Dare to Tempt

Damon Prescott, starting quarterback for the Miami Thunder, is suspended from playing the sport he loves as he has tested positive for taking PED’s in a randon drug test. This is something that Damon knows he hasn’t done, he would never knowingly do anything to jeopardize his career or let his team down in such a way. His sister has the perfect solution to getting to the truth of this matter, her PI friend Evie Wolfe! In order to get to the bottom of this ordeal she suggests that Evie pretend to be Damon’s current girlfriend, someone who can ask questions of people in Damon’s life without being suspicious.

Damon isn’t onboard with this plan as he doesn’t think anyone will believe he has decided to suddenly become a one woman man, he has a reputation after all to uphold. Evie thinks Damon doesn’t believe she can play the part of girlfriend and make it believable to those who matter. Enter a version of Evie that Damon has never come on contact with. It takes him by surprise and before he knows it he’s wanting to make this a permanent gig, no more pretending.

Evie has issues of her own she’s dealing with as well. Crazy ex stalker who has hurt her before and looks like he’s out to do it again because he things she ruined his life. Damon is surprised at the protective instincts that kick in when it comes to Evie, the spark that has always been there that they ignored and covered with insults and barbs. When things take a turn and Evie is truly in danger, Damon takes her to his home and the sparks and attraction can’t be denied anymore.

Fall in love with another Dare male, with appearances of some of the original Dare family in this one it’s a winner. Carly takes all my favorites and puts them in one place and it’s a world that I love going and always will.

Ever since I read the first book in the Dare Nation Series, Dare To Resist, I couldn’t wait to read Damon and Evie’s story in Dare To Tempt. Needless to say, the story did not disappoint at all. Phillips once again had me hooked from beginning to end.

In this story we get to meet Damon Prescott, a quarterback for the Miami Thunder who has recently suffered a concussion during one of his games. As a star athlete his team depends on him and that alone is a lot of pressure. What made things worse for him was to test positive twice for using performance-enhancing drugs in a random drug test for the team. Now he is suspended from playing and his career is at the verge of meeting its end. Damon knows that he hasn’t taken any drugs to help his career and he wants to show his teammates/fans that he is innocent. It’s his family/management team that make a rather unique suggestion if he wants to save his career. To hire a private investigator to prove his innocence and find out who wants him out of the team. He is shocked to see Evie Wolfe walk through his door ready to help, she was never his type, but looking at her act as his girlfriend suddenly makes him want to turn that into reality if only she’d see that they can have a future together.

Evie Wolfe has been through a lot and that has made her tough and wanting to succeed at the job she loves even more. As a licensed PI, she left her job as an investigator for the District Attorney’s Office and has gone to work for herself instead. Proving to everyone that Damon is innocent will help her business, and bring new clients as well. Yet, no matter how attractive he is, Evie can’t get involved with a client no matter what. Her last relationship was horrible and she is not looking to get into a new one right away. But pretending to be Damon’s girlfriend would prove to be difficult when all she wants is to be with him. Evie has worked really hard to get to where she is and she feels the need to prove to those around her that she can do her job, and she wasn’t expecting to develop feeling for Damon in the process. Now she’ll have to decide if she is ready to jump into relationship before it’s too late.

I’m loving this series, the stories are not only short but they also well developed and pack full of emotions. In this story we get to follow Evie and Damon’s story as they try to solve the mystery behind his positive drugs tests. It was great seeing them work together and be a team. Damon was sweet and attentive towards Evie, especially when she goes through a few hurdles of her own. Evie was such a great investigator, she is mart and knows how to do her job. As the two spend more time together, they start to develop feelings for each other. They understand each other very well, but the question of what is going to happen after the case is closed is in their minds all the time. There isn’t a huge conflict in the story, but it does have a bit of a suspenseful moment towards the end. The ending/epilogue was so sweet and fit them so well. I would highly recommend checking out this book as well as the first in the series. They are somewhat interconnected, so it’s best to read them in order to get the full effect. 🙂

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title in exchange for an honest review**

Overall Grade: 1/2

I had mentioned in my review for Dare to Resist that I had missed out on Carly Phillips’s previous Dare stories. Even after reading Dare to Resist, the first book of her newest series, Dare Nation, I didn’t feel as though I needed to read the other books for context as Phillips does such a fantastic job of connecting you to the characters from those books. I also mentioned in that review that Dare to Resist felt busy, and I struggled to like Austin Prescott for most of the story. Trust me, I love an alpha-hole, but he read as vain and self-involved until Quinn humanizes him (thank you, Lord). At the end of Dare to Resist, it was clear that Austin’s brother, Damon, finds himself in a predicament: he is accused of using PEDs to enhance his performance after coming off of a concussion. Thus, Dare to Tempt becomes a little bit romantic suspense and a little bunch of hate-to-love, a compelling combination of romantic tropes.

