Blog Tour: His Risk To Take (Line Of Duty #2) by Tessa Bailey {Review + Author This Or That + Giveaway}

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Welcome to our stop on the "His Risk To Take" Blog Tour! Below you will find my review and a "This or That" interview with author Tessa Bailey. Thank you for stopping by and enjoy!

Adult Contemporary/Erotic Romance

PDF ARC Given by publisher for review

The greater the risk, the hotter the reward. Homicide cop Troy Bennett had a reputation on the Chicago PD for being fearless and in control, until the night his daredevil partner is killed during a raid. From that moment on, he swears he'll never again be responsible for the loss of a loved one. To escape his demons, Troy transfers to the NYPD, bringing him up close and personal with Ruby Elliott, a beautiful, street-savvy pool hustler. Reckless and stubbornly independent, Ruby embodies everything Troy's avoiding, but when she walks into O'Hanlon's Pub and blows his carefully laid plans to hell, Troy knows he has to have her risks be damned. But there's a connection between Ruby's shadowed past and a case Troy's working involving a notorious Brooklyn felon, throwing her safety into jeopardy. Confronted with his biggest fear, will Troy push Ruby away to keep her safe or fight to keep her in his arms where she belongs? 

MY TAKE:

Borrowing a line from Forrest Gump, "Brazen is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get". Every time I open a Brazen/Entangled book I know two things: #1 it's gonna be hot and #2 it's gonna be HOTT!! His Risk To Take may have been the hottest I have read from the Brazen line so far. 

It's about a detective, Troy Bennett who has just transferred from Chicago to a new precinct in New York after the death of his partner Grant. Troy has blamed himself for months following Grant's death and he promises himself he won't put anyone else in danger. That changes the night he goes for a drink at a local bar with his buddies and sees Ruby for the first time. At first he thinks she is just a young naive woman who stumbled into the wrong bar but she soon shows him she is anything but when she hustles a guy at a game of pool. Troy watches her the entire time she's playing and when the hustled guy gets upset he steps in to protect her.

Ruby doesn't need any one's protection. She grew up watching her father hustle and was taught the ways of the game at an early age. Following in his footsteps when she got older she relied on only herself. When she meets Troy she doesn't immediately recognize him as a cop and chides herself for the blunder. She's unable to resist his sex appeal and ends up back at his place for a night of hot UN sex. She doesn't want to want Troy but his Alpha male behaviour presents a challenge she can't resist. Neither of them expect a relationship to form , or to develop feelings outside of sexual attraction but when they do an unexpected complication arises in the form of a dangerous man Ruby is familiar with that Troy is sent to investigate. When Troy realizes his job has inadvertently put Ruby in danger he chooses her safety over their budding romance and vows to stay away from her. Neither of them can stay away for long and when Ruby tries to help out in the investigation she ends up in a dangerous situation that Troy might not be able to save her from.

I have to be honest, I think this may be my favorite book in the Brazen line. I loved everything about it, the hero, the heroine, the hot sex and the dramatic elements. It was so well done and I fell head over heels for this book couple. I am usually not one of those book readers who reads and pictures it as a movie, but this one made me see it as a movie the more I read into the story. 

Starting with Troy. *Fans Self* I am not a big Alpha Male fan because I don't like for a man to tell me what to do. Women's Lib and all that jazz. But if Troy demanded I bend over and lick my own ass I would totally do it! I can't even explain the hotness his character brought because I am still a melted puddle of lust. He was sexy, confident and demanding without apology. Everything he said to Ruby made me a tingly mess of WHOREmones! It's not just the fact that he's damaged from his partner's death but his personality is the clincher. He knows he is demanding in bed and wants to find someone who can handle his rough lovin'. But besides his hot body and sexual appetite he was chivalrous. He was willing to put his feelings aside to step away from Ruby and protect her! That's what made him such a great character for me.

