Barely Undercover by Sarah Castille

 When private investigator Lana Parker follows a dangerous biker into an underground sex club, James Hunter is the last man she expects to see. But there he is, all dark looks and chiseled charms, ready to break her heart all over again.

Danger is the name of the game for an undercover cop. And the last thing James wants is for the fiery beauty to come anywhere near the notorious biker gang he's trying to take down. Yet Lana has no intention of giving up her case, which means he'll have to keep her close to keep her safe. A risky proposition-especially when their blazing sexual chemistry reignites an unforgettable passion.

But when a dark terror emerges from the past, Lana goes on the run...and James gives up everything to save her. Backed into a corner, Lana must face her fears, including the one thing that frightens her most...her overwhelming feelings for the man whose searing glance sparks her most hidden desires, the man she should not trust, but cannot resist.

Warning: The book contains violence, explicit sex, light bondage, heavy swearing, motorcycle sexytimes, bad-ass biker naughtytimes, and an exceptionally hot hero who will get down and dirty anywhere but under the covers.

Barely Undercover was a REALLY good read for me. I adored Lana’s character – she’s strong, she’s sassy, she’s vulnerable, she faces her fears as much as possible, and whether she wants to admit it or not, she loves James completely. As for James, what’s not to love? He might be an undercover cop, but he is an alpha male through and through and has no problem pulling off the biker persona. The two together are explosive.

As the story progresses, we learn that Lana has had a tough life and when she thought she had found her way out, she only ended up trading one devil for another. Eventually, she did make her escape and now owns her own PI business. Her current case hits a bit close to home and brings her face-to-face with bikers and more importantly James – the only man she ever loved and the only man who ever broke her heart when he walked away without saying goodbye. Needless to say, it was quite a shock when she ran into him (literally) and the reunion was quite amusing. As their cases intersect, Lana and James find themselves spending more and more time together. When their passions are ignited, it makes for some extremely stimulating reading. But it’s not all hearts and flowers as there is quite a bit of danger faced by both James and Lana and Lana finds herself dealing with old demons that excel at cruelty.

Although not an actual MC book, Barely Undercover is an action-packed read full of bada$$ bikers, club conflicts, illegal activities, and one surprisingly intimidating old lady (Angel + lead pipe = one snort-laugh inducing scene for me). I am so looking forward to the next book in the series and am really hoping that it’s about Jacki – that woman is a hoot and she deserves to find The One. Even though Ms. Castille’s series is entitled Legal Heat, the path that Ryder envisions for the club and the former occupations of some of the new club members could potentially fall under this heading. If not, I certainly hope she develops a spin-off series as I would really enjoy reading more about them.

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