Code Name: Bikini

May 3, 2004
The latest romantic intrigue from Skye (Hot Pursuit
, etc.) is as full of contrived cliffhangers as the pulp fiction that inspired its striking cover. San Francisco assistant DA Cara O'Connor and presidential hopeful Tate Winslow are planning their wedding when Cara is threatened with harm and the exposure of an abortion she had in a Mexican clinic decades earlier. An underworld smuggler she convicted seems to be the source, but who's actually delivering the dead rat and sinister notes? Using the pull afforded by their status, the couple arranges protection from FBI agent Summer Mulcahey, who stands in as nanny to Cara's two children, and Navy SEAL Gabe Morgan, who poses as gardener on her estate. Summer and Gabe patrol the property, make a dramatic visit to the clinic and fall into bed and love. But despite their constant use of agency technology, they fail to solve the mystery or even keep themselves safe. Indeed, Cara's psychic daughter is the one who finally exposes the rather clueless and unlikely culprits. Although Skye has done her homework on FBI/Navy SEAL jargon and surveillance devices, even beach readers may find the wildly implausible investigation difficult to swallow, and few will likely care about the fate of a privileged couple misusing vast public resources in the face of a patently silly personal threat. Agent, Meg Ruley
.

June 4, 2007
It's The Six Million Dollar Man
meets The Love Boat
in this fifth addition to Skye's energetic Code Name series (following Code Name: Blondie
). Fresh from a northern Afghanistan war zone and worse for the wear, microchip-enhanced navy SEAL Trace O'Halloran has a new assignment guarding valuable human tissue samples aboard a luxury cruise ship en route to Mexico. Trace, who'd rather be in a northern Afghanistan war zone, grimaces his way through boarding and the first uncomfortable meal before meeting pastry chef Gina Ryan, a rising industry star who gets her kicks creating and plating a thousand crème brûlées a night. Unfortunately, Ryan's nascent celebrity has netted her an enemy in Blaine Richardson, the Cruella DeVille of beverage service. When a villain from Trace's past resurfaces, things go from bad to deadly. While the romance between Trace and Gina feels inevitable and uninspired, and the plot line barely plausible, it makes a fun, antic read. Series fans will find what they came for, but newcomers will want to save themselves some confusion by starting at the beginning.

June 15, 2007
After nearly being killed in Afghanistan, bionically enhanced Navy SEAL Trace O'Halloran is sent off on a cruise ship both for a little R & R and on assignment as security for a government courier. It should have been restful, but a murder plot and attractive pastry chef Gina Ryan keep it anything but. Soon, the couple are drawn into a deadly game with a clever enemy that threatens the entire ship. Fast-paced action, flashes of humor, and futuristic flavor typify this romantic action-adventure. Fans of the "Code Name" series will enjoy this delicious addition.

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.