Some lines are meant to be crossed…
One explosive device was all it took to turn Holt Cunningham from ass-kicking Marine to IT technician. Hell, he’s still not over it. So when the cute little strawberry blonde at the bar asks him to kiss her, Holt can’t resist the temptation of a sexy distraction. Before he knows it, she’s blown his mind…and then skipped out the next morning.

Lydia Thomas never expected things with Holt to go quite that far, but oh, it was worth it. After being far too good for way too long, she was ready to be bad. Except that there’s that tiny detail that Lydia kept to herself-Holt just spent the night doing naughty things…with his best friend’s little sister.One night isn’t nearly enough. But with his friendship on the line, how far will Holt go in order to claim what’s his?

Amazon / B&N 

She’d known that underneath those glasses was a bad boy who knew exactly what to do with a good girl like her.

Well, well, well, Diane Alberts. How DO you keep doing it? Giving us one hero after the other that just gets better and better. I think that Holt Cunningham just may be my favorite Shillings Agency man yet. There’s just something so vulnerable and broken about him and yet with this darker edge that you just wouldn’t expect. All of it combined together just makes for one deliciously sexy read.

So what are you saying?”
“I’m saying I want to bring you home and fuck you until you stop thinking about other guys. I want to claim you, Own you. Make you come more times than ever before.”

Lydia is the quintessential good girl. After her latest boyfriend of two months dumps her because she wouldn’t put out, she’s determined to shake up her life a bit. When she spots her her ex at the bar, the dark, broody and sexy stranger proves to be a welcome distraction. And when she asks him to kiss her, she certainly doesn’t expect the type of sparks to fly as they do,

Holt may work in IT now, but he’ll always be a Marine at heart. But he’s not the man that he once was. He’s more broken, inside and out. A devastating IED explosion on his latest tour caused him everything, his military brothers and his own wounds. Suffering from the repercussions of that and his crippling PTSD, all he’s able to satisfy himself with is booze and one-night stands.

That’s all he’s good for anyway. But the beautiful and innocent woman at the bar tempts him for so much more. And c’mon, who can resist and sexy and dirty talking nerd anyway? Well, he’s not really a nerd. But the glasses do certainly add to his appeal. But I digress…

He didn’t want to be this guy with her. He wanted to be the guy who blew her mind with amazing orgasms. The guy she missed when he was gone. The guy she needed…
Not the guy who needed HER.

But Lydia is not just another woman. She also happens to be his best friend and co-worker’s little sister. She may know this going into their one-night deal, but he sure as hell doesn’t. Too bad by the time that he finds out he’s already hooked.

I really loved this latest installment in the series. Lydia and Holt were the perfect dying and yangs for each other. Holt is broody and tortured and Lydia is the lighthearted and sweet side. And together they’re absolutely sizzling! But this was also so much more than simple chemistry, I found the characters to have so much depth (Holt in particular). His struggle with his mental and physical repercussions after his injury broke my heart to read. As stubborn and pigheaded as he was sometimes, he never frustrated me. My heart just hurt for him and for Lydia. I was rooting for them the entire time. This series just continues to get better and better for me. I really hope to get Steve’s book next. Definitely a rec for fans of this series and even those that haven’t read it yet. This is the perfect book to start with since it’s easily read as a standalone. Though I highly recommend the rest of the series too since it’s also fantastic.