Susan Kearney's The Dare is the second book set in the future with the Rystani Warriors. Dora is a sentient computer who, until she met Tessa (from The Challenge), had no desire to be "human". But with Tessa's acceptance of her sentience and her unconditional friendship, Dora has decided to use her massive brain and build herself a body - one that will appeal to the Rystani warrior Zical.

Zical has long thought Dora had a sinfully sex voice, and her voice and personality have been the basis for several holo encounters of an extremely passionate nature. Zical has vowed never to become involved with another Rystani female after the death of his child bride many years earlier. Even though they were truly incompatible, his guilt over her death prevented him from forming any personal relationships with any other Rystani female.

When Zical stumbles upon a mountain cave full of ancient machines, he is knocked out by a fierce light and upon awakening finds his desire for Dora almost unbearable and totally unaware of the chaos he has unleashed.

When Dora finalizes her body and downloads her sentience into the body she designed just to appeal to Zical, she finds there are extreme limitations to the capabilities of her new body. Zical fearful of any intimate relationship goes out of his way to stay away from her, until Tessa demands his help pulling Dora out of her depression.

Enlisting Dora's help, Zical returns to the cave to oversee the scientists who are trying to discern what the machinery does. Unfortunately they learn his earlier entrance into the cave has also sent off an alert to the Guardian, an entity guarding the solar system from invaders. With impending invasion threatening, Zical recalls his crew including Dora and they set off to intercept the Guardian and send it back to its station.

The journey will be a long and arduous one to the outer edges of the Galaxy, which they may not return from. Can Dora find her way into Zical's closed guilt-ridden heart? Can she discover all it means to be human and convince Zical she is indeed human enough to love? Will Zical be able to reconcile his history with Dora the mega-computer, with Dora the beautiful, warm, sexy female? Will Zical's honor and stubborn adherence to Rystani ways be able to acknowledge the very human, very unique Dora?

This is a terrific book that, in addition to some very hot love scenes, deals with the honor and basic goodness in a heroic Rystani warrior, and the acceptance, forgiveness and fierce protectiveness in a wonderfully unique entity that is Dora. While I enjoyed The Challenge greatly, this is by far my favorite of Susan Kearney's work to date. Get a cup of tea, put your feet up and be prepared to take a space journey.