Title: Lead Me On Series: Tumble Creek #3
Author: Victoria Dahl
Published: January 5, 2010
Genre(s): Romance: Contemporary
Page Count: 344
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:Raw, animal magnetism...
...is a big red flag to prim and proper office manager Jane Morgan. After a rough childhood with a mother who liked her men in prison-jumpsuit orange, Jane changed her name, her look and her taste for bad boys. So why is she lusting for William Chase with his tattoo-covered biceps and steel-toed boots? The man blows things up for a living!
She gives herself one explosive, fantasy-filled night with Chase. The next day it's back to plain Jane and safe men.
But when her beloved brother becomes a murder suspect, it's Chase who comes to her rescue. And Jane discovers that a man who's been around the block knows a thing or two about uncovering the truth...
This was absolutely the best of Victoria Dahl’s three Tumble Creek novels! The plot was well-constructed, the characters were nuanced (but not frustrating), and the chemistry was very…sizzly. Lead Me On was just an all-around solid romance from every angle.
Initially, this seems to be a case of opposites attracting. Prim Jane is a secretary for a prominent architect, and Chase is covered in tattoos and blows things up for a living. But as Jane and Chase learn, it’s best not to judge appearances—he’s a kind, respectable business owner, and she’s the daughter of a convicted murderer and has her own shady past. Lead Me On is about Jane coming to terms with herself and learning to not let others’ opinion dictate her happiness—and also Chase is pretty good in bed, though he’s hurt that she’s only using him for sex.
I think what I love most about this book is how it really breaks away from traditional gender roles in romance. Chase’s exterior screams “bad boy”, but he’s kind, hardworking, completely comfortable in his own skin, and not very “bad”. He’s ready for a commitment and isn’t afraid to admit his love for Jane. Jane, meanwhile, uses Chase without hesitation and is really pretty cruel/rude to him, all while dealing with her phobia of relationships and ruined reputation. Most of the emotional growth in Lead Me On comes from Jane, while Chase is there to support her in spite of how much she hurts him. Not that Chase is a flat supporting character, of course. It’s just nice that Dahl gives her female lead such a range of hardness and vulnerability and never once compromises her agency or independence.
The plot in Lead Me On is also significantly stronger than the two previous books in the series. There’s a mystery element once again, but it was neither obvious or cheesy, and I felt that it fight in well with Jane and Chase’s developing feelings for each other, since it was, in part, what brought them together.
So, yeah. I felt this book was very strong and well-done, and (so far) the best I’ve seen from Victoria Dahl, though I’ll certainly read more from her at some point. Lead Me On is a great romance with complicated and three-dimensional characters who have exciting chemistry. I approve.
