Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: Trace of Fever by Lori Foster

From the Back Cover:

Undercover mercenary Trace Rivers loves the adrenaline rush of a well-planned mission. First he'll earn the trust of corrupt businessman Murray Coburn, then gather the proof he needs to shut down the man's dirty smuggling operation. It's a perfect scheme—until Coburn's long-lost daughter saunters in with her own deadly plan for revenge.

With a smile like an angel and fire in her eyes, Priscilla Patterson isn't who she seems to be. But neither is the gorgeous bodyguard who ignites all her senses. Joining forces to plot Coburn's downfall, Priss and Trace must fight the undeniable heat between them. For one wrong move, one lingering embrace, will expose them to the wrath of a merciless opponent…

My Thoughts:

Lori Foster had long been on my list of authors to try, so I was excited when I was asked to participate in the blog tour for her Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor series! The back cover description does a good job of outlining the plot, so I'll go straight into my feelings on the book. Overall I liked it, and I plan to read the other books in the series, but a couple of things keep me from rating it higher.

First: when Priss meets her father, the first thing he does is order Trace to see that she gets a head-to-toe makeover because she's not sexy enough, even down to the lingerie and the bikini wax. The makeover takes up about a third of the book. I had a hard time swallowing this. It's really just an excuse for Trace to see her in skimpy clothes. And the bikini wax becomes an important topic of conversation. Several times.

Speaking of big, bad Daddy Murray (and his psycho girlfriend), I like villains that have a little humanity, another little layer tucked away somewhere, and these villains are so over-the-top, one-dimensionally twisted that it takes the reality away and makes it less believable. And I'm not really a fan of reading about the bad guys getting it on--I'd rather that space went to the hero and heroine getting it on more! And as for our heroine, Priss is awfully immature for a girl who's taken care of herself and her mother all her life, who's trained to infiltrate and take down her father's organization, but she can't go two pages without getting bent out of shape, making a face, or mimicking somebody. But I admit, in spite of my annoyance with her, at times her insecurity and vulnerability did get to me.

So, by now you may be wondering what I did like about this book. That's easy: TRACE! Hubba hubba, what a hottie! And the storyline. Human trafficking is no joke, and something we Americans don't tend to spend too much time worrying about. But in many other parts of the world, it's a real danger for young women and girls. Foster brings the threat to small-town America with a network of villains who are making big bucks kidnapping and selling pretty middle-class girls. Trace and his buddies Dare and Jackson have been personally affected by this ring of traffickers and have made taking them down their personal mission, and this book has a really exciting conclusion. And the sex is really hot. I also liked the supporting characters, including the aforementioned Dare and Jackson, and I look forward to reading their stories. Their love interests also made appearances, and since they have both been victims of the traffickers, I think their stories are going to be pretty interesting. I have a feeling that Priss is going to end up being the weakest link in this series, for me, anyway, and I'm looking forward to When You Dare and Savor the Danger.

My Rating:  3.5 Stars out of 5

Wanna win your own copy?

I've got one up for grabs!

Simply leave a comment with your email address.

This giveaway is only open to U.S. and Canada residents.

Open till 11:59pm June 30th.

Winner will be chosen at random.

Thanks, and good luck!

This giveaway is closed and the winner has been chosen!

 

Read about Lori and all of her novels at:

http://www.lorifoster.com/