Bare It All

by Lori Foster

As the person responsible for taking down a brutal human trafficker, Alice Appleton fears retaliation at every turn. No one knows about her past, which is exactly how she prefers it ... until the sexy cop next door comes knocking. Detective Reese Bareden thinks he knows what makes women tick, but his ever-elusive neighbor keeps him guessing like no other. Is his goal to unmask Alice's secrets or protect her from a dangerous new threat? One thing is certain: their chemistry is a time bomb waiting to explode.

• ISBN10: 0373777612
• ISBN13: 9780373777617
• Publish Date: 30 April 2013 (first published 19 April 2013)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Imprint: Hqn
• Edition: Original ed.
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 480
• Language: English

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

One of my favorite genres is romantic suspense and Lori Foster’s new series Love Undercover delivers all the elements I love; suspense, swoon-worthy heroes, humor and enough heat to leave me sizzling. We first met the characters from Bare It All in book one Run the Risk, and while they each can be read as a standalone I recommend reading them in order to fully appreciate all of the characters and an overall arc thread.

The tale picks up the morning after Run the Risk ends and we find Detective Reese Bareden sleeping on his neighbor's sofa. His quiet, sexy, elusive neighbor surprised the heck out of him last night with her quick thinking and gun toting attitude and he is determined to find out more about her. He’s not the only one who realizes she is hiding something. Reese is drawn to her on so many levels and as secrets are revealed and the plot unfolds things quickly heat up.

Reese is a smexy, noble cop through and through and I loved getting to know him. The more he uncovers about Alice the more he is in awe of this complicated, flawed and damaged woman. Alice has been the victim and has taken steps to ensure that never happens again; this includes creating a wall around herself. Reese keeps chipping away and she soon finds she wants to let him in. The chemistry between them is sweet, hot, and at times hilarious. Alice’s reaction to Reese’s tone body made me giggle as Reese kept saying, “Eyes up here doll.” It felt genuine and the fact that they had a mutual respect for each other in book one made the relationship click for me despite the rushed pace at which it unfolded. We see Logan, Pepper, police sergeant Marge and Logan’s brother again. They all helped propel the plot and added to the character connections. We also see Marge in a more feminine light and hints are dropped about a relationship. I am hoping we get her story soon. Rowdy is back as he too realizes Alice may need protecting. I loved the interaction between him and Reese. Rowdy has always lived in the grey area between the law and criminal world and watching him begin to trust the boys in blue was fun. While he is still a ladies’ man, his interesting and actions regarding Avery have me anxious for more page time with him. The villains are ruthless and kept the suspense and action in high gear.

The romance between Reese and Alice took center stage in this tale and the other threads kept me spellbound. A complicated, ruthless drug lord, corrupt police and a vigilante kept things interesting. I love how Foster gets us up-close and personal with the characters giving us a strong sense of who they are and what drives them enabling me to form attachments. While there are several threads, each one is well developed and kept me enthralled as she skillfully wove them together towards the climatic ending. There is an overall arc and connection between the characters in each book I love that each contains a romance and complete storyline. The next tale focuses on Rowdy and I cannot wait for its release.
ARC provided in exchange for unbiased review
Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer