RISK, a new standalone from New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, Deborah Bladon. Standalone Book. No Cliffhanger. Nolan Black is gorgeous, bold and unapologetic in his desire for me. When I fall into his lap in Las Vegas, our connection is instant. Once I'm back in Manhattan we can't resist the attraction. The draw is too intense and the desire is addictive. I want him in ways I promised myself I wouldn't. He needs me in ways he didn't know existed. The pull is strong enough to erase the doubt and to drown out all the questions. Until the secrets we've buried in our pasts collide in a way no one could have predicted. Please note - You do not need to read any of my other books to enjoy RISK. This is a complete standalone.
Deborah Bladon had never read a romance hero she didn't like. Her love for romance novels began when she was old enough to board the bus, library card in hand to check out the newest Harlequin paperbacks. She was a Canadian by heart, and by passport, but you could often spot her in New York City sipping a latte and looking for inspiration for her next story. Manhattan was definitely her second home.
She cherished her family and believed that each day was a gift for writing, for reading, and for loving.
Miss Bladon is relatively new to me. I read her previous book and I have to admit, I like her unique writing style. Risk is the second book I read from her.
Although I found the plot is too lengthly and confusing ( with that twist, secret and drama), I still enjoy it OK. I do not hate it nor love it. Some steamy part, I really enjoy. I also like the fact the heroine, Ellie is a strong character.
‘Risk’ is another great story by Deborah Bladon. I read all her books more than once (some of them more than twice :) ) and enjoyed them all. I really like her style. I love how she combined all her stories together. It was nice to see characters from her other books were connected to the new one either by a friend, family or etc. This is the first book I read from her that didn’t have any of the other book characters showed up. Still there are glimpses of the company names like Axel NY :) If you read any of her books you will understand, if you still didn’t read any of them, I recommend you to start right away. She has a lot of books and if you want to avoid spoilers within the books/series check her website for the reading order (You can click here for the reading order). She also has a character map that shows how each character is related to one another.
‘Risk’ is a standalone and it is one of my favorite books from Deborah Bladon. Ellie Madden is a beautiful, smart and strong woman, who was hurt by the men in her life before. Nolan Black is a sexy, smart, bold and determined businessman, who is the CEO of Matiz Cosmetics. Everything starts when Ellie falls into Nolan’s lap in Las Vegas. The chemistry between them is undeniable and instant. When Ellie thinks that she won’t see Nolan Black ever again, fate has other plans for her. After some events Crew, who is Nolan’s best friend and COO of Matiz Cosmetics, offers Ellie a job as a head of security. And once she accepts the job offer and moves back to New York, it is impossible for Nolan and Ellie to resist the attraction between them. They both have trust issues and a lot of secrets they keep to themselves. Once the secrets are out of the box, will their relationship survive? That is for you to find out :)
Deborah Bladon states that ‘Risk’ is a story about fate, choice, circumstance, sacrifice and ultimately love and I totally agree with this statement. It is a sweet, sad, and exciting story that will keep you guessing till the end. It is a fast read and I finished it in one sitting. I fell in love with the characters and when I was done, I wished there was more to read :( I cannot wait to read Deborah Bladon’s next book. I also hope that there will be a book for Adley and Crew.
Would I recommend this book: Yes. Would I re-read this book: Yes. Would I read future books by this author: Yes.
This book was so beautifully written. I loved every minute of it. I was hooked form the moment Ellie fell into Nolan Black's lap to the end when they get there HEA.
Ellie, a Vegas security guard, falls into Nolan Black's lap and their connection is instant. Ellie dreams of becoming a police detective and hopes to become one with Vegas PD, but when she is fired, she returns back to NYC. Luckily for her, Nolan and Crew were witness for her shame and hire her on the spot as head security for the Matiz Cosmetics flagship store in NYC. Nolan can't stay away from Ellie and pursues a relationship with her, even though she is hesitant due to her previous relationship. Ellie takes a risk with Nolan, a risk that will eventually pay off but will open up long held secrets, coincidences and the mother of all twists, too. The underlying story of all this is Nolan believes Ellie is Kip, a girl he met when he was younger. The more he gets to know Ellie, the more he realizes, Ellie and Kip are not the same person. As their relationship continues, more secrets are revealed and Nolan and Ellie have to figure out if their relationship is worth the risk.
This is the second book I've read by Deborah Bladon, and I loved every second of it. This story is dual POV and provides an insight into both characters. Ellie and Nolan had great chemistry together. This story had captivating characters, a well written plot, sexy times, passion, drama, romance and some twists and turns at the end. You will not be disappointed. If you want to know if Crew and Adley ever get together, they have their own story in The Troublemaker.
