I received this book for free from Entangled Publishing, Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Over the Top by Rebecca Zanetti Series: Maverick Montana #4
Series Rating:
Published by Brazen, Entangled on July 21st 2015
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 174
Format: eARC
Source: Entangled Publishing, Netgalley
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A sexy category romance from Entangled's Brazen imprint...
This kind of temptation is worth the risk...
Dawn Freeze had a huge crush on Hawk Rain for years, and the entire town knows it. It's understandable?the man is total hotness. That tall, lean body. Intense dark eyes. And always one foot out the door. Now he's on leave for exactly one week. And this time, he's made it crystal clear that he only wants one thing. Her.
Hawk's been fighting his attraction to Dawn for as long as he can remember. She's his best friend's little sister, and that means hands-off. Except now she's all grown up, and her sweet sexiness is exactly what he craves. But just as Hawk allows himself one mindblowingly intense night with Dawn, he learns that everyone he loves is in danger. Especially her.
And the only way to protect Dawn is to push her away...
Dawn Freeze has had a crush on Hawk Rain for years, since she was in high school, at least, if not even longer. Everyone in her tiny town seems to know it except Hawk. For his part, Hawk has been fighting a physical attraction to Dawn for a long time, and he’s decided it’s time to act. Obviously, at the same time, Dawn has decided that it’s time for her to get over her crush and move on. Hawk has made it clear that he only sees her as a little sister, and since that’s not enough for her, she’s going to cut her losses. Hawk very quickly realizes that he is not ok with her moving on, and since he’s only in town for one week, he’s going to use the time to be with Dawn. She knows he’s not a long term prospect, and she’s not happy with his decision to leave her behind at the end of the week, but she’s willing to at least try to do it his way and take what she can get.
I really need to look into these books more before I request them; I keep getting books that are several deep into a series. This was book 4 in this particular series. It read okay as a standalone, but it was clear there was a back story I was missing that would have filled in some holes. However, I really like the friends-to-lovers trope, especially when the friendship is a long-standing one, so I still enjoyed the book. Making that leap is such a risk, and I always sympathize with the couple who wants to so badly but cares so much about each other that they’re scared to lose what they have.
Unfortunately, I didn’t love Dawn. I certainly understand her wanting to be independent and take care of herself. However, when your ex-military boyfriend tells you a drug lord has escaped federal prison and is coming after him, and he needs to keep you safe, “I can take care of myself so you don’t need to take any precautions” is not the appropriate response. Yes, her family has taught her how to shoot and she knows some self-defense. And I would trust her to take care of herself walking alone a night and being attacked by a garden-variety mugger or something. But taking on a drug lord and his entire crew is a little different. Part of taking care of yourself is knowing when you’re out of your league, and when to get help. I thought it was a little ridiculous for her to insist that she could take it on.
The relationship between Dawn and Hawk more than made up for it, though. It had been simmering for a long time, and when they finally decided to give in and go for it, they certainly made the most of it. They were so hot together. I would have loved more of their relationship and less of the drug lord. I loved watching Dawn put Hawk in his place any time he tried to go alpha on her. (Other than when the drug lord was involved.) She was not going to take any of his macho bullshit just because they had started sleeping together.
“What the holy fuck of a holy fuckup of a fuck were you two fucking fuck-ups fucking doing?”
This book was really funny, too, which I hadn’t expected. I think that’s where some of the past relationships I mentioned before came into play. These were clearly people who had been through a lot together and knew each other well. There was a duo of old women doing their best to get Dawn and Hawk together. They did everything they could, including sending notes to other men that were allegedly from Dawn in order to make Hawk jealous, and giving Dawn a list of rules to catching a man. All of which Dawn promptly broke.
This was the first book by Rebecca Zanetti I’ve read, and I really enjoyed it. I liked the mix of heat and humor. I don’t know if I’ll go back and read the earlier books in this series, but she has some other series I think I’d enjoy, and I’d check those out for sure. Although I’ll keep an eye on her website to see if there are more books coming in the series. Dawn’s friend Adam is single and was a big enough character in this one that it seems like he might get his own book.
If you’re looking for a hot, funny romantic suspense, this is a perfect summer read.
