Run the Risk by Lori Foster

Run the Risk
Author: Lori Foster
Series: Love Undercover #1
Published by: Harlequin HQN
Publication Date: September 25, 2011
Format: eBook
Pages: 384
Source: Gifted

When Detective Logan Riske goes undercover to find Pepper Yates, a potential link to his best friend’s unsolved murder, he vows to gain her cooperation by any means necessary. But the elusive beauty is more suspicious—and in far more danger—than he expected. And the last thing Logan needs is to start caring for her…

Pepper has spent years dodging the corrupt club owner who will stop at nothing to keep her silenced. She can trust no one, not even the handsome new “construction worker” who’s moved in next door. The heat between them is undeniable. But will surrendering to passion bring her the safety she so desires—or will her feelings for Logan draw them both into a killer’s crosshairs?

I’ve heard of Lori Foster’s greatness from so many people. I used to read a lot of books in this genre, but haven’t in a long time and I kept putting Foster’s books off. When Kimba gifted me this book when I was sick, there were no more excuses. Run the Risk was the perfect book to get me back in the mood for reading more like it.

First of all, I have to mention the cover. I usually don’t like covers like this that show the guy’s face because they often put me off. But hot damn, they picked a mighty fine Logan! I actually enjoy gazing at this one, and the covers of the other books. Bravo to whoever picked the yummy models.

Run the Risk is told from multiple perspectives, but mostly Logan and Pepper’s. It’s the first book in the Love Undercover series, and it features characters that are central in the each book in the series. If I hadn’t already known that the next books focused on each of these characters, I would have wondered why certain scenes and character development were included in Run the Risk. However, already knowing that they are important for what’s coming up, I found that it was a great foundation for the series.

Honestly, I didn’t think I would like Pepper at the beginning of the book. She was shy and got all flustered while ogling Logan; it was a little annoying. She was a reserved plain Jane, but looks, and sometimes behavior can be deceiving. She turned out to be the kind of female character I love.

My opinion of her changed during their first … ahem … intimate encounter. She just got better and better from then on. Plus, I have a special place in my heart for tall girls. And Logan was pretty damn sexy. Having the guy’s perspective in romance is often a hit-or-miss for me because they can irritate me fairly easy (just like guys in real life :D). Logan, though, was one I enjoyed. Especially when Pepper screwed with him … literally and figuratively.

Something I want to mention is how well Foster integrated safe sex into this book while keeping it smokin’ hot. I know the use of condoms in fiction is something that has often been debated. Foster used them in a way that made them part of the story, not just a side thought. I liked this fact, and even found one part towards the end funny. So kudos for that.

The plot was pretty good. It didn’t blow me away or anything, but I did enjoy it. Except, the villain of the story was kind of laughable. He was a bit on the corny cliché side, especially when it came to the climax. And I don’t mean that in a dirty way. Thankfully there isn’t too much of him throughout the book. I just hope they aren’t like that in the other books.

Overall, Run the Risk was exactly what I needed. I know there are a total of four books in the series so far, and I’m looking forward to reading all of them!