Chelsea & Jessica Get Brazen! Review & Discussion~ Lover Undercover by Samanthe Beck

Hi everyone! It's Chelsea from Starbucks & Books Obession and Jessica from Lovin' Los Libros! Jessica and I needed a really great read after a string of not so great books. She had just finished an ARC of In Bed With Mr. Wrong by Katee Robert and I convinced her to read J.Lynn's Tempting The Player since it's one of my all time favorites (I've read it like 4 times and I have the audio).We both had Samanthe Beck's Lover Undercover so we decided to buddy read that one together to help lift me out of my bad book funk. After we finished, we thought- how fun would it be to not only review the book, but post our reviews together and do a little book discussion?

He’s undercover. She’s in over her head. 

Yoga instructor Kylie Roberts is the good twin. At least she was—until an accident forces Kylie to step into her twin’s sexy stilettos at a posh Hollywood “men’s club." But nothing could've prepared Kylie for the dead body in the club’s parking lot or the ridiculously hot detective who insists the killer is targeting her regulars.  

Detective Trevor McCade needs Kylie’s help to draw out the killer. It means long nights undercover and long dances where Kylie’s body tempts him with sensual promises. Dances that leave them both wanting more. But despite Kylie's hidden identity and the danger lurking in the shadows, it’s only a matter of time before Kylie and Trevor take this undercover operation under the covers…

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Jessica: Ok, Chelsea! You're up first! Describe Trevor in 5 words or less.

Chelsea: Smart, Captivating, Hot, Brave, Loyal. Your turn!

Jessica: Dedicated, Sexy, Ripped, Tempting, Real!

And next question! Which scene did you think was the steamiest?

Jessica: The bath scene. Hands down. WHEW! There is nothing hotter than getting it on in a big ole bathtub! What do you think?

Chelsea: Well, these Brazen books put "steam" in the word "steamy" so this is definitely a hard one. While I agree the bathroom scene is HOTT, my favorite would have to be the scene after her yoga instruction. That was definitely blush-worthy and we all know how much I like to blush.

Jessica: Oh definitely! That was a great scene! I think I was fanning myself there too! What did you think of Kylie as our heroine?

Chelsea: I liked how loyal and caring Kylie was. She always put her loved ones ahead of her and what she did for her sister was admirable. I love my sister but I can't say I'd do the same. However, she was a bit dense and couldn't see what was right in front of her and her logic for pushing Trevor away didn't cut it with me.

Jessica: Agreed! I liked her for the most part. I did feel she needed to grow a backbone though. I was wanting to kick her for being so stubborn when it came to Trevor!

Ok! For those of you who don't know, Chelsea does iPod picks for her reviews. What song or songs make you think about this novel?

Chelsea: This is always the hardest part of my review, LOL. For this book, I would have to pick "All In" by Lifehouse, "If I Lose Myself" by OneRepublic, and "Forever and Ever" by He is We.

Jessica: LOVE if I Lose Myself! That is a great song and fits really well!

The next book in the McCade series is about Trevor's brother, who is a Marine. Would you rather date a military man or a public safety man (cop, fireman, EMT, etc)

Jessica: Dang. So not picky right now. Um. I'd go with a detective like Trevor. Solving mysteries and crimes seems pretty hot! What about you?

Chelsea: Oh, man that is a tough question! I've met a lot of sexy, sweet military book boyfriends so I'm gonna have to go with military.

Jessica: What did you think of the storyline? I liked how it was steamy, but actually had a mystery going on as well.

Chelsea: Agreed! I love a good book that mixes romance with an intriguing and mysterious plot. Add in steamy love scenes with a HOT hero and I'm hooked!

Jessica: Yeah, I'll drink to that!

Last question! If you were a stripper like our heroine- what song would you strip to?

Jessica: Oh, shit! "The Devil Within" by Digital Daggers. It's really sexy and has just the perfect seductive tempo! What about you?

Chelsea: Hmmm... never thought about this one before LOL. I'm gonna go with "Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leppard. That song screams SEXY strip tease to me!

And there you have it folks! Catch us next week as we discuss J.Lynn's Tempting the Player!

I am all about a blush-worthy and steamy books and Entangled's Brazen line knows how to do it right. These books have such a fantastic mix of romance and plot, which is something that I love in a book. Undercover Lover sexy, intriguing and full of fabulous characters.

Kylie and her twin sister Stacy are all each other have and when Stacy is injured and can't work, Kylie pretends to be her in order to keep Stacy's job so they can pay rent. The only problem? Stacy is a stripper and Kylie is the good, quiet twin. As if spending 3 nights a week for the next 6 weeks shaking her ass and baring her breasts isn't bad enough, she witnesses a murder after her first night dancing and catches the eye of the devastatingly sexy detective, Trevor McCade. When a pattern is detected and it appears to revolve around Stacy's clients, Trevor must immerse himself as a private client but despite the danger, secrets and lies, Kylie and Trevor can't fight the attraction that builds.

