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Journey to an erotic future universe of passion, danger and deceit...

As a lieutenant of the Federation military, Sera Ayers is more accustomed to giving orders than taking them. Now she must obey the one man she can't stand--and can't stop thinking about.

With the enemy Imperialists gaining ground, a new covert team is assembled by Ash Walker. Ten years before, Sera had lovingly submitted to Ash's dominance in the bedroom. But when he was forced into a political marriage, she left him rather than become his mistress. His marriage now over, Ash wants Sera on his team--and back in his bed.

The third team member, Brandt Pela, has an elegance to match Ash's savage sexuality. And when their undercover plan requires Sera to pose as Brandt's lover, it ignites a passion among the three of them more dangerous than their mission...

I'm of two minds about futuristic romances. On the one hand, if they're done well, much like historical romances, they can sweep you away to another world - making you lose yourself completely. On the other, if they aren't done well, they make for nothing more than an eye-rolling experience. Undercover was definitely more of the former than the latter.

I really liked how Dane wrote Sera's character. D/s relationships are one of those things for me that only work sometimes. Too often I think authors aren't able to show the women as strong in their own right, despite being subs. Sera was definitely a strong woman, despite being topped by first Ash years ago, and now both Ash and Brant. Outside of the bedroom she's a woman to be reckoned with. A decorated officer in the military, she can and does kick ass. The opening scene with her and Ash - where they saw each other for the first time in years - was brilliant and really showed her strength of character, I think. I loved that she didn't just give in to them and do as they wanted, but really made them work for it. It was also great that she didn't immediately submit to them, but needed to trust them first.

Brandt and Ash were both well written characters. I really liked the contrast of their personalities. Ash is the more forceful of the two, and definitely the less patient. Brandt really balanced him out, I think. Brandt was calm and collected, and because he didn't have history with Sera he was often the voice of reason between them. Each of them was different and yet, like Sera, I loved them equally, though I definitely wanted to beat Ash in the beginning.

He didn't realize at first that Sera had changed so much in the 10 years they'd been apart and he was forceful with her, expecting the same level of trust she'd once given him. He acted like a complete ass for probably the first 1/4 of the book. Luckily, with Brandt's help, he realized his mistakes and really made an effort to change for her. He knew he couldn't live without her and eventually started acting accordingly.

Brandt was sweet and sensible right from the beginning, but he was still strong and commanding. The contrast really worked, especially because of how brash and domineering Ash was. I think Sera needed Brandt's softness in the beginning. I especially like that Brandt understood he needed her trust and was patient while she got to know him. The relationship aspect of this novel definitely worked for me.

The suspense worked, but I think the story itself should have been fleshed out a bit more. Especially toward the end. I also would have liked to see more of the after. I don't want to spoil it, but I kind of wanted to see more of the impact their discoveries had on those involved. Namely Ash and Sera's families. Still, it worked and I like that their relationship was tied up in the case, so both elements were tied up together.

Overall a well written, fast paced erotic novel. The characters were well developed and the suspense plot interesting, if not as fleshed out as I would have liked.

4.0 out of 5

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.