REVIEW: Dare to Run by Jen McLaughlin

 
Dare to Run by Jen McLaughlin: Lucas was recently released from his stint in jail and he’s only looking to do his work for the gang and stay alive. He knows that he’s being targeted and suspects that it might be someone in his own gang that wants him dead. Heidi runs a bar in a very rough area of Boston. She grew up on the streets, so she’s become tough and very independent.

Heidi is used to getting male attention and she never backs down from a confrontation, even when the odds are heavily stacked against her. When Lucas sees that she’s in trouble, he reluctantly steps in to save her. He knows that saving Heidi will bring trouble he doesn’t need, but he can’t help himself when it comes to her. Saving Heidi also means that she has to move in with him for her own protection.

Her breathing increased. “What’s that?”
“We’re not over and you’re not refusing my protection. I didn’t stick my neck out for you to see you get jumped in an alley tomorrow night, without me there to save your pretty little ass. I own you now, darlin’, and you’d best accept it.”

Lucas and Heidi frequently butt heads as Lucas has some very clear rules for her. It doesn’t help that they want each other. Both felt the attraction from the first moment, and living together just ratchets up the tension. Heidi pushes and challenges Lucas in a way that no one else has, while she sees him as a good man despite his criminal past and present.

“If you do this, you’re mine. No more games.” I flexed my fingers. “You’re actually mine.”
She tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Then come get me.”

Dare to Run is a sexy battle of wills where you keep waiting for the danger to catch up to them. Jen McLaughlin provides two strong, independent characters who vie for control with great chemistry. Ms. Laughlin provides tension, anticipation, and betrayal in a world where it’s a battle to stay one step ahead. Fans of Jennifer Ryan and Megan Crane will enjoy Dare to Run.

Book Info:

 Expected publication: February 2nd 2016 | Signet | The Sons of Steel Row #1

The New York Times bestselling author of the Out of Line Novels takes readers to Boston, where one gang of criminals knows how being bad can be so good…

She knows what he’s like on Boston’s mean streets. Now she’s going to find out if he’s got some heart.

Lucas Donahue is not ashamed of his criminal past, but after a brief stint in prison, he’s ready to go legit and live a normal life. The problem is, no one leaves the gang without permission—even if he is one of the boss’s top men. Plus someone’s placed a hit on him. And then there’s that feisty little bartender who’s going to cause him even more trouble.

Heidi Greene knows to keep her distance from a ladies’ man like Lucas—even if she can’t keep her eyes off him. When he rescues her from an attack in the alley outside her bar, she’s forced to stay by his side for safety. But the longer she spends time with him, the greater her chances are for getting hurt in more ways than one.