Extreme Exposure

This was like The Pelican Brief meets Erin Brockovich with a nice dose of romance mixed in. Kara is a single mother and works for the Denver Independent as a part of the I-Team (investigative reporters). She receives an anonymous tip about illegal dumping of toxic waste. Naturally it's her job to dig for answers and unearth any wrongdoings of big, greedy corporations.

The story starts off one a pretty hilarious note. On a girl's night out with her friend and colleague, Holly, Kara runs into the handsome Senator, Reece Sheridan. It takes only three margaritas before her verbal filter is toast and she asks the Senator some very interesting and blush-worthy questions. To add insult to injury, she asks him about the woman she saw him with. show more I think her words were "who was the blonde bimbo?" Oh yes she did! Kara had just insulted his sister. Of course her humiliation isn't complete, and there are some more really funny moments and smart one-liners throughout the story.

While I normally hate stories with reporters in them because they always seem to be more intent on walking all over people's privacy in pursuit of a juicy story, the women of the I-Team are much better than that. They care about the issues they report on and they seem to be fair in the way they go about it.

Some topics can obviously turn deadly serious, as Kara soon finds out. My only problem with her was when the death threats found her at home, instead of at work, she was quite stubborn about accepting help and protection. I mean, she lives alone and has a four year old son. I think she could have handled that area better and showed a bit more worry about someone possibly harming her child to get to her.

As the mystery unravels, Reece will be in a race against time to save Kara. The climax is fast-paced and had me nibbling on my nails once again. show less

Kara is a hot-shot investigative reporter who is struggling to balance her work with the upbringing of her son. Reece is a idealistic senator, who just wants to make the world of politics less corrupt. When they first meet in a bar, Kara has had one too many margarita's and catches Reece's attention with her loose lipped sexual questions (my favourite being "Do women really taste like tuna?). Reece is hooked immeidiately, and does everything that he can to woo the dubious reporter.

In the land of work, Kara recieves a tip from a whistle-blower, telling her of illegal waste dumping by a big cement company. She begins to investigate, but immeidiately someone starts making her life a tad more difficult. She begins receiving phone-calls, her show more house is broken into and, ultimately, there are attempts on her life. Reece tries to help the best he can but she won't tell him anything about what she is working on, stating she has to protect her sources! Eventually he manages to discover what the case is that is causing all the hassle, unfortunately the more he involves himself in her problems, the worse the situation becomes for him too. Together they have to work out who the bad guys are to save Kara's life and Reeces repuation, which makes for a fantastic suspense novel with lots of sexual chemistry.

This was a fantastic first novel and made me want to read more. I liked Kara, but Reece was a little too perfect for me (I prefer my hero's tortured and scarred :D) There were plenty of sparks between the two and the sex scenes were just yummy! The pace was amazing and there was plenty of humour to detract from the intensity of the danger and remind the reader that, ultimately, this is a romance. Best scene is the "purple jiggle stick" scene where Kara's little boy runs around the house with her vibrator, on the evening that Reece comes to pick her up for their first date!

A fab book one!!! show less

I've had this book on my TBR for the better part of a year and I'm kicking myself for not picking it up sooner. Kara is determined to balance her life as an investigative reporter and a single mother. She's very good at her job, but the long hours and short notice demands make it difficult to always "be there" for Connor, her little boy. I thought the author did a great job capturing Kara's feelings of being torn and showed us the day to day turmoil working moms are faced with. Kara's life gets even more hectic when she receives a tip about the Northrup Company falsifying reports and violating EPA rules. Toxic dust and other contaminates are being pumped into the air and dumped into the ground water, putting the community at risk. She show more launches her investigation and the threatening calls begin right on cue.

There is so much to like about this book! We have a corrupt corporation, dangerous criminals, the jerk ex-boyfriend and a gaggle of girlfriends. Kara's mom is a hoot and I hope we'll hear from her again in the series. Our hero, Reece, is a Senator who has known Kara professionally for some time. They hit it off one night over drinks (a few too many drinks for Kara). Instead of taking advantage of the situation, he's the perfect gentlemen and gives her a ride home. He does manage to ask her out though. I loved the scenes between Reece and Connor! I didn't expect there to be such a sense of family, but I enjoyed it very much. The action, investigation and suspense were all woven together neatly and allowed for smooth transitions that were a delight to read. By the halfway point, I was falling through the pages. I highly recommend this book! show less

This is my debut review for a romantic suspense set in contemporary times. I must say, I was very leery about delving into a new time period, since I usually read historicals. However, having already read several books by this author, I had a feeling I wouldn't be disappointed. And I was right.

Kara McMillan is a damn good investigative reporter. She's extremely dedicated, hard working, smart and relentless. She is also a single mom. Like many women who juggle a career and motherhood, Kara has put her own needs on the back burner. She hasn't had a date in five years, brushing aside her own wants in order to fulfill those of her young son. But there is more to it than that. Although she won't readily admit to it, it is easier to be busy show more all the time than to face her fear of intimacy with men.

