When You Dare (Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor, #1) by Lori Foster

May 13, 2013 UniquelyMoi *Dhestiny* BlithelyBookish rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: format-ebook-for-netgalley, author-lori-foster, romantic-suspense-series, starts-with-u-thru-w, human-trafficking-for-sex-and-slave, location-mexico, first-in-series, first-read-of-an-author, series-men-who-walk-edge-of-honor, books-for-review, 2011-reads, reviewed-by-me, 3-5-stars

When You Dare is the first book in the Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor series and my introduction to Lori Foster’s writing.

The basis of this story is one of the more heinous crimes imaginable - human trafficking, and the rescue of a group of females being held in Tijuana, Mexico. We don’t see the actual rescue, which was unfortunate, but pick up almost immediately afterward when our hero, Dare Macintosh, has brought two of the victims, Alani and our heroine Molly, back into the United States. Da...more
When You Dare is the first book in the Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor series and my introduction to Lori Foster’s writing.

The basis of this story is one of the more heinous crimes imaginable - human trafficking, and the rescue of a group of females being held in Tijuana, Mexico. We don’t see the actual rescue, which was unfortunate, but pick up almost immediately afterward when our hero, Dare Macintosh, has brought two of the victims, Alani and our heroine Molly, back into the United States. Dare hands Alani over to her brother, Trace, a friend and business colleague of Dare’s, and the hero of the next book. But Dare isn’t ready to part company with Molly because she won’t be safe until they can find out who was responsible for her kidnapping and why she was targeted. The bulk of the book is devoted to solving this mystery and while it was interesting and sometimes exciting, what I would have liked was to have actually been there for the rescue, rather than just hearing about it after the fact. Romantic Suspense is one of my favorite genres, and I’ve read some amazing books recently, so maybe that’s why When You Dare didn’t quite WOW me in the action/adventure department as much as I had hoped it would. Overall, it was an entertaining read, but I felt that the actual suspense was lacking.

Dare was what I typically expect in an alpha hero. He’s a take charge kind of guy, wanting to protect the female, but at the same time wanting to get in her pants! He was sexy as hell and he had that whole “to do her or not to do her” internal struggle going on, and that made for some great sexual tension.

Molly wasn’t my ideal type of heroine. For someone who had just gone through what she had, I would have expected her to have been more adversely affected by it, more traumatized than she was. Now, don’t get me wrong! I don’t mean I wanted a simpering, weak female who couldn’t event take herself to the bathroom, but for a good deal of the book she was almost as alpha as Dare was, and that’s just not my cuppa when it comes to my romantic suspense heroines. This story went from a solid 4 to 3 stars because, with her actions and attitude, I just couldn't picture Molly as someone who had gone through the kind of hell we're supposed to believe she went through.

The bottom line – this is an entertaining, steamy story and a pretty decent start to a new series!

The reading order for this series is -

.5. Ready, Set, Jett in The Guy Next Door anthology.
1. When you Dare
2. Trace of Fever
3. Savor the Danger

This book was provided to me for review by netgalley.com and had no bearing on my rating.
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Apr 26, 2011 Regina rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is my first Lori Foster book and it is the start of a new series by Lori Foster and I have to say I was impressed. I typically do not like straight romance novels, they just are not my preferred reading genre – basically I get bored with them. What Lori Foster does in When You Dare, is definitely romance. Foster adds in strong elements of suspense, mystery and mixes these with great character development and the result is a story that is a fantastic read. I could not put it down and I canno...more This is my first Lori Foster book and it is the start of a new series by Lori Foster and I have to say I was impressed. I typically do not like straight romance novels, they just are not my preferred reading genre – basically I get bored with them. What Lori Foster does in When You Dare, is definitely romance. Foster adds in strong elements of suspense, mystery and mixes these with great character development and the result is a story that is a fantastic read. I could not put it down and I cannot wait for the sequel to this series!

When You Dare addresses issues if human trafficking, but does it in a way that the reader feels like there is hope and it is not too depressing. The setting for this story begins internationally, but moves back into the United States in an almost rural location. The setting was appealing and at the same time, realistic. The lead female character is very accessible. She is a strong woman who is successful (and a writer of romantic suspense!), but she is not physically perfect. This real life touch made her accessible to me and I believe will make her likeable to many readers. The lead male character, well he is perfection. We are introduced into his world, his home, and his friends. Foster has these great side characters that show other sides of the main characters and lead the reader into the next book of the series. The thing about some romance books that I do not like, is the inner voice of the characters (especially the male “voice”) feels distant or not legitimate to me. I did not feel that way reading When You Dare, Foster writes her characters in a way that we see them interact with friends and family members, we learn about them in different settings and as a result their “voices” seemed real to me.

Some things were predictable, I figured out who the bad guy was and some things that were supposed to be a point of confusion between the “couple” early on were pretty obvious. But these points do not take away from a great story. I will definitely be reading on in the series and I recommend this series to people who like romantic suspense or contemporary romance books.

