Customer Reviews

When You Dare (Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor)

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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

When you Dare is the first book I have read by Lori Foster and also the first in a new series. We are introduced to the super sexy, majorly alpha Dare Macintosh. Smexy approves.

Dare has made his living rescuing women who have been kidnapped by human traffickers. Dare has helped many and made a lot of money and is now winding down his career. That is until a good friend of his is kidnapped and taken to Tijuana. During her rescue he finds Molly Alexander among the women caged, abused and half starved. After he gets his friend to safety, he realizes Molly's kidnapping is different. She isn't the beautiful, young girl that are normally sold by white slavers. There is another reason she was taken, and he wants to get to the bottom of it.

Molly is a popular author, who lives a quiet life in Ohio. Waking up from nine days of pure horror, she finds comfort and safety with Dare. Even though he has such a large presence and a violent edge, she trusts him immediately. Dare promises to keep her safe until he can uncover who is after her.

I'll be honest and say the cover totally drew me to this book. Hello hot man chest and big gun. And Dare definitely does this cover justice. He leads a very rigid, strict life. He expects perfection and 100% effort from those around him. When Molly comes into the picture, his overprotectiveness goes into full throttle. Although this book is a romantic suspense, there is not a ton of action. Yet, with Dare's personality, it felt like there was more suspense than there really was. He is always on edge and always prepared. He is so overly cautious and just a bad ass. I think he is a really well done alpha male.

Which then leads me to Molly. I had a very hard time liking her and it is hard for me to pinpoint exactly why. I like that she is more on the plain side and lacks confidence with her appearance after nine days of being beaten. But for most of the book I didn't connect with her. She comes across as a little too perfect. I would classify her as a Mary Sue heroine. She just acts too perfect in every situation and it really grated on my nerves. Dare sees her as this strong, proud woman and this really attracts her to him. But I had a hard time seeing that. Everything is just wrapped up too nice and tidy with her and I just didn't like her.

Although I didn't like Molly, the story entertained me and I enjoyed Dare. I'll be checking out more from Lori Foster.

Dare is in the personal protection and victim recover business. He is a man with many talents and many connections. When his friend and business associate's sister goes missing he goes in to find her. While rescuing her, he comes across another women who has been held captive so he rescued her too. Molly is a published author who is the daughter of a very wealthy businessman. She has been kidnapped for reasons unknown. After she is rescued, she hires Dare to help her figure out who kidnapped her and why.

Molly is a very straighforward character who generally speaks her mind. She hates being a burden to anyone and generally just wants to take care of herself. Dare is a very alpha male with a sensitive side a mile wide. He is fiercely loyal to those he cares about and incredible good at his job.

There is a side character names Chris who has been Dare's personal assistant and friend for many years. He is a very interesting character and I would definitely like to see him in his own book in the future.

I really enjoyed this book. It had a very good mix of romance, suspense, and heat. Dare and Molly are very honest with eachother and I like that. They don't normally hide stuff and they speak there mind. It sometimes gets annoying when characters dance around their feelings and wants and that is not the case here. The characters are three dimensional and the story line is interesting. The only thing I found with this book is it was slightly anticlimactic. The ending wasn't as intense as I would have liked it to be but it is still a very good book. I would definitely recommend it!!!

I've been looking forward to this one, as Lori Foster's contribution to The Guy Next Door anthology (and a prequel for this book) was the only one I enjoyed. That, and look at the cover!

Our hero, Dare Macintosh, is pretty much the guy you see in the picture. He's tall and strong and too good to be true, but Foster writes him in a way that all that perfection didn't annoy me. In fact, I thought he was pretty great. The story begins with Dare rescuing a friend's sister from the sex trade in Mexico. There he comes across a complication in the form of Molly Alexander. She's been drugged and beaten and is obviously not being held hostage for the sex trade. The problem is that she has no idea why she's been taken.

I really liked both main characters, and while their relationship developed fairly fast (as it had to), it also felt realistic. Foster managed to give us a satisfying ending without wrapping it up in too many pretty bows.

