Review: Under Cover
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 25, 2013
(Full Disclosure: I received a free review copy of this book through bookrooster. I do not believe that my review is affected in any way by receiving it for free.)This book started off fairly quickly paced for the first chapter and then slowed down to let us get a full introduction to the character. Without repeating the synopsis too much, Heather leaves her fiance when she finds him cheating on her and after four months of being single, decides to try a one-night stand. Her friend Rebecca brings her to a club, and she hooks up with Mark.I found that the first few chapters were very well written. I could feel the tension in the book as Heather decides she is going to give dating a try, finds a dress she liked, and her extreme disappointment when Mark says "I am not going to have sex with you tonight." That scene helped me to really like Mark. He came across as very knowledgeable and not looking for quick sex. As a female (albeit a married one), I can really appreciate it when a guy takes it slow, and it was really cool reading about Heather's frustration for the first couple of dates.The entire book was very well written. There were plenty of sex scenes, and I found those to be written extremely well. I could easily visualize what was going on. I wasn't left going 'wait, is that even physically possible?' and I wasn't rolling my eyes over any references of how his 'steel manhood plundered deep into the core of her womanness' that is so abundant in other romance novels.There were enough non-sex scenes to keep the story really moving. I really appreciate stories where the participants have a very frank conversation about sex. In this story, Mark highlights different angles of BDSM and has her point out which are definitely out of the question. Then they compromise on many of those issues, turning them into 'soft limits' that might be explored at a later date. This sort of open communication is very important in any relationship, but seems moreso in a relationship where you are giving up control and allowing the other person to set the scene.The characters slowly build up trust in one another as the book progresses. Just as with communication, trust is a big necessity to any relationship. I can see that Heather slowly begins to trust him. As a character, she definitely grows as a character. The other side characters also show change; they aren't just stagnant, one-dimensional characters used to pad the word count.Going along with the last issue, I must say that I am absolutely disappointed by the ending. Without giving away any spoilers, once Heather has agreed to a long-term relationship with Mark, Mark reveals that almost everything you thought was happening - was one big setup. Mark continually tells Heather to trust him. There is one scene where she questions him and he punishes her for not trusting him. We get that trust is a big deal. But then Mark reveals that he has kept a very, very large secret from her. This secret completely changes the dynamics of their relationship. Were I in Heather's shoes, I would have immediately felt that he had betrayed my trust, and demanded an end to the relationship. Or, if not a permanent end, at least a temporary break up while I reflected on things.This final scene made me really lose respect for both Mark and Heather. Mark, because not only did he lead her along, he then said he didn't lie to her - he just didn't tell her! And Heather because, very shortly after having an argument about trust, decides that this change is okay. It's okay that he betrayed her trust. She's not going to hold it against him. And, to me, that's completely unbelievable. There is all of this character growth that just seems to get thrown out of the window for the sake of having a cliffhanger that leads directly into the start of the novel.Overall, I am giving this story 4 stars, although if I could give it 4.5 I think I would as I really did enjoy it. Ms. Quinn has a wonderful style of writing and I read the book without being able to put it down once. I am subtracting one star for such the shocking and disappointing ending. I do recommend this book to anyone else who enjoys, not only erotica, but erotica that is centered on BDSM. I appreciated receiving a free copy and I will definitely read the other novels that she has available.