Miles Apart

by Ken Casper

He lost his family...and gained a rival Twenty-five years ago Jack Dolman's life shattered the day his wife left him--and took their four-year-old son. Now a three-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup winner, Jack is focused on the here and now--until he discovers that his ex-wife has died. It's then, when he reluctantly goes to pay his respects, that he comes face-to-face with the son he barely knows...the son who believes Jack abandoned him and plans to seek...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0373217811
• ISBN13: 9780373217816
• Release Date: December 2007
• Publisher: Harlequin Special Releases
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.2" x 6.6"

Customer Reviews

good book

If your a sucker for romance books and a fan of Nascar then ya gotta read this book.

This One Is Refreshing!

Ken Casper's "Miles Apart" is a very good read. It is a nice, refreshing change from other formulaic NASCAR romance novels because it focuses on a father and son. Romance fans, don't fret - there is romance here, although it is subdued and isn't the usual up-and-down love/hate scenario in most of the other NASCAR novels. Casper brings a good amount of racing detail into the book, too, which will please the devoted NASCAR fans who understand the "lingo" and is not too overwhelming for the NASCAR novice. The main character, Jack Dolman, is older than the "star" of most other NASCAR romance novels, and this is refreshing as well. Jack's old flame, Margaret, is older, and their story is engaging and not over-the-top. Their maturity brings a calm sense to the story, which is completely believable. The younger characters, Jack's adult son Johnny and Margaret's adult daughter Amber, are believable as well. All the personalities in this book are extremely likable and easy to understand. It was such a nice treat to not have to read the typical love/hate/love/hate story. I have read numerous other NASCAR novels, and they were starting to be so predictable and boring that I nearly gave up. Thank you, Ken Casper, for breathing new life into this series!

Miles Ahead . . .

This is one fabulous book, unless of course, you want more romance stuff than story. Don't get me wrong, I like romance as well as anyone, (and there is romance in here) but I can also appreciate good writing and a great story, too. Actually, had I been able to give it 4½ stars, I would have, but since I couldn't, I decided to go for five, as I enjoyed the story so much. The older characters in this story sure don't hurt it for me (they're responsible for that extra half star!)- I'm older than they are - but they're vibrant and active and have the experience of having lived and acquiring wisdom through those years. Twenty-five years ago, the world was vastly different than it is now, and the events that shadowed Jack Dolman's life are exactly the kinds of things that really happened to ordinary people back then. Of course, they still happen now, too, but it's much easier to find people and information than it was then. Everything these days is on a bigger, more grand scale, which is sometimes harder for younger folks to assimilate. There were a couple of things in here that surprised me (my racing experience was open wheel) and I'm not so sure of the accuracy of a couple of them, but still - Ken Casper is one cracking good story-teller, and has obviously been to more than one NASCAR race in his lifetime. And just as obviously, is well-versed on Formula One or Grand Prix racing. You can almost hear the noise of the roaring engines and smell the hot oil and that unique scent of screeching tires as you read Jack's story and his attempts to reconcile with his son--who grew up in another world--while rekindling his high school romance with Megs Truesdale. Although he does devote a reasonable portion of the book to Meg and her daughter Amber, the majority of the book is all about Jack. I loved that! This is a book that should appeal to as many men as it will women. And rightly so!

Very nicely done!

I enjoyed this story tremendously! It was well-written and gave lots of insight into the sport, particularly the technique of "drafting". I liked that it was primarily a story of reconciliation and setting straight misunderstandings of the past. The theme of a father passing his legacy onto his son is reminiscent of a current popular NASCAR driver! It's refreshing to read a Harlequin book in which the focus is on the familial relationship, and the romance takes on more of a supportive role.

fun NASCAR romance

NASCAR superstar Jack Dolman has mixed feelings when he learns about the death of his former wife. He wouldn't have wanted her to die, but when he goes to the funeral he also sees this as a chance to perhaps reconcile with their strange son Johnny. However, Jack knows the track will be hazardous as his former late wife's second husband has told many fabrications about him over the years including that Jack had abandoned him when eh was four years old. In fact Johnny became a chip off the old stepfather's block when he turned to famous Formula One driving. Johnny hates his father and decides to join NASCAR to punish his biological dad. Meanwhile Jack and his former love Meg Truesdale rekindle what both thought died. She also tries to bring father and son together although she has daughter troubles of her own. This is a fun NASCAR romance that combines a second chance at love with a family reconciliation drama. Jack is a fabulous protagonist as he struggles with being part of Johnny's life, but his offspring has spent a quarter of a century hating him. Although a subplot involving Meg's daughter is unnecessary crowding on the oval, readers will enjoy Ken Casper's fine tale of a champion driver trying to overcome life's worst SPEED BUMPS. Harriet Klausner