I simply love Deborah Bladon! She is such a great writer. Her stories tug at your heart strings along with full filling your fantasies. There are always twists to her stories that you don’t see coming. When you think you have figured it all out there will be something that surprises you & I love that. Her books get right to the story and never have all that fluff that I don’t like. And 9 times out of 10 they are really HOT!!!
Nolan Black is Handsome and strong. The perfect alpha male!!! He is the CEO of Matiz Cosmetics and has MANY secrets. I saw some reviews of people that didn’t seem to like his character but I did! I thought he was sweet yet bold!!
Ellie Madden is a strong independent woman but has had her heart broken so she is cautious moving forward in any relationship. She has had a lot of loss in her short life. Her best friend Adley is great and has been there for her since they were young.
This story really was great and had so many great supporting characters Crew, Eda, Adley and more. I hope that DB writes a book with Crew’s story. The fact that all her books somehow intertwine with one another is something I love & to be honest I didn’t know I would like that but now when I read a new one I can’t wait to see where the connection is to one of her other books!
Love this author. Nolan and Ellie meet and the attraction is immediate but Ellie has her demons from her past and Nolan has secrets of his own. Through a series of twists and turns and surprise ending, this couple find their way. What a great story!
Deborah Bladon is a master of creating heart wrenching, emotional and completely entertaining stories. This was no different. The plot twists and intrigue behind the 2 main characters was gripping and enticing. Their chemistry was off the chart and the steam emanating from them together was palpable.
The narrators, Amelie and Rudy were not my favorite. Amelie was pretty good but something about her voice just didn't click as the main female character, maybe too childish when she was such a tough woman. Rudy did great until it came to a female or a child's voice. Both of those portrayals were nails on a chalkboard for me and completely kicked me out of the story until it was just the male characters, then I could settle back in.
The narration wasn't bad enough to make me not want to listen, by any means. I loved this audio and will probably listen again for the story line.
It took me 9 days to finish an audio book that was 9 hours long. This book was dumb.
SPOILERS AHEAD...YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!!!
So we know this guy Nolan is looking for someone named Kip from back in the day that was in the streets. We know that the girl Ellie is a security guard with all these skills and wants to be a police officer. They meet and decide they're gonna fuck, then oops...we're in love. Ok, no problem.
This is what I have a problem with: 1. It seemed like the book never really got started. The whole thing felt like a set up for something else. They were gonna date, then a miscommunication, then they're gonna date again then a miscommunication, then they're in love. I didn't feel a connection between the two of them. 2. I hate women in these books (and in real life) that want to act like they don't care what a guy does because it's just "casual", but then gets all anxious when they think he's doing something. 3. I hate these books that make the conflict something that a normal human would have a conversation about vs jumping to a conclusion and then deciding in their own minds that it's over. I know people do that dumb shit in real life. My stupid best friend does that shit all the time. But that doesn't make for an interesting story in my opinion.
I've read 3 other books from this author that I liked from what I can remember, but this one wasn't it for me.
It was a kinda kind of book for me. I kinda liked it, but only because the heroine was a strong sassy woman. It was kinda hot and sexy; and it was kinda hilarious. The H was a pompous narcissistic jerk and of course a manwhore . I didn’t like him at all. He was kinda obsessed with the h and kinda sweet sometimes. But he was and remained a jerk. His flashbacks and a couple of verbal encounters with OW were disgusting. IMO. The book was kinda safe . Did I mention that I liked the heroine?!? *cool chick* ["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>
It started out funny as well. As time went on in the story it became a bit boring and it felt like the pages were fillers until you get to the end. I guess what I was expecting was BAM something happens to catch you then BAM instant romance then BAM again mystery, problems and then understanding back together again. This was kind of like that but fell short on the why the couple was separated. To me it was just an ok read. Storyline: 3 Heat: 3 Overall: 3
I was enjoying this book a lot, even though Ellie is such a closed off character, and while Nolan is giving himself to love, she is making sure her walls are up. And I get why she does it, but the way things were resolved bothered me.
Ellie is constantly saying to Nolan that they will break up someday, she talks like they relationship is doomed from the start. And then he tells her that he loves her, she doesn't say it back and when asked what she is doing the next day, she says she will hang out at home with her friend, but then Nolan sees her holding hands with someone she mentioned as a potential guy to date (even though she was just trying to provoke Nolan) and the way the scene is written is OTT and kinda ridiculous. Nolan was right and he avoiding her makes sense, he is not only protecting himself, he is protecting May too.
Imagine if the roles were reversed. If Ellie was a single mom that gave her heart to a guy and then saw him holding hands with someone he once intended to date?
And the way the author dealt with the situation was ridiculous and after that, the book turned to shit. So many coincidences and declarations of love and by the way, Nolan was the bad guy in the whole Liam Wolf situation. Ugh.
