Just One Tease (The Dirty Dares #5)
Carly Phillips
Blurb:
He’s the last single Dare sibling
standing.
She’s his lost love who disappeared.
Now she’s back, bringing secrets and danger.
Hadley Stevens is
on the run with her younger sister—again—but this time, she’s in control. Zach
Dare might hate her, but she knows he’d never turn away someone in need. He’s
the only man she trusts. The man she’s never gotten over. Even if she left him
without a word.
Zach never
expected the girl he once loved to walk into his bar. The last time he saw her,
he’d dropped her off after school and promised to pick her up for prom. Except
she disappeared.
Now, she’s back
with a new name, but the same doe eyes and pouty lips, and she’s asking for the
help he would have gladly given her all those years ago.
Zach agrees to
protect them, but he refuses to fall for Hadley again. But late nights working
side by side give them a tempting glimpse at the life they could have had…and
all the reasons he loved her come flooding back.
He’ll have to
keep her safe.
Before he can
convince her to stay.
Themes: Contemporary,
Series Finale
Rating: 4.25 stars
Heat Rating: 
Review:
The
final Dirty Dare sibling has finally found their love and mate in this finale
by Carly Phillips, but don’t worry we have more coming in this amazing family
and a fun spinoff as Zach’s sexy partner Remy and his family get their own
series. Carly’s Dare family has
intrigued readers for many years now, but we are looking forward to the
Sterling family for sure while the last set of Dare siblings has a chance to
grow up. This story is one that we have
really looked forward to, getting hints from Zach as he watched his siblings
find and fall in love and learned bits and pieces of his story, but we never
realized just how heart-wrenching it was going to be for him and his girl. I enjoyed this story, the emotional turmoil,
the family connections, the drama, and the second chance at love for two people
who so badly deserved to find one another again. If you are looking for a romantic and stormy
tale of two people who have been hurt and lost in their lives but finally find
each other again, Carly’s Just One Tease, will fulfill every need and give you
the HEA you need on a cold November night.
Hadley
Stevens is once again running for her life, this time with her teenage sister
in tow, and she finds herself heading into the arms of the one man she never
imagined she would ever see again, but who can offer her the safety and
security they both need so badly. Zach
Dare once loved Hadley—who he knew as Mia—with all his heart, but when she
disappeared from his life suddenly, leaving him with a hole in his heart, he built
a wall around himself and having her back asking for help only makes him want
to reinforce those walls. While his friends and family seem more than willing
to embrace both Hadley and her sister, Zach is more resistant to letting her
back into his life, despite knowing she is in danger and needing to protect
her, but he could never turn away a damsel in distress, much less one that once
meant the world to him. The more time
they spend together, the more they both remember the love and passion that once
made them everything to one another, and the deeper their hearts become
connected again. They both know that
even if Hadley and her sister find a way out of the danger surrounding them,
Hadley has to return to her life, but Zach is determined that he will fight for
her and them, even if it means losing everything again.
Hadley
was a wonderful character, one that tugged at your heart from the very
beginning and you could see being your best friend. She was witty and smart, always having a
backup plan and knowing that she had to be prepared to protect her sister in
case her idiot father messed up again.
She has worked hard to make something of herself and make sure that her
sister has a chance at a normal life, even though it cost her the love of hers,
and she is determined to do whatever it takes for her sister to continue to
have that normal. She gives her all in
everything she does, be it in her profession, caring for her sister, or giving
her heart and body to the man she loves again, showing him that she never
really stopped wanting or loving him.
Hadley’s life has been tragic, but she won’t let it stop her from
grabbing any happiness she can when she has the chance to have it and embracing
any chance with Zach that he will let her have.
Zach was a little bit of an ass, spoiling for a fight, at the beginning
of their story, but once he finally released the chip on his shoulder and
allowed Hadley to tell her side of their story, his true loving and caring
nature had a chance to come out. He is
such a good guy, sweet, and loving while still being strong and alpha, that you
just want to grab him and never let him go.
He is obviously smart as all get out, compassionate, thoughtful, and
tender with his family (especially the women) as well. I especially loved seeing him interacting
with his sisters-in-law and nieces, but his whole family obviously means the
world to him and he will be a great father and I can’t wait to see him in
future novels as he and Hadley grow their own family. Once he opened his heart
again, he truly was the perfect man and he gave Hadley exactly the love and
forgiveness she needed to remind her why they are the perfect couple.
Just One Tease
might be the ending to the Dirty Dares, but it is just the beginning for Hadley
and Zach, offering them the forgiveness and second chance at love that they
always deserved and the chance for a life they should have had from the
beginning. Zach is the Dare sibling who
has been the most mysterious and canny, but we finally learn all of his past
and get to see that he has more layers than we ever imagined. He is sexy, smart, caring, tender, and
passionate and truly the perfect match for Hadley once he learns to let go of
the pain of their shared past. Hadley
has had so many heartbreaks but has stood strong against the pain and
heartbreak and finally takes a chance on the man she loved and lost when she
needs help for her sister and herself.
Her pain is nothing compared to the need she feels for Zach and the need
to protect her sister, but she never imagined he would truly give her the forgiveness
she wanted or the chance to have him in her heart again. I loved the passion and fire between these
two and it truly was spectacular to see these two fall into one another and
find their way back to love. I am dying
for the next series Carly plans to release, revolving around Remy
Sterling—Zach’s partner—and his large and crazy family, and I imagine that
series will be just as awesome as all the Dare series. Carly, as always, finds a way to end a series
with a bang and shows us that two people truly can be made for one another,
even if they are separated by year, miles, and circumstances, because nothing
can truly keep love apart if it is meant to be.
Well played Carly, well played.
*eARC provided by author for the
purpose of an honest and unbiased review.
No compensation was provided.