This series started out with a short story Men Who Walk The Edge Of Honor in the anthology

The Guy Next Door (Includes Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor #0.5; Donovan Brothers Brewery #0.5)

, and the series continues with two more books yet to be released,

Trace of Fever (Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor, #2)

Savor the Danger (Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor, #3)

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Apr 23, 2011 Crystal ♥ RBtWBC rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: request-netgalley, best-of-2011, all-time-favorites, genre-romantic-suspense, length-novel, rating-4-5-stars

4.5 stars!

Hot action and scorching romance, Lori Foster delivers it all in When you Dare!

Dare Macintosh is in Mexico rescuing his friends sister from flesh traders when he sees another woman in the shack looking worse off then any of the others. When he finds her unconscious he can’t leave her there, so he brings this new complication out with them and back across the border.
Molly Alexander is a romantic suspense author and she has no clue why she was kidnapped, she is definitely not like the ot...more

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Feb 24, 2012 Dee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: author-lori-foster, romantic-suspense, harlequin, harlequin-hqn

Re-Read February 2012

I loved this book much more than I did when I originally read it and would definately not dither now rating it at 4 stars! I think my original thoughts were because it was the first book in a new series and because I was a little miffed about the anthology The Guy Next Dooras I thought this book/story was not necessary to the series and felt it was a bit of a money spinner/page filler.

Dare is a super sexy alpha male and a good guy who rescues 2 women from a human Traffickin...more

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Dec 09, 2011 Angela rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: love-love-love, oh-so-steamy, couldn-t-put-down

LOVED this book! Hoping the rest are this good! I loved Dare... smokin hot, protective, dangerous & sweet. Whats not to love?! I loved how strong Molly was. Great story & amazing chemistry! onto the next!!

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Oct 26, 2011 Lisa Kay rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-romance-contemporary, m-pb-paperback, setting-usa-kentucky, animal-dog-in-story, genre-romance-suspense, reviewed-by-me, authors-l, authors-f, zzcover-black

★★★★✩ I enjoyed this book. Shades of a past book of hers Just a Hint - Clint, but that's okay, b/c I re-read that one from time to time. Loved Molly and Dare. Molly is a nice, plain and shy writer who is about to get a movie deal. Dare a strong, dangerous hunk, who knows how to get people out of serious trouble in perilous locals; nevertheless, he’s gentle with Molly. I was a little thrown, when he lowered her to the dock to make love to her… and I turned the page… and there were almost two pa...more

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Mar 01, 2011 chanceofbooks rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-keepers, 2011-read, netgalley

Dare Macintosh is a hero who spends his life rescuing people from dangerous situations, going where traditional organizations can't or won't. Thus, when he's rescuing his friend's sister from human traffickers, and he discovers Molly Alexander, he rescues her too, without regard to how complicated his life just became. Luckily for all of us, Lori Foster is an author who excels at resolving complications like Molly for men like Dare.

Foster has been one of my very favorite authors all the way bac...more Dare Macintosh is a hero who spends his life rescuing people from dangerous situations, going where traditional organizations can't or won't. Thus, when he's rescuing his friend's sister from human traffickers, and he discovers Molly Alexander, he rescues her too, without regard to how complicated his life just became. Luckily for all of us, Lori Foster is an author who excels at resolving complications like Molly for men like Dare.

Foster has been one of my very favorite authors all the way back to Mr. November (which is still one of my all-time favorite books), so I was super excited to get a chance to read an ARC of this title from Netgalley. Her last two single title releases, Back in Black and My Man Michael, while enjoyable were not my favorites from her, so I was eager to see if When You Dare would push her back into auto-buy territory for me.

And, I couldn't be more thrilled--Foster is back in the groove that brought us Hard to Handle, Jude's Law, Say No to Joe, and Jamie. One of my favorite Foster titles is Unexpected, a Kensington Single Title Romantic Suspense, and I always hoped she'd return to more action and suspense as she has a real knack for light suspense. When You Dare is a great example of light suspense--it's got a great overarching mystery, but Foster's trademark humor shines through, and it's the relationship that drives the story.

Dare is my favorite kind of Foster hero--a sensitive Alpha male. He cooks, he has nice decorating tastes, and he has two adorable dogs--I love it when Foster works animals into her stories as like Linda Lael Miller, her love of animals and empathy really enhances her characterization--the animals become secondary characters in their own rights, but also reveal key details about their owners--sometimes, especially in the case of Dare, more than the owners might choose to reveal themselves.

Dare is also deadly, unapologetic about it, and take-charge. Once he decides to help Molly, he handles the situation with the same efficiency that he carries to all his missions--however, unlike most of his missions, Molly keeps getting under his skin. The chemistry between them sizzles, but Dare is very sensitive to the ordeal that she has just been through. This was a pleasant change from many books I have read lately where the heroine goes through a horrific experience and the hero's main response is hot lovin'. Not that there's not hot lovin' here--this is a Foster book, and the love scenes are smoking as usual, but the sensitivity of the build-up made them more believable and that much more sweet.

