REVIEW: Extreme Exposure by Pamela Clare

Title: Extreme Exposure
Series: I-Team, #1
Author: Pamela Clare 
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Source: personal shelf
Published: August 2005 by Berkley

It's been years since her child's father dumped her, and since then investigative reporter Kara McMillan has kept men at bay—although every day she aches more for a lover's touch. But to get that, the hard-boiled journalist must become vulnerable—a feeling she vowed never to have again.

With his dangerous good looks, charm, and power, Senator Reece Sheridan could have just about any woman he sets his piercing eyes on. But he’s intrigued by only one. This Kara, this gutsy investigative reporter, has a sensuality that arouses him to no end. If she’s a firebrand in print, he guesses, she must be just as fiery in bed…

But this is no fling. A sudden political scandal—and attempts on Kara's life—could very well drive them apart. Or maybe, just maybe, adversity could draw them into a bond even more intense than their steamy sexual embraces…

Why I Read this Book: A lot of people recommended this book (and series) to me, especially one person in particular – Nicole from The Book Pushers. She knows how much I love the romantic suspense sub-genre. (And she definitely qualifies as a ‘Book Pusher’!) My lucky day arrived when I was next in queue for this book on PBS and you better believe I tore into it as soon as it arrived in my mail box.

What I Liked: Kara and Reece are likeable and realistic characters. Kara is a journalist for a Denver newspaper who is not afraid to go after a story, no matter who or what the subject is. She’s good at her job; she’s a hard hitter and legislators are terrified of her. She balances raising her son, her career and now a new relationship. Reece is a Senator who catches Kara’s attention. I loved Reece’s reason for becoming a Senator; it shows that he’s in it for all the right reasons. Kara’s a bit hesitant to start a relationship with Reece at first. There’s the conflict of interest being that she’s a journalist and he’s a Senator; that’s reason enough for him to potential end up as a subject matter in one of her articles.

The book starts off with a hilarious conversation about oral sex that takes place between Kara and her friend Holly. Things get real interesting when Reece joins the conversation and Kara interrogates him about his sexual preferences. At this point Kara is completely loaded up on margaritas so she knows no boundaries. And though Reece could have totally taken advantage of Kara and the situation, he remains a complete gentleman.

One hilarious part that had me laughing my ass off was when Kara’s 4-year old son Connor holds up her vibrator and asks “Mommy, what’s this jiggle stick?”. And of course this conversation takes place in front of Reece. I just about died from laughing when I read that!

I like how the epilogue gives you the feeling that the story you’ve just read came from actual events from the author’s life. Nice touch.

What I Didn’t Like: There was a really awkward conversation that took place between Reece and Connor, Kara’s 4-year old son. Kara and Reece are woken up by Connor. He climbs into the bed, looks Reece right in the eyes and asks “Are you having sex with my mommy?” to which Reece replies “Not at the moment.” I’m not going to get into a big long spiel about the matter but my 6-year old doesn’t even know that word yet. I’m sure there are 4-year olds out there who do know of the word (and say it) but the book could have gone on without that conversation. And if I were in Kara’s shoes, I would have smacked Reece for his reply.

Overall Impression: Extreme Exposure was the perfect balance of romance and suspense. The suspenseful plot in Extreme Exposure is interesting although not entirely original; it’s very similar to the water supply contamination plot found in the movie Erin Brockovich. Fans of the movie will enjoy the research aspect and the suspenseful element in Extreme Exposure. And there’s also the added bonus of a hot romance that the book has which the movie lacks. I need the rest of the I-Team series STAT!

The Book Vixen’s Rating: