Published by Avon
STRIPPED by Tara Wyatt
Series: Blue HEAT #1
Release Date: 15th May 2018
Purchase Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK
Detective Sawyer Matthews isn’t just having a bad day—he’s having the worst day. His hunt for the criminal who killed his team member has stalled and now… he’s got to play nice with his new, totally unwanted partner. It’s not that she isn’t qualified, or that he doesn’t like her—it’s because he knows what she looks like naked. So very, very naked.
Brooke Simmons finally landed her dream job working for H.E.A.T, an elite undercover detective squad, and she’s not giving up simply because she had a one-night-stand with her sullen—but undeniably sexy—new partner. They’ll just have to keep it professional. Easier said than done, considering their first case requires Sawyer to infiltrate a drug cartel operating out of a male strip show. Watching him do his best Magic Mike impression every night isn’t just hot—it’s torture.
Sawyer doesn’t need any distractions, yet his attraction to Brooke is explosive and he can’t resist going for round two. Or three. Or four. But as their investigation progresses and danger mounts, they’ll have to put their jobs, hearts, and lives on the line to fight… for each other, for survival, and for justice.
★3.5 STARS★
Brooke Simmons’ career is on the up, although the same cannot be said about her love life. She has an interesting list of priors when it comes to ex-boyfriends, and the latest in a line-up of disasters has led her to drowning her sorrows in a hotel bar. She has absolutely no business noticing the brooding guy in the seat next to hers but she does so anyway.
Detective Sawyer Matthews has suffered a loss that has impacted both his career and personal life. His best friend and colleague was recently killed in the line of duty and he’s struggling been to come to terms with the loss. He has every intention of drowning his sorrows alone but he can’t help but find his interest piqued by the firecracker in the seat next to his. The sparks of interest give way to a burning physical attraction, and the result is an explosive night that burns into both their memories.
Being the new girl is the least of Brooke’s worries when she discovers her partner is none other than the one night stand and starring role of her recurring fantasy. She’s worked her behind off to land a position on the elite undercover detective squad, so what’s a few moments of embarrassment? She’s fully confident that they can deal with the situation like adults and not allow it to distract them from their work.
Going undercover in a strip club is not how Sawyer envisaged coping with his growing attraction to Brooke would go. He’s torn between his desperate need to infiltrate the gang responsible for his best friend’s murder, and keeping the woman he increasing cares for safe, even though she can fully handle herself. The conflict between the two lead him make some decisions that compromise their safety but it’s matters of the heart that threatens to lead to the greatest fallout.
STRIPPED was my first read by Tara Wyatt and it’s a novel easily read in one sitting. I enjoyed the friction between work/personal life and it made the steamy scenes all that more illicit. The stripper element made for lighter moments but I’m not going to lie, I would have loved many more a scene of Sawyer in his glittery thong. The addition of the supporting cast gave a great segue into the next novels in the series, and I’m looking forward to Wyatt turning up the H.E.A.T.
About the Author:
Tara Wyatt is a contemporary romance and romantic suspense author. Known for her humor and steamy love scenes, Tara’s writing has won several awards, including the Golden Quill Award and the Booksellers’ Best Award, and has been nominated for the prestigious RITA® Award.
When she’s not hanging out with your next book boyfriend, she can be found reading, watching movies, and drinking wine. A librarian by day and a romance writer by night, Tara lives in Hamilton, Ontario with the world’s cutest dog and a husband who makes all her of her heroes look like chumps.