Driven To Distraction

Road To Love Series - Book 1



By Lori Foster

HQN - November 2018

Contemporary Romance



From the moment Mary Daniels saw Brodie Crews, she knew he wasn't right for the job. She wanted his slicker brother, but neither man allowed her to make the change. She had been there to hire Brodie, and Brodie was the man she would be stuck with. The thought of hours alone with Brodie disturbed her, when she made a point of never allowing anything, or anyone, to get the better of her.

Brodie was intrigued with Mary regardless of the sass coming from her. He knew she was interested in him, but he also could tell she held herself back from relationships. Even though she was hired by an eccentric, very rich man who had turned his staff into family, Mary remained apart. He could tell she was protecting herself from pains of the past, and was determined to unlock her secrets and help her. And not just with relationships with her friends and him. They were hired to retrieve items for her boss's collection, and it was becoming obvious there was someone out there determined to stop them from making the acquisitions.

In Driven to Distraction, a new cast of characters are introduced in Lori Foster's new Road to Love series. I enjoyed watching as Brodie picked at Mary's resolve and slowly helped her overcome her reservations. She transformed into someone who felt worthy of, and trustful of, her friendships. Brodie was the perfect hero for her. I loved Mary's interactions with Brodie's family and look forward to seeing them in more stories. Luckily, the next story is right around the corner.

Mary Daniels works for a man who buys collectibles and hires her and a driver to go pickup said items. Mary has worked for the man for three years and while they needed a new driver, the owner she works for saw a story about Brodie Crews and how he saved this dog that was chained up outside of a house and also had a hand in breaking up a drug ring at the same time. He hires Brodie and his brothers Jack business for the transportation mainly Brodie. Now from the first time they meet you know that this will be a story about opposites attract. It is the way that the author leads you around the story and gets you there just like the driving that they do that makes this story. For once it is the women who does not want share anything about her past mainly her childhood and the longer they are together in the car Brodie finds way to get her to open up when she really does not realizes it until after she is talking. That is what makes this story. That and the dog who has a knack to be asleep but wakes up when he hears anything with food in it. The action parts are good but really it is between Brodie and Mary that makes this book work. Good characters all around and a good read.

Lori is one of the greatest, so it is no surprise that this one immediately won me over! From the neglected pup to the uptight chick and everything in between, there was so much to love. Mary is a handler for a prestigious buyer; who she feels is more like family than someone she works for. Brodie Crews is hired to be the muscle behind the woman in case of any harm or needed back-up. These two come a long way through the open road and find they may have more in common than what they first imagined; which is where the sparks fly. The introduction of the Crews family, is a well written lead in to the next book. I can't wait to see, after falling in love with these two, what's to come next!

Overall, Driven to Distraction by Lori Foster was a highly entertaining read that had just the right amount of action and suspense. I'm looking forward to reading more releases in this new series.

Will show up at Romance Reviews Today soon. http://romrevtoday.com/index.htm

DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION – Lori Foster
Road to Love, Book 1
HQN
ISBN: 978-1-335-04111-1
November 2018
Contemporary Romance

Ohio – Present Day

Mary Daniels works for a wealthy elderly man helping him to acquire rare artifacts. Her job is to accompany the hired driver and protect the artifacts. After their normal driver moves away, Mary is tasked with contacting Brodie Crews to hire him for the next assignment. Brodie is a sexy, attractive man, just the type she normally can’t stand. She really doesn’t want to spend hours in a car alone with him on this assignment, but she has no choice. Brodie makes it clear that he wants Mary, and she’s not sure how long she can resist him.

Brodie needs the money to help infuse cash into his family’s auto body business but the main reason he agrees to the job for Mary’s boss is the chance to work with her. The moment Brodie set his eyes on Mary, he was hooked on the sexy redhead. She’s determined to keep their relationship businesslike, but he’s not going to stop tempting her. After their assignment ends with them ambushed and nearly killed, Brodie steps in to protect Mary. He needs to find out exactly what they’re transporting (it was wrapped up) and why someone is desperate enough to kill them for it. Will the time spent protecting Mary give Brodie the chance to woo her into his bed?

