by Lori Foster
Series: Love Undercover #2
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Source: Tour
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Rating:
A cop's craving to know more about the woman next door could prove fatal in the steamy new novel from New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster" As the person responsible for taking down a brutal human trafficker, Alice Appleton fears retaliation at every turn. No one knows about her past, which is exactly how she prefers it...until the sexy cop next door comes knocking. Detective Reese Bareden thinks he knows what makes women tick, but his ever-elusive neighbor keeps him guessing like no other. Is his goal to unmask Alice's secrets? Or protect her from a dangerous new threat? One thing is certain: their chemistry is a time bomb waiting to explode. And with no one to trust but each other, Reese and Alice are soon drawn into a deadly maze of corruption, intrigue, and desire-and into the line of fire....
Today I am excited to be a part of the Lori Foster Bare It All Tour with BookTribs. Romantic suspense is one of my favorite genres and I have been enjoying the Love Undercover series. Enjoy my review of book two, Bare It All:
One of my favorite genres is romantic suspense and Lori Foster’s new series Love Undercover delivers all the elements I love; suspense, swoon-worthy heroes, humor and enough heat to leave me sizzling. We first met the characters from Bare It All in book one Run the Risk, and while they each can be read as a standalone I recommend reading them in order to fully appreciate all of the characters and an overall arc thread.
The tale picks up the morning after Run the Risk ends and we find Detective Reese Bareden sleeping on his neighbor’s sofa. His quiet, sexy, elusive neighbor surprised the heck out of him last night with her quick thinking and gun-toting attitude and he is determined to find out more about her. He’s not the only one who realizes she is hiding something. Reese is drawn to her on so many levels and as secrets are revealed and the plot unfolds things quickly heat up.
Reese is a smexy, noble cop through and through and I loved getting to know him. The more he uncovers about Alice the more he is in awe of this complicated, flawed and damaged woman. Alice has been the victim and has taken steps to ensure that never happens again; this includes creating a wall around herself. Reese keeps chipping away and she soon finds she wants to let him in. The chemistry between them is sweet, hot, and at times hilarious. Alice’s reaction to Reese’s tone body made me giggle as Reese kept saying, “Eyes up here doll.” It felt genuine and the fact that they had a mutual respect for each other in book one made the relationship click for me despite the rushed pace at which it unfolded. We see Logan, Pepper, police sergeant Marge and Logan’s brother again. They all helped propel the plot and added to the character connections. We also see Marge in a more feminine light and hints are dropped about a relationship. I am hoping we get her story soon. Rowdy is back as he too realizes Alice may need protecting. I loved the interaction between him and Reese. Rowdy has always lived in the grey area between the law and criminal world and watching him begin to trust the boys in blue was fun. While he is still a ladies’ man, his interesting and actions regarding Avery have me anxious for more page time with him. The villains are ruthless and kept the suspense and action in high gear.
The romance between Reese and Alice took center stage in this tale and the other threads kept me spellbound. A complicated, ruthless drug lord, corrupt police, and a vigilante kept things interesting. I love how Foster gets us up-close and personal with the characters giving us a strong sense of who they are and what drives them enabling me to form attachments. While there are several threads, each one is well developed and kept me enthralled as she skillfully wove them together towards the climactic ending. An overall arc and connection between the characters can be found in each book but each contains a romance and complete storyline. The next tale focuses on Rowdy and I cannot wait for its release.
Fans of romantic suspense, with swoon-worthy characters and tough woman, will appreciate the Love Undercover series and the steamy, action-packed tale Bare It All delivered. Getting Rowdy book three releases September 24, 2013. The first book Run the Risk is available in all formats.
Turning the Pages
I’ve been wanting to try Lori Foster out for awhile now but I never know what series to start with but I think I’ll start with this series because this one looks like a really good read for me. I love a good Swoon Worthy Characters as much as the next girl 😀
kimbacaffeinate
*nods head*
brandileigh2003
Reese as the smexy cop sounds hot !
kimbacaffeinate
Agreed.My first day back was tiring..LOL I came home and took a three hour nap. The docs say it will be 4-6 weeks before I am totally up to snuff . Thanks for asking!
kimbacaffeinate
I am really enjoying this series and thanks Danielle:)
kimbacaffeinate
ooh it’s the perfect combo!!
