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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Decadent menage romance in a scifi setting, December 2, 2008
This review is from: Undercover (Mass Market Paperback)
A dangerous mission brings Federation lieutenant Sera Ayers into uncomfortably close proximity to two equally dangerous men.
Years ago, Ash Walker broke her heart after announcing his engagement to another woman and asking Sera to be his mistress. Heart broken, Sera fled, floundering through life until she established a successful career in the military. Now Ash is back in her life, and if that weren't bad enough, he's her superior officer.
Brandt Pela is the third member of the undercover team. As long-time best friend to Ash, Brandt is very familiar with the story of Ash and Sera's previous romance. When the mission plan mandates that Sera must play mistress to one of these men, Brandt seems the lesser of two evils.
There will be cameras watching their every move while on their mission, and their lives will depend on their enemies believing their relationship is real, making frequent intimate contact mandatory.
Both Ash and Brandt are determined to take full advantage of the situation to seduce Sera into their lives rather than just their bed. Sera has no hope of holding out against the sensual onslaught by either man, but when they combine forces she knows she is fighting a losing battle.
I became a fan of author Lauren Dane after reading her digital books published by various e-publishers. To see this talented writer move into the big-time with a New York print publisher is absolutely wonderful. The more successful an author is, the more novels their fans will be able to enjoy from them, right? *grin*
UNDERCOVER is a really great story, and one that I expect will garner more than a few new fans for Ms. Dane's work. With a delicious blend of kinky sex, suspense, and romance, this story grabs the reader's attention and doesn't let go until the final page.
With two alpha male heroes, you would expect to have a power struggle between the two, and there is a bit of that. The deep friendship these two share helps them find a middle ground where they share that dominant power. In fact, it is his friendship with Brandt that helps Ash bridge the chasm between him and Sera, allowing them to find a happy ending together.
Sera is one lucky, lucky woman. A relationship with either Brandt or Ash is the stuff women's romantic and erotic dreams are made of, but a ménage with both men? Absolutely mind-blowing. Although naturally submissive in the bedroom, Sera has more than enough backbone to hold her own with both men, no matter how masterful they are.
Readers should know before beginning the story that although the primary focus is on each man's relationship with Sera, there are some pretty hot scenes where the men share their sexual attention with each other as well.
UNDERCOVER is a sensual exploration into the dynamics of long-term ménage relationships with a fantastic Science Fiction setting. This is a must-read for fans of Lauren Dane, and a perfect introduction for erotic romance readers who are new to this author.
**Courtesy of Wild on Books**
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Hot Menage in Space! (B Grade), January 15, 2009
This review is from: Undercover (Mass Market Paperback)
Undercover is the first book I have ever read by Lauren Dane, and it defintely won't be my last. This futuristic sci-fi tale is a bit on the kinky side with a great deal of erotic sex. There is no plain vanilla fun in these pages, but a great story filled with S&M and wonderful ménage love between two men and the woman they want to spend the rest of their lives with.
Sera Ayers is a lieutenant in the Federation Military Corps, a strong leader and woman not to be messed with. Her past comes back to haunt her in the form of Commander Ash Walker. Sera and Ash had an all consuming love affair ten years ago. Sera and Ash's relationship was based on much love and respect, for Sera allowed Ash total control over her body and tapped into her inhibitions. Sera loved that Ash could dominate her in the bedroom and loved being his submissive. But things ended very badly between the two. Because Ash comes from a high-ranking family, he had to sacrifice their love because it was expected that he would marry a women who was of the same station as he. All he could offer Sera was a position as his mistress, which is quiet respectable in his circles. Sera told him to shove it and walked out of his life. Both have never forgotten each other and Ash loves her more than ever. He is now divorced and wants Sera back.
Because the third member of Ash's covert ops team retired, he and his Para-Commander, Brandt Pela, who also happens to be his ex-brother in law and close friend, need someone to fill the empty position. Because Sera is so skilled, she has been assigned to join their team. The Federation's enemy, the Imperialists, have attacked various outposts and have obtained very classified data. They have tracked the stolen information to a planet called Nondal. Ash, Brandt and Sera must go undercover to Nondal. Sera freaks out because she must go as a concubine to either one of the men since Nondal is very patriarchal and women are seen as play things. Ash assumes Sera will be his concubine, which will enable him to reach into Sera's heart. Sera is not falling for it and rather be with Brandt. Brandt accepts even though Ash and Sera may still have to be hands on for the sake of the mission.
Ash is hurt that Sera won't give him a second chance and knows he has a great deal of work cut out for him. He must prove to Sera that there is no other woman for him. And you would think the guy would be jealous because Brandt will be intimate with Sera in ways that only Ash wants to be. But Ash isn't. Ash and Brandt have a very special relationship where they have enjoyed each other sexually. He feels that it is something very special for Brandt to share Sera with him. Knowing the man he cares for will be with the woman he loves excites him. He only hopes that Sera will welcome two men into pleasuring her, and give pleasure in return.