I really liked Kylie and could totally relate to her. I'm a bit of an introvert myself and I would be shaking like a leaf if I had to prance on a stage revealing my goodies. I also have a sister that sometimes takes advantage of the fact that I'd pretty much say yes whenever she asks for a favor. Kylie has dreams and she won't let anything or anyone get in her way. She also believes in her sister and I liked the way she stood up for her and believed in her, despite what she had to to to get there (*coughs* stripping *). My only issue with her was that she couldn't get past some of her hangups to see how good Trevor could be for her. She is so caught up on he mistakes that her mother made when it came to men that she couldn't see how different Trevor was. 

Trevor freaking McCade is definitely in the running for my book boyfriend of the month. He is EVERYTHING I could want in a man. He is dedicated to his job and I loved his determination to protect Kylie and catch the killer. I also liked that he never judged her, even when he thought she really was a stripper. He saw right through Kylie and always knew she had the potential and I liked the way he encouraged her. He definitely tried to show her that he supported her goals and dreams and would never hold her back.

I wasn't a big fan of Stacy because I found her to be a little shallow and selfish. However, as the book went on and we got a little more insight into who she is, I could see that she may just be a little jaded. She has real aspirations to be an actress and she's good at it. She just needs her big break. I could also see that she really did love Kylie and care about her, even though she could be a little self-centered. She has some definite sexual tension with Trevor's partner, Ian, and I really liked that. I'll need to read their story in Lover Unmasked.

I really enjoyed the plot in this book and I truly didn't have a clue who the killer could be and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. The book flowed well and Samanthe did a great job at making this book steamy without overshadowing the storyline. Good god this book was sexy and the intimate moments between Kylie and Trevor were hot. I loved their chemistry and passion with each other. I'm really gonna have to lower my standards in real life or forever be disappointed because reading these Brazens is going to have me living in an unrealistic fantasy! 

As I stated in our above discussion, I really enjoyed the storyline in this one! I do love my steamy scenes, but I felt Beck gave us a good amount of mystery and intrigue as well to keep us guessing as to who the killer was. You know a romance is great when you can't help but fall head over heels for the hero. And I completely loved Trevor McCade! He is a detective who ends up going undercover as one of Stacy (err Kylie's!) new clients. And oohhh la laaaaa! These two SIZZLE together! I felt I was going to die when I read the scenes in the private room at the club! It takes ALOT to make me blush, but holy crap some of those scenes made me turn red! Part of me couldn't even believe that shy, quiet Kylie would do the things she did (especially in front of the bouncer!)

I enjoyed Kylie for the most part. I did feel that when it came to owning up to her feelings and getting past her insecurities she had a bit of work to do. She is attracted to Trevor and he clearly to her, yet she holds herself back from him. She says it's because she's not looking for a relationship right now- that she wants to focus on making her dreams of opening up her own yoga studio come true. Really, however, Kylie is running scared. She's looking for excuses to shut Trevor out. She doesn't feel she measures up to what he really wants or understands the type of person she really is. After all, the two met while she was pretending to be her brazen, outgoing twin sister. Give the guy a bit more credit Kylie!

Trevor knows who and what he wants. He wants Kylie and he wants forever. I love how determined he is to be with her and how he won't let her excuses deter him from what he wants. He sees Kylie for who she is- not who she's pretending to be. Kylie can try to act as much like Stacy as she wants, but ultimately its her personality that shines through for everyone to see. She is kind and caring towards her fellow dancers and co-workers, which was something Stacy was not. She is considerate and takes others into account and is genuinely upset over the murders of these clients. Trevor sees all of that and he sees how vulnerable she can be and wants to be the one to comfort her and take care of her.

 I had trouble liking Kylie's twin sister Stacy at first. I didn't think it was right that while her sister would be out doing HER job for her (she broke her ankle) she would be off with her friends and out to all hours of the night. Stacy is definitely the more brazen of the two, but when it came to cops and authority figures, I don't like how she hid behind her sister instead of stepping forward and doing what she needed to. We do find out why this is later in the novel, and how Stacy's problems stem back to when she was growing up and having the type of mother they did. Stacy ends up having some chemistry with Ian, Trevor's partner, and I liked seeing Stacy shed her hardened exterior with him. I also loved Ian. He is cocky and self-assured and I felt he was a good match for Stacy. I've already read their novella and really enjoyed how that played out! (I also ended up really liking Stacy too!)

Overall, Lover Undercover was a steamy, entertaining read with a bit of mystery and intrigue thrown in to keep you guessing as to who was really to blame! I can't wait to read the next book in the McCade Brothers series!

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Thanks for joining us for our first Brazen feature this week! Come back next week and meet Chad and Bridget from Tempting the Player by J. Lynn