Customer Reviews

Charmed and Dangerous (Warner Forever)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

FBI agent David Marsahll has been chasing art thief and co-artist Peyton Shriver for ten years and in despair has enlisted Cassie Cooper to work undercover even though she's sort of dipsy. When she, Peyton and a valuable painting disappear, it looks as though David has been double-crossed until Cassie's Olympian twin sister Maddie rides to the rescue. Convinced her sister is in trouble, Maddie decides to dog David's trail until she finds the truth. But for twenty years Maddie has kept their paths running smoothly and doesn't intend to let David interfere. Wilde has a unique voice that will soar her to publishing heights. Her characters are visual and her stories are filled with humor and adventure.

Maddie Cooper's responsibility for her twin dates back to when they were nine and Cassie almost died. So when she learns from FBI agent David Marshall that Cassie is missing, she's ready to charge to the rescue. David tells her he enlisted Cassie's help to trap and finally capture renowned art thief, Peyton Shriver. But both Cassie and Shriver have disappeared. Maddie is stunned and realizes her sibling has outdone herself this time. Sure of her sister's innocence, Maddie is determined to be David's shadow as he tracks them down. While on their journey, Maddie unexpectedly finds her emotional guards dropping. This time Maddie may need to be rescued. She's in danger of losing her heart to the handsome federal agent.

This case would have been wrapped up already if David hadn't gone against his gut--and his superiors--and used Cassie. Now it looks as if she's in cahoots with the art thief and David's saddled with her hardheaded and beautiful sister. With his career on the line, David will do anything to finally capture Shriver, even take along a civilian. As they race from the Cayman Islands to Paris to Madrid and Monaco, he becomes aware that there is something special about Maddie. (It's not every woman who'd take a coconut to the head for you!) Raised by a stern military man, David is used to burying his emotions but can't seem to hide from his feelings for Maddie. He struggles with how to tell her of his love without making himself vulnerable to heartbreak.

Mistaken identities, kamikaze coconuts, out of control desire, drinking contests, and vats of honey make this one hilarious moment after another! David and Maddie are such stubborn characters and it was as entertaining to watch them fight as it was seeing them make up. How can you resist a Lori Wilde? She guarantees outrageous laughs, fabulous adventures, steamy passion, and heartfelt romance every time!

'You can't drink me under the table.' He wobbled in his chair.

'I think I already have.'

'Uh-huh.' He pushed back his chair and staggered to his feet. 'See. I perrfetly fine.'

'Yeah, you're fine.' She got up and picked up her shoulder bag,

'Hey,' he said, trying to point a finger at her but his frickin' finger wouldn't hold still. 'Where ya goin'?'

She waved and headed for the door.

'Wait.' He charged after her, only to have the floor rise up to meet his face.

He hit the floor with a resounding thunk. If he hadn't stuck out a hand to break his fall he probably would have fractured his skull. He ended up staring at a French fry squashed on the floor next to his nose.

Maddie squatted down beside him.

'Oh,' she said. 'Maybe I forgot to tell you. The reason I don't often drink alcohol is because I have a mutant metabolic disorder of the liver enzymes. I can drink all the liquor I want and I never even get buzzed, so what's the point? Well, unless you're trying to drink some smart-assed guy under the table.'

He groaned.

'And remember what you told me at the airport? Payback is a bitch.'

She rose to her feet and swished away before David could reach out and grab her ankle. And just before he passed out he heard her tell the waitress, 'He'll be paying the bill."'

Maddie Cooper forces FBI agent David Marshall to take her along as he chases after her twin sister, Cassie, who was helping him with a case before she disappeared. It would appear that Cassie is now in cahoots with an art thief who steals valuable paintings. The two travel all over Europe, just one step behind them - plus a third guy who is dangerous. Paintings are stolen. Maddie and David try not to give in to the strong attraction they are feeling.

Now, if you want fun and adventure and one great big torrid love scene, plus a number of other sexy encounters, this is the book for you. It is wildly funny and good escapism. Yes, lots of fun, but it is also completely unrealistic. Scene after scene has them doing the impossible. All over Europe they bump into one another. It doesn't even attempt to be realistic. However, the ending is a good surprise, although - again - not very probable. Just relax and enjoy.

