Sara's Review: Undercover by Danielle Steel

REVIEWER PURCHASE PUBLISHER: Brilliance Audio

NARRATOR: Alexander Cendese RELEASED: September 1, 2015 GENRE: CONTEMPORARY, SUSPENSE LENGTH: 8 hours and 16 minutes FORMAT: EBOOK, PAPERBACK, HARDCOVER, AUDIBLE

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For DEA Special Agent Marshall Everett, life as he knows it is over once a gunshot wound renders his arm useless. Barred forever from the undercover work he loves, he has nothing—no close friends, no family, no hometown or base, and no desire to settle for life behind a desk. He’s called to action in the most unlikely of places when he stumbles upon a beautiful girl burying an old steel box in a Parisian park. Drawn into the mystery, Marshall soon discovers that she is Ariana Gregory, daughter of the U.S. ambassador to Argentina, who is trying to find herself again after being kidnapped and brainwashed by radical revolutionaries. But there are powerful forces at large who will not rest until they secure revenge, and Marshall and Ariana will face yet more trials—and another beginning—before they can truly bury the dark past and embark on a new life together. FOUR BOUNDLESS STARS

Danielle Steel is currently the bestselling author alive (according to Wikipedia) so it is weird that this is the first book of hers I have ever read/listened to. I really didn’t go into with any expectations other than Steel writes romance. Undercover is broken into 3 parts, Marshal, Ariana, and them together. The story starts off with Marshall, and tells a riveting story of his trial and tribulations and essentially how and why he winds up injured and in Paris. This is by far the most impressive character building I have ever read. The same was done with Ariana’s story with just as much detail and character development on her part. It isn’t until much later in the story that Marshal and Ariana even meet and I was disappointed that there wasn’t any sparks or passion. Yet, it was understandable because Steel built these characters to be both damaged and grieving. However, I wanted a little spark, interest, something. When their relationship progressed, it was an easy progression, but I was disappointed once again by the lack of passion and romance in the story. I went in thinking this was a romance and it really isn’t, but the story is about two people coming together after a lot of difficulty in their own respective lives. If this is indicative of Steel’s writing, her character building sets her in a class of her own.

I am giving Undercover 4 Boundless stars, I really enjoyed, I just wish the Marshal and Ariana had more of a spark.