Caffeinated Book Reviewer: Review/Guest Post/Giveaway: Run the Risk by Lori Foster

I am very excited to share my review of Run the Risk by Lori Foster for my stop on the Fiery Hot Reads For Icy Cold Nights Blog Hop. Lori is here with a guest post and giveaway, so enjoy and then check out the other blog hop stops listed below!

Run the Risk
by Lori Foster
Series: Love Undercover #1
Publisher: Harlequin
Publication date: September 25, 2012
Genre: Adult Romantic Suspense
Purchase: Barnes and Noble/Amazon/Book Depository

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 love a romance wrapped in suspense and mystery so when I won Run the Risk by Lori Foster I was very excited to begin reading it. The first in her new Love Undercover series, Foster brings us a yummy, suspenseful tale with lovable characters, villains and just the right amount of heat.

The tale begins when we meet smexy Detective Logan Riske. He is undercover trying to find a witness regarding the unsolved murder of his friend by a corrupt club owner. He has finally tracked down Pepper Yates the witness’s sister and has moved into the apartment next door. Pepper is living under an alias and doing her best not to be noticed and the new hot neighbor is getting under her skin. Logan slowly gains her trust and a whole lot more than he bargained for but his misunderstanding of key facts might put them all in danger. The tale that unfolds was hot, dangerous and action packed.

Logan is a cop through and through and he is determined to get justice for his friend. He quickly realizes he is in over his head with Pepper and I loved how it unnerved him. He trusts his instincts and I liked that about him. Pepper is damaged when we first meet her, and I loved watching the layers of her personality peel back as the tale unfolded. The chemistry between them was hot, sweet and at times downright hilarious. Pepper’s brother Rowdy is everything you would want in a brother and while he moves in the gray area of the law his dedication to his sister made him lovable Reese is Logan’s partner at the police station and the next character to be featured in this series. The villains are creepy and the corruption far reaching making this very suspenseful.

Foster’s tale flowed deliciously and literally grabbed me in the first few pages. I easily consumed this in a single afternoon and found myself longing for the next book in this series. I love series where each book features a character and their romance and this is exactly what Love Undercover delivers. The characters were well fleshed out and believable. The plot was suspenseful and I loved watching all of the pieces fall into place. The attraction was slow to build and the romance felt genuine. We get a few hot scenes with just enough detail to turn up the heat. The ending was sweet and gave us a glimpse at the next installment. I closed this book with a smile.

I totally recommend Run the Risk to fans of romantic suspense, crime and men in blues. Foster weaves a delicious action packed tale and the newest book Bare It All; Love Undercover #2 will be released in April of 2013. My copy is already pre-ordered. eep!

Four cups of mocha lattes out of five

Author Guest Post

Perfect Valentine’s Day Date

What’s your idea of the perfect Valentine’s Day date? Are you a romantic who wants chocolates and flowers and lots of attention? Are you someone who might not even remember it’s Valentine’s Day if your significant other doesn’t remind you? Or do you, like me, use it as an excuse to give your kids and grandkids gifts?

I love to buy heart shaped boxes of chocolates to send to the kids. I have three sons– ages 31, 27 and 25, and two grandsons, ages 7 and just turned 1. (Yeah, we don’t really make girl babies in this family.) My 7 year old grandson loves to gets cards from me, but he also informed me that he’d enjoy some packages too. J (He is soooo adorable!) So whenever I have a good reason, I try to send him a package. This year it’ll be a variety of chocolates and a fun kid-friendly card. When the 1 year old is ready, I’ll be sending him packages and cards too.

I know it’s supposed to be the ultimate romantic day. But, despite writing romance, I’m not really a romantic person. For me, love is shown day in and day out by being supportive, understanding, sharing, listening. My husband is the absolute best.

I love flowers. But he brings me those off and on all the time. I’ll be scrambling to get something done, feeling frustrated with something, and there he is a beautiful bouquet. ::sigh:: He’s a great guy.

And I love chocolate, but we go to the movies often – sometimes two or three times a week if there are movies I want to see. (Movies are my mind-break from writing.) I try to restrict my candy habit for when I’m sitting in a theater munching away on Milk Duds or Sugar Babies or a Milky Way bar.

This year we’ll celebrate our 35^th anniversary, so gifts are something we buy for ourselves whenever we want something. We’ll shop together, but we don’t really wait for special occasions.

So how do we celebrate a great holiday like Valentine’s Day?

Luckily my husband knows me well – and understands I’m not a super romantic person – so when we saw that a new Die Hard movie – A Good Day to Die Hard – was releasing on Valentine’s Day, he gave me a high five. J Yes, seeing Bruce Willis is my perfect idea of an awesome Valentine’s Day date! We’ll grab dinner somewhere – maybe Olive Garden or Longhorn Steak House – and then we’ll watch Bruce Willis kick butt. What could be better than that?

I do have some wonderfully romantic, sexy and funny books I’ve been waiting to read too. I adore books by Jill Shalvis and Erin McCarthy, but I set them aside when I’m on a deadline so that I can stick to finishing my own work before I enjoy theirs. Now that I’ve finished Rowdy’s story – GETTING ROWDY, out Sept/Oct, part of the “Love Undercover series” – I can give my brain a rest with a few good books. That’ll help round out a terrific Valentine’s Day.

But then, being totally honest, every day with my husband is a good day.

How do YOU plan to celebrate the day?

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Lori has a paperback copy of Run the Risk for one lucky US follower!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Today's Stops on the Fiery Hot Reads for Ice Cold Nights Hop

Check out these awesome posts and giveaways! Each day different blogs will be participating so be sure to check in daily for your chance to win and discover new Fiery hot reads!