Jasper Storm has always been about adrenaline and speed. His life has been challenging, he has suffered loss and tragedy, and has lived life on both sides of the poverty line. But as an adult he has coped with fast cars and women and strong ambition. He is strong, stubborn, in control, and driven to succeed. His business success just keeps building with each new project and he is about to take on one that is most important to him and his city.  He has his life right where he wants it. And then his past walks right back up to him.

Charlotte Lane was his childhood best friend. But one night she was gone...right when he needed her most. And neither of their lives were ever the same.  She has not been home to Detroit for twenty years, but now she has returned with her own agenda.  She is caring, sweet, insecure, and a bit needy. But she is also tenacious and is looking for answers. 

Their lives are crossing again and their past comes crashing back just as they were about to start new beginnings. There are questions and a gradual forthcoming of answers. New events intertwine their lives even more. And suddenly they are thrust into a big mess with no clear answers, motives, or suspects.

This book is multi-layered and full of mysteries past and present. It involves Jasper and his three best friends and business partners for their company Set The Pace: Billy, Will, and Jake. They became his new family. Charlotte used to be. And their real family dynamics all have checkered pasts. And one big past event has had repercussions not only on their lives, but also on Detroit as a whole. 

Jasper and Charlotte are two people with a strong connection, past hurts, secrets, and an undeniable chemistry and attraction. They find themselves thrust into a situation of betrayal, tragedy, mystery and foul play. It is hard to tell who they can trust and what to believe. The past and present are tied and twisted. There are multiple antagonists and unclear agendas.

But at the heart of it is Jasper and his world that is spinning out of control. And his reconnection with the one girl who ever meant anything to him, but ended up hurting him. But she is also the one woman who has the ability to keep up with him or alternately bring him to his knees. Trust is difficult with so much baggage. They will have to face their pasts, deal with their chaotic present, and fight for their futures.

Is their deep connection and new passion and feelings enough to make them take a leap of faith?

I loved Jasper and Charlotte and totally felt their strong bond despite the previous distance and hurt. I liked  getting dual points of view especially since there were secrets and pain on each side. The city of Detroit itself mirrored both the destruction and devastation, and the hope of new beginnings also seen with this couple. This was a fast paced story full of tension, mystery, heartbreak, danger, passion, and strong emotions. I was totally intrigued from the beginning and my brain was working overtime trying to put all the pieces together to try to figure it out. We see this couple begin to work together to try to help each other. But does their presence in each other's lives just hurt the other more not only personally, but also with public perception? And there are still so many more questions.

What really happened in the past and who is really responsible? Who is out to get them? What do they want?  And  will they survive it unscathed?

I cannot wait for the next installment in this exciting duet Turn It Up! 

Beta copy provided by Author in exchange for an honest review.


Charlotte Lane has returned to the city she grew up in, only to have to hide her past. If those around her knew who she really was, they would never want to be associated with her.

But the boy who always protected her cannot let the tragedy truly stand between them, and when he sees her after all these years, he can’t stay away. Set the Pace takes a struggling Detroit and creates a rich world amidst the economic struggles of a once prosperous city.

These two have a past, and it isn’t always a pretty one. But I loved the flashback scenes that showed just how strong Jasper’s early need to protect Charlotte ran, and the circumstances that led them each to become the adults they are fit.

The chemistry between them is off the charts, and though they each fight it for different reasons, ultimately they can’t deny there is more than friendship between them. Knowing that, though, isn't enough to give them an easy road. Not when Jasper is trying to open a new plant at the sight of a tragic accident and Charlotte’s family has taken the blame for 20 years.

The only part of the story that gave me any trouble, and the only reason I don’t have 5 full stars marked at the top of this review, was the beginning. Before the mystery developed its outlines, the characters weren't speaking to me, weren’t capturing me. But as their pasts were revealed, and watching those pasts twist together with the present, I began to fall in love with both Jasper and Charlotte. At times, Jasper is closed off and hard to read. At times, Charlotte is a bit of a shrinking violet. But together they fill in the cracks and find what is missing.

The mystery surrounding the initial tragedy and the current events was enough on it’s own to keep me reading. But add in Charlotte and Jasper trying to figure out if there could be more between them and this quickly turned into a page turner. 

Just when I thought I had a few things figured out, new information popped out pointing suspicion another direction. This series of events repeated multiple times to the point where I wasn’t sure who Jasper and Charlotte should trust, or even who they were really dealing with. And that cliff. I must have Turn It Up ASAP, because this was an epic conclusion that has left me wanting more.

ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review.