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Serious Risks
Computer programmer Jessica Kilmer's life changed the moment she realized classified documents had been stolen from her safe. She knew contacting the FBI would turn her life upside down, but she never expected what would happen when she met special agent Arlen Coulter. For even as Arlen assured her that he would keep her safe, his quiet intensity awakened her heart to another danger altogether....
It seemed to Arlen that the greatest risk in this case was the effect Jessica had on him. She aroused feelings he'd long believed dead--and preferred to keep buried. But the danger that Jessica faced was real--could Arlen get her out before it was too late?
It seemed to Arlen that the greatest risk in this case was the effect Jessica had on him. She aroused feelings he'd long believed dead--and preferred to keep buried. But the danger that Jessica faced was real--could Arlen get her out before it was too late?
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 1991
5 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Lee
371 books140 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Rachel Lee is a New York Times best-selling author and the winner of Six Romantic Times magazine Reviewers' Choice Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and is a five-time finalist for the Romance Writers of America's RITA® Award. She has penned a wide variety of novels in several genres including fantasy, romantic suspense, and romantic comedy. She resides in Tampa, Florida.
Rachel Lee is a New York Times best-selling author and the winner of Six Romantic Times magazine Reviewers' Choice Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and is a five-time finalist for the Romance Writers of America's RITA® Award. She has penned a wide variety of novels in several genres including fantasy, romantic suspense, and romantic comedy. She resides in Tampa, Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 7, 2011
Serious Risks was an oldie, the hero was a 42 year old widower, with two grown kids and about to become a grandfather. He was satisfied being an FBI agent and living his life alone, since his wife died three years back, when Jessica calls him saying that some documents seems to be missing. Jessica works at the second largest contractor for the Department of Defense.
Jessica considers herself a mouse, she graduated at the age of 20 and has zero experience since a man used her to make good grades. She wears glasses and has body issues. But she is very perceptive and intelligent otherwise and agrees to work with Arlen secretly.
I don't know why I liked the book, it was dated a bit I agree, Jessica had so many insecurities and Arlen didn't want to get involved but they do while working together. He thinks that he is too old for her, that she will leave him once she realises he can't offer much and Jessica doesn't consider herself beautiful enough and then she sees that pictures Arlen has in his apartment of his wife.
Both of them were just scared to talk things through. Jessica doesn't confess her love, since she is afraid then there is also the danger they are in and the reasons she thinks Arlen is with her.
Maybe I enjoyed it since I tend to like older men-younger woman romances. The hero is 42, the heroine 26.
I will recommend you read this one, when you have a yearning for those old school romances where they use words like buns, tush, not that the book is un-PC.
Jessica considers herself a mouse, she graduated at the age of 20 and has zero experience since a man used her to make good grades. She wears glasses and has body issues. But she is very perceptive and intelligent otherwise and agrees to work with Arlen secretly.
I don't know why I liked the book, it was dated a bit I agree, Jessica had so many insecurities and Arlen didn't want to get involved but they do while working together. He thinks that he is too old for her, that she will leave him once she realises he can't offer much and Jessica doesn't consider herself beautiful enough and then she sees that pictures Arlen has in his apartment of his wife.
Both of them were just scared to talk things through. Jessica doesn't confess her love, since she is afraid then there is also the danger they are in and the reasons she thinks Arlen is with her.
Maybe I enjoyed it since I tend to like older men-younger woman romances. The hero is 42, the heroine 26.
I will recommend you read this one, when you have a yearning for those old school romances where they use words like buns, tush, not that the book is un-PC.
May 1, 2013
Guess my expectations for this one were too high. It started off well with the unexpected attraction/connection between the seasoned FBI agent and the wiz kid computer programmer, but then it just meandered off into mediocrity.
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October 9, 2025Did not finish
Premise was intriguing but I wanted more drama and better romance. The insecurity and massive guilt on both sides eventually turned me off and I just couldn't stand anymore.
Premise was intriguing but I wanted more drama and better romance. The insecurity and massive guilt on both sides eventually turned me off and I just couldn't stand anymore.
November 10, 2012
Men in Uniform Series
Sex level: hot and immoral
Jessica Kilmer is a computer programmer for the defense department. A file containing secret information is stolen from her files at work. After notifying security, who brushes it off as unimportant, she calls the FBI and reports the breach in security to Arlen Coulter.
Arlen is old enough to be her father. He stills wears his wedding ring, years after his wife’s death. He wears the conservative suit of an agent, and still “follows the book” as he was trained to do as a Marine, but he’s really a bad boy in good guy clothing.
Jessica was used in college by a fellow student who made love to her in order to get her to do his homework for him. While most people heal a broken heart in a year or two, she has held onto the hurt for five years. She is punishing herself for poor judgment by becoming overweight and dressing in a mousy style. She considers herself unworthy of real love.
Yet, after setting these premises, the author allows this wounded woman to throw off her inhibition and repeat the same mistake after knowing Arlen for just two days. She justifies her actions for having sex with a married man by remembering what the sluts used to do in high school, telling herself that if everyone else is doing it, then it must be OK.