In comparing the two books, Dare to Tempt won my heart. For one, it didn’t have the busyness of storylines as Dare to Resist did. Phillips clearly wrote individual struggles for both Austin and Quinn in that book plus adding in a secret baby, and you found your head spinning. In Dare to Tempt, Carly Phillips flexes her romance muscle by coupling two characters, Damon and Evie, and keeping their story focused. At first glance, these two seem like oil and vinegar, and Phillips sets up the tension of the story right away when Damon passes judgment on Evie based on her appearance. Right at the beginning, Phillips hits us with the idea that we ought not to “judge a book by its cover” as Evie quickly schools Damon. At that moment, Phillips began to win me over.

Next, Phillips crafts my favorite type of heroic archetype: the alpha-male hero with a soft heart. While Damon makes a quick judgment about Evie, after she proves him wrong, quite quickly Phillips has Damon devolve into a compassionate protector. There is no lingering with Damon in his disbelief over Evie. He recognizes her worth and ability quickly. The second aspect of the story that I appreciated from Phillips is the crafting of Damon’s thinking. It is easy for alpha heroes to reduce their heroines. They hide it behind their protective and “loving” nature. Damon appears to follow this suit, but Phillips writes this well in that he rationalizes his thoughts about Evie and his want to protect her that she creates a feminist in Damon. This doesn’t undermine his alpha tendencies; instead, it illustrates productive ways of crafting heroes in today’s society. Damon goes from 0 to 5 stars through Phillips’s careful depiction of him.

Thirdly, Evie is the type of heroine who challenges typical heroine archetypes. She’s strong, dogged in her pursuit of Damon’s truth. Like strong women, however, she struggles with vulnerability, and this becomes a third message of Phillip’s Dare to Tempt. She illustrates the challenges for women who are intelligent and strong to allow themselves to be vulnerable as it looks like weakness. This becomes Evie’s struggle through the book, but Damon’s ability to allow her the space to reconcile it is my third favorite part of this book.

Lastly, I loved the romantic suspense of this story. Carly Phillips carefully intertwines that part of the story with Damon and Evie’s journey. There are a few times when it seemed as though Evie forgets her investigative work, but Phillips reintroduces it into the story, revealing the resolution at just the right time.

If you are new to Carly Phillips, and you don’t know where to start, you could absolutely go back to the beginning and read the extended Dare universe. However, if you want to jump in feet first, Dare to Resist and Dare to Tempt, the newest book of the Dare Nation series, are a great place to begin. Phillips’s romances involve fiery chemistry, insightful storytelling, and a complex family that has a character for anyone. For me, thus far, Dare to Tempt is my favorite of the Dare Nation books. Yet, I can’t wait for Jaxon’s story because marriage of convenience plus playboy baseball player feels like a winner.

Entertaining yet w/ some mystery.

The Dares and their extended family are always an entertaining read. This one involves football, betrayal, stalking, and love. Quite the combo.

Damon and Evie are acquaintances that may be attracted to each other, but neither would ever act on it. Until Damon needs Evie’s help to investigate who could have betrayed him to get him suspended from the team.

I liked Evie’s strong sense of self and her no-nonsense style. It doesn’t hurt that she went to my alma mater either. 😉 While she could dress up with the best of them – Evie is most comfortable in her scuffy boots and casual attire. Evie’s background has been tainted by an abusive ex, so she is wary of Damon’s attempts to make them something more.

Watching these two get more involved even though Evie is fighting it every step of the way will bring a smile to your face and you will hope that those that deserve justice will be served! There are definitely steamy times that will heat up your e-reader too!!

“Then he tangled his tongue with hers and lost himself in everything he’d never known he wanted but now couldn’t live without.” Sigh.

I voluntarily requested and read an advance reader copy.

