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caseroo7's review
2.0
Review originally posted at Ramblings From This Chick
Crossing the Line by Megan Hart is a short and sexy Cosmo Red-Hot Reads novella and is intended to be a quick and hot romance read. I have to say that this one just didn't do anything for me. It was short and had promise of being a sexy story, but it just wasn't able to deliver. Caite has a thing for one of her bosses, but Jamison acts as though he doesn't know she exists. When her other boss Elise has complications with her pregnancy, Caite has to step up and interact with Jamison more. The attraction between them grows, but both are wary of starting anything because of their professional relationship. But Jamison is drawn to Caite and craves what only she can offer him, even if it confuses him.
I really felt like there wasn't anything that happened in this story. There just wasn't a lot going on, and I kept waiting for something that never came. There wasn't anything really forbidden about this, and there wasn't a chance for any office drama of them getting caught seeing each other. Jamison was used to being in control and struggled giving that up to Caite and not being ashamed about what they were doing. But really that was the extent of the story. I was pretty bored with this one and it didn't really hold my interest. If it wouldn't have been for the extremely short length, I would have given up on this one. I wish that I could say that the heat made up for the lack of story, but honestly there wasn't even that much steam to this one. I felt like we didn't really ever get to know the characters either, and that made it even harder for me to want to read this book. There was just nothing to capture and keep my attention. I feel like this story could have been so much more, and the idea of Caite being the one in control of Jamison definitely intrigued me. Unfortunately it just fell short on the delivery of what could have been a really hot and interesting story.
**ARC Provided by Publisher**
Crossing the Line by Megan Hart is a short and sexy Cosmo Red-Hot Reads novella and is intended to be a quick and hot romance read. I have to say that this one just didn't do anything for me. It was short and had promise of being a sexy story, but it just wasn't able to deliver. Caite has a thing for one of her bosses, but Jamison acts as though he doesn't know she exists. When her other boss Elise has complications with her pregnancy, Caite has to step up and interact with Jamison more. The attraction between them grows, but both are wary of starting anything because of their professional relationship. But Jamison is drawn to Caite and craves what only she can offer him, even if it confuses him.
I really felt like there wasn't anything that happened in this story. There just wasn't a lot going on, and I kept waiting for something that never came. There wasn't anything really forbidden about this, and there wasn't a chance for any office drama of them getting caught seeing each other. Jamison was used to being in control and struggled giving that up to Caite and not being ashamed about what they were doing. But really that was the extent of the story. I was pretty bored with this one and it didn't really hold my interest. If it wouldn't have been for the extremely short length, I would have given up on this one. I wish that I could say that the heat made up for the lack of story, but honestly there wasn't even that much steam to this one. I felt like we didn't really ever get to know the characters either, and that made it even harder for me to want to read this book. There was just nothing to capture and keep my attention. I feel like this story could have been so much more, and the idea of Caite being the one in control of Jamison definitely intrigued me. Unfortunately it just fell short on the delivery of what could have been a really hot and interesting story.
**ARC Provided by Publisher**
maggiemaggio's review
1.0
When I first started reading the Cosmo Red-Hot reads last year I was a big fan. They were fun, sexy, smart, and quick. But for the last few months I just have not been impressed by the offerings and Crossing the Line is another disappointment.
The thing about Crossing the Line is that nothing really happens. I guess that isn't true, things happen: Caite's female boss has complications with her pregnancy and has to work from home which leaves Caite and her male boss, Jamison, as the only two people in the office aside from the receptionist. That leaves Caite and Jamison pretty much alone and they start in on a boring, ambiguous office romance.
This might sound silly but in my mind the story would have worked better if this was a bigger office. With really only the two of them in there all day there wasn't really anything illicit about their relationship, no risk of getting caught or anything.
On the night they first get together Caite kind of seduces Jackson, but it was one of the strangest, not really hot seduction scenes I've ever read. In their tryst Caite is the more dominant one, which is fine, I don't have a problem with that, my problem was how ambiguous it was in the story. I get that this is the first time either Caite or Jamison has really played these roles so there's some self-discovery happening, but the book never went into much detail on it. I don't know if that was because of the length or just because of poor story and character development, but it wasn't there.
In the end it comes down to the fact that I didn't know these characters at all, I didn't know their histories or thoughts or motivations and I just didn't care care what happened to them. Nothing about this book held my interest, made me laugh, or excited me in any way.
I received an electronic review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are obviously my own.
