Going Nowhere Fast
Kati Wilde     
December 2021 Releases

Contemporary
Historical
Mystery

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Genre: New Adult Romance
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One promise.
Two hearts.
Three rules.
Four weeks to break them all.
 
When Aspen Phillips’ best friend invites her on a month-long road trip, she has serious mixed feelings. Sharing their tight quarters will be Bramwell Gage, overprotective brother and all-around jerk. Bram may be ridiculously sexy, but he’s made no effort to hide how he feels about Aspen—that she’s trash who’s no good for his sister. But Aspen is determined to get along with the uptight millionaire—and to keep her promise, concealing a secret about his sister that Bram can never know. 
 
But after a scorching kiss reveals that Bram’s feelings toward her run much hotter than she believed, Aspen's emotions swerve into a complete 180. Suddenly the girl who has nothing has everything—but only as long as the truth about his sister remains hidden. Because when all the secrets and promises unravel, she risks losing it all...

The best friend’s brother trope is one of my favorites, so the blurb to Going Nowhere Fast piqued my interest. I’ve never read any of Kati Wilde’s books before so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised and impressed.

She’s obviously got issues with you having money, and she’ll either end up screwing you over or using you, Beth.

Meet Bramwell Gage, the hero. In the quote above, he’s talking about our heroine, Aspen Phillips. Sounds like a peach doesn’t he? Thought I’d immediately give you the lay of the land. Bram doesn’t approve of his sister’s friendship with Aspen and he’s fairly obvious about that. I wasn’t certain whether he truly didn’t like her or if this was him fighting his attraction. Regardless, the conflict and sparks between them hooked me from the very beginning and didn’t let up until the end.

Four years after they first met, their relationship is still strained, but for her best friend, Aspen agrees to join Beth and her brother on a month-long road trip. There’s just one problem. Actually it’s a big problem. Beth cancels at the last minute. Literally. Instead of the road trip, Beth is checking herself into an addiction program and she begs Aspen not to tell Bram. Aspen reluctantly agrees but has no idea how difficult a promise will be to keep. I’ll be honest, I was rather annoyed at Beth. Her brother took a month off work for this trip and she sends her friend to break the bad news to him? C’mon.

As you can imagine, Bram wants to know why Beth cancelled and Aspen can’t tell him the truth. He jumps to the conclusion that it’s Aspen’s fault. With him, everything is Aspen’s fault and she’s sick and tired of thinking the worst of her. Thankfully, that changes after he drops her home. Something happens with her brother’s friends and it’s then he realizes how wrong he’s been about her. Long story short, he kind of blackmail’s into going on the road trip with him. No, I don’t buy his reasoning but I do buy Aspen’s reasons for accepting. Who wouldn’t want to be able to relieve their only parent (her mother) of a huge financial burden? Then there’s the whole having her master’s degree paid for.

Of course it’s on the road trip that they get to know each other better. Aspen teasingly—sometimes not—calls him Tin Man and she discovers he does have a heart. She also discovers that he sex talk makes him uncomfortable. Like when she is frank about her lack of a current or ex-boyfriend, using an amusing analogy to discuss her sex drive.

“Nope, I just find a good mechanic now and then. You know, to keep all my parts in good working order. Like an oil change.” I sigh. “Except lately I usually just end up doing the job myself. Not as much hassle that way. Especially since most mechanics just poke under the hood a little and call it a day. I end up having to finish the work, anyway, so now I don’t even bother taking it to the shop.

 I have to tell you, I finished this book in a day, and the anticipation of watching these two finally get together is well worth the wait. Hot. Scorching hot. Combustible. That doesn’t adequately describe their love scenes. Bram can’t help himself and neither can Aspen. For me, I loved Bram losing it more. I’m remembering the scene when they’re playing football with Aspen’s cousin’s motorcycle friends. And if you’re not into MC romances, their stint with club is short, but what happens between them pushes their relationship to a whole different level.

What we learn about their past is heartbreaking. Aspen’s we learn early on in the story but Bram’s we don’t learn until much later on, and it explains why he’s the way he is. That still didn’t prepare me for what happens when Beth comes back into the picture. Boy did my heart hurt. I was mad at everyone for Aspen and I wasn’t in a forgiving mood days later when she was. I know. I can hold a grudge. ;)

You’ll be happy to know my hardened heart was eventually appeased and did soften, and the epilogue was the cherry on top of my hot fudge sundae. What a wonderful HEA! Ms. Wilde, I want more books like this.

~ Beverley