Molly is a romantic suspense writer, and I have such a love/hate relationship with writer heroines and heroes--done right they are one of my favorites, as what aspiring writer doesn't love peeking into the lives of other (even fictional) writers? But done wrong, it feels a bit like the real writer's alter ego is walking around the book, transforming a fictional story to something more akin to wish fulfillment. Luckily, Molly is far from Foster's alter ego, and her profession is very much tied to the plot. Molly seemed completely her own character, free from the author intrusion and pitfalls that often accompany characters who are writers.

If I have one small quibble with the book, it's that this sensitive-yet-funny focus on the relationship sometimes overshadows the suspense. Especially in the opening scenes, I kept waiting to find out exactly what had happened to Molly, and later on, I felt like they were taking a bit long to confront the danger and to go check up on her life. However, I think Foster was portraying Molly as shell-shocked and needing the gradual awareness of the real danger she was in and what had happened to her. In this she succeeds admirably, and the relationship focus didn't detract from the pacing--this was a fast, fun read.

This is a highly recommended contemporary romance read, and if you've never read Foster, this is a great place to start. There's a reason why Foster is one the most beloved and bestselling contemporary romance writers, and this book is a key illustration of that. This is going on my keeper shelf, and I'm considering getting a paper copy just to have the amazing cover to gaze at from time to time. Foster must have been exceptionally good to the cover gods to get a trio of three of the best covers I've seen in a very long time. Book Two's cover is absolutely delicious. But, an amazing cover is worthless (not mention disappointing!) without an equally compelling story to fulfill its promise of an A+ read. Luckily, this series seems poised to deliver exactly that! (less)

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Apr 16, 2013 Kame rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-books-read, contemporary-romance, military

Really enjoyed it!

Dare Macintosh is in the personal protection business. He went into Tijuana with the mission to rescue his best friend’s sister from a group of human traffickers; he came out with Alani and an additional unplanned complication; Molly Alexander. Molly was abducted and held captive for nine days; during that time she was drugged and beaten. Neither Dare nor Molly can figure out why she was abducted, and why no one reported her as missing, but until all the questions they have ar...more Really enjoyed it!

Dare Macintosh is in the personal protection business. He went into Tijuana with the mission to rescue his best friend’s sister from a group of human traffickers; he came out with Alani and an additional unplanned complication; Molly Alexander. Molly was abducted and held captive for nine days; during that time she was drugged and beaten. Neither Dare nor Molly can figure out why she was abducted, and why no one reported her as missing, but until all the questions they have are answered Dare refuses to let Molly out of his sight.

“Though she obviously didn’t know it, Molly was a sexy mix of innocence, courage, independence and honesty. The combo hit him on a gut level.”

Dare is a man who insists on order and loves deeply. His family of friends and his girls are the most important aspects of his life. Molly is a romantic suspense author. Her latest novel is about to be turned into a block buster movie. She is extremely close to her sister, but has a strained relationship with her father and stepmother. Molly and Dare are self-sufficient people who rely on no one – but that all changed when Dare rescued Molly. I enjoyed Dare’s ability to show care and concern for Molly. From the first sight of her he cared for her safety and getting her strength back. Dare was impressed with Molly’s inner strength, and so was I. Molly’s character was able to keep herself calm and not give into emotion.

“Your books have explicit sex in them?”
She immediately went defensive. “Life has sex in it, and I write about life, about people who face hardships and in the end triumph through it all. Any really good triumph deserves a lasting love don’t you think?”
Before he could answer, she said, “ Of course it does. And any lasting love has to have really hot wonderful sex.”

When I first read this book I was surprised that I hadn’t highlighted more passages. When I enjoy a book I generally have at least a half-dozen or more quotes I consider using in a review. Then I went back and reread the book and I realized that what I enjoyed most of all was the nuances of the characters, things that can’t be conveyed in a simple quote. This is not a starry eyed falling in love tale, but one of a love that grows strong in a short time due to an emotionally binding event.

This is the first book in the “Men Who Walk The Edge Of Honor” series. I found this book when I was searching the e-books available to loan through my library. After a few chapters I went on the site and requested book 2 in the series. Molly’s sister and her fiancé’s story is a short story that was published in an anthology. You know a series has you hooked when at 11pm on a work night you finish book 1 only to immediately purchase the e-book for the short novella about secondary characters and start reading it right away!
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May 10, 2011 Pamela(AllHoney) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: rs-mystery-thriller, favorites, undercover-special-covert-ops, own, pet-or-animal-in-story, tormented-heroine, 1st-in-series, my-4-star-romances

Almost a 5 star. I enjoyed the mix of romance and suspense/mystery and felt the development was well done. The mystery was fairly easy to figure out and I'd have like to seen the rescue itself included but overall it was an excellent read. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

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Jun 05, 2011 Emmi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-mercenary, 2011-reads, on-kindle

Ummm... Five Stars based on the yummy cover alone!!

