This was the first novel I’ve read by Clare Connelly. I was able to read a sneak peek from BookishFirst, which had me checking Netgalley. To my delight I found it.

Off Limits is intended for a mature audience. The story revolves around Billionaire Jack and Gemma who works for him. Although Jack treats her like his personal secretary she has a pretty important role in his company. Both her and Jack have commitment issues and they each have their own issues to battle.

I really liked that Gemma was in a high position and her upbringing was something that I haven’t read in other boss/employee novels. The chemistry was definitely there and perfect for this kind of romance. Certainly an engaging read.

An advance complimentary copy of this book was supplied by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

"Off Limits" by Clare Connolly is a good read. I enjoyed Jack and Gemma's story. This story has passion, hot billionaire, forbidden romance between boss and employee, dealing with loss, and more. Recommend to all fans of romance, billionaires, and new beginnings.

**I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book which I received through Netgalley.
This was a captivating and well written story.

I found this story to be a HOT quick read, one that can be done in an afternoon. The story had a lot of substance and the chemistry between Jack and Gemma was great. This really is a great introduction to Harlequin's new DARE line of books.

I loved Jack's devotion to his late wife it was sweet even though he tended to use it as a punishment towards himself. Gemma or shall I say Lady Gemma knew how to play her cards, she is smart, at times funny, and extremely sexy...it seems that most of the men wanted a bit of her but she only had eyes for her boss, Jack, oh and her grandma is a hoot, I always found her to be funny and she knew her granddaughter better than her own parents did.

If you enjoy a the boss/employee trope I'm sure you will enjoy this book because not only did it have a good story line the sexy times were top notch. So I would strongly recommend you grabbing a copy today, and don't forget it's free!

Will appear later this month at both the blog http://romrevtoday.blogspot.com/ and the review site http://romrevtoday.com/.

OFF LIMITS – Clare Connelly
Harlequin Dare
ISBN: 978-0-263-93205-8
February 2018
Contemporary Series Romance

London, England – Present Day

Attorney Gemma Picton has been billionaire Jack Grant’s counsel for the past two years and she’s seen a succession of women go in and out of his life. She doesn’t plan to be the next one, especially as she knows he still mourns his late wife. But one night, he turns his attention to her, and she is unable to resist him. It’s nothing but sex between them, but Gemma is feeling more. As she tries to keep Jack at arm’s length, the irresistible pull between them leads to even more sex. But Gemma doesn’t want to get involved with a man who isn’t over the death of his wife.

Jack uses sex to forget that he lost his wife, and while he thinks of Gemma as a friend that he can talk to about anything, he still is attracted to her. His motto is “bed a woman once or twice, then move on,” but with Gemma it’s…different. He should be happy she isn’t clinging to him, yet it only makes him want her more. Will Jack either break off their affair…or make Gemma a part of his future?

Gemma has always felt that Jack was OFF LIMITS because he’s not ready to move past his wife’s death. He’s unabashed when it comes to sex. Heck, he’s not afraid to drop his clothes around her and prance naked. They work well together and it’s Gemma who has to order the flowers for the latest girlfriend when he’s done with them. She figures soon she’ll be ordering hers…but to her surprise, he keeps seeking her out for more sex.

Told from Gemma’s point of view mostly, with a few scenes that show it from Jack’s, OFF LIMITS is a spicy tale that may not be for everyone because they have lots of sex…lots of it. OFF LIMITS is set in London using British euphemisms, which kind of reminds me of women’s fiction from a few years ago. I wasn’t even sure if Gemma and Jack would end up with a happily-ever-after. But the steamy sex scenes illustrate the emotional build up as Jack and Gemma are soon unable to exist without the other in their life.

OFF LIMITS is part of the Harlequin Dare launch and currently is free as an eBook. If you want to see what the stories are like and how hot they, then I strongly recommend grabbing a copy. Gemma and Jack’s story is compelling as readers wonder if the wall that prevents him from loving again will be broken down.