The thing about Crossing the Line is that nothing really happens. I guess that isn't true, things happen: Caite's female boss has complications with her pregnancy and has to work from home which leaves Caite and her male boss, Jamison, as the only two people in the office aside from the receptionist. That leaves Caite and Jamison pretty much alone and they start in on a boring, ambiguous office romance.
This might sound silly but in my mind the story would have worked better if this was a bigger office. With really only the two of them in there all day there wasn't really anything illicit about their relationship, no risk of getting caught or anything.
On the night they first get together Caite kind of seduces Jackson, but it was one of the strangest, not really hot seduction scenes I've ever read. In their tryst Caite is the more dominant one, which is fine, I don't have a problem with that, my problem was how ambiguous it was in the story. I get that this is the first time either Caite or Jamison has really played these roles so there's some self-discovery happening, but the book never went into much detail on it. I don't know if that was because of the length or just because of poor story and character development, but it wasn't there.
In the end it comes down to the fact that I didn't know these characters at all, I didn't know their histories or thoughts or motivations and I just didn't care care what happened to them. Nothing about this book held my interest, made me laugh, or excited me in any way.
I received an electronic review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are obviously my own.
hannas_heas47's review
3.0
Thanks netgalley for a free read in exchange for a review. I'm not one for a female Dom, it just doesn't sit well with me and this is about entertainment value. What I got was fiction value. Still Megan hart can really do no wrong since I will read whatever she writes. Overall entertainment here is three stars.
rosepetals1984's review
3.0
Quick review for a quick read. So disclaimer before I go too deeply in this review - I'm not really into interoffice romances/erotic romance and so I'm probably not the audience for this particular novella for spice or appeal. Still, I figured I'd give this a try. Considering I typically enjoy seeing what Megan Hart does even in her short fiction, I'd picked this up to see what she would do with the characters and relationship building. I find that even for stories where I can't really get into the scenario, such would still vibe with me with the attention to detail and steady burn.
I wasn't disappointed in the least for this novella; it was decent for a quick read, though not as deeply intimate and spicy as some of her other short works of fiction. Caite and Jamison work in the same office, Caite having worked for the company for eight months with Jamison being her co-boss with Elise. I enjoyed being able to see their day to day and the attention to the larger cast of characters alongside the main ones. I thought that it would be far more contentious for drama than it actually was, but the establishment of the characters, the clientele they worked with, and their steadily building relationship was organic and well fleshed-out for the short read. The intimacy scenes were brief and hot, though it was waiting for the other shoe to drop to show them in a compromising position that tested whether or not their relationship would continue after. I liked it for what it offered in the brief read. I also liked that the pearls showcased on the cover actually play a part in the story too. (I'm a pearl woman, myself.)
Overall score: 3/5 stars.
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Harlequin.
I wasn't disappointed in the least for this novella; it was decent for a quick read, though not as deeply intimate and spicy as some of her other short works of fiction. Caite and Jamison work in the same office, Caite having worked for the company for eight months with Jamison being her co-boss with Elise. I enjoyed being able to see their day to day and the attention to the larger cast of characters alongside the main ones. I thought that it would be far more contentious for drama than it actually was, but the establishment of the characters, the clientele they worked with, and their steadily building relationship was organic and well fleshed-out for the short read. The intimacy scenes were brief and hot, though it was waiting for the other shoe to drop to show them in a compromising position that tested whether or not their relationship would continue after. I liked it for what it offered in the brief read. I also liked that the pearls showcased on the cover actually play a part in the story too. (I'm a pearl woman, myself.)
Overall score: 3/5 stars.
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Harlequin.
shell74's review
4.0
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
“Like it or not, Ms. Fox, there’s a reason why the name of this company is Wolfe and Baron, and it’s because I’m the one in charge here. Me. Not you. So you should know your place.”
Crossing the Line is a new super steamy novella from Cosmo Red Hot Reads with a twist on the Dominance theme.
Author Megan Hart has great writing chops, especially with erotic romance, in my opinion. And the love scenes here were explicit, extremely hot, and quite honestly…surprising.
Read More
“Like it or not, Ms. Fox, there’s a reason why the name of this company is Wolfe and Baron, and it’s because I’m the one in charge here. Me. Not you. So you should know your place.”
Crossing the Line is a new super steamy novella from Cosmo Red Hot Reads with a twist on the Dominance theme.
Author Megan Hart has great writing chops, especially with erotic romance, in my opinion. And the love scenes here were explicit, extremely hot, and quite honestly…surprising.
Read More
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