The Caffeinated Diva reads...

Under the Hood is the first novella in the series of the same name. The series revolves around the ladies of Under the Hood, a car repair shop that caters to women. It is owned and staffed by three best friends... Alice, Betty, and Mel. This novella focuses on Alice, a woman who has clearly been hurt been men in the past. She has moved to this town to start over, swearing off men and relationships.

Instead of the man sweeping in to rescue the damsel in distress, Alice does the rescuing. She "rescues" her neighbor Mark, who just happens to be a gorgeous lawyer in town. Trust was something she clearly didn't have with men and it showed. I think that represented what a lot of us have felt at times in our lives. Betrayal and hurt can lead to distrust that carries from the one who hurt us to any and all. So, along with the flirting, there was a whole lot of angst.

But right along with the romance, which was fantastic, there was a great story. Alice is someone that most of us can understand. There is a subplot that involves all of the ladies of the garage, some twists and turns and angst with that, too.

Things to love...

--The change-up of traditional gender roles. I love that Alice and her friends are mechanics, running their own business for women, even holding classes to empower other women.

Some Quotastic Goodness

--Some things you do for others and some things just for yourself (Loc.27).
--Being rescued is fun (Loc. 94).
--It was a date. He knew it, she knew it. But somehow, that was okay (Loc. 220).

My Recommendation

This is a quick, fun read and one with a fantastic premise!

This review originally appeared on my blog: http://thecaffeinateddivareads.multifacetedmama.com/?p=9754.