Too Hot to Handle

In a matter of twelve hours, everything had changed. Everything.
What else could she have expected after committing arson?

Being the daughter of the famous chef, Miriam Clarkson, has never been easy for Rita Clarkson. Her life has been a series of failures and triumphs, and things haven’t improved since her mother’s death a year ago. What should have been her moment to prove her worth on national TV, instead showed her as a knife-wielding psycho. And now her mother’s restaurant has just burned do

In a matter of twelve hours, everything had changed. Everything.
What else could she have expected after committing arson?

Being the daughter of the famous chef, Miriam Clarkson, has never been easy for Rita Clarkson. Her life has been a series of failures and triumphs, and things haven’t improved since her mother’s death a year ago. What should have been her moment to prove her worth on national TV, instead showed her as a knife-wielding psycho. And now her mother’s restaurant has just burned down. With the last motivation she needed and her mother’s last dying with in the journal she left for Rita to find, Rita convinces her siblings to go on a road trip to New York so that they can jump into the Atlantic on New Year’s Day, hoping that she would find something she wouldn’t fail at. But the road trip doesn’t lead Rita to a new job, a new life away from a kitchen, instead it leads her to Hurley, New Mexico, when their car breaks down. And to Jasper Ellis, the town’s bad boy.

Jasper Ellis has quite a reputation in his home town, and one he wish he could change. For the last two years he’s been trying to prove to himself and to everyone else that he’s more than Jasper the party guy, who was only wanted for a good time between the sheets. And the instant he sees Rita on the side of the road, his reactions to her is totally unfamiliar to him, but he wants nothing more than to spend time with her, to get to know her, and hopefully she would want to get to know him too. But how can he do that when she’s leaving as soon as their car is fixed. Luckily Jasper has no problem with stooping to devious levels to ensure their stay in Hurley for a few more days.

The more time Rita and Jasper spend together, the hotter the fire between them burns. But how can Jasper convince Rita to stay, when she’s determined to leave?

Jasper Ellis was the god of sex. And—and—he was way, way fucking more than that. He was everything underneath the sex. An understanding, funny, caring, insightful man who’d only been attempting to break through to her.

Rita was awesome, and so relatable with her insecurities and fears. I love her grunge look and her shyness and feistiness.

I need so many things and they all begin and end with you.”

I absolutely loved Jasper, and how head over heels he was about Rita from the beginning just made me swoon. I loved that he used underhanded methods to ensure that the Clarksons had to stay a few more days, because he wanted to spend more time with Rita. So romantic ;-) Jasper wanted so badly to be seen as more than his playboy past, to be wanted for himself and not just what he could do in bed, and I loved that he wanted Rita to be that woman.

“I’ve considered you,” she sobbed. “Of course I have. Just stop talking like that for a second, stop stealing my breath when I’m trying to catch it.”
“No.” He pressed their foreheads together. “I don’t want you to catch it. I want it to stay lost and I want to be the man who steals it. All day, every day. Forever. Stay with me right here.”

Instant attractions is like catnip to me, and I freaking loved it in this book. Both have so many insecurities and hurts that it caused quite a few misunderstandings in the beginning but it also forced them to open up to each other quicker. Their romance was so sweet at times and their chemistry so scorching, and Jasper’s dirty talking made me all hot and bothered ;-D

I loved all the Clarkson siblings, how interesting and different they are from each other. There’s Belmont, the oldest, who is so quiet and broody, and who has quite a weirdly intense connection with Sage, his sister Peggy’s best friend; Aaron, with his politician looks and personality, who believes he doesn’t have a heart; Peggy who is a man magnet except for the one mysterious man who was the only one she wanted, but who rejected her. And I can’t wait to read their stories.

I freaking loved this book! Tessa Bailey writes super sexy romances, and this was another winner. A must read for all who loves sweet and wonderful romances, with very hot sexy times, and engaging characters.