This was my first read with this author, and I knew after the blurb that I would read all three books in the series. In Risk, I liked the introduction as to how Ellie and Nolan met. There was just enough spiciness in language without it being a book that was more crude than filled with details. The author weaves the underlying mystery well throughout the story, with just enough bread crumbs to keep me reading. My compliments to the chef (I mean author) for crafting a well-told tale with heart. Nolan has his strengths and weaknesses; Ellie has hers. The secondary characters who are surely going to have their own romantic tales fit as well-rounded individuals, not one-sided stereotypes.
Everything I didn't remember that I wanted in a story is what this book has. By the time I got to the end, I was cheering and ready for the next read.
This was a great book and a terrific author. Brava!
I really enjoyed this book! The plot was interesting with steamy scenes and the development of a loving relationship between Nolan and Ellie. May, Nolan’s daughter was a delight and really made the story extra special. The one negative though was Nolan being such a disgusting player at the beginning. It reduced my interest in the story at first and I didn’t really engage until May appeared and Nolan confessed his love for Ellie. Despite this I will try another of this authors books as her writing style is excellent.
This is all about the risk everyone takes when they fall in love. The backgrounds of Ellie and Nolan are intertwined from years ago. Deborah Bladon has a way with her stories of drawing fate into lives and producing a love story. This story has it all. Steamy sex, romance, and happily ever after. My only complaint was the way some woman threw themselves at Nolan. It was unnecessary.
Deborah Bladon is a relatively new author to me. I read Thirst and it was so good that I wrote my first review for Amazon and Goodreads. This one is right up there as well. It is a true love story filled with connections and I had an idea where it was going but then it did not go there. It was close but unexpected. It is a beautiful story that made me cry at the end. I loved it and finished it in a few hours. I could not put it down.
I read a lot and this book will be in my library for future feel-good reading days. Whatever you do, start only when you have time to dedicate to finishing because once you begin, you'll stop everything to finish it.
The twists and turns of the story were well plotted up to the last page.
Don't miss out one RISK. I'm now starting the next in line to read about their best friends
I enjoyed how each main character was built and I enjoyed the story as a whole.
My only complaint is that there were a few subplots that just ended without an ending. What happened to Shelby’s lawsuit? Obviously, we knew the truth but what happened? Did she end up dropping the case? Also what happened to Tad?
Finally, why did they adopt Jonas before Nolan decided to get a reverse Vasectomy? I’m curious to know.
The writing was choppy but the characters were good. Ellie was strong and sassy. I could see her in law enforcement. I only liked Nolan and he proved me right with his immature attitude at one point. There was some book magic at end which was ok to the story but "fate" proved to be less of a catalyst in raising my opinion of Nolan.
Deborah Bladon is one of my favorite authors. She always has great characters and story lines and this book is no exception. To have an everyday woman working her way through life and meet Me Right along the way who is not only gorgeous and rich but rocks it in the sex department is all we can hope for. Looking forward to whatever she writes next.
I don't believe I have read any books by this author before. I will be checking them out though. She is an exceptional writer that pulls you right into the story. She has so many emotions that come out in this story. There are so many secrets that these people are keeping from each other. Can't wait to get the book on Crew and Adley.
I absolutely loved everything about this book! The characters were well developed and you felt yourself routing for them. There were a few loose ends, but it wrapped up very nicely. This was my first book by Deborah Bladon, and it certainly won't be my last. Her writing style is fantastic! The mystery and suspense was just right too. I highly recommend this book a lot.
I don't know how I missed this book and a few others, but I will be binge reading this weekend. I LOVE Deborah Bladon's writing and any book she puts out, I will be reading. I enjoyed this book and I loved the chemistry between Nolan and Ellie. The past and future colliding the way it did kept me on my toes.
I had started this book some time ago, and when I went back, instead of just finishing it, decided to re-read it all over again. I'm glad I did. I was in need of a good love story. I enjoy reading Deborah, and finding elements from other series wound through her stories. The twist at the end took me by surprise in this one.
This is a great story! Ellie falls into the lap of Nolan Black in Vegas. Then they meet again in New York. She ends up working for him but he wants more. For the first time Nolan is trusting and open with a woman. Ellie has a deep rooted pain and he also suffers from the past. And somehow they are tied together. This is definitely a book I would recommend.
All the 'i's are dotted and all the 't's are crossed in this book. Whatever history that was hinted at or secrets that were being kept were answered eventually. There was a slow build-up to the unravelling of what happened in Ellie's past, making the end scenes quite interesting, so read and pay attention to the early parts or the book.
I can't help it. Guys can be so dumb sometimes, especially when it comes to love. Nolan does all these wonderful things, then bugs out when he sees an innocent meeting. All that stuff at the end seems a little too coincidental. Plus, what doctor gives a 23 year old a vasectomy?