Dora is a sentient computer who's been programmed to think like a young woman. She's got it all: Advanced sensor arrays, near-omniscience, and a sexy, smartmouthed attitude. But Dora wants more. Dora wants a body. After observing humans for so long, she wants to be one of them - and she wants to make love. But the transition from machine to human isn't all it's cracked up to be, and when Dora transfers her consciousness to the body she's especially designed to appeal to Zical, the man of her mechanical dreams, not everything goes quite as she's planned.

For example, Zical has his own problems. He's just discovered that for millennia, his galaxy has been protected from invasion by an automated defense system known as the Sentinel. Unfortunately, he knows this because he's accidentally recalled the Sentinel -- and there's nothing else standing between an ancient, ruthless enemy and the people of the Federation.

When Zical and Dora join an expedition to locate and reprogram the Sentinel, they are waylaid en route, accused of a crime for which the penalty is death, and unwittingly thrust into the middle of a socio-religious civil war. It's a stumbling-block for romance, to be sure. And for Dora, who's only just begun existence as a human, it appears her life may be over before it's really begun.

In THE DARE, Ms. Kearney returns to the universe she introduced in her first novel for Tor Romance. Readers who enjoyed The Challenge will be delighted to revisit its main characters, Tessa and Kahn, and see the progress of their son Kirek, a major player in the events of this second book. For those who haven't read The Challenge, have no fear: Its sequel stands alone quite well, and gives all the necessary background to new readers without giving away too much storyline from her previous work.

Ms. Kearney avoids the "Plot? What plot?" syndrome that is sometimes a characteristic of romantic fiction. There is more depth to this story than initially meets the eye. While the concept of a sex-obsessed computer may seem more than a little contrived on the outset -- particularly for prolific readers who are more accustomed to the archetype of the logical machine -- the author has a surprising talent for drawing the reader into her world. Her portrayal of artificial intelligence is quite believable; if there is a flaw in her style, it is that sometimes even her human characters come off as a bit mechanical, facing challenging situations with a rationality that's hard to credit to human beings, even in the far future. Nonetheless, THE DARE is hard to put down. It's a delightful, fast-paced romance that will tempt readers to return for more of Ms. Kearney's work.