Review: Tessa Bailey does it again!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 7, 2013
His Risk To TakeBy Tessa BaileyEntangled PublishingPrevious Book:  Protecting Whats HisBlurb:Homicide cop Troy Bennett had a reputation on the Chicago PD for being fearless and in control--until the night his daredevil partner is killed during a raid. From that moment on, he swears he'll never again be responsible for the loss of a loved one. To escape his demons, Troy transfers to the NYPD, bringing him up close and personal with Ruby Elliott, a beautiful, street-savvy pool hustler.Reckless and stubbornly independent, Ruby embodies everything Troy's avoiding, but when she walks into O'Hanlon's Pub and blows his carefully laid plans to hell, Troy knows he has to have her--risks be damned. But there's a connection between Ruby's shadowed past and a case Troy's working involving a notorious Brooklyn felon, throwing her safety into jeopardy. Confronted with his biggest fear, will Troy push Ruby away to keep her safe or fight to keep her in his arms where she belongs?My thoughts:Tessa Bailey returns, after an already stellar debut in Protecting What's His, and WOW! What a return it is!In His Risk to Take, we meet NYPD officer Troy Bennett.  Troy has recently moved to New York following the death of his partner in Chicago, and he's feeling massive amounts of guilt over that death.  While having drinks with a couple of his fellow officers, he sees our heroine, Ruby, saunter in.  From there, we get fireworks.  Their chemistry is explosive and passionate.  Their relationship starts out as just a mutual release they want to explore but when a current case Troy is on looks to involve the luscious and enigmatic Ruby, the gloves are off.  How important Ruby is to Troy becomes front and center, as do the feelings Ruby realizes she has for Troy.  This couple stumbles their way around the complications presented in Troy's case, both taking missteps and making the wrong decisions but the feelings and passion they feel for each other proves that love does conquer all.  I loved Ruby with her fierce independence and her determination to make it on her own.  She's not a cookie-cutter image of most heroines.  She's a pool hustler who pays her bills and is making her way through school doing just that.  But she knows what she wants and makes no apologies for who she is and what she wants.  She finds and irresistible attraction to Troy, who reaches her first on a physical level (complete with wicked hot dirty talk), then on an emotional one when Troy accepts Ruby for what she does and even supports her dreams of designing pool sticks.  Troy is passionate about Ruby, from the very first moment he sees her.  He wants her and is determined to have her no matter what.  His passion and possession of Ruby grasps the reader by the heartstrings and firmly cements him into our minds as a once-in-a-lifetime hero we all want to find.  The ending of this book was swoon-worthy.  I read the last chapter three times and sighed with happiness each time.  I look forward to reading more books from Tessa Bailey.  She is an author that every reader of romance and erotic romance should watch.  I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.  The plot is easy to follow and understand, the characters are likable and engaging, the sex and chemistry is off-the-charts hot, there is just the right amount of suspense, and there is a very happy ending.  The perfect ingredients for the perfect book!