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Off-Limits #3
Firsts
Cassie
It’s the summer before college, and I’ve received an invitation to the Radcliff estate—a place my dad took us from and swore he’d never revisit.
I accept my aunt’s peace offering because I want to see my cousin again.
However, upon my arrival, I realize he’s changed.
Reid is cold and distant.
When he does open up, it creates something forbidden between us.
I remind him at every attempt that we’re “cousins.”
But slowly, those desires become too hard to fight.
Reid
Seven years ago, my best friend left, and it shattered my heart.
Even worse, she never reached out.
I was adamant about guarding myself around Cassie.
But the closer we get, the more difficult it is to keep my hands off her.
Now that she’s in my grasp, I won’t ever let her go.
She’s mine.
No matter what our family or anyone thinks.
*FIRSTS is a complete standalone forbidden romance. You do not need to read the previous books. Rated 18+ for mature content.
It’s the summer before college, and I’ve received an invitation to the Radcliff estate—a place my dad took us from and swore he’d never revisit.
I accept my aunt’s peace offering because I want to see my cousin again.
However, upon my arrival, I realize he’s changed.
Reid is cold and distant.
When he does open up, it creates something forbidden between us.
I remind him at every attempt that we’re “cousins.”
But slowly, those desires become too hard to fight.
Reid
Seven years ago, my best friend left, and it shattered my heart.
Even worse, she never reached out.
I was adamant about guarding myself around Cassie.
But the closer we get, the more difficult it is to keep my hands off her.
Now that she’s in my grasp, I won’t ever let her go.
She’s mine.
No matter what our family or anyone thinks.
*FIRSTS is a complete standalone forbidden romance. You do not need to read the previous books. Rated 18+ for mature content.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 1, 2022
42 people are currently reading
121 people want to read
About the author
Symone West
23 books79 followersSymone West is the author of sweet and sexy, sometimes dark, coming of age and adult romance and suspense.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 3, 2022
Y'all, the buildup in this book had me on the edge of my seat. Denying one's feelings can only lead to one path where boundaries are crossed and what's forbidden/taboo becomes irrelevant. I devoured this book in one go. Firsts consumed me with its secrets, all the firsts experienced, and the hope of a father doing right by his son. The slow burn in this book is done right, I felt the increase of tension as the story went along.
This book is helluva good!
This book is helluva good!
December 22, 2023
family matters
This is a story about Reid and Cassie. Will a summer together rekindle the sparks between these cousins? Read and see
This is a story about Reid and Cassie. Will a summer together rekindle the sparks between these cousins? Read and see
July 31, 2024
3.75 Stars. (BW/WM). Kindle Edition $3.99/ 304 page e-book.
Setting: Current times in modern day Philadelphia PA and Hartford CT.
Trope: Forbidden romance. Forced proximity. Childhood to adult relationship.
Characters:
1. Cassandra "Cassie" Radcliff, heroine, is eighteen and a black mixed race recent high school graduate who is spending the summer with her once estranged aunt and adoptive cousin.
2. Reid Radcliff, hero, is eighteen is the adoptive son of Cassie's father's sister, Helena.
3. & 4. Jeff and Mrs. Radcliff, Cassie's white father and black mother.
5. Helena Radcliff is Jeff's sister, Cassie's aunt and Reid's adoptive mother.
6. Barry, a failing musical, is Reid's biological father.
7, Jeffery Radcliff is Helena and Jeff's deceased father and owner of Radcliff Enterprises and wealth.
8. Logan is Cassie's best friend and secret admirer.
9. Bristol is Reid's clingy ex-girl friend.
10. Genevieve is the longtime housekeeper of the Radcliff family estate.
11. Mark and others are Reid's wealthy neighbors and friends.
This is an enjoyable read with likable characters. The friends to lovers story is endearing with small bits of ex-lover and what-a-be =lover drama capped by an out of no where twist. For the first eleven years of Cassie's life, she and her parents lived on the Radcliff family estate where she and Reid became devoted to each other-even sharing their first kiss and promising to always be together. Cassie's father moved broke with his father and sister and moved his family to Connecticut. This story begins following a seven year forced separation on the Radcliff's by Cassie's spiteful rebellious father. The story depicts how the forced proximity of a 3 month summer visit to the family residence by Cassie erases seven years of hurt feelings and animus between Cassie and Reid. During the course of the summer, Reid and Cassie forgive each other for not keeping in touch, over come the attempts of Logan and Bristol's attempt at shaming them for being together and acknowledge their love and family ties. Cassie and Reid manage the conditions of the inheritance and 4 years of a being in a loving long distance romance in order to graduate from colleges in different states. The story ends with Cassie and Reid moving into the lake house on the Radcliff estate where they will start their lives together.
