3.5 stars.

The fourth installment in the Love Undercover series, Dash of Peril by Lori Foster is a super sexy romance. This fast paced story is also action filled as lead protagonists Margo Peterson and Dash Riske investigate a porn ring. When Margo is injured following an attempt on her life, Dash eagerly volunteers to stay with her until she fully recovers from her injuries.

Following in her family's law enforcement footsteps, Margo has quickly risen through the ranks to become the youngest lieutenant on the force. She is strong, independent and fearless when it comes to her job. No nonsense and fully in charge while on duty, off duty is a whole other story. When it comes to her love life, Margo yearns to cede control but trying to keep her tough as nails reputation intact leaves her few options to fully explore her yearnings.

Dash is laid back and easygoing most of the time but under the right set of circumstances, he is more than willing to give his dominant side free reign. He is also ultra protective of the people he cares about and he will go to any lengths to keep them safe. Dash has never had any interest in law enforcement but when Margo's life is in danger, he does not hesitate to put the skills that he learned from his cop brother Logan to good use. And when Dash picks up on Margo's carefully hidden submissive desires, he is more than happy to give her exactly what has been craving.

Dash and Margo are great characters and they perfectly complement one another. Dash's feelings for Margo run deeper than desire but Margo has kept him at arms' length for quite some time. Dash brings out a softer, more feminine side of Margo and he helps her accept all the different facets of her personality. The sexual attraction between them is quite strong and their sex scenes are a little playful and a whole lot sexy with a bit of a D/s element. However, the sexual aspect sometimes overpowers the rest of the storyline.

The other story arc dealing with the investigation into the porn ring is interesting, although somewhat predictable. The bad guys are detestable, but they feel one dimensional. There is some intrigue as to who might be after Margo and again, it was easy enough to figure out the who and the why.

The secondary characters are from past novels in the series and they play an integral role to the unfolding story. Logan and Reese work for Margo, they have the utmost respect for her and they always have her back. Rowdy is also on deck to lend a hand and give Margot some much needed love life advice. In addition, Cannon Colter has information that cracks the case wide open and the changes in his life set the stage for a forthcoming spin off series.

Dash of Peril is an outstanding conclusion to the Love Undercover series. It is another passion filled romance and fast paced mystery that is sure to delight old and new fans. All of the loose ends are nicely wrapped up and Lori Foster's epilogue is an absolutely perfect ending to the novel! ( )

May 5, 2014.. Gonna put this book down.. I am half way and normally I LOVE Lori Foster but I am longing to read some regency books and this isn't doing it for me. I will pick it back up when I am ready for a great contemporary.

Foster delivers a well paced plot with finely drawn characters. Margo is independent yet driven by her desires and fears. Dash manages to be an alpha male while giving Margo the space and respect necessary. The result is a refreshing romance. ( )

I liked the story line, but would have liked a little more story and a little less bedroom scenes. Of course, it is a contemporary romance so I should expect it to be a bit racy :-)

In this story a tough as nails female lieutenant, Margo Peterson, working at a recently cleaned up police department goes after a gang using coerced and drugged women to make underground porn. A situation that may have ties back to some of the dirty cops she busted previously, and possibly her own family. Dash is the construction worker brother of one of her officer's who had helped her out in the past. Dash is very interested in getting to know the feisty police woman better, but then gets dragged into a very dangerous situation with her.

Overall, pretty good. I think I'm going to check around and see if the author might have penned a story for the sub-characters of Connor and Yvette. ( )

Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

When I started reading Dash of Peril, I saw what for me are red flags and worried I’d chosen the book poorly. I shouldn’t have. This is an explicit novel. No question about that. But it doesn’t go beyond light dominance games, and most importantly, though it started to sound like it would treat their desires as twisted and broken, that didn’t happen. Even better, the story makes a point of demonstrating the difference between consent and abuse.

This is not a light, happy read. It lives up to the thriller genre with dedicated people putting themselves at risk to stop a group committing violent rapes, taping them, and then murdering some of the victims. The story doesn’t pull punches in the description here either, leaving no doubt as to what is play and what is a crime. It’s enough to turn your stomach at times.

The case they are on combined with revealing how Margaret Peterson had a lousy childhood made me suspect the portrayal would anger the real community into such games. I was set up for another story of how messed up people have to be to want such things. It’s not my scene, and I usually avoid books that go there, but I know enough to understand it’s not about being damaged goods.

Imagine my surprise to discover Dash of Peril is a book about acceptance, love, and overcoming childhood trauma. It’s about taking a moral stance and living up to that standard no matter who has to be held accountable. It’s about doing the right thing and giving yourself the right to be happy. Serious themes, and ones that are important to me.

I kept reading despite my early reservations because the writing is excellent. As much as the dark world it sucked me into made me want to recoil, I didn’t want to stop because of the glimmers of light driven by Margaret and the man she didn’t want to care for, Dashiel Riske.

Margaret is a police lieutenant who has risen quickly through the ranks by leading the fight against corruption in the force. She even pushed her own father out because of his choice to look the other way. She’s hard working, hard-nosed, and just generally considered lacking in any element of softness. Many of the other officers are almost scared of her, though her immediate team has her back, respects her for what she’s doing, and will happily lay their lives on the line for her.

Dashiel is the brother of one of her team, which puts him out of the running as far as she’s concerned. He’s not so willing to put thoughts of her aside. He’s tried, but it didn’t work. A classic issue I have with thrillers is relationships built under pressure don’t seem very strong. Not only have both of them already recognized an attraction before all this comes down, but also they are actively working through their issues in the story while under threat of retaliation from the group Margaret and her team are trying to take down. Dashiel has to learn to temper his protective instincts while Margaret has to admit he can handle himself in a crisis. There are quite a few rocky moments as they figure things out, but their connection is one of the bright lights in this darkness.

The book is, as I said, explicit. It contains detailed descriptions not for the faint of heart on any side. But this very characteristic helps demonstrate the difference between two people in love and people who use sex as a power play. Even more, though, the community dynamics also demonstrate how people should behave when contrasted with the corruption Margaret worked to root out of the police force but which has feelers still lingering in the story. The way the characters, even some minor ones, are forced to grow, the honor and willingness to risk for positive change, and the large cast of wonderful characters make this book one not to miss…as long as you can handle explicit sex and seriously dark evil.

I’m glad I kept going. I’m glad for having my assumptions thrown back in my face. This is a complex, dark statement about the corruption in some and the need to stand up for your friends and neighbors, to make the world a safe place for the good people and an unwelcome one for those who intend harm. It’s a powerful read.

P.S. I received this title from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review. ( )