Bare It All (Love Undercover #2) by Lori Foster

As the person responsible for taking down a brutal human trafficker, Alice Appleton fears retaliation at every turn. No one knows about her past, which is exactly how she prefers it...until the sexy cop next door comes knocking.

Detective Reese Bareden thinks he knows what makes women tick, but his ever-elusive neighbor keeps him guessing like no other. Is his goal to unmask Alice's secrets? Or protect her from a dangerous new threat? One thing is certain: their chemistry is a time bomb waiting to explode. And with no one to trust but each other, Reese and Alice are soon drawn into a deadly maze of corruption, intrigue and desire-and into the line of fire....

Type: Romantic Suspense
Heat: 3 out of 5
Rating: 4 out of 5

Amazon B&N Goodreads Book Depository

Ahhh Lori Foster. The woman just gives good book. Bare It All was really the complete package... sexy-as-sin alpha male, quirky yet strong heroine, romance that's steamy and sweet, danger, humor and of course incredible friendships that make you want to just climb into the book and be part of the group. Seriously, how could you not love that?


Okay where to start. Whew. Alice and Reese. I loved the dynamic between these two. She caught his attention in book one and has pretty much ignored him completely (other than loving on his pup)--which for a detective that's never had trouble with women is...intriguing and the man has to know more. There's something about her and the way she watches the world that sparks his curiosity as a detective and he just has a feeling something is a bit off about her and her life.

The two were sexy and fun and I loved that they didn't really play games with each other. Even though Alice plays some things close to the chest and keeps quite a few secrets she's very honest and open about wanting Reese and I loved her reactions to him when she'd get a glimpse of him shirtless. It was a pretty funny little twist on the male/female relationship with her doing most of the ogling. I mean she seriously ogled the hell outta the guy. And it was so damn funny.

Shirtless and barefoot, he leaned in the kitchen doorway, only a few feet away. He'd pulled on rumpled slacks, zipped but unbuttoned so that they hung low, showing off his taut abdomen and that silky line of dark blond hair that disappeared into his boxers.

Boy. The pants helped a little, but not much. He still looked indescribably awesome.

Sighing in resignation at her distraction, Reese said again, "Up here, Alice."

Mute, she performed the near-impossible feat of lifting her attention to his face. She had a feeling that with Reese so uninhibited, his reminders were going to come fast and furious.

Really, how could any woman not stare at him?

Reese. Lordy. I can understand the ogling. I really can. I'd ogle the man too. He's sexy, confident, good at what he does, attentive and patient as all get out. Has a body that could stop traffic and really doesn't mind losing his shirt or other bits of clothing. I really loved that this quiet, prim little neighbor of his completely shook him apart and had him scrambling and losing his shit more than once. The man can get a little jealous and it's actually pretty entertaining to watch happen.

"Kiddo, what did you do now?"

"Not me," Pepper said, and she pointed at Alice. "Her."

Maybe going into the station alone wouldn't be so bad after all. Alice took a step toward Rowdy, but Reese wasn't letting go. "No, you don't." He brought his arm up to her shoulders and locked her in close to his side.

Then he just stood there.

Looking a little mean.

Logan lifted a brow. "What are we doing?"

Looks to me like he's going quietly insane," Rowdy said.

Because his apartment was part of a crime scene from book one he and his pup, Cash, end up staying at her apartment for most of the book and I just loved the intimacies that came from that. And Cash was a big part of the story which I thought was great. I loved how much they doted on him and loved this wild, crazy puppy. One of the things that had me falling for Alice was when they were gearing up for a fight she wanted Reese to go in the other room so they could have it out because she didn't want to upset the puppy by fighting in front of him. That quirkiness just about undid me.

I enjoyed the suspense aspect of the story as well. Foster touches on some heavy themes of human trafficking and can get your blood boiling at the things people will do. There are some make your palms sweat moments and a few that had me antsy while they played out. I think she handles them well though and the seriousness is really balanced out nicely with humor so it's not too heavy.

As much as I enjoyed all of the bits and pieces of the story my favorite thing was the way the guys (Reese, Logan, Rowdy and Dash) all interacted together. They may not all "love" each other but they work together to do what needs doing, tease the heck out of each other and just fit. They're such good guys and seeing them all together...you can't help but smile. And maybe do a little panting because hot damn they are all just beyond fine. There are some great teasers with them as well setting up the rest of the series.

Bare It All is definitely one I'd recommend for anyone who loves contemporary romance and suspense. Foster does an amazing job with both and makes a nearly 500 page book fly by before you realize. If you haven't read the first book in the series hang in there those first few chapters. It'll all start to make sense. Or go grab up book one, Run the Risk. It's damn too.

And for a little book inspired man candy... 

because Lori's men aren't shaved within an inch of their lives

and damn do I love that about her...

Talk to me, people!

Have you read Foster? Do you have a favorite? 

Ever read a dynamic between the hero/heroine like this one?

What did you think of the trailer?