Series: Crossing the Line #3 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: January 25th 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Falling for a con man is the most dangerous game of all…
Con artist Austin Shaw’s been in disguise so long he’s not sure where his fake identities end and he begins. Now that he’s been strong-armed into working for a specialized undercover unit working with the Chicago police—criminals with unique “skills”—the last thing he needs is to risk his iron control. Especially when it comes to a certain stunningly sexy hacker who tempts him with every look of disdain.
Polly Banks will never, ever trust a con man. On the trail of a ruthless crook who destroyed the only family she’s ever known, Polly is unnerved by the shadow who follows her every move. The one who makes her pulse pound and breath short with lust. Austin. He’s infuriating, enigmatic, and pure sex appeal, and she’s determined to resist him.
But an untrustworthy man of disguise can become anyone he wants…including a man that Polly must trust if she’s to escape their dangerous game alive.
If you know me, then you know I love Tessa Bailey’s books, dirty-talking heroes and all. I love how each one of her men is completely besotted with his woman, how his alpha and protective instincts come alive around her. So of course I had high expectations for Boiling Point, especially since I loved the previous two books in the series, and Tessa didn’t disappoint! This read is another winner, full of steam, dirty talk, and suspense. I absolutely loved the way Austin and Polly were together – if you love books with fiery-hot chemistry between the main characters, you’ll want to pick this book up.
Goddammit, he’d never felt an ounce of possessiveness over another human being in his thirty-one years. But just then, he wanted more than anything to walk up behind Polly, wrap an arm around her hips, and drag her back against his lap. Look those tossers right in the eye as he licked up the side of her smooth neck. Mine, you pathetic drunks. You wouldn’t last a minute up against the brilliance of how she thinks. How she reasons and makes decisions. Piss. Right. Off.
While Boiling Point can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading the series in order. Each book leads up to the next, and you get a fuller understanding of the backgrounds of the characters. We first meet Polly, a hacker, and Austin, a con man, at the end of Risking It All, get to know them a little better in Up in Smoke and now we finally get their story in Boiling Point. To avoid going to jail, Polly and Austin have been recruited by the Chicago police along with several other interesting individuals to use the skills they’ve illegally honed to catch criminals. They get off to a very antagonist start, in spite of the insanely hot chemistry between them, but when they become partners for a case Polly personally wants to lead, they can’t seem to keep their hands off each other.
I loved how… different Polly and Austin were. Though Polly is a computer hacker, she uses her skills in a very Robin Hood-esque way. She’s pretty aloof and cold towards Austin, angry that he evokes such passion from her, and she is very stubborn when it comes to not falling for his advances. Austin is the con man of the group but beneath the cocky exterior and various disguises and personalities hides a man desperate to be seen – by Polly. He is utterly taken with her from the start, and when she needs his help for a case, he jumps at the chance to help her… and win her heart.
“All yours. You’ve been its cruel keeper for months.” He tilted his hips, presenting himself to her in a way that should have been crude, but on Austin, it was all animal grace. “At any time at all, you could have demanded me. Sent me to my knees to lick you off with one word. Grabbed my cock through my pants in front of everyone and told them who it belonged to.” His eyelids drooped as if the scenario was an aphrodisiac. “Please yourself with me, Polly. My boy. My cock. Own it all.”
An interesting change to Tessa’s typical dirty-talking heroes is that, even while still completely alpha, Austin hands over the reins to Polly when it comes to sex between them. I loved this exchange in control that allows Polly to trust in Austin and deepen the connection between them. And holy hell, the dirty talk. I’ve read almost every single one of Tessa Bailey’s books, but even Austin’s filthy mouth stunned me (and totally turned me on).
I loved Boiling Point – maybe not as much as Risking It All (because Bowen will forever be my all-time favorite hero), but this is still a fantastic, sexy, entertaining read that fans of the author don’t want to miss. I loved getting to see the previous couples in the series, but there’s also an introduction of a new character who will be the hero of the next Crossing the Line book. We get a little background on him, and to say I’m excited for Henrik’s story is an understatement. I can’t wait to see what Tessa has in store for Raw Redemption!
Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.
Reading Order: Crossing the Line series
#0.5 ~ Riskier Business: Ebook • Goodreads
#1 ~ Risking it All: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Up in Smoke: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Boiling Point: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Raw Redemption: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
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