Most of the books in Cambria Hebert’s Take It Off series revolve around a mystery or a crime that sets up a high-stakes meet-cute for the heroine and hero.
In every single book, we are rewarded with dynamic characters, tension-filled situations and excellent chemistry. Also, none of the books feel repetitive; all are unique and provide different conditions for the couple to get through and come out on top of.
Most of the books in the series include an epilogue, although some do not. You can always count on Hebert to provide an excellent read that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
The review of the series includes reviews on each of the following books (listed in order of release):
If you can’t take the heat … stay away from the flame.
Katie Parks has been on her own since the age of fifteen. All she’s ever wanted is a place to call her own – a life that is wholly hers that no one can take away. She thought she finally had it, but with the strike of a single match, everything she worked so hard for is reduced to a pile of smoking ash. And she almost is too.
Now she’s being stalked by someone who’s decided it’s her time to die. The only thing standing in the path of her blazing death is sexy firefighter Holt Arkain.
Katie’s body might be safe with Holt … but her heart is another story.
As the danger heats up, sparks fly and the only thing Katie knows for sure is that her whole life is about to go up in flames.
<strong>Ending</strong>
HEA
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Heroine has a stalker who is attempting to kill her
• Multiple attempts on the Heroine’s life (and subsequently the Hero’s)
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• Heroine is a virgin
• No cheating
• No OW/OM (Hero was married, he’s now divorced)
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• No pushing away
• No& separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
“For as long as I can remember, all I wanted was a solitary life, a life where I only had to worry about me and I wouldn’t have to worry about someone leaving me or hurting me.”
Katie’s content with being alone, and that’s a huge reason why she was such an easy target.
“His lips were like a really sinful slice of chocolate cake. You knew if you ate it, you would hate yourself in the morning, but the call of that chocolate was so utterly strong you had to take a bite.”
But Katie wasn’t prepared for the guy who saved her life, Holt and neither was she ready for him to want more than just a fling.
Believe it or not, Torch was not the first book I read in the Take It Offseries. I actually started with Text (Take It Off, #4) and liked it so much that I thought to try out the rest of the series, starting with this book. I’m so glad I did!
Torch introduces the reader to loner Katie and has been alone for most of her life since her mother passed away. And because of this, she was an easy target for the arsonists who want her dead. But having lived a modest, if not poor life, Katie has no idea why she’s wanted dead and with no friends and family to help her, she’s stuck in the hospital with a growing bill until she’s healed. But then Holt, the fireman who rescued her from her burning house, offers her to stay at his place until she’s better. But neither of them expected it to be more than a nice person helping out someone in need.
Torch was awesome. It was filled with suspense, mystery, intrigue and a hot hero to go with it! And the fact that he’s a fireman just makes it that much better! The plot was incredibly detailed and was well thought out. Also, the romance between Katie and Holt was both super cute and hot and was an excellent way to show that each character had their own insecurities.
Torch was an entertaining, sweet and quick read! I will continue reading the rest of the Take It Off series.
Tease (Take It Off, #2)
Release Date: September 4th, 2013
<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
You can look but you can’t touch…
Harlow McAlister is a broke college student. When her tuition assistance is taken away she is faced with a choice: admit to her mother she couldn’t hack it on her own or make a lot of money fast.
So she gets a good-paying job.
As a stripper.
She thought it would be easy but it turns out being sexy is a lot harder than she thought. When a few mishaps work in her favor she manages to hang on to her job and catch the eye of the Mad Hatter’s best-looking bartender, Cam.
She’s also caught the eye of someone who wants to do more than look, someone who’s decided that she’s nothing but a tease.
As the clothes come off, Harlow finds herself caught between lust and murder. The only thing she knows for sure is that her new risqué job is a lot more than she bargained for.
<strong>Ending</strong>
HEA
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Heroine has a stalker who is attempting to kill her
• Multiple attempts on the Heroine’s life (and subsequently the Hero’s)
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• Heroine is a virgin
• No cheating
• No OW/OM (The Heroine’s job is stripping.)
