Ezekiel “Zee” Chase has a complicated past. Born into a family whose wealth grew from the seedy world of big-time crime, he ran away as a teenager and made a home for himself on the streets of Detroit. By day, the mechanic works at a local garage. But by night, he throws down with the best of them in Detroit’s gritty underground fighting scene. With all those muscles, he’s never had trouble with … with women–until he meets one who challenges him to the greatest fight of his life. . .
Tamara Eliot is a hardworking corporate high-flyer who appreciates the finer things in life, from her expensive perfume to her designer handbags. More than anything, though, she likes to be in control–and when Zee explodes into her life, she feels anything but. He’s the definition of a bad boy: brash, fiery, and of course, irresistibly hot. And there’s a darkness about him that keeps her coming back for more. As Zee takes Tamara deeper into a world she never knew existed, she just might prove to be the one opponent he won’t be able to dominate–at least not without some pleasurable convincing . . .
Praise for Jackie Ashenden’s Mine to Take
“The sex is dirty-sweet, with a dark lick of dominance and the tantalizing potential of redemption.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“Intriguingly dark and intensely compelling . . . sure to keep readers in suspense.” —RT Book Reviews, 4.5 Stars, Top Pick
“Ashenden twists and tortures her characters with impressive skill.” —The Washington Post
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Looking at Zee Chase you would never think he came from the upper crust side of the world, probably because he has done all he can to separate himself from that world, and he has no intention of every going back to it. During the day he turns a wrench in a garage with his friends, and by night he’s known as a bad ass in the underground fighting world, and occasionally puts his fighting skills to good use by teaching women how to defend themselves in his self defense classes. The women come from all over the city to sign up for his classes not only to learn how to keep themselves safe, but also get a up close and personal with the man with all the bulging muscles… but he has rules, he doesn’t date his students, and he definitely doesn’t date wealthy women. But after one unexpected encounter with a privileged woman who tags along with a friend to one of his classes and he soon starts to reconsider breaking one of his cardinal rules… she is beautiful and tempting as hell, and he wants one night with her!
Tamara Eliot is a privileged beauty from the corporate world that is working hard to prove to her family that she doesn’t need their endorsement in the working world, and that she can earn her status in the business world on her own merit. She likes to hold complete control over everything in her life, and works very hard to maintain her growing success in the office, which leaves very little time for her to have a social life, but that doesn’t keep her friend from trying to get her to let loose once in a while. After some pestering her friend convinces her to attend a self defense class with her, so she can try and land the instructor in her bed for the night, and Tamara agrees to tag along for moral support only. But once the class ends, her friend ditches her to party with classmates and leaves her to find her own way home… which puts her right in the path of the sexy instructor. After spending a little time with him, she finds herself thinking non-stop about a world she’s never dreamed of wandering into… and it is so damn tempting!!
Having been a while since my last book by Ms. Ashenden, I had forgotten just how much I loved her sexy little tales, but barely paragraph into it and I was quickly reminded of the literary bliss her books provide! From the moment Zee waltzed onto the page I found myself instantly smitten with him, and continued to fall hard for him with each sentence I read… you just don’t find characters quite like him too often. He was every bit an alpha, but underneath his protective and gritty exterior was a man with a gentle spirit, and watching him fall for Tamara was truly a beautiful thing to witness! The chemistry between them was undeniable, their relationship was intensely passionate, raw, and filled with lots of steamy action that left me blushing more than a few times! I LOVED every minute of their story, and I can’t wait to dive into the next installment and get better acquainted with more of these intriguing characters!!
Love the book but I would tweak the ending to definite it as a HEA.
So good I read the rest of the series- this one was the best.
Sure, it was predictable…but it was pretty darn charming. I’m a sucker for class conflict and love. And not, it was major league steamy. Yowza.