Review posted on Dark Faerie Tales.I have to be honest. I haven’t read many of Lori Foster’s books, but the ones that I have read, oh boy. Run the Risk is the first book in Foster’s latest series, Love Undercover. True to many of Foster’s stories, she really knows how to write a leading male. Foster knows how to write romance well, so it’s safe to say that you will not be disappointed in Run the Risk. Pepper Yates, aka Sue Meeks, has spent the last few years blending into the background, not receiving attention, and doing all that she can to become a Plain Jane. Pepper has done her best to hide from Andrew Morton, a dangerous club owner, and stay hidden. Logan Riske is an undercover detective looking for Pepper. Logan wants to solve the mystery of his best friend’s murder, and vows to do whatever he can to get her cooperation. Cleverly disguised as someone else, Pepper and Logan become strangers, trying so hard to obtain their goals while this slow attraction builds up. There isn’t much that Pepper can do to resist Logan, and unfortunately “Sue” will have to suffer the consequences. Pepper is a good leading female. Despite everything that she has had endured, it is evident that she is a survivor. I don’t know many fictional females that would sacrifice so much of who she is and her personality to protect herself and her brother. She has suppressed so much that it doesn’t take much from Logan to tempt her in more ways than one. Pepper is lonely, longing for a companion, a friend, and yes, even a lover. Logan is hot. From the first scene that he graces our presence, you can feel his sex appeal. There wasn’t much that I didn’t like about Logan. He’s a detective, with a mostly good moral code, who is looking for justice for his best friend. But I love how he is with Pepper and with Sue. I like where Foster brings him, as a character and as a person. He has many layers to him, and I wanted to find out everything. Run the Risk has a unique environment. I came to know the characters in the most unconventional of settings, but with Foster’s talent, I still loved them both. I really appreciated that Pepper wasn’t a regular damsel in distress and had her own sets of strengths and weaknesses. I liked her tortured past and how it molded her, and the story. I will say that I felt the pacing of the beginning few chapters dragged a little. I felt that there was a lot of set up involved, with a lot of details. And I admit, I may or may not have felt this way because I was anxious to get to know the characters. Run the Risk was a great first story into the Love Undercover series. If the rest of the series is anything like this one, I’m definitely a fan already.