Excited for a new series from Foster.

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I'm digging this series from Foster. I've been waiting for something new from her for a while. The book was good, everything you'd expect from a romantic suspense. Uber alpha male that is sooo yummy. Funny and lovable secondary characters. A heroine thats a little odd, but totally likable.

My only complaint is that the entire time they...more

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Oct 10, 2012 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011, romantic-suspense

3 1/2 stars - definitely redeeming from her previous series, but there was something missing in it for me. I think it was that the heroine was so perfect in everyway - she was modest, smart, kind to everyone, dogs loved her, people loved her, booming career, and I could go on. A lot of the book seemed dedicated to telling the reader how great she was and it got a little tired for me and a little unrealistic.

The person who ordered her kidnapping was also pretty obvious, but I did enjoy watching D...more

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Mar 23, 2011 Kari rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, kindle

I really enjoyed this book. Lori Foster knows how to write her alpha males! One of the things that I enjoyed about the relationship between Molly and Dare is that he fell for Molly when she was at her worst. This was rather refreshing to read. I loved Dare’s character. Even though he was definitely a tough alpha, he had a tender side that came out when talking about his assistant, Chris and his “girls”. Molly is a pretty solid character who is used to taking care of herself. Her politeness towar...more

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Jan 08, 2013 Bubbles Hunty rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: m-f, just-met-you-but-already-love-you

First I am a gay man and I am 25 at the time of this review. That is going to influence how I enjoy this book.
Second I only started this because I want to get to Chris' book What Chris Wants

This book starts off okay. Not really exciting or actiony. It starts after all the action has already happened, kind of a WTF, right?

I did like them getting to know each other and all that stuff. At at first I liked that they were always together but now I'm 55% and it seems like nothing has happened. It's r...more

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Jun 15, 2011 Kelly rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, steamy-reads, first-in-a-series, secrets-reviewed, cover-lust

Oh, where to start . . .

I loved Dare. I mean, with a name like Dare, who can resist? He's strong, controlled and meticulous. He's a mercenary and has the body that goes with it. He's cool under pressure and focused on the job at hand. Dare is the definition of alpha male.

Molly isn't your typical damsel in distress. She's been kidnapped, beaten and tormented for nine days, yet keeps her cool and stays practical and level headed after her rescue. Even during her captivity, she never backed down f...more

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Jun 27, 2011 Logan rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own-bought-ebook

First impressions: Hello, pretty cover. I'd ask how you are, but I think it's fairly obvious. You're doing great. So what's going on back there, behind your beautiful abs of awesome? No, you're right. I don't really care.

Lasting impressions: A smart, strong woman meets a smart, strong man and somehow both are surprised they fall in love. I'm all about the slow burn, but with this one I was snapping my fingers hoping they'd move it along. I gots thangs to do.

Conflicting impressions: Dare is a mer...more

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Jan 01, 2012 Sian Milne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It has been a couple of years since I read a book from Lori Foster and I have to say her writing has definately improved. I found the story much more interesting than the previous books I had read of hers and I like the fact there was a story to this, whereas before it seemed it was more about the sex and the storyline was secondary to that part.

I really loved the characters of Dare and Molly and was completely sucked into the story, and I didnt want to stop reading as soon as I started. I love...more

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Apr 26, 2011 Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: review, rom-suspense, read-in-2011

Review originally posted here: http://thebookpushers.com/2011/04/25/...

Publisher: HQN
Publish Date: April 26, 2011
How I got this book: NetGalley

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...more Review originally posted here: http://thebookpushers.com/2011/04/25/...

Publisher: HQN
Publish Date: April 26, 2011
How I got this book: NetGalley

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 give When You Dare a B+(less)

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Apr 26, 2011 Mandi Schreiner rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: rom-suspense

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 star...more 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.
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May 08, 2013 Ally rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, ebook, netgalley, romantic-suspense, 2013

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...more 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.

As soon as I saw this book on Netgalley I just had to read Lori Foster’s newest book. I’m a big fan of her romance books. I adore the way she writes her heroes and I generally like her heroines too. So as soon as I saw this I just had to request if I could read it and happily I was accepted.

