is just starting her career in the Cup series and a relationship could mess that all up. And Evan is dealing with the worst season of his career and doubts about what he should be doing with his life. The chemistry is too strong for them to deny themselves, though. Love blooms but just as they are thinking they're in the home stretch, something from the past comes jumping up to tear them apart.

Review:
The last book in this series fell rather flat for me. It left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth, but I'm happy to say that this one pretty much washed that away. This was a much better representation of the series.

At first I was a little wary of the story because the initial relationship between Kendall and Evan is based on a ten-year-old misunderstanding. I'm not a huge fan of misunderstanding storyline. They can be so frustrating because you just want to smack the characters and order them to talk to each other. Thankfully, the author resolved the misunderstanding very early in the book so you don't have to spend page after the page being annoyed.

I liked both characters of the book. Evan is a laid back, easy going kind of guy. Which is nice to read when so much of romance is dominated by macho dominant Alpha's these days. Not that Evan is a pushover, he's just an in-your-face Alpha. And Kendall was pretty cool too. I loved that fact that she was a female race car driver making it into the Cup series. These two have great chemistry between them and the romance was rather sweet and cute.

I also really liked that the author addressed issues related to a female being a race car driver. Feeling like an outsider, the sexist remarks, dealing with advertisers and image, etc. And also the issue of having a family. A female driver obviously can't get pregnant and drive because of the dangerous nature of racing...and that's something I'd never really thought about for a female driver. I really like that the author brought up those issues. They don't get totally resolved, but it was good they were included.

On the flip side, one thing I didn't care for in the book was the thing near the end that caused problems between Kendall and Evan. It was just a way too typical storyline and I thought it was totally unnecessary. I would have rather seen something different used to cause some romantic tension.

The ending of the book also could have been a little better. Something about it seemed a little off. Not sure I can explain it exactly other than it didn't particularly work for me. And I didn't feel like it wrapped up all the issues that were out there.

Otherwise, this was a good book. It was a quick, enjoyable read and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

WARNING, this book contains: mildly explicit sex and language
Profile Image for Julie.
535 reviews140 followers
April 22, 2011
Seriously?! Why would she do this…again?! Why would she put this lovely couple through an unnecessary hell?! Why, why, why?!?!

*sigh*

Let me just start by saying that The Chase by Erin McCarthy (the fourth book in her Fast Track series) was not a bad book. I actually found it to be a nice book. Evan wasn’t as much of a jerk as I thought he might have been and Kendall was a joy to read. They made a great couple. But then, with about 50 pages left to the book, the author throws something into the mix that just made me mad. But I’ll talk more about that shortly.

Evan and Kendall’s story is a story of young love gone wrong and reconnecting when finally everything is right. Kendall and Evan have huge chips on their shoulders, each blaming the other for their heart break ten years ago. I am glad that Erin didn’t drag that out very long. It wasn’t too far into the book when the two sit down (thanks to Kendall’s friend Tuesday) and come clean with each other. Then the real fun begins.

Evan is actually really sweet and sensitive to what Kendall needs right now. She is the first female driver to get to where she is and is having some difficulty dealing with what that means. She feels as though she is being pulled in many different directions – none of which she really knows what to do about. Evan has sort of been-there-done-that so he is doing his best to support Kendall. They really do work well together.

There wasn’t too much drama or anything in this story. It was just a lovely book about two people reconnecting and falling in love. Two people who were obviously meant to end up together ten years prior but didn’t quite get the memo until now. You quickly saw the characters from the previous book in this series which I always enjoy because reconnecting with these personalities is one of my favorite things about these books. I found this book (and the last book) was lacking in the emotional richness of the first two books in this series, but I was overlooking that because I loved Evan and Kendall and the story just had a nice happy feel to it. Then BAM! silly twist to the story hits. *heads desk*

I honestly don’t understand why this twist was thrown in there. Maybe her editor thought this book was lacking some drama? Maybe Evan needed to ‘pay’ for his past ways? I don’t feel that way, but I’m trying to understand here. This little twist did nothing to advance the story. It did nothing but pretty much screw over the heroine and her chance at a true HEA. Evan didn’t deserve it. Kendall didn’t deserve it. I just don’t know why it was put in there. And it is, unfortunately, not something that will go away any time soon. It will continue to factor in the next book (and future books if there are any). It just frustrated me so much that the final little bit of the book spoiled the happy feelings I was experiencing the whole time I was reading. And that’s a shame because I liked this book and I liked this couple. I just can’t get over that ending…