Patti Fischer

Gemma has on a short skin tight red dress on and Jack wants to just wrap around her. Seeing Gemma talk to another guy messes with his equilibrium. Jack has a possessive impulse after all wasn’t Gemma suppose to be his plus one? Jack knows having sex with with Gemma can’t happen even if he is having all these wild fantasies about her. Jack had a wife named Lucy but she had passed away. Gemma started working for Jack two months after Lucy passed away. Now Jack sleeps with almost anyone and he drinks a lot of scotch. Jack thought of Gemma even though he was leaving with a blonde. Bemma is cold around Jack , she is smart, a lot smarter than Jack and sexy too. Jack just gave a speech and Gemma is thinking about Jack but she should run a mile from these thoughts. Gemma doesn’t do serious but she has been talking to Wolf and getting warning signals, Wolf will want more than she did. Every bone in Gemma’s body wanted Jack but her brain was still in charge. She didn’t want to screw up her career but also Gemma loved Jack.
I loved this intense well written beautiful romance. It was a little different then most with Jack hanging on to the memory of his dead wife not wanting love back in his life. I loved the pace and plot. I loved Jack and Gemma together. I loved how close Gemma was to her grandmother. I loved how Gemma brokenly found the strength to walk away from Jack. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I highly recommend.

This book was definitely a lot darker than I was expecting. Off Limits by Clare Connelly is the story of Jack Grant and Gemma Picton. Gemma is Jack personal assistant and knows what a playboy Jack has become after the lost of his wife to cancer. Jack comes off as this huge jerk pretty much the whole book and I think the author writes it off as Jack being this way because of his past pain. Jack has been attracted to Gemma and when a time hits that he can no longer hold back his desire he makes his move. Gemma is the kind of heroine I really adore- smart, independent, sassy and doesn’t take any gruff off anyone. This is a super-hot office romance to love story! It just took a while to get to the romance part. I would have given this higher marks but the hero was such a jerk to the heroine until almost half way thru the book before he was decent to her. That kind of defeats the purpose of this book. This was a darker toned book and the passion was steamy and sizzling…so that is a plus. I wish Jack wasn’t such a jerk. Still loved Gemma and the writing was good.


My Rating: 4.4 stars *****
“I received an advanced copy of this book from the author at no cost to me."

The Dare line is short, hot, and full of sex. The stories are definitely driven by sex and that is the focus.



Jack and Gemma are boss and employee. Office romances can be hot, especially when they are slightly forbidden, like this one is. I enjoyed it overall. There is not a lot, in my opinion, about this book that was original...but that said, I enjoyed it. The sex was hot, the chemistry was believable and so was the reason that Jack felt he was not able to give more than a hot night, or 2, to each of his conquests.



The Dare line of titles seems to be focused on hotter, spicier titles and this one works well.



I recommend this title.

I'm very sorry but I just couldn't get into the story. I really didn't care for the hero.

Off Limits by Clare Connolly

Sizzle, steam and sensual delight are part and parcel of this story. And, what a story it was!

In-house counsel, Lady Gemma Picton, has worked for billionaire widow Jack Grant for two years when suddenly the dynamics of their relationship change. Jack has always been a challenge to work for with his busy work schedule and the flirting, boozing and many women he moves through. But when he begins to focus on Gemma…oh my…! This book is explicit with encounters in and out of the bedroom making for a tantalizing read that I could not put down. I liked Gemma and her willingness to reach out and take what she wanted even though it meant she might not ultimately see her ending up where she hoped to be. I liked the fact that Jack, hound that he was, began to eventually realize that the future he had envisioned for himself might be more and better than he thought it would be. The two do get their HEA but have to jump through a few hoops before it comes to fruition. Oh, Gemma’s granny was someone I wouldn’t mind being compared to at some point in the not too distant future – what a role model she provided for Gemma!

Thank you to NetGalley, Barclay Publicity and Harlequin DARE for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

Loved all things about this book. Must read. Go get it.

Super spicy but not really anything I haven't read before.

It's been a while since I've read a Harlequin book, other than romantic suspense by a favorite author, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect from their new Dare line.

Off Limits is a really spicy story, much more explicit than I remember their discontinued Blaze line being. It was a quick read and reminded me a bit of old Harlequin books (except much more explicit) in that the story involved an alpha male (billionaire) and a woman who takes care of all his needs. OK she was a strong, confident woman, and his corporate attorney, rather than a blushing young thing.