Setting: Current times in modern day Philadelphia PA and Hartford CT.
Trope: Forbidden romance. Forced proximity. Childhood to adult relationship.
Characters:
1. Cassandra "Cassie" Radcliff, heroine, is eighteen and a black mixed race recent high school graduate who is spending the summer with her once estranged aunt and adoptive cousin.
2. Reid Radcliff, hero, is eighteen is the adoptive son of Cassie's father's sister, Helena.
3. & 4. Jeff and Mrs. Radcliff, Cassie's white father and black mother.
5. Helena Radcliff is Jeff's sister, Cassie's aunt and Reid's adoptive mother.
6. Barry, a failing musical, is Reid's biological father.
7, Jeffery Radcliff is Helena and Jeff's deceased father and owner of Radcliff Enterprises and wealth.
8. Logan is Cassie's best friend and secret admirer.
9. Bristol is Reid's clingy ex-girl friend.
10. Genevieve is the longtime housekeeper of the Radcliff family estate.
11. Mark and others are Reid's wealthy neighbors and friends.
This is an enjoyable read with likable characters. The friends to lovers story is endearing with small bits of ex-lover and what-a-be =lover drama capped by an out of no where twist. For the first eleven years of Cassie's life, she and her parents lived on the Radcliff family estate where she and Reid became devoted to each other-even sharing their first kiss and promising to always be together. Cassie's father moved broke with his father and sister and moved his family to Connecticut. This story begins following a seven year forced separation on the Radcliff's by Cassie's spiteful rebellious father. The story depicts how the forced proximity of a 3 month summer visit to the family residence by Cassie erases seven years of hurt feelings and animus between Cassie and Reid. During the course of the summer, Reid and Cassie forgive each other for not keeping in touch, over come the attempts of Logan and Bristol's attempt at shaming them for being together and acknowledge their love and family ties. Cassie and Reid manage the conditions of the inheritance and 4 years of a being in a loving long distance romance in order to graduate from colleges in different states. The story ends with Cassie and Reid moving into the lake house on the Radcliff estate where they will start their lives together.
July 11, 2022
FIRSTS is a cousins romance by Symone West, an author whose books I’ve recently discovered that I’ve been devouring with a voracious appetite. It’s a forbidden love story between two cousins + best friends, Cassie and Reid, who after 7 years apart due to a squabble between their parents are reunited for the summer.
Cassie’s father moved her and her mother to another state following a fallout with his late father and his sister, who is Reid’s adoptive mother. Cassie and Reid had been very close until the fracture, a feeling of abandonment that Reid hasn’t been able to fully forgive. When Cassie shows up at the request of her aunt, she hopes to reconnect with Reid but he’s not all that ready to let go of the past hurt of Cassie’s seeming defection. All grown up now, Cassie’s beauty and adventurous spirit enraptures Reid. He tries to resist but his desire for Cassie eventually overwhelms the hurt he felt with her leaving him and leads them down the road to complicated situation where love doesn’t always come easy.
I enjoyed this book a lot. Told from both Cassie and Reid’s perspectives, it gives readers good character insight as the story progresses, with both Reid and Cassie’s growing feelings for each other. The characters have good chemistry as well and the supporting characters added to the book to flesh out the world that Cassie and Reid inhabit.
I recommend it.
Cassie’s father moved her and her mother to another state following a fallout with his late father and his sister, who is Reid’s adoptive mother. Cassie and Reid had been very close until the fracture, a feeling of abandonment that Reid hasn’t been able to fully forgive. When Cassie shows up at the request of her aunt, she hopes to reconnect with Reid but he’s not all that ready to let go of the past hurt of Cassie’s seeming defection. All grown up now, Cassie’s beauty and adventurous spirit enraptures Reid. He tries to resist but his desire for Cassie eventually overwhelms the hurt he felt with her leaving him and leads them down the road to complicated situation where love doesn’t always come easy.
I enjoyed this book a lot. Told from both Cassie and Reid’s perspectives, it gives readers good character insight as the story progresses, with both Reid and Cassie’s growing feelings for each other. The characters have good chemistry as well and the supporting characters added to the book to flesh out the world that Cassie and Reid inhabit.
