The New York Times bestselling Driven series continues with a standalone story about finding love where you least expect it… shadow.
Getty Caster is running away from the abuse that clouds her past. She thinks she’s found the perfect escape—until she discovers a stranger in the beachside cottage she’d been promised. He’s undeniably sexy, but she’s there to heal. Alone.
Before long though, fighting with each other turns into fighting their attraction. And giving into desire sets off a chain reaction that has their pasts colliding. With an unexpected love on the line, can they overcome the fallout to build a future?
more
Ah. At last. The Zander story. Now, you don’t have to have read Bromberg’s Driven series to understand this book, It really is a stand alone, but reading the Driven series gives you a better fleshed out back story. I also heartily recommend them too-in fact Kristy is a must one click any book she writes for me-and I have.
I really enjoyed the slow build of trust in this book. Both H/h have had traumas to overcome and by leaning on each other they realize together is better than alone.
Socks. Just Socks. You’ll understand when you read this story. Just jump and you won’t be sorry. 😉
Audio Review
Zander and Getty fit very well together!
I really enjoyed seeing the influences of Colton and Rylee on his adult demeanor!
I saw so much of Zander’s bio mom and Rylee in him in the end of the book!
Sooo sweet!!
And her “Father” is right there with Tawny.
A$$hole central.
Socks.
So. Damn. Pretty.
Convince her she’s your water.
Beautifully broken and brilliantly told, Down Shift blew me away! Moving … magical … and oh so meaningful. This story … it’s EVERYTHING! It’s heartbreak and healing. It’s the shattering of the soul and the strength to soar. The emotion within and between Getty & Zander is so raw and real it will have you on the brink of tears, smiling, grinning, turning red, then ripping your insides out with a spoon…it’s gut-wrenching but flawless. Joe Arden & Maxine Mitchell are fabulous narrators and voice artists. They do an amazing job portraying the characters, bringing them to life and humanizing them with their emotions, attitude and personality.
Two lost souls that fate brought together and ended up being just what each other needed. Getty has run away from her life and is hiding. We assume it’s from an abusive marriage but it’s so much more. Zander’s story we know from the earlier books in the Driven series (however if you haven’t read them don’t worry, this one will give you all the details). Zander has discovered something new about his past and it’s eating him alive.
These 2 meet in an almost humorous way, both naked and thinking the other has broken in. They end up living together and as time passes in any good romance, they slowly come to see each other in a better way. Both of their pasts are revealed and work through their issues. It’s a sweeter story than Colton and Riley’s story.
I listened to this one and Maxine Mitchell carries the bulk of the story extremely well. She is one of my more favorite narrators. Joe Arden gives an emotional performance as Zander, bringing his amazing skills to story. It was an amazing listen that I often found myself stopping what I was doing to pay closer attention.
Truly fantastic! This author creates stories that leave me feeling every emotion the characters feel. Both Zander’s and Getty’s pasts broke my heart, but the author quickly repaired it with their beautiful journey. A sexy, swoony, and totally addictive read.
From the Driven series this is Zander’s story of life and love. His tragic early
years have haunted him and trying to overcome all that has happened in his
life is messing with his heart and head. He runs away and starts to rebuild
his life and heart. A wonderful follow up to Zander’s later years and how
his adoptive parents Colton and Rylee help him work through it all.
Another fantastic read!! Loved, loved, loved it!
Zander Donovan is at the top of his racing career. But when a box from his past arrives on his doorstep everything he has thought of his past will be questioned. Spiraling out of control he gets away from it all and heads to a friends house on an island. What he hopes will be peace and quiet turns out to be time with a roommate Getty Caster who is running away from her own Skeletons. Can the two find solace in each other? Can some one else’s pain make yours fell less important? With beautifully written characters and a storyline that had me locked in from the prologue this was an awesome book. This will be one I read and re-read again and again.
10 pages in and I was bawling my eyes out. Wondering how I’d get through this book without the biggest book/headache/hangover.
“ I was nothing but a voodoo doll to manipulate as he saw fit.”
Two people running from their past. Afraid to trust. Tired of the lies. Needing to believe in themselves. Never wanting to rely on others. Afraid to become the type of person who caused the most scars. Learning to jump. Learning to trust again. Believing in yourself.
“ Even if you gave me 100 reasons why we shouldn’t be together, I’d still look for the one reason to fight like hell for you.“
**5 stars**
I love the Driven series and knowing we finally get Zander’s book was amazing. This poor beautiful broken boy, now man, captured my heart when you first met him and has continued ever since. K. Bromberg did an amazing job with his story and it was perfect for Zee, it captured him and all he’s been through. It was honest and healed all wounds that needed to be healed.
