Lady Gemma Picton works as the in-house counsel/personal assistant for billionaire manwhore Jack Grant. (The start of the book makes his horndog reputation clear, so I'm not giving away anything here.) She is of course attracted to him though she has seen the evidence first hand, and he thinks she's hot so he is more than ready to get her in his bed. Am I being unfair? Maybe, but this is just the type of 'hero' that I cannot stand. I had to work to finish the book because I just couldn't stand him and couldn't forget his reputation. Sure, there's a backstory that explains why he is that way, but even after understanding him I just couldn't like him or figure out why Gemma would choose him. Have some hot nooky, but move on girl! But we know since this is a romance the ending is guaranteed to be a HEA.

So this is why I was underwhelmed with the book. The writing was good and I don't blame the author, it just ended up being a trope that I don't like. I will continue to enjoy my other HQN reads though, at least until they are taken away!

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin for the eARC!

The course is set. The lines have been drawn. But rules are made to be broken. He's nursed a broken heart, played the field and fought the flames of attraction. Jack Grant is about to get in touch with his inner alpha and the heat is about to combust. Gemma is a woman who is no shrinking violet. She speaks her mind, follows her own rules and has no time for risks. Her heart is off limits and that is not about to change. Off Limits goes out of bounds and delivers the full frontal when it comes to lust, love and moving on. The fantasy gets real.

This story was a difficult one for me. I couldn't get into it, not even after a few attempts and it had nothing to do with the fact that I find stories written in the first person very difficult to enjoy. This one was full of steam, which I love. Unfortunately it wasn't filled with much else. There wasn't the push and pull of a romance it was just full steam ahead and sad to say, neither of them changed much by the end.

After suffering the ultimate heartbreak Jack Grant has sworn off anything resembling love or anything other than a strings free relationship of convenience...but after one line crossing night with his assistant he can't help but want more. He knows starting something with Gemma is wrong on so many levels, but working alongside her day in and day out is far too tempting and torturous and as much as he knows he should say no, he can't help but say yes. And once he does there is no turning back...



Gemma Picton knows her boss has a lot of demons to deal with, losing his wife damn near killed him, and she wants to be the one to heal the brooding billionaire. But mixing business with pleasure is a huge "no-no" and crossing that line with him could potentially cost her everything... but she just can't walk away. Everyday she watches him, admires him, and constantly wonders what it would be like to get her hands on him... and one night when she gets the opportunity to find out she guiltily grabs the opportunity with both hands!



Off Limits is a dirty little tale brimming with scorching heat and heartfelt emotion that is certain to leave erotic romance readers craving more!! This was a new literary adventure for me, as it was my first story from this author, and I have to say her forbidden office romance read definitely impressed. From reading the synopsis I had a feeling it would be a hot one, and wow was it ever!! If you are looking for a quick read with lots of heat and emotion, then I highly recommend you pick this one up... it will give you everything you are looking for and so much more!!



I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this title.

I absolutely love the Harlequin Dare series as they are sexy and smoldering and perfectly sized to be palette cleansers between longer books. Jack and Gemma's story was amazing. A very sexy office romance and then some.

Gemma Picton knows that her insanely hot boss Jack Grant is a bad idea. He may be her boss and a billionaire tycoon, but she knows he is commitment phobic after the passing of his late wife. Despite the insane chemistry between them she knows that he would never be able to love again after losing his wife. But when passions explode candidate crossed can Jack's "off-limits" heart be open to love again?

Gahh!! I lovvvved this book. Jack was the perfect emotionally damaged Alphahole boss who was arrogant and aggressive in his pursuit of Gemma. And good Lord did he pursue her. The sexytimes in this novel were SCORCHING. And Gemma was the perfect sassy counterpart to him. She gave as good as she got and didn't let him walk all over her. She was fantastic and honestly this short book has been more enjoyable than longer novels I've read recently. I laughed, I cried and I cheered and I loved this story with my whole heart! I will now devour anything by this author!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Harlequin for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review. Bravo! 5 stars! ~Ratula

Off Limits is a well written and addictive workplace romance. Clare Connelly does a nice job with plotting and characters. There is a believable relationship trajectory, a fascinating, competent heroine and a complex hero. How nice to see the Dare line added to the genre. It's about time there are more modernized tropes. Also, the HFN ending rather than a hastily scrambled HEA seems very much in keeping with today's world. I am definitely looking forward to more by Connelly and the other titles in the Dare line!