Lori Foster begins her latest series, Road to Love, with DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION, a tale about a couple who spend hours alone on the road in his Ford Mustang. Mary’s first impression of Brodie was that he was a man who slept with any woman he wanted and she was determined not to be his latest. After all, she was raised by a mother who not only indiscriminately slept with any man but who didn’t bother to hide it from her only child. Brodie has to admit he takes what he wants when it comes to women, but once he meets Mary, it is only she that he focuses on. Brodie is laidback and laconic, while Mary is straight-laced and follows the rules. They’re worlds apart in how they walk through life. How can they be attracted to each other?

Mary pretty much knows what she is transporting for her boss. It’s legal…sort of. But she likes the money the job pays and doesn’t question her boss’s orders. She thinks Brodie should do the same and just take the ample money he’s paid. Their relationship is contentious at first, but once they’re ambushed and shot at, they become a team of them vs the bad guys. Brodie uses the time to keep Mary protected in order to get to know her. His life is an open book, but she rarely talks about hers. She still can’t get past the idea that he’s only being helpful to her because he wants to get her into his bed. But the harder she resists, the easier it becomes to just let things happen between them. Meanwhile, their job assignment could turn into a deadly one…for them.

Who doesn’t love a sexy bad boy? Especially when it’s a story penned by Lori Foster. Will it be Mary who tames the bad boy Brodie? Will they find out who is after the rare artifacts they’re transporting? Find out in the sizzling and entertaining DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION.

Patti Fischer

With the witty and smart bantering dialog, that had me laughing out loud several times, the story enticed me and pulled me into the dangerous world of the rich and quirky people with their odd collections.
Mary is holding on to her image as a tight-lipped, distant, introvert person, to keep the secrets from her past hidden, and to never experience the kind excruciating attention she got while living with her mom.
But Brodie Crews is challenging everything Mary is trying to portray, the way she is trying to do her job, and most of all, he is making her feel again, the kind of feelings Mary was sure she would never experience.
Brodie is macho, bossy and purposive. He knows what he wants when he wants it and is not shy about going after it. His family is everything to him, and he would do anything to protect the ones he loves. It was easy to like Brodie, especially when he turned to Mary, and fell utterly, helplessly, hopelessly in love with her.
The heat is high. The zizzle between Mary and Brodie is a special kind of hot. Brodie sweeps Mary off her feet while Mary seduces Brodie with just a smile. I loved the chemistry between them, enjoyed the ribbing and teasing, the feelings they had growing for each other.
Mary's struggles with intimacy and letting people into her life are real. She has to work on trusting the circle of people surrounding her. It just warmed my heart to see her flourish and grow within.
The escalating danger that brings on deadly action, all wrapped around Mary and Brodie's job, was an intense plus to the fastly entertaining tale.
The frame of the story might be a traditional one for the romance genre, but the author tells it in a fresh and delightful way that held my interest, enjoying each moment of the tale.
A very promising start for the new series!
Can't wait for more to come...
~ Four Spoons with a teaspoon on the side

‪✦Review: DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION (Road to Love) by Lori Foster https://wp.me/p3d0RZ-aWW
Publication Date: November 20, 2018
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Reviewed by: Reading in Pajamas/ Donna
Rated 3.5 Stars

I enjoyed the interesting back story regarding the seedy underworld of collectors and the related courier business. It was fast paced with enough action to make it suspenseful, woven in with a spicy romance. I don’t care for snobby, judgmental and rude heroines that make me doubt attraction and the hero’s desire for more than a jump in the hay. Thankfully Mary had just enough endearing moments to keep me reading. I liked Brodie even though he strayed into the macho-micromanaging world a bit. But I overlooked that since he probably felt Mary would have used unsound judgement just out of rudeness to him. I liked how he was with family, his dog, and Mary. I’m glad she grew on me enough to be glad for their happily ever after.

I am intrigued by the family and friends around them, so I look forward to reading the next in this series.