Along comes Reece Sheridan, an extremely attractive senator, who unbelievably, is one of the good guys. Prior to entering politics, Reece was a school teacher, dedicated to teaching the future generation that one can make a difference in the world. So, to prove his point, he ran for political office and won.

Naturally, politics and journalism are two professions that feed one another. So, when Reece walks into a bar one night, Kara recognizes his face, and introduces herself. What she wasn't prepared for was the Senator's charm and astonishing good looks. What Reece wasn't prepared for was Kara's natural beauty, nothing like her picture in the column of her paper. He is thrown by her drunken inquisition of his sexual preferences, knowing that she will be appalled when she realizes the next day how rude and flirtatious she was upon their first meeting. But Reece isn't appalled. He's intrigued. For some reason, he finds himself drawn to this attractive journalist. But Kara knows that she is treading on shaky ground. She cannot cross that line between her profession and her personal life. A state Senator and an investigative reporter....it just can't be done. But she can't stop thinking about him....about his deep kisses...about his hands burning a trail upon her skin.... and she can't seem to say no when he calls her. But when their careers collide in scandal, Kara is left wondering if she has been betrayed once again by the man in her life. Can she trust Reece and fight for a love she thought she could never have? Will they both lose their lives or will they fight....fight for their lives, for each other and for a love that neither can truly deny.

Pamela Clare delivers with a punch in this tale. There is everything from action, suspense, love, political intrigue, romance and some deadly hot sex. I was involved from the first chapter. Pamela Clare's knowledge of investigative journalism is evident in the realism she brings to the plot as well as the actions of her characters. I loved the idea of our heroine being a single mom with a demanding career, trying to "have it all". Even though our hero might seem a bit too perfect, his idealism fits with that of his character, a truly dedicated teacher. As Reece's and Kara's relationship heats up, the reader is brought to a gripping climax filled with action and intrigue. This is a story with several underlying messages, responsible journalism being but one. I really enjoyed this first installment in the I-Team series and I will definitely reach for #2. show less

I burned through Pamela Clare's "Extreme Exposure" like a chocoholic after a year's drought. I'm torn as to whether I liked this one even more than "Hard Evidence" which is book two of the 'I-Team' series, but the one I read first! I love the fact that these books are gripping romantic suspense, yet still believable. The characters are wonderfully flawed and the relationships are complex and seriously HOT.

It's been longer than reporter Kara wants to think about since she's had sexual contact with anything other than plastic. But when her friend drags her to a local bar and Kara runs into local congressman Reece, her curiosity combined with a bit too much alcohol, sets off an interview of the more personal sort with the handsome state show more Senator. She knows it's a bad idea for an investigative reporter to get involved with a state senator, but Reece won't give up and Kara can't seem to say no to him. When their careers collide in scandal, Kara will have to be brave enough to fight for her man...or they could both end up dead.

Once again, I can't say enough great things about this author. She just needs to write faster! I'm stuck now waiting for the third novel in this series to arrive in the mail and then I'll be tapping my toes in anticipation of "Naked Edge" which has been pushed back to a November 2009 release...bummer! show less

After getting past the first chapter where the heroine gets drunk and acts like an idiot with her gross questions to the hero (no woman I know would say stuff like that), I thoroughly enjoyed this book. With an 'Erin Brockovich' type story which was fascinating and some very hot, steamy love scenes, this book was hard to put down. The plot was intricate but not too complicated. I loved the kick-ass heroine (FAVORITE SCENE: when she tells off her obnoxious boss), an investigative reporter, and the hero, a state senator. She's also a single mom raising her son (who was also excellently drawn). In fact all the characters were well done. Clare has yet to disappoint me. (Grade: B+)

Extreme Exposure by Pamela Clare
Book #1 in the I-Team series
3 Stars

Synopsis:
Kara McMillan is an investigative journalist juggling her career with being a single mother and beginning a spicy relationship with sexy State Senator, Reece Sheridan. Kara soon finds herself embroiled in the story of the century when a whistle blower comes to her with evidence of environmental pollution, corrupt politicians, murder and conspiracy. Soon, the death threats begin and Kara must learn quickly who she can trust before she ends up dead.

Review:
A good plot premise that is quite different from the usual romantic suspense fare and made me think of the movie Erin Brockovich. However, the tense situations seem contrived and I rarely found myself holding my show more breath in anticipation (one particularly intense scene does come to mind). The red herrings are also way too obvious, which makes it very easy to follow the clues to the identity of the secret conspirator.

The characters are intelligent and well developed – I especially enjoyed their witty dialogue. Nevertheless, I found the hero to be too perfect and the recurring descriptions of his sexiness, emotions, inner thoughts and culinary abilities become tedious. Moreover, his absolute perfection overshadows his connection to the heroine, and their relationship, although sweet and romantic, lacks that extra emotional pull that would make it completely captivating. The heroine is spunky, opinionated and easy to like but she does certain things that are inconsistent with her characterization.

Recommendation: This is a well-written and worthwhile read but it did not leave me with that satisfied feeling. I have heard good things about the next book in the series so have decided to give it another chance. show less