His Risk to Take
4 starsFast, smokin' hot read. This is too hot for the beach. Read it in a walk in freezer instead!
Full review -
I am really happy to have discovered Tessa Bailey. So far, she has delivered two blazing, lightning paced books that have held my interested from beginning to end. I thought His Risk to Take was better than Protecting What’s His, because the suspense elements were better crafted and fit the story smoothly. Maybe because, like the rest of this novella, the showdown with the bad guys was lickity-split, and I didn’t have time, or the inclination, to question the setup or the smack down.
I liked both protagonists, but Ruby really struck a chord with me. She is trying to put her shady past behind her, and make a better life for herself. She has learned that she can’t count on anyone but herself, and for the time being, she’s content to focus on her future. Then she meets Troy, and all bets are off. Even though he’s a cop, she can’t help but be drawn to him. As a pool hustler, she certainly doesn’t need the complications his presence in her life will bring, but after one smoldering taste of passion with him, she can’t get him out of her head. Good thing, because he’s just as obsessed with her.
Troy has some baggage, too, and it’s making him cautious about jumping into a relationship. He feels responsible for the death of his partner in an arrest gone bad, and he doesn’t trust that he can keep the people he cares about safe. He transfers from Chicago to New York, needing both a change of scenery and a break from reminders of his failures. When he meets Ruby, all he’s interested in is one night of unrestrained sex. That’s it. With his forceful bedroom demeanor, he usually chases the ladies away as fast as they can run, but Ruby finds that Troy’s dominance and dirty talk are just what she needs have the best sex of her life. Too bad Troy’s a cop, though. A lifetime of living on the edge of the law has taught her that cops just can’t be trusted.
This is fun read because both Troy and Ruby have to learn to trust again, both themselves and each other. They are made for each other, and as they get to know each other better, they begin to realize that they might be able to offer more than a good time in bed. Misunderstandings pop up as they try to protect the other, and the flow of disagreement and resolution is natural and engaging. I gobbled this story up in one sitting, and I found myself both unable to put down my eReader until I reached the last page, and longing for more pages to read!
A word of warning – I would normally endorse this as a beach read. Because it is so smoking hot, I am fearful of mixing His Risk to Take with blazing, direct sunlight. You would be better served to read this in a walk in freeze, or with a gallon of your favorite ice cream close at hand. You have been warned.
Grade: B+
