Driven to Distraction

Foster kicks off her Road to Love series with a road trip tale that plays just a little too safe. Having survived a lonely, dangerous childhood, Mary Daniels is determined never to let herself be vulnerable again. But when she is sent to hire the big, bawdy Brodie Crews as a courier for her millionaire boss’s latest collection acquisition, Mary realizes she’s found the one person who can overcome her iron control. Brodie finds Mary alluring, but she also brings out all his protective instincts, especially as a shadowy stalker begins to follow them on their collection trips. Though Mary and Brodie eventually develop a significant and meaningful relationship, the reliance on well-worn tropes—the buttoned-up but sexy heroine (whose body is excessively ogled by the narration), the hypermasculine hero (whose biceps and crotch are similarly dwelled on), the damsel-in-distress plot—make an inventive premise feel far too familiar. Nevertheless, Foster fills her scenes with plenty of banter and sizzling chemistry, ensuring longtime fans will feel right at home in this new series. Agent: Steven J. Axelrod, Axelrod Agency. (Nov.)