Arlen also throws off his training, breaks the code of conduct for his position, and gives into lust for a woman he hardly knows. He isn’t over his wife yet, out of love enough to take off his ring, before he cheats on her memory by taking off everything else. He tells her there isn’t any future with him, that this is just a roll in the hay. He tells himself that he shouldn’t hurt her again, the same way she was wounded before, because it might be enough to kill her inside, but he doesn’t have the guts to follow through. He commits adultery because, well, he’s just a guy and that’s what all of them do.
By the fourth chapter of this book, I felt cheated on, too. I felt the publisher had used bait and switch tactics to get me to read this piece of smut. The cover art is supposed to let the buyer know the sex level of the book by how the models are clothed and posed. The cover has only a fully clothed man on the front, indicating that the story would be more about suspense than lust, yet the story was about immoral behavior, a lack of ethics, and casual sex. The other books in this series used physical contact as a means of expressing love, but this one didn’t follow the guidelines. The blurb on the back cover indicated that the story was about intelligent, trained, dedicated people, when in reality the story is about a dirty old man and an immature slut who never outgrew the high school “everyone else is doing it” immature rationale.
The writing was poor in that the point of view changes paragraph by paragraph. The change in their behavior was not motivated in a believable way. I don’t recommend this book at all.
Sex level: hot and immoral
Jessica Kilmer is a computer programmer for the defense department. A file containing secret information is stolen from her files at work. After notifying security, who brushes it off as unimportant, she calls the FBI and reports the breach in security to Arlen Coulter.
Arlen is old enough to be her father. He stills wears his wedding ring, years after his wife’s death. He wears the conservative suit of an agent, and still “follows the book” as he was trained to do as a Marine, but he’s really a bad boy in good guy clothing.
Jessica was used in college by a fellow student who made love to her in order to get her to do his homework for him. While most people heal a broken heart in a year or two, she has held onto the hurt for five years. She is punishing herself for poor judgment by becoming overweight and dressing in a mousy style. She considers herself unworthy of real love.
Yet, after setting these premises, the author allows this wounded woman to throw off her inhibition and repeat the same mistake after knowing Arlen for just two days. She justifies her actions for having sex with a married man by remembering what the sluts used to do in high school, telling herself that if everyone else is doing it, then it must be OK.
Arlen also throws off his training, breaks the code of conduct for his position, and gives into lust for a woman he hardly knows. He isn’t over his wife yet, out of love enough to take off his ring, before he cheats on her memory by taking off everything else. He tells her there isn’t any future with him, that this is just a roll in the hay. He tells himself that he shouldn’t hurt her again, the same way she was wounded before, because it might be enough to kill her inside, but he doesn’t have the guts to follow through. He commits adultery because, well, he’s just a guy and that’s what all of them do.
By the fourth chapter of this book, I felt cheated on, too. I felt the publisher had used bait and switch tactics to get me to read this piece of smut. The cover art is supposed to let the buyer know the sex level of the book by how the models are clothed and posed. The cover has only a fully clothed man on the front, indicating that the story would be more about suspense than lust, yet the story was about immoral behavior, a lack of ethics, and casual sex. The other books in this series used physical contact as a means of expressing love, but this one didn’t follow the guidelines. The blurb on the back cover indicated that the story was about intelligent, trained, dedicated people, when in reality the story is about a dirty old man and an immature slut who never outgrew the high school “everyone else is doing it” immature rationale.
The writing was poor in that the point of view changes paragraph by paragraph. The change in their behavior was not motivated in a believable way. I don’t recommend this book at all.
July 3, 2012
26 year old computer programmer Jessica Kilmer reports a stolen classified document to FBI agent Arlen Coulter when her company security department doesn’t take her seriously and says it’s probably just misplaced. As he investigates and the Defense Investigative Services agency starts a security audit at the company the situation gets more dangerous and the two spend more time together. Arlen is a three year widowed 43 year old with 2 grown children and not looking for a relationship. Jessica is a highly intelligent slightly overweight nerd and not really socially or romantically experienced. But they are drawn to each other. This was a satisfying romantic suspense story.
December 12, 2015
This is not one of Rachel Lee's Conard County books, but it IS a well written romantic suspense. The book was written in 2010, but the story holds up well, though the lack of cell phones was jarring. The romance was believable and the suspense builds well. Liked this one a lot - glad I found it.
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August 7, 2011One of my faborite books by Lee. Jessica is a computer programmer who discovers a security breach at her company and Arlen is the FBI agent that investigates.
November 14, 2012
The first book of hers that I read and I still read this author. I just rebought this book after many years and love it still even though it's dated.
June 3, 2024
Likeable characters and a decent story. I would have liked an epilogue, because it ended a bit abruptly for my tastes.
November 28, 2016
3.5 stars!!!
Want to read
June 26, 2017I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14607998
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14607998
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews