Lovin' los libros

Off Chance (Off #5)
   by: Sawyer Bennett

Publication Date: Oct. 19, 2013
Publisher: Big Dog Books, LLC
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Source: e-ARC provided by AToMR Tours and the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 274 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 4/5 stars


My Review:

Where to even start? I am completely head over heels in love with this series! Sawyer really knows how to write some steamy goodness! And whew! Flynn Caldwell had me swooning from the beginning! Though I will say- the prologue was very difficult to read. (For me, especially.) In fact I kept saying, "I don't know if I can read this, I don't know if I can read this..." The prologue is very heart-wrenching and it really shows you why Flynn is the way he is now.

Oh, Flynn. I loved him. I really did. And he's not a bad boy! He's sexy, smart, and sweet and ok, a little reckless when it comes to his job. But that goes back to the prologue. Flynn is now a firefighter for FDNY and is constantly getting heat from his co-workers and his chief for toeing the line. He really actually could potentially endanger his fellow firemen, which is why his best friend and the Chief come down on him. Flynn is a saver. Without a doubt, that is how I would describe him. He never wants to feel helpless again especially since it's his profession to save and help others. Have I mentioned how incredibly SEXY Flynn is? Because he is. And such a GOOD guy! He is patient with Rowan and I love how he builds her up- he knows he has to tread carefully with her, but he speaks to her from the heart and that really gets through to her.

Rowan. She really reminds me of that Lee Brice song "Hard to Love". ("Sometimes I test your trust, sometimes I don't know why you stay with me, I'm hard to love, hard to love, oh I don't make it easy, I couldn't do it if I stood where you stood, I'm hard to love, hard to love, and you say that you need me, well I don't deserve it but I love that you love me...")

Flynn's first encounter with Rowan is actually a rescue. He is the one that hears her dog, Capone, barking and ends up breaking in seeing as the fire hadn't spread to where she was yet. He finds her there underneath Capone, chained to a bed. Yes, folks. This shit just got real. Rowan's ex-boyfriend, Juice, is one scary guy. To keep her from leaving, he decides to chain her to the bed for three days. I cannot even fathom what that must have been like for her- so naturally, Rowan is not the easiest person to get to know. Flynn is the one who sees that she simply needs a break and offers it to her- first by helping her look for Capone (who ran off after jumping out of the window) and then by offering her a place to stay until she could get on her feet. However, Rowan definitely isn't looking for handouts or charity. The girl just lost all her clothes and anything she might have had in that apartment and yet she is still proud and really struggles with accepting Flynn's help. How would I describe Rowan in one word? Resilient. Through and through. I really admire her- even though I kept thinking she was crazy for pushing Flynn away.

Flynn and Rowan clearly have chemistry. After bringing her back to his apartment to help her get on his feet, he really starts to see the woman she is, not the survivor he rescued. She is beautiful and she is hurting and he wants to be the one to make things right for her. They form one of the most beautiful friendships I have ever seen, and while he does want to see where their attraction goes- she refuses. She's never had a true friend before and she doesn't want to ruin her friendship with Flynn. She knows that once they cross that line there's no going back. And she's not wrong. I don't know many people who, after turning their relationship into a sexual one, can go back to being just friends. I did feel bad for Flynn because she would make it seem like she wanted more, but then every time, her brain would jump into the mix and she would stop and pull away, so it sort of seemed like she was jerking him around a bit.

Yet Flynn holds out hope for her, even after she tells him he needs to move forward and date, because things between them are going to remain stagnant. When Rowan FINALLY comes to her senses, their attraction and desire for one another was on FIRE. WHEW! However, I felt their relationship is going to be that much stronger because they have such a solid friendship and were friends first and foremost. There is a level of trust there between them that most relationships do not gain until much later and I really liked that. As stubborn as Rowan was, she was trying to guard her heart because she knew once she gave it to Flynn, there would be no getting it back. She's been with jerks and has not known love in the capacity she should, and she is so fearful of losing Flynn. Rowan did not have the support system she needed at a young age from her parents and she did whatever she could to rebel and act out simply craving her parents' attention.

"I am a short fuse, I am a wrecking ball, crashing into your heart like I do, you're like a Sunday morning full of grace and full of Jesus and I wish I could be more like you..." (Lee Brice's Hard to Love)  Dang this song! It's like Rowan's theme song!

I really enjoyed seeing the old characters from the series show up in this book. They showed up a few times in a reunion type capacity and I loved seeing our old couples and how they were faring. And I also really loved Capone. I know he's a dog, but man. Without him, Rowan and Flynn wouldn't even BE. And I don't mean because he was the one who alerted Flynn someone was in the apartment, but by the fact that Flynn uses Rowan's love for Capone to his advantage.


While this wasn't my favorite book in the series (I think I loved the last one the most because hello Ireland and a sexy musician by the name of Cillian!), I still really enjoyed it and I felt like Sawyer did a great job of wrapping up the series with the epilogue.




About Sawyer Bennett:

USA Today Best-Selling author, Sawyer Bennett, is a snarky southern woman and reformed trial lawyer who decided to finally start putting on paper all of the stories that were floating in her head. She is married to a mobster (well, a market researcher) and they have two big, furry dogs who hog the bed. Sawyer would like to report she doesn't have many weaknesses but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate.



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