The thing that makes When You Dare stand out are the people. As far as romantic suspense goes - and I've read hundreds upon hundreds of suspense books - there's nothing all that new here. I kept reading because the author had me so invested in Dare and Molly's story. Sidekick Chris was also a good character, and it was great to see a return for Natalie and Jett from The Guy Next Door.

For the most part the way the story unfolded was good. Sometimes this author has a tendency to draw her scenes out for a long time. At the beginning of the book Dare and Molly spend nearly seventy pages in a hotel room (not doing anything naughty, but when we get to those scenes Foster does an excellent job!). While it's good for character development, scenes like that can feel dragged-out. In some ways it reminded me of Maya Banks' KGI books - especially The Darkest Hour - where sometimes there's so much focus on the relationship the author forgets about the danger the characters are in.

However I liked the dynamic between the pair, and while Molly didn't consider herself to be beautiful, nor was she one of those irritating self-righteous Plain Janes who get the hot guy for no particular reason.

The characters mostly acted like intelligent people. There weren't TSTL moments left, right and centre. However I figured out who was behind Molly's abduction long before Dare did, and it was a little painful to watch this `highly-trained' Special Ops guy who was apparently `good at everything' running around with no idea who to place the blame on.

Molly is a writer, and the plot pretty much hung from that fact. It's great when writers give their characters professions they know about (so there's no need to worry about glaring inaccuracies), but the fact this was a romantic suspense book, and Molly was a romantic suspense writer was too close to home. The constant comments about fans writing bad reviews might have been crucial to the story, but it also felt a little too personal for fiction.

There were a few little things that were a bit weird too.

* Dare should have asked Molly about her actual abduction the moment she woke up. It was the most intelligent place to start looking for clues, but it took them until page 128 to discuss it, and then it was Molly who brought it up!

* Molly should have worried about her apartment and possessions immediately. It took a long time (I believe over a week) for it to even occur to her that her apartment was abandoned and the door was unlocked.

* Even if it was dangerous to tell her everything immediately, Molly could have - and should have - called her sister to let her know she was alive. The sister was frantic with worry, and keeping her in the dark made no sense.

* Molly should have cancelled her credit cards as soon as she could, not a few weeks later! It only takes a few minutes for a stolen card to be put to the test, and I do not understand why she wasn't more concerned about having her savings stolen. I sure hope she didn't use her birthdate as her PIN!

Everything taken into account, it all comes down to that cover. It seems that after the cover fairies gifted Jaci Burton with The Perfect Play they paid Lori Foster a visit. I intend to read more of these.

3 1/2 stars. Okay, this was the first book I'd read by Lori Foster; I've read one story by her in an anthology. I really wanted to like the book more than I did. It was quite readable, and moved right along. I had a few issues with it, however.

One, nothing really happened. It was more romance than RS, and the climax wasn't very climactic. The 'bad guy' was no surprise, and the reason behind Molly's kidnapping was just dumb. Also, it was waaay too long. There was so much talk about Molly wandering around the property, looking at the lake, playing with the dogs. Every thought and every action of every character made it into the book. Filler and fluff, and totally unnecessary. A good editor should have cut 100 pages off the book and it wouldn't have been missed, would actually have tightened the book up.

I like the way Foster writes, however. It was a breezy read. If someone were to suggest a book of hers that I might enjoy more than I did this one, I would be happy to try her again.

Hm... let me see...one hot smexy alpha male with feelings of responsibility to anyone he deems smaller, weaker, and/or less intelligent than he. Considering he is exceptionally good at his protection job and can solve mysteries while at it; I would say he feels responsible for the whole of humanity. Add in a huge wallop of smart, independent woman who is kidnapped but refuses to be a victim. Plus don't forget the dash of a fun gay best friend and two lovable labs Dare calls "his girls" and you come up with a delicious recipe for a romantic suspense mystery that is fun to read. Okay, so I don't cook (obviously) but I think I still make the point that this is a delicious romance with action. :)

Those disappointed in the quickie romance will enjoy this story. In fact, I would say that it is more about Dare's character and how he feels about Molly and his job. We really get to know his sensitive side even though there is no denying he is a kick-ass alpha male. We also really get to know Molly; perhaps in a lesser way, but in no way less important. We understand what happened in her background to make her so strong and independent. Sometimes I admit I wanted a little more in honest reaction from her, but at the same time I think it might have gotten in the way of the story if not done well. However, there is the mystery to be solved and her protection to be taken care of, but really that part becomes more background and the reason we get to know these characters so intimately.

