tartbarbie's review
4.0
I received Off Limits in return for an honest review from the publisher.
Gemma has been working as Jacks personal assistant for just over 2 years. While everything with them has remained business only it's clear that they both have this attraction for each other. However, something has been holding them back until one late night things turn steamy. Now everything has changed this isn't just about a one night stand it's so much more. What does the future hold for these two?
Gemma knows that Jack has issues and she wants to help him get past them, even if he's not willing to deal with them. They have this sizzling chemistry and they just work so well together in and out of the bedroom. I like Gemma right from the start she's just a sweetheart and you can't help liking Jack.
When I saw the chance to check out the Dare novels I had to jump at it. Thanks to my grandmothers I'm a long time Harlequin romance reader and have been reading them since I was a teenager. I admit I was a little nervous to see how the Dare imprint would play out as I've seen may over the years come and go. I really enjoyed Off Limits it's a little darker than a typical Harlequin but it works which I enjoyed. The characters are great I found Gemma easy to connect with. A perfect quick fast paced story that I finished in one reading session can't wait to read more.
Gemma has been working as Jacks personal assistant for just over 2 years. While everything with them has remained business only it's clear that they both have this attraction for each other. However, something has been holding them back until one late night things turn steamy. Now everything has changed this isn't just about a one night stand it's so much more. What does the future hold for these two?
Gemma knows that Jack has issues and she wants to help him get past them, even if he's not willing to deal with them. They have this sizzling chemistry and they just work so well together in and out of the bedroom. I like Gemma right from the start she's just a sweetheart and you can't help liking Jack.
When I saw the chance to check out the Dare novels I had to jump at it. Thanks to my grandmothers I'm a long time Harlequin romance reader and have been reading them since I was a teenager. I admit I was a little nervous to see how the Dare imprint would play out as I've seen may over the years come and go. I really enjoyed Off Limits it's a little darker than a typical Harlequin but it works which I enjoyed. The characters are great I found Gemma easy to connect with. A perfect quick fast paced story that I finished in one reading session can't wait to read more.
diaryofthebookdragon's review
4.0
This book was a pleasant surprise. i got it as Kindle freebie and didn't expect much. But it had nicely developed characters and romance and hot office romance of enemies-to-lovers type. Recommended if you liked [b:Beautiful Bastard|16102004|Beautiful Bastard (Beautiful Bastard, #1)|Christina Lauren|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1362258921s/16102004.jpg|21912533].
theeditorreads's review
4.0
This book is something else, my second read of the M&B 'Dare' imprint, and all I will say is 'Keep 'em coming!'
The star character in this book is neither Gemma nor Jack but, Grand Lady Picton who is just about the sassiest grandma there is! I loved how the author brought about her character and also learnt how to 'look rather funereal'!
The sex scenes are explosive, with a touch of BDSM. And though Jack is a such an arse (which Gemma reminds him time and again), it's lovely how they come together in the end.
The star character in this book is neither Gemma nor Jack but, Grand Lady Picton who is just about the sassiest grandma there is! I loved how the author brought about her character and also learnt how to 'look rather funereal'!
The sex scenes are explosive, with a touch of BDSM. And though Jack is a such an arse (which Gemma reminds him time and again), it's lovely how they come together in the end.
emmalb1984's review
5.0
“No commitment. No redheads. Commitment was for Lucy."
Widower and successful businessman Jack Grant doesn’t do commitment after the death of his wife. His loyal assistant Gemma has seen it all as he wanders through life (and his grief) through one night stands with women whose names he can’t recall (or, judging by one encounter, doesn’t even ask for). Naturally, Gemma is a little bit in love with her boss, not that she will ever admit it, but one day Jack decides to act on their chemistry, and decides to indulge in an office romance (well, less romance, and more encounters in offices and on boardroom tables…)
Told in two first person narratives, we get to know Jack and Gemma through their thoughts as they act on impulse and enjoy a passionate affair with no promises of a happy ending, and as a result these wonderful characters come alive as their narratives progress. Indeed, the fact that the characters are telling the story is a great idea as we really get under the skin of Jack and his troubled mind and Gemma's willingness to help him emerge from the depths of his grief.
Jack and Gemma are well crafted and believable, and Jack's grief for his late wife is very well written, sympathetically described and emotionally touching. As he eventually explains to Gemma, his one night stands help him forget his grief for the briefest of moments, but he also knows he doesn't want Gemma to be one of those women. Gemma is equally likeable; she knows Jack well enough to stand up to him, risk their entire (successful) working relationship for the sake of giving in to passion, and asks enough questions to prompt Jack to consider if he can overcome his no commitment rule.
