Friday, November 1, 2013

Off Chance (Off Series #5) by Sawyer Bennett {Review}

Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: October 19th 2013
Series: Off Series #5
Pages: 274
Format: ARC
Source: Provided by author for review 


He is seeking absolution. Flynn Caldwell has a hero complex and it’s one of the reasons he joined the New York City Fire Department. He has spent his entire professional career trying to atone for that one person he failed to save. Because, if he can do that, then perhaps he can be worthy of love again. She is seeking escape. Rowan Page’s life is nothing short of a disaster. Always immersed in trouble, she has only herself to depend on. She’s determined to pull herself out of this mess and make something of her life, despite the hard years she has lived on the streets of New York. Together, they have the chance to become complete. Flynn and Rowan’s worlds exist miles apart, but when a chance meeting brings them together, neither of them can deny the instant pull that connects them to each other. What starts as a tiny spark eventually flares into a fire so hot, it refuses to be extinguished. For it to work, both of them will need to jump feet first into the flames to see where it takes them, despite the risk of being burned.



My Review:

There is something extremely special about a series that with every book, can consume you from the first page and leave you feeling like you will never read another book quite like that one. For me that was how I felt when I began reading the Off Series. I was hooked by Danny and Ryan and with each new couple have had my heart expand to form and fit around each new member to this clan.

The story of Flynn Caldwell intrigued me immensely when reading Off Course. After watching Flynn intimidate Renner's love interest, Cillian, I was looking forward to whatever his story brought to the table. Flynn was a different kind of man from all the other Off guys. After Flynn loses his high school girlfriend in a fire he spends the next several years trying to absolve himself in a way for not being able to save her by throwing himself into dangerous situations as a firefighter. During a particularly dangerous fire he comes across Rowan. A young woman with obvious issues chained naked to a bed and his inner damsel in distress radar goes off. Despite all the red flags surrounding her rescue he makes a silent pact with himself to help her. I both loved and hated Flynn in certain parts of this story. After saving Rowan from the fire and moving her into his place he basically becomes kind of a doormat to her. It's not hard to see from the get go that Flynn is the series' sweetheart. He wears his heart on his sleeve and in the past has gotten hurt countless times because of it and it's no different when he starts to fall for Rowan. With him being a big brawny firefighter I was expecting him to be a little bit more tough and a little less emotional. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing I just wasn't expecting him to be the opposite of all the other Alpha type guys. 

Now Rowan, who I have noticed my blogger friends have not really enjoyed, was a character I found a lot of myself in. I love when I find a female character I can identify with. This was a girl who was emotionally abandoned by her parents and did everything she could to act out and get them to care to no avail. While I can't relate to that specifically I can relate to her feelings of neglect and abandonment that has shaped her into an ice fortress. She's never been able to trust anyone and ends up getting herself mixed up with a dangerous drug dealer boyfriend. I admired that while she was thrown out of her home at a young age she managed to take care of herself with nobody to help. She is a very stubborn and willful woman and after much persuasion agrees to let Flynn help her out temporarily. I loved that she wouldn't just sit around and let a man take care of her. She got a job and helped contribute and I wouldn't have expected any less from such an independent woman. I enjoyed the fact that she ended up working for Nix and Emily at his metal shop. The relationship between Nix and Rowan was hilarious from their first meeting. They had such similar personalities that clashed at first but after a while they grew on each other. I always love seeing Nix open up even more than he did with Emily after all he has been through in his life. 


The relationship aspect between Rowan and Flynn was very slow going. I was pleased that it wasn't an instant just add water love story. With a woman like Rowan who has never been in love or had anyone love her it was touch and go from time to time but very true for someone like her. Flynn was such a good guy and gave her space when needed and almost lost me a few times because he was just TOO nice. I would have liked to see him get a little alpha on Rowan once or twice instead of let her lead him around by the balls but I actually saw the merit in his approach also. He didn't want to scare her or push her away by being too forceful with his feelings. The buildup of their friendship was nicely paced and the addition of her gigantic dog Capone was a sweet touch. I think it adds to a guys' sex appeal when he loves animals and Flynn put my ovaries on high alert when he bonded with that sweet pooch. I think out of all the couples these two win the award for most hard fought romance. While Flynn disappointed me occasionally he really manned up and made me proud closer to the end when he did something extremely amazing for Rowan. He may have been a little Magoo but he knew how to love a woman. Rowan had several layers of ice built around her heart but watching it melt slowly was rewarding for me. 

 The feeling of Off Chance was a little different from the other books and almost felt like a totally new story. It was more intense and emotional than the rest of the books and dove a little deeper into the emotional side with Flynn losing a loved one and Rowan being abandoned. I loved seeing all my favorite characters again and where they are at in their lives. Because this one is the supposed last in the series for now we are given a really beautiful epilogue with a look at how everything has worked out for everyone. It was such a brilliant way to wrap up everyone's story and felt incredibly real and honest especially given the sad circumstances involving one of my favorite couples. From start to finish this series has given me beautiful butterflies of excitement, tears of both joy and pain but has always delivered a much needed escape from reality. It's easy to say this is one of my all time favorite series of stories and characters. Off Chance was a frustratingly beautiful addition to this wonderful collection and I am so glad I got to experience the romance, love and beauty Bennett consistently delivers with every penned novel. I recommend this series for anyone who enjoys physically and emotionally experiencing falling in love over and over again with every new story.


Quotes:

I don't always like the new me. I've had to sacrifice some qualities along the way. You'll never get sweetness from me. I won't cater to your feelings. I call things the way I see them and there's no rosy tint on my glasses. My laughs don't come easy, and when they do, there is always an underlying hint of skepticism in my humor. ARC 28%

I've been spending weeks with Rowan vacillating between wanting to fuck her and wanting to cultivate this friendship that she puts such stock in. But this look she's giving me now? It makes me want it all... badly. It makes me ache with desire to just hold her, not in a friendly fashion, but not in a sexual fashion. I want to hold her intimately, and have her pour out all of her pain to me. I want to take care of her, and covet her, and make everything in her life better. Not because I think she's broken, but because she makes me a better person and I want to honor that. ARC 50%



  About the Author
 photo SawyerBennett_zps59043f28.jpg
USA Today Best-Selling author, Sawyer Bennett, is 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. Yes! I loved Flynn so much and this series has been incredible.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I agree that Off Chance had a different feel. I liked that. So happy you loved this!

    ReplyDelete

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