Carpool by Noelle Adams

Four Stars

I was first introduced to Noelle Adams when she wrote under the name Claire Kent. I love

d her book “Escort.” Even though “Carpool” is not an erotica like Escort, Adams still had me captivated by the main characters and I wanted to see how they would resolve their conflict.  Marcus Greene and Jennifer are opposites. Where she was the good girl, Marcus was the legendary bad boy.  They always had a bit of conflict between them.  Jennifer always saw Marcus as unnecessarily difficult although very attractive.  When Jennifer needs a ride to work he becomes her only option.  Jennifer hates to ask Marcus for the help but other than moving out of town and closer to their common place of employment she has few other options.

During their shared commute they slowly start to peel back their layers.  During the 45 minute commute back and forth they begin to get to know each other. Marcus confesses that his reputation sometimes frustrated him but he stuck around his hometown to help his parents. In a similar situation, Jennifer is in a similar situation. She is also taking care of her grandma who is in a nursing home and facing health issue. Although Jennifer is attracted to Marcus she is not aware of his attraction to her.  Marcus takes it slow until he is sure that Jennifer is open to taking their friendship to the next level.

Overall, this was a short and fun read. Adams provided enough tension and chemistry between the main characters. She also added enough substance to their personalities to make them likable. The conflict that arises is small but enough to help them see that they both have strong feelings for each other. Another aspect that I really like is that even though this is a short read, I am already looking forward to the next story in the series, “Office Mate”.  “Office Mate” is about her friend Becky and her new office mate, the new English Professor. The immediately dislike one another and I immediately wanted to read the story!