When You Dare [Mass Market Paperback]

Lori Foster is a hit or miss for me. I've found that she really shines when her books/stories have lower word counts - usually under 300 pages. Not many authors can pull off a great story, with characters that you truly care about, with a lower word-count. She can. She seems to be able to focus better on developing a believable relationship, tension, and steam between her characters, and the plot and pacing are usually much better when she doesn't have so many threads to keep track of. Some examples are her earlier Buckhorn Brothers series (shorter books published by Harlequin), and almost any of her stories written for an anthology (loved her story in the Star Quality anthology).

I don't want to give away any spoilers for When You Dare, so I'll just summarize the basic story. Molly was abducted and taken to Tijuana by sex slave traders. The reason she was abducted remained a mystery for most of the book. She was older than the other girls, and not as attractive - not the typical kind of girl that the slavers usually went after. Dare rescues her from the slavers (he was originally sent to rescue someone else), and then acts as her bodyguard while they try to solve the mystery of who abducted her and why. Until they find out, she's in danger of being abducted again.

It was an interesting premise and started with a bang - with interesting characters and fast-paced plot, but after about a quarter of the way through, it started to fall flat. The pace slowed down, the action and relationship development wasn't integrated as well, and the tension/steam between the hero and heroine didn't really take off.

As is evident with some of her other books (Caught in the Act, for example - a similar book that is based on a writer who is being threatened), Foster tends to rush feelings, making her characters "know" things about each other that normally take time to discover. The deeper character traits such as courage, honesty, and integrity should be revealed slowly, developing as the relationship grows. Rushing this results in shallow characterization, and unbelievable relationships.

In this book, everyone knew how uncomplaining, brave, honest, etc., Molly was within minutes of meeting her (not only the hero, but secondary characters, too). To compound the problem, Foster tends to tell us (repeatedly) about all these fine qualities instead of showing us through her characters' behavior and reactions to situations they are faced with. Foster obviously enjoys researching and plotting her books, but she ends up short-changing her characters by rushing their development, resulting in a lack of depth.

Foster can also (usually) write great steam scenes and create tension between her characters. Again, she's better at this when she writes shorter books, and books where her characters already know each other. Unfortunately, she missed the mark in both respects with this book. The sex scenes weren't as well-written as she's capable of, and the love between Molly and Dare just wasn't believable to me. By the end of the book, I still didn't find a real "spark" between them. Even the friendship between Molly and Chris seemed rushed and forced. The secondary relationship between Dare and Chris, however, is well-developed and believable. I think it was because they already knew each other, so Foster revealed their relationship through action/reaction rather than by just telling us.

As I said before, the story started out wonderfully. I just wish that Foster had maintained that tension and excitement throughout 448 pages. I believe she could have if it was a shorter work. Overall, I give this book a 3-star rating. The cover, however, gets 5 stars, and then some... ;)

When You Dare is the first book in Lori Foster's Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor series. How can a girl say no to a series title like that? I enjoy romantic suspense and if it features a hot sexy alpha male who's name is Dare and a smokin' hot cover even better!

Molly has been kidnapped and taken across the Mexican border to Tijuana presumably by white slave traders. But she doesn't fit the typical profile for women who generally fall victim to this sort of crime. She is a successful romantic suspense author pretty much lives a low key life and stays to herself. Other than the odd over zealous fan here and there, she doesn't have any enemies and no reason to believe someone would want to hurt her.

When Dare is on a mission to rescue his best friends sister from slave traders he also finds Molly, beaten, abused and being held separately from the other kidnapped girls. Something just doesn't add up and after the rescue mission is completed Dare is determined to find out who had Molly kidnapped and why. Dare's sense of honor and his attraction to Molly fuel his drive to see that the person or persons responsible for hurting Molly will pay.

This book got off to a really good start with Dare on a covert mission to rescue the sister of a good friend. Dare is a good and honorable guy but he is also ruthless and when it comes to doing his job he doesn't hesitate to shoot to kill if necessary. He is all alpha male, in charge, and the kind of guy you definitely want on your side when things get ugly. Actually he's the kind of guy you want on your side no matter how things are, as long as he's on your side. Molly recognizes Dare as someone she can trust almost right away and their mutual attraction becomes apparent soon after Dare whisks Molly off to safety.

