"Three wacky, funny stories from an up-and-coming star of romantic comedy"
Sweet Strangers This story starts off with a bang. Head of security at a
biotech company, Renee Jardin is running, possibly for her
life. Two goons are chasing her, intent on retrieving a
pharmaceutical miracle cure from her. Renee didn't steal
PaceIC from her employer, but that doesn't matter to them.
They want that drug back -- no matter what it takes to get
it. Former National Security Agency grunt, now in his first week
as a P.I., Eric Axelrod just happens to be in town for a law
enforcement convention. Eric can't resist the million-dollar
price tag for bringing Renee in. When she kisses him soundly
as a cover from the men chasing her, Eric melts. Something
about Renee causes Eric to want to help her out of this
predicament. Just who slipped PaceIC into Renee's bag? And why? How will
Eric and Renee prove that's she innocent? Can Renee truly
trust Eric? How far will Renee's former boss go to get back
the drug that could earn him billions? Lovely Lies Peter Random used to do background checks for a biotech
firm. Now that the chief executive has been arrested,
Peter's job is history. Down on his luck, Peter plays the
lottery and wonders how to make his rent. A real sweetheart
under his gruff exterior, when Peter finds a woman sleeping
in his car, he takes her home until she can explain herself. Heiress Lori Jamieson is looking for a protector and thinks
Peter will do just fine. She's being pursued by greedy
relatives (by marriage) and needs someone to look out for
her. Lori intends to give her money away to the less
fortunate, which also means the end of the line for the
relatives. She finds the real Peter to be a sucker for
strays and lost causes. Is she just another stray he's
helping out? Or will there be a future for them after the
money is gone? Delightful Deception Dr. Thea Foster, chief scientist for a biotech firm, has no
idea if she's about to be out of a job or not. The company's
new owner may want to scrap her entire team. Or curtail
Thea's laid-back managerial style. As long as the job gets
done, Thea doesn't care what her employees wear or if they
goof off as a means of stress reduction. Surprisingly hip
despite her cool "Ice Queen" exterior, Thea is logical to
the extreme. That's why she finds her new boss so annoying. The new owner of the biotech company, Dr. James Scrye, is a
boy wonder himself. His grand entrance into the lab is
memorable, to say the least. Hyper to the max, Jimmy wants
to shift the company's focus to developing a project it had
put on the backburner. The development of artificial skin to
use in place of skin grafts is extremely important to him,
for reasons he keeps close to the chest. Jimmy and Thea are perfect for each other. Both geniuses,
they bring their contrasting personalities into balance.
Jimmy has to learn to trust his deepest secrets to Thea, or
he'll chance losing her. Will he win by getting the new
product developed and yet lose by alienating Thea? These three linked stories feature the wacky humor for which
Ms. Davidson is known. Her characters speak like real people
do; the dialogue is often irreverent and full of sarcasm.
UNDER COVER marks her mainstream debut, but this is far from
being an awkward first book. The mystery aspects may be a
little light, but the stories don't need convoluted plot
twists to be enjoyable. Try this funny anthology and you'll
be hooked! Sensuality: Explicit sex; sexually explicit scenes: 9.
Reviewed by Denise Powers
Courtesy Sensual Romance
Posted September 25, 2003
Summary"Sweet Strangers"
Renee Jardin never meant to become the
world's most sought-after thief. But the minute she walks
out of her biotech firm accidentally carrying "The Cure"—
the most important scientific discovery of the century—
she's on the run from ruthless bioengineers, cops, and the
U.S. government. Desperate to lose her trackers, Renee
lays a full-body kiss on the first gorgeous guy she sees...a
kiss that she gets back with a toe-curling vengeance.
N.S.A. agent James Axelrod never thought apprehending his
suspect would be so easy, and so sinfully arousing...or that
he would consider taking her into custody in the privacy
of his own bedroom...
"Lovely Lies"
Peter Random lost everything when he was outwitted by that
goody-goody Renee Jardin. Late in his rent, his job gone,
Peter vows he'll never let anyone get close enough to burn
him again. So why can't he seem to tell Lori Jamieson and
her troubles to hit the road? It isn't just her hot bod
and full lips—although those have a magic he can't deny.
Something about the damsel in distress makes Peter want to
wrap her in his strong arms and prove that a bad boy can
be very, very good, especially when it's between the
sheets...
"Delightful Deception"
At the biotech firm, they call her Thea "I.Q." Foster—
"I.Q." for either Intelligence Quotient or Ice Queen,
depending. Slipping the Cure into Renee's tote bag was
satisfying revenge, but now that the fun's over, Thea sets
her sights on a new challenge: sarcastic, secretive Jimmy
Scrye. Cracking open his hard shell would be a real game,
but Jimmy's more than Thea's match. He's got a few ideas
for turning the tables on the brainy scientist...sensual,
erotic fantasy ideas that just might change those letters
in her name to "Incredible," "Insatiable," and "Quivering
with delight"...
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