Review: If You Dare

Kresley Cole’s If You Dare is a historical romance centered around a rogue Highlander with a family curse that prevents him from having a baby or falling in love. Obviously, the curse is the big foil for our hero, but his other obstacle is the dainty “lady” who fights off his advances. OK, she only fights them for the first half of the book. But I digress.

Our heroine, Anna, finds our hero, Courtland MacCarrick, beaten and nearly unconscious on the bank of a river. She saves him and nurses him back to health. When he recovers, he is drawn to her, but fights it. She looks down on him; he thinks she is a priss. Sparks fly. Anna finds out her brother Llorente has been kidnapped by the local evil warlord, Pascal, and she had to marry the warlord to save her brother’s life. She makes the sacrifice. MacCarrick saves her but it’s an unwilling rescue because Llorente’s life depends on her. Pascal sends henchmen to track her down and MacCarrick fights to keep her safe. Over time, their building attraction becomes too much to fight.

As with all Kresley Cole books, the sex scenes were H-O-T. Once we got there, wow. I’m also a sucker for Cole’s written Scottish brogue. Again, hot.

However, it took way too long to get to the good parts. Anna was a stuck-up bitch for half the book. One of the best things about Cole’s writing is her ability to hook me from the beginning. A Hunger Like No Other had me invested in the couple by the beginning of Chapter 2. Not so much, here.

I liked it. Didn’t love it. 3 1/2 stars.

If You Dare 

by Kresley Cole

Release Date: April 26, 2005

Publisher: Pocket Books