BLOG TOUR REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Off the Record (Off Sides #3)

I'm so excited to be one of the opening stops on the blog tour for Sawyer Bennett's OFF THE RECORD (Off Series #3), sponsored by AToMR Tours.

Off the Record (Off Series #3), by Sawyer Bennett
Published June 11, 2013
Publisher:  Big Dog Books
Format: e-copy, supplied by AToMR Tours and Sawyer Bennett in exchange for an honest review
Genre:  new adult contemporary romance
To Buy:  Amazon

Rating:  4.5 STARS

(From Goodreads) The sparks of dislike burn hot, but the sparks of mutual attraction burn even hotter.

Ever Montgomery suffered the ultimate betrayal by the one man who she should have been able to count on for anything. It has left her hurt, jaded, and incapable of forming relationships, but it also means that she can spot a liar a mile away. These traits are earning her a reputation as a reporter with a keen nose for a good story and a complete understanding of the extreme power of the written word.

Lincoln Caldwell is the hot goalie for the New York Rangers. At twenty-four and a rising star, he works hard and he plays even harder. He’s gorgeous and carefree—the ultimate charmer. Ladies fall at his feet and the single life has never been lived the way Linc Caldwell does it.

When Ever publishes an article about Linc containing information that she received off the record, she finds herself on the receiving end of the athlete’s fury. Rather than basking in the glory of exposing Linc as a shameless user of women, she finds herself at his mercy when he demands and receives retribution. Required by her editor to trail Linc for six weeks, Ever is forced to look at the real Linc Caldwell.

And she just might find that she has misjudged him.
  
After Off the Record, Sawyer Bennett has joined my list of auto-buy authors. Her stories are engaging, her characters are enticing and her HEAs are some of the best ever. 

Ever is bitter. After seeing Linc Caldwell engage several ladies at a party after asking her on a date, she gets even as only a reporter can. She publicly steamrolls him. In a rage, Linc forces her to spend six weeks with him so she can get to know the REAL Linc. And, as you might expect, when you have to spend six weeks cooped up with someone who really pissed you off, sparks are going to fly, one way or the other. 

Sawyer Bennett is awesome at creating characters who you can love, but hate at the same time. Ever was one of those characters. Her actions in the beginning of the book certainly did not endear her to me. Especially as someone who considered journalism as a career at one point. She was infuriating and frustrating and downright bitchy. Her bitter, scorned woman syndrome reared its ugly little head in a big way.

But, even with all that, I loved Ever. I think it was because, when she realized she was wrong, she admitted it. And, although she was not an entirely willing partner to the six-week "Get To Know The Real Lincoln Caldwell" assignment, she threw herself into it because she does have a good work ethic, after all. I can respect that. 

Linc was roguish and charming, and he definitely knows how to exact a fun kind of revenge on someone who wronged him. I bet he's one of those guys who shaved of his high school friends' eyebrows while they slept. But, he's so multi-faceted, which was the whole point of the six-week assignment. Yes, he's crazy and likes women and parties. But, he's also a really good hockey player. He's a humanitarian. He has a soft spot for kids. He loves his family. And, he really knows how to show a girl a good time. 

Like Bennett's other books, Off the Record is told in dual POV - Ever's and Linc's. Dual POVs are my favorite way for authors to tell stories. You're never left wondering what's going on in the other person's head. And, I really love the male POV chapters. Perhaps it's because I'm a woman - the stuff going on in the guy's head is always so fascinating! 

Although we don't see a lot of Ryan and Danny (we do see them some) from Off Sides (Off Series #1), we do see quite a bit - relatively speaking - of Nix and Emily from Off Limits (Off Series #2). I love that. It's a pet peeve when characters introduced in a series are completely forgotten in subsequent books in the series. It was cool to see where Nix and Emily are in their relationship now, and how they are interacting within Linc's and Ever's story.

As in Bennett's other books, the ending is the absolute best part. Bennett really knows how to do a HEA. At the end of the book, I felt enormously satisfied, and a little bummed that I had reached the end of this awesome story. 

About the Author

Sawyer Bennett is the pen name for 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 weakness but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate.

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Giveaway

Enter below for a chance to win one of 10 copies of Off Sides/Off Limits or a $100 Amazon gift card

 

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Check out the other stops on the Off the Record tour.