Jack is every bit the tortured soul who still considers himself married to his late wife, and, while he's quite happy to take Gemma as his lover, she will never be anything more because, even if he might have feelings for her, Lucy was and is his wife, and in his mind, anything more would be a betrayal. Clare Connelly has created a wonderfully complex man who you really do feel for as he struggles to accept he can move forward and love another woman whilst still loving Lucy, and as a reader, you soon understand that the cold hearted businessman act is all a front he puts on for the world, and actually, he's a wounded, emotional mess who is struggling to deal with his loss. Luckily for Jack, the author has also created a strong, no nonsense leading lady who can stand up for him, and isn't prepared to be just his little secret fling. Gemma is well and truly prepared to fight for her man, and is prepared to walk away when he can't accept that what they have is something more.
Interestingly, the book opens by quoting the last verse of W H Auden's 'Funeral Blues', and for most of the story I couldn't work out why, but eventually it all makes sense, and I felt it was an inventive idea to use the words to open the story, but only make the reader realise how significant they are in relation to Jack towards the latter end of the book.
Yes it's the Dare series, and it lives up to the ‘Sexy, Passionate and Bold’ billing, but it's also surprisingly emotional (the last chapter is especially well crafted), and simply a lovely story of two lost souls finding each other. Without spoiling the plot, the last line states "I am Gemma, he is Jack, and we have found each other at last" and this in effect sums up the whole story.
I look forward to reading more of Clare Connelly's work in the future.
Thanks to M&B for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Widower and successful businessman Jack Grant doesn’t do commitment after the death of his wife. His loyal assistant Gemma has seen it all as he wanders through life (and his grief) through one night stands with women whose names he can’t recall (or, judging by one encounter, doesn’t even ask for). Naturally, Gemma is a little bit in love with her boss, not that she will ever admit it, but one day Jack decides to act on their chemistry, and decides to indulge in an office romance (well, less romance, and more encounters in offices and on boardroom tables…)
Told in two first person narratives, we get to know Jack and Gemma through their thoughts as they act on impulse and enjoy a passionate affair with no promises of a happy ending, and as a result these wonderful characters come alive as their narratives progress. Indeed, the fact that the characters are telling the story is a great idea as we really get under the skin of Jack and his troubled mind and Gemma's willingness to help him emerge from the depths of his grief.
Jack and Gemma are well crafted and believable, and Jack's grief for his late wife is very well written, sympathetically described and emotionally touching. As he eventually explains to Gemma, his one night stands help him forget his grief for the briefest of moments, but he also knows he doesn't want Gemma to be one of those women. Gemma is equally likeable; she knows Jack well enough to stand up to him, risk their entire (successful) working relationship for the sake of giving in to passion, and asks enough questions to prompt Jack to consider if he can overcome his no commitment rule.
Jack is every bit the tortured soul who still considers himself married to his late wife, and, while he's quite happy to take Gemma as his lover, she will never be anything more because, even if he might have feelings for her, Lucy was and is his wife, and in his mind, anything more would be a betrayal. Clare Connelly has created a wonderfully complex man who you really do feel for as he struggles to accept he can move forward and love another woman whilst still loving Lucy, and as a reader, you soon understand that the cold hearted businessman act is all a front he puts on for the world, and actually, he's a wounded, emotional mess who is struggling to deal with his loss. Luckily for Jack, the author has also created a strong, no nonsense leading lady who can stand up for him, and isn't prepared to be just his little secret fling. Gemma is well and truly prepared to fight for her man, and is prepared to walk away when he can't accept that what they have is something more.
Interestingly, the book opens by quoting the last verse of W H Auden's 'Funeral Blues', and for most of the story I couldn't work out why, but eventually it all makes sense, and I felt it was an inventive idea to use the words to open the story, but only make the reader realise how significant they are in relation to Jack towards the latter end of the book.
Yes it's the Dare series, and it lives up to the ‘Sexy, Passionate and Bold’ billing, but it's also surprisingly emotional (the last chapter is especially well crafted), and simply a lovely story of two lost souls finding each other. Without spoiling the plot, the last line states "I am Gemma, he is Jack, and we have found each other at last" and this in effect sums up the whole story.
I look forward to reading more of Clare Connelly's work in the future.
Thanks to M&B for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
anacarter's review
4.0
Full Review on my blog!
Oh my, Oh my! I don't even know what to say, but this was one hot read! A forbidden work romance that was sweet, funny, and sexy.
Off Limits is a book about Gemma and Jack. Jack is Gemma’s boss and that’s why there cannot be a sexual relationship between them, even though they both want it. One day Jack’s crossed the line and since that day, they are addicted to each other.
I loved this book but I feel like it was missing something in the build up of their relationship. And the last few chapters seemed rushed. Nonetheless, I still loved how it ended, they were perfect in the end.
This is my first book by this author and it won't be my last. I will now devour anything by this author! I highly recommend it!
*a copy was provided by NetGalley*
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Oh my, Oh my! I don't even know what to say, but this was one hot read! A forbidden work romance that was sweet, funny, and sexy.
Off Limits is a book about Gemma and Jack. Jack is Gemma’s boss and that’s why there cannot be a sexual relationship between them, even though they both want it. One day Jack’s crossed the line and since that day, they are addicted to each other.