I recommend it.
July 17, 2022
Yummy!!
Love all the taboo deliciousness in this book!! Just finished this delicious morsel!! 🌶🌶🌶 It’s cousins…. First book I’ve read by this author. There is some mild OW/OM drama. Some Dubc@n in the beginning… This is actually the third book in the off limits series with the first two having to be read in order and this one a standalone. Wanted to read this one as it caught my eye first before trying the others…I’m off to read the first two book!!!
Love all the taboo deliciousness in this book!! Just finished this delicious morsel!! 🌶🌶🌶 It’s cousins…. First book I’ve read by this author. There is some mild OW/OM drama. Some Dubc@n in the beginning… This is actually the third book in the off limits series with the first two having to be read in order and this one a standalone. Wanted to read this one as it caught my eye first before trying the others…I’m off to read the first two book!!!
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February 3, 2024💕💕
This was an amazingly good read! This was definitely a forbidden romance and u loved everything about this read! Cassie & Reid loved each other so deeply. I'm happy they kept their promises to one another and finally was together for good after college. Their love was so sweet I was swooning and on the edge of my seat reading many manyyy parts of this book. Ohhhh yes!!! Symone brung the heat in this book!🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
This was an amazingly good read! This was definitely a forbidden romance and u loved everything about this read! Cassie & Reid loved each other so deeply. I'm happy they kept their promises to one another and finally was together for good after college. Their love was so sweet I was swooning and on the edge of my seat reading many manyyy parts of this book. Ohhhh yes!!! Symone brung the heat in this book!🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
March 4, 2023
Good storyline 👏🏽 👍🏽 👌🏾
Firsts: (Off-Limits series Book 3) Cassie and Reid are the H/h of the story. They've been beasties forever but Cassie and her parents moved away. Seven years later Cassie returns for summer but things have changed. Read to find out what is forbidden and what happens! Good read Symone West!😊
Firsts: (Off-Limits series Book 3) Cassie and Reid are the H/h of the story. They've been beasties forever but Cassie and her parents moved away. Seven years later Cassie returns for summer but things have changed. Read to find out what is forbidden and what happens! Good read Symone West!😊
July 4, 2022
Such a good love story. 🥰 The angst and acceptance of Cassie and Reid’s feelings for each other is well paced and written. There are some twists in the story that keep you on your toes and enhance the characters history. Highly recommend.
January 21, 2023
3.75!
Reid & Cassie are just so cute together. A little crazy with all the unprotected sex they were having.
This is very lighthearted but still has the taboo aspect of it.
Happy the series has has ended & all couples have a HEA!
Reid & Cassie are just so cute together. A little crazy with all the unprotected sex they were having.
This is very lighthearted but still has the taboo aspect of it.
Happy the series has has ended & all couples have a HEA!
November 13, 2022
I loved this book!! Very romantic and quite taboo!
August 16, 2022
Very good reading!
Family drama around 2 young people finding love, that does not meet with approval from all! Love triumphs and they will have their forever!
Family drama around 2 young people finding love, that does not meet with approval from all! Love triumphs and they will have their forever!
September 5, 2022
In Symone West’s third installment of the Off-Limits series, Cassie was invited to spend the summer at the Radcliff estate. A lot has changed in seven years and the welcome Cassie expects is not the welcome she gets. Cassie has no idea that she was lied to. Reid is also surprised, by the feelings that he still has for Cassie. In his mind, she has always been his person. The attraction is evident and Cassie will fight it for as long as she can.
I enjoyed this new adult forbidden romance story. For the most part, Reid tried not to give into his feeling for Cassie and keep her at arm’s length. Fate has other plans; Reid has additional baggage in the form of an ex-girlfriend who does not take their break-up well and a father who just cannot seem to stay on the straight and narrow. Through all this Reid will not be denied Cassie or his love for her. I found this story to be an enjoyable read.
I enjoyed this new adult forbidden romance story. For the most part, Reid tried not to give into his feeling for Cassie and keep her at arm’s length. Fate has other plans; Reid has additional baggage in the form of an ex-girlfriend who does not take their break-up well and a father who just cannot seem to stay on the straight and narrow. Through all this Reid will not be denied Cassie or his love for her. I found this story to be an enjoyable read.
October 7, 2025
kinda hated the last few chapters because of time jumps, but oh well, pretty good ride
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews