Riskier Business by Tessa Bailey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

His tortured gaze finally met hers. “Your father is back in town.”

Well, I'm posting this a day late for the #TBRChallenge but I finally was able to sit down and finish a book, so glass half full.

January's theme was Quickie, and novella came to mind right away for me. I typically struggle with novellas because the relationship development is tougher to match the depth I like. Sticking with last years rule of the books I choose for this challenge have to have been on my tbr for at least 5 years, I chose Riskier Business, which has been on my tbr since 2016. Because I've now turned into a messy reader, I haven't read the book that stars the couple this novella is about. However, I have read the first book in the series that book is in, totally counts!

This novella is .5 in the Crossing the Line series and seems to be the way the author is bridging Crossing the Line from Line of Duty series, which this couple's original book is in. Troy is a detective and Ruby is a former pool hustler who has now gone legit with her own custom pool stick company. This is a Tessa Bailey so the banging is front and center and has some hot moments but since I missed the buy me dinner portion (their first book) I wasn't totally connected to their steamy feels in the bedroom.

The author does a good job giving us the gist of what happened in Ruby and Troy's book, wrong side of the law pool hustler entanglement with detective and a life threatening situation that led to love. Ruby and Troy are now living together, Ruby has an employee named Mya, Troy still has issues with how close she is to her bestfriend Bowen, and now her shady father has come back into the picture. Daddy-o wants Ruby to hustle one more pool game, against her previously unknown uncle. Ruby's mother abandoned her and took off with $100,000 of shady daddy's money. If Ruby wins the pool game, uncle gives up abandoning mommy's location. Ruby has always been curious about her mom and though it makes Troy mad, she agrees to the game.

Does the premise around the pool game make much sense? No. Nononono. Lol. But it brings tension and angst to Ruby and Troy's relationship while also bringing some mystery to who Ruby's mom could be. If you read their original book, you'd get a lot more out of this, you'd already be invested in their emotions and probably enjoy the glimpses of past couples from the Line of Duty series. There are copious amounts of secondary characters that could entice you to pick up their books.

This satisfied the Quickie prompt in being short and having a fair share of sexual quickies. It resolved some issues I imagine readers felt had been left open for this couple and it bridged to a new series that looks to start off with Ruby's bestfriend and newly discovered half-brother! Bowen. Bailey delivered with what she's known for, sexcapades with some entertaining story. ( )

4.5 Stars - I love everything by Tessa Bailey. This book jumped right in and took off. We already know Troy and Ruby, so no time was wasted. At the end of chapter two I already needed some time alone. A definite one handed read. The only downfall for me was that I wanted more! ( )

This book continues Troy and Ruby's story that starts in His Risk to Take. Ruby's father is back and pulling Ruby back to the pool hustling life. Troy wants her to have nothing to do with it but answers to the secrets from Ruby's past pull her in.

Another great story with these two intense characters. Very steamy and intense. I definitely recommend it. ( )