Review: A book, and a series, that you cannot miss!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 13, 2013
My mantra with Tessa Bailey books is "Can you give more than 5 stars?" and that is more than true with her latest novella.Tessa Bailey is a new author in the generally fun Entangled publishing line, but she stands out from the entire population of contemporary/erotic romance authors as a truly gifted storyteller. Bailey's books are funny, at times laugh-out-loud so, but they also feature action/adventure, thrills and a dark angsty side that balances pleasure and pain for the reader perfectly. She has quickly taken root as my favorite author right now and I will buy anything she writes. This is rare praise from me.This series and this installment are, in a word, phenomenal! His Risk to Take is a novella in Bailey's "Line of Duty" series. The real joy of this book are Troy and Ruby, our hero and heroine. Their interactions jump off the page. I always love the part in a romance where our leads first meet, and you cannot beat Troy and Ruby's intro. I re-read this section of the book three times before moving on - it was that fun!Ruby is brassy, brave, vulnerable and funny while Troy is bold, intimidating and adorable at the same time. Troy is a recent transfer to the NYPD elite emergency services unit, running from a tragedy from his days on the force in Chicago that drives a lot of his actions in the book. He is dominant and intense but it never feels forced or trite. Ruby is strong and has had to make a go of it in an unorthodox way - as a pool hustler! This has exposed her to danger and shady folks most of her life. Troy is quiet and steady but is drawn to wild people he wants to protect from themselves - making Ruby an irresistible challenge for him.The first part of this series was the full-length "Protecting What's His," which told the story of Lieutenant Derek Tyler and his hot southern love interest, Ginger. Troy Bennett is not mentioned in PWH but he was in Lieutenant Tyler's precinct in Chicago. He left after the tragic loss of his partner to try and start over in NYC as a detective. You don't have to read PWH to understand HRtT, but I recommend you do simply because it is also wonderful! It sets a tone of Bailey's style that makes this book even more enjoyable.Bailey writes in the shifting perspective between hero and heroine. I always enjoy this approach, but she really excels at it. Each of her characters are well developed and distinct, including secondary characters, which is a rare feat for any book, especially a novella. Bailey's men are yummily alpha and dominant, but in a human and real way. Their actions always feel natural, like these are gorgeous men you could really meet someday. The women are strong, hysterically funny and sensitive. They feel like they could be one of your girlfriends, which makes you care about them and their story that much more. They face challenges that are very relatable and make tough, very human choices in response.An excellent aspect of of this novella is that it serves as a good transition to the NYPD series of stories and introduces our next two heroes, Daniel (suave and flirtatious hostage negotiator) and Brent (a funny and brawny "guy who likes to blow things up"). They are so delicious and their stores are guaranteed to be awesome.***I won an ARC copy of this novella in exchange for this honest review.***