Zander has always been on of my favorite boys. When you first meet him, he wasn’t in a good place, he wouldn’t speak until Colton showed up. His life wasn’t easy in the beginning but because of Rylee and Colton, he was given a chance at life and a family. For twenty years he had a family who lived and wounds had started to heal until a box shows and turns his world upside down. Pushing his family away, losing his job and sponsors, he isn’t welcome back until he can make amends and fully accept his family for all that they are, his family. He wasn’t prepared for Getty along his journey, though.
Getty, is strong. I loved her character and all she’s done to overcome the crappy cards she was dealt with. After starting her life over in a place she now she calls, she begins to find herself. Using art as her source of therapy, she has a life of her own, until she finds a strange man in her new home. Knowing all she had gone through and all she has overcome, I love that she lets Zander in. He helped heal her just like she helped heal him.
I love their story. I love their HEA. I love that you can feel the love Rylee and Colton have for Zander and even Getty at the end. The strength that these two have has individuals and the strength they have as a couple a amazed me. I didn’t want it to end, I wanted more and to keep experiencing life with them. I can’t wait for others to fall in love with Zander and Getty, because what they have is real.
The Driven series is definitely one of my favourite reads. I was glad we were getting Zander’s story and I knew we were in for a ride! I thoroughly enjoyed reading his story.
Zander is going through a very rough patch and gets into it with everyone. After events he gets away from everything to clear his head and his thoughts. In an encounter he meets Getty. She’s very closed off and has walls put around her; trying to get away from her past too. Both are trying to pick up the pieces and fight through their storms. A path that isn’t easy but somehow, somewhere they grow closer each step of the way. Will they find a way through it all or will their past drag them down?….
Loved the chemistry between Zander & Getty. The story just touches you in a way only the driven series can…
Down Shift is the final book in the driven series and allows to meet Zander (Colton & Rylee’s adopted son, and he’s all grown up!) and Gertrude (Getty) Caster, for a slow burn romance of self discovery, getting lost but finding out you are where you were meant to be all along, with a large side of sizzling chemistry.
Down shift made me laugh, hold my breath, gasp, cry with sadness, poignancy and happiness, feel distraught, confused, shocked, in awe and darn proud of our main characters!. I thought this novel was a great way to round out the series, seeing little bits of Colton and Rylee being amazing parents was a bonus any fan will enjoy. Outside of the original Driven books I think this has to be my favourite of the spin off novels and I couldn’t put it down! I am already looking forward to re-visiting the Driven world all over again in the future
All throughout the first 3 books of The Driven series I’ve had a soft spot for Zander. The prologue of Downshift broke my heart not only for Zander but for Colton too. Zander and Getty are amazing together. Both have been through pretty ugly situations and teach each other how to heal. DS is my absolute favorite book of the series. Zander definitely learned a thing or two from his old man!
Audio Book Review
I am having the hardest time expressing how much I loved this book! I was already hooked on the Colton and Rylee story. Zander was a favorite character of mine. My heart felt for him. Well now Zander is definitely my all time favorite character. He is all grown up now and a driver like Colton. The demons from his past catch up to him and he spirals out of control. He takes time to himself fixing up a family friend’s house to sell. There is an issue. Getty, a woman running from a life that made her miserable, is there too until the renovations done. A little bit of miscommunication and a touch of fate. At first these two can’t stand each other. They just want to be left alone and deal with their own issues. Then boundaries are broken and feelings are formed. They become what each other needs. The question is if they are willing to take the chance to overcome their own traumas and trust again.
Like I said, I love this book! Definitely my favorite in the series. Getty was an amazing character. She came from a life of privileged but she was a prisoner in it. Her strength was beautiful. Zander coming to rescue to show her that she was enough had me swooning. And her also showing him that he can overcome his feelings of pain from his past was so inspirational. I also loved that we did get some Colton and Rylee in this story. And it did make me fall more in love with their characters. This is the book that all Driven fans need to read! In my case I loved listening to it and getting lost in it. Hey PassionFlix, can we add this to movie list?
Oh man I didn’t want that to end.
Zander what can I say I loved you as the little boy you were & now I love you even more with the man you’ve become.
Getty- what a beautiful swan who believes she’s a duckling. A soul that’s been shattered by the hands of someone who didn’t deserve to hold it.
But with a fresh canvas & some new views who knows what sites she could be painting.
Words can be used to build people up but also rare them down, truths being kept sometimes they aren’t always about keeping you in the dark but about protecting the ones you love.
And boy these 2 have been through the ringer, but this time will the water boiling over save them or drown them?
Another superb read from KB I absolutely adore her writing.
Cannot wait for more from Kristy
I am so Julie Andrews spinning around on a mountain top, throwing glitter and singing my love of all things Mander and Socks! I loved it! Every single page of it. I swear each book gets better and better. Please never stop writing!!
Holy moly cow that Prologue just about ripped my heart right out of my chest. It was a little touch-and-go with my emotions right there, but boy did it ever suck me in! Both Getty and Zander have gone through so much in their lives, it was great to see the process of them healing each other.
