Review of Dangerous Submission by Lori Toland

Lori Toland

Dangerous Submission (Dangerous Affairs #2)

Loose Id | April 23, 2013

Author’s website | Goodreads | Buy book here

Backblurb:
British Agent Drake Steele never thought when he was hired on at the Serious Organised Crime Agency that his job would involve spanking a co-worker. But when the colleague is Lord Robbie Covington, the sexy red-headed computer hacker for SOCA and MI-6, Drake can't agree fast enough to pop Robbie's cherry and pull him into the sensual world of BDSM.

Now they are caught up in a web of lies as they pose as members of the jet-setting crowd. Drake and Robbie have to race against the clock to stop a weapons haul that could threaten the safety of all Europe. As their covers begin to fade and danger is closing in, protecting Robbie is Drake’s most important task, but neither man is ready for the moment when their hearts are put on the line.

Genre & Keywords: Contemporary Romance, M/M, Mystery, Suspense, BDSM, Undercover, Prague, London, Red-head, Danger

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Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Heat level: 3 out of 3 flames
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Well, this was a thoroughly sexy read. Two agents, who don't really know each other but feel a mutual attraction, are thrown together in an undercover operation where they have to pose as a couple. And not just any couple, no, they have to act as a Dom and his sub. Drake already is an experienced Dom but Robbie is completely new to BDSM. So, they not only are taking precocious steps into this scene, but have the added pressure of being undercover on top of that. This makes their ordeal rather intense from the start.

This premise is not awfully original but when you're in the mood for it Dangerous Submission will provide you with the sexiness and emotional complication this type of story usually brings, in a fabulous way. Although the plot suffers a bit from instant lust which turns into instant love rather quickly, it was lovely to experience the way Toland writes feelings and emotions into a fast developing relationship. She masters the art of showing instead of telling beautifully, which made me almost forget the insta-love and the predictable outcome of the undercover operation.

For example lines like the one in this quote made me enjoy her writing style very much:

'I was floating on a bed of clouds. Actually, it was velvet touching my skin, and while I slowly drifted back to reality, our surroundings came into focus. We had landed in the middle of the room on a pile of velvet blankets specifically prepared for another dom and his sub, who now stood at the entrance to the room.'

Images of scenes are evoked very quickly and clearly thanks to her vivid writing, and this makes the sex scenes extremely sexy and hot too. I completely believed the D/s developments between the main characters. Drake and Robbie have a sizzling chemistry going on from the beginning. And there's also room for some playfulness between them, which I enjoyed.

I thought it was a good choice that the wrap-up of the investigation does not coincide with the end of the story. Drake and Robbie realize that they don't really know each other and that their falling in love happened very quickly and may have mostly been ignited by the excitement of the job. They take their time after that job to get to know each other by having a long distance relationship, with Drake in Birmingham and Robbie in London. This made their HEA in the end more believable to me. And I also liked the role Drake's daughter played in that part of the story. However, I still felt that the relationship development was a bit rushed and could've profited from a slower build-up overall and maybe from a bit more friction between the heroes as well.

Dangerous Submission is a well-written and hot romance with some attractive suspense and quite a few steamy BDSM scenes thrown into the mix. It's definitely a recommendation if you like the type of undercover story where the heroes have to guess to what extend their partner is faking his feelings or actions for the sake of the job. The main characters are likable and three-dimensional sex gods who will keep you entertained - and not only with their naked action - from the first to the last page.
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