Books: SEALs series (R, S)
These are the books in Christina Skye'sseries about Navy SEALs. (As always, *=keeper)
Code Name: Nanny Summer Mulcahey's only life is her job as an FBI agent. On this assignment, she poses as a nanny for the children of a prominent DA facing death threats from a well-connected mobster she's put behind bars. Summer falls for Gabe, an off-duty SEAL posing as the family gardener and offering another layer of protection.
Both the primary and secondary romances were nice, and the kids in Summer's care were like real kids, not just fluffy window-dressing. I didn't like the "I'll run away because she'll never want me" element at the end. Overall, a good, if unremarkable, story. Grade: B
*Code Name: Princess Summer's twin sister, Jess, can't believe her luck. An intense SEAL has kidnapped her from her shower, seduced her in an elevator, and stolen her Jeep, all in the same day.
Hawk McKenzie was looking for a top-secret item called Princess. He never expected to find love on the way.
I felt more invested in this couple's relationship than the one in CN:N, probably because more of this story seemed to be from the hero's POV as he comes to realize what a great woman he has found. Grade: A
*Code Name: Baby Kit is a dogtrainer who has always had a crush on her brother's Navy SEAL friend, Wolfe. When he shows up at her isolated ranch on a top secret mission, she falls hard all over again. Feelings and passions run deep between the two of them, but she is heartbroken when she discovers he didn't tell her that his mission is to protect her and the dogs she's training from a rogue agent.
The SF element from the story is Way Cool. Wolfe and his teammates have been cybernetically and genetically enhanced. They all have the same training, but their individual strengths are also developed. For instance, Wolfe can read people's thoughts from objects they touched and can create false impressions of things happening now as well as false memories of the past. The SF angle is interesting but not overwhelming, although Amazon reviews indicate some readers didn't care for it. (I personally love stories about mutant abilities, so it was right up my alley.)
The romance builds nicely until Kit discovers Wolfe's "betrayal" (he's under orders not to tell her what's going on.) Then, the action/suspense plot takes over and the romance fades into the background until the final scene, where the HEA is wrapped up a little too quickly for my tastes. Still, this is a couple that I cared about and wanted to see together, so I was pleased to see them resolve their issues, however abruptly.
My biggest complaint is that the ending didn't resolve some of the villain's concerns about the mutant training; the ethics of this type of training are complex, and it's hard to believe he completely misinterpreted or imagined some of the things he said happened to him. These issues really should have been addressed since they conceivably could affect the hero as well, but instead were allowed to fall by the wayside. Grade: B+
Code Name: Nanny Summer Mulcahey's only life is her job as an FBI agent. On this assignment, she poses as a nanny for the children of a prominent DA facing death threats from a well-connected mobster she's put behind bars. Summer falls for Gabe, an off-duty SEAL posing as the family gardener and offering another layer of protection.
Both the primary and secondary romances were nice, and the kids in Summer's care were like real kids, not just fluffy window-dressing. I didn't like the "I'll run away because she'll never want me" element at the end. Overall, a good, if unremarkable, story. Grade: B
*Code Name: Princess Summer's twin sister, Jess, can't believe her luck. An intense SEAL has kidnapped her from her shower, seduced her in an elevator, and stolen her Jeep, all in the same day.
Hawk McKenzie was looking for a top-secret item called Princess. He never expected to find love on the way.
I felt more invested in this couple's relationship than the one in CN:N, probably because more of this story seemed to be from the hero's POV as he comes to realize what a great woman he has found. Grade: A
*Code Name: Baby Kit is a dogtrainer who has always had a crush on her brother's Navy SEAL friend, Wolfe. When he shows up at her isolated ranch on a top secret mission, she falls hard all over again. Feelings and passions run deep between the two of them, but she is heartbroken when she discovers he didn't tell her that his mission is to protect her and the dogs she's training from a rogue agent.
The SF element from the story is Way Cool. Wolfe and his teammates have been cybernetically and genetically enhanced. They all have the same training, but their individual strengths are also developed. For instance, Wolfe can read people's thoughts from objects they touched and can create false impressions of things happening now as well as false memories of the past. The SF angle is interesting but not overwhelming, although Amazon reviews indicate some readers didn't care for it. (I personally love stories about mutant abilities, so it was right up my alley.)
The romance builds nicely until Kit discovers Wolfe's "betrayal" (he's under orders not to tell her what's going on.) Then, the action/suspense plot takes over and the romance fades into the background until the final scene, where the HEA is wrapped up a little too quickly for my tastes. Still, this is a couple that I cared about and wanted to see together, so I was pleased to see them resolve their issues, however abruptly.
My biggest complaint is that the ending didn't resolve some of the villain's concerns about the mutant training; the ethics of this type of training are complex, and it's hard to believe he completely misinterpreted or imagined some of the things he said happened to him. These issues really should have been addressed since they conceivably could affect the hero as well, but instead were allowed to fall by the wayside. Grade: B+
posted by JJ at 7:17 PM