When You Dare is a mix between a contemporary romance and a romantic suspense, there are several series issues and moments in the book but on the whole When You Dare is quite a light, enjoyful read. I thoroughly loved When You Dare for starters you have a brilliant alpha hero, Dare who comes across as really shady character at the start of the book who’s out to rescue his best friends sister and although I liked him for that I liked him even more by the end of the book as you see so much more to his character! Also Dares heroine Molly, she is such a doll! She is a brilliant great character that I really loved and admired. Even when she was drugged she never gave up her fight to survive and gave Dare a nosebleed thinking he was the bad guy! Molly is truly everything you could want in a heroine, she’s smart, funny, determined and knows her own mind and Dare is such a great hero to start with Molly just adds some extra oomph! The secondary characters are brilliant too, I adored Chris who is Dare’s personal assistant, I was a bit disappointed that Ms Foster is only doing three books in this series because Chris is such a great character that I really want him to get his own HEA, maybe he’ll get his own HEA in the third and final book?! There were two other characters that had a small role in this book Trace and his sister (who Dare went to rescue) Alani, they were both interesting characters but they weren’t given into great detail about who their are as people. Although this is because Trace’s book Trace of Fever is out in May and Alani will be in the third book in June which I think is called Danger Fever.
When You Dare is a classic Lori Foster book and cements all the reasons I fell in love with her books when I was a 17 year old!

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed When You Dare, it’s a great book in an interesting new series and I can’t wait to read the other books!
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Apr 21, 2011 Jess (Gone with the Words) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, read-2011, multiple-narrators, adult, romantic-suspense

Read my review here! --> http://www.gonewiththewords.com/2011/04/review-when-you-dare-by-lori-foster.html

Dare Macintosh is so amazingly considerate. He’s tough but he doesn’t act macho. He’s also sensitive and compassionate and is not ashamed to show it, which is different from other tough guys I’ve read. He is confident in his skills but not cocky…a huge plus! I liked that, while guiltily attracted her, Dare takes great care in being so respectful of Molly, especially right after he’s rescue...more Read my review here! --> http://www.gonewiththewords.com/2011/04/review-when-you-dare-by-lori-foster.html

Dare Macintosh is so amazingly considerate. He’s tough but he doesn’t act macho. He’s also sensitive and compassionate and is not ashamed to show it, which is different from other tough guys I’ve read. He is confident in his skills but not cocky…a huge plus! I liked that, while guiltily attracted her, Dare takes great care in being so respectful of Molly, especially right after he’s rescued her. His feelings start off as protective, then lustful and then finally turn into love. This wasn’t a love at first sight story, which is understandable considering the conditions in which they met.

Molly suffered through some terrible things while in the hands of her captors, but she is determined to keep it together; for herself though, not anyone else. I really admired that. She isn’t your typical drop-dead gorgeous beauty. She is your girl-next-door cutie, but her personality and demeanor make her sexy. She doesn’t like to ask for help, not because of pride, but because she hates putting people out and because she’s very independent.

I really enjoyed seeing Dare at his home with his girls and his assistant Chris. Chris was great comic relief. I liked his banter, first with Dare and then later with Molly. We also meet Trace, who is the MC of the next book in this series, and his sister Alani. I can’t wait to get to know Trace better, because from what I read in this book, he’s going to definitely be interesting!

On Molly’s side, I hated her father and step-mother. They were rich, stuck-up, and only care about appearances. Her sister I really liked. I especially liked her sister’s fiancé, Jett. The interactions between him and Dare had me giggling, only because it’s so typical of two tough guys to act that way around each other.

This wasn’t a very fast paced book. Not that it was slow, because I was never bored but it also wasn’t a suspenseful page-turner. The pace was just right for this story and the development of this romance. This was my first Lori Foster read and I cannot wait to read more of the “Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor” series!!

(This book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley.com for an honest review)(less)

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May 10, 2011 Lisa (Fic Talk) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

review to come later.

Just know that Dare is UNF-tastic.

I posted my review on www.fic-talk.com and on the FicTalk Blog goodreads account.

REVIEW

Many thanks to Harlequin for the ARC!

When You Dare is the first in the Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor series by Lori Foster. The series features uber-alpha, overprotective, and strong males. Her writing is just superb.
When You Dare by Lori Foster
The heroine, Molly, is not your typical female lead who plays the damsel in distress routine. No, not at all....more review to come later.

Just know that Dare is UNF-tastic.

I posted my review on www.fic-talk.com and on the FicTalk Blog goodreads account.

REVIEW

Many thanks to Harlequin for the ARC!

When You Dare is the first in the Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor series by Lori Foster. The series features uber-alpha, overprotective, and strong males. Her writing is just superb.
When You Dare by Lori Foster
The heroine, Molly, is not your typical female lead who plays the damsel in distress routine. No, not at all. Foster has written an independent, tough, yet sensitive female protagonist. She doesn’t back down and even when she was held captive, ill treated, and tortured, she dealt with it. She did not break down, she did not cry, beg, or plead. She held strong. Not knowing that the man who now held her in his possession was her savior, she struck back even in her weakened state.

I love Lori Foster’s male leads. They are definitely not your average male heroes and this one is no different. Dare is a well trained, lethal, and a deadly machine who has some quirks that just don’t seem like the norm for a man of his caliber. He has this thing about everything being neat and tidy. He’s efficient and organized. He always has a plan. And what truly made him appealing – besides how amazingly attractive he is physically – was the love he had for his ‘girls’. I think that really sealed the deal for me.

