Review: Going Undercover As a Pair of Lovers- Good Sequel
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 29, 2013
After reading the first book in the series, The Long Con, and really enjoying it, I was more than willing to give this sequel, Dangerous Submission, a try.  They are set in the same world of art crime and investigation and the main characters from the first book are minor characters in the beginning.  I suppose it could be read out of order in a pinch, but I'm always one for reading books in a series in order.While I enjoyed this story as much as the first one in the series, I found that it was for different reasons and that this story's emphasis was different.  It was neat how the focus changed with the introduction of a different couple and a different assignment.Agent Drake Steele has been pulled into Bradley's office for a special assignment that requires someone who not only has expertise in the field as an agent, but someone who knows the world of BDSM.  Drake is given the assignment to stand guard over another agent whose expertise is computers.  He is not happy about it because Lord Robinson Covington, a blue blood of the first water whose is ignorant of the BDSM lifestyle assigned to play the part of his submissive for their role to get in with the criminals at the head of a dangerous organization, sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.  With little choice, Drake fights his attraction to the naive and sassy Robbie who is like no trained submissive that Drake knows so that he can help Robbie understand his role.  Drake is an experienced Dom with a preference for a single tail whip coiled at his side, but this doesn't seem to frighten Robbie at all.  They attend high class BDSM parties in search of the men who front their criminal organization behind an art gallery.  Drake must balance establishing contact and guiding Robbie in his role until they can get close to the crime boss' computer for Robbie to hack.  Robbie acts out at the events and draws attention to them forcing Drake to punish him, but it does have the effect of drawing out their prey.  Soon the cover story is very real for both of them.  Drake struggles to keep things professional and wonders what will happen when the assignment is over assuming they survive it.The plot in this one is two part with some focus on catching the criminals, but most of the focus is on the relationship between Drake and Robbie.  The story is told first person from Drake's perspective.  I have to laugh at my first reaction because at first I thought him arrogant and commanding, but then I figuratively face palmed because I remembered that he is a Dom.  Yeah Duh!  Actually, he turned out to be a good Dom because his core needs were to protect and care for Robbie.  Now normally, I would be uncomfortable with how quickly things moved along, but the nature of their relationship was dictated by the fact that they were undercover and supposed to be an established couple already.  I was glad to be inside Drake's head for this time to know what he was thinking as stuff transpired otherwise I would have really hated observing what went on in the scenes when they were at the parties.  If I was uncomfortable with anything, it was not understanding at first Robbie's choice to be 'a bratty sub' when he was just learning the ropes.  I got an inkling later when he tried to tell Drake how he felt, but at first I couldn't understand why he was forcing things even faster than the already fast moving relationship.  Anyway, I really enjoyed getting to know the two main characters and following along as their relationship grew. Through much of the story, other characters were peripheral which worked for me because I liked the focus staying on Drake and Robbie.  The other plotline wasn't ignored; it just wasn't the focus.  The last part of the story was handled well too.  I liked how things moved along at a realistic rate even if much of it took place off scene and was mentioned in passing or understood to have happened in the time lapses.So, it was an enjoyable reading experience and I can recommend it to those who enjoy m/m romantic suspense with the focus more on the romance than the suspense.Thank you to Lori Toland for providing this review copy in exchange for my honest review thoughts.