Driven to Distraction by Anah Crow and Dianne Fox
Working Stiffs
Amber Quill Press – Amber Allure
Contemporary Multicultural M/M
ISBN: 9781602727472
Reviewed by Val




On the surface, Jess Leonard and Benaiah Day are as different as two men from such diverse backgrounds can be.  But when Ben moves to the southern town where he used to spend his summers to take a job on the faculty at the university, he calls on Jess, the best mechanic he knows, and the two of them discover they have one thing in common: a fierce attraction like nothing they’ve ever felt before.

Now the question is, will that passion have a chance to turn into something more?  First, Ben has to decide how he feels about that huge rebel flag in the back window of the truck that belongs to Jess’s dad. Meanwhile, Jess must cope with feeling like a complete outsider in the unfamiliar world of Ben’s educated friends and colleagues.

And do they even have time for love?  Ben is on his way to tenure at the university.  Jess has a flourishing business at his garage and is a single dad, raising two young children.

It’s going to be a bumpy road, but for these two hard driving men, getting there is more than half the fun.

Driven to Distraction is a sleek read with tons of power under the hood.  I enjoy stories about men who are comfortable loving men and who bring an unmistakable level of experience to the bedroom.  Anah Crow and Dianne Fox deliver that in spades.  This book has more steamy romance than you can shake a gearshift at.

But that’s not the only reason I’d call Driven to Distraction a definite Recommended Read.  It’s also got a quick pace, engaging and memorable supporting characters, and two terrific leads in Ben and Jess.

I enjoyed the fact both men are strong and accomplished in very different ways and the authors fill in the outlines of their separate lives with a wealth of delightful details.  It was fascinating to watch their two worlds merge and the friction generated as the lines blurred felt honest and realistic.

One element that anchors the realism is the strong, persistent southern voice of the writing – not just in the dialogue, but in the narrative itself.  As a lifelong southerner, once I got over the initial surprise, I found it as soothing and familiar as a cool glass of sweet tea on a hot summer night.  If you have a taste for love with a southern accent, buckle up for Driven to Distraction and get ready for a sweet ride.