I very much enjoyed Lori Wilde's prior Warner release LICENSE TO THRILL (I also recommend her Blaze story PACKED WITH PLEASURE), and while I enjoyed this one, it wasn't quite as terrific as LTT. I found the first few chapters on the slow side, and it took me some time to warm up to Maddie and David (was this a sly wink to the old TV show MOONLIGHTING about bickering but attracted PI's with the same names?). But after about the third or fourth chapter the pace picked up, the chemistry started to build and the adventure took off.

Maddie Cooper has always felt responsible for her twin sister Cassie - especially since a childhood incident nearly left Cassie dead. Maddie has always seen herself as the responsible, levelheaded twin who needs to look out for her flighty, spontaneous twin - much to Cassie's annoyance! In order to prove herself to her overprotective twin, Cassie agrees to assist FBI agent David Marshall in his investigation of her new boyfriend, who, David informs her, is an art thief that David has been after for years. Her job at a museum and relationship with Peyton Shriver will allow David to set him up and finally put him behind bars.

David is driven to catch his thief and will do anything to win - even involve a civilian against his superior's orders. Hey, whatever guilt he may feel will be absolved once Shriver is in prison, right? But when Cassie and Shriver disappear, David is confronted by a furious Maddie who demands to be included in all aspects of the investigation over his strenuous objections and to his extreme annoyance. When it is discovered that their prey have traveled to the Grand Caymans, Maddie insists on accompanying David and so begins a whirlwind, crazy adventure that takes them to Paris, Madrid, Monaco and Venice.

Along the way, Maddie and David bicker, thwart each other and eventually begin to fall for one another. Finally Maddie and David become lovers and partners in this chase with David determined to get his man and Maddie determined to prove her sister's innocence in any of this (innocence she knows David doubts). Is Cassie an innocent hostage or is she a partner in crime? Can two people at such cross-purposes find happiness together - if they survive their adventures?

A fun, light, perfect for summer read. Though it did have a slow start, once the action picked up I enjoyed watching Maddie and David try to outwit each other and try to fight their mutual attraction. Their romance is tumultuous, sexy and in the end, very romantic. If you like a story that may not be totally realistic, but will take you on a wild and crazy ride, this may be for you! I highly recommend it! And BTW, we haven't heard the last of Cassie as she will be getting her own story, surely another wild adventure!

For all of her life, Maddie Cooper has kept a watchful eye over her twin sister Cassie, keeping her out of trouble as much as possible. So when Cassie ends up way over her head, Maddie jumps right in to bail her out and what a rescue it is going to be. She has to keep her libido under control and outwit the handsome FBI agent in order to reach her goal. But boy, oh boy is David Marshall one tempting man that will have Maddie thinking about what it would be like to throw her "good-girl" ways right out the window.

Cassie has been working with sexy FBI agent David Marshall to catch a high profile art thief. But to prove to her sister that she can be the hero, Cassie decides to go in deeper and not only help catch a thief, but recover the stolen art too. That is until her plans start going awry and Cassie finds herself neck deep in trouble.

As much as he hates it, David Marshall is stuck with Maddie. She is beyond determined that her twin is innocent of any crimes and is going to rescue Cassie before David can throw her in jail. Keeping Maddie close will not only keep her out of trouble, but will help him get closer to her. An attraction like no other has taken over David and for the first time, a woman is more important than his quest to catch the thief. Now David just has to convince Maddie to take a chance on him, keep them alive and catch the bad guy, all in a days work.

A fast paced, exciting story, CHARMED AND DANGEROUS is filled with love, laughter and a bit of danger around every corner. Ms. Wilde had me laughing out loud and sitting on the edge of my seat with this romance story. Seeing David's determination to catch the bad guy go up against Maddie's determination to save her sister makes this book one sensual roller coaster ride. If you looking for the perfect summer read look no further, Lori Wilde has already written it.

Maddie Cooper has always taken care of her twin sister. It hasn't been an easy job since Cassie loves to get into trouble. And this time she may not be able to help her since she can't find her! Cassie has disappeared. It seems that her thrill-seeking twin may have taken on a bit more than she can handle when Maddie finds out that the FBI is looking for her, too.

