Fast Track

Garwood goes off the rails with this unintentionally creepy sequel to Hotshot, starring a saccharine rich girl and the controlling, possessive man she’s inexplicably loved since she was a child. Cordelia Kane always believed that her mother died in a car accident, but Mrs. Kane actually walked out on her child and mechanic husband. Fortunately, there are men nearby who know how to run a web search and solve the trivial mystery of her whereabouts. Aidan Madison—the “ultimate alpha” high-powered businessman Cordelia loves—demands that she accompany him on his private jet to Australia in pursuit of her mother; then he buys her ball gowns and looms possessively. The pieces are all there for a corporate thriller or a story about a woman discovering herself, but readers might well miss them as Aidan takes control of Cordelia’s life, restricts her movement and actions, and demands sex from her. This unsettling exploration of flat characters and gender stereotypes lacks both romance and chemistry. Agent: Jane Rotrosen, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Aug.)