Customer Reviews

Under The Spell (Incognito Series, Book 5)

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The Network is the world's most covert organization. The HQ is in Chicago, underground, beneath a front company. They have unchallenged authority and skill to destroy criminals. The Network takes over where regular law enforcement leaves off. The people of this organization give up their entire lives to become agents of the Network. For them, there is no life and no love, only duty.


Justine Fielding is the Network's Communications and Systems Analyst. Before she was recruited, her name had been Gina Calhoun and she lived with her father, Reggie, on the Triple Aces Ranch in Fever, Texas. Everyone from her former life believes her gone forever. Justine thought the same thing until her superiors informed her that she, as Gina, was about to be resurrected. The Network has intercepted some encrypted, untraceable e-mails coming from somewhere on the ranch. The e-mails were going over seas, but the Network was unable to track them from their origin or locate the go-between person. Justine is devastated when her superiors inform her that Reggie is dead. Her father died at the ranch when a prairie fire burned down the ranch as he slept. But was it really an accidental fire or was Reggie murdered? The Network's theory is that Reggie had tried to stop or had been involved with the crimes of a former friend and that Alex Lynch was somehow mixed up in the whole mess.

Alex Lynch and Gina Calhoun used to be an item. But when Gina wanted to wed early in order to get out from under her father's thumb, Alex had refused. Alex insisted on waiting a couple of years to receive Reggie's blessing. Unable and unwilling to wait, Gina had disappeared. It has been several years since then. Alex, who grew up on and worked for the ranch, has ownership now, per Reggie's will. Alex's first thought upon seeing wild Gina again is delight that she is alive. The second is fear that she wants the ranch. Yet Gina never says she is or is not planning to take the ranch from him. All she wants to do is find out what really happened to her father. Gina simply refuses to believe Reggie died from a normal prairie fire. Alex soon learns that Gina has changed in many drastic ways, however, the attraction between them burns hotter than ever.

**** It has been one year since the ending of the last book, Dead Drop. Use that as a time line if you have been following the series. More book space is spent on the romance than on the mission this time around. You should not begin this story expecting a fast paced adventure. This reads more as a mystery than suspense. But do not worry, there is danger, as well as the surprise or two which the author, Karen Wiesner, is fast becoming known for. Excellent! ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

The Network is the world's most covert organization. The HQ is in Chicago, underground, beneath a front company. They have unchallenged authority and skill to destroy criminals. The Network takes over where regular law enforcement leaves off. The people of this organization give up their entire lives to become agents of the Network. For them, there is no life and no love, only duty.


Justine Fielding is the Network's Communications and Systems Analyst. Before she was recruited, her name had been Gina Calhoun and she lived with her father, Reggie, on the Triple Aces Ranch in Fever, Texas. Everyone from her former life believes her gone forever. Justine thought the same thing until her superiors informed her that she, as Gina, was about to be resurrected. The Network has intercepted some encrypted, untraceable e-mails coming from somewhere on the ranch. The e-mails were going over seas, but the Network was unable to track them from their origin or locate the go-between person. Justine is devastated when her superiors inform her that Reggie is dead. Her father died at the ranch when a prairie fire burned down the ranch as he slept. But was it really an accidental fire or was Reggie murdered? The Network's theory is that Reggie had tried to stop or had been involved with the crimes of a former friend and that Alex Lynch was somehow mixed up in the whole mess.

Alex Lynch and Gina Calhoun used to be an item. But when Gina wanted to wed early in order to get out from under her father's thumb, Alex had refused. Alex insisted on waiting a couple of years to receive Reggie's blessing. Unable and unwilling to wait, Gina had disappeared. It has been several years since then. Alex, who grew up on and worked for the ranch, has ownership now, per Reggie's will. Alex's first thought upon seeing wild Gina again is delight that she is alive. The second is fear that she wants the ranch. Yet Gina never says she is or is not planning to take the ranch from him. All she wants to do is find out what really happened to her father. Gina simply refuses to believe Reggie died from a normal prairie fire. Alex soon learns that Gina has changed in many drastic ways, however, the attraction between them burns hotter than ever.

**** It has been one year since the ending of the last book, Dead Drop. Use that as a time line if you have been following the series. More book space is spent on the romance than on the mission this time around. You should not begin this story expecting a fast paced adventure. This reads more as a mystery than suspense. But do not worry, there is danger, as well as the surprise or two which the author, Karen Wiesner, is fast becoming known for. Excellent! ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

System analyst for the Network communications team, Justine Fielding has unfinished business in her hometown of Texas. In her prior life, before the Network, she was Gina Calhoun and she lived with her father on a ranch. Now that life, along with Gina Calhoun, is gone. Gina's life in Texas is one Justine never planned to return to, but the Network had other ideas. Informed that her father was dead and the reasons around his death may be Network connected a devastated Justine resurrects Gina and returns to her life in Texas to find out who may have killed her father. Things get more complicated when it turns out her ex love Alex Lynch may be involved.

Alex, now the owner of Gina's family ranch, has one of his loves in the life. The other was Gina. When she disappeared Alex focused his life on the ranch, now that Gina is returned Alex is not sure how to feel. One thing is for certain, he still wants Gina just as much as he did back then.

Under The Spell is aptly named, Gina/Justine and Alex fall hopelessly under each other's spell. This is, not surprising, another great addition to a fantastic series. Although Under The Spell is part of a series it reads wonderfully as a standalone, as with all of the books of this series. Under The Spell is more on the romantic side, but the suspense of the novel is not compromised because of it. I enjoyed this story and I know followers of this series will too.

Ley
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Network's Justine Fielding is assigned field work after six years as a Communications and Systems Analyst. If it was not serious, she would find it ironic that she is to go home to her family ranch as herself Gina Calhoun, who "died" when she joined the Network, to uncover the identity of who is sending encrypted messages from the ranch.

At her family ranch, Alex Lynch is stunned to see Gina, the only woman he ever loved. He thought she was dead, but assumes she came home to claim the ranch that he has kept working in the hope he would one day own it. She, in turn, finds evidence that makes him look responsible for sending the classified transmissions that have spooked her superiors at the Network and for the suspicious death of her father. As each suspects the motive of the other, Gina and Alex fall in love again.

The Incognito series has been consistently one of the best thriller sagas on the market today. The fifth book will place newcomers UNDER THE SPELL of author Karen Wiesner (fans already are ensorcelled by this writer). The lead couple makes for a fast-paced plot as each realizes they still love the other, but neither trusts one another or their own heart. The espionage elements are cleverly designed to keep the audience and Gina struggling with the fact that Alex is certainly the traitor. As fans know set aside the hours, this is a one sitting espionage romantic thriller.

Harriet Klausner

5 Angels and FAR Recommended Read! "What else can I say about this series that hasn't already been said? I have been lucky enough to have read each book in the series as it's come out and they just keep getting better and better. UNDER THE SPELL is no exception. It is full of the action, adventure and mystery that abound in the Incognito Series. The sexual tension between "Justine" Gina and Alex keeps you eagerly reading as you wait to see how it will finally turn out. This book has a lot of things going on and secondary characters that add to the mystery but the author never loses focus of the main characters. Author Karen Wiesner has a huge hit on her hands with UNDER THE SPELL, and I'm eagerly anticipating book 6, RENEGADE'S ROSE!" ~reviewed by Tammy for Fallen Angel Reviews [...]