If that last paragraph sounded critical of the book I didn't really mean it to be. I enjoyed this story quite a bit. It's formulaic, and nothing really new, but that doesn't mean I wasn't entertained. Jack is an alpha-hole but he has his reasons. I guess I even understand a strong woman like Gemma becoming a doormat when it comes to loving him. In the end they kiss and make-up and the HEA is a must for me in a romance story.

I would have liked the chance to read another book in this line for review purposes but unfortunately my request was denied by the publisher on NetGalley. This one was available for everyone to download without the publisher's explicit approval. I probably won't read any others from the Dare line unless a favorite author writes one or my local library obtains copies (as of now they have none).

A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.

I really enjoyed the story of Jack and Gemma. A forbidden work romance that was sweet, funny, and sexy. Jack is a billionaire that owns many companies and has an in house counsel, Gemma, who has been basically his partner for the past two years. Jack lost his wife to cancer before Gemma started to work for him. And since, he has been nothing but a playboy and doesn’t hide that fact. They have both been professional with each other until one day they weren’t. Gemma knew that Jack doesn’t commit but went for his magnetism anyway. Their story is a whirlwind and ended perfectly.

Off Limits by Clare Connelly (contemporary, Harlequin Dare, February 2018): Off Limits by Clare Connelly is one of the first books in Harlequin’s new Dare Line which promised to be a super sexy line set in glamorous cities across the world. In Off Limits, billionaire businessman Jack Grant and his blue-blooded right-hand woman (and in house counsel) Lady Gemma Pictou finally give into a longstanding and long-denied attraction. The sex is intense and plentiful (the Dare line does live up to its super sexy promise) as is the emotion. Jack is a bit of the standard billionaire alpha douchebag hero who bangs anything that moves. He is a self-tortured soul, who lost his wife and tries to soothe his loneliness with as many women as possible. However, Gemma is different and Jack can’t move on after what was supposed to be a one-time encounter.

Off Limits is also high on angst - with Jack’s lost love and Gemma’s worry about her job and her developing feelings for her boss. I was surprised by Jack’s depth; there was more to him than I originally assumed given his manwhorish ways - and in the end, I found him worthy of Gemma’s love. If Off Limits is indicative of Harlequin’s new Dare line, I am looking forward to more. This one had a great blend of eroticism and romance.

Gemma Picton has grown up in the lap of luxury, but she's not content to sit on her behind and let the world revolve around her. A brilliant lawyer, she's now the in-house counsel for Jack Grant, billionaire playboy... and grieving widower. For two years, Gemma has kept Jack at a professional distance, but bit by bit, the walls are coming down. What sort of happily-ever-after can there be, though, for a girl who's never dreamed of white picket fences and a man who lost the love of his life?

This is an unconventional romance, but it works because neither Gemma nor Jack WANT a conventional sort of relationship. I absolutely loved Gemma's fierce, determined approach to life, her absolute refusal to compromise her principles for anyone. Her relationship with her grandmother the duchess was fabulous; I could have read a whole novel on the two of them alone.

The sex scenes in this book are hot, they are graphic and they start early on. It's not for the faint-hearted, but you could probably have guessed that from the cover. Off Limits is a great example of an unconventional relationship portrayed the right way, with a happy ending that was totally believable for the two characters in question. I thoroughly enjoyed the read, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the DARE range! Five stars for a fantastic, super sexy read!

working alongside Billionaire Jack Grant every day is pure torture for Gemma Picton, especially when he's her boss which means he's off-limits. However, when Jack decides to change their relationship status from platonic to physical, Gemma knows it's a bad idea, but allows the change anyway. But when Gemma starts to feel more for Jack and knowing he'll never feel the same way, she's not sure whether to run or stay. Will Gemma be able to heal Jack's heart, or will she walk away from the man she's falling in love with?

I've really been looking forward to reading Harlequin's newest line of books, which are daring and bold, and I've got to say that Ms. Connelly has delivered a sexy, passionate and engaging read in this book where the hero needs the heroine to even have a hope of healing from his heartbreaking past and the heroine needs him just as much because she's never had much unconditional love before with her parents being more interested in themselves than her, which is proven by how she grew up.