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• No pushing away
• No separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
“People shouldn’t make life so hard. If they aren’t happy, they should change it. They should do what makes them happy. We only get so long in life, why spend any of that time being with people who are bad for you or doing things you don’t really want to do?”
I introduce to you, the hero of our story, the very wise, Cam, who is twenty-three by the way. He’s the most amazing hero ever. Out of all the books in this series, I have to say the romance between Cam and Harlow is the best because of Cam.
“You’re nothing but a tease”
This maps out the flip side of the plot. With Cam, we receive the swoon-worthy, protective hero starring in Tease with Harlow. But it’s the above quote that marks the beginning of the suspenseful plot and introduces the mystery of Harlow’s new stalker.
Tease uses the cliché girl-needs-money-so-she-turns-to-stripping, and, as a result, I wasn’t too keen to read it. But I was surprised by how romantic relationship between Harlow and Cam was, and how the suspense of Harlow’s newly acquired stalker was so realistic. Also, the fact that the secondary characters, Adam and Roxie, had their own side-story was entertaining (see Trashy, Take It Off, #10).
Tease was told in the first person like Hebert’s previous book. Harlow was a great narrator; she came across as very genuine. The overall plot of the book was consistent with the pace, allowing the author to slowly reveal each layer that added even more mystery to the story.
Luckily Tease does come with an epilogue, which was adorable by the way.
Tempt (Take It Off, #3)
Release Date: October 6th, 2013
<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
**This is a new adult contemporary novel and contains sexual content and graphic language. It is not intended for young adult readers.***
Stranded and alone with not one, but two wickedly enticing men.
Ava arrives at the airport, expecting to board a commercial flight to Puerto Rico. But a plane ticket isn’t waiting for her. Instead, she finds a guy with dark curly hair wearing seriously ratty jeans and holding a sign with her name on it.
He may not look like a pilot, but he is. And he’s her ride.
So now it’s just Nash and her on a tiny tin can of a plane flying over the Atlantic. When a thunderstorm comes out of nowhere, it proves to be too much for the little aircraft.
Ava and Nash plunge from the sky and end up on an uncharted deserted island.
Stranded.
As if that isn’t bad enough, Ava starts to desire more than just rescue—hunger for more than food. Nash is only too happy to oblige… but it seems they might not be as alone as they thought.
And Nash might have some competition in claiming Ava’s body… and her heart.
<strong>Ending</strong>
HEA
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Heroine has a stalker who is attempting to kill her
• Multiple attempts on the Heroine’s life (and subsequently the Hero’s)
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• No cheating
• There’s sort of a Love Triangle: there is an OM
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• No pushing away
• No separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
“He was the kind of guy that would steal away my heart when I wasn’t looking. He was the kind of guy who would love me so well that when he left, no one would ever be able to take his place and so I would walk around the rest of my life with a huge chunk of myself missing because it would always belong to him.”
Ava’s always been the girl to play it safe, so when she’s attracted to her pilot she knows better to indulge in a relationship because she can’t imagine a happily ever after.
“It was a little unsettling to realize that just the mere presence of one person could make up for every comfort and convenience you thought you could never live without.”
But with both Ava and Nash being stuck on an uncharted island, neither are prepared for what starts to fester between them.
Tempt was a surprise from the start since the synopsis of the book hints at a potential love triangle, and I don’t like nor appreciate love triangles. What I liked about it was how Cambria Hebert allowed both Ava and Nash to develop a relationship before they are introduced to Duke. And to be honest, the prologue of Tempt freaked me out (not in that way), but in the sense that I was shocked that Ava wouldn’t just choose Nash. Seriously, there’s no competition.
<strong>Spoiler:</strong> About The Love Triangle
In the Author’s Note, Hebert comments how she strived to write Ava in such a way that Duke tried to tempt Ava away from Nash but Ava wouldn’t ever be tempted, but I didn’t get that vibe from Ava. It was more like she wanted to see what being with Duke would be like but didn’t want to betray Nash…
The love triangle was weird and for that reason, I didn’t really appreciate that part of the story. But I have to say that the suspense was unexpected since I thought that the book would mainly be about the love triangle. And that leads into my next point, although I’m rambling on about this supposed love triangle, the tile, Tempt, plays into the plot in unique ways.
