I've been looking forward to the Body Shop Bad Boys ever since I read the McCauley Brothers series by Marie Harte. This is a spin off from that series and while it's set in the very garage that the last heroine in the McCauley Brothers series works at, you don't need to have read the previous series to enjoy this one. However, I will say that there are inevitable walk-on appearances from the Del and the others. Truth be told, I was hoping this book would actually be J.T.'s book because he was so great in the last one, but I found that Johnny was just as interesting and charming as he was.

Johnny works at the garage with a few of the other boys you'll soon meet. Johnny, Foley, Sam and Lou are a bunch of fun-loving, egotistical brutes that are so fun to read. They are constantly hassling one another and you can definitely feel the camaraderie between them all. At the center of it all is Johnny, who at first glance, is the typical bad boy. Known for his reputation with women, he's the ultimate charmer. But his charm hasn't worked on bartender and student, Lara Valley.

Lara is as hardworking as she is beautiful. So it's no wonder why Johnny has been absolutely head over heels in love with her for years. When he is finally able to get her to go out with him, it's a slow build that burns brightly. Marie Harte takes her time with this book and while to some it can seem slow, I definitely appreciated the attention to detail. Instead of the "instalove" that most contemporary romances can fall back into, Harte really focuses on the romance between Lara and Johnny, making it more believable. What's even more interesting is the fact that Harte doesn't stick Johnny into the womanizer category and keep him there. As the book goes on, she reveals several new things about this character that made me love him even more.

In addition to the expert characterization, TEST DRIVE is hotter than hell too! I was expecting some steamy scenes from Harte but she will certainly plant some new fantasies in her readers with this one!

Amusing from beginning to end, TEST DRIVE is an amazing start to the Body Shop Bad Boys series. I already can't wait for more!

Book Summary

GET TO KNOW THE BODY SHOP BAD BOYS
Johnny, Foley, Sam, and Lou are the rough and tumble mechanics of Webster's Garage. These reformed bad boys are used to living fast, but it's the women in their lives who take them from zero to sixty in a heartbeat.

JOHNNY
Johnny Devlin's a charmer with a checkered past. He's has had his eye on scorching-hot bartender Lara Valley for ages, but she's rejected him more than once. That doesn't mean he won't come to her aid when some dirtbag mauls her. When she asks him on a date as a no-strings-attached thank you, he can't say no. And then he's saying nothing but hell, yes.

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