Agent David Marshall wishes he'd never enlisted Cassie in a sting operation to catch a notorious art thief. Whatever possessed him to involve a civilian especially now that she has gone missing. And to make matters worse, now he has to contend with her furious twin who is sticking to him like glue. Funny thing: Cassie didn't attract his attention on a physical level. But her sister sure has him distracted.

Maddie is a former Olympian athlete. She is used to being disciplined. She is definitely not looking for a man. So how come she can't stop thinking about the irritating, arrogant and altogether too good looking agent who seems bent on arresting her sister instead of saving her? After all, it is his fault that Cassie is in danger. And now, Maddie's heart is in danger as well.

CHARMED AND DANGEROUS takes Maddie and David across the country and then to Europe in search of Cassie and the missing paintings. It is filled with mystery, humor, tension, and romance. Lori Wilde has written a book that lives up to its name. It is charming and one you will not be able to put down.

Lori Wilde once again delights her growing fan base with an emotional roller-coaster of an adventure that's as hot as it is romantic! David and Maddie are so alike in some ways and opposite in others that it's delightful to watch them attempting to outwit each other, while trying not to acknowledge the attraction burgeoning between them. How they work out conflicts as they strive to solve the case, forms the crux of this engaging romantic drama. Secondary characters add to the story-line.

Personal dramas aside, suspense is one of the mainstays of Charmed and Dangerous and is as relentless as the pace of the novel, during the course of which action shifts to beautiful locations in Europe. With a deft hand, Wilde blends humor and suspense, passion and mystery into a story both charming and dangerous.

We're talking wacky, zany fun here. Think of the movies. This book is visual, action-packed with plenty of laugh out loud moments. Ms Wilde's voice is certainly unique and there's a cool twist at the end. If you're into logical and realism, this book isn't for you. But if you read to escape your daily grind and you're looking for something to take your mind off your problems then you've found the perfect summer read.

I got sucked into a whirlwind called CHARMED AND DANGEROUS, carried swiftly along by the force of the characters and the story line before being dropped, gently, into a nice feel good state at the end.

Boy, oh boy. I didn't know if Ms. Wilde could repeat the quality of her LICENSE TO THRILL.

But she did.

CHARMED AND DANGEROUS is a charming whirlwind of a story, with vivid larger-than-life characters and non-stop action. Ms. Wilde not only has a knack for grabbing a reader's attention from the get-go and not letting go, she also has a special humorous touch. The banter between the romantic couple and the situations the pair find themselves are highly entertaining.

Maddie Cooper and David Marshall are dynamite together. Calm, sedate Maddie becomes almost a wild woman in her quest to find her missing twin sister while playing havoc with oh-so-yummy FBI agent David. The love dance is in full swing in this story as the pair, both cautious about romantic feelings, play at keeping their distance from each other. And what a engaging dance it is!

Intriguing characters, different locales and hilarious situations keep this story moving quickly. Maddie and David together make CHARMED AND DANGEROUS sizzle.

FBI Agent David Marshall knows he made a mistake when he recruited civilian public relations specialist at Fort Worth's Kimball Art Museum Cassie Cooper, but he had hope she would provide him the means to take down art thief Peyton Shriver. Once violent Jocko Blanco became involved, David decided to remove Cassie from danger, but she fails to show up at their meeting spot. Instead, he mistakes Cassie's twin Maddie for her.

Cassie and Peyton stole a valuable Cezanne and are now in the Grand Cayman Islands. Though he wants Maddie to stay behind so she is safe, she is used to bailing her sister out of trouble so she forces her way onto the investigation. As David plans to bring Cassie down and Maddie tries to prove she is innocent, they fall in love but Jocko insures the inquiries turn deadlier and dangerous.

This is an exhilarating romantic suspense that goes at a fast pace from the moment David realizes he accosted the wrong twin. Readers will take delight with the clever antics of Maddie has as she tricks and ultimately forces David to allow her to accompany him. Though the final clean up is too neat, fans will take immense pleasure with this FBI art theft romance.

Harriet Klausner