Sera knows she has no choice when it comes to Ash because if she is only intimate with Brandt and refuses Ash, it could jeopardize their mission. She gives into Brandt, which at first is a bit awkward, but all too soon he breaks through her defenses and from that she welcomes Ash into her bed. Soon these three are not just acting for the sake of their mission, but they genuinely begin to care for one another. Most of the time Sera is riding Brandt into orgasm or Ash is driving into her. And then when both men want to share her at the same time, Sera is so sexed beyond belief that she can hardly move.
But even as Sera has fallen in love with Brandt, and admits to Ash that she still loves him more than her own life, they still have an important job to do. Not only are they being watched and listened to every moment of the day, but the enemy may be closer than they think. Is it just coincidence that Ash's ex-wife Kira and her husband have arrived on Nondal? Or do they have something more sinister planned?
Undercover is a great sci-fi romp that is heavy on the sex. The action and suspense is more secondary. Brandt, Sera and Ash make a great team. Sera is no TSTL (to stupid to live) heroine and even as she is deeply involved with these two men, she doesn't let them walk all over her. All three give and take equally, and because of that, the love scenes really work. Sera is able to handle these two men. She says what is on her mind and won't take any crap from anyone. My favorite character was Brandt because of his loving nature for both Sera and Ash. He is a great guy who shows his love proudly. The way he is with Ash and Sera is really sweet. It took me a bit longer to warm up to Ash. There was just something off about him, as if he wasn't too well rounded, perhaps a bit too one-dimensional. It may have just been my own personal preference, rather than Lauren's writing of him. I found Sera to be very believable, and her emotions over Ash's betrayal came through nicely. I enjoyed Ash more when he was having fun with both Sera and Brandt at the same time, rather than one on one with Sera. But even though I may have a small issue with one of the main characters, I still felt the love story to be very well written. Who would have thought that a woman being shared by two good friends could be so much fun?
Like I said before, the sex scenes are not your typical vanilla ones you may read. There are a great deal of various positions and holes being filled. Even so, Lauren can write some steamy sex that may cross some lines but nothing too uncomfortable for my tastes. There was bondage, sex play and some domination games. Sounds like a great time, right?
Undercover is an easy read for those who enjoy characters who are not afraid of sex exploration in a unique type of setting. Sex in space has been giving a whole new meaning in Undercover with the creative story writing skills of Lauren Dane.
Katiebabs
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
5 blue ribbons from Romance Junkies, December 2, 2008
This review is from: Undercover (Mass Market Paperback)
Sera Ayers has worked her way up through the ranks of the military and reached a level of lieutenant and even commands her own team. It's practically unheard of for a female of an unranked family to have obtained such a goal. Unfortunately she's still subject to her superiors whims and because of her intelligence and dedication she's been reassigned to a special team. She's definitely not happy over this latest development, but just in case anyone thought she'd be honored the right hook she plants in Ash's face should make her displeasure obvious.
Due to the recent retirement of the third member of their covert ops team Commander Ash Walker and Para-Commander Brandt Pela have been forced to find a replacement for his position. Sera's qualifications make her the perfect choice and they have no regrets about having her reassigned to work with them. The simple fact that Sera and Ash have a past history which didn't end well could prove to be problematic but they're convinced that they can overcome any qualms she may have with them.
Sera is resigned to working with Ash and Brandt. She doesn't have a whole lot of choice after all she took an oath when she joined the Corps. Her desires take a back seat to doing whatever's necessary to fight the Imperialists. She just never imagined it would mean working alongside the one man who ripped her heart in two. Ash regrets that he let Sera go when he was forced to marry another - as the second oldest son of the Walker Family he hadn't had any choice but he never wanted to lose Sera. He had the paperwork drawn up that would have given her status as his mistress, but she chose to leave him instead.
It's been ten years since they last saw each other but his love for her is as strong as ever. Thankfully Brandt is present as Sera and Ash face off. He's the voice of reason, calm, controlled and sexy as hell. For Sera pretending to be a concubine is difficult enough, but it would be unbearable if she had to go along with the original plans and act like she belongs to Ash. Of course that means that Brandt and Sera have to become extremely comfortable with each other and she can't help but desire him - even while she admits to herself that she still loves Ash. Loving both men is part of her cover, but what will happen once the assignment's over and they all return to reality? Can she bear to have her heart broken all over again?
Wow! This book rocks! Lauren Dane pulls out all the stops with this soul searing, awe-inspiring read. Sera is a ballsy kick-butt character whom I absolutely love. Ash and Brandt are dominant men and each is a member of a ruling Family, which adds an extra complication and emotional aspect to the storyline. Sera's feistiness really cracked me up but she also has an emotional vulnerability to Ash and Brandt that drew me into the relationship so that I felt like I was there watching as each scene between them played out (and believe me there are some scenes that heated my face and left me tingly all over). UNDERCOVER may very well be Lauren Dane's best work to date. Definitely a must read and deserving of a special spot on the keeper shelf.
Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)
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