Give it All by Cara McKenna (Desert Dogs #2)
Romantic Suspense
Released: February 3, 2015
Signet

Reviewed by Mandi

Favorite Quote: “You talk like a robot butler,” she said, stroking his hard chest and arms. “Why the fuck does that get me so wet?”

For those that read Lay it Down, you’ve already met our hero and heroine,  Duncan Welch and Raina Harper – and if you are anything like me, the idea of these two together is very exciting. Duncan is a lawyer working for the firm that is in the run down town of Fortuity – but it won’t be run down for long. Sunnyside is in the beginning stages of building a casino, something that will bring in a lot of money, but the locals don’t want any of it. They want their town to stay small without any outsiders – unfortunately, the casino is coming. In book one, the suspense revolved around some burned up bones, bribes and people covering up a murder. Duncan helped with that investigation, but the ramifications have carried over to this book. When one of the guys involved in the murder is caught, he tells the Feds that Duncan has been receiving bribes from certain people, implicating him.

Raina owns Benji’s, the local bar in town. Raina knows everyone in this town and doesn’t take crap from anyone. Also a tattoo artist, she is a jean and boot wearing hard ass. Duncan often shows up in the evenings for his vodka and tonics and for whatever reason, these two start eyeing each other up. Raina becomes obsessed and amused to pry under Duncan’s stuffy appearance. Duncan wears very expensive suits and shoes. He is very serious. Very proper. Very put together – basically the opposite of everyone in Fortuity. Raina is loud and has lived a hard life. She rides a motorcycle and would rather punch someone than be wooed romantically. When Duncan starts to get threatened because of his possible bribery charges, Raina decides he needs protection, and he moves in with her (much to his dismay). She starts to really get to know him – his OCD tendencies and why he has them. Duncan bleaches the bathroom for three hours a day almost every day when he feels out of control. He is on medication of anxiety. All of this goes against his perfect outside persona.

I’m not sure why a stuck-up, OCD lawyer gets me hot but oh my god Duncan did it for me. Cara McKenna writes him so well. He can be so snobby and look down upon the people of Fortuity, but McKenna tells his story and soon you realize he is becoming friends with these people, and falling in love with Raina and it all makes perfect sense! Part of the reason is that Duncan acknowledges and accepts that he has OCD tendencies and that he must live his life a certain way to keep his anxiety under control. He owns it and he has just enough of a sense of humor where he doesn’t come off as a complete douche to other people.

Duncan’s anxiety issues don’t leave him at the bedroom door. He surprises Raina with how sexually aggressive and dirty he can be, but he has his moments in bed where his anxiety shines through. He is not close to being a virgin, but he is a BJ virgin. And that is mighty hot.

“You’re going to let me do this,” she said, her gaze steady, “and I’m going to love every second of it. And maybe you’ll love it, too. And all this is is my mouth on your cock – a woman wanting to make a man feel good. I don’t care if it’s unladylike, or unattractive, or unhygienic. Or if it makes you feel like the sort of man who likes getting his dick sucked, or how you feel about that. It’s what I want, and you’re going to give it to me. Okay?”

He blinked, uncertain. Swallowed. Nodded.

Also added to this story is a great supporting cast. Casey, whose book is next made me laugh so damn much. He is such a smart-ass and there are so many hints that he has some crazy profession or past that I’m dying to know about.

I don’t looooove the suspense with the burned, missing bones that has carried over from book one. I kind of wish we had some new suspense or a different conflict to read about. But the strength in this story are the characters and their relationships. Both Duncan and Raina, and the relationships of the their close friends are done really well.

And Duncan Welsh is a sexy beast. A sexy, controlled, OCD, anxiety-ridden beast. I loved him.

Rating: B

Goodreads l Author Website l Series

Kindle l Nook