I give this book 4 stars. Although there is action and mystery, it really is a character book where the romance ends in a HEA.

Reviewed at Another Look Book Reviews

I had been looking forward to reading this "Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor" series since last June/11. In June I went out and bought the first three books but with such a huge TBR pile, I only just got to it now. As proof of how badly I wanted to read this series, here is me with a couple of the men.
<<on my blog is a picture of me with the cardboard cut outs>>

I think I also held back a bit because Romance Suspense isn't a favourite genre of mine. I can't handle suspense and angst. I know this fact about me so I have to be a mood to have my heart pumping and my hands all sweaty. I can only take that in doses.

After reading When You Dare, I have to admit my true disappointment with the lack of suspense. Last night as I was reading it, I was at the half way mark of my book and I said to myself, 'when is anything going to happen!?!' When You Dare was a yawner when it came to suspense because there is none. Nada, nothing, zip. So if you are looking for a romance suspense, pass on When You Dare.

As for the character development, it was very easy to like Dare and Molly. Dare has a killer body, rich, smart and very good at his job. Now to be clear, I'm not quite 100% what his job was. He rescues people in peril...I think. He is for hire but I am not sure what job title that would say on his business card.

As for Molly the one thing that really struck me odd was her name. I like the name, Molly well enough but it just didn't suit this character. Nothing against the Molly's of the world but the name just needed to have a stronger representation of the protagonist. The character, Molly was such a tower of strength and bravery that her character's name just conflicted with the personality. Molly would have been better suited as a Dana, Anne, Jean or Lisa.

Out the gate When You Dare was powerful. The book starts just at the conclusion of a daring rescue (you do not read about the rescue itself) where young women were kidnapped for sex slavery. You read about the abhorrent conditions the women were kept in and a shiver goes up your spine. Dare is the sole man that goes into a Tijuana lair, kills the bad guys and single handily rescues about eight women. His best friend's sister was the reason he took on the mission and he saves Molly as she was one of the chained up females. I felt the save was a bit of a reach and not realistic. I understand it is fiction but it was hard to even imagine that one man could have done all of that the rescue alone plus then set the women free.

What I found frustrating over and over again was the lame reasoning for not bringing the police or FBI in on the case. I would have thought Molly and the other women would want to protect any more females from suffering the brutal kidnapping and have the slavery ring shut down.

As Molly and Dare get to know and trust each other, the reader is then treated to chapters and chapters of Molly wanting Dare to sleep with her and Dare (being the gentleman that he is) holding off on his sexual urges because he wants Molly to heal from her cuts and bruises. Literally chapters. Molly wants to feel again, Molly wants to move on, Molly wants her hair to look nice so that maybe Dare will want her, Molly wishes she had her makeup and clothes so she will be desirable for Dare...oh boy enough already.

I would have made When You Dare a one star except that I will admit that the actual writing was good. It was just the story line and plot holes that I serious problems with. I could list all my dissensions but it would be full of spoilers and it would just turn into a rant. Even though I have the next two books sitting on my shelf, I am not sure if I'll bother reading them.

Teasers: great hair untangling scene, awesome doggie personalities, dysfunctional family, clean freak

This book started out with promise, but it didn't take long for me to get bored. There was just too much thinking and not enough action. After the twentieth time I read how courageous and strong Molly was, from everyone who met her, I just tuned it out. And where was the suspense? Sure, we got a taste of a mystery, but it wasn't much of one, and the motivation behind the villain's actions was pretty darned weak. The sex scenes were pretty good, which redeemed the book to an extent, but when I read a book with the word suspense I expect more action and less waiting. As this review's title says, Snore.
Oh, and on top of all of that, the writing wasn't very good. There were times when I couldn't tell whose point of view we were in, and times I couldn't tell who was being talked about, or who was doing the talking. I expect more from a veteran like Lori Foster.