The BookWhisperer

Title: Up In Smoke
By: Tessa Bailey
Series: Crossing the Line #2
My Copy: Ebook from Publisher
The BookWhisperer's Rating: 

Never start a fire you can’t control…

Connor Bannon is supposed to be dead. Dishonorably discharged from the Navy SEALs, he's spent the last two years working as a street enforcer in Brooklyn for his cousin's crime ring. Through a twist of fate, he's now in Chicago, working undercover to bust criminals. But when a cute little arsonist joins the team—all combat boots, tiny jean shorts, and hot-pink hair—Connor’s notorious iron control slips.

Erin "she's getting away" O'Dea knows two things. She hates authority. And… Nope, that's it. When she's forced to operate on the “right” side of the law, her fear of being confined and controlled blazes to the surface. The last thing she expects is a control freak like Connor to soothe her when she needs it most. Worse, something behind the sexy ex-soldier's eyes ignites a dangerous inferno of desire. One that invites Erin to play with fire. And one that could get them both killed…

This girl is always a huge fan of anything Tessa Bailey but I have to be honest when I say that as much as I wanted this book to rock my world, it just didn’t.  (Man, it kills me to type that.) 

I think the story line was a solid plus; a group of misfit individuals working with Chicago P.D. to bring down the town’s badies; Erin and Connor being amongst that group.  In a true Bailey fashion, we got one ‘hot-tempered, alpha-male, who is sexy beyond belief’ and he pairs up with an ‘awesome, feisty, don’t take crap’ woman.  Things started out right. Their first meeting was a lustful one but was instantly cut short because of Erin’s phobia.  She can’t stand to be touched so as you can imagine, this creates all sorts of problems for Connor and his controlling personality. 

I think what sidetracked me from the instant love I usually feel for Bailey’s characters is that I couldn’t feel for Erin and Connor or them together as a couple.  Maybe it was her fear that wouldn’t allow Connor to touch her in the beginning that held back a scene for me that would make me believe them together as a couple.  It felt like most of their time together was out of pure lust and attraction and there was never love.   It was also the instant love at first sight that was hard for me to wrap my brain around when there was no touching involved.  Just Connor’s presence could calm Erin down after a few days of knowing him.  I felt like for a woman who has lived most of her life in fear being touched and never trusting anyone, her instant trust of Connor was hard to grasp.

There were some great action scenes, which Bailey always excels at writing.  Also, we get to follow more Bowen, Sera, and Derek around and it is always good to see some past favorites. I will say that Bailey sure knows how to write sexy scenes in all of her books.  She is also still one of my favorite authors hands down and I am excited to see what she has in store for Austin and Penny.