Undercover by L. Dane

Lauren Dane is one of those author I’ve just recently found and I have to say that she is definitely grabbing my attention. I was lucky enough to win an advance readers copy of her new novel, Undercover, which comes out December 2nd, and it kept my attention throughout the entire book.

On the battleground or in the bedroom, one woman and two men fight for dominance in a bold, new, and excitingly different direction in erotica…

As a lieutenant of the Federation military, Sera Ayers is accustomed to giving orders, not taking them. Now she must obey the one man she can’t stand—and can’t stop thinking about.

With the enemy Imperialists gaining ground, a covert team is assembled by Ash Walker. Ten years before, Sera had lovingly submitted to Ash’s dominance in the bedroom. But when he was forced into a political marriage, she refused to play mistress. His marriage now over, Ash wants Sera on his team—and back in his bed.

The third team member, Brandt Pela, has an elegance to match Ash’s savage sexuality. And when their undercover plan requires Sera to pose as Brandt’s lover, it ignites a passion among the three of them more dangerous than their mission.

Right from the start, Undercover had me captivated.  I mean, how many novels do you know that start out with a fistfight between two of the main characters?  The story was well thought out and moved along at a moderate pace.  I will say, that there were times that I thought the plot was a little thin and could have been expanded in some areas, but overall, it worked.  While I like a little sex and romance in my stories, I did think there was a little too much focus on the sex and the sexual tension between Sera, Ash, and Brandt.  Granted, everything I’ve read by Lauren Dane to date has been a little heavy on the sex, so this wasn’t unexpected.  While there were sections I skimmed through, most of the sex scenes were still original enough that I didn’t feel like I was reading the same scene over and over (edited to add: I skimmed through some of the sex scenes mainly because I’m not completely comfortable with BDSM.  I’ll read it, but I have a hard time reading a lot of it).  When it comes to sexual element in novels, this is a big factor to me and I have to say that it was executed rather well.  The character development was good, but it would have been interesting to see a little more from Sera’s darker past.  Ash and Sera had a previous history together and I liked how the story also incorporated the two of them getting back together and working through their differences.  I wouldn’t have been upset if Sera had made Ash grovel a little more, but considering the circumstances, I still enjoyed what little trouble Sera did give Ash.  Brandt, in my opinion, wasn’t developed all that much (compared to the other two), but we’re given enough information on him that it really didn’t matter all that much.

Overall, I did enjoy Undercover, and I’ve said it in the past, but I really need to get my hands on some more of Lauren Dane’s work.  The dialog was quick and witty, the characters were engaging, and the action was there to keep us interested through all of the sex scenes.  It is a possibility that this could be the beginning of a new series for Ms. Dane, so we’ll have to see what happens.  Undercover comes out on December 2nd, and while the novel is a little heavy on the sex, it is definitely worth your time to try and get your hands on a copy of it.

Also reviewed by:
Realms of The Raven
Romance Junkies
Night Owl Romance

About Jackie 3282 Articles
I am a 30-something SAHM with two adorable boys and a supportive husband who is very tolerant of my reading addiction. I love to read and easily go through about a dozen books a month – well I did before I had kids. Now, not so much. After my first son was born, I began to take my hobby of reviewing a little more serious and started Literary Escapism to help with my sanity. I love to discuss the fabulous novels I’ve read and meeting all the wonderful people in the book blogging community has been amazing.

2 Comments

  1. I hate it when an author provides too much sex that doesn’t help move the plot along. Megan Hart did that in her book Tempted. The storyline was great but I actually skimmed a few of the sex scenes (and I hardly ever skim anything in a book) to get back to the more interesting parts that actually didn’t seem to be just placed into the story at random points.

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