The next book in the series is Tuesday’s book, entitled Slow Ride. In The Chase book, Tuesday reminded me a little of Suzanne, only less neurotic. I wonder if I’m at all right. I’ll find out October 4th 2011 when her book comes out.
Profile Image for Kimberly.
2,299 reviews98 followers
November 22, 2018
Stock car driver Kendall Holbrook is one hundred percent focused on making it to the top. She can’t afford any distractions, partly because she’s one of the few women in the sport. And Evan Monroe is a BIG distraction. Not only is he a fellow competitor, Evan broke her heart a decade ago. Kendall is determined to avoid him, but when circumstances land them in a co-sponsorship for his-and-hers deodorants, Kendall knows it won’t be long before her heart is at risk of being run over once more. Because Evan seems determined to win her back – and there’s no stock car fast enough for Kendall to speed away from a second chance with her first love.

Erin McCarthy definitely delivers a first for me in The Chase. Never have I finished a romance wondering how long it will be before the hero and heroine get a divorce. Kendall and Evan start out the book victims of a ten year misunderstanding which is almost silly, but forgivable considering the fact that they were teenagers when they first broke each other’s hearts. Unfortunately, once a simple conversation clears the air, they seem to go right back into teenager mode, hormones and attitude and all. The Chase is filled with sex and arguments, but, thankfully it picks up and starts to get better. I grew to like Kendall and Evan and was hopeful The Chase would finish strong.

Boy, was I wrong.

I won’t spoil it for readers who still wish to give The Chase a try, but I will say that Ms. McCarthy throws in a twist that is so ridiculous and unnecessary, you’ll want to throw the book. If the “surprise” weren’t bad enough, Evan’s reaction to it likely will sour you to the story. There simply isn’t a firm enough resolution to the plot thread to redeem The Chase. I finished The Chase wondering if Kendall will only be in Evan’s thoughts so long as a certain other woman isn’t in his line of vision. Not quite the ending that satisfies me as a romance reader.

I’ve loved the fun and sexy Fast Track series, but for me, The Chase is a fiery wreck of a tale. I’ll be giving the next Fast Track book, Slow Ride, a try, in the hopes that Ms. McCarthy features Kendall and Evan heavily. The pair of them could definitely use more page time to convince me they’ll get their happily ever after. If you’re looking for a satisfying, red-hot romance in the world of stock car racing, skip The Chase and read Ms. McCarthy’s other Fast Track books (Flat-Out Sexy, Hard and Fast, and Hot Finish) instead.

Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed.
Profile Image for ♥  Sam ♥.
348 reviews9 followers
April 17, 2011
THE CHASE – book four in the Fast Track series, and just as sweet, sexy and romantic as the last three. I thrive on this series.

This time up it was Evan and Kendall’s turn – Even in older brother to Elec whose book we read first in the series. Even is – how else can I put this without sounding like a teenager?? – Cool. He is impulsive, amazing, has a body to die for and the biggest romantic. Kendall is the first female stock car racer ever – the poor thing is living in a man’s world. She is a cute little blonde tomboy, insecure but a wild cat in the sack.

Even and Kendall has quite the history. When they were teenagers they fell hard and fast for one another. Even was all ready to propose to her when abruptly they broke up and didn’t speak for 10 years. Fast forward 10 years later and the pair are still moping around the track and holding on to old baggage. When a close friend of Kendall’s decides, enough is enough – she sets the two of them up to talk it out. Eventually the two realize that it was a case of simple miscommunication which fuels the reigniting of the old flame.

The two characters were unbelievably hot for each other. They were honestly like teenagers, a moth to a flame, a bee to honey – they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. There was outdoors sex, indoor sex, bath sex – you name it, these two nymphos were doing it.
There is of course towards to end, a stick thrown into the bunch, the bomb gets thrown – I can’t say that it was well done though.

This ‘bomb’ in particular has already been used in this series and I would have liked something a little bit more original. Also I would have liked it to have been ‘solved’ rather than left the way it was.

Dare I say that I liked The Chase better than brother Elecs book? It is a great read with everything thrown in. I was sorry to see this story come to an end. I am hanging by a tether waiting for Eve’s book and next up, Tuesdays.

Happy reading.
Profile Image for Stephanie.
822 reviews38 followers
May 30, 2011
4 star read. Really liked this insight into who Evan was, it turns out his is nothing like I thought. Kendall was quite annoying throughout the entire book. I really hate it when you read a book and the hero is so wonderful but there are not redeemable qualities to the heroine. The deal at the end with the scare was kind of lame but it really didn’t bother me all that much. I'd read a lot of reviews and I knew what was going to happen, and I expected to hate the end but I really didn’t.

