Drive Me Crazy by Janna Lee Hayes
The Wilder Rose Press, Scarlet Rose
Contemporary
Short Story, M/F
Review by Rose

Race track owner, Alyssa Palmer has loved Newt Rodgers since they were in junior high, but being the local dirt-track race car driver, he has beautiful women standing in line to jumpstart his engine. An almost episode in the ladies room at Trudy's bar only makes Alyssa that much more aware of him.

Newt can't forget the night he had Alyssa Palmer--his best friend’s sister for Pete’s sake--up against the stall wall...or the lacy red underwear he nearly got past before they were interrupted. Who knew the grease-stained tomboy he'd worked alongside in the pits would be hiding such treasures? But he was more than ready to find out what else was under her hood.

♥ ♥ ♥

“Drive Me Crazy” by Janna Lee Hayes takes us to a world of racing. A world of hot cars and hot men. And a world Alyssa Palmer is afraid is going to change forever when the man she has loved most of her life, and a man she nearly had sex with five months earlier, is given the chance to leave the dirt track to go to California for the big times, accompanied by a lovely woman.

Alyssa is afraid she can’t compete with either the woman or the opportunity. But, how can she stand in Newt’s way?

Ms. Hayes does an excellent job with the sights, smells, and sounds of the dirt track. The unique perfume of gas and oil that clings to the participants. The smells Alyssa Palmer grew up with. Her characterizations are also wonderfully done. Full-fleshed, the two main characters are people you really want to see happy. How they can both be happy, though, is a question Ms. Hayes has to answer.

I enjoyed this story very much. I ached for Alyssa when she tried to drown her sorrows at the local watering hole and Ms. Hayes description of Alyssa’s “morning after” was well-drawn. Newt is a man you would love to take home, and I was glad when he finally realized his feelings for Alyssa were more than “big brotherly.” Only the ending prevented me from giving this story five cherries, but I don’t want to give away any spoilers. I personally found the ending less than satisfying, though.

But, even with that, I recommend this story and I will definitely be checking out some of her other works.