The Dare’s have been an obsession for years. Since Carly has continued with their extended family and now Dare Nation, I feel even more obsessed. Damon and Evie became a storm you did not want to reckon with. I loved them so much! We always thought that Damon would need the saving, but what about Evie? There is so many surprises in this story you won’t see them coming.

Damon is the sweetest. But Shhh don’t let him hear that. He has a reputation to hold. Same goes for Evie! But they can heat up their space in 0.2 seconds! I loved their chemistry and how they complimented each other.

The story was IT for me. I could not break away even if I wanted to. Fall in love with love again with Dare to Tempt! You will not regret it <3

There is just something about those Dare men…Carly Phillips once again slayed me with Dare to Tempt. Damon Prescott and Evie Wolfe are both such amazingly strong characters, and I loved the growth of both over the course of Dare to Tempt.

Damon Prescott is pretty much the golden boy of football. He is the starting quarterback for the Miami Thunder, until a random drug test following an injury during a preseason game shows a positive test for performance enhancing drugs. Following a family meeting with his sports agent older brother, he hires Evie Wolfe to help find out how he tested positive.

Damon and Evie have a good bit of animosity between them upon their initial meeting, and I had to agree with Evie that he was being a bit of a jerk. Damon didn’t believe Evie could convince anyone she was his girlfriend. Evie has her very own style and it runs more to jeans and biker boots than glamorous dresses. I loved how Evie absolutely made Damon speechless the first time he saw her dressed up for her role as his pretend girlfriend so she could be around his teammates in public places. Evie is such an intelligent and fierce woman. I swear she might be one of my favorite characters ever from Carly Phillips. She sees things from an outsider’s perspective and has a very diligent work ethic, which makes her such an amazing private investigator.

I absolutely adored Damon and Evie as a couple…you know once Damon took his foot out of his mouth. I have to say from their very first kiss I knew these two were absolutely perfect for one another. I loved they were each so protective of each other from the start, yet Damon saw Evie as a woman who could still take care of herself. I think that was so very important for Evie, especially with the history with her ex. The sexual chemistry between these two was scorching hot from their very first meeting. Seriously, I had mad love for them together.

I always love to get time with characters from previous books, and loved that Austin and Quinn had a good bit of page time. Of course, since Austin is Damon’s older brother and Quinn is Evie’s best friend, it made perfect sense. I also loved meeting all of Evie’s family, especially her 4 brothers and spending time with Uncle Paul and the rest of the Prescott family.

I loved every minute of Damon and Evie’s journey. They worked together to solve any problem thrown at them be it figuring out the positive PED situation or dealing with Evie’s ex. This couple gave me all the happy feels and I loved that I laughed and happy sighed so many times while reading their story. The Dare Nation series of books is off to a solid start with the first two books in the series. I can’t wait to see where Ms. Phillips takes us next with the Prescott clan.

Rating: 5 Stars (B+)
Review copy provided by publisher

Dare To Tempt is a fast paced sports romance with enough chemistry to light the pages on fire. Damon and Evie are from two different worlds but something with these to ensures that they are drawn to each other. A cocky quarterback and a feisty private investigator are thrown together as Damon has to clear his name and Evie is the only one who can help him. A story that is packed with witty banter, action, suspense and intrigue that will keep you glued to the pages right to the very end. A passionate and steamy romance with a touch of enemies to lovers and a side of fake relationship will have you falling in love with these two.

Pro quarterback Damon Prescott pops positive for preforming enhancing drugs. Yet he swears he never took anything and eats so healthy. So the family, his huge family brings in a PI to get to the bottom of where it came from. And what a PI it is. Evie Wolfe is not just a PI but also the best friend of Quinn, his sister. Sparks and chemistry were flying between them from the first time they saw either other and then Evie has issues as well herself. Time spent together means time to grow together at least to Damon. Dare to Tempt had me from the start to the end. The next book in this series takes us to the baseball mound and I can not wait.

I really enjoyed Damon and Evie’s story.
It was feisty, flirty and fun.
Plenty of drama, loads of alpha males and enough sweet and steam to round it out.
It was a quick and easy read that left me with a smile on my face.

Loved this book, but then I love anything Dare. I really enjoyed how Damon and Evie help each other. They both had issues, even though they got together because Evie was a PI and was hired to help out Damon, it didn’t stop Damon at all to step up and protect Evie when she needed it. Stronger together.