Book Title: Boiling Point

Author: Tessa Bailey

Release Date: 1/25/16

Genre: Contemporary Romance (Hot!)

 

 

About BOILING POINT:

 

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.

Purchase Links:

 

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Boiling-Point-Crossing-Tessa-Bailey-ebook/dp/B00YM40MP8

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/boiling-point-tessa-bailey/1121904559

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/boiling-point/id1000553630

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/boiling-point-21

Entangled Publihsing: http://www.entangledpublishing.com/boiling-point/

 

 

 

Author Bio:

 

Tessa Bailey is originally from Carlsbad, California. The day after high school graduation, she packed her yearbook, ripped jeans and laptop, driving cross-country to New York City in under four days.

 

Her most valuable life experiences were learned thereafter while waitressing at K-Dees, a Manhattan pub owned by her uncle. Inside those four walls, she met her husband, best friend and discovered the magic of classic rock, managing to put herself through Kingsborough Community College and the English program at Pace University at the same time. Several stunted attempts to enter the work force as a journalist followed, but romance writing continued to demand her attention.

 

She now lives in Long Island, New York with her husband of eight years and four-year-old daughter. Although she is severely sleep-deprived, she is incredibly happy to be living her dream of writing about people falling in love.

 

Author Media Links:

 

Website: http://www.tessabailey.com

Twitter: @mstessabailey

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tessa-Bailey/107783312730783

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6953499.Tessa_Bailey

Newsletter: http://www.tessabailey.com/ - !contact/c1kcz

 

 

Exclusive Excerpt from BOILING POINT:

 

“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 body. My cock. Own it all.”

 

“I will,” she whispered, shaken by his speech. Emboldened by it. Holding his gaze she lifted the belt to his arousal and looped the leather around its ruddy base. A broken curse fell from his mouth, the muscles of his abdomen jerking. His big hands flew up, as if to grip her shoulders for balance, but they fisted and dropped back to his sides, where she told him with her inaction they must remain. Careful to keep the buckle from touching him, Polly tugged the leather to her right, watching the belt slither around his erection in a circular caress.

 

“Oh, fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” He swayed on his knees. “More. More.”

 

Polly leaned close and ran her tongue along the seam of his lips, pulling away when he tried to capture her mouth in a kiss. “Only if it pleases me.”

 

“Yes.” His nod was disjointed, breathing uneven. “Only if it pleases you.”

 

“It does.” Faster than the first time, Polly pulled the belt left, whimpering at the sight of his aching flesh being squeezed between the leather strip, the precum that beaded at his tip. She repeated the action twice more, faster and with more surrounding pressure on his length each time. “How does it feel?

 

“Like nothing else,” Austin groaned, neck muscles straining. “There’s nothing else.”

 

His declaration made her want to prove him wrong. Or maybe she needed a distraction to avoid feeling humbled. With the decision to stop thinking and experience, Polly grasped Austin’s hand and dragged it up her skirt, between her thighs where his palm conformed to her shape without hesitation, ripping a moan from her throat. “Th-there is something else.”

 

Austin’s gaze turned intent, fixated on her face. “You need to fuck now, sweet?” There was nothing casual about his perusal of her body. It was predatory filth and it set Polly ablaze. His middle finger pushed at her entrance, through the barrier of her underwear. “Ah God, just set me loose with a yes. I will split the fucking headboard down the middle from bucking into this pussy.”

 

 

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I thought the plot line was too simple and went too smoothly. The relationship between Fauna and Cooper got overly sappy at times. It was a nice read but just didn't do it for me.

*Thar be spoilers below. Ye have been warned.
...
...

Nobel Prize winning scientist, Phillipe Dumas, thinks he's found a way to solve the problem of global warming. His solution--seed volcanic eruptions with sulfur dioxide--is seen by some as the greatest thing since sliced bread. To others, it makes him the epitome of "evil genius."

Ross Roundtree, a microbiologist, falls into the latter category. He and his assistant, Sheila Kennedy, literally stumble onto Dumas's plan while researching glaciers in Chile. At which point, anytime he hears Dumas's name, Ross goes from zero to enraged in a millisecond. (Seriously. The guy has anger management issues.)

His sister, former environmental activist-turned-conference organizer, Rebecca Sweet, thinks Dumas's plan is inspired. Rebecca, by the way, is Ross's sister. Family ties, however, don't stop Ross from disowning his sister the instant he finds out she supports Dumas's plan. (Again, the man has ish-shoes.)

Dumas, we find is Sheila's stepfather. Ross, meanwhile, is in love with Sheila. Oh, and Dumas is also in love with his assistant, Stephanie. Boiling Point is as much about surviving a pyroclastic volcanic explosion as it is about the rather warped relationships between its characters.

Why 4-stars? Because, it's a thriller in the purest sense. It moves quickly, immediately throwing its characters into the path of falling boulders and other dangers. The writing is spare and effective, and despite it flaws (there are many), it was a fast, fun read.

The biggest flaw is simultaneously its strength. Honestly, there really isn't a clear protagonist. Dumas is an insufferable arrogant bastard, as one might expect from a human with the hubris to think he can single-handedly alter the climate. He would otherwise be the antagonist, if not for Ross.

Ross is supposed to be a protagonist in an anti-hero kind of way. Sort of. See, in my mind, the inclusion of the word "hero," even if proceeded by "anti," implies that the character should be in some way be likable. Usually this means "funny," if only sardonically so.

Ross is a self-righteous asshole. His backstory suggests that some of his arrogance is driven by previous failures, but there's nothing appealing or compelling about the man. He's not funny. He's not charming. He's supposedly in love with Sheila, but in their one scene together, he treats her with contempt. He struts around snarling at everyone, and in one case, physically attacks someone for no reason. Despite his supposed desire to prevent anyone from dying on his watch, he blithely lets one man fall to his death, then later allows another to die before his eyes. I wanted Ross to die. When it looked like he wouldn't die, I kept reading, hoping .... I'd see his end. "Die, motherf*cker, die!"

My point? I hated Ross so much, I needed to keep reading, pushing on to his much awaited downfall.

An odd reason to like a book, but it kept me turning the pages. (Obviously, this isn't a keeper.)

*Edited for clarity because I wrote this on a Monday following a long "working" Thanksgiving holiday.*

A new novella by Sean Michael. The main characters are Drake (the dom) and Jeron (the sub) who are set up by Cain and Denny of the Candy series. Jeron establishes himself as an inexperienced sub who needs stronger bdsm play than most of Michael's sub characters. Drake seems to be the dom for him.

As with most Michael books, you can expect a lot of sex and this one does not disappoint. It also has a little bit darker edge to the d/s play between the couple which I liked. I really enjoy Sean Michael books with the cute submissives and strong doms but this one was a little edgier which I liked. There isn't a lot of bdsm play as this book seems to be setting up the characters for, what I'm hoping, are future books. However, you can feel that edgier play is hovering there as they get to know each other. Overall, it's a great short read. If you like Sean Michael, you will like this one.