I loved this book but I feel like it was missing something in the build up of their relationship. And the last few chapters seemed rushed. Nonetheless, I still loved how it ended, they were perfect in the end.
This is my first book by this author and it won't be my last. I will now devour anything by this author! I highly recommend it!
*a copy was provided by NetGalley*
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Facebook
raciethereader's review
3.0
Jack is a billionaire mourning his wife by sleeping his way through London. Gemma is his legal counsel who puts up with his difficult behavior. This all changes when Jack kisses Gemma at a party where he observes her flirting with another man. The story had several well worn tropes and was predictable. That said, the writing was well done and the characters were well developed. I loved that Gemma was an heiress who hated society life while Jack was a self made man. The sex scenes were steamy and tastefully done. I felt the resolution came too quickly with not enough character development for Jack. The only other well developed character in the book was Gemma’s grandmother who added fantastic comedy.
overtherainbow031's review
3.0
This was my first book from this author and it was a decent read. This is your well versed trope of boss/employee forbidden romance. This has that "I shouldn't imagine my boss naked" feel and then they get their HEA. I wish Gemma would have stood up for herself a little more, but I mean, this was a fun, quick read.
spiceandicedcoffee's review
3.0
This is a spicy bosshole romance. Gemma came to work for Jack after his wife Lucy died. All she’s ever known is that he loves to drink and have s**. I definitely think this is going to be ann no promising book. Just by the first few pages I could tell there would be some ups and downs probably some lies and betrayal which is all stuff I live for in a spicy romance!
I will say when I first started reading I was very confused. It jumped right into talking with a Prime minister. I would Of liked a little introduction into the characters so we knew who we were going to be reading about instead of taking a couple of pages to know who they are. The other thing that made it kind of confusing was some of the writing. I found myself needing to reread the sentence over a few times.
Overall I think once I read this book it’s going to be a great book and one that’s right up my alley!
I will say when I first started reading I was very confused. It jumped right into talking with a Prime minister. I would Of liked a little introduction into the characters so we knew who we were going to be reading about instead of taking a couple of pages to know who they are. The other thing that made it kind of confusing was some of the writing. I found myself needing to reread the sentence over a few times.
Overall I think once I read this book it’s going to be a great book and one that’s right up my alley!
gemmaboooks0's review
4.0
Would read this book
Workplace romance, billionaire CEO. This book seems like a good read but I think the author should have labelled whose POV it is when writing. Personally as I read I found it enticing and would happily read the full book, but I also felt there could have been more depth added to the character descriptions and a more consistent flow. The MMC gives off the personality of a playboy who cannot love when that is clearly wrong as the FMC mentioned his wife who had died, more detail about his grief process could have been involved. The personality of the characters was presented well but could use more detail and depth as to the current situation they are in to express the environment more clearly and effectively. The book is well written and flows well but not fully cohesively, the dialogue is good but needs to be expressed more clearly. Workplace romance has a lot of options to read from, so there are a lot of options to choose from. I would happily read this book to discover how the story progresses and develops.
Workplace romance, billionaire CEO. This book seems like a good read but I think the author should have labelled whose POV it is when writing. Personally as I read I found it enticing and would happily read the full book, but I also felt there could have been more depth added to the character descriptions and a more consistent flow. The MMC gives off the personality of a playboy who cannot love when that is clearly wrong as the FMC mentioned his wife who had died, more detail about his grief process could have been involved. The personality of the characters was presented well but could use more detail and depth as to the current situation they are in to express the environment more clearly and effectively. The book is well written and flows well but not fully cohesively, the dialogue is good but needs to be expressed more clearly. Workplace romance has a lot of options to read from, so there are a lot of options to choose from. I would happily read this book to discover how the story progresses and develops.
missriki's review
4.0
This book was definitely a lot darker than I was expecting, with a lot of heavy themes and heartbreaking angst for the hero. Jack’s backstory is tragic, but it never quite made me root for him. He’s a pretty big jerk for most of the book, an asshole, even, and while I did warm up to him in the last third of the book, I had a hard time with his tortured reasons for being removed.
Gemma is the kind of heroine I love, whip-smart and capable, and I wanted her to get her HEA, despite not being completely on board with the hero. I love a workplace romance, and this one had some of my favorite moments, with illicit touches and office sexy times.
Even though Jack wasn’t my favorite billionaire hero, the sexy times were off the charts hot and he does turn tender towards Gemma in a way that satisfied my need for a HEA.
I’d read more from this author in the future!
Gemma is the kind of heroine I love, whip-smart and capable, and I wanted her to get her HEA, despite not being completely on board with the hero. I love a workplace romance, and this one had some of my favorite moments, with illicit touches and office sexy times.
Even though Jack wasn’t my favorite billionaire hero, the sexy times were off the charts hot and he does turn tender towards Gemma in a way that satisfied my need for a HEA.
I’d read more from this author in the future!