The Samms Agenda
Grade : C

The problem with many romantic short stories is that they often do not give the author the opportunity to effectively develop plot or characters and, even more problematic for a romance novel, make it believable that two main characters can start a deep and meaningful relationship. That is the dilemma with The Samms Agenda: Although it has the potential to be a fast paced, suspenseful read, there is just not enough time to develop any appreciable depth to the characters or their actions.

Gorgeous and successful Katrina Flurry is used to being the center of attention and admired by all. But lately Katrina is the center of attention for a new and unpleasant reason: Everyone who is anyone in the Miami area knows that Katrina dated a crime lord and, even though that crime lord is now in jail, Katrina's woes are far from over. She dated the man to get a scoop for her column, but now Katrina's boss is making her take a break from the writing biz, and all because of the bad press she's receiving. But Katrina hides from no one, and her plan is to keep going as strong as before. But plans have a way of changing, especially when a gorgeous hunk of a man is intent on saving her life.

Julian Samms is part of an elite group of spies who are out to put the bad guys away and his newest assignment is to save Katrina from a notorious hitman and make sure she is safely hidden away. He arrives literally just in time: As the bullets are flying straight for Katrina, Julian comes to the rescue and dashes her off to a remote cabin. Julian is sure Katrina is a spoiled socialite, but in the short time they are together, he ends up being wrong in many ways.

Katrina is unsure if she should trust Julian, but as a madman is intent on killing her, what other choice does she have? All in a single day, Katrina and Julian are pursued from one section of the city to another, unable to lose the hitman. It is not until they are safely hidden that they finally have room to breathe and Katrina has time to think about her sudden attraction to Julian. Sure, the man is gorgeous, but is she only attracted to him because he saved her life?

Katrina is much more down to earth than Julian ever expected and he is much more attracted to her than he ever imagined he could be. He has no desire to give into temptation where Katrina is concerned, yet he just can't seem to keep his hands off her. Julian, though, is not only mistaken about Katrina, but also about why Katrina is being hunted, and this time the price may be her life.

Frankly, there are just not enough pages here to make this book a truly riveting read. The story seems to go from introducing the characters, to the sex, to the plot - in that order - and in that choppy a sequence. Once we get into the action of the story, it was rather exciting, but all that comes a little too late. There was nothing particularly wrong with the characters, and the heroine, whom I thought I would detest, was actually likable. But, again, there is just not enough time to make the characters or the plot intriguing enough to care. There is nothing I enjoy more than romantic suspense, and this storyline had the possibility of being extremely fascinating - making it all the more disappointing that it wasn't.

Any secondary characters are practically nonexistent and the ones who are involved are lacking any depth. (It is awfully hard to be disgusted with the villain when you don't really know the man.) Aditionally, because the group Julian works for is not really a focus of the story, I was somewhat confused about who they were and why they did what they did - perhaps reading the earlier stories in the series would have helped, but the book prior to this one is equally as short. Still, if you want extreme action in and out of the bedroom and are looking for a quick read, this book may work. But if you want something with more depth, you'd be far better off looking elsewhere.

Reviewed by Lori Sowell
Grade : C

Sensuality: Burning

Review Date : December 31, 2004

Publication Date: 2004

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Lori Sowell

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