Dare to Love (Dare to Love #1) by Carly Phillips

Since finding out his father had another family on the side, Ian Dare swore to be the upstanding, responsible man his cheating parent had never been. When it comes to his relatives, he gives his all but in relationships he offers the bare minimum. But one glimpse of sensual Riley Taylor arouses his dominant and protective instincts and Ian is entranced. He will do anything to possess her … and does. But any future with Riley must include him extending an olive branch to the half-brother who is a constant reminder of the pain he’d rather forget.

Independent and always in control, Riley Taylor makes no apologies for choosing men carefully. Relationships have never been a priority and she believes herself hardened to domineering men – until she meets charismatic Ian Dare. He manages to turn a simple kiss into an all out assault on her senses and when he takes control in the bedroom, she’s stunned to discover she likes it. As their affair heats up, they soon realize they complete each other in ways neither imagined. But Riley’s past is closer than she cares to remember, and her struggles with Ian’s dominance might just cost her everything.

Type: Contemporary Romance
Heat: 3 out of 5
Rating: 4 out of 5

Amazon Goodreads

When I picked up Dare to Love I'd just come off an intense gritty book and was looking for a nice breather read. And Phillips, as usual, delivered with a rather unique romance that was light, easy and lifted my spirits as Riley fell for her best friend's brother...of sorts.

So, Riley and Ian meet each other at a party for his father (one she's attending with his half brother) and the sparks are pretty instantaneous. And, well, much as they'd like they just can't resist each other.

I really liked these two. They've both got some trust issues because of their individual family histories which has really impacted their romantic relationships and has shaped them a good bit. But what was so great about them was they worked on those issues. They bent and grew for each other. Now, they flubbed up with the best of them a time or two but then would really go about setting things right. They were just a couple I so wanted to figure it all out, ya know?

And all those sparks when they first met? Holy cow...these two...well, this one was just way steamier than I was expecting. Ian has a think for being in control in ALL aspects of his life and in the bedroom that's some damn nice results. Let me tell you. I loved those scenes. The only complaint--which is fairly minor--was that the transition from non-steamy to steamy scenes could be a bit of a shocker and didn't quite flow right. But individually both parts were fantastic and enjoyable.

She was like all his favorite vices in one delectable package.

The romance was great but there was also an underlying storyline filled with all kinds of drama and centered around Ian and his multitude of siblings. Both his full siblings and the ones from his father's secret family. The whole dynamic was really interesting. Seeing both sets of siblings trying to deal with each other, with their own personal hurts and jealousies over their father's actions and just the incredible tension on both sides was just heart wrenching. I could so understand all of their feelings on it and really am looking forward to seeing how these two families come together and form some sort of relationship with each other. All in all, Dare to Love was a great start to a truly unique series.

Have you read Carly Phillips? What did you think?

Do you have a favorite 'best friends' sibling' romance?

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