Review: Review copied from my blog
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 13, 2013
Holy hotness, Tessa Bailey. I don't know where she comes up with the steamy lines that are delivered through the mouths of her Line of Duty heroes, but I want to set up camp inside her mind. I absolutely loved her debut novel, Protecting What's His, and was ecstatic  to receive an ARC of her new novella, His Risk to Take, from Entangled Ever After.Unlike other series in Entangled's Brazen line, His Risk to Take is only loosely connected to its predecessor. The setting shifts from Chicago to New York, following the NYPD's newest transfer, Troy Bennett. After a week on the job, Troy heads to a dive bar with a couple colleagues, where he meets Ruby - a self-described lifelong gambler equipped with her own custom-made pool stick.On paper, a cop and a professional hustler appear to be polar opposites, yet Troy an Ruby are inexplicably drawn to each other, each fascinated by the challenge the other presents. Years of being dependent solely on herself taught Ruby to be careful and calculating, yet her desire to become better acquainted with Troy's dominant nature finds her curiosity overruling reason."This man wasn't typical in any sense of the word."Ruby's vastly understated assessment of Troy pinpoints exactly why he is such a captivating fictional hero. It's hard to find fault with a man whose biggest problem is finding a woman capable of enjoying his wonderfully vivid imagination, which he channels towards all things naughty.Though sexually compatible, both Ruby and Troy have personal issues which prevent them from lowering their emotional inhibitions. Troy's need to conquer and protect is challenged by Ruby's independent and defiant personality, making for an interesting dynamic between the couple, both in and out of the bedroom.In addition to their no-nonsense attitudes, Bailey's heroines have a knack for getting themselves into trouble with their reckless behavior. It's perhaps fitting that their would-be saviors are cops, who happen to make excellent romantic interests. I can't wait to read the next installment in Tessa Bailey's Line of Duty series.