Book Review: Trace of Fever by Lori Foster

Trace of Fever by Lori Foster

Publisher: HQN Books

Publish Date: May 31, 2011

Paperback, 400 pages 
Fiction, Romantic Suspense
Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor #2
 ISBN: 978-0373775750

My Review:
Why I read this: I like Lori Foster books and read the first one in this series and really liked it so I couldn't wait to read the second book.



My thoughts:  
Oh my, if Trace wasn't taken and Priss wasn't a tough kick-butt woman (plus the fact that I am happily married), I think I would have to go search for Trace Rivers (or whatever last name he was going by at the time).

This book is hot!  And really it's just the tension, Ms. Foster is wonderful in building the sexual tension and the romance.  But that is not all there is to this book.  There is quite a bit of suspense.  What makes Trace tick?  Can he get to the bottom of Murray Coburn's business without being figured out.  Who is Priss, what is she doing and what is she hiding?  All of these questions pop in the book and the plot is so well-done that the almost 400-pages of reading went by really quickly then I was upset when I was done.

Of course, the characters are essential.  Trace isn't just a hot, hunky man.  He's a tough-guy with a soft side for his sister (who makes her first appearance in When You Dare) and a protect all attitude for his good friend Dare and his wife Molly (also from When You Dare).  He also has a distinct sense of right and wrong and he won't hesitate those on the wrong side, but protect and do all he can for those on the right side of things.  I liked Trace from the beginning.  He's not a perfect good-boy, far from it, but he's not a complete bad boy either, and that is why Ms. Foster named this series, Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor.  They truly do, Dare did, Trace does and Jackson is the same for the third book and I can't wait to get to know him more.  Trace is a man's man and also one women swoon for, especially Priss, but not at first.

Priscilla Patterson, may look mousy and average and seem like the type of woman that can be manhandled and walked all over, but Trace quickly figures out that she is not all that she seems.  But somehow he must keep her story up to protect her from the biggest bad guy, Murray Coburn, who Priss insists is her father.  But Trace also knows she is up to more than it seems.  Priss is more than she seems, she's tough and she's out for revenge and with Trace she wants to experience all she has missed in men.  I really like Priss.  As with a lot of Ms. Foster's female characters, she's not one to sit and take being walked over or frisked (except when a hot man is doing the frisking).  Priss can stand on her own.  She also does not trust easy or fall in love easy, but Trace is making her list of don'ts extremely hard to keep.

Both protagonists are amazing characters and I like that we get to go deeper than pretty packaging with both of them.  On the other side of the coin, Ms. Foster has also created some true bad guys in Murray Coburn and his sidekick/lover Helene.  Both are as evil as it gets and their evilness is what keeps you on the edge of your seat through the entire book.

Great protagonists, evil bad guys, romance, suspense, this book has the best of all of these.  I loved Trace of Fever.  It's one of those perfect romances to read and enjoy on these hot summer days.  So run and pickup this book to throw in your beach bag, pool bag or your purse to read and take you away from real life for a few hours.
If you missed it the first book in the series, When You Dare is still available and the series will finish out with Savor the Danger on June 28.


My Rating: 4.75/5.0


About the Book:
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….

About the Author: 
Lori Foster first published with Harlequin in January 1996. Her second book launched Temptation Blaze and her 25th book launched Temptation Heat. Since those early days, Lori has routinely had 6 to 10 releases a year. She's a Waldenbooks, USA Today, Publisher's Weekly and New York Times bestselling author with over 50 titles published through a variety of houses, including Berkley/Jove, Kensington, St. Martins, Harlequin and Silhouette.
Website
Twitter
Facebook

FTC Information: I received this book from Tricia Carr at Media Muscle (Meryl L. Moss Media Relations) for an honest review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws (if Amazon had an affiliate program they would be required to collect sales tax).  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.