As for the dialogue, the heroine is feisty, sassy, isn't afraid to challenge the hero and I loved how determined she was to help the hero deal with loss he suffered in the past that he's never been able to get over. I also liked how hard-working the heroine is, which is proven by how well she's done to get to where she is. Then again, working for Jack is a challenge. Yet, what I liked most of all about the heroine was the close relationship she shared with her grandmother and that she would do anything for the elderly woman. While the hero, I couldn't help but sympathize with him when it came to his past and the reason for his emotional baggage, which made me shed a few tears because he blamed himself for the loss of someone very important to him. I also liked how confident and determined the hero was in winning the heroine over, even though he doesn't want their relationship to be anything more than a bit of fun. Will he realize he's fallen in love with Gemma before it's too late?

Overall, Ms. Connelly has delivered a really good read in this book where the characters, their back stories and their dialogue kept me entertained from start to finish; the chemistry was strong and made for really hot and passionate sex scenes; and the ending had me liking how Jack makes things right between them after things go awry in their relationship. However, it was the epilogue that wrapped this story up perfectly because of the plan Jack had to give the heroine the adventure her grandmother believes she needs. I would recommend Off Limits by Clare Connelly, if you enjoy office romance, steamy reads of books by authors JC Harroway, Lisa Childs, Nicola Marsh and Jackie Ashenden.

Do you guys remember the movie, Two Weeks Notice with Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant? .... Okay so the whole set up of this story reminded me of this move and but a huge smile on my face from the start! They're not identical by any means, but they're similar enough that it immediately put me in a very *happy place* when I began to read!

One thing I can warn you about from the start is Jack ... he's gonna be a hard one to not only like, but to root for. Honestly, he's an asshole lol ... but he has his reasons. Would I have chosen to write him with very little soft edges to him? Probably not. But he's consistent. Once and asshole almost always an asshole so .... there's that. Which of course would make Gemma kinda, maybe, sorta come across as weak because she continues to go back for more from him. But it works you guys. It's who they are and their puzzle pieces fit together very well and their sexual chemistry is off the charts!

This book surprised me. I liked it a lot. Both our leads our leads were perfectly flawled just like real life. This was realistic and relatable and really sexy! Well done!

Copy provided for blog tour review

"Off Limits" , is my first book by Clare Connelly and the story did not dissapoint!

Ms. Connelly sets the tone for the book right from the start, Gemma Picton Pa and in-house counsel to Billionaire Jack Grant finds herself in pretty much the sme position she does every morning standing in Jacks bedroom waking him up after his night with what ever bunny he happened to lure into his bed. you would think after two years of watching this gorgeous man she would be immune by now; but ignoring her Attraction to Jack has only been getting harder and it seems like Jack may be having the same issue.
Getting involved with Jack would be a bad move , not only is he her boss, but Jack is still grieving the loss of his wife and using these women along the way to forget for a little bit. Gemma does not need the heartache of being a one and done,now if she could just get her libido to agree with her head.

Jack knows Gemma is intrested Pushing the issue pinning her to a wall and taking a searing kiss,but one kiss is not enough Gemma becomes his addiction.
The author writes steamy sex scenes for these two characters but to spite those scenes I still found myself feeling sorry for Gemma, because Jack still keeps himself closed off to more than just sex; eventually forcing Gemma do make a drastic decision.
Will Jack realize how important Gemma is before it is too late ?
Pic up this sexy read and find out .
Arc copy genourusly provided by Harlequin Dare via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first Harlequin Dare novel and I really enjoyed it. It was a quick sexy read. This story hits all the spots. Emotional and I love the chemistry between Jack and Gemma. I was able to get right into the story as it kicks off with Gemma telling Jack to get out of bed and she isn't in it with him. He likes to push Gemma's buttons and she is strictly off limits. He is her boss. Jack can't figure out why he is drawn to her and he knows he can never be the man for her. Quick summer read.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

I really wish I could give half stars because I'd give this book 3.5 stars. Jack is definitely a tormented character due to his wife passing away. Gemma, his assistant, falls for him despite how badly he treats her at times. She eventually helps him find his way back to living life again instead of hiding behind one night stands. I find it hard to read books like this because I sometimes want to shake the lead female character for her to realize she deserves better. But I will admit that this book did much better with this storyline than others I've read, which is why I did enjoy it overall. It was definitely a sexy read and it kept my attention the whole way through.