Whiskey Creek Press Torrid Category:  Romance Publisher: Whiskey Creek Press Torrid ISBN-10:  1593745834 Type: Fiction Pages: 200 Copyright: July, 2006 AVAILABLE NOW! The McVicker brothers' story continues with Book 2, Fantasy Road! If you read Fantasies Delivered, you met Chase already, and I decided he was working way too hard and needed a relationship outside of his many businesses. Little did I realize what kind of trouble was ahead with Katie Jo! *************** ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, ANYWAY – A trilogy Behind the ordinary façade of the workaday world, Gage, Chase and Travis McVicker have more to their backgrounds than meets the eye, because their best quality -- passionate sex -- is one skill you won't find on their resumes. Book 2 Chase McVicker owns fifteen limousine companies and occasionally acts as chauffeur. Katie Jo Hawthorne is hiding out from an ex-husband as she tries to find the reason behind her father's death, and she’s more interested in the previous owner of one particular limo than she is its current driver. That is, until she gets sidetracked when Chase shows her ways to utilize a stretch limo that makes her fantasies come true. But when they discover someone is tracking her movements, it takes more than Chase's driving ability to save them from the bad guys and all of his passion to save Katie from herself.        Excerpt Chapter 1 Chase McVicker walked out of the office into the sweltering Texas sun. It shouldn’t be this damn hot in the middle of October, he thought. He had just returned to San Antonio from a month in Las Vegas where he had opened the latest C_M limousine service, and couldn't wait to get home, take a shower and have a cold beer. "What the hell?" He looked over at the white limo parked just to the right of the office. The back door was open and if Chase wasn't mistaken, a very feminine ass was framed in the entrance. He leaned against the door jam and admired her for a minute, or three. When it came to women, Chase had an unlimited amount of time. The shorts she wore barely covered her butt and the halter-top bared her entire back. As he watched, she turned her head sideways and a mass of curly hair slid across her back. He could see freckles on her arms and legs -- not the kind that detracted, but rather the golden, all over kind that enhanced a woman's beauty and proclaimed her a true red head. She appeared to be looking for something, and Chase decided perhaps she needed help. If she wanted to intrude on his property, he'd show her who was boss. He walked up behind her and grasped her around the waist just as she took a step inside the car. Her movement threw them both off balance and they went tumbling onto the floor of the limo. Chase was unable to break his fall except for landing on his elbows. The jar still threw his body against hers, and his hands just happened to end up on her breasts. "Let go of me!" She hollered, wiggling against him. "Whoa, there, sweetheart. I wouldn’t be doing that if I were you." His hips were pressed intimately against her fanny and when she moved, well, Chase was an ordinary man. His erection throbbed against her. "Get off!" She continued to squirm. Chase tried to lever himself up, but in doing so accidentally squeezed her breasts. She instantly stilled. "Please, don't—" Chase could hear panic in her voice. He hadn't intended to molest her. If she would just quit wiggling beneath him, he could get control of his wayward body. "What are you doing in my car?" He asked, but he didn't move. "I…" she hesitated. "Please let me go. I'll tell you, but you're suffocating me." The panic made her words breathy and hesitant. He slowly slid down her body, enjoying the feel of soft curves against his chest. He stood up at the doorway, but when she turned over and tried to scoot out, he blocked the way. Her head came up and Chase was lost. A tumble of auburn hair framed her face. The freckles he had noticed on her limbs were the same as what were scattered across the bridge of her nose. But it was her eyes that captured him. They were green, with the glitter of a fine cut emerald and she gazed wide-eyed up at him. There was something vulnerable in that gaze -- something wounded and hurting. Chase had always been a sucker for injured and stray creatures. He watched as she swallowed, then licked her lips. He followed the movement of her pink tongue then let his gaze travel across her face again. He wondered if she had freckles all over, and knew in that instant that he would find out. He'd bet every one of his fifteen limousine companies on it. “Who are you?” He asked, stepping back. He saw the panic recede. She tried to step around him and when he put up a hand she backed away. He had to wonder how she was brave enough to snoop around his business when she acted like a skittish filly if he got too close. “Ka—“ she started, then stopped. She took a breath. “Kelly Heart,” she said then pinched her lips together. Chase could feel his eyes narrow. She had started to say something else. He reached for the handbag she had slung over one shoulder and saw her flinch. Damn. Someone had hurt her bad. She tried to keep hold of her purse. “You have no right.” “Lady, if you go poking around my vehicles without my permission, I have every right. Unless you want me to call the cops and have them deal with you.” Her face paled. “No, please don’t.” She released the bag. Chase was never rough with women. In fact, just the opposite. He loved to look at them, dance with them, touch and caress them, and above all else make slow sweet love to them. And even if he hadn’t had an overactive affection for women, his mother had taught him better than to ever treat one in anything other than a reverent manner. Chase’s eyebrow rose as he looked through her purse. A wallet, car keys, a folded piece of paper and pepper spray. That was it. He took out the wallet and opened it, finding her license. “Kelly Jo Heart – that you?” He looked at her. “Yes,” she said, but she had hesitated a beat too long. She only had about a hundred dollars in the wallet and no credit cards. What woman didn’t have credit cards? “What were you doing in my car?” He asked again. “I was looking for a set of keys.” He looked down at the purse, which he snapped shut and handed back to her. “You have keys.” She took the purse, being careful not to touch him. “A different set.” … “Now, tell me why you think there’s a set of keys belonging to you in my vehicle.” He began shuffling through the stuff that was scattered all over the desktop. “It looks like a tornado went through this office,” Katie Jo said instead. “How can you find anything?” “I know right where everything is,” Chase answered as he moved stacks from one side of the desk to the other. “At least I usually do.” He frowned. “Why don’t you automate your business and have your records on your computer?” she asked. “I hate computers.” Chase had an accountant in Houston who kept track of his businesses. Chase had his managers fax him account printouts weekly. He looked at the sorry mess of papers on his desk. That was probably why he couldn’t find anything now. "Just let me look at your records. I can figure out what I need.” She took a tentative step towards his desk. "You still haven’t told me why this is so important," Chase countered. “A murder was committed in one of your vehicles. Is that important enough for you?”