A lot happens in the book and I loved that there was a lot of dialogue in it so the story really moved. I think if you’re a huge fan of the series, this book was a perfect addition. *sigh* This book just made me so damn happy. I am so glad that it was written. Bravo!!
Zander, Zander, Zander…. became the man I hoped that little boy would grow up to be and more… Getty, such a brave and courageous woman, perfect in so many ways for Zander. What a story, filled with emotions, baggage and hope. Another checkered flag win for K. Bromberg. Highly recommend reading this! Just Jump in and start reading!
Reading List
Get DOWN SHIFT arc- check
Ignore everything in life, but DOWN SHIFT- check
Sit in favorite chair, with favorite blanket and favorite warm #socks while reading – check
Fall madly in love with fictional characters – check
End feeling complete contentment with how the series finished – check
This book was everything I had hoped for and then some! It was mentioned that this novel was a way for the DRIVEN series to come full circle and that couldn’t have been a more accurate statement. I know some readers out there fear of authors “milking the system” and just writing secondary character stories just for money, but THIS IS NOT THAT. There was NOTHING forced about this story what. so. ever. DOWN SHIFT is technically a standalone and doesn’t have to be read AFTER the other books in the DRIVEN series. I LOVE Kristy Bromberg’s novels, so I personally would recommend reading the whole series in order, but that’s just me. And if you haven’t read the first books in the series (and plan to), this book will contain some spoilers.
This novel was about finding yourself amidst the storm, surviving the “white squalls” in life, confronting your demons, carpe diem: “living life without regrets, just jumping, and finding your “water” in life.
“What’s your storm?” –Getty.
Zander Donavan’s life is rocked when his past collides with his present. A mysterious box shows up addressed to him containing memories from his life before Colton and Rylee (his adoptive parents). This box drudges up suppressed memories which cause Zander to tailspin. “F*cking ghosts I thought were dead and buried are now back with a vengeance.” He lashes out at everyone close to him, especially his beloved adoptive family. This box makes him question everything he knows and thought he remembered. With this new sense of discord in his life and the result of his lashing out, he begins to lose all of the things he has worked so hard for in his life: race sponsors, career, family, himself…he’s risking losing it all over this box. “You’re out of control and pushing the limits, and I can’t stand by to watch you crash and burn without stepping in.”–Colton (Zander’s adoptive dad). He has no other choice but step away from it all. Go to a secluded island and town where no one knows him. Where he can refocus his attention on finding himself and facing whatever is in the box and his old jagged memories. To his surprise, he’s not the only one on the island trying to find themselves.
Getty Castor is hiding. Hiding from herself and most importantly from her family. She has come to the remote island town, PineRidge, to escape. For so many years she has been forced to live a certain way, be the perfect daughter and wife and after years of emotional and mental manipulation, she is done. “…I’ve spent so many years being the wallflower in the corner…” –Getty. In a quiet cabin, in PineRidge, Getty finds solace in her paintings and feels she is beginning to find the new “Getty”. “I have to heal my body, mind, and heart so I can figure out what’s next for me.” –Getty. She is working a “disgraceful job” (as her father would call it) as a bartender at the local bar in town, “The Lazy Dog”. Now, after months on her own, she comes home to a surprise…a very sexy, wet surprise…*wink*.
After Getty and Zander’s awkward and funny first encounter, they realize that there latest predicament has them rooming together in this small cabin for the near future. While they each came to this cabin for solace and to figure themselves out, what they come to find is something completely unplanned. “…because you…there’s something about you that in the short time I’ve known you gets under my skin when I don’t want it to.”– Zander. Can this stubborn woman and out of control man find quiet in their individual storms, together? Or will their personal ghosts keep haunting them?
Let me take a moment to say, Kristy Bromberg blew me OUT OF THE WATER with Zander and Getty’s story! Dare I say, *ahem* I might love Zander more than Colton? I adored and cherished EVERYTHING about this book. From the correlation between Colton and Zander’s pasts, to the man that Zander has become, to the beautifully flawed character that is Getty, to the fun banter between Getty and Zander. I LOVED IT ALL! #upallnightreading
#sorrykidscerealforbreakfastlunchandsupper Kristy made Zander and Getty PERFECT for each other. The way that Zander could read Getty was just beautiful. The way Getty pulled out the protective, valiant, and considerate man was brilliant. This book was real, uplifting and poignantly perfect! All in all, this was a breathtaking standalone and a remarkable completion of the DRIVEN series. *happy tears* It’s worth every single page, every hour of reading, every minute of missed sleep and every second of it on my mind! #bookhangover PICK UP THIS BOOK…you will NOT be disappointed!
#socks
#justjump
#beingfound
#mytruth
#mywater
10+ stars
This story was simply beautiful from beginning to end. Zander and Getty were wonderful. I enjoyed it so much. I definitely recommend this book, this amazing series and this author.