Toni
Romantic suspense could very well be a new genre for me. I’m not a huge fan of traditional or contemporary romance, but I love thrillers and suspense so this could be something for me to look into. Thanks!
Toni
Ooh, and I like your new “stalk me beverages.” 🙂
kimbacaffeinate
Me too, this is a great series!
kimbacaffeinate
hehehe
GRgenius
Oh boy. I know a lot of fans of this author’s work that will be clamoring for this title. *ducks and covers*
kimbacaffeinate
thanks Maja and I agree Reese is yum!
Maja (The Nocturnal Library)
Oh, my God, the guy on the cover is gorgeous! I’d read the book just for him. Although admittedly the rest sounds fabulous as well and I love that Foster invested so much effort into her characters.
Wonderful review!
kimbacaffeinate
we all need more hours..LOL but this is a great series in romantic suspense
Heidi
For some reason the guy on the cover reminds me a bit of a young Harrison Ford… I need to read a Foster book. I remember you had book one for FIre and Ice. I need more hours in the day to read!
kimbacaffeinate
this is a good one Lily I enjoy myself every time I pick up one of her books:)
Lily B
oh boy I am loving the sound of this series as well. Love romantic suspense, have not read much of it lately though. Heard that Lori Foster is amazing at writing it <3 this series looks like it has a lot of depth and fun.
kimbacaffeinate
ooh this is a good series to start with!
Blodeuedd
I always wanted to try a book by her
kimbacaffeinate
I love romantic suspense too, and her men are yummy
kimbacaffeinate
I loved the first book too 🙂
candacerobinson
I know a lot of people love her! I haven’t read her yet but I remember hearing the first book in the series is great! I’m glad you loved this second one!
kimbacaffeinate
i love this series!
Andrea
Holy cow, I love that cover! And to know the inside is just as good? That’s icing on the cake!
Great review!
kimbacaffeinate
this series is fab and Reese *swoons* I will make you a romantic suspense fan yet!
Lauren
I need to make a separate shelf for all the romantic suspense books I’m dying to read because of your blog! I hardly ever read reviews of these, so it’s great getting recommendations on the really good ones from you. I really want to meet Reese now, and Alice sounds awesome too (and I can’t blame her for ogling, if that cover is to be believed). 🙂 Great review!
kimbacaffeinate
ooh yes this series has been awesome so far
kimbacaffeinate
that’s because of the suspense..
kimbacaffeinate
haha *winks*
kimbacaffeinate
I do too, and his character matched my vision of the name! I love suspense, mystery and action with a side dish of romance and this series has been delightful.
kimbacaffeinate
thanks Aurian I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. How is your weather there?
Melissa (Books and Things)
I was just thinking I needed to start the new series by her. Now I KNOW I need to start this series. I have so much fun with her romantic suspense. Her women characters can be hit or miss with me, but I usually love her smexy men! *sigh* 😉
Aurian
Great review Kim, thank you.
Barbara Walker
I tried reading your review, but all I could see were the sexy hairy man pecs in the trailer window. Then I saw, “eyes up here doll,” and was able to look away. 😀 I haven’t read Foster in a while, this sounds like the series to bring me back. Great review!
Debbie Haupt
Well I worry about my favorite peeps you know xoxo
Debbie Haupt
Hey Kim, great review I absolutely love Lori Foster and what she can do with a love scene, smokin!!!!
How was your first day back to work?
deb
Marlene Harris
I adored the way Alice and Rowdy teased each other and Reese. They loved driving him nuts! This is such a terrific series so far, but I think Cash was my favorite character. LOL
Marlene @ Reading Reality
Sam
Humour and romantic suspense is usually a winning combination for me. Plus I love the name Reese. 😉 Awesome review, Kimba! I can see myself swooning over this one already.