Customer Reviews

Hero Under Cover (Harlequin Silhouette Intimate Moments)

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

 

 

This is an early Brockmann that was written in 1994 and resurrected and published in 2001. The suspense part of the plot takes a little bit of a back-seat to the tons of lusting that goes on. But I did find the underlying reason for the actions of the villains to be believable.

The heroine is an archaeologist who is suspected by the FBI and CIA of being involved in a series of museum bombings. The CIA hero is placed under cover as her bodyguard when she's threatened and has her home/lab broken into by some shadowy group trying to get their hands on an old death mask she's currently authenticating. The agency hope is that the hero will get earn her trust and learn something to help them nail her for the bombings.

Most of the book centers on him watching her and watching out for her. There is
a sprinkling of information on authenticating artifacts but I don't know enough to tell if Brockmann did her research or not. There is a heck of a lot about what the heroine eats. What I did find hard to believe is the fact that the heroine doesn't immediately go to work on authenticating the piece that is causing so much trouble. The FBI and CIA use the fact that the heroine is being threatened for handling it as a cover to have its owner put a 24 hour guard on her for weeks and she just lets it sit in her safe while working on other pieces? I would think she'd want to get rid of it quickly but then we'd have no story.

I also thought the change in whether or not the hero believed her innocence very quick and would have expected to have a few scenes of him poking around through her stuff and listening in on phone calls. Instead he just seems to accept that she had nothing to do with the bombings. But it's a series book so maybe space was a factor here. All in all, it's not bad but has an awful lot of lusting.

I don't want to give it all away. Basically, a doctor is called
in to authenticate a Native American "death mask" While she is
attending the piece, she is assigned an agent to act as bodyguard. Their personalities are oil and water. But when serious murder attempt is tried against the doc, more than a
mystery starts to heat up.
Swift moving story with sharp 3-D characters.

If you're looking for a new book, keep looking! This is a re-release of a book originally released in 1988. And, at that, not a very good one. A disappointment.

D. Anne--nickname Annie--Morrow, a renowned archeologist, art historian, and professional artifact authenticator is under suspicion of the bombing and thief of an England museum. This isn't the first time something like this happened. Only a few months prior, a bomb went off at another museum where Dr. Annie had been only a few hours before. Again, priceless artifacts were stolen.

CIA operative Captain Kendall "Pete" Peterson goes undercover as Pete Taylor to act bodyguard when death threats are issued on Dr. Annie. He's hoping to catch a thief, but ends up losing his heart in this romance/suspense story.

This was my first experience with Suzanne Brockmann and if I were to read more of her books, I'd pick up one that wasn't a reissue. This was originally published in 1994 and has a mechanical style to delivering the background information. Much of the information was hard to believe and that's what turned me off most. Even though there was magic between Pete and Annie, I felt their realization for love and then marriage too rushed. The story was just okay for me.

Not one of her better efforts. Obviously one of her older books. Not nearly as intense as her Navy Seal stories. A light read.

DFr Annie Morrow is a suspect in an art scandal. She is harassed by the authorities constantly. She is even strip searched at the airport. Dr. Morrow comes into possession of a Navaho Indian Death mask. The mask belonged to "Stands Against the Storm" a Navaho chief. Immediately Dr.
Morrow begins recieving death threats and has a rock thrown through her window with a death threat tied to it. The CIA sends an undercover into
her office to be a bodyguard. His name if Pete Taylor. He is to guard Dr.
Morrow as well as investigate her. He has his hands full. She does not want a bodyguard and wants Taylor gone. He finally wins out. She does not
take the death threats seriously. She discovers that the mask is worth
killing over.Annie finaly realizes that it is good to have Taylor around.
The book finally comes to a conclusion.

This book was originally published in 1994.

Dr. Annie Morrow, archaeologist, art historian, and artifact authenticator, is under investigation by the FBI and CIA for some European museum thefts and tragedies. The government agencies have been harassing her and investigating her for months and are no closer to the truth. When a threat is made against Annie's life, the CIA seizes its opportunity and plants one of it's agents in her home as a bodyguard. Kendall Peterson takes on the persona of Pete Taylor and moves in.

Annie is not happy about the permanent shadow but is forced to accept it. The mystery surrounding the European thefts and bombings only increases as she and Pete get into an easy routine and love grows beneath the deceptions and omissions.

With so much potential for an exciting, intriguing read, I just found it a bit flat and slow moving. The main characters have some heat, but not enough to rescue this tepid tale.

When the mystery finally wraps up, I was less than enthused and a little disappointed. I thought the discovery, confrontation and conclusion to be too quick. It was almost like an afterthought. Suzanne Brockmann is one of my favorite writers, but this is not one of my favorite works. I find myself not hating it, not liking it, just sort of ambivalent.

Cherise Everhard, November 2008

I have read nearly all of Suzanne Brockmann's books and have loved them all, except this one. I read the bad reviews on this book and thought to myself, it can't be that bad. It's Brockmann! I'm sad to say that it really was that bad. One reviewer was right when they mentioned being confused as to who the main characters were at the beginning of the book. I remember going back to the beginning of the book to find the descriptions of the main characters because I felt like I had no idea who they were. There lacked a depth to these characters that Brockmann always has, and it was missing the back history on the heroine.

****Possible Spoiler*****

Another huge issue, that another reviewer mentioned, was how the hero of the book was instantly lusting after the heroine. She was a suspect for crying out loud. He's a CIA agent and he's acting like a teenage boy on the brink of puberty. I can understand this to an extent, but it was to sudden, or maybe to intense for the initial meeting of the characters.

Honestly, if you're a die hard Brockmann fan, read it to say you've read everything of hers. Maybe even check it out at the library. But to purchase this book and own it? It's a waste.

Dr. Ann Morrow is a renowned archeologist, art historian, and professional artifact authenticator who is suspected by the FBI and CIA to be somehow involved in museum theft and museum bombings in Europe. CIA operative Captain Kendall "Pete" Peterson is in charge for his agency to investigate against her. When death threats against Dr. Morrow are issued, he goes undercover as Pete Taylor to act as bodyguard and investigate the allegations against her. So far so good but they soon fall in love with each other. What happens when Ann finds out that the man she loves isn't who he claims to be?

Slowly developing and simple plot with some twist and turns towards the end of the book, which unfortunately were not good enough integrated or "prepared" throughout the development of the plot.

Both main characters are very realistic and likeable. Dr. Ann Morrow is presented as a very hard working, self-confident young woman, who knows exactly what she wants and isn't afraid to risk in order to achieve her professional and private goals. Consequently she is the first one to act upon her attraction to "Pete Taylor". When being rejected by him, her feelings and actions were described very realistically and comprehensible.

On the other hand, Captain Kendall Peterson's reacts with shock and fear when he finds out that his other self "Pete Taylor" has fallen in love with the main suspect of the investigation. He knows that he shouldn't act according to his feelings as long as Ann doesn't know who he really is. This emotional back and forth is described very sentimentally.

All in all a very enjoyable love story that offers some relaxed hours of reading.

Digging for Danger...
Enter Annie, the archeologist suspected of stealing artifacts by the FBI and by CIA Captain Peterson. When Annie's life is threatened the CIA operative steps in undercover as her bodyguard and the excitement begins. Great characters & fast paced adventure. Brockmann has a way of making her stories pop. Great read.

Keep in mind that this is a romantic thriller. 5* of 5*