Still Mr. