Author: Brooke Cumberland
Genre: Romance
Published on: September 16, 2015; self-published
He's my art professor.
I'm his student.
With an electric connection and undeniable chemistry, I know it won't be long until one of us cracks.
When the opportunity arises to pose naked for the entire art class, I can't help the thrill of knowing he'll be watching me.
While they all look past me with their eyes narrowed and concentrated, drawing only the lines and angles of my body, he sees right through me down to my vulnerability.
He sees more than just the physical aspects--he sees me.
That's when I see the struggle in his features as he tries to stay in control.
How do we keep our distance when everything seems to be pulling us together?
What feels so right can only go wrong if we keep pushing the limits.
At the time I first bought this book, I was in the mood for a risqué romance. I hadn’t read anything like Pushing the Limits before, except the Call series by Emma Hart. I read romance books for the heroine, so I thought I would like Aspen Evans. She’s the main protagonist of this novel. Is she a likable character? I was intrigued enough to find out.
Half of Pushing the Limits is written in Aspen’s first-person POV. She's a hardened, secretive young woman who attends the California School of Liberal Arts. It’s revealed from the very start that Aspen lost her twin sister, Ariel, six years ago. Since then, Aspen uses art as a form of therapy. It turned out that Aspen has so much talent that she’s now enrolled in an Advanced Art class. She even has several pieces on display at one of the largest museums in the city. Aspen also works there as a tour guide.
The love interest is Morgan Hampton. Or more accurately, Professor Hampton. He’s an artist who recently got a job to teach the Advanced Art class that Aspen will take. Professor Hampton reviewed each of his student's art portfolios. Aspen's intrigued him in particular. The first day of class, Professor Hampton spends a few minutes evaluating Aspen's character. There's undeniable chemistry between them almost from the moment they meet. The forbidden aspect of it makes it intriguing. I don't exactly condone teacher-student relationships. Still, it's clear there's more than mere attraction between Aspen and Morgan.
It takes a while before Aspen and Morgan act on their feelings. They both have strong reasons for it. For Aspen, it’s fear of opening her heart. The pain of losing Ariel made her feel broken. For Morgan, he restrained himself out of respect and professionalism. He genuinely cares about Aspen, especially after he found out about her panic attacks. Despite being a guarded person, Aspen still has two best friends: Kendall and Zoe. Aspen has known them since moving into their apartment building a few months ago. They care about Aspen but know little about her life. I found Kendall interesting. She enjoys casual relationships for the fun, whereas Aspen prefers them because she thinks her heart can't handle more. Morgan is the first guy who awakens real feelings in Aspen. He breaks down her walls little by little
Pushing the Limits was as good as I thought it would be. Aspen Evans was a compelling character who made me root for her. Some readers thought she wasn’t well-written, but I disagree. I thought the author handled Aspen well. It takes serious talent to write a character like her. She’s pain, hope, passion, and brilliance. As for Professor Hampton/Morgan, he was the man Aspen needed. He never treated her like an object. Morgan cared about and respected Aspen, and pushed her to be a better artist. And yeah, their chemistry is intense. This book is for mature readers, though it's not as NSFW as Emma Hart's Call series. Pushing the Limits is a New Adult romance with fleshed-out characters. It's good enough that I'd read it again.
My rating: ★★★★ 1/2
4.5 stars - A fantastic page-turner!
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