Drive to Thrive by CD Rachels Instagram Tour

Formula Q is the fastest motorsport in the world. Only the highest-performing athletes can make it to the grid. They drive fast, work hard, and play hard, but off-camera, anything goes.

The public knows me as Damon ‘the Speed Demon’ Davidoff, eligible bachelor and winner of FQ titles around the world. Fans adore me and my team supports me. They don’t need to know I’m so deep in the closet I intend to bury myself there.

Then my poor health catches up to me and my world comes crashing down. I could bounce back easily if it weren’t for one little complication: my male nurse is attractive as hell.

I can suppress these feelings during the season break—I have to. I’m not going to expose my secret just because I feel a fire coursing through my veins when Rocky puts his hands on me.
As the weeks go by, I somehow let Rocky under my skin and into my heart. He’s smart, sweet, and everything I never knew I needed.

I thought I wanted a clean bill of health and to keep winning my races. Now, for the first time in my life, I want so much more. I want him, and damn if that isn’t the scariest thing I’ve ever felt.

Drive to Thrive is a male/male motorsports romance novel. It involves Christmas karaoke, New Year’s Eve parties, Las Vegas swimming pool dates, and yes, lots of racing action worldwide. It is book one of a series, has a HEA, and can be read as a standalone.

 

 

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Paperback (US)
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

I try to hide the affection on my face. “You know, it’s illegal to give your nurse a bribe.”

He rolls his eyes. “Well, it’s not illegal to give my friend a gift. Now open it.”

I reach in and pull out what looks to be a large black box. “What is this?”

“It’s a digital sketching tablet, along with some software for digital art.”

“What?”

“If your PC isn’t compatible, you can return it; I included the receipt. But I was thinking you could start, you know… doing this professionally. Or just practice. Rocky, I know you’re good enough to make online comic art.” I look up at him and see he’s scratching his ear and looking away. “Or, um, you… you don’t have to,” he stutters.

“Damon, this is…” I stare at the hardware in my hand. This would cost me a fortune. “This is too generous!”

“Do you like it?” An odd mixture of hope and fear is in his eyes; it makes me realize how much power I have to hurt him right now, not that I’d want to.

“Damon… I love it. But you shouldn’t have!”

“I wanted to. Because…” He doesn’t finish his sentence. Instead, I fling myself at him and hold him tight. He hugs me back, and it warms me up from the inside out. He smells like hot cocoa and something else entirely—it might be too soon, but he smells like comfort and home.

Before I can pull away, Damon holds me tighter. When he finally lets go, he lightly brushes his lips on my cheek. I’m frozen in shock and feel my heart try to escape my chest. “Well, goodnight.” He quickly gets in his car and speeds away.

I put my hand on my cheek and feel the ghost of his kiss. I don’t know what it meant or what’s going on in Damon’s head. All I know is this Christmas, everything has shifted between him and me. It’s like there’s no solid ground when I’m around Damon Davidoff—just me, floating and falling all at once.

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
3.5 stars rounded up

This is a very enjoyable read – but if you were hoping for lots of motor sport content, then you might be disappointed. It centres very much around Damon, a very successful driver, who has a health condition he previously kept under wraps. As an aside, as a medical drama fan, I did find that side of things fascinating!

Spending the off season recovering, thanks in no small part to a delicious nurse called Rocky, Damon has to decide whether he wants personal happiness at the potential loss of his professional success – ideally, he wants it all! Inevitably, he worries that strike one from bad health, followed by strike two, revealing he is gay, may end a career that has years to run.

I loved Rocky's family pitching in and making Damon feel normal and included. And whilst he was conflicted, he was also finally seeing that he could maybe be everything he wanted to be with the support of the right partner.

I will definitely look out for the next installment.

 

 

 

CD RACHELS has been coming up with stories since he was little. At first it was all about superheroes and pocket monsters, but his genre of choice has expanded since puberty.

He’s been consuming young adult gay fiction since he was a teen, but within the past five years moved up to the big leagues of gay adult romance. In 2020 during quarantine, he burned through more male/male romance books than he ever had in the previous 29 years combined.

He lives in New York City with the love of his life and works in health insurance. When he’s not reading and writing, he’s playing board games and practicing music. He is honored to become a self-published author, and if you’re reading this, your support means so much to him that it’s giving him a tingly feeling (in a good way).

Connect with CD Rachels

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Facebook Group: CD Rachels' Chill Discourse Room

 

 

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Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Drive to Thrive (Formula Q #1) by CD Rachels to read and review.