ARC Review: Run the Risk by Lori Foster

Run the Risk
Author: Lori Foster
Publication: Harlequin HQN (September 25, 2012)

Description: 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?

My Thoughts: This romantic suspense title kicks of a new series for Foster. The romances all deal with people who are hiding themselves for one reason or another. Police Lieutenant Logan Riske has gone undercover and moved into the apartment next door to Pepper because he wants to find her brother who could be an important witness to solving the case of the murder of his best friend. 

Pepper is undercover too. She is deliberately making herself unattractive and changing her character because she is hiding from the mobster who killed Logan's best friend. She is also protecting her brother Rowdy who is also in hiding both from the mobster and the police. 

Pepper thinks Logan is hot but doesn't know if she can trust him. She can't! Logan is determined to get close to Pepper to use her to find her brother. He'll do anything, including seduction, to stay close to her. I didn't like that he was willing to use her. I had an even harder time forgiving him than Pepper did when his deception was discovered. 

I think Logan richly deserves the treatment that he receives from Pepper after his deception is discovered. I like that, even though he knows he loves and wants her, she is more hesitant and wants to keep the relationship at just a sexual one rather than risking her emotions. 

This one had a lot of twists and turns. It seemed that everyone was suspicious of everyone else. Rowdy and Pepper don't trust Logan's partner Reese. Reese doesn't trust Lieutenant Peterson who is in charge of their police precinct. Logan isn't sure who he can trust. 

I think that the romances that will be featured in the next two books in the series were hinted at here. Reese has a very suspicious neighbor named Alice who is definitely hiding something. And Rowdy runs into an intriguing red-headed waitress while he is investigating. I hope I am right about those possible romances. I want both Reese and Rowdy to find the right women for them. 

Favorite Quote:

Even after Dash nudged him, Logan couldn't stop staring at her. He hated it, the way she made him feel so f**king...lost. He was a man who liked to act, not wallow in indecision and confusion. He knew right from wrong, and he enforced it. He went after what he wanted, whether it was a woman or a criminal, physical or emotional. With Pepper, he didn't have a clue what to do.

I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. You can buy your copy here.