REVIEWED by Jen B.
TITLE: Full Throttle
SERIES: Dirty Angels #1
AUTHOR: Nasia Maksima
PUBLISHER: Loose Id
LENGTH: 208 Pages
RELEASE DATE: May 24, 2016
BLURB: After a devastating accident, governor’s son Luc Angeles wants nothing more than to bury the sins of his past, but street racing is in his blood, and his crew is his family. In order to lead the Dirty Angels, Luc risks his inheritance, his father’s respect, even the law. It’s all worth it, if only he could come clean with his crew and tell them he’s gay. But street-racing is harsh, and Luc’s rivals are even harsher.
When Luc falls for Jesse, the police chief’s son, he’s drawn further into the street-racing world—a world of fast cars and merciless rivals. It will force him to face his demons and his sexuality, while testing his loyalty to his crew, his family, and even his own heart.
The cover and blurb lured me in to this one. I wasn’t too sure when I first started reading, but it didn’t take long before I was sucked in. Thinks Fast and Furious with a gay twist.
Both men are trying to put the pieces back together after the crash that took Jesse’s brother and permanently injured Luc’s brother, Asa. For Jesse, that means racing and getting a spot with the Dirty Angels. For Luc, it’s a little more complicated than that.
Jesse has a rough life. Aside from the loss of his brother, he is dealing with his abusive alcoholic father who blames Jesse for his other son’s death. He also happens to be the Chief of Police and wants nothing more than for Jesse to follow in his footsteps, something Jesse has no interest in pursuing.
Luc, on the other hand, is the son of the Governor, who has taken over the Dirty Angels after Asa was injured. He struggles with the guilt he has over knowing what or who was behind what happened to Jesse’s brother (and Asa). But his biggest issue is being gay. It not only led to a major betrayal, but when discovered, put him on his father’s radar with harsh repercussions. Therefore, he is fighting with his feelings, knowing he is gay, but unable to act upon it due to his father and his position in the Dirty Angels.
But, he can’t help himself where Jesse is concerned. The two are drawn together, and when Jesse turns on the dominance that allows Luc to give up some of his oppressing control, he realizes he can’t deny his feelings any longer. Unfortunately, just as it seems they are getting somewhere, disaster strikes in the form of another betrayal, and it takes some groveling, a lot of secret baring and building of trust to get them back on track.
This is a fast-paced story that kept my interest through to the end. It never got bogged down with too much race talk or details, but there were enough to get a clear picture of what was going on. I wish we had a chance to see more relationship development between Jesse and Luc, but this had a satisfying HFN to keep me happy. I’m looking forward to the next installment and wonder if it will be a continuation or different story about one of the other Angeles brothers. Surely the stoic Asa needs a happy ending as well!
