Sunday, June 9, 2013

Off The Record (Off Series #3) by Sawyer Bennett {Review}

Genre: New Adult Romance
Expected Publication Date: June 11th 2013
Author: Sawyer Bennett
Format: Mobi/Kindle given by author for review

The sparks of dislike burn hot, but the sparks of mutual attraction burn even hotter. Ever Montgomery suffered the ultimate betrayal by the one man who she should have been able to count on for anything. It has left her hurt, jaded and incapable of forming relationships, but it also means that she can spot a liar a mile away. These traits are earning her a reputation as a reporter with a keen nose for a good story and a complete understanding of the extreme power of the written word. Lincoln Caldwell, is the hot goalie for the New York Rangers. At twenty-four and a rising star, he works hard and he plays even harder. He’s gorgeous and carefree—the ultimate charmer. Ladies fall at his feet and the single life has never been lived the way Linc Caldwell does it. When Ever publishes an article about Linc containing information that she received off the record, she finds herself on the receiving end of the athelete’s fury. Rather than basking in the glory of exposing Linc as a shameless user of women, she finds herself at his mercy when he demands and receives retribution. Required by her editor to trail Linc for six weeks, Ever is forced to look at the real Linc Caldwell. And she just might find that she has misjudged him.


My Take:
Off The Record was such a fantastic addition to this already wonderful series. These books came out of nowhere for me and I am so glad I stopped by The Bookish Babe last month to read an excerpt of the first one. From that moment I knew I wanted to dive in head first, and did shortly after reading it. It wasn't long before I was completely hooked and lost in this series. 

I want to start off talking about the female lead in this story first. So often I get lost in the hot guys but Ever Montgomery was such a complex woman that I saw so much of myself in, I couldn't help but bond with her. With her father leaving her to care for her cancer stricken mother at a young age and then her fiance cheating with her once best friend she closes herself off and becomes a hardened, emotionless person. That was probably the glue that bound me to her because I often feel I am the same closed off, hardened woman who has experienced similar things in life. After meeting Lincoln, who hits on her instantly and finding out he's a lady killer she writes a blog piece about his womanizing ways. I can honestly say if I heard and saw the things she did involving Linc I would have done the same thing. He goes from trying to get her to go out with him to banging some random against the wall and on top of that Ever overhears a group of girls bragging about him. That only further cements her opinion about him. 

When Linc confronts her and her boss and threatens to sue for slander unless she spends six weeks getting to know him everything changes for Ever. She must also move into his condo and follow him wherever he goes for the entire time with him. She isn't thrilled about it at first but the more time spends with this sexy hockey player she starts to realize there might be more to him than she originally thought. I absolutely LOVED Ever's character. Not only does she have a kick ass name but she was very vulnerable beneath her outer shell she's protected herself with. She's dealing with abandonment issues on top of feeling sexually inadequate due to her shitty ex. I loved watching her break out of that the more time she spent with Linc. It made me feel closer to her to be able to see that she could let her guard down again and trust a man after what she went through. With her heart being broken by her father at a young age, you can tell that has shaped her personality significantly. I felt so bad for her having to care for her mother all by herself, being only 16 when it happened that is what I relate to the most. I too had to care for my sickly mother at her age so naturally I gravitated to Ever's character more than any other female lead I have read about.

But Off The Record isn't just about Ever, we can't forget to mention the sexy, irresistible hockey player that is Lincoln Caldwell. The first meeting with him in this book you assume he's just another playboy womanizer but the more you get to know him the more he steals your heart. It's never more apparent than when he goes into the meeting with Ever and her boss with guns blazing only to have a change of heart and almost sympathize with her. The moment he mentioned her moving in I knew this would be a fun read and boy was I right! It was fun watching him battle himself between finding ever attractive and seriously disliking her for what she wrote about him. He wants to prove to her he's not just a philandering douche. From visiting kids in the hospital to helping clean up after a storm, Linc proves himself to be a kind hearted man who just happens to be damn sexy. It was nice seeing him try to navigate his feelings knowing he had never been in love before. 

The relationship between Linc and Ever that developed slowly over the course of their time together was very well done. It didn't feel rushed to me at all and actually brought out the sentimental sap in me after seeing how deeply Linc cared for her. These two had a seriously hot chemistry that had my tongue hanging out of my mouth especially during the porch scene. Sawyer Bennett writes some damn fine sex in her books and I totally enjoyed this couple and the heat they brought. You know, you might not like a man whore but they surely know how to please a woman and Linc made me wish I could find someone who knew what he was doing. The main reason I fell in love with this couple was because of the reactions they drew out of each other throughout their time together. Watching these two go from almost hating each other to fighting their attraction to eventually finding love together was an emotional roller coaster I couldn't get off of. The second best part was getting to see the supporting characters from the other books have special moments within this one that solidified this series as a complete win in my book and I can't recommend them enough. Full of emotion, heart warming romance and steamy sex Off The Record is an absolute must read!


Quotes:
~He's every New York woman's wet dream. hell he's my wet dream, too. My heart may be dead but my body isn't. eARC 6%

~I was definitely a broken woman in a prison of her own making. eARC 10%

~ I realize with absolute certainty that I need for this woman to see that I'm not a bad guy. And I'm not sure where that is coming from. eARC 32%

"I'm not the guy you think I am, Ever. I'm not about to fuck you when you already think that is my modus operandi.I want you to see I don't just live by what my dick tells me to do." eARC 49%


About The Author:
Sawyer Bennett is the pen name for a snarky southern woman and reformed trial lawyer who decided to finally start putting on paper all of the stories that were floating in her head. She is married to a mobster (well, a market researcher) and they have two big, furry dogs who hog the bed. Sawyer would like to report she doesn't have many weaknesses but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate.

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3 comments:

  1. I skimmed your review, because I'll be reading these too. Glad you liked it!

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  2. You are amazing!! Thank you!!!

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  3. Meeeeep! I can't wait to read OtR! Love this review.

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