Text (Take It Off, #4)
Release Date: October 29th, 2013
<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
One text can change everything.
Honor Calhoun never thought her life would ever be like the books she writes for a living. One morning while out for a run, she learns not all bad things are plots in novels. Some horrors can actually come true. She faces off with a persistent attacker, holds her own, but in the end is taken hostage and thrown into a hole. In the middle of the woods.
But Honor didn’t go down there alone. She took her kidnapper’s phone with her. With a spotty signal and a dying battery, her hope is slim.
Nathan Reed is an active duty Marine stationed at a small reserve base in Pennsylvania. All he wants is a calm and uneventful duty station where he can forget the memories of his time in a war-torn country. But a single text changes everything. Nathan becomes Honor’s only hope for survival, and he has to go against the clock, push aside his past, and take on a mission for a girl he’s never met.
Both of them want freedom… but they have to survive long enough to obtain it.
<strong>Ending</strong>
HEA
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Heroine has a stalker who is attempting to kill her
• Multiple attempts on the Heroine’s life (and subsequently the Hero’s)
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• No cheating
• No OW/OM
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• No pushing away
• No separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.
Rating: 3.75/5 stars
“What’s wrong? Shitty hand?” “I was kidnapped by the owner of this phone. Plz help me. Call 911.” “That’s a sick joke.” “I’m not jkin! I swear!” “Prove It” … “What’s your name?” “Honor Calhoun.” “I’m going to get you out of there, Honor” And that’s the simple text message (conversation) that starts off the interesting, and frightening plot that Text is based on. “You look …” she said, her voice trailing away as she looked me over again. I braced myself for some polite answer. But what she said surprised me. “Like a warrior.”
And that is the start of what will soon be a sweeping romance between the damsel and her hero.
Text was probably one of the best suspense books in this series, and the writing was done fabulously, so it was incredibly believable. A common thread between the books is that the heroes are usually always saving the heroines… which is okay in this case because Nathan was excellent and not without his own issues to get over.
The overall pace of Text was moderate, but I felt that at times it went really fast while in others it kind of dragged and left you waiting for the more intense, action-filled moments to come to. But I understood because it was both of these types of scenes that allowed Honor and Nathan to connect.
However, I felt that their relationship wasn’t as tight as it could’ve been and honestly weren’t as developed and secure as the other couples in this series (well, besides one, but I’ll get to that later). So it’s kind of surprising to admit that Text is probably one of, if not my favourite book in the series. I’m a sucker for Marine books. It helps the action and suspense in Text was off the charts. It was also Hebert for the first time writing in dual POV, which elevated the reading experience.
Tipsy (Take It Off, #5)
Release Date: December 6th, 2013
<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
Julie Preston is an artist. But her canvas isn’t paper or clay. It’s hair. She spends her days coloring, blow-drying and styling her clients’ hair at the Razor’s Edge salon. Julie is also annoyed. She went out on a date and had a great time, gave the guy her number and the jerk never called.
So when he waltzes into the salon and sits down in her chair she briefly considers strangling him with the pink cape she fastens around his neck.
Too bad she can’t.
Blue Markson, the guy who never called, is a police officer so causing him bodily harm would be a first-class ticket into the slammer. Just looking at him again makes Julie forget why she was mad in the first place, but she’s already learned that Blue is nothing but heartache. So when he starts coming around, acting like he hadn’t made her stare at the phone for days, she tries to brush him off.
Only…
Her life is about to blow up in her face, she’s about to get caught up in a sticky web of crime and the one guy who can help her is the one guy she vowed never to trust again.
<strong>Ending</strong>
HEA
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Hero is working as an undercover cop infiltrating a local gang of drug deals
• The Heroine and Hero’s life is subsequently endangered
• Mild violence
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• No cheating
• No OW/OM
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• Does have the Hero pushing away (He goes undercover after meeting the Heroine and pushes her away to protect her.)
• Does have a separation between the Hero and Heroine (For a few months: the Hero stood the Heroine up on their first date because he’s put undercover. He’s on-page hitting on OW during the separation.)
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.
