At a glance
First published2017
SettingWashington D.C., Tehran, New Delhi
AudienceAdult
ISBN110188388X
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for: Readers who want a fast-moving, dual-genre story that pairs a political corruption investigation with a slow-burn romance, and who are happy to trade procedural depth for narrative velocity and international scope.
Worth it? Skip it? Read the full verdict →Ask LuvemBooks
Was this helpful?
Dangerous Games is a 2017 political-thriller romance from Danielle Steel following television correspondent Alix Phillips as she investigates Vice Presidential corruption across three continents, with an ex-Navy SEAL cameraman at her side. The novel's dual-genre ambition — pairing a genuinely propulsive investigative plot with a developing romance — earned it a No. 2 spot on the New York Times Best Sellers List and praise from the Lancashire Post as a "page-turning political thriller." It is best suited to readers who want plot velocity and romantic development in equal measure; those seeking the procedural depth of a dedicated political thriller may find the romance strand pulls focus from investigative granularity.
- Is it worth reading?
- For readers who enjoy dual-genre fiction that combines political intrigue with romance, Dangerous Games delivers on both fronts: the Lancashire Post's Pam Norfolk called it a 'page-turning political thriller, a gripping story of corruption, ambition, power and international intrigue,' and its No. 2 New York Times Best Sellers placement confirms its broad appeal. Steel's decision to anchor the romance in genuine external stakes — a Vice Presidential corruption investigation spanning Tehran to New Delhi — gives the story more narrative weight than a standard genre romance. The key caveat is for readers expecting the procedural granularity of a dedicated political thriller: the dual romance focus means neither strand receives the full narrative real estate a single-genre treatment would allow.
- Similar books
- Readers drawn to Dangerous Games' blend of suspense and romance will find strong parallels in several titles curated below. Laura Dave's The Last Thing He Told Me and Lisa Unger's Last Girl Ghosted both pair thriller mechanics with emotionally driven protagonists navigating dangerous secrets — a close structural match to Alix Phillips' dual personal-and-professional jeopardy. For readers drawn more to the romance strand woven through high-stakes circumstances, Mary Alice Monroe's The Summer Guests offers richly drawn character relationships set against a dramatic backdrop. Danielle Steel's own Undercover and The Kiss, while not currently in the LuvemBooks catalogue, are additional Steel titles that fans of this novel's tone may wish to seek out.
- Who should read this?
- Dangerous Games is squarely designed for readers who want plot velocity alongside romantic development — specifically those who enjoy seeing a romance unfold within genuinely high-stakes external conflict rather than as the story's sole focus. Fans of political fiction and journalism-led narratives will appreciate that Alix Phillips' professional identity as a television correspondent drives the story's engagement with media, political power, and accountability. Existing Danielle Steel readers will find the novel's pacing and prose register familiar, while readers new to Steel will find it an accessible entry point. Those who come expecting the procedural depth of a dedicated political thriller should note that the dual-genre structure means the romance and the investigation share equal narrative real estate.
- About Danielle Steel
- Born in New York City in 1947, Danielle Fernandes Dominique Schuelein-Steel has become a literary phenomenon whose romance novels have captured hearts across the globe.
- What are the main themes?
- The publisher describes Dangerous Games as a story in which ambition, corruption, politics, passion, and justice converge. At its structural core, the novel engages with themes of media accountability and political power — Alix Phillips' identity as a fearless journalist willing to expose dangerous truths is the engine that drives both the plot and her character arc. The dynamic between Alix's professional autonomy and her growing reliance on Ben Chapman as their shared danger intensifies is where the character study and the thriller plot intersect most directly, adding a theme of vulnerability within competence.
- How does the romance vs. thriller balance work?
- Steel structures the two threads so that Alix's professional peril and her growing closeness with Ben Chapman escalate in parallel, giving each strand equal narrative weight. The investigative journalism plot provides momentum and external stakes, while the developing relationship between Alix and Ben supplies emotional texture — what the Times of India described as the pieces falling together through 'simple, easy and engaging language.' As LuvemBooks notes, this balance is a feature for readers who want both dimensions and a potential limitation for those who came primarily for one: neither the romance nor the thriller strand receives the full narrative real estate a single-genre treatment would allow.
Summarize this book
Is it worth reading?
Who should read this?
About Danielle Steel
What are the main themes?
How does the romance vs. thriller balance work?
Summarize this book
Dangerous Games follows Alix Phillips, a 39-year-old widowed television correspondent and single mother, who is assigned to investigate serious allegations of corruption linked to the U.S. Vice President. Her reporting pulls her across multiple continents — through protest-torn Tehran, New Delhi, and American political corridors — alongside her cameraman Ben Chapman, a former Navy SEAL whose tactical skills become critical as the conspiracy proves far more sinister than either anticipated. Steel weaves a developing romance between Alix and Ben through the investigative thriller plot, structuring the two threads so that professional peril and personal closeness escalate in parallel.
Follow up
Who is Alix Phillips?
Where is the book set?
What is the tone of the book?
Synthesized from verified book data & published reviews · How we review
Press Enter to ask. Answers come from our editorial Q&A — start typing to see related questions.
Age & Reading Level
Recommended age
Adult
Reading level
Adult
2 content notes · who it suits
Content to know about
political corruption
conflict-zone violence and danger
Skip if you want the procedural depth and investigative granularity of a dedicated political thriller rather than a dual romance-thriller blend
Editorial Review
Dangerous Games is a 2017 political-thriller romance novel from Danielle Steel, published by Delacorte Press, that follows fearless television correspondent Alix Phillips as she investigates corruption linked to the U.S.…
Read the Full ReviewBooks like Dangerous Games
Curated picks for readers who enjoyed Dangerous Games, with our reasoning for each match.
If you liked Dangerous Games
Why It’s Trending
Political Thriller Fans Are Revisiting Danielle Steel's Dangerous Games
With political intrigue front of mind for a lot of readers right now, Danielle Steel's fast-paced thriller about a journalist uncovering corruption at the highest levels of U.S. government is finding a new audience. It's the kind of story that feels timely no matter when you pick it up.
Dangerous Games is getting a fresh look from readers who are in the mood for exactly what it delivers: a sharp, globe-trotting story about a TV correspondent digging into corruption tied to the U.S. Vice President. With political drama feeling very much alive in the real world, a novel that sends its heroine from Washington to Tehran to New Delhi chasing down a government scandal has obvious appeal right now.
The book originally hit No. 2 on the New York Times Best Sellers List back in 2017, so it's not a hidden gem — but it's the kind of thriller that tends to resurface whenever readers are hungry for political suspense with a romantic edge. Steel keeps things moving at a pace that rewards readers who want plot and passion in equal measure, which is a combination that never really goes out of style.
If you haven't read it yet and you're someone who enjoys journalists-in-peril stories or political thrillers with an international scope, this is a solid pick. The romance subplot with ex-Navy SEAL cameraman Ben Chapman adds some warmth without slowing down the intrigue.