Aflame: Penelope Douglas

Blurb:

The tables have turned. Now I have the power—and it’s his turn to beg…

Everyone wants to be me.

Maybe it’s the sway of my skirt or the way I flip my hair, but I don’t care. Even though their attention is the last thing I crave, I just can’t stop. I dominate the track, the speed rattles my bones, and the wind and the crowd screams my name.

I’m her. The girl driver. The queen of the race. And I’m surviving—something he thought I’d never do.

They all still talk about him. Did you see Jared Trent on T.V? What did you think of his last race, Tate? When is he coming back to town, Tate?

But I refuse to care too much. Because when Jared does come home, I won’t be here.

Tatum Brandt is gone. I’m someone new.

Review: 3.5 Stars

Like many others, when I read the sneak peak for Aflame, at the end of Falling Away, I was pissed off.  I was really angry with Jared.  But that's not logical; he's just a character.  So, in the end, I settled with being pissed off at the author.  Although I agree that Jared and Tate's story never really reached the HEA point, it all felt like a financially-motivated decision to eke out one more book from a popular series; akin to a major studio doing a remake on a movie that is sure to fill seats.  So, with that in mind, it's hard to review this book without being biased by how I felt about the storyline.  I guess I fundamentally don't agree that Jared needed to leave Tate to find himself.

All of that aside, the book was an enjoyable, quick read.  I don't think the blurb does a very good job of representing the book.  But, I always liked Jared and Tate together, so I was happy to read about them and how their relationship progressed.  It wasn't as steamy as Falling Away, but it had its moments.  I don't think the extra book was necessary.  Not after the two previous books featuring Jared and Tate.  Still, I'm sad to see the series end.  I got attached to the characters.