Ruby was a great female character I could see myself in the most out of all the book heroines I have read through. Like Ruby I don't let a man tell me what to do and I live by my own rules, damn what anyone else thinks. I loved that Ruby hustled stupid guys out of their money. She was a total bad ass bitch! She showed up with her big tits and hot body and they were struck stupid, until it was time to pay! HA! I loved that! At first you think Ruby is just a wayward crook, living on the outside of the law but once Troy opens her up we find out she actually has a dream she is trying to fulfill. She has a hidden vulnerability behind her tough exterior when it comes to the people she cares about that I loved seeing. She was stubborn sometimes and I could absolutely relate. We both are headstrong women who can take care of ourselves. But it was nice to see her finally let Troy take care of her.

Moving on to the heat! Seriously people this shit was HOT! Ruby being a sexy raven haired beauty with green eyes and Troy being a tall, sexy cop with blue eyes is enough to get your motor going but when they get going you almost need a fist sized tampon to catch the moisture, or at the very least squat over an oil change pan while reading. All the steamy scenes were done so well and one particular scene involved a pool stick in the right place! HELLO! Most erotic contemporary romance books with several love scenes are hot at first then you're like "Yeah that's nice" and you get used to it. NOT WITH THIS ONE! Every steamy scene is highly erotic and felt like the first time reading a naughty scene. The hotness doesn't disappoint AT ALL! 

What I loved the most was how they helped each other get through something difficult each were dealing with. Troy was dealing with the loss of his partner and Ruby helped him open up and take a chance and Troy helped Ruby see that she could keep her Independence and still be in a relationship. They were fun and flirty once they got out of their own ways. There were several endearing moments between them and the supporting characters that balanced out the heat nicely. The overall story was intense and exciting which just added to the romance aspect. This being book 2 in a series I am definitely going to go buy the first one and catch up because I always end up reading the second book! I highly, HIGHLY recommend this one if you need an exciting story filled with hot sex and an even hotter alpha male! Tessa Bailey did a fantastic job of delivering great characters with heart and personality that make you feel like they could be people you may know in real life. Needless to say His Risk To Take is no risk at all because I know you will fall for this book as easily as I did!

FAVORITE QUOTES:

“No kissing, no fun, no gambling. I’m

starting to forget why I found you interesting.” PDF pg 17

“You might get away with running that

smart mouth to other people. But you won’t get away

with it here. If you continue to challenge me with every

word out of your mouth, I will fuck you repeatedly

until you learn to play nice.” PDF pg 33

“Goddammit, you little tease. Stop licking at it and

take it deep. Show me how much you missed me.” PDF pg 79

“If you really want me, you need to be patient. I

can’t change overnight.” She took a deep breath. “I

know I’m a colossal pain in the ass, but try not to give

up on me.” PDF pg 120

“Look, we’re both stubborn hotheads, and we’re going

to fight. Early and often. But I will never make it more

than one block before I come back. That is my promise

to you. And I don’t break my promises, either.” PDF pg 157

THIS OR THAT:

Coffee or Tea? Coffee. Preferably served in a barrel with a straw sticking out.

Cake or Pie? CAKE. On no planet does pie surpass cake in any category, except maybe scent-wise. No one is stealing any cakes off of any window sills. But cake is still the tits.

Rachel Ray or Guy Fieri? Rachel Ray. I can’t even handle Guy Fieri.

Book or Movie? That’s tough. It depends on what you’re in the mood for. But since I’m a writer, I better go with books J

Jocks or Nerds? Jocks. I think they’re unfairly portrayed in movies and on television. Playing a sport doesn’t automatically make you a jerk. Some of them are great guys! Nerds are awesome, too. But I like big, sweaty, muscular dudes.Boxers or Briefs? Boxer briefs J Keep that stuff tucked in and tidy.

To Be or Not To Be? To Be!

Mel Gibson or Matthew McConaughey? Matthew McConaughey…that twangy accent does it for me.

Tattoos or Piercings? Tattoos. I’m not into piercings on guys. A lot of care goes into piercings, right? You’ve got to clean them…make sure they don’t snag on anything. When I imagine a hot guy, I think of one who rolls out of bed, pulls on jeans and looks good. No effort required.
Pink or Purple? Purple. Specifically, eggplant.

Imagine Dragons or Nikki Minaj? The Black Keys.

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tessa lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and young daughter. When she isn't writing or reading romance, Tessa enjoys a good argument and thirty-minute recipes.

LINKS:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

AUTHOR'S WEBSITE

AMAZON AUTHOR'S PAGE