I really loved the A Little Too Far series by Lisa Desrochers, so I was really excited to see that she had a new series coming out. Outside the Lines is the first book in her On the Run series, and I think that this one was a good start. I liked the characters and am interested to see where things go from here, especially with the way things were set up for the next book. I will admit that this one was very slow going for me though and I really struggled with the first 30-40% of this book. It was a bit hard to get into, but I am glad that I stuck with it.
After his mother is murdered and his father put in prison, Robert Delgado will do whatever it takes to keep his family safe. Even though it means leaving everything behind, Robert and his siblings enter witness protection leaving Chicago and relocating to Port St. Mary, Florida. There he meets his youngest brother's new teacher, Adri Wilson. Though Robert and his siblings appear to be safe, now going by the last name of Davidson, he knows more than any of them that they need to keep to themselves in order to remain safe. But he finds himself increasingly drawn to Adri, and no matter how hard he tries the attraction between them is more than he can fight. Adri knows that the Davidsons are hiding something, but she is determined to do whatever it takes to show Rob and his little brother Sherm that she is there for them. But the closer they get, the more Adri will be in danger and being with Rob could very well mean that she will become as big of a target as they are.
I really liked the characters here. I loved Sherm, and I felt so bad for him. He was so young and was clearly struggling, yet Adri was able to reach him and help just by being herself. She was great with him, and she was exactly what Rob needed as well. She was smart and kind, and very strong. She was unlike any of the girls that Rob had dealt with before, and she was just such a good person that you couldn't help but admire her. It was easy to see how well she connected with their family right away just by being who she was. Rob was loyal and protective, and I really loved how determined he was to do right by his family. He shouldered so much responsibility and guilt for everything his family was going through, and I was so glad that he found someone like Adri. He really needed her, and as they got to know more about one another their connection just grew stronger. The attraction and chemistry was there from the beginning, but I really liked seeing them grow closer as they got to know one another.
As I said though, it was very hard for me to get into this story and there were times that I wanted to give up. I found myself nodding off and growing bored with all the mundane day to day details. There was not a lot happening here and that really kept me from being able to enjoy the beginning of this story, even though I was interested. I liked the characters and the premise, but I feel like there was so much that could have been condensed here or even omitted. There was a bit too much of the day to day taking Sherm to school and picking him up and it was all just sort of going through the motions. Even once the action started to pick up, there wasn't a lot actually going on. I did like the set-up here for the next book though, and I am so curious to see how Lee and Oliver first fell for one another and what happens for them next! Knowing that their families hate one another and are enemies makes for such an interesting story, and I can't wait for more. Hopefully the pacing of their story, Over the Line, will not be as slow as Outside the Lines was. If you can get through the first 30-40%, this is a good story and worth the read, even if it isn't my favorite from Lisa Desrochers. But if you are looking for something fast paced or action packed, this probably isn't the story for you.
**ARC Provided by Publisher**
