Title: Don’t You Dare
Author: CE Ricci
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Amazon/Self
Heat: 4 Flames
Rating: 3.5 Hearts
Synopsis via Goodreads:
It was never meant to be more than a dare. A party game. A dare. A single kiss.
That’s all it took to flip my world upside down.
I’ve always classified myself as straight, and as far as I can tell, so has he.
I didn’t think one kiss would change that, but I was so wrong.
Now, I can’t stop thinking about him. In all the ways I shouldn’t.
My best friend.
Aspen.
His taste is branded in my memory, his touch seared in my skin.
And I want more.
This simmering attraction I feel only grows with passing time. Which is why I start tossing out new dares. Riskier ones that toe lines we never thought we’d cross. I’m gambling with our friendship, knowing it could ruin us.
But there’s so much more at stake here.
Like my heart.
Review: Don’t You Dare is a new adult college romance featuring two best friends, scorching dirty talk, and a whole lot of bi-curious exploration.
This was my first book by CE Ricci. It’s a best friends to lovers trope with sexual exploration/discovery on both parties. It’s my favorite trope.
They are dared to kiss each other in high school, which opens up a whole new world for Keene. One that he struggles with in silence for over a year until it happens again two years later at a college party.
It was a quick read for me. I read it in a day. Ms. Ricci has a gift for dirty talk and sensuality, I highlighted a ton of quotes. I liked this one, it paints an image…
“Goddamn,” he marvels, still smirking as he works himself over. “Wrecked is a good look on you. Wrecked just for me.”
This should have easily been a five-star read for me, but sadly it wasn’t. Some of the dialogue felt off to me. There was a lot of internal dialogue. We were in Aspen or Keene’s head for what felt like at least half of the book. For some reason, I just couldn’t connect with either character as much as I wanted to. I don’t know why. We don’t see a whole lot of growth because Aspen is emotionally stunted. I didn’t fully understand why Aspen was the way he was, closed off and detached from most everything except Keene. It was never really explained or perhaps l missed it. l don’t know. There were a couple things the author alluded to, but it was very vague.
“You’re the one who doesn’t let people in or allow them to get close. If you decide to pull that shit on him, there’s no way it’ll last.” Finally, she looks over at me. “You told me Keene is like a golden retriever, and I can see it. He just loves and loves and loves. Never met a person he didn’t like. And he’s also the kind of person who needs that kind of love in return.”
“I don’t know how to give him that. Or how to be what he deserves.”
There was a lot of telling versus showing though. I was told what happened, what was said, what to think, what to feel rather than the characters showing me through their actions, dialogue, and personalities, and allowing those details to evoke the emotion the writer wants. When you can balance the ability to both show and tell, it makes a huge difference.
It was obvious that these two loved each other deeply, but there was just something missing for me. This kind of book should have rendered me into an emotional puddle of goo, which is one of the reasons why I love this trope, but it…didn’t. And it left me feeling bereft.
That said, this was probably one of my favorite scenes in the book. They are away for a weekend at an oceanside cottage on the beach:
“Hey Kee?” I glance up at him from over the camera, clicking the final setting for the timer.
“How good are you at catching?” He blinks at me as if I’m stupid and frowns. “I’m literally a catcher, Pen. What kind of question is that?”
“Just making sure,” I murmur to myself With everything ready to go, there’s nothing left to do but click the shutter and quickly bolt around the tripod toward him. Which I do, only confusing him more.
“Better think fast,” I say as I jump into his arms. My legs wrap around his waist and cling to him like a damn monkey climbing a tree before planting my lips on his. He catches me, even with being taken by surprise for a second. But then his hands grip my thighs, just below my ass, and he tugs me to him as his mouth molds to mine. One of my palms cups the side of his face, and I dive in for more, kissing him like he’s the air I breathe. Our tongues roll together in a slow, seductive dance that I never want to end, and even though I know the camera’s long since stopped snapping images, I keep kissing him. Because I can. Because he’s mine.
My heart thumbs wildly in my chest when I pull away, chest heaving with effort. And then I do the scariest thing I’ve done yet; I let myself crack open a little more for him.
[…]
“I want you. So much. I can’t think. Can’t breathe. I can’t do anything but want you.”
[…]
“You already have me.”
Four words, and my heart explodes.
There is some drama, and then we have the obligatory breakup. This does finally lead to some character growth, but it’s almost the end of the book when it happens, so it doesn’t endear them to you as much.
The whole non-relationship they embark on disguised as sexual exploration is so unhealthy and riddled with codependency. Aspen knows he can’t be what Keene needs. Keene knows he’ll end up hurt and alone, but falls in love anyway. Poor guys just set themselves up for failure.
Despite all this, I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either. The reconciliation and epilogue at the end saved the book for me. Would I read it again? Maybe. Will I try another book by this author? Likely. I’ve heard rave reviews of this author’s River & Rain series. So I’ll probably look into that. Overall, I was disappointed because I was so excited about this one. It ticked so many boxes for me, but it was just not meant to be. l’m willing to try again though. Just because I didn’t like this one as much as I wanted to doesn’t mean there aren’t others by this author that I might like.
Based on other reviews, a lot of people seemed to enjoy this one though. Perhaps you will too. Pick it up if you like reading friends to lovers stories.
That cover tho? ❤️🔥
Purchase Link | Amazon
