faustin2nd's review against another edition
5.0
Disclaimer: I love Tessa Bailey.
Moving on, is this my favorite book in the series? No. The first book (Bowen and Sera) had really scorching chemistry that even these two couldn't match and my oh my did these two burn up the pages. I didn't know how to feel about Austin in the two earlier books but in this book, Tessa made him adorable. I just loved him. She has also gotten better at writing British characters and Austin Shaw is her best British gent so far (better than [b:Driven by Fate|24750216|Driven by Fate (Serve, #5)|Tessa Bailey|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424224601s/24750216.jpg|44278245]). I loved that there was a clear distinction between his character and the other macho-men in his group, I loved that he was alpha and protective but still sort of vain and insecure. He was just...human, and imperfect. And I love my heroes imperfect. Kinda reminded me of the Duke in [b:Dangerous in Diamonds|9211153|Dangerous in Diamonds (The Rarest Blooms, #4)|Madeline Hunter|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1390193766s/9211153.jpg|14090868], but less...ducal?
Polly? Not my favorite heroine to read, and the whole book was mainly The Austin Show in my opinion, but she was perfect for him. She also had her moments. She was brilliant without coming off as too humble or too full of herself. She was dope. I didn't enjoy her storyline all that much, but when she and Austin came together...woooohhhh *fans self*
Now, I don't necessarily consider myself a fan of romances with submissive men. I didn't DNF [b:Branded Sanctuary|7694378|Branded Sanctuary (Nature of Desire, #7)|Joey W. Hill|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355848522s/7694378.jpg|10370830] because I was really deep into Joey's series but I can safely say I didn't like the book. I like my heroes alpha and mostly dominant, but as a fan of the Vampire Queen series, I can also appreciate a submissive alpha who submits to an alpha heroine without losing the characters that made him alpha in the first place (take [b:Vampire Trinity|7874158|Vampire Trinity (Vampire Queen, #6)|Joey W. Hill|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1276800349s/7874158.jpg|11057047], still one of my favorites BDSM/paranormal books to date). Tessa made Austin's masochism a part of his complex, loveable personality. And if there was a definition of "topping from the bottom", Austin would be it. He never really lost all of his control, I think, but just enough to match Polly's tastes. Theirs was a match made in heaven. *sighs dramatically* In summary: One may call Austin a "mouthy service sub", and that was fine by me. Because if there's something all Tessa heroes have in common is that they're all very mouthy :)
I'll definitely re-read it again, because the sex scenes are stuff of legend and the love story was really sweet. I liked the pacing. Even the thriller in this one was more interesting to read. And the dirty talk? *fans self until the fan breaks*
Moving on, is this my favorite book in the series? No. The first book (Bowen and Sera) had really scorching chemistry that even these two couldn't match and my oh my did these two burn up the pages. I didn't know how to feel about Austin in the two earlier books but in this book, Tessa made him adorable. I just loved him. She has also gotten better at writing British characters and Austin Shaw is her best British gent so far (better than [b:Driven by Fate|24750216|Driven by Fate (Serve, #5)|Tessa Bailey|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424224601s/24750216.jpg|44278245]). I loved that there was a clear distinction between his character and the other macho-men in his group, I loved that he was alpha and protective but still sort of vain and insecure. He was just...human, and imperfect. And I love my heroes imperfect. Kinda reminded me of the Duke in [b:Dangerous in Diamonds|9211153|Dangerous in Diamonds (The Rarest Blooms, #4)|Madeline Hunter|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1390193766s/9211153.jpg|14090868], but less...ducal?
Polly? Not my favorite heroine to read, and the whole book was mainly The Austin Show in my opinion, but she was perfect for him. She also had her moments. She was brilliant without coming off as too humble or too full of herself. She was dope. I didn't enjoy her storyline all that much, but when she and Austin came together...woooohhhh *fans self*
Now, I don't necessarily consider myself a fan of romances with submissive men. I didn't DNF [b:Branded Sanctuary|7694378|Branded Sanctuary (Nature of Desire, #7)|Joey W. Hill|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355848522s/7694378.jpg|10370830] because I was really deep into Joey's series but I can safely say I didn't like the book. I like my heroes alpha and mostly dominant, but as a fan of the Vampire Queen series, I can also appreciate a submissive alpha who submits to an alpha heroine without losing the characters that made him alpha in the first place (take [b:Vampire Trinity|7874158|Vampire Trinity (Vampire Queen, #6)|Joey W. Hill|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1276800349s/7874158.jpg|11057047], still one of my favorites BDSM/paranormal books to date). Tessa made Austin's masochism a part of his complex, loveable personality. And if there was a definition of "topping from the bottom", Austin would be it. He never really lost all of his control, I think, but just enough to match Polly's tastes. Theirs was a match made in heaven. *sighs dramatically* In summary: One may call Austin a "mouthy service sub", and that was fine by me. Because if there's something all Tessa heroes have in common is that they're all very mouthy :)
I'll definitely re-read it again, because the sex scenes are stuff of legend and the love story was really sweet. I liked the pacing. Even the thriller in this one was more interesting to read. And the dirty talk? *fans self until the fan breaks*
issycanread's review against another edition
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
- Id probs read it again
- The sex was good
- Theyre both switches. But when he takes control its not in a "lol lil girl i had control the whole time and was just letting you play dom" kinda way. Hes really into being her good boy
- Tells her to call him her good boy
- He wants to be better for
- She claims him
chronicledbycait's review against another edition
4.0
Boiling Point
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
"You have no idea what I'd do to become even slightly worthy of you, Polly. Even if every failed attempt shaved five years off my life, I'd jump in headfirst every time."
