Set the PaceThe Detroit Love Duet #1
By:
Kim Karr
Release Date:
Feb. 21, 2016
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Source:
eARC from the Author in exchange for a honest review
GR's Summary:
Every city needs a hero, but Detroit’s white knight just might be a villain.
A rough childhood branded Jasper Storm trouble. A bad boy. Not worth a damn. His love of cars was the only thing that could battle his delinquency. With the need for speed in his blood, he overcame his wayward ways. Mostly. All grown up, the broken city of Detroit hails him their shining star. And the man behind a new cutting-edge automobile is ready to turn this bankrupt town around.
Everything he does in life is fast. He talks fast, f*cks fast, and drives fast. But when one reckless turn brings him face-to-face with the childhood he has tried very hard to forget, he finds himself on the edge of wondering if he shouldn’t slow down.
Charlotte Lane was the tomboy who lived next door. She was his best friend. He was her protector. Then tragedy struck and she disappeared, forever—or so he thought.
Jasper has many reasons to hate Charlotte and keep his distance, but she’s infiltrating his every thought and he can’t stay away. Back in town with an agenda of her own, she should push him aside. Make him turn around. Walk away herself. Yet she can't.
With the past lurking between them, they proceed with caution. That is until one sex-filled night leads to murder. When Detroit’s biggest ally suddenly becomes suspect number one, will Charlotte—the girl Jasper once kept safe—be the one to save him?
Lindy's Thoughts:
Set the Pace is the first book in a new duology by Kim Karr. As a huge fan of Ms. Karr's Connections Series, I am always excited to read something new of hers. Set the Pace, is a passionate, thrilling, and suspenseful read that deals with sex, lies, deceit, and murder.
Charlotte "Charlie" Lane dreams of being a successful journalist. She also wants to return to Detroit and prove her father's innocence, after he was blamed for the horrific factory explosion and many deaths of his automotive company. Her father was destroyed by this event, and also the abandonment of his wife, who ran off and left him and Charlotte to be with his business partner.
Now twenty years later, Charlotte returns to Detroit after landing a journalism job blogging for The Detroit Scene. As a photographer her first assignment is to cover Jasper Storm with writer Eve Hepburn. Jasper, along with his three best friends and business partners, Will Fleming, Jake Crown, and Drew Kates, are trying to get their new business venture, Lightning Motors, off of the ground.
However, first they want to purchase the piece of land that held the old automotive business that took his father's life. This will be a fresh start for Jasper, as well as the citizens of Detroit. Lighting Motors promises to bring in an abundance of jobs and economic growth to one of the poorest cities in the United States. Life takes a turn for the worse, when Eve Hepburn turns up dead on the very land that Jasper and his business partners are trying to buy.
Immediately afterwards, Jasper becomes a person of interest in Eve's murder due to being the last person to see her during a one night stand. Charlie, also finds herself smack dab in the middle of the murder investigation. As Charlie and Jasper reconnect, and friendship turns to passionate romance, will these two be able to clear Jasper's name and find Eve's killer before he is arrested for a crime that he didn't commit?
Set the Pace started out fairly slow, as Ms. Karr took the time to fully develop Charlie and Jasper's characters, as well as the history of their childhood and present. As the story reached the midpoint, the pacing started to pick-up as the romantic connection between Charlie and Jasper intensified. These two were so hot together, and the sex scenes were perfect. Erotic, sensual, passionate, and beyond explosive is how I would categorize those intimate moments between the main characters.
With the murder mystery, as well as Charlie investigating in order to clear her father's name, I became intrigued. I enjoy a good mystery, and love trying to put the pieces of the puzzle and the players in the game together correctly, to see how everything fits. By the 70% mark, I could not put the book down, and needed to know how it would all end. Well, be prepared...We are given an epic cliffhanger!
My Rating:
I need book 2 in this duology now!!! I am dying over here. The cliffhanger has ramped up the suspense, anticipation, and need to get to the rest of the story! I give, Set the Pace, by Kim Karr, 4 Childhood Friends to Passionate Lovers, Web of Deceit, Suspenseful Murder Plot, and Racing Pulse Filled Stars!
Set Match Go
My Rating
I have been a fan of Mrs. Karr for quite some time now. She has a way of creating wonderfully likable characters that I can swoon over and relate to! Set the Pace is no different! I was very intrigued throughout the entire endearing read chalk full of mystery! This is a read that holds a lot of love and hurt from past events that have not been explained or solved. I fell in like with the main characters right away and the thought of a new concept car was very imaginative. Throughout the read I felt myself getting lost in the imagery of it all. The ending was quite intense after a few twists that caught me off guard the shocking big reveal opened up a bunch of questions that beg to be answered. I am highly anticipating the next installment because wow…The word atonement comes to mind.
The Story, get ready for sweetness overload!! Okay, okay I loved this premise. Two kids who were very close when they were little were torn apart by adult circumstances. Charlotte is back and she has a mission, avoid drama, do her job, lay low…BOOM this does not happen and when she is brought face to face with the boy who was her whole life as a child? Well get ready for the sparks to fly! A lot of things have transpired since these two went opposite ways. The reader gets clues and glimpses into the past bit by bit. More than one investigation is underway each bit of information uncovered is like a cold drink in a scorching dessert. I kept guessing and guessing but every time I came up short. Get ready for a thrilling ride full of scorching desire and passion at every turn.