While he was on a personal mission to save his best friend’s sister from a band of human traffickers he stumbles upon something unexpected. A woman among the younger captives is an anomaly. Usually the kidnappers go after rather young women that can be sold off to the highest bidder and Molly doesn’t fit their standards. She’s beautiful in her own right, but she’s just not what is usually sought after. So there must be another reason for why she was kidnapped and held prisoner.

As Dare and Molly move forward after the incident, they discover that danger still lurks on the outside. Molly isn’t completely safe, but Dare is determined to find out who was behind her disappearance and why. He’s made it his mission to keep her safe. No matter what.

This is a sexy, smoldering, action packed story, with some mystery to it. Lori Foster really delivers in this book.(less)

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Jul 07, 2011 I ♥ Bookie Nookie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: character-mercenary, genre-smut-spense, z-netgalley, zz-reviewed, 2011-read-in, a-series

Molly is on a mission and she needs the help of one daring (I couldn't resist) and sexy individual to discover the truth behind her kidnapping. Dare Macintosh is just the man for the job...if the price is right.

Although I really enjoyed the story as a whole, I was a little shocked at Molly's behavior following her kidnapping. She was just a little too strong if you ask me. For me, her character would have been more believable if she had been slightly more fragile.

✳✳ Copy provided by the author...more

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Sep 18, 2011 Viohlet rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: EVERYONE

Shelves: 3rd-person-pov, action-kickass-etc, attempted-murder, barbie-heroine, career-mercenary, career-writers-editors-publishers-e, child-of-famous-person-or-persons, fast-paced, favorites, genre-contemporary, held-captive, hero-1-a-f, hero-can-be-scary, hero-dark-mysterious-and-oh-so-sexy, hero-i-loved, hero-i-wanna-marry, hero-protective-possessive, hero-to-die-for, heroine-6-brunette-black, heroine-3-m-r, heroine-i-loved, hoshit-theres-a-killer-on-the-loose, kidnapping-abduction, majorly-awesome-hero, majorly-awesome-heroine, series, publisher-harlequin, read-4-loved, read-in-2011, secondary-romance, set-in-california, set-in-ohio, some-real-sick-people-out-there, someone-is-trying-to-kill-me, stalker-sending-me-creepy-shit, sucky-family, supporting-characters-awesome, torture, violence-abuse, set-in-kentucky, stars-5

I loved this. It was a lot darker than previous Lori Foster novels I read, but it was still excellent. It wasn't too graphic, but it wasn't tame either.

I knew who it was about halfway through, which wasn't hard because it was practically given away. But man was the person who set it all up a real nutter. Talk about weak motives XD

The characters were awesome in this. Molly was super independent without stupidly putting herself in harm's way, and Dare was just a dream.

Recommended to anyone who's i...more

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May 06, 2013 Minie rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After seeing that the avg score on good reads is 4.16.. I had high hopes for this book.. However I was disappointed.

The story line is too long.. With too much details of nothing. I got to about 80% of the book and just couldn't take it anymore.. I can usually finish a book in 1-2 days max.. But I find myself putting the book down and unable to go on. I really did try.. It just wasn't captivating enough.

There aren't enough juice in this book to keep a reader hooked. Lack in chemistry/heat betwe...more

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Apr 29, 2013 Gemma rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

3 STARS ***

I was so excited to read this book. I love reading books featuring hot alpha guys who save the damsels in distress providing emotional support all while fighting the bad guys and saving the day, however this one didn't do it for me for one reason, Molly Alexander.

Molly was kidnapped and taken to Mexico, she is 30 years old, plain, not your usual sex slave candidate so it is quickly realised she was there for another reason. Dare is a man for hire, he is in Mexico to rescue a friend's...more 3 STARS ***

I was so excited to read this book. I love reading books featuring hot alpha guys who save the damsels in distress providing emotional support all while fighting the bad guys and saving the day, however this one didn't do it for me for one reason, Molly Alexander.

Molly was kidnapped and taken to Mexico, she is 30 years old, plain, not your usual sex slave candidate so it is quickly realised she was there for another reason. Dare is a man for hire, he is in Mexico to rescue a friend's sister who was kidnapped by the same people, while there he takes Molly back with him where Molly decides to hire him to discover who wanted is behind her abduction.

There is nothing wrong with the story, the plot was intriguing and there was plenty of action and good sex however Molly wasn't the right heroine for this story. The woman was abducted, held captive and abused for nine days but she acted like nothing had happened. She was polite to the point of being obnoxious, simpering and acted half her age sometimes. I read reviews beforehand and didn't think I would find her attitude bad because I the characters that cry all the time annoying but she was almost indifferent to her situations. Finally she made the most ridiculous observations e.g. she seemed surprised that someone might come to her apartment to kidnap her again when that is where she had been kidnapped from originally and they had already tried it again since she been rescued. I know everyone reacts different but you have to read it to know how unaffected she seemed by everything, her indifference makes it hard for me to believe men would feel protective towards her.

