You Only Love Twice

January 23, 2006
For Marlie Montague, the heroine of this funny, fast-paced tale from Rita finalist Wilde (Charmed & Dangerous
), writing comic books about government conspiracies comes naturally: her whistleblower father was framed by the navy and killed during an alleged escape attempt. Yet Marlie doesn't take the occasional death threat seriously—until an assassin disguised as a UPS deliveryman shows up at her door. Timid Marlie, assisted by the italicized voice of her fearless comic-book alter ego, Angelina, manages to flee to the home of newly arrived neighbor Joel Hunter, a hard-body hunk more than capable of playing bodyguard. Unbeknownst to Marlie, Joel is actually a navy secret agent assigned to watch her; he also holds a key to her traumatic past. Together, the two embark on an odyssey of spy games, daredevil escapes and heavy breathing. Double-crosses and ulterior motives abound, and while emotions never delve more than comic-book deep, readers will be too busy laughing at the shenanigans to mind.

February 15, 2006
Cartoonist Marlie Montague creates comics with government conspiracy themes. She's received death threats from "patriots," but only when the UPS man tries to shoot her does she realize that she's in very real danger. Special agent Joel Hunter isn't Marlie's neighbor by accident. He's been placed there by Naval Intelligence to monitor Marlie's alleged subversive activities. One of Marlie's comics has come too close to the truth, and now she's running for her life, making Joel's pledge to keep her safe seem almost impossible to fulfill. When Marlie assumes the personality of her alter-ego, Angelina Avenger, the six-foot-tall Amazonic heroine of her stories, she becomes a fearless warrior woman. The conversations between creation and creator add a strong element of humor to Wilde's novel: think Danny Kaye in " The Court Jester" . Fast-paced adventure, sexy situations, and lots of suspense will make Wilde's book appeal to a wide spectrum of readers. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)