Format Read: ARC provided by publicist for review
Publisher: HQN Books
Length: 448 Pages
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor Book I
Release Date: April 26, 2011
Formats Available: Paperback, Kindle, Nook
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Powell’s, Books-A-Million, Borders, Chapters, Goodreads, Kindle, Nook

Book Blurb:

The tougher they are, the harder they fall…

Professional mercenary Dare Macintosh lives by one hard and fast rule: business should never be personal. If a cause appeals to him and the price is right, he’ll take the mission he’s offered. But then the lovely Molly Alexander asks him to help her track down the men who’d had her kidnapped—and for the first time, Dare’s tempted to combine work with pleasure.

Fiercely independent, Molly vows to trust no one until she’s uncovered the truth. Could the enemy be her powerful, estranged father? The ex-fiancé who still holds a grudge? Or the not-so-shy fan of her bestselling novels? As the danger heats up around them, the only anchor Molly has is Dare himself. But what she feels for him just might be the most frightening thing of all…

My Thoughts:

Once I started reading When You Dare, I couldn’t put it down. This story has all the ingredients I love in a good romantic suspense, including a larger than life alpha hero who is tough, extremely strong, calculating, intuitive, and sexy. After serving in the military, Dare cultivated his contacts and built a lucrative business offering personal protection services. Essentially, when a loved one has gone missing, Dare uses his extensive resources and cunning to infiltrate the worst of circumstances to rescue the victim by whatever means necessary, and if required he does straddle the boundaries of the law. During a mission to rescue a close friend, he finds Molly Alexander, a woman who has been drugged, tortured and starved by vicious kidnappers over a period of 9 days. What is highly unusual is that no one has reported Molly missing.

Molly is a successful writer of romantic suspense novels she has lived a solitary life (like many authors) but is feisty, independent, honest, strong and resilient. She has been through a horrible ordeal and while she certainly suffers post traumatic effects she refuses to allow the experience get the better of her. I really liked this heroine, she calls a spade a spade and with Dare’s help and support takes one step at a time toward recovery.

Dare normally returns the victims he rescues to the waiting arms of whoever has hired him. However, he is inexorably drawn to Molly and cannot leave her unprotected. Once he determines she is stable and can travel safely without medical intervention, Dare takes her to his home in Kentucky where he can keep her safe and allow her time to heal. Dare has never become emotionally involved with a ‘client’ before but he soon realizes that isn’t going to be the case with Molly. He also knows whoever kidnapped her is likely going to come after her again and Dare uses his extensive skill and resources to discover who would do this to her and why.

I really liked the way Dare and Molly’s relationship evolves, he recognizes she requires time to recover and trust again and while he wants her sexually he ignores his needs – seeing to hers. Moreover, both these characters earn the respect of the other which isn’t something either of them gives lightly. Smoldering sexual tension builds over the course of this novel resulting in love scenes are extremely sensual. Dare is one HOT dominant hero. I think what made this read all the more special is that he has a high moral ethic. While at times he is emotionally distant it is when he is focusing on protecting her.

Ms Foster also introduces a number of well developed secondary characters; Chris, Dare’s assistant and best friend who lives in a separate house on his property. Molly’s sister Natalie; Dare’s friend and business associate Trace Rivers and his sister Alani. And, Molly’s emotionally distant, and condescending father, Bishop and her step mother Kathi. Bishop is a ruthless businessman, a megalomaniac – a real piece of work. Finally there are Dare’s ‘girls’ who I absolutely loved.

I found When You Dare to be an edgy, well paced, suspenseful, sexy, and at times emotional story that had just the right amount of action. When You Dare is a good hearty read at 448 pages but at no time did I feel the narrative lagged, in fact I was impressed by Ms. Foster’s meticulous attention to detail not only regarding characterization but plot development. As danger moves close to threaten those Dare loves readers are treated to a surprise twist and an action packed climax to When You Dare.

They say you should write about what you know and it’s evident Ms. Foster tapped her extensive personal experience as a writer regarding reader reaction to one of Molly’s novels, I appreciated her astute observations. Further, I thought it was brave of Ms. Foster to add this somewhat autobiographical tidbit into Molly’s experience as a successful author.

Ms. Foster captured and held my attention from page one of When You Dare and it is among my favorites so far this year. IMHO Ms. Foster has crafted a solid foundation to her Men Who Walk The Edge Of Honor series. I am so looking forward to reading Trace’s story Trace Of Fever, Book II in the series.

About Lea

Lea is an animal loving, tree hugging vegetarian who lives in Toronto, Canada with her family, which includes three dogs. She is a prolific reader and has been blogging and reviewing since 2008. Lea is a contributor at the USA Today HEA Blog and an active member at Goodreads.

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