5 Angels and a RECOMMENDED READ!
Chase McVicker is tired and ready to be home. Having his own limousine company is rewarding work, but when he has them in fifteen different towns it sure does mean a lot of travel. When he finally arrives back home to Texas, he is greeted with something he did not quite expect. In back of his limousine is the nicest backside he has ever seen. Only that backside happens to be rummaging through his limo much like a thief.

Katie Jo Hawthorne has finally made it to Texas in the hope she will find what she searches for. Running away from her ex-husband and devastated by the immediate death of her father, Katie is left picking up the pieces for clues. Determined to figure out what happened to her father and by whom, she is left to search through limousines. If only she hadn’t been caught doing it.

As Chase grills Katie about being in his limousine, he comes to learn quite a bit about her. Being the honorable man he is, Chase is determined to help Katie anyway he can. It is a good thing that Chase has spent time behind the wheel instead of riding around in the back of his limousine because he will need to do some fancy maneuvering in order to keep Katie safe from danger, discover who they are in danger from, and why. Will Chase be able to figure everything, including his feelings for Katie, out in time? Will Katie finally have someone in her life that truly cares for her?

Fantasy Road: Anywhere, Anytime, Anyway Book 2 instantly grabs the reader’s attention with the wonderful display that greets Chase and then continues to hold them captured in a tale of suspense, passion, and devotion until they turn the last page. Katie is on a mission: one that she is not quite prepared to take but must in order to move forward in her life. Chase has spent many years living life to the fullest only to learn that maybe his fullest wasn’t what he really wants. Katie and Chase are a wonderful compliment to each other: exactly what they need. With instant sparks flying between them, Chase and Katie must decide if what they have found in each other’s arms is worth fighting for because that is exactly what is in store for them. When Travis and Gage McVicker, Chase’s brothers, show up, readers will be pleased to have the opportunity to revisit Gage from the first story and learn more about Travis. Chase is an honorable man through and through and readers will hope that if they happen upon a limo of their own, it will be Chase it belongs to.

Fantasy Road: Anywhere, Anytime, Anyway Book 2 is an outstanding story, riddled with emotions, passion, suspense, and above all else amazing characters. This is a story this reader will remember for quite some time and will definitely read again and again. I look forward to the day that I have the last installment, Travis’ story, in my hands: I only hope that I don’t have to wait long. Barbara Baldwin has reinforced why this reader is a true fan, willing to grab anything with her name on it, and also earned herself 5 Angels and a Recommended Read!

Reviewed by: Jessica


LoveRomances Gives Fantasy Road 4.5 Hearts!
When Chase McVicker noticed a very shapely female bent over searching through one of his limos, he could not have begun to imagine the changes that would occur in his life. Katie Jo Hawthorne was on the run from an abusive ex-husband with mob connections and attempting to discover why someone had killed her father. However, even though Katie Jo was scared of men there was just that something that tugged at Chase’s heartstrings and made him determined to both assist Katie Jo and teach that not all men will hurt her.

As Katie Jo’s father died in her arms after he was beaten to death, he whispered about his keys being in the limo. So, on the run from her husband, Katie Jo is searching Chase’s limos in hope of finding those keys. Instead she finds Chase. He says that he wants to help her but does she dare trust another man?

FANTASY ROAD by author Barbara Baldwin will grab the reader from the very first page when Chase discovers Katie Jo digging through his limos. Both Katie Jo and Chase are wonderfully believable characters with their share of flaws and strengths. Add in their need to stay ahead of Katie Jo’s ex while they solve the puzzle and you have a real winner of a book!

FANTASY ROAD is beautifully driven by the characters. Katie Jo is a warm and sensual woman who has been frightfully abused by her ex-husband. Is it any wonder that she flinches every time a man reaches towards her? Chase has always adopted strays, be they human or animal. Now the need for Katie Jo to regain her self confidence just screams at him. However, he did not plan on losing his heart. Chase does not want a relationship as they always go sour on him. Readers will also get a chance to revisit the other McVicker family from FANTASY DELIVERED.

ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, ANYWAY series just keeps getting better and this reviewer highly recommends it to any lover of either contemporary romance or romantic suspense. Rush out and get your copy today as you are sure to be pleasantly surprised.

Reviewed by Shaiha
shaiha@comcast.net



4 Hearts from The Romance Studio
Fantasy Road is the second book in Barbara Baldwin's trilogy and like its predecessor, it's another fast-paced and dynamic romance. … Chase is a great character. He's funny, caring, oh-so-sexy, and more than willing to help Katie Jo shoulder her burdens. He's the perfect guy to have around when the going gets tough, and tough it does in Fantasy Road. I was very surprised with the twists and turns Ms. Baldwin plotted out and I was definitely led on a merry chase. This is a well-crafted romance that stars a personable pair that will grab your attention as they search for the keys and the answers to the death of Katie Jo's father. Fantasy Road is a most worthy addition to the Anywhere, Anytime, Anyway trilogy.
Overall rating: 4 Hearts
Sensuality rating: Very sensual
Reviewer: Sarah W