Sexy Summer Saturday's is a weekly post we created to share our love of "Adult" books with our fellow readers. If you don't care for steamy books or you are under 18, you may not want to continue reading the review below.
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Publisher: Brazen/Entangled
Publication Date: June 10th 2013
Pages: 250
Format: PDF ARC provided by publisher
His need to possess her is non-negotiable. Story Brooks’ fiancé just called off their wedding two weeks before the happy day. As if that isn't bad enough, her semi-estranged father, an infamous NYPD hostage negotiator, has suffered a heart attack. Not wanting to examine her lack of emotion over the broken engagement, she hops on a plane to reconnect with her father before it’s too late. Playboy hostage negotiator Daniel Chase has never, not once, been refused by a woman, so when a debate over hospital snack foods with a delectable kindergarten teacher ends in flat-out rejection, he makes it his mission to seduce her. His only obstacle? She’s the daughter of his mentor who implicitly forbade Daniel from pursuing her. Despite her father’s warnings and Daniel’s troubled past, Daniel and Story can’t resist their intense attraction to one another. But when the reason for her fiancé’s abrupt wedding cancellation comes to light, can Story and Daniel's already forbidden relationship survive?
My Take:
Officer Off Limits was my favorite in this series so far. It was HOT, that's a given, it was intense and sweetly romantic all in one fantastic book! The romance between Story and Daniel takes off after they meet in the hospital after her dad has had a heart attack. She has just come from a dinner where her fiance dumped her two weeks before the wedding and flew straight to New York to be with her father. To say that she is emotionally vulnerable would be an understatement but the way she handles Daniel at their first meeting was priceless. While trying to help her make a different selection in the vending machine he's flirting hardcore with her but Story is having none of it. She saw him flirting with a nurse right before he met her and calls him out on it. It's not until they end up in the same hospital room visiting her dad and his mentor on the force that he realizes she is off limits. Her dad confirms as much when he has a moment alone with Daniel. Her dad then makes Daniel promise to look out for her while she's in the city and to set her up in his apartment while he's in the hospital. It doesn't take long for things to heat up once Story needles Daniel a little bit and their building attraction almost gets the better of them.
Story was one of those funny female characters I love to read about. She was quick witted, sarcastic and a little vulnerable even if she tried to hide it. The way she handled Daniel was not only fun but exciting to watch her dish out just as much as he did. I was instantly in her corner from the moment the book opened with her fiance breaking off their engagement during dinner, but when she ordered expensive champagne and cake to go, on his dime? I think I fell in love with her at that moment! She too was a great character full of heart and depth. Growing up in California without her father was difficult on her. She always felt like he didn't want her after divorcing her mother and having stopped coming around after a while. I loved watching her and her father reconcile after finally clearing out all the confusion and hurt feelings. It was a really nice touch added to the already great storyline. My favorite thing about her character was how kind hearted she was. Throughout the book she is seen befriending one of her father's neighbors which in turn probably saves her life at one point when the man goes Wackadoo. The girl was ballsy and brave to put herself on the line for love and made her character just that much more endearing.
Daniel is one of my favorite male characters in an erotic romance story. Being shuffled from group home to group home when he was younger was a soft spot for me. He always felt unwanted and I hate it when one of my guys beats themselves up like Daniel does. He's not just wounded, he's deeply scarred, mentally and physically by a traumatic event with one of his group home "sisters" Nora. She goes a little crazy and wields a gun on both Daniel and the man who is running the home for the troubled youths. Daniel is the only one who makes it out of that situation alive and that event begins his future in hostage negotiating. I felt so bad for him having to witness such a painful thing in his young life but seeing that he turned it into something positive was such a treat for me. That is where the unexpected heart came in for me. For anyone who's read His Risk To Take, you will recognize Daniel from the group of guys Troy hangs out with. Troy and Ruby are my second favorite couple in this series and to get a small mention about them in this book was an added bonus! It was funny to see Daniel go from ragging Troy about being whipped to watching him be completely hooked on a woman too! Daniel was one of those guys who could go from Delicious sexual deviant to the biggest sweetheart and watching him fall for Story was not only HOT but it was also very romantic. So many erotic romances focus solely on the sex but this had a wonderful amount of humor, heart and of course HOT SEX!
Oh the sex! Let us bask in the glory! Daniel and Story had a super hot romance that got my pulse racing on more than once occasion. He didn't even get her home good before he had his hands in her panties. It was wicked hot because these two as I have said have a hilarious banter and watching Story goad him into racing her to orgasm with her phone timer was genius! That big tease happens within the first few chapters and sadly gets interrupted by Daniels phone leaving both Story and myself totally frustrated LOL! Thankfully though Tessa Bailey gives us so much more as these two have an intense budding romance they can't keep it restricted to the bedroom. Losing a bet Story has to send Daniel a risque photo of herself that had me cracking up then gasping when things got hot again. GOD! I absolutely loved this couple! They were so much fun and I adored them so much I honestly wouldn't mind reading a followup book just solely on them.
Overall this book was a really great addition to the series and I seriously hope Tessa Bailey isn't finished with it yet! I laughed, swooned and diddled as I read this book. Tessa Bailey does a wonderful job writing stories that are unforgettable and characters you fall in love with. Every character feels like a friend and every love story is unique and sexy to the characters themselves. I wouldn't hesitate to read anything else this author writes outside of this series because she has shown that her talent as a writer goes beyond the erotic! Officer Off Limits is absolutely a must read steamy romance I know you will love just as much as I did.
Quotes:
“You’re right. It probably would have been a disappointment, anyway.” He jerked back. “A disappointment? What the hell does that mean?” Suppressing a smile, Story reached for her suitcase and heaved it onto the bed. “Nothing. Just that in my experience, guys who talk the biggest game are usually a letdown in the end.” PDF Page 37
“Be specific. I can make you cry and shake in any position, but I want you to choose.” “Behind me. I wanted you behind me,” she heard herself say. PDF Page 110
“There is no explanation for the way you make me feel. A few days ago we were standing in front of a vending machine and now we’re here. Nothing so far has been…explainable.” He blew out an exasperated breath. “We were just supposed to talk about books, goddammit.” PDF Page 139
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:
Erin got this the other day and devoured it! I'll have to pick this series up sometime. You and Erin both love it! Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteHumor, heart and HOT SEX??! WIN! I gotta have a Tessa Bailey weekend soon. Better make sure my "supplies" are locked and loaded! lol
ReplyDeleteAwesome review!