Bad Attitude

September 15, 2005
Suspense, espionage, high-tech gadgetry, and steamy love scenes abound in romance author Kenyon's hardcover debut, the first full-length novel in a new series about the Bureau of American Defense (BAD), a secret governmental agency charged with protecting Americans and American interests. Former army sniper Joshua Steele is in federal prison for shooting his commanding officer while in Iraq, but his skills are just what BAD needs to protect the president of Uhbukistan, a fictional former Soviet republic that happens to be in possession of a nuclear arsenal. As BAD agent Sydney Westbrook struggles to recruit the unwilling Steele into BAD and avoid the organization's enemies, the two reluctantly fall in love. Fans of Kenyon's "Dark-Hunter" series may be disappointed at the lack of the supernatural in her new work; but beyond the surface, it's strikingly similar to her previous novels: a brooding hero with a secret in his past meets a sexy, powerful woman with hidden vulnerabilities, and the two collide with snappy dialog, humor, and passion. This title will do well in public libraries where romantic suspense with a military element is popular. -Nanette Wargo Donohue, Champaign, P.L., IL

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2005
Josh Steele's violent rage over the death of his best friend in Iraq because of bad intelligence lands him in Leavenworth Prison, but he is released because he is needed on a sniper counterterrorism mission for the Bureau of American Defense (BAD). He is supposed to infiltrate an organization that is being paid to assassinate a visiting head of state. He is paired with special agent Sydney Westbrook, a somewhat notorious "ball buster." She tries to manipulate him but soon feels a grudging respect for someone she feels is an honorable man, despite his offbeat humor. Because of difficult backgrounds, both he and Sydney have trouble with intimacy, but that does not stop their fierce attraction to each other. Kenyon, known primarily for her paranormal romances in the Dark Hunter series, turns in her first "bad-boy" romance adventure, a fast-paced, one-sitting read featuring vulnerable but formidable and sexy characters who will appeal to fans of Catherine Mann and the Silhouette Bombshell series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)