You could call Molly a solid heroine in that she's not overly dramatic and hysterical or so determined to show her emotional strength that she fights her rescuer tooth and nail to show she can stand on her own two feet. She is quite independent and I can certainly appreciate a level headed heroine, however I found Molly's personality somewhat flat and a little too level for someone who had gone through such a traumatic experience. I wanted her to react at some point, be angry that someone tried to hurt her, or show how scared she actually was. Instead, she seemed more concerned about being a polite house guest and staying out of the way, and minding her manners. I just didn't connect with her and found her response to her situation somewhat unbelievable.

Although this book was heavier on the romance, the mystery and suspense did keep me guessing for the better part of the book. I actually figured it out before the big reveal but then changed my mind because I thought my theory was too far fetched. Turns out my far fetched theory was right on, but I liked that I was kept guessing for the greater part of the story.

When you Dare is the first book I've read by Lori Foster. I enjoyed the mystery and suspense and although I didn't really care for Molly I still enjoyed romance and found Dare to be a swoon worthy hero. I look forward to future books in the series.

Rating 3.5

I love a book with alpha-heroes and plenty of action (in and out of the bedroom). This book satisfied all those needs.

I have to admit, I've never read a book by Lori Foster but have always meant to, since her reputation is so huge. So, when this book came up for review I pounced on it like a cat on tuna fish, and I gobbled it up just as readily.

The book has a great premise. Dare, our hero, is a mercenary of sorts who was hired to retrieve a woman kidnapped by white slavers and taken to Mexico. While there, he stumbles across another woman who's been kidnapped, but clearly doesn't fit the mold of the type of woman the bad guys would usually take. He does what anyone in his position would do - he rescues her, too.

Molly is older (thirty) and not model thin or conventionally pretty. She's also been treated differently than the other women; beaten more, starved more, tortured more. I had a hard time identifying with Molly. She's a successful novelist who'd been taken from the doorstep of her apartment, drugged, imprisoned and tortured. And, despite it all, she never really loses it. She has a little trouble sleeping, but that's really about it. No tears. No panic attacks. No fear. She remains calm in every situation. She never even loses her temper ... not really.

Interestingly, these are all the reasons why Dare is drawn to her, but I kept waiting for her to be human. She really had no significant flaws, and sometimes just didn't feel real. In fact, my first comment when finishing the book was that my biggest complaint was the heroine was too perfect.

Regardless, the rest of the book makes up for that. I loved Dare, I loved Chris and I was fascinated by Trace (and glad he gets his story next!). The "who" and the "why" of Molly's kidnapping kept me turning pages. They're sure it was done by someone close to Molly ... but who? Dare uses every resource to find out the truth, even though he knows it's going to upset Molly. He'll do anything to keep her safe.

Though this book was definitely more romance than suspense, I still enjoyed trying to figure out whodunit. I thought I'd gotten it figured, but kept changing my mind. I waffled, much like Dare did, when the facts started falling into place. I have to admit that I wasn't terribly surprised by the villain, but I struggled with the reasons for the kidnapping. They just didn't work for me. Really, though, it didn't matter -- because the writing was that good. There is no denying the skill Ms. Foster has in her fingers.

Secondary characters were wonderful, too, and sometimes stole the show. Chris was especially great, and I hope he gets his own story someday ... I'd especially like to know the background between him and Dare. Even the dogs were unique and individual!

As a virgin Lori Foster reader, I came away from "When You Dare" quite satisfied. It may not have been perfect, but it entertained me which is what I expect from a good book. I never had a moment when I even thought about taking a break from it. I needed to know what happened to Dare and Molly. I was invested in them and in the rest of the characters who populated the book. When I wasn't reading it, I wished I was.

Simply put, "When You Dare" is a good start to what sounds like an intriguing series, and I can't wait to get started on the next book.

Originally posted at The Long and Short of It Romance Reviews

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