I look forward to the next book in the series.
Profile Image for Riverina Romantics.
428 reviews28 followers
April 26, 2011
Ok, I’m cringing having to say this because I am an Erin McCarthy fan but......I didn’t like this novel *ducks to avoid the barrage of things that will no doubt be thrown at me*

I didn’t like Kendall much at all. She seemed a little too high maintenance for me with a fair dose of childishness as well. Evan on the other hand is probably one of the least appealing guys I have read about in a long time. No doubt he seems spunkilicious and definitely sweet, but I just don’t see myself giving it up for him....and ladies you know how easy I am.

Even the sex scenes didn’t get my motor running. Mainly the first sex scene.

But I would just like to clarify, that it was well written, but I didn’t relate to the characters at all.

Again Erin, let me apologise, YOU ARE A GREAT AUTHOR. In my own selfish opinion, I just didn’t love this book like I have loved the rest of the series. Please forgive me!
Profile Image for Francesca the Fierce (Under the Covers Book Blog).
1,886 reviews503 followers
May 4, 2011
This might be my least favorite book in this series. However, it was still a great book, and such a romantic story of lovers reunited.

Evan Monroe... we know him as Elec's playboy brother, who swore he would never marry. Hot body and a sweet talker, he can charm his way into any girls pants. What we didn't know was 10 years ago he was ready to propose to his girlfriend, Kendall. And then she broke his heart without an explanation. This is where I started "not liking" Kendall.

When we find out the reason why she dumped Evan I just wanted to roll my eyes and shake some sense into her. Even so, Evan wants her back because he realizes he's still in love with her.

Except now she's also a driver. This throws a whole new set of problems at them, and again, I feel she doesn't deal with this situation well. When we finally get a happy moment, and then the twist that I was expecting and almost predicted comes, she almost ruins their relationship for good.

Maybe I just like Evan too much, but I was in his corner throughout this whole book, and even though there's been a bit of lack of communication in every book in this series, this one just had a lot of immaturity.

In the end they get their HEA and Evan makes a decision that I'm a bit surprised about but it's a nice turn of events.

Of course, I had to read the excerpt for the next book! I wasn't too sure if I would want to read a book about Tuesday, however, we learn a bit more about her in The Chase because she's Kendall's best friend, so I was a bit interested. After reading the excerpt all I have to say is it sounds like it'll be a fun book and I can't wait to read it!
Profile Image for Pete.
447 reviews42 followers
February 14, 2014
The Chase is book 4 in the Fast Track series by Erin McCarthy.

It seemed like they were both poster children of speaking without thinking. I doubt if any of us have had this problem! Cough-cough. Who am I kidding!?! :P The ten year gigantic misunderstanding gave me the shudders, and a rapid time warp back didn’t seem like it would work. Evan had wanted to marry her.

After a night of hot monkey sex, Evan’s sister Eve said “You had sex with Kendall Holbrook? Are you crazy? When did you become the mayor of Moron-ville?” Since Kendall had siphoned off attention from all of the middle of the pack, he would look like a boot licker. So he was sponsored as a piggyback on Kendall’s deodorant Untamed deodorant as the male Untamed model. He was just grateful that he wasn’t sponsored by a company selling adult diapers or erectile dysfunction pills. . Kendall didn’t like being posed as a Barbie doll.
Some of the funniest lines.

“When its hotter than a crotch outside, wear Untamed.”

“When you sweating like a whore in church, wear Untamed.”

“Seriously. Don’t touch her. This day is disastrous enough.”

“Did I overdose on Red Bull?”

“I’ll be carrying a doughnut pillow to sit on when we are on the plane.”


The steamy romance continues through conflict at the sponsors, with an unusual wrinkle at the end, which you’ll have to read to unravel. I truly enjoyed this adult book and laughed way too much.
Profile Image for Mareli.
1,034 reviews32 followers
November 28, 2012
Another very pig-headed, stubborn woman. Sometimes the heroines of this series are really insufferable!!! I can relate with her fears, because being the only woman pilot is hard. You cannot leave any territory or they'll will tear you apart, but still...

Besides, Kendall left Evan, without even made him know the reason, in a very childish way and she didn't ever take the time to speak with him for years and years? mmmm not a very adult behaviour...

Onto the next one
Profile Image for FlibBityFLooB.
949 reviews155 followers
April 19, 2011
2.5/5 stars. Thought I would really like this one because the heroine was a female stock car racer, and it looked like there could be a lot of good animosity in the relationship between hero/heroine. Unfortunately, I found the book to be a disappointment compared to the others in the series and slightly boring at times.
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