What would you do if you knew your life was about to change dramatically and not for the better? If you’re Sarah Austin, you adopt the phrase ‘carpe diem’.

After a devastating diagnosis, Sarah knows she’s about to spend the rest of her life battling a disease for which there is no cure. Known as ‘sensible Sarah’ by her family, she’s always been the one to play things safe and do the right things in her life. Now facing an uncertain future, Sarah does the one thing she’s never done: throw caution to the wind.

In high school, Dean Batista was the resident bad boy and years later he keeps up the façade while in his hometown tending to family business. Yet, he wonders, what the people in his hometown would think if they knew he was really a counselor working with troubled teens?

When Sarah discovers Dean is riding cross-country on his motorcycle, back to his home in Colorado, she convinces him to take her with him. Days riding on the back of a motorcycle, combined with nights sleeping in a tent take a toll on Sarah’s body. She struggles to come to terms with not only her disease, but also her renewed feelings for Dean.

Every once in awhile, I come across a story where I end up reading it cover to cover. Natasha Moore’s The Ride of Her Life was one of those stories. While I didn’t care for Sarah’s secrecy or her tendency toward self-pity at times, I loved the way the relationship between she and Dean developed. Packed with tons of emotion and a lot of rocking sex, The Ride of Her Life was a sheer pleasure to read. Natasha Moore will certainly be an author I add to my must read list.

Reviewed by Michelle Cary
© July 2008