I feel an unusual pressure here to manage your expectations: This book is a James Bond-ian like adventure with characterizations that are just as shallow. But, if non-stop action sounds like your cup of tea (and with beach days pending, I can certainly understand that this might sound pretty appealing), then The Spy Who Loves Me just might fit the bill. Frankly, books like this aren’t really my thing – I like the action to slow down a bit every now and then – but, for the most part, I still enjoyed the ride.

Heroine Amber Robinson works for one of those super-secret government agencies, in this case it’s called the Unit. Recruited as a teenager and now in her late twenties, her life as a superspy is all she knows. Men are conveniences – stress relievers, frankly – and falling in love is the very last thing on her mind.

Enter Phineas Teague. Now in his late 30’s Finn’s life has been an aimless and never ending series of occupations and travels. Deciding it was finally time to settle down and Get a Life, Finn is now an associate in a big L.A. law firm and knee-deep in depositions. Unfortunately, his crippling student loans – Harvard Law School is expensive, after all – tie him to a job he realizes far too late isn’t anywhere near the right one. Fortunately, Finn manages to escape from his backbreaking workload every now and then by diving into a vivid fantasy life in which he imagines himself an invincible super agent, with the luscious babes that go along with the job, of course.

Big Bad People – a ruthless woman and a former Navy SEAL – are out to hijack a secret weapon and wreak havoc in the Middle East and Amber and her sometimes partner Brandon are given the assignment to stop them. Sexy Finn comes into their sights when they notice him watching Diana, the Big Bad Woman who just happens to live in Finn’s apartment complex. Of course, he’s only lusting after her, not watching her for any nefarious purpose, but to Amber, Finn is a question mark they can’t afford.

So, what’s involved with stopping the Big Bad People from doing the Big Bad Deed? Getting kidnapped, jumping out of airplanes without a parachute, becoming trapped in a chamber flooding with water – hey, it’s just another day at the office. And in between all these adventures Amber and Finn have really hot sex.

There’s never a moment to relax here and, sadly, never really any time to get to know these characters, though the author does make some attempts to flesh them out. Amber is scarred from her childhood, completely wrapped up in her job, and afraid to fall in love. Finn is a bit more well developed, but even then about all I can tell you is that the wanna-be spy was directionless for many years, thought he finally found a direction in the law, then discovered he was wrong. And he likes hot, sexy women.

And that’s really about it here. Stuff happens – Big Stuff – on every page. In fact, Big Stuff happens so often that this book is an extraordinarily easy one to skim. You know, you get the sense of the direction the scene is going, then you move on. There’s no reason to linger and, to be honest, I never felt the slightest inclination to do so.

But, then again, sometimes sheer escapism is a fine, fine thing and, decidedly, The Spy Who Loves Me certainly added up to a dramatic change from my usual reading fare. Would I ever read it again? Absolutely not. Do I recommend it? Yes, with all the caveats I’ve detailed. Still, with that said, the bottom line for me is that while I won’t be seeking out more books of this type anytime soon, I don’t regret the hours I spent with this one.