*Review copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

~*~*~*~

Kindle $6.99 https://amzn.to/2TrXcfT

I have a confession. This is a little hard to admit, but I have to let you know that… Driven to Distraction is my first read from Lori Foster.
I know, I know. You’re thinking ‘Where have you been? Have you been under a rock?’ Honestly, I have no excuse. None. I’m ashamed of myself to be perfectly honest. After reading Driven to Distraction, I am absolutely beside myself that I haven’t picked up a book by Lori Foster before now.
If you yourself have not dived into a Lori Foster book please hear me with my regret and do not wait any longer!
Driven to Distraction was an utterly delicious read! I am beyond stocked that this is the start of a new series because I fell in love with every single one of the characters! Lori Foster made all of her characters in the book, Mary, Brodie, all the side characters, and even Howler so real and unique that I just could not put this book down!
The instant chemistry between Brodie and Mary is intoxicating. I could not get enough of the two of them! When they were apart and the one was missing the other – I WAS MISSING THEM TOO! The dialog between the two of them was witty and clever and just so spot on. There were times when I was gripping my kindle waiting to see what would happen and times were I was laughing outrageously loud.
A part from Mary and Brodie, a few other things stand out in this book.
1) It’s got suspense to it. Mary and Brodie work for an eccentric art collector and drive all over acquiring his pieces. They must beat the other collectors to these items and someone might be out to sabotage them.
2) Howler. Oh what can I say about Howler? I love when authors make the animals characters in their own right and Howler is certainly one of my favorite characters.
3) The side characters. They add so much to the story that I just CAN NOT WAIT to read more books in this series!
Driven to Distraction is a must read and one of my favorite reads of 2018! I can’t say enough wonderful things about it!

5 Stars from Renee!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was pulled right into this story. The story has laughs, secrets, suspense, and heartbreak.

This is Mary and Brodie's story. Mary is sent to Brodie by her boss as he wants to hire hm to help him acquire a specific item and in the future might need his services again. Mary gets the wrong impression of Brodie right from the start, but he is smitten and makes sure she works with him. When danger comes for them, he knows he will protect her no matter what. Mary is not used to people helping and protecting her. She has had to more or less take care of herself her whole life. She struggles with allowing Brodie or really anyone to help her. Can she let down her walls and allow Brodie in or will all her pushing him away finally push him away for good? Can Mary allow her walls to crumble and allow her to finally feel like part of a family? Her boss treats her like one of his family but is she willing to open up her heart and allow everyone in?

I loved these characters and the side characters. I felt I could connect with the characters and the story was a great read.

I highly recommend this book and can’t wait for the next story from this author.

Brodie and Mary's story was an interesting one. Mary was very closed off until Brodie started breaking through her barriers. The didn't get off on the right foot, but they made a great team. The acquisitions that they had to do were full of intrigue and the plot moved along nicely. The secondary characters definitely added to the story. Once the chemistry was acted upon, the bond that these two had was unbreakable. I definitely enjoyed this book and hope that Jack and Charlotte get their own stories in the future.

3.5 Stars

Driven to Distraction is the first book in Lori Foster’s new series Road to Love and it follows the story of straitlaced Mary Daniels and the very handsome Brodie Crews. Mary and Brodie are forced to spend time with each other regularly because of her boss’s need for special collectors’ items – Brodie drives to gather the items and Mary is the main contact between the buyer and seller. Brodie’s rescue dog, Howler, comes along for the rides and also serves to provide some character development for Brodie. Brodie is attracted to Mary right off the bat whereas Mary is annoyed with him and his good looks and begrudgingly works with him because she has to. They slowly begin to get to know each other on these road trips and develop a steamy attraction and bond.

From the start of the book the physical descriptions of the hero and heroine are drilled into the reader. Mary is an extremely curvy red head who is very prim and proper and very serious about her job. She keeps herself dressed fairly conservatively and tries as hard as she can to minimize the colour of her hair. Apparently her hair colour has led to men in the past thinking that she is easy and assuming things about her sexual history, so her hair is a very sore spot for Mary.

With all this in mind, I did not understand why she didn’t just dye her hair. This book seemed to take place in the modern age and there is a very quick and easy fix to hating your hair colour – hair dye! Instead the reader has to go through countless pages about how much Mary hates her hair. Brodie on the other hand is the walking, talking male fantasy that every girl has – genuinely nice guy with abs to do laundry on and a protective streak. He accompanies Mary to all of her tasks and often doesn’t listen to her requests to stay put in the car because “he can protect her better out of it”.

I liked Brodie, he came off as a nice and funny guy who is sure of himself and his place in life. He was a good partner for Mary since she needed to develop a bit more confidence in herself. The one thing that annoyed me about Brodie was his obsession with Mary’s hair (again with the hair)! He just could not get over how red her hair was and kept calling her Red even when she asked him not to. That annoyed me a bit, it’s not even a good nickname and she doesn’t like it so stop! We were also introduced to Brodie’s brother, mother, and fake sister. All of whom provided great humor to the story and I would be interested in reading about their stories in the future books.

