Review for Take Me by Olivia Cunning

She is one woman he should never touch…

Sole Regret’s enigmatic vocalist, Jacob “Shade” Silverton, is a consummate womanizer, but even he knows better than to get involved with one special woman from his past. Mixing friendship and pleasure can only lead to a broken heart, and he’s suffered enough heartache to swear off relationships for a lifetime.

He is one man she has always desired…

Amanda Lange knows all about Shade’s naughty reputation, but that doesn’t stop her from wanting to dive into the gorgeous rock star’s arms and into his bed. She convinces herself that one night of passion won’t complicate their friendship, but can she convince him of that?

They’re both playing with fire.

Neither of them realized how far one kiss would take them. As the flames of their passion ignite with the intensity of an inferno, will either of them escape the experience without being burned or will both be branded fool enough to take a chance on a relationship that was marked for ruin before it even began?

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Take Me continues the rock-n-roll saga of the One Night With Sole Regret series and is the best written and fully fleshed-out of all the books thus far in my opinion.  It picks up immediately after the conclusion of Tempt Me and gives intriguing insight into the personal life of lead singer Jacob "Shade" Silverton.  An insight that makes him immensely likable and sympathetic.

Jacob adores his daughter but with an ex-wife bitter over his affairs it's difficult to maintain the relationship he desperately wants to have with her.  I enjoyed seeing this softer side of a character who until now has been nothing but angry and cold towards others.  It's the first chink in his armor that we see and his unexpected night with ex-sister-in-law Amanda lessens his aloofness even further.

Amanda has had a crush on Jacob since the moment she laid eyes on him but he married her sister instead.  As the smart yet funny and reliable one, Amanda always ends up friends instead of lovers with the men she's attracted to.  She catches Jacob in a somber mood after another bad encounter with his ex though and is determined to put a smile on his face.  Amanda has a great sense of humor which Jacob values as well as her liking him just for himself and they embark on an unforgettable evening of sexual excess where Amanda focuses on Jacob instead of "Shade".  These scenes are super steamy and show an easy camaraderie between them.  These scenes bring out a calm and fun loving Jacob, again the complete opposite to what we've seen from him previously.

Jacob knows things can't end well with Amanda as his ex-wife's rage will flare once again when she finds out about them but he fights until the very end to keep Amanda by his side.  The end of the story definitely isn't the end though as we're only heading towards a HEA. This story feels like an episode of a soap opera with an emotional cliffhanger left in its wake and has me greatly anticipating returning to finish their HEA.  What Amanda and Jacob have started here is a sweetly sexy relationship based on friendship, acceptance, and wanting to help the other move past their regrets as we finally learn why the band calls themselves Sole Regret.  With its emotional baggage, intertwined storylines, and intriguing set of band members this series continues to satisfy and has me raising my lighter in appreciation.

My rating for this is a B+

*I purchased this book for my personal library.