Publisher: HQNPublish Date: April 26, 2011
How I got this book: NetGalley
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…
*Blurb from Goodreads*
On Dare’s latest mission, he might have bitten off more than he could chew. He was lucky to be able to save his bet friends little sister from a ring of flesh traders, but in the process of getting her safe, he also found a woman; abused, beaten and tortured. He takes her with him, determined to help her out in any way possible.
Molly has no idea who would want to have her kidnapped. She asks Dare to help her uncover the truth, and in doing so much put her independent streak on hold and trust that Dare will do whatever he can to make sure she stays safe. As the two get closer to discovering the truth, they also get closer to each other, finding out that their one shot at happiness might be each other.
When I first picked up When You Dare I was in a reading slump. Everything I had picked up couldn’t hold my interest, and I would put down almost right away. When I picked up this book, I hoped that my recent Romantic Suspense obsession would kick in and I would get out of my funk. And man, did Foster ever do an incredible job of not only pulling me out of my funk, but delivering an amazing story as well.
I immediately loved Dare, from his first scene. he was the perfect kind of Alpha hero that makes me want to swoon. Strong, opinionated, caring and one hundred percent devoted to those close to him. His immediate reaction to Molly was as a protector, and the way he took the job so seriously made me putty in his hands.
Molly was also an amazing character. She was strong and fiercely independent. I loved the way she was able to move on, but not right away. Watching her struggle with the nightmares and fears, relying on Dare to protect her was a great way of showing her recovery from the trauma. I had a hard time believing at first that while she was beaten and tormented in Mexico, that she was also not sexually assaulted. But as the truth unraveled and we found out who the perpetrator behind her kidnapping was, it made a little bit more sense to me. The only thing that bothered be about Molly was how blasé she was about the dangers around her.
The suspense plot behind the kidnapping was great too. It took me awhile to catch on to who all was involved, and in what ways. To me, being left in the dark, constantly guessing, is one of my favorite parts of reading suspense novels. I get frustrated when things are too predictable, and this one definitely was not.
I think this new series is going to be really good, and I already got the next book, Trace of Fever, set to be released on May 31st. Since we’ve already met the sexy Trace, I’m excited to see what lucky lady will get to tame him.
All in all, I really enjoyed Foster’s new release. It was full of great suspense, mystery, and a smokin’ hot romance between Dare and Molly.
I really liked this book. I liked that Molly was a strong heroine who didn’t suffer from what I call “horror movie syndrome”, where the heroine is so desperate to prove her fearlessness and independence that she throws herself headlong into danger for no good reason. Molly showed her strength through sensibility – she was observant, quick to pick up on things, and yet always willing to listen to advice from Dare, recognizing that he is a trained professional with years of experience. Definitely one of the best romantic suspense heroines I’ve read about in a while.
Glad you liked it too!
@Emma – I agree wholeheartedly with that one! Although like I said, it did seem at times like Molly wasn’t taking the treat against her seriously. Sure she didn’t run out in the dark in her white nighty, but she could have been a little more interested in the scenario than she came across to me.
But I am soo excited to read more in this series! It was my first Foster book, but definitely not my last!!
I liked this one – just not Molly. She was to Mary Sue for me personally.
But Dare was well done and I’ll def be reading more from Foster. I’m curious to see how book 2 goes…
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I am loving this series. These are REAL MEN!