If You Dare

by Jessica Lemmon

HE’LL MAKE HER AN OFFER SHE CAN’T REFUSE…

Lily McIntire is in the creepiest mansion in town. Alone. At night. Because she’s an idiot-and can’t ignore a dare from her cocky and infuriatingly hot co-worker, Marcus Black. But she’ll be damned if she’s going to give him the satisfaction of winning.

Marcus has had a thing for Lily for ages, and he has no intention of losing this bet. His plan? Scare her out of the house, and into his arms. Once there, scaring her turns into protecting her and soon after, into seducing her. And his plan is working…

Lily is having trouble relegating Marcus to the role of “asshat” as easily as before. He came to her rescue, and he’s actually funny. Charming. Sexy as sin on a stick. But Lily has a strict no-love-in-the-workplace rule, and even one night of the best sex ever won’t make her change her mind. So she’s calling everything off…

Surviving a night in the mansion might just be the easy part. Surviving Marcus’s increasingly convincing advances is going to take everything she has. Losing is not an option…

• ISBN10: 1633753735
• ISBN13: 9781633753730
• Publish Date: 21 July 2015 (first published 25 November 2013)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Entangled: Lovestruck
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

I adore Jessica Lemmon’s Second Chance series, so when I saw If You Dare I had to snag it. If You Dare, is one of her earlier works that was originally a novella. The story has been updated and turned into a full-length novel. This was a fun, heated romance filled with snark and tenderness.

Lily McIntire works in a design office with Marcus Black. The two are top designers who often find themselves competing against each other. To Lily Marcus is a bit of a player and a bitter office affair at a prior job has left her skittish. As a result, the two replace their attraction to each other with teasing, jabs and one upping each other. I loved this banter. It was snarky and you could just feel the sexual tension simmering at the surface. A celebratory night out for landing a huge account ends with the two of them enjoying some tequila. Things get a little competitive and somehow Lily ends up accepting a dare. She has to spend the night in a creepy mansion and if she is successful she gets to claim his Hawaiian trip. The tale that unfolds while predictable was heated, filled with banter and had me smiling.

If You Dare was a fun read, I ended up liking both Lily and Marcus. Lemmon did a good job of fleshing them out, showing their more vulnerable sides beneath her snark and his confidence. The tale is heated and the couple spends much of their time snogging. I loved the back and forth teasing and chemistry between them. I closed the book with a smile and fond feelings for these too. If you are looking for a fun, standalone romance this summer If You Dare is sure to make you smile.

Copy provided by publisher, This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[Angie]

There's something highly entertaining about grown ups behaving in immature ways, and that is exactly how If You Dare starts out. Lily has been dared to stay overnight in a haunted house by her cocky coworker, Marcus. If she wins, she gets his recently acquired tickets to Hawaii. If he wins, she'll go on a date with him. Lily is determined to win, and packs up all of the supplies she'll need to last through the night. However, Marcus wants that date more than anything, so he tries to scare Lily out of the house. Of course, she catches him,and he ends up staying the night with her to make sure she stays put. But they may not be the only ones in the house...

If You Dare was a lot of fun. The haunted house is a great setting for a romance. When the power goes out, Marcus and Lily cling to each other for comfort...and take advantage of the alone time. Despite being rivals in the office, they definitely want each other. Then weirdness happens. There is definitely something in the house, and the story takes a slightly paranormal turn. It was an okay twist, but I had to read that page twice to make sure it actually happened, because it felt out of place. Overall, I really enjoyed this novella, and I think it's a perfect tale for some Halloween (although it takes place on Friday the 13th) romance.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.