There was a nice romance and Dare was a great alpha, all action hero and great in bed

He put a gentle love bite to her throat. “And tonight…”
Molly’s heart pounded. “Tonight?”
He touched his tongue to her ear, and whispered, “I’m going to be inside you, and I can’t fucking wait.”

I won't let this put me off from continuing with the series.

“I love you like I didn’t know I could love anyone.” His eyes glistened, but only for a second. He looked down, took a few breaths, then met her gaze again. “I never thought it was possible, but you fit in here, Molly Alexander. In my life, my home and with my friends. Chris loves you, my girls love you.”

(less)

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Mar 22, 2013 Aimee Bowyer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Although the heroine was inanely lacking in common sense and they had that typical "he loves me he loves me not/she loves me she loves me not" insecurity, this book grabbed my attention from the beginning.
Mostly I like to find a good series, an author I enjoy and then get on audiobook. I thought I'd dislike a male narrator after listening to only female narrators for months. I was wrong. I'm on book three of this series and trying to find all the Lori Foster goodness I can obtain.

The book was...more

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Nov 07, 2012 May Mostly Romance rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary

When You Dare ของลอรี ฟอสเตอร์

เรื่องนี้เป็นเล่มแรกในชุด Men who Walk the Edge of Honor ซึ่งเราก็พยายามทำความเข้าใจชื่อชุดอยู่นะคะ เป็นเรื่องราวของเพื่อนพ้องที่ทำงานเป็นนักรบรับจ้าง แต่มีเกียรติ (ประมาณว่า ไม่รับงานจากคนร้าย ทำเฉพาะเรื่องดี ๆ เท่านั้น -- ซึ่งเราก็สงสัยอยู่)

แดร์ แม็คอินทอชบุกไปถึงเม็กซิโกเพื่อช่วยอลานีน้องสาวของเพื่อนที่ถูกศัตรูจับตัวไป ซึ่งนอกจากจะช่วยอลานีมาได้แล้ว แดร์ก็ยังช่วยหญิงสาวชาวอเมริกันอีกคนที่ถูกขังไว้ในที่เดียวกันมาอีก ชื่อของเธอคือ มอลลี อเล็กซานเดอร์ และเธอเป็นนัก...more When You Dare ของลอรี ฟอสเตอร์

เรื่องนี้เป็นเล่มแรกในชุด Men who Walk the Edge of Honor ซึ่งเราก็พยายามทำความเข้าใจชื่อชุดอยู่นะคะ เป็นเรื่องราวของเพื่อนพ้องที่ทำงานเป็นนักรบรับจ้าง แต่มีเกียรติ (ประมาณว่า ไม่รับงานจากคนร้าย ทำเฉพาะเรื่องดี ๆ เท่านั้น -- ซึ่งเราก็สงสัยอยู่)

แดร์ แม็คอินทอชบุกไปถึงเม็กซิโกเพื่อช่วยอลานีน้องสาวของเพื่อนที่ถูกศัตรูจับตัวไป ซึ่งนอกจากจะช่วยอลานีมาได้แล้ว แดร์ก็ยังช่วยหญิงสาวชาวอเมริกันอีกคนที่ถูกขังไว้ในที่เดียวกันมาอีก ชื่อของเธอคือ มอลลี อเล็กซานเดอร์ และเธอเป็นนักเขียนนิยายแนวสืบสวนชื่อดัง (ขนาดว่าฮอลีวู้ดซื้อลิขสิทธิ์ไปทำเป็นหนัง) และนั่นทำให้แดร์ต้องเข้าไปยุ่งเกี่ยวกับชีวิตของมอลลีอย่างห้ามตัวเองไม่ได้ เพราะเห็นได้ชัดว่า มีใครสักคนปองร้ายเธอมากขนาดติดต่อให้แก๊งค์ค้ามนุษย์ลักพาตัวเธอไปเพื่อทำร้าย

มอลลีซึ่งได้รับบาดเจ็บไม่น้อย (แต่ไม่ต้องกลัวนะคะ ไม่โดนทำทารุณทางเพศแต่อย่างใด) ก็มองเห็นว่าแดร์คือคนเพียงคนเดียวที่ช่วยเหลือเธอได้ ดังนั้นเมื่อรู้ว่า แดร์มีอาชีพเป็นนักรบรับจ้าง หญิงสาวจึงว่าจ้างให้เขาทำหน้าที่เป็นบอดี้การ์ดคอยปกป้องเธอ และสืบหาความจริงว่า ใครอยู่เบื้องหลังความพยายามทำร้ายครั้งนี้