Off Limits: New for 2018! A hot boss romance story that takes love to the limit. Perfect for fans of Darker! (Mills & Boon Dare) by Clare Connelly .... Thanks to #NetGalley for letting me preview this book. Jack is a self made Billionaire who lost his wife to cancer... he is handsome..and has no trouble filling his nights with one night stands....Gemma is his in house right hand... for two years she has lusted for him ..but refuses to be one of his women...they get together and it is a dark romance with lots of sex...she loves him...he can't get over his loss... there are laughs..lots of sex...some tears and heartbreak ... all on the way finally to a HEA.

Unfortunately I'm DNF-ing this book because I couldn't get into it even after a few attempts. The writing and the characters are just not for me. I was unable to get past the first chapter.

harlequin's new imprint, dare, launched this year and off limits happens to be one of the new offerings. like the now-defunct blaze line, it is steamier than standard harlequin romances, but the vibe is different. this might be due to the alternating first-person povs, which isn't the norm for most harlequin categories. i haven't read other books in this particular line, so i can't say if it's happening imprint-wide, but it felt worth noting that it does feel different from blaze, which was an imprint i was sad to see close up shop. because it was the imprint i read the most of.

anyway, so jack is a widower who has basically sworn off love. and gemma is his in-house counselor who is essentially his right-hand woman. and she's half in love with him. but she knows what a bad idea it is to get mixed up with him. so she keeps him at arm's length. and it's been years of this.

and then they're at a party and she accidentally makes him jealous and everything explodes all over the place. the crazy sexual tension. the feelings that both of them have kept locked up for years. the fact that this is the worst idea in the world. because jack doesn't want anything long-term and yet gemma isn't someone he can just sleep with and forget.

he's going to break her heart. because he's broken and damaged. but she's also broken and damaged a little bit. and their jagged edges fit in a way that neither of them thought possible. and for all the crazy hot sex there was also some really gutting emotional depth. and i love that. angst is totally my jam. and jack and gemma have it in spades along with wicked hot chemistry.

**off limits will publish on february 1, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/harlequin (dare) in exchange for my honest review.

Off Limits was definitely hot and steamy which I always appreciate, but I was disappointed in the lack of true plot of character development. I just didn't understand why Gemma and Jack were attracted to each other besides the fact that they both thought each other was hot. I would recommend off limits to someone who is just looking for a sexytimes book.

Off Limits is the story of Gemma who is attracted to her boss and knowing it is wrong. Jack who lost his wife to cancer turns to women to sooth the mourning and suffering. When Jack turns his attention to Gemma, he is determined to win Gemma. What results is a great book with lots of steamy scenes. While the story makes you wonder at times if Jack will ever find the love that Gemma has to offer or if she will leave him before he does, the author keeps you enthralled as you read each page. Clare Connelly has written a book that kept my attention with each page and the sexy scenes will only warm you up on a cold winter's day.
A perfect read and can't wait to read more of Clare Connelly's books!

While this novel was definitely sexy, I felt it missed a bit of a lead up. I wanted more information. Having said that, I will absolutely read all other books from this author.

This was really too! Hot and steamy! I loved the characters and the story. It was so hot! I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I've read pretty much every book by author Clare Connelly (53 and counting) and haven't been disappointed. Who doesn't like hot alpha males and steamy sex. The chemistry between the characters if off charts hot.

I bet that five stars is a surprise. But I have a set of rules about reviewing romance and I have to stick to them. This book made me a little weepy at one point. You do that, hardened category romance reader that I am, and you get that extra star. So long as you don't break any of the other rules. Fair warning.

This is a boss and PA romance. Technically. Apparently there is a prequel on the Harlequin site about how Gemma and Jack first meet when she starts working for him. He is dealing with his grief for the recent loss of his wife by burying himself in booze and women. I have chosen not to read that prequel because that is why I stopped reading boss/PA/secretary romances years ago.

So when I started this book (especially after my experience with another of the Dare books) I was very nervous. Especially as it's written in first person which is most definitely not a POV I enjoy. It often seems forced to me, lacking the smoothness of third.

Anyway, we start this book at a point of change. The attraction between Jack and Gemma has been simmering, just below the boil, for a long while. For Jack, she is off limits because he knows from the first that Gemma wouldn't be as easily shagged and disposed of as the other women who parade through his bedroom before being consigned to oblivion. For Gemma, she knows that being treated as just another of Jack's "screw to forget" disposable women would break her.

