CAUGHT by Clare James: Review

Caught by Clare James
Series: Elite PR #1
Published by Entangled: Brazen
Publication Date: June 30th, 2015
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 279
Source: Publisher
Format: eARC
Goodreads
Buy Online: Amazon ♥ B&N ♥ Kobo

Disclaimer: I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely mine.

Watching sex tapes at the office is just part of PR professional Vivian Blake’s job, especially when she has to clean up a celebrity’s image. Except that her newest client isn’t quite that easy. Racecar driver Jarod Cage is beyond hot, and his onscreen “performance” is already compromising Viv’s cool professionalism.

While Jarod hasn’t exactly been discreet about his personal life, he never thought his reputation could cost him both his sponsor and his racing career. Now he has to put his future in the hands of a tiny, pixie-like publicist. Which is becoming a problem, because the heat between them is about to redline. But when you go this hard and fast, putting on the brakes is the most dangerous thing you can do…

 

I don’t know anything about NASCAR and car racing (I’ll like to keep it that way, thank you very much) but the PR angle of the story caught my interest and I wanted to see how it would go, especially for being caught pants down!

Jarod Cage is the bad boy of professional car racing. His escapades are as legendary as his driving skills, but even for him the latest escapade has gone too far and he’s in danger of losing his endorsements and his place on the NASCAR circuit. He’s got to clean up his image or lose it all. This is where Vivian Blake comes in. Vivian is a PR expert with her sights set on the Big Apple and her current assignment is the ticket to getting there. In a male-dominated career field, she’s had to prove herself again and again and earned herself a reputation as no-nonsense. So when this no-nonsense Yank and drawling southern boy meet, they get off to a rocky start is rocky with Viv stereotyping him as a brainless redneck and a major case of insta-lust between them.

This is where it became too much for me. Apart from being judgmental about each other, Viv and Jarod just got into one crazy situation after another and the reckless behavior was a lot – making out in her office closet within hours of meeting each other, semi-public sex, all without a thought for their careers and what they were jeopardizing- that it was amazing that they had time to focus on the PR campaign. Viv and Jarod together were hot and they were lots of steamy, sexy moments, Viv definitely got the Jarod Cage experience! It was like watching a train crash and I was braced for impact, but I hung in there and was rewarded.

Jarod Cage isn’t just a cocky and confident bad boy, he’s a got a caring and sweet side to him that’s well hidden and a reason for playing up his bad boy reputation. But he finds himself in the position of having to step back and let someone else take the lead, something that doesn’t come easy for this take-charge guy. Viv definitely did not endear herself to me but I respect her smarts and tenacity and the fact that she knows her job. It wasn’t until the end that I came to like her.

Was I uncomfortable? Yes!  As a professional (and maybe personally), I could not get over their scandalous behavior but I definitely like that out of all of that came a loving relationship where they both matured and learned to balance each other out. What I enjoyed most about this book was that both Viv and Jarod were forced out of their comfort zones and Jarod learned to give up control and Viv learned to enjoy life outside of work. This is my first book by Clare James and I really enjoyed her writing style.

 

 

 

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