The Characters, Charlotte is a bit of a wounded dove but this works for her there is a certain innocence about her that is endearing to say the least. I typically enjoy the kill bill bad arse michone type of leading lady but when executed well I do enjoy a good damsel. Charlotte is just that gal! Get ready for some serious heartache when hearing about her life from childhood till now it is beyond sad. What she has had to endure will break your heart. I just love Jasper to bits because of who he really is and who Charlotte brings out. Don’t get me wrong he had a rough go of it himself and lost everything at a young age but his strength and persevering mind has pulled him out of ruin. Along with bettering himself he has plans to better the city but something sinister is at every turn and he is faced with set back after set back. One crazy regretful night will set the course to what could take the last ounce of goodness in his life…Charlotte. These two are electric, sweet, passionate, and absolutely meant for one and other.
The End, as I mentioned earlier wow. Okay so I kept guessing and doubting and wondering and questioning with every clue revealed my mind went everywhere…best advice I can give is sit back and enjoy the read because when the truth comes out its going to be a right hook to the chin. Warning this is a cliffhanger ending but it’s not all lost in despair and desolation. The reader is left with a hearty dollop of hope and I am pacing back and forth until the next installment is released.
4.0 Blog, Pictures, Voting, Idol, Accident, Party, Blue, Red, Muddy Shoes, Laptop, Break in, Charlie & JJ, Signals, Grown Up, Races, Lies, Deceit, Mystery, Explosion, Taxes, Car, Closet, Guns, Heterochromia, Screaming, Pounding, Last Chance, Unexpected discovery, Forever Love filled stars!!
Mikki's Review:
I just want to start my review by saying that Kim Karr has some of the most beautiful book covers in book town! Her covers always catch my attention on social media and once I read the blurb of the book, I immediately add it to my TBR list. It's always exciting to meet new characters and I could not wait to meet Charlotte and Jasper.
Set the Pace is a friends to lovers story that will captivate you and leave you at the edge of your seat. Trust me when I say that this story is filled with twists and turns that you will never see coming. Charlotte and Jasper were inseparable. Until a tragedy happened and Charlotte had to disappear from Jasper's life. Twenty years later, they come face-to-face and Jasper is shocked to find out what story hides behind Charlotte's disappearance.
Charlotte knew that coming back to Detroit was risky, but her determination to solve a mystery from the past is stronger than ever. What she never expected was to be involved in a mysterious murder that will put her life in danger. As days go by, Charlotte and Jasper grow closer. They join forces to find the person behind the mysterious murder. Danger is closer than they think and everyone around them looks guilty. Will they find the answers they have been looking for?
Going into this book I had no expectations. I was ready for a great reading journey. I have to admit that the beginning was very slow for me. It really picked up once Charlotte and Jasper started spending time together. I liked the flashbacks from the past. It was lovely to see the connection between Charlotte and Jasper. They really had a beautiful friendship and I could not wait for them to reconnect again.
Jasper was really mean to Charlotte in the beginning and I wanted to know why he was acting that way. There are always two sides to a story and I was captivated by what Charlotte had to say. Once they had a conversation about what happened in the past, Jasper could simply not stay away from Charlotte. Their chemistry is sizzling and it will leave you fanning yourself.
I don't want to give anything else away from the story because there is a murder that needs to be solved as well as what happened that night that changed Charlotte and Jasper's life twenty years ago. I really like the secondary characters and the role that each of them played in this story. I kept on putting the pieces of this mysterious puzzle together, but I would have never expected what really happened. This book does end in a cliffhanger. You have been warned! It will leave you at the edge of your seat! I can't wait to see what the conclusion of this journey has in store for us.
My Rating:Charlotte knew that coming back to Detroit was risky, but her determination to solve a mystery from the past is stronger than ever. What she never expected was to be involved in a mysterious murder that will put her life in danger. As days go by, Charlotte and Jasper grow closer. They join forces to find the person behind the mysterious murder. Danger is closer than they think and everyone around them looks guilty. Will they find the answers they have been looking for?
Going into this book I had no expectations. I was ready for a great reading journey. I have to admit that the beginning was very slow for me. It really picked up once Charlotte and Jasper started spending time together. I liked the flashbacks from the past. It was lovely to see the connection between Charlotte and Jasper. They really had a beautiful friendship and I could not wait for them to reconnect again.
Jasper was really mean to Charlotte in the beginning and I wanted to know why he was acting that way. There are always two sides to a story and I was captivated by what Charlotte had to say. Once they had a conversation about what happened in the past, Jasper could simply not stay away from Charlotte. Their chemistry is sizzling and it will leave you fanning yourself.
I don't want to give anything else away from the story because there is a murder that needs to be solved as well as what happened that night that changed Charlotte and Jasper's life twenty years ago. I really like the secondary characters and the role that each of them played in this story. I kept on putting the pieces of this mysterious puzzle together, but I would have never expected what really happened. This book does end in a cliffhanger. You have been warned! It will leave you at the edge of your seat! I can't wait to see what the conclusion of this journey has in store for us.
I give, Set the Pace, by Kim Karr, 4 suspenseful, passionate, adrenaline filled stars!
Book Teasers:
About Kim Karr:
A mystery in Mo-Town. I've not read her books, but you ladies have my interest peaked with a hot romance and a murder mystery.
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