Review: Decidedly Off Limits by Stina Lindenblatt

Note: This ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

I've never been been in love with any of my sibling's best friends, possibly because my one and only brother's best friend wasn't my type (though I did have a crush on a couple of friends of his when I was already in college, but yeah, just crushes and not the lusting over them type), my older sister's best friend was gay, and my two younger sisters's best friends were girls. So, it's funny how much I adore reading books that employ the falling-for-my-best-friend's-sibling trope, maybe because I live vicariously through the stories or something along those lines. In author Stina Lindenblatt's first book in her still unnamed new series (which I'm calling Decidedly in my notes because the first two books have that word in their titles), Decidedly Off Limits, we get two times the trope and double the fun because main characters Kelsey Quaid and Trent Salway are best friends with each other's sibling.

Physical therapist Kelsey Quaid used to wish her best friend's brother--who also happened to be her brother's best friend--would see her as more than a little sister. Of course, if she were honest with herself, she still wishes the same thing even now in her twenties. But she's pretty much accepted that Trent Salway will never love--or lust over--her the way she does him. He may be spending more time with her now, but that's only because Trent made a promise to Kelsey's brother that he would watch over her while her brother was on his next assignment as a Navy SEAL. What no one knows--not Trent's best friend, not Trent's sister, and especially not Kelsey--is that Trent has had a thing for Kelsey since high school, but has never acted on his feelings out of respect--and well-placed fear--of his best friend. Will Trent finally have the courage to choose the girl he loves or is Kelsey forever off-limits?

This was a pleasantly light read, with just a dash of angst and drama to keep you on your toes. Kelsey and Trent are perfect for each other, but neither one has ever contemplated the idea of being anything more than friends who happen to be best friends with one another's sibling. The friendships they keep with those very siblings mean a great deal to them, and I get why it would be difficult to risk those, but I've always been a firm believer that if a friend were truly after their bestie's happiness, they wouldn't stand in the way of it, even if it happened to come in the form of their sibling. I mentioned earlier that I've never fallen for a sibling's best friend, but come to think of it, I have fallen for at least three brothers of three friends (at different times, of course), something I didn't realize till now so I have an even better appreciation for Decidedly Off Limits, which was a four-starred end to my reading day. ♥

Release Date: 07 November 2016

Date Read: 07 November 2016

Learn more about Stina Lindenblatt.

Purchase Decidedly Off Limits on Amazon.