Tall, Dark and Off Limits

Contrived conflict mars this steamy romance, the third in the “Men of Maddox Hill” series (after Corner Office Secrets). Ava and Zack’s attraction boils over when she needs to ask the hunky security expert for help after an online trolling problem spins out of control. They’ve been attracted to each other for years, but curiously don’t seem to know much about each other. While the chemistry between them is strong, the relationship never seems to progress beyond a surface-level attraction. For much of the book, the online trolling of Ava serves only as a catalyst to begin the romance, with very little attention paid to solving the mystery. The late reveal of the culprit is both obvious and underexplained. Presented with several possible ways to inject more tension into the relationship at the end, McKenna chooses all of them and fails to resolve any of them successfully. The happy ending feels prescribed rather than earned.