My Spy

December 10, 2001
"To have sex or not to have sex"—that is the question hotel-spa owner and physical therapist Annie O'Toole must ponder when Sam McKade, a wounded Navy SEAL suffering amnesia, is sent under strict security to her for rehabilitation. Among the memories locked in his brain are a traitor's name and the tender affair Sam had with Annie before he set off on his final mission. Skye (Going Overboard) delves deep into the details of a spa owner's responsibilities but skims over creating a credible romantic conflict. At the same time, Sam's relentless, heavy-handed propositions to Annie, whom he doesn't remember, cast him more as a lecher than a hero, and the novel's focus on Annie's fear of intimacy fails to take into account the couple's recent affair. Nevertheless, the action and emotional turmoil heat to a rolling, and more convincing, boil toward the finale when the unmasked traitor tracks Sam to Annie's spa. Less a romance or thriller than a hotelier's handbook, this frothy tale misses its mark, spurring more interest in Annie's various spa remedies than in whether she and Sam will live long enough to make a future together. (Feb. 5)Forecast:Dell is launching this title with a spa gift-certificate sweepstakes, which should prompt luxury-loving readers to pick up the book. A
Romantic Times cover ad as well as print advertising in
First for Women,
Philadelphia Inquirer,
Dallas Morning News, etc. will also draw readers in, but her fans may find themselves longing for a story with a little more depth.

January 1, 2002
Running the coastal California spa that has been in her family for three generations has left Annie O'Toole with little time for a love life, except for a brief affair with a mysterious man who left for Mexico on his yacht. The next time she sees Sam McKade, he's on television, a hero who rescued children from a speeding bus that slammed into a cement barrier. Broken, bleeding, and suffering from amnesia, Sam, actually a Navy SEAL, is sent to Annie's spa for rehabilitation in the hope that he'll regain his lost memories that are essential to national security. Devastated that he doesn't even recognize her, workaholic Annie does her best to restore Sam to health while keeping him hidden and safe from whoever it is that wants him dead. Sam is a perfect adventure-hero romantic lead, the incredibly fit and smart Annie is his perfect match, and Izzy Tegue, a Denzel Washington clone, is also on the scene, providing much-needed security.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)