Title: Into My Arms
Series: Off the Map #3.2
Author: Lia Riley
Release Date: September 8, 2015
“You’re here because I want to touch you.”
Beth Jacobs spends her days slogging away in a corporate “fish bowl,” as the hard-working assistant for one of North America’s youngest dot-com billionaires. Aleksander “Z” Zavtra is the definition of dark and dangerous with a sexy Eastern European snarl. He’s also ruthless. Curt. Exacting. An infuriating man she loves to hate. While Beth hardly sees him, it’s as if he’s always watching her . . .
Z doesn’t do romance. But he never expected to be captivated by a whip-smart, fiery assistant who just so happens to share an uncanny resemblance to the beautiful face that haunts his dreams. He craves Beth. He wants to stroke her skin, to feel her heat beneath him. And what Z wants, he gets. And for one weekend, the lines between employer and employee are blurred as Z and Beth give themselves completely to the dark pleasures they’ve both been dreaming about.
Ugh, I think this is the end of the Off the Map series and am pretty much totally bummed by that. Not that this novella isn't fantastic, but...I don't want it to be over yet.
Bethanny Jacobs works for the most closed-off, controlling, infuriating, brilliant young billionaire in America; one that's solely communicated via electronic means...until now.
Aleksander Zavtra, 'Z' to the world, is fascinated by his executive assistant, a woman that reminds him of a heart-breaking past. A woman he's been watching for months.
He doesn't do love. He doesn't do touch. But for one hot weekend, this employer is going to take his employee into his arms...and his bed.
Well, this story wasn't what I expected, but that's a good, good thing. I really enjoyed this seductive tale; one that's a little dark, and a lot dirty, with a side of 'whoa'.
Into My Arms was a fast-paced and extremely quick read, with what I felt was a slightly too abrupt ending, but that didn't take away from my overall love of Beth and Z's story. Because they were good together.
He was demanding, but she wasn't cowed by him, which I loved. She was in too deep in life, but she didn't use him or let him take over, which worked in her favor. He opened up and she listened, despite a plot that many books would likely use to blow everything to shit. Maturity, I like it.
All in all, I closed this one extremely happy with how it played out. But not with the fact this series is over. *crosses arms* Humph.
~ Review by Beth
Aleksander "Z" Zavtra is a rich, reclusive, man of mystery. He's had his eye on his assistant, Beth Jacobs, for ages. Beth has always been curious about the curt, ruthless man with the Eastern European accent, so when he asks to meet her, and then spend time with her in person - she's not sure what to make of it all.
HOT. DAMN. This book was steamy. Z is cool and calculating, and it's fun to watch him warm at Beth's hand. There's a tremendous amount of push-pull in their relationship, but it's written like foreplay. By the time the two figure things out, it's explosive. It's also enough time to develop a real connection. After learning about his past, Beth has real affection and concern for Z. She's willing to fight for him. He, in turn, is willing to let her in. They just...WORK...together.
My ongoing problem with novellas is that they're too short. Just when I felt like things were going to take off, Into My Arms wound down. I wanted more! I wanted to watch Beth OWN Z. I wanted to dig deeper into Z's psyche. I wanted more Bran and Z time because that shit is just hilarious.
But…I understand that this is the nature of the novella and I was glad to have met both Beth and Z previously in the series so not much back story was required. They're perfect together. They fire each other up and challenge each other, while also soothing the wounds both have carried around for a lifetime. And the ending, though rather abrupt, is simply adorable.
~ Review by Shelly
After studying at the University of Montana-Missoula, Lia Riley scoured the world armed with only a backpack, overconfidence, and a terrible sense of direction. She counts shooting vodka with a Ukranian mechanic in Antarctica, sipping yerba mate with gauchos in Chile, and swilling XXXX with stationhands in Outback Australia among her accomplishments.
When not torturing heroes (because, c'mon, who doesn't love a good tortured hero?), Lia and her family live mostly in Northern California, herding unruly chickens, camping, beach combing, daydreaming about as-of-yet unwritten books, wading through a mile-high TBR pile, and scheming yet another trip.
