Received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

So I liked this one, but the author sped up the story in weird spots that made it hard to truly appreciate what she had done. For starters, Trent and Kinsey go from lust to love so fast and then the mystery gets wrapped up with almost zero explanation. The relationship description had it's strengths, but overall, it needed more to flesh out the story.

I enjoyed the whole premise of this book, and I liked the little bit of forbidden romance aspect between Trent and Kinsey. Trent is attracted to Kinsey, but thinks she too much of a good girl for him, so he hasn't pursued anything with her, but when Kinsey needs some police help, Trent is put on the case, and things begin to heat up. This is a bit of an enemies to lovers story, and I enjoyed the banter between the two. The sex scenes were hot! Trent has some walls built up, and doesn't feel deserving of anything other than a couple f*cks, but maintaining his distance is proving difficult. The romance is intense and sweet, and the characters are a good match. There were a couple things that were a bit weird, there was some weird threesome talk, that I was wondering why the author would include that little bit. Also, this is quite a short story, and I feel the story suffered a little from that, the case that Trent is working felt like it fizzled out, and didn't have quite the impact it could've. There was a great opportunity to increase the suspense and danger with that storyline, but it didn't feel fully fulfilled. Despite, the missed opportunity, I still really enjoyed this book, and I enjoy Molly McLain's writing!

I liked this first book in McLain's new contemporary romance series. I enjoyed seeing the two main characters, Kinsey and Trent, as they went from adversaries to lovers. The storyline kept me interested and I'm looking forward to seeing what is next in the series.

Bend is the first book I have read from Molly McLain and it is also the first book in her new Vegas Heat series. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to more in this series. While there were a few things that kept this one from being 5 stars for me, there was so much to like here as well in this sexy enemies to lovers story.

Trent is a cop that everyone knows is a hardass. He doesn't take any shit and he definitely doesn't care who you are, if you break the law you have to deal with the consequences. Though Trent respects his Captain, his daughter is a spoiled princess that rubs him the wrong way. But when Kinsey finds out that someone is stealing from the lingerie store she manages, she reluctantly calls the cops and finds herself forced to work with Trent.

I really liked this book in huge part to the characters. They had great chemistry and I loved the vibe between them. They started off on such opposite sides, and their relationship was one that evolved naturally. I loved that it wasn't rushed and that they became friends before they became lovers. Things were smoking hot between them and I just couldn't get enough! Trent didn't believe himself to be good, and it was really interesting to see his character grow and change over the course of the book.

Overall, this was a great story and I really loved the characters. As much as I loved Trent and Kinsey, I really liked the secondary characters as well. I am definitely looking forward to seeing as some of them get their own stories and we get more of tihs world. This was my first book by Molly McLain, but it won't be my last. I recommend giving this one a shot if you like sexy contemporary stories. While this is the first in the Vegas Heat series, each one will be an interconnected standalone.

This book was really interesting. I look forward to reading more from this author!

I would say this book had some potential but didn't make it to great. It was an okay read. It was fast, and sexy, but it needed more details. I may give this series one more chance

COPY RECEIVED FROM NETGALLEY
This was a quick read. Short and somewhat sexy. Trent is a police office in LV. Kinsey is the Captain's daughter. He pulls her over a least once a week. She is not above the law. When Kinsey comes across a theft in her store, Trent must find the culprit. The story would have been better if it was longer. There were some interesting aspects of their lives that could have been explored more. It was an ok read.

Bend is hot! The Hardass and the Princess are a sexy couple. Trent is an officer whose captain happens to be Kinsey's father. She's a spoiled, daddy's girl, or so Trent thinks, and he gets a kick out of pulling her over and giving her a hard time when she breaks even the tiniest law. When they end up working on a case together when she thinks someone is stealing from the lingerie store she manages, their relationship goes from 0 to 60 in a heartbeat.

I really like both Trent and Kinsey. He's got a lot of demons, though, and it has made him afraid to let people, specifically, women, in. He's alpha all the way, stoic and outwardly controlled. Kinsey is working on being an independent woman and breaking out of the box her father's preconceived notions have placed her into. The chemistry between the two is seriously electric, and their relationship is sexy with an emotional connection.

About the only thing I didn't like about Bend is that it was a little too short for my tastes. It wasn't completely fleshed out because of the length. It's a little rushed and their relationship wasn't given quite enough time to evolve. Other than, though, I really liked Bend and am interested in reading more about the characters that populate it.

Bend is fantastic quick read. The writing is great so the pages just flew by. Both characters sooo likable well develop interesting with great chemistry. Kinsley has no one to call for help when she finds out that someone is stealing from her store but arrogant annoying Trent. The cop who also works for her father and who is also very hot. Trent likes to annoy Kinsley a lot but the night at the Bal changes their unpleasant interaction in very hot secret relationship. The love scenes are so great written and hot and just waaau. I liked that the story is unpredictable both characters strong enough to recognized their mistake to talk about them and to accept help-trouth, love from their partner. Very good story.
Recommended!
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgelly

I would like to thank Molly McLain and Netgalley for giving me this book for my honest review.