Tessa Bailey is one of those authors that I have an auto-buy {meaning I will buy her books, no questions asked, every, single, time} and let me tell you: she never lets me down!
This book is the third book in the Crossing the Line series and while it can be read as a stand-alone I definitely recommend reading the first two before reading this one. They will help provide you with a better understanding of the other characters and relationships.
Not quite a four star read for me mainly because I struggled connecting to Austin and Polly as well as the main plot, but the story itself was cute, fast-paced and spicyyyyyyyy. I think most people that enjoy Tessa's books will enjoy this one! Definitely worth the read!
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
"You have no idea what I'd do to become even slightly worthy of you, Polly. Even if every failed attempt shaved five years off my life, I'd jump in headfirst every time."
Tessa Bailey is one of those authors that I have an auto-buy {meaning I will buy her books, no questions asked, every, single, time} and let me tell you: she never lets me down!
This book is the third book in the Crossing the Line series and while it can be read as a stand-alone I definitely recommend reading the first two before reading this one. They will help provide you with a better understanding of the other characters and relationships.
Not quite a four star read for me mainly because I struggled connecting to Austin and Polly as well as the main plot, but the story itself was cute, fast-paced and spicyyyyyyyy. I think most people that enjoy Tessa's books will enjoy this one! Definitely worth the read!
rockchick's review against another edition
4.0
Austin was such a revelation!
I loved his relationship with Polly, his confidence and willingness to embrace every aspect of himself.
He let Polly lead in the bedroom and trusted her completely.
I loved his relationship with Polly, his confidence and willingness to embrace every aspect of himself.
He let Polly lead in the bedroom and trusted her completely.
chroniclesofabookreader's review against another edition
4.0
**4.5 Stars**
This was something a little different from Tessa Bailey. There’s still the unbelievable dirty-talking, the scorching sex scenes, and the five-dimensional characters, but in BOILING POINT we get to see how Ms. Bailey writes a male submissive alpha. Seems kind of impossible right? Erotica mixed with a medium suspenseful plot, she’ll again have you glued to the pages just desperate to see where the characters go.
Austin is a genius conman who can morph into anyone and anything. So good at it, in fact, that he’s lost who he is underneath it all. One person that centers him, and makes him desperate to find the real him, is Polly Banks. Making a living off of conning women and having that sensual magnetism, Austin finds a challenge with Polly because she hates him. In all honesty, she detests every aspect of him and everything he’s about. Having been the victim of a swindling conman in the past, she’s out to exact revenge and stay away from the pull that a certain conman has on her. But what she doesn’t realize is that the man who has lost himself can be actually pretty damn good in finding pieces of herself that she didn’t know she lost.
BOILING POINT focused more on the characters and their path to healing, just as the rest of the series has thus far. Each book has had the tougher, rougher characters that need some restoration, TLC, and a good, life-changing f*cking (hey, I had to say it). Polly and Austin had a wild push and pull that created this divide of her doing everything she could to brush what he did to her off. And with trust being so limited, both Polly and Austin had to rely on their own instincts to trust that the other was showing their true selves. He became exactly what she needed, and she became the balm to soothe his used soul. I loved the rag-tag team of criminals-now-on-the-ride-side (or are they?) that we’ve come to know, and how each one has a deficiency that only another can fill. Imagine the Suicide Squad characters in an erotic novel (by Tessa Bailey) and you have this sexually charged, suspense-related novel.
**Received an early copy in exchange for an honest review**
This was something a little different from Tessa Bailey. There’s still the unbelievable dirty-talking, the scorching sex scenes, and the five-dimensional characters, but in BOILING POINT we get to see how Ms. Bailey writes a male submissive alpha. Seems kind of impossible right? Erotica mixed with a medium suspenseful plot, she’ll again have you glued to the pages just desperate to see where the characters go.
Austin is a genius conman who can morph into anyone and anything. So good at it, in fact, that he’s lost who he is underneath it all. One person that centers him, and makes him desperate to find the real him, is Polly Banks. Making a living off of conning women and having that sensual magnetism, Austin finds a challenge with Polly because she hates him. In all honesty, she detests every aspect of him and everything he’s about. Having been the victim of a swindling conman in the past, she’s out to exact revenge and stay away from the pull that a certain conman has on her. But what she doesn’t realize is that the man who has lost himself can be actually pretty damn good in finding pieces of herself that she didn’t know she lost.
BOILING POINT focused more on the characters and their path to healing, just as the rest of the series has thus far. Each book has had the tougher, rougher characters that need some restoration, TLC, and a good, life-changing f*cking (hey, I had to say it). Polly and Austin had a wild push and pull that created this divide of her doing everything she could to brush what he did to her off. And with trust being so limited, both Polly and Austin had to rely on their own instincts to trust that the other was showing their true selves. He became exactly what she needed, and she became the balm to soothe his used soul. I loved the rag-tag team of criminals-now-on-the-ride-side (or are they?) that we’ve come to know, and how each one has a deficiency that only another can fill. Imagine the Suicide Squad characters in an erotic novel (by Tessa Bailey) and you have this sexually charged, suspense-related novel.
**Received an early copy in exchange for an honest review**
alexisroserichards's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
khari_zoe's review
4.5
I loved their dynamic and I was super excited for this book since this is the one that led me to the series. I feel like I expected more from this one in the type of book it was saying it was but I def liked them as a couple. The next book should be interesting tho
tylarfrench's review
4.0
I love this series, I think it's a fun twist on contemporary romance, more action than just the relationship but still obviously relationship focused. I always liked Austin although Def the most problematic start to their relationship but knowing his thought and plans gave it the nuance that didn't really bother me.