Rating: 4/5 stars
“The guy that never called? I was staring at him. How unfortunate for him I was holding scissors.”
Julie was stood-up after a really great date by Blue. She doesn’t understand why she’s so pissed at him, because it was only one date and it was months ago. But when she sees him in her salon months later, she’s surprised to find out that she’s still attracted to him.
“That night after our first date, I wouldn’t take the assignment. I would have told them no. I would have chosen you.”
But after their first date, Blue’s unexpectedly put on an undercover case, with no option to refuse. He’s not allowed to contact anyone from his life, meaning Julie goes on thinking that he stood her up. But when they meet again months later, and Blue is again put undercover, Julie is suddenly tangled in Blue’s investigation. Even though he doesn’t like it.
I have to admit that in the first half of Tipsy Blue seriously pissed me off. He was all macho, talking about checking out all these girls and whatnot. But the fact that he was in the process of asking out Julie (again) didn’t sit well with me. But after the first half of Tipsy (maybe even a little sooner), Blue hit a groove where he finally came into the frame of mind that caring about someone didn’t emasculate him (thank you toxic masculinity for even making this a thing *sarcasm*).
When he finally decided to take a risk with Julie, you really got to see Blue and Julie bloom, especially given the stresses of having Blue undercover while starting a new relationship. Since Blue’s been working this undercover case for a while, I seriously didn’t see how Julie could be part of the plot, besides offering some distraction for Blue… but Hebert did an excellent job with foreshadowing and intricate details that added up to a riveting last scene showdown.
Tipsy is told in dual POV, thank God! And we are awarded an excellent, swoon-worthy epilogue, and just saying, it’s probably one of my favourite epilogues of the series.
Also, take note that Slayter, an undercover cop working the case with Blue, has his own book, Tattoo (Take It Off, #7). Check out my review below.
Tricks (Take It Off, #6)
Release Date: February 10th, 2014
<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
Love can play tricks on your heart… After serving several years in the United States Marine Corps, Sergeant Tucker Patton decides to hang up his uniform and go to work at a private investigative firm owned by his buddy. His boxes are packed and he’s got one foot out the door when a phone call changes everything.
Instead of going to North Carolina, he heads to New York City to literally step into the life of his twin brother, who died under suspicious circumstances. But pretending to be someone else isn’t easy.
Especially when the person you’re supposed to be is wanted dead.
Not only that, but he’s going from being blissfully single to living with his brother’s woman. An uptight, no-nonsense lawyer.
Charlotte Rose Carter doesn’t have time for fun and games. She graduated with honors and made all the right moves fresh out of college to jumpstart her career as a successful young lawyer. She even snagged the most eligible bachelor in New York City’s corporate world.
So what if her and Max’s relationship isn’t burning up the sheets? So what if their life doesn’t read like a chapter from a sizzling romance novel? This is the real world, and in the real world, that stuff is just fantasy.
Until it isn’t.
Suddenly, just the slightest touch or a single glance from Max has her heart doing somersaults. Suddenly, the lacklustre relationship begins to spark, and Charlotte finds herself tied in a knot of desire.
But she has no idea about the tricks being played right under her perky little nose.
<strong>Ending</strong>
HEA
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• The Hero pretends to be his twin brother, who was living with his girlfriend the Heroine
• The Hero has a someone attempting to kill him because he’s impersonating his brother
• The Heroine’s life is subsequently endangered
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Not Safe
• No cheating (But see below)
• Does have OM (Heroine is dating the Hero’s brother… and Heroine doesn’t know her boyfriend is dead.)
• Does have descriptive sex scene with OW (The opening scene).
• Does have the Heroine pushing away
• No separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.
Rating: 3.25/5 stars
“Can I tell you a secret?” The fluttery sensation in my stomach was so wild I felt like I was sitting at the top of a super steep roller coaster. “Yeah.” “I like this guy better.” He jerked so forcefully his hand pulled away from mine and his chair slid back a couple of inches.
What Charlotte doesn’t know is that she basically just admitted that she likes her boyfriend, Max’s (who she doesn’t know is dead) twin brother better than Max. Which leads to the development of Tucker and Charlotte’s relationship and just how deep it gets.
“It was the kind of hold that anchored a person, the kind of hold that made me feel like even though I was falling apart, all of my pieces were going to stay where they belonged.”
As their relationship becomes more realistic, what happens when Charlotte discovers that Max isn’t Max but his twin brother Tucker? And what happens when she finds out that Max is dead and his killers are still on the loose?
Tricks has an incredible pause worthy plot, which requires you to suspend your disbelief to enjoy. Tucker is taking on the persona of Max, his dead twin brother, to find Max’s killer and close the investigation that got Max killed. Max was investigating people at his work, however, it caught someone’s attention. Now Max is dead, and his girlfriend, Charlotte, is in danger.
It was a mind-bending plot. I had to keep reminding myself that Charlotte didn’t know about Max’s death, while (obviously) Tucker new the how and the why, but not the who. Attempting to apply the plot to real-life just hurt my head: can you imagine Tucker attempting to be his twin… while living with his partner? In real life, the façade would not have lasted.
Tricks was written excellently. Both the characters’ emotions were incredibly believable and were realistic about the situation. And although I love Tucker… I wish that we could’ve gotten to know Max more, besides the prologue.
Tricks was told in a dual POV and has an awesome epilogue where we get a shout out to Honor and Nathan!
Tattoo (Take It Off, #7)
Release Date: March 8th, 2014
<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
A tattoo gets them in trouble… He will get them out.
After years of cultivating an undercover identity, Brody West is finally off the case and free to live a life of his own. All that time spent in the company of criminals and killers left him a little jaded… and with an identity crisis. He isn’t sure who he is anymore, or who he wants to be.
To give him time to think, he takes a few days off to go fishing. On his way out of town, he makes a routine stop at the bank and finds himself flirting with the girl behind the counter. But his flirtation is cut short when criminals burst into the bank and shoot her right before his eyes.
In an attempt to administer first aid, Brody reveals a tattoo on his back. A mark that will drag him and the girl into the kind of situation he was trying to get away from. But he can’t walk away because he’s the only thing capable of keeping Taylor alive and bringing down the guys who shot her—guys who are seriously dangerous.
<strong>Ending</strong>
HEA
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Heroine is a victim of a bank robbery, she is shot
• The Heroine and Hero are then taken hostage by the perpetrators, including the Hero who has a gang tattoo, which draws the bank robbers’ attention
• Some Violence
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• No cheating
• No OW/OM
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM (Hero mentions his promiscuous past though, including a foursome he had with triplet).
• No pushing away
• No separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.
Rating: 4/5 stars
“Where’d you get that tattoo?” one of the men demanded. The muscle in Brody’s jaw jumped and a sort of coldness cloaked his body. He didn’t give me another look when he pushed up and around to face the question. “I earned it.”
When Taylor’s father’s bank is robbed by four men, she isn’t sure what to think. But when she’s shot, and the man, Brody, she was flirting with before the robbery occurred, takes off his shirt to help her, leading to a series of events that will test Taylor and Brody.
“I wasn’t used to thinking of women as beautiful. Hot? Yes. Desirable? Of course. Likeable? Sometimes. But never beautiful.”
Thrust into this dangerous situation, undercover cop Brody isn’t used to having to take care of someone, and on top of that, he sure isn’t used to feeling more than just attraction towards a girl.
Being a cop is a double edge sword, mainly because you serve for good but sometimes to do good, you have to be bad. And that’s exactly what Brody’s role is as an undercover cop. He’s played the role of a gangster for the past two years, and is ready for a break taking down the gang has awarded him.
But what Brody never expected was to be in the middle of a bank robbery, and when the girl he was flirting with is shot, he carelessly takes off his shirt to stop the bleeding, revealing the tattoo that designates him as a high ranked gangster. And so this takes both the girl, Taylor and him on a series of events that lead to Taylor almost dying three times.
The writing, I have to say was well done. We were given a believable image of an undercover cop, having an identity crisis since he’s basically been part of a gang for the past two years. And the fact that he’s starting to fall for this girl who keeps surprising him doesn’t help either.
I loved how protective Brody was of Taylor and the fact that Tattoo was both fast-paced, with the plot developing right along with it, made it a great read.