Review by Stephanie

Bend was a fun and steamy read. I was able to devour this book in a day! Even though we are in the midst of winter this would be an amazing day at the beach read!

Bend is told in two point of views. I loved getting the pov from both Kinsey and Trent. This pair wow, their relationship is so complicated yet their chemistry is soooo on point!

I am so glad I saw this series at book one and I look forward to reading the next in the series!

This book was HOOOOTTTT!!
Loved it! It was also the first romance I have read of this author, and I have to say I was really impressed!

I loved the interactions between the H/h! And also the premise that the heroine was the captain's daughter.
My only criticism of the book is that it was too short! I wish we could have read more about the couple, or if this was closer to a 300pg book at least you may have been able to see this story develop more and have even more scenes between the H/h.

Still a great book!!

***3,5 "Sergeant Hardass" stars***

This was a quick, fun and sexy reading... But it was too short and i would enjoy to have more details and to learn more about the heroes and the plot...
But in only 120 pages, the writer did a very good job!!!
There was a nice plot with some mystery inside and there were a great hate to love romance between the hardass and the princess...

Kinsey and Trent didn't like each other very much...
They are everything that they despise to a person and that's why they are keeping their distance, especially Kinsey!!!
But every time that they are close to each other a deep hunger is underlying...
For how long will they fight it???

"What she’s given me isn’t enough. I want to consume every pretty fucking part of her, so that no one else can ever have her.
She’s made me selfish. Greedy. Hungry. Desperate.
With each kiss and with every sweet smile, she calls to something inside of me.
I have to walk . . . before I do something we both regret."

Kinsey appeared to be cold and indifferent, but she was anything but that!!!
She was daddy's girl, but she didn't want to find a man like her father and Trent was exactly that!!!
And he was so full of himself that she wanted to run far away from him...
But she couldn't deny that he was very nice at the eyes!!!
At this moment, she is having a big trouble in her work and her only solution in her problem is to ask Hardass's help and she hated it!!!

"Oh, no. No, no, no. There isn’t a single spark between Sergeant Hardass and me. You know, other than he’s sexy as crap. But that’s just bad boy fantasy stuff. In real life, I can’t stand him."

Trent from the other hand, he is a cocky prick and he knows it!!!
He is keeping everyone at arm's length and especially women... He is enjoying very much to play with captain's princess and even though that he doesn't like those kind of girls, he would love to f**k her!!!
Trent has a secret that he is making him act like a jerk, but in my opinion it wasn't so tragic as he made it to seem....

"She’s too fucking good for me. Always has been and always will be, regardless of whether or not she has a wicked side, too. Her demons and mine aren’t in the same league, not by a long shot."

Trent and Kinsey were very funny when they were fighting and very sexy when they were together...
They were fitting really nice as a couple!!!

"What I really craved was trust. A connection. Something deeper than I’d ever let myself have before.
Trent gives me that.
I don’t know how it happened. Or why. I’ve always been attracted to his arrogant cop attitude, but the man behind the badge is ten times more appealing. He’s real. He’s damaged. And he has the biggest heart.
I know he’s scared. I am, too. But I’m not afraid of him. I’m afraid that I’m falling for a man who may never realize how amazing he is. A man who may never accept himself enough to welcome how I feel about him."

***ARC kindly provided via NetGalley for the exchange of an honest review***

A women trying to step out of the watchful eyes of her father. A man affected by the past.

Kinsey 'Princess' Malloy is dealing with theft at her shop.

Police Officer Trent Clark is weighed down with the guilt of his father's past.

Despite their constant bickering Trent works with Kinsey to catch the thief red-handed and uncover more than they bargained for.

Done fighting their attraction for each other Kinsey breaks down the walls Trent long ago built-up.

Bend the first book in the Vegas Heat series was a decent read. The main problem I had with Bend was it jumped around too much. I would just be getting into the story or learning something about the characters, just starting to get deep and then the scene would jump to the next day or week. It left me feeling like I never really got to know the characters. It also made the story more superficial. It needed more meat. More story, more details, more everything. I did really like Trent and Kinsey. What I knew of them. Also the sex in this book was smokin' hot! But I would have enjoyed it so much more if it would have did more than just scratch the surface. The lack of details and depth not only cause me to not really connect to this book it caused me to have no interest in the secondary characters. They were really just random names with no backstory, and nothing to draw you to them. So overall I would say this book had some potential but didn't make it to great. It was an okay read. It was fast, and sexy, but it needed more details. I may give this series one more chance.