Review: ‘Take Me If You Dare’ by Nina Crespo
Take Me if You Dare
by Nina CrespoSeries: Birthday Dare #1
Published by Entangled Publishing (Brazen) on June 30, 2014
SubGenres: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
Format: AudioBook, eBook
Pages: 162
Narrator: Mia Madison
Length: 4 Hours And 16 Minutes
Source: Everand, Purchased
Audience: 18+/Adult
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One decadent dare, one steamy night…
It’s been a year since Jasmine Stewart dumped her cheating ex, so when her best friend dares her to have a one-night stand during a business trip to Miami, Jasmine is all in. But just as she hits her cheesy-come-ons limit, a wickedly hot former soldier comes to her rescue.
Security specialist Ethan Worth’s instincts tell him the gorgeous woman at the bar is trouble. After a sexy dance and even sexier kiss, he knows she is. But when their scintillating night leads to more, the possibility of another long distance relationship sends Jasmine running for the door.
Until the unthinkable happens. Jasmine’s company assigns her to Bode-Wynn, the military security firm where Ethan works. Forced back together, the undeniable heat between them flares to life. But sex is all it can ever be, because taking it further goes against everything Jasmine wants…and everything Ethan fears.
Take Me If You Dare is a quick and steamy novella in which Jasmine Stewart is dared by her best friend to have a one-night stand with someone while she’s on a business trip in Miami. She ends up at a bar where she’s forced to listen to cheesy come-ons until a very hot former soldier named Ethan rescues her, and she ends up fulfilling that dare with him. Jasmine doesn’t think she’ll see Ethan again until her company ends up assigning her to the military security firm that he happens to work for. That one-night stand with Ethan could quickly turn into more if only she would let her heart open up to it.
Whenever I read a novella, it sometimes can be a hit-and-miss with me because there aren’t enough pages to really get to know the characters. Unfortunately, I always crave more. This was the case with Take Me If You Dare, but I still enjoyed it. It just won’t be a favorite.
What I liked most was how Nina grabbed my attention from the beginning with Jasmine and Ethan and how he came to her rescue at the bar. The cheesy come-ons that poor Jasmine had to deal with, she definitely needed rescuing. I felt for her poor character, especially after realizing she had dealt with a horrible breakup with a guy who didn’t deserve her. Jasmine did drive me batty at times with how she handled things, mainly with Ethan.
I loved Ethan, though, because he immediately stole my heart in the bar scene with her. He’s the guy who is always there to help, and he does that a few times in this book with Jasmine, even though sometimes she gives him a hard time about it. He was such a sweetheart, and he deserved a happy ever after. So did Jasmine, but she definitely needed to realize that Ethan wasn’t her ex.
Overall, this steamy, fast-paced novella gets 3.5 stars from me. Even though I wish I had enjoyed it more, I’ll still recommend it to others. I do plan on reading (or, in this case, listening to) the next novella in the series because it’s Jasmine’s best friend’s book, and I’m curious what her dare will be like.
Trope(s)/Element(s):
♥️One Night Stand
♥️Instant Attraction/Love
♥️Forced Proximity
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About Nina Crespo
Nina Crespo lives in Florida where she indulges in her favorite passions -- the beach, a good glass of wine, date night with her own real-life hero and dancing. Her lifelong addiction to romance began in her teens while on a "borrowing spree" in her older sister's bedroom where she discovered her first romance novel. Let Nina's sensual contemporary stories and steamy paranormal tales satisfy your own craving for love, romance, and happily ever after.
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