Lori Foster's latest, Simon Says was a pretty ho-hum read which would have been soon forgotten if not for the hero. What made me ultimately decide to it give a better grade than I normally would is all due to the character of Simon Evans. It's been a long time since I read such a wonderfully written hero; I fell in love with him from the start.

Simon was first introduced in Causing Havoc as his best friend's trainer for an extreme fighting contest known as the Supreme Battle Championship (SBC). Once a figher, Simon retired, preferring to train others. This changes when he discovers incriminating photos of his girlfriend having sex with an anonymous man. His cheating girlfriend must be insane because Simon is everything a woman would want in a man: he is loyal, honest and of course, drop-dead gorgeous. His professional fighting name is Sublime mainly due to his looks, which embarrasses him. When was the last time you read about a hero being self-conscious about his looks? Simon loses himself in work, deciding to come out of retirement with a vengeance.

On the other hand there is Dakota Dream. Dakota is yet another one of those stereotypical grating Foster heroines. Dakota was a bit of a rebel as a teen and when her mother remarried, she ran away from home. She ended up marrying an abusive creep but eventually wised up and left him after her mother's death. Our seemingly perfect heroine has an incredible singing voice and plays a multitude of instruments. People are also drawn to her despite the fact she doesn't care to attract their attention. Dakota is not one to wear make-up or dress up, but her easy-going manner draws them to her.

But things aren't going too well for Dakota since her stepfather, who happens to be Simon's biological father, is blackmailing her. She has never forgiven herself for her shaky relationship with her mother and step-dad is holding some important letters her Mom wrote to her. All Dakota must do is convince Simon to see his estranged father, who walked out on Simon's mother before he was born.

When Dakota enters Simon's life, he is in for a whirlwind of emotion he has never felt before. At first he is annoyed by Dakota but she eventually charms him. He still doesn't trust her, but for reasons he can't explain, he starts to feel very protective and jealous of any man she comes in contact with, including his friends and fellow SBC fighters. For the first time in years, Dakota feels safe and loved. She does have some hang ups about sex due to her nasty ex-husband, but Simon is more than willing to show her how to embrace the loving and carefree woman he knows is hiding inside.

I enjoyed reading the antics of Simon and his crew, all of whom have their own distinct voices and personalities, even his ex-girlfriend who shows up to taunt Dakota and try to steal Simon back. I wish Foster had written a different heroine for Simon, one more realistic and dimensional, but even so, when she and Simon interact, they shine, bringing out the best in each other. Simon is such a joy to see when his protective nature comes out, as when he teaches Dakota some self defense moves in case her stalking ex shows up when he is not around.

Lori Foster has written a true gem with Simon, a character so much larger than life that he blew everyone else off the page. Every time he appeared I was smitten. He was such a presence for me that, regardless of a somewhat weak storyline and a heroine who has too much to live up to, I wound up enjoying Simon Says. There was no doubt about it - simply put, Simon was sublime.

Katiebabs

I am reading this whole series: Creating Havoc, Simon Says and Hard to Handle and have really enjoyed the whole storyline. I like the characters that Lori Foster creates and even though there are several storylines, I do like the plot and endings. I recommend the series and the author if you are one who likes romantic mysteries.

I loved this book. It was fast paced and there was a good story line. The only thing that was a little dissapointing was that it was the same old story. Scared ex-wife running from abusive ex-husband. Although I think its awseome that she got to kick his but in the end. That rocked. Although she could have done a bit more damage. Its cool that Foster brought back so many of the characters from other books. It makes the plot more intersting to see were other charachters are from past books.

Dakota Dream? If your 1st name was Dakota and your married last name was Dream and you got a divorce would you not change back to your maiden name instead of keeping a name that makes you sound like a stripper or a porn star? Her reason for keeping it didn't make any sense. On the other hand not much she did made any sense.

She was 23 years old and acted about 16. I noticed in the last few Lori Foster books the female lead has been in their early or mid 20's. If I wanted to read a book with the woman so much younger than the man I'd get an old Harlequin. Dakota was a slob, wearing baggy clothes and no make up with a personality like a rabid badger yet every guy she ran across was hot for her?

Also it's my own personal preference but I don't think a man who shaves his head can be particularly handsome.

The sex scenes were boring and mostly stupid.

I liked "Causing Havoc" and hope the 3rd in the series "Hard to Handle", which I already have, is better than this one.

Simon Evans' stepfather hired Dakota Dreams to find his stepson, who is getting in shape for his comeback fight as an extreme fighter, to arrange a meeting between them. When Simon meets Dakota for the first time he is instantly drawn to her, but is absolutely not interested in meeting his stepfather. The relationship between them becomes more and more interesting as well as hot, but Dakota keeps some secrets from Simon and those secrets come back to hound her and Simon.

SIMON SAYS kept this reviewer up all night because she wasn't able to put it down. There is no moment where the storyline slows down for even a little bit. It's a good mixture of action-filled and sensual sequences plus Mrs. Foster's special kind of witty humor that keeps you glued to the pages.

The chemistry between Simon and Dakota is absolutely perfect and Dakota really needs someone special after the way her abusive ex-husband treated her.

Although SIMON SAYS is the second book of the SBC Fighter series, it can be read as a stand-alone. This reviewer is really looking forward to reading the next book Hard To Handle, which will be released in February and she hopes that there will be more books in this series.

SIMON SAYS is not only a book for long time fans, but this book is also great when you want to try out one of Mrs. Foster's books. So if you are fan of sport romances or Mrs. Foster's books you really should get a copy of this book.

Courtesy of Loveromances and more