Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:   Off Limits

SERIES:   Secrets Kept #1

AUTHOR:  Riley Hart

PUBLISHER:   Self Published

LENGTH: 272 Pages

RELEASE DATE:   November 4, 2021

BLURB:

It started out as a little fun. When there was a man in my building on a hookup app, why not message him?

Only we didn’t meet. We just texted—one night after the other, after the other.

GoodWithHisHands was the perfect escape from my life, where pressure was always on my shoulders: my father’s expectations, the worry about my sister, Maddy, getting sick again and her ex-husband, Ryder Lynwood, suddenly back and volunteering at the same hospital as me.

It would have been smart to keep my distance from the man who came out as gay, tearing our close families apart and breaking Maddy’s heart. Except Ryder intrigues me. I like talking to him, same as I enjoy chatting to GoodWithHisHands.

They weren’t supposed to be the same person.

I wasn’t supposed to fall for him. To want him. To need him. Maddy didn’t deserve to get hurt again, and I didn’t need another reason to feel like an outsider in my own family. Ryder was off-limits. I knew that. Still, I couldn’t make myself stay away.

REVIEW:

Off Limits is a fantastic novel with an intriguing premise I haven’t seen before: falling in love with a sister’s ex-husband. Add to that a big twist in which the brother and ex-husband have been chatting – and sexting – anonymously on an online hookup app without realizing they know each other.

Hutch and Ryder grew up in families that were the best of friends. Their dads were even business partners. Ryder’s best friend was Hutch’s sister, Maddy. They were friends, then dating, then married. And then Ryder broke Maddy’s heart when he came out as gay. The families were ripped apart and never recovered. After living in Los Angeles for five years, Ryder moves back to Atlanta into the same apartment complex as Hutch. Neither has any idea they’re about to break Maddy’s heart all over again.

Hutch swipes right on Ryder’s profile on a Grindr-like app. They start chatting online under pseudonyms and soon these two confident men are enjoying flirty, dirty banter. They decide to forgo hooking up because they begin to value their anonymous friendship more. Weeks go by as they get to know each other. They find they can talk about things they don’t with real life friends. Hutch shares about his tumultuous relationship with his overbearing, controlling parents whom he never feels good enough for. Ryder speaks of regret for deeply hurting someone he loved. Together they “get” each other like no one else does. They become staples in each other’s lives. And the chat sex is smoking hot.

Then they run into each other in person and eventually put two and two together. They are devastated knowing they can’t pursue a relationship; for Maddy’s sake, they adamantly agree it’s off limits. They try to be just friends but by then they’re too entwined. The more time they spend together, the more they want each other, and not just sexually. Ryder recognizes what a good person Hutch is and gives him the acceptance and attention he deserves. Hutch needs to feel like he matters and Ryder longs to be the person who takes care of Hutch’s heart. They give each other exactly what they need in terms of support, caring, and understanding. There’s such a strong feeling of rightness between them and it’s breaking them that they can’t be together. When it finally boils over … wow! The urgency and passion are nearly tangible.

Riley Hart has created endearing, sympathetic characters in Hutch and Ryder. They’re both caretakers, and a side plot involving two very lovable side characters fully shows off their huge hearts. Both guys are reasonably cocky – enough to be fun without either being too full of himself. For me, too much cockiness turns into conceit, but this is far from that threshold. Family dynamics play a big role in the storyline, too.

Off Limits is moderately angsty without being dramatic because Hutch and Ryder act like adults: they communicate with each other when times get difficult and they don’t make rash, ill-advised decisions that would harm their relationship. What a relief there’s no forced drama (or stupidity) here.

I have to give a shout out to the cutest, sweetest, and funniest exchange of I Love You ever, and to the wonderful epilogue five years in the future. Swoon. I highly recommend this lovely book and its lovely men to all contemporary romance readers.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS:

Amazon