พล็อตเรื่องนี้เป็นพล็อตทั่วไปมากนะคะ นางเอกที่ตกอยู่ในอันตราย พระเอกที่เป็นคนเดียวที่จะปกป้องเธอได้ และอาจจะเป็นเพราะจุดนี้ด้วยมั้งคะ ก็เลยทำให้เราเฉยมาก ๆ ไปกับเนื้อเรื่อง ถ้านั่นแย่ไม่พอ มีความไม่น่าเชื่อหลายอย่างในเล่มนี้ที่ทำให้ความสนุกในการอ่านของเราลดน้อยลงไป (ขนาดที่ทำให้เราไม่กล้าหยิบเล่มต่อไปในชุดมาอ่านเป็นปีเลยค่ะ -- เราอ่านเล่มนี้จบไปเมื่อสองปีก่อน จากนั้นก็ดองเล่มที่เหลือในชุดยาวเลย เพิ่งหยิบมาอ่านอีกทีก็เมื่อไม่กี่วันที่ผ่านมา)

ในเรื่องบอกว่า นางเอกเป็นนักเขียนแนวโรแมนติกสืบสวนที่โด่งดัง นั่นคือความไม่น่าเชื่อแรก ต่างกับความเข้าใจของคนส่วนใหญ่ นักเขียนไม่ใช่อาชีพที่ทำงานได้เป็นกอบเป็นกำนะคะ ยิ่งสถานะของมอลลีในเรื่องที่เขียนเรื่องแนวนี้ไม่ใช่แนวที่จะโด่งดัง การที่ฮอลีวู้ดซื้อลิขสิทธิ์ไปสร้างหนังก็ยิ่งไม่น่าเชื่อ เคยเห็นเรื่องแนวโรแมนติกสืบสวนสักกี่เรื่องที่ถูกสร้างเป็นหนังคะ (ส่วนใหญ่เป็นแนว YA เกือบทั้งนั้น) เรื่องนี้พูดแล้วพูดอีก เน้นย้ำมากถึงความโด่งดังของมอลลี (จนทำให้เรานึกถึงเสียงลือในเน็ตช่วงหนังสือเล่มนี้ออกใหม่ ๆ ที่บอกว่า ลอรีเขียนคาแร็คเตอร์ของมอลลีให้เป็นตัวเอง) และเราไม่เชื่อว่า มอลลีจะโด่งดังแบบนั้นได้ ในพารามิเตอร์ของเรื่องที่วางไว้นะคะ

คนร้ายที่เฉลยออกมา เหตุผลของคนคนนั้นก็ยิ่งออกทะเลไปใหญ่ จริงค่ะไม่มีเหตผลอะไรที่จะอธิบายการกระทำชั่วร้ายของมนุษย์ได้ คนมันเลว ก็เลว ง่าย ๆ แค่นั้น แต่เหตุผลของคนร้ายในเรื่องนี้มันปัญญาอ่อนเกินกว่าที่เราจะรับไหว

คะแนนที่ 57(less)

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Oct 24, 2012 Jillian rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorite, romantic-suspense

Molly was kidnapped and she doesn't know who did it or why. She hires Dare to find out who wants her to disappear. Dare tries to find out who is after Molly and keep her safe because she means more to him than just a job. The more Molly finds out about the people around her the more lost she feels. While Dare is her anchor she has to find out if she can really trust him and her own feelings. Molly is a strong heroine, even when she is in bad situations she takes charge and is always thinking of...more

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Oct 03, 2011 Tina Cipolla rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: No one

I have not read a Harlequin romance since elementary school. I will be the first to admit that this is much improved over the stuff I read from Halequin in the late 70's. That said, there is no way around the fact that this book (and the others in this series) are nothing other than pure, unmitigated garbage. The crime, the characters, the dialogue, the relationships, the villians--not any of it is believable. Because it is Harlequin, even the sex scenes are watered down. I'm forcing myself to r...more

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Sep 09, 2011 Robin DeJarnett rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-read

I'd heard a lot of good things about this series by Lori Foster, and was lucky enough to pick a couple of them up at a Borders liquidation. I enjoyed this first book, and look forward to the next.

The first in this series actually starts like it's a sequel. I haven't read the short story that spawned this series, and this book seems to start just after that. The hero, Dare Macintosh, is a hot, huge, hunky mercenary-type with a soft spot for women in need and Labrador retrievers. He rescues the he...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Dangerous Hero Ad...: October Group Read: When You Dare by Lori Foster	56	45	Oct 09, 2011 03:06am
Lori Foster's SAVOR THE DANGER Just Released!	1	19	Jun 28, 2011 06:57am
Lori Foster's WHEN YOU DARE Just Released	2	15	Jun 06, 2011 02:57pm
Celebrating Lori Foster's New Release!	1	8	May 31, 2011 07:35am
New Anthology Features Brand New Story By Lori Foster	1	8	Feb 15, 2011 08:50am

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When You Dare (Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor #1)

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