This book had a little bit of everything – mystery and suspense, pretty hot love scenes, humor, and character development. Overall it was a good read but it was also quite long when it did not need to be. It took me a lot longer to read this book than I would have initially thought because almost half of the time there was a lot of internal dialogue that each character did that was very boring. So I would either have to stop and give myself a break or I would just skim over those parts to get back to Brodie and Mary’s witty exchanges. That is the reason that I would give this book a 3.5 instead of higher.

~ Harshita

Driven to Distraction was a good book. I felt like some things could have used some thorough explanation, but there is book 2 coming soon and I think that some of my questions will be answered then, since they didn't have anything to do with the plot of this book, but are more of the general idea of the book. Brodie is an alpha male, whom from the moment he saw Mary knew that he had to be with her. There is some insta-lust situation, but it didn't feel forced. Most of the book is fast paced and a lot of things are going on. I hope that book two will go along on the same lines as this one. I enjoyed every single page of this book and I think that it was a good start for the series. It could have been better (hence the 4 stars), but it still was good and I hope that the rest of the books will have the same quality or will be even better. The book had the same vibe as the average Lori Foster book has and that was good in my opinion. Once again I found the writing good and I liked the set of characters. The secondary characters appeared interesting enough for me to want to read their books. Overall the book was good and I would recommend it.

Lori Foster brought the romance with a mix of danger and mystery. Her characters were intriguing and the story captivating. I was on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. There was steamy chemistry and suspense with Lori’s signature romance. I can never go wrong with one of her books.

Like It? Hate it? Love it? Why? It’s been a while since I picked up a book by Lori Foster and Driven to Distraction was a great book to jump back in with. It had a bit of action, a bit of suspense, a dash of drama, and plenty of chemistry to go around.

First impressions are important and Mary had a 50/50 impression on me. I half liked her and half didn’t. The thing about her is that she’s so uptight in the beginning that she’s no fun. She takes offense at almost everything and she’s too serious. But I gave her a fair shot and after a bit, I understood why Mary chose to play it safe and professional and I understood it to a point. I do feel she was a tad too unrealistic and uncompromising especially after Brodie proved time and time again that not only was he a good guy, but a trustworthy one, even with his flaws. She didn’t cut him enough slack until dang near the end. I loved her independence but sometimes it was less about her being independent and more about her just being too stubborn to accept help when she needed it.


Brodie I loved. He was charming, silly, sweet, caring, and he had a dog. You know I’m a sucker for a guy who has a dog and not only did Brodie have a dog, he rescued the dog and talked baby talk to his dog. *melts* And Brodie had this really sweet way of getting his dog to eat too. He honestly won me over really quick. Brodie knows he has an effect on women but he isn’t one to treat a woman cheaply, he loves his mama but isn’t a pushover with her either. To me he had a great balance of lovable playboy and family man. He’s fully capable of loving the people in his life. Definitely book boyfriend material.

Brodie and Mary are definitely an opposites attract case because he’s laid back and open while she’s uptight and wary. But they did work, and I enjoyed watching these two find ways to give a little and compromise as they developed feelings for one another. Their relationship felt a bit more real and fleshed out because of those small, subtle scenes that showed them butting heads and then finding a way to meet in the middle, though sometimes it felt like Brodie did more giving than Mary. I felt that by the end of Driven to Distraction Mary had come a long way but was still a WIP as a character.

Click It or Skip It? Click It. Whether you’re a longtime fan of Lori Foster or looking to try a new author, this is a good book to start with. I can’t wait for Jack’s story.

Is he a driver or protection? Brodie is hired to be a driver for Mary as she makes transactions for their wealthy boss who tends to collect some very unusual pieces of art. They seem to get into some unusual situations and find themselves in danger more often than not while on the job, but off the job things are explosive also. The chemistry is off the charts and things get a little steamy. This is yet another excellent story by Lori Foster.

Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.

Lori Foster is that rare breed of romance writer that infuses her wonderful romance plots with a bit of mystery/suspense and takes what would be an ordinary romance over the top. I loved it from the very first scene to the last, although, I have to be honest and tell you the middle got a little high on the angst meter. I'm looking forward to the next book, Jack's story, should be great.

Mary Daniels had a tough childhood and as a result has grown up to be the consummate professional. She works for Therman Ritter, a wealthy eccentric, acquiring rare items for his various collections. The ethics and legality - well, let's just say sometimes it's a little murky. Hence the need for the Mustang Transport courier service. The new driver, hunky Brodie Crews, is just the man Therman wants for the job. Mary, well she has a deep, visceral reaction to sexy, hunky Brodie, which is both good and bad.

You only get one chance to make a first impression. Unfortunately, sometimes that impression can shade everything that follows. Brodie has a lot to live down from his first encounter with curvaceous Mary and he is determined to keep his own visceral reaction in check and prove to the buttoned-up but luscious Mary that he can do the job and then some. When it becomes more than a job, both professionally and personally, Brodie will do everything he can to protect Mary and make her see there is more to life than a job.

You would expect after reading an author for many years that you would get bored with their writing style, or it would even get repetitive. That is so not the case with Lori Foster, every single book sucks me in like I am reading her for the first time! This book was no different!!

Oh Brodie.. could you be anymore sweet?? Seriously this guy rescues damsels in distress, puppies, little old ladies…
However when he needs to put the smack down he can. I really enjoyed how close he was to his family in this book and his genuine love for his dog. The fact that he really is such a good guy, yet is so reliable and safe is what leads Mary to finally feel safe and open up to someone. His patience towards Mary is really something amazing, because I would’ve gotten so frustrated with her. However he knows that’s exactly what she needs.

Lori Foster always writes really strong female characters and Mary is a very strong character indeed. While she may not seem that strong, she has an armor built around her that no one can seem to penetrate. Not even her boss and his motley crew of workers can seem to break through that tough exterior. Once you can get through that exterior and hear her story and why she is so tough you understand why she is the way she is. Mary is unbelievably tough and is amazing as a woman. Yet she is so sweet and so kind underneath this tough exterior.

I cannot explain how much I love Lori Foster’s writing with her strong male/female characters. They back each other up, they hold each other accountable. The families that she weaves together in her books are so sweet and amazing and make you appreciate your families all the much more. If you haven’t dove into a Lori Foster book yet I highly recommend it.

I got a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. This is the first book in the Road of Love series. The start of a new series for Lori Foster. I do love a good sense of humor it added to the sensuality of the relationship between Brodie and Mary. I also enjoy the fact that Mary wanted to keep her distance and do her job just as he did. Though there was no deny there was something starting to build between them. I guess being in a car for hours together will make you close as will high stress situations. I don't want to spoil anything, but this will get your blood going and well worth the read. I will go as far as saying it would be just as great the second or third time through as it was the first. I like them and looking forward to his brother's book and any others that come in this series.

I've only recently started reading Lori Foster's books (yes, I know, huge miss on my part) but I am definitely enjoying her writing style. And Driven to Distraction was definitely not a disappointment. Ultimately, in my opinion, this was a beautiful love story, a story of overcoming fear and demons from the past, with just the right amount of suspense to make it irresistible even to those who like their books a little bit more dangerous.

Mary and Brodie are two intriguing characters. On first glance they are as different as night and day. But once you start getting to know them, you can see all they ways they fit perfectly together. That doesn't mean that their relationship is easy. On the contrary, actually. Due to her past, Mary is quite resistant to all of Brodie's advances. Even if she feels the scorching chemistry between them as strong as he does. On top of that, the danger following them around, makes things even more complicated. But all that suppressed chemistry and lurking danger leads to some burn the sheets action that will leave you breathless.

There were few places in the story that the story went a little bit slow for me, but at the same time, I was so invested in the characters that I couldn't put the book down. I ended up finishing it in one sitting which resulted in me going to bed after 5am.

So in a few words, this is definitely a book I recommend, especially if you are looking for a good romantic story with a pinch of danger and sprinkle of hotness :)

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a great first book in a new series. I just loved all the characters in it. Brodie & Mary seem so different personality wise. Brodie was just so laid back & all about family & the family business. He worked with his brother & a friend of theirs when Mary approached him for a job. I loved the story, the plot, everything. Another aspect of this story that I enjoyed was Brodie's relationship with his dog Howler-a rescued dog. Howler was such a great dog. I did laugh when I first read how Brodie gets Howler to eat, such a creative way to get him to eat his dog food. Mary was so introverted and withdrawn, just doing her job & taking pride in doing it well but keeping to herself. It was fun to watch her come out of her shell and become a true partner with Brodie.