So they have spent two years, keeping an invisible barrier while, with great proficiency, he screws (it ain't love and is barely sex) nameless women, and while Gemma becomes an indispensable part of Jack's business.

Then Jack steps over the line, and the force of it takes Gemma with him. Be prepared for a lot of sex. A. Lot. Of. Sex.

But it isn't all just about the sex. Gemma isn't stupid and she uses Jack's craving for her to delve deeper, into places he doesn't want to go. And Jack does the same, his need for Gemma's body awakening a need to know more about his former icicle of a PA.

Of course it isn't all sex and skittles. Jack has demons to fight and Gemma has her own insecurities. It is bound to go pear shaped.

Overall this was a good read. It took me a while to get into the 1st person and there seems to be a much bigger percentage of Gemma's POV because I did look for input from Jack a few times and it wasn't there. Once I got into the rhythm, the POV didn't jar me too much. I still don't feel comfortable with the disrespectful way he treated his shagfest women, but I was able to understand why, even if I still don't approve.

The ending was satisfying and as mentioned, it got to my emotions.

I received this ARC from Netgalley for an independent review.

Off Limits is my first Harlequin Dare read, and I am here to tell you, this line of books that I will be keeping an eye out for.

The story center around a billionaire business man and gorgeous assistant. Now, Jack is still in the grieving process over the death of his wife. It was clear ephe truly loved and was devastated by her death, so I did have to look past his broody and sometimes snippy personality. Now so much the constant promiscuity, but I guess this was the way of covering up the pain. I did feel for him, and wanted more for him. He seemed to be a really nice guy underneath the glamour.

Gemma has been his assistant for a while, and had to endure the endless line of women in and out of her extremely hot boss. Even though she knows what he like, it doesnt stop her from being so attracted to him. This is a line she’s told herself she would not cross and for that I did admire her for. She did hold out for quite a while too.

The story of the billionaire falling for the meek assistant might sound a little cliched, but it was still so easy to fall for them both and get swept up in their passionate journey together. Jack and Gemma’s relationship was a constant push and pull, and did have its turbulent moments. But the sex was both hot and steamy! I especially enjoyed the darker tone this had to it too. The ending was a satisfying one for me as well, even with the the roller coaster ride wuth these too.

With all the witty banter these two had with each other to the scorching romance, this was definitely a great read. And I for one, will be on hunt for more from this author!

Gemma and Jack blow me away. Such mind blowing Chemistry. These two fought chemistry for two years. That will power is extremely powerful. When I want something I have a tendency to go for it. So the fact that they finally did and became all consumed with one another is great! This book is absolutely breathtaking. I couldn't put it down.

Quick and easy sexy read. I just didn't like the story told from the characters views, I much prefer the third person telling.
I received this copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review that is all my own.

Jack is one hot complicated mess of a man. Gemma is one strong sensitive woman. They make for one hell of a strong complicated couple. They have an amazingly strong connection. They both have issues that they need to deal with. Could not wait to see where this story would go. First book I’ve read from this author will read more.

This is the first of the new Harlequin/Mills & Boon Dare line that I have read, and it is hot, steamy hot, MS Connelly has written a story that could set the pages on fire. Her hero who has some real issues from his past and his right hand employee Gemma Picton know that they should both be off limits to each other but cannot ignore the heat that ignites between them for too long and then when that match gets struck WOW.

Gemma is so attached to her gorgeous billionaire boss but is strong enough to control it for a couple of years but he has been pushing her now for too long but she does not want to be one of those females that he uses he sleeps with them and walks away, she knows in his eyes he has his reasons but can she get through to him can she mend his heart.

Jack Grant has a broken heart and uses woman these days for sex and lots of it anyway anytime but he is so drawn to his work counsel Gemma, she is strong feisty and often comes across icy and she puts up with so much from him but he cannot deny this burning fire between them any longer and when they join they detonate together.

This one has a lot of hot sex in it but the banter between Jack and Gemma is really good it had me smiling as did Gemma’s Grandmother, they are both very smart people and they do know what they want even if Jack has a harder time than Gemma finally realizing that he should let go of the past and look to the future with Gemma these two were made for each other even though they come from totally different backgrounds. If you like your romance with a lot of steam and banter then this is the story for you, I loved the HEA at the end and the epilogue, and thank you MS Connelly I will just get my fan now 