7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Flat, underdeveloped and disappointing, June 22, 2006
This review is from: Express Male (Hqn Romance) (Mass Market Paperback)
Noah is a super secret agent. Marnie is a piano instructor, working in a department store on the side. When they meet over a case of mistaken identity, sparks do not ignite nor does their chemistry sizzle right off the page. They are in fact, boring characters who weirdly and awkwardly fumble around each other until eventually they consummate their lackluster union. I don't buy the attraction, I don't buy Marnie's boring life, and I don't get why Noah is so great. Character development is sadly lacking, which makes their relationship completely unbelievable even by romance novel standards. The only redeeming part of the book was the subplot involving Noah's secretary-turned-secret agent, and too little time is devoted to that. I was disappointed. I like most of Ms Bevarly's other work. This one was just so bad.
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2.0 out of 5 stars
Lazy plotting leads to little satisfaction, June 3, 2006
This review is from: Express Male (Hqn Romance) (Mass Market Paperback)
For a summary of this story, read the publisher's info. Basically, a case of mistaken identity throws frustrated mall pianist Marnie Lundy in the path of sexy spy Noah Tennant. Banter and hot sex ensue.
The book is pleasant, but has bad bones, so to speak. The author did not bother to create a cohesive plot/subplot, nor did she deliver a satisfying end, after all the likeable heroine went through.
Strengths: Ms. Bevarly is a whiz with character. She creates likeable, real "friend" type heroines and heroes, people you're happy to go on the journey with; people you're happy to read about. Marnie here is particularly likeable, as she keeps her wits about her while her oridnary life gets thrown into chaos, with everyone around her insisting she is an AWOL super-spy. The hero, Noah, is also sympathetic, if less well-developed, and sexy enough to make a satisfying match. He has slept with the heroine's twin sister, a fact that is a bit too glibly dealt with, but, all in all, he's a good guy.
Weaknesses: Where to start? Alas, the book features one intriguing main plot--Marnie's mistaken identity leads to her agreeing to help capture the dangerous man who's going to come for her no matter what. It also includes a deliciously sexy subplot, in which a spy trainee (who is the protege of the book's hero) goes undercover to investigate the sexy chemist neighbor she's lusted after forever for selling secrets to terrorists. The problem? The two stories have nothing to do with each other. So the reader is left ping-ponging between the two, waiting for a hint as to how they're going to intersect and escalate the stakes tremendously...and it never happens. There's no crossover, no counterpoints. It's as if the author wrote two separate stories and shuffled them together, switching from one to the other rather arbitrarily every few chapters. Highly frustrating. This could have been two individual series romance novels and been better for it.
And, the ending fizzles out completely. After all the setup, the heroine first getting sucked into danger and then turning around heroically to train to face it--and instead of a grand finale leading to a big payoff, she winds up doing nothing. There's no grand romantic gesture at the end, no danger after all we've gone through together...nothing. Expectations are set up and not delivered on. If the author's plan was to surprise the reader by not having a predictable ending...well, I'm surprised that she didn't come up with something better than this, and that her publisher let her get away with it. C'mon, Ms. Bevarly. Clearly you have the talent to do better than this.
Overall, a 2, and that's for enjoyable characters.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
fun sequel to YOU GOT MALE, May 25, 2006
This review is from: Express Male (Hqn Romance) (Mass Market Paperback)
In Cleveland pianist Marnie Lundy dreams of playing at Carnegie, but for now plays at Lauderdale's department store. One night after work in the parking lot, a man arrives handing her a package; another man tries to take the package; and a third man succeeds, but snatches her too. Marnie has no idea what is going on, but each male called her Lila.
The third man says his name is Noah Tennant code name "Sinatra"; that the first individual was the Philosopher and the second the Sorcerer. His top secret Office of Political Unity and Security (OPUS) has been searching for Lila for five months and the Sorcerer for two years. She insists she is not Lila, but Marnie. As he learns she is telling the truth, he investigates why two women look identical and recruits Marnie to help them find their best agent the missing for five months Lila and the lethal treacherous Sorcerer.
Like Marnie readers will wonder who slipped that hallucinatory drug in her water from the moment the frightened Philosopher dumps his "book" on her until the final confrontation between her and Sinatra as she forces him to sing what is in his heart. The story line is action-packed with Elizabeth Bevarly lampooning espionage thrillers while providing a strong romantic suspense thriller. The Lila-Marnie scenario is obvious yet the audience will not care as fans will wonder if OPUS is what Homeland security is all about in a fun sequel to YOU GOT MALE.
Harriet Klausner
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