Blog Tour and Giveaway: Off Limits: Sawyer Bennett

by Reviews by Tammy and Kim - Saturday, May 18, 2013

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Release date: April 16, 2013

Publisher: Big Dog Books, LLC

Age Group/Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

“There is a vulnerability there, hovering just below the surface. And I want to pick at it until I expose it. Then I want to kiss it."

Two years ago, Emily Burnham, had an epiphany about the shallowness of her life. And she made it her mission to become a different person…a better woman. Out from under the controlling thumb of her mother, Emily is tasting the real world for the first time. And she likes it.

Nixon Caldwell has served his time in the Marine Corps, surviving two brutal tours in Afghanistan. He is back home, surrounded by what he likes best…isolation. It's certainly the easiest way to avoid confrontation of the consuming guilt that is weighing him down.

When an accident brings Emily and Nix together, he soon learns he is not the master of his own fate. Struggling with his own pain, Nix tries to guard himself against Emily’s charms. He wants her in his bed, but he doesn’t want her in his heart.

Having grabbed life by the horns, Emily wants it all. But is she willing to accept just the small part of himself that Nix is offering? Can she reach the part of his soul that he has deemed to be Off Limits?

This book is the follow up novel to Off Sides by Sawyer Bennett. It can be read as a stand-alone.

Book one: Off Sides: Ryan and Danny's Story: Goodreads/Amazon

"Get real. You are romance and flowers. I'm down and dirty."

This is the story of a girl changing her life, learning how to live and to make her own way. And a man who has closed himself off and locked his feelings up tight for protection. Their not-so-glamorous meeting leads to a situation where they are forced to spend time together. And eventually leads to an unlikely friendship and attraction. As they spend more and more time together, walls slowly begin to come down and the begin to let each other in.

Emily has changed from the spoiled, bratty girl we met in Off Sides. She had an epiphany about two years ago when her brother Ryan fell in love with Danny and chose true love over his domineering family. Emily realized she was becoming too much like her snobbish judgmental mother and was suffocating, so she set out to change her life while in college in New York. She is opening up, meeting new people, reconnecting with her brother, and enjoying her new found independence. But her family is not done trying to control her no matter how far she gets from them.

Nix has a defensive edge and he struggles to stay in control. The Marines and Afghanistan have left him with emotional and mental scars and issues he does not really ever admit to or share. So he just hides himself from others and avoids making real connections. He is talented and has made a life for himself and thinks that is enough. Anything more difficult, he just avoids.

He is unbelievably gorgeous. Almost super model perfection, but with a hint of danger and darkness. ....He is the exact opposite of any man I have ever though of dating, and my mother would consider him the Anti-Christ on just his dark looks alone.

I realize all of a sudden, that I want this girl. And I want her bad. But there is no way. She is clearly not a f*** 'em and leave 'em kind of girl. She's the kind you bring home to meet your parents. And I've never...ever...had a woman I've wanted to do that with. I need to clear my head of Emily Burnham. She is completely off limits.

Emily is facing situations that put her in harm's way and Nix is shocked to start feeling protective of her. And Emily finds Nix fascinating despite his attitude, inconsistencies in personality, and stand offish behavior. Nix is definitely not the kind of man you bring home to a political rich family. But they cannot deny that they have an attraction and mutual respect growing for each other. They may try to, but it just makes their lives more complicated. They try the easy way by just acting on their intense sexual chemistry. figuring they both can handle it.

"I'm having a lot of 'firsts' with you."

But as their pairing begins to have a chance to go beyond just sex, will Nix be able to open up or will he ruin it? And can Emily handle either not knowing enough or knowing too much about the truth of his past?

This was a darker, deeper, and more emotional book than Off Sides. The characters were likeable even though they had issues. I enjoy books where the characters truly have personal growth and both Emily and Nix were such positive influences in each other's lives. They initially did not make sense at all, but sometimes different is what is needed to make you complete. I loved seeing more of Ryan and Danny from the first book and catching up with their life changes. I liked Nix's brother Linc and am looking forward to his book Off The Record. This book was well written, engaging, gave us both points of view, and had a good story.

Thanks to Sawyer Bennett and AToMR tours for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Sawyer Bennett Website/Facebook/Twitter

Sawyer Bennett is the pen name for a snarky southern woman and reformed trial lawyer who decided to finally start putting on paper all of the stories that were floating in her head. She is married to a mobster (well, a market researcher) and they have two big, furry dogs who hog the bed. Sawyer would like to report she doesn't have many weaknesses but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate.

Tour organized by: AToMR Tours
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