Testing the Limits by Kira Sinclair

Title: Testing the Limits

Author: Kira Sinclair

Series: Stand-alone

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Harlequin (January 1, 2014)

Source: NetGalley

Rating: ☕☕1/2

Synopsis: Wanting him was wrong, but it felt so right…

Social worker Quinn Keller sees the best in people…and the worst. When she rescues a prominent businessman's battered wife, Quinn is targeted by the woman's violent husband. Her only option is to place her safety in the hands of Ranger Jace Hyland—tattooed, scarred, incredibly hot…and the brother of Quinn's deceased fiancé. An entirely different kind of dangerous!

Quinn is the woman Jace has always wanted—and she's strictly hands-off. But keeping her safe means taking her to his small apartment…and his bed. So for one unforgettable night, Jace will give in to the temptation he can no longer resist. One night of forbidden hunger. One night he prays will be enough to satisfy a lifetime of longing….

My Thoughts: Sometimes you really can judge a book by the cover. I've done it and won. Sometimes, like this one, a hot tattooed guy coupled with an intriguing synopsis proves, once again, you shouldn't. 

The Good, The Bad, And Everything Else: I rarely read Harlequin Blaze imprints. Mostly because I find many of them tend to have more sex and less character development and sometimes even less fully developed plots. In this case I should have stuck with my original thought pattern and skipped this one but first let's discuss the characters.

Quinn is a social worker and Jace is an MMA fighter and ex-Army Ranger. Honestly the set up couldn't have been better for me to really love these characters. Unfortunately, they are so consumed by guilt over the loss of Quinn's fiancé who happens to also be Jace's brother. The rehashing over and over about Jace taking on added responsibilities that aren't his cross to bear gets tedious. Also, Quinn's nonchalance attitude over an abusive man's threats to her, directly contradicted her characterization of a strong social worker who gives victims second chances at life. 

The plot is overshadowed by the sex within the book mostly because the synopsis clearly defines the book as a romantic suspense which is what I expected. The really great beginning fizzled and really made me scratch my head a bit as the suspenseful part failed to be brought up again until the 30% mark. At that point Jace and Quinn decided she'd be safer at Jace's apartment. This seemed a clunky way to get them to "have" to share a bedroom/bed as I really felt Jace, with his Ranger background, should have been able to protect Quinn in her own home without having to relocate to his apartment. Also, on a side note, if a crazy stalker man casually walks into your home to threaten you just to prove he can do as he likes the right response would be shout out to the hot Army Ranger just outside. You know...the one who was there to protect you??? Of course hot Army Ranger guy really couldn't protect Quinn as the bad guy literally kidnapped her in front of him. Um....I've never read a book with a special ops hero (either currently enlisted or retired) who wasn't capable of taking down a bully who only seems to be able to beat on women. What a rip off. I hope he never got tattooed....you know the Ranger brotherhood ones all special ops men tend to have....if he did he'd have to get it removed because he's a disgrace.

Ok I hated the characters. I equally hated the plot...because...what plot? The Quinn and Jace have sex plot? Since this was the only plot that seemed to have enough pages dedicated to it I have to assume this was the main point of the book. If you follow any of my reviews you should know I'm not all about sex just for the sake of it in my romances. Sex does not equal love no matter what some authors want you to believe. Kira Sinclair did not fall completely into this negative trope but since the footwork of the Quinn/Jace I love you parts happened off the page...we don't necessarily see them fall in love. It's just assumed with their history they've always kind of been there even though at the beginning of the book they admit to sharing semi-regular awkward meals together to keep up appearances of the brother and sister-in-law act. Highlight on the awkward part. 

In a Nutshell: What a stink-a-roo for me. I am not sure I'll pick up another Sinclair book even though some reviewers claim there are better books out there by her. I would stick a label on this book to my friends "Read at Your Own Risk" but may ask them to try it out just as an experiment of sorts. I want to know if I'm all alone in my dislike/hatred. Christina Out.

Storm Watch by Jill Shalvis

Synopsis:
Uniformly Hot!: The Few.  The Proud.  The Sexy as Hell.
— SUBJECT:  Jason Mauer, National Guard.
— CURRENT STATUS:  Homeward bound.
— MISSION:  Getting some R & R!
— OBSTACLE:  Lizzy Mann.  Sexy blast from the past.
— After battling a hurricane of catastrophic proportions, Jason needs some downtime -- badly.  But there's no rest for the heroic.  During another deluge, Jason's savior skills are suddenly in demand... by his hot friend Lizzy.
She's fiercely independent.  But that doesn't keep them from having incredible sex as they, ah, ride out the storm!
Jason knows relationships and duty don't mix.  Still, he feels as if he's being swept away by a flash flood of desire for Lizzy.

The permanent kind....

My Thoughts: I haven't read many Harlequin Blaze books. I actually don't seek out super steamy books because I prefer the romance aspect of the books over the sex. I thought though that since I really have enjoyed Jill Shalvis's other books I have read I thought I would give this one a try and was rather disappointed. 


What I liked....As far as characters go I actually did like both Jason and Lizzy (even though her name annoyed me just a bit). He was a hot military man and she was a smart nurse. 

I also really enjoyed the pace of the book. Lizzy and Jason have to get through town to check on Lizzy's pregnant sister but the area her sister lives has been evacuated because of horrible flooding. Their adventure in getting to their destination was nail biting on the edge of your seat fun.


I loved how Shalvis set her storyline up too. Lizzy and Jason had been in high school together (but not a couple). Sometimes authors who use the reunited type storyline don't pull it off so well and the reader is left feeling that there should have been a prequel book somewhere that they missed. This book definitely did not have that problem.


What I really didn't like....The fact that their lives are in danger while navigating rivers where streets used to be the characters found a lot of time to make out. Jason would get out of the Jeep to move a large branch blocking their way and when he got back into the vehicle they would make out. A little further down the road after almost having an accident they take a breather and make out. Lizzy is scared for her younger sister and to comfort her they make out. Ok that last one might not have happened but you get the idea. Jason is in the National Guard just off a search and rescue mission where flooding was happening. With that in mind why would a seasoned expert spend so much time making out when he knew that time is of the utmost urgency and getting to their destination was priority? I just could not suspend my disbelief enough to accept his actions. I kind of felt as if the only reason all the making out was including was so the hot monkey sex that happened once they were safe didn't come out of nowhere.

I also didn't care for the secondary storyline involving Lizzy's sister. In order to make her interest in her mystery man hero believable I think more time should have been invested (perhaps their own book) and after only 12 hours or so they are suddenly a couple of sorts. 


Overall I would say that this was an average read and I kind of expect just a bit more from Shalvis. Not a horrible book but definitely not one of her better ones. If you are new to Jill I would totally recommend Simply Irresistible.