Twists and turns and sometimes unbelievable. Rand is the only one in town to see what is going on, the sinister craziness of Lawrence, however, when the whole town suddenly is ablaze and she is on the run she is the one to be blamed for it. When a rogue FBI agent teams up with her can she trust him or not.

**Received this ARC for review from NetGalley**

What happened there?!

First off, I’ll start by commenting on the author, as she is listed as Jessica Veen on Goodreads and Amazon, but as Scarlette Hunt on NetGalley. There is an older book around written under the second name, so I assume that either can be an alias.

Anyway, on to the story itself. Well, it’s a… It’s… Yeah, it’s that. Pretty much. That’s to say that it had interesting parts, but was for the most part unbelievable. I mean, seriously, Rand is the only one that knows anything is off with this guy? And she is recruited by the FBI just like that, just because she happened to bump into and start a “relationship” with a guy who’s on the hunt for the same guy she is. And her first “mission” is something ridiculous to put her not only in danger, but at odds with everyone. Right, yep, that goes. Then there’s the time jumps, meaning that we learn more of what happened before, in a sort of chronological way, but at later points. There is no overall chronological story arc, which might have made it easier to read.

The story had potential but, to put it bluntly, was a raving mess! It’s supposed to be some sort of action-adventure-crime-thriller. OK – there’s crime, check. There’s action, check. Adventure? Thriller? Perhaps a little bit of thriller, but not so much. I think with how unrealistic everything was, it detracted from its thriller potential, big time. I ended up more bored at points than waiting with my heart racing for the next to happen.

With everything considered, there is nothing that surprises me about the book’s average rating.

Final rating: ★★☆☆☆ – Disliked

*I received a free digital ARC via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

I really wanted to like this book.
Book set in the South - check
Book with quirky characters - check
Throw in some romance - check

But.... I didn't like it. I had trouble keeping the characters straight - after a while I found myself skimming it just to get through. I loved the premise, but struggled to connect to the characters or the story,.

I’m struggling with how to present a decent review of this book. So, please bear with me.

“Road Rage” by Scarlette Hunt is described as “Fiction (Adult)/Romance” and as an “off kilter southern thriller”. Thriller might be a bit of a stretch. Even if that was the author’s intention it doesn’t quite hit its mark. The “off kilter” part is somewhat more descriptive because the characters, are numerous and often unbelievable.

The protagonist, Miranda “Rand” Phillips, is a psychologist/therapist. in Aiken, SC. The story opens with her at the wheel of her ‘69 Mustang in a ditch. She was on her way to California, all the while either chasing or being chased by one William Prince who was trying to kill her. Prince had shown up in Aiken a couple of weeks ago and within just a few days, knew everyone in town and all their secrets. On the surface he was affable and even charming but he gave Rand the heebie-jeebies. It seemed to her he was following her, especially when he kept popping up unexpectedly in unlikely places. Then came the day he showed up at her office for an appointment as a client/patient. Rand tried to get rid of him but he overpowered her and held her against her will, even torturing her. But Rand managed to escape and as she was driving away, Prince detonated firebombs he’d set all over town and she could see the town of Aiken in her rear view mirror in a full-blown conflagration. Over the course of her drive she has flashbacks that partially explain some of her backstory but it jumps around willy nilly with little or no segues or transitions. I spent way too much time trying to figure out the time and location leaps. Early on in the story she gets rescued (one of several times) by Brax Hollows, an FBI agent. Naturally they eventually fall in lust/love which is where the romance comes in. Does any of this sound plausible to you? Nah, not to me either.

While I’m kvetching, I have to mention the author’s all too frequent use of “ya” and “yer” for “you” and “your”. I was born and reared in the deep south and I don’t ever recall hearing those terms used. I’m being kind when I say that much of the dialogue was equally inauthentic. As for the storyline, it jumped around with too numerous to mention characters that popped up like so many ducks in a shooting gallery. I needed a scorecard to keep track of the players. By the time I got to the 80% mark (Kindle edition) I just wanted it to end so I skimmed the remaining 20% because I didn’t honestly care what happed to whom.

I don’t recall a time when I had to struggle this much to come up with even a single positive remark but there it is. The plot premise showed promise if it could’ve been corralled instead of being allowed to wander off. Maybe a good sheepdog would help. They’re good at rounding up the strays and getting them back to the herd. If the stray threads of this story could be gathered up and woven together it could be salvaged but it’d be a gargantuan task. So I’m ending this with two stars. One for the promise of a storyline that didn’t quite make it and one for effort. That’s the best I can do.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are strictly my own. My thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity. #Roadrage #NetGalley

This book was amazing! Had me hooked from the first page all the way to the last! What a great read!

Rand is on the run and so are we. The pace of this story will warm the hearts of readers who want to be out of breath in the end. Rand is on the run and running out of time. She is joined by Brax at a time when she clearly needed help and added resources. These two never get a moments peace from the bad guys,who are everywhere. Always with these two or a step ahead. It’s a great late night read.

There were a lot of inconsistencies right from the start that made this a bit difficult to digest or immerse myself in. A lot of posturing and drama in the dialog but not in line with the actions of the characters. I couldnt get into it but don't doubt that there are other readers who might find this more appealing than I did.

Unfortunately I couldn’t connect with this, the story, the characters or plot, just wasn’t for me, too far fetched and not my style sadly. I’m sure others may enjoy this, but not my cup of tea.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

A novel about a psychopath who is intent on bombing the nation and the therapist who aims to stop him. When Lawrence visits Rand in her office she realizes there is something wrong with him. She overhears him talking to another person about the money and decides to go to his house to search for something that would implicate him. She is caught after finding out his plans to bomb the town, Los Angeles and the nation. She escapes, he bombs the town and also escapes. She tries to follow him to California and has several escapades along the way. The story is not very believable and is not my genre but it might appeal to mystery enthusiasts. Thanks to netgalley and Good Ink for allowing me to preview this book

Rand is a therapist that is on the run from a psychopath. He’s planted bombs in major cities and she is trying to stop him. Brax is the agent who is also trying to stop The same psychopath. When Rand and Brax cross paths can she trust him or is he working for Lawrence.

I read and reviewed this free advanced complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley