REVIEW: Take To The Limit by Dawn Ryder

In Take To The Limit by Dawn Ryder, military man Bram Magnus is trying to join the Special Ops team known as The Shadow Ops. He knows his relationship with LeAnn is over when he catches her making out with someone else, but he’s ok with that since he really wants LeAnn’s sister, Jaelyn. When Jaelyn, LeAnn, and their grandfather, Milton are put in danger because of their association with Bram, it’s up to him and The Shadow Ops team to keep them safe.

Bram’s sister was one of the main characters in the first book in the series. Bram didn’t have a large role in that book, but it seems like he had a larger role in the third book of the series, which has been the only one I haven’t read. Because of that, I missed the mission which gained Bram a probation period with The Shadow Ops team. I recommend reading the books in order because there’s an on-going storyline about Tyler, a former member of The Shadow Ops who sold the team out in a previous book in order to get in with Carl, who’s running to be president. Ricky Sullivan, a hitman hired by Carl and Tyler, is also back from the previous books. It would be helpful to read the previous books to get a better understanding of that part of the story.

I had a hard time with Bram and Jaelyn. I think part of it was that he was with LeAnn first. Yes, she was cheating on him, but they hadn’t even spoken about breaking up when he starts making out with Jaelyn. And Jaelyn, knowing Bram was still with LeAnn, just starts kissing him. Frankly, neither Bram, Jaelyn, or LeAnn appealed to me because of their behavior.

LeAnn is jealous of Jaelyn and Bram’s attraction to her, and she does some things to keep them apart. Then, when they’re put in danger, she suddenly changed her tune and becomes a better person. I found the one-eighty a little hard to buy.

My favorite character in this book was Milton, the grandfather. There is more to the man than meets the eye. He’s also entertaining, at one point even hiding the coffee.

Jaelyn fixed him with an expectant look. Her grandfather sat the mug down and wandered out the back door. She snorted with frustration and was pretty sure she heard him chuckling.
A moment later, he plucked a thermos off one of the boulders where he’d stashed it and twisted the silver cap off. He leaned back against one of the boulders as he poured a steaming stream of dark java into the cap and toasted her with it.

The table of contents lists only six chapters. Having read an advanced copy, I’m hoping it’s broken down into more chapters before it’s actually published. The chapters were long and they would jump from the team to the bad guys with no warning. At times I thought I was reading about one side and then realized I was reading about the other side. This didn’t affect my rating– I based that on the characters and the storyline itself–but I did find it confusing and somewhat frustrating at points.

I found this to be my least favorite book of the series that I’ve read so far. Not only was I not crazy about the behavior of the characters, I didn’t really feel a connection between Bram and Jaelyn.

If you’ve enjoyed the previous books in the series, you will want to read this one to see what happens to Tyler and Ricky. Readers of romantic suspense may enjoy this as well.

Book Info:

Publication: August 29, 2017 | St. Martin’s Press | Unbroken Heroes #4

A hardened military machine, Bram Magnus is a tough, combat-ready, all-American hero who never surrenders. But the one thing he can’t fight? His smoldering, intense attraction to his girlfriend’s younger sister. He’s always kept his feelings locked deeply down. But when his girlfriend betrays him the night before he ships off to Afghanistan, Bram has one chance to show the woman he’s resisted for years that he wants her as fiercely as the first day he saw her.

Ever since her older sister first brought home the soldier with steely hard muscles and piercing eyes, Jaelyn has wanted Bram, and when her sister casts him aside the night before he leaves, Jaelyn can’t resist one steamy hot kiss with him. But danger is not far behind, and even as a deadly enemy hunts them, their relationship only grows more explosive. It’s all Bram can do to keep Jaelyn safe, but with a threat this powerful, will they pay the ultimate price for their passion?