Review: ‘Dare to Touch’ by Carly Phillips

Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog earns a small commission at no extra cost to you from any purchases made through these links. You can read the full disclosure underneath the Privacy Policy.

Dare to Touch
by Carly PhillipsSeries: Dare to Love #3
Published by Self-Published on January 11, 2015
SubGenres: Contemporary Romance
Format: eArc
Pages: 302
Narrator: Sophie Eastlake
Length: 6 Hours And 28 Minutes
Source: Kobo Plus
Audience: 18+/Adult
Add to Goodreads
Purchase at Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Olivia Dare, executive director of the Miami Thunder, and team travel director Dylan Rhodes share more than just a passion for football. Their chemistry is explosive--their feelings for each other intense. Yet Olivia has ended things for reasons he still can’t fathom and she won’t explain.
Unwilling to let something special go so easily, Dylan has been pursuing Olivia ever since. When the Pro-Bowl takes them to the tropical paradise of Hawaii, Dylan is determined to make sure their time together isn’t all business. What happens in paradise is life altering but once Olivia admits her deepest secret and fear, will Dylan still want the forever he’s been pushing for?
I read Dare to Touch over ten years ago and decided to reread it, as it was one of my favorite Contemporary Romance books. After reading it again, I still love the story and the characters, Olivia Dare and Dylan Rhodes. From the first page, I knew I’d have trouble putting their story down.
The FMC, Olivia Dare, has always had trust issues with men. It didn’t help when her own father wasn’t around when she was younger, and he didn’t have the audacity to show up for her birthday in this book. It also didn’t help that she had an ex-boyfriend who left her, and she couldn’t ever move forward with anyone due to the men in her life. She had every reason to struggle with falling in love and fear the future with any man, and I felt for her character.
Dylan Rhodes is determined to prove to Olivia he isn’t like her father or ex-boyfriend. I sympathized with Dylan, as Olivia made it difficult, but he didn’t give up. He has another woman in his life who used to be his ex-girlfriend, which puts Olivia on alert. Dylan proves that nothing will ever happen with her because they weren’t really good together anyway, which is why they broke up in the first place. There is no cheating, and the drama is minor. Olivia ends up with a new friend, who will be important in the next book.
Olivia learned how to trust again with Dylan, and Dylan had so much patience with Olivia. He was also very protective of her because their job and who they have to work with actually puts them in danger, and Dylan will do anything to protect Olivia from danger, and proves it in this book. In my opinion, Carly created the perfect guy for Olivia, who actually showed her love and kindness that she never got from her ex or her father.
I love how Carly focuses not only on the main couple but also hints at future HEAs in the series. I can’t wait to read the next book about Scott Dare, who played a role in this book when it came to a certain someone. I’m also eager for Avery’s book, since something happened in this book, I need to understand what happened with her.
I give this book 5 stars and highly recommend it and the rest of the series to Contemporary Romance fans. You don’t have to read in order, but I suggest it.
What to Expect:
✔️Billionaire Romance
✔️Sports/Football
✔️Workplace
✔️Forced Proximity

About Carly Phillips

NY Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestseller, Carly Phillips is the queen of Alpha Heroes, at least according to The Harlequin Junkie Reviewer.. Carly married her college sweetheart and lives in Purchase, NY along with her crazy dogs who are featured on her Facebook and Instagram pages. The author of over 75 romance novels, she has raised two incredible daughters and is now an empty nester. Carly’s book, The Bachelor, was chosen by Kelly Ripa as her first romance club pick. Carly loves social media and interacting with her readers.
Website | Blog | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Instagram | Bookbub | Newsletter | Text Updates of New Releases
Related Posts
My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)
- Book Blitz + Giveaway: ‘The Magical Library’ by Aimee O’Brian - April 17, 2026
- Book Blitz + Giveaway: ‘Royal Mayhem’ by Samantha Jayne Grubey - April 15, 2026
- Review: ‘Missing in Death’ by J.D. Robb - April 14, 2026