Tattoo is told in a dual POV and we also get a hot epilogue, that leaves you swooning in the end.
Tryst (Take It Off, #8)
Release Date: May 5th, 2014
<strong>Synopsis:</strong>
Sometimes all a girl needs is a little fling…
Talie Ronson needs a vacation.
From life. Since she caught her cheating, loser husband in bed with his assistant, her life has been on a steady spiral—right into hell. Her car’s a junker, her job sucks, and her perfect, gorgeous sister likes to brag about her wonderful life every time they “do” lunch.
In an effort to salvage what’s left of her life and her sanity, she takes the advice of her kooky best friend and takes off to Topsail Island. A week at the beach, alone, is exactly what she needs to recharge, regroup, and relax.
Only, her alone time is about to get derailed.
Gavin Palmer’s favorite activity is walking around in his boxers and eating junk food. He and his neighbors have an understanding. They stay out of his business and he stays out of theirs. He lives at the beach, not for vacation, but for isolation. He’s had enough of people to last him a lifetime.
Gavin’s isolation is interrupted when his normally quiet neighbor starts disturbing his peace. He stomps across the sand to give the guy a piece of his mind… only it isn’t a guy.
It’s Talie.
She’d maddening, nosy, and talks too much.
But she’s hot and her bedroom eyes have him thinking maybe he’s had enough solitude. Maybe a week of company is exactly what he needs.
Maybe what they both need is a no-strings-attached tryst.
<strong>Ending</strong>
HEA
<strong>Representation</strong>
No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
<strong>Possible Triggers</strong>
• Heroine walks in on her Husband having sex with his assistant (on page)
• Hero’s wife died in his arms (memories)
<strong>Safety Rating:</strong> Safe
• No cheating
• No OW/OM (But the Hero is a widower.)
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• Does have the Hero pushing away
• No separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.
Rating: 3/5 stars
“I went to the closest bank and transferred all the money out of our joint accounts and into my personal savings. Okay, not all of our money. I left him a dollar.”
That my friends, is our kick-ass, ball-busting heroine, Talie. And that’s precisely what she does when she finds her husband cheating on her with his secretary.
“He told me not to feel anything, Salty,” I told the cat. “But I didn’t listen.”
Wanting to get away from her family after discovering her husband cheating on her, Talie goes on a vacation. Lo-and-behold, she meets her neighbour Gavin, who she ends up having a no-strings-attached tryst with. But it doesn’t take Talie long to see that she very much so wants a strings attached relationship.
Tryst is the only book in this series (so far) that is not romantic suspense. Instead, it’s all about moving on and leaving the past in the past. Out of all the heroines in this series, I have to say that Talie is probably my favourite. She didn’t forgive her husband for cheating; she stood up to him, had a backbone and went on to divorce his ass. Awesome!
Hebert did an excellent job of showing how cheating doesn’t just affect the couple itself but the friends and family who witnessed the couple together. So when Talie’s sister suggested she stay married, the toxic family dynamic was introduced, and it was not supportive of Talie.
Gavin has an air of mystery around him. He doesn’t want to be known, and he doesn’t want to get close to anyone. But why? And the reason why is pretty darn sad. And it’s because of the reason why that I felt Talie and Gavin didn’t have as deep a connection as the other couples in this series. I thought that, at times, Gavin resented what he felt for Talie, and it left Talie in a lurch because she didn’t want to be part of another relationship where she’s underappreciated.
Hebert did a fantastic job of slowly revealing the plot and allowing the reader to absorb the characters’ emotions throughout the story. Although the chapters all start off with a bold “Talie” to show who’s POV the chapter is in, don’t be fooled, Tryst is solely told from Talie’s POV and the only time that it goes into Gavin’s is when he reliving a memory/ies.
Tryst does have an epilogue, but this book was probably the most disappointing in the series. I hope that one of the upcoming books in the Take It Off series is about Talie’s best friend, and the doctor, one of Gavin’s friends. That would be awesome, and we’d–hopefully–get to revisit Talie and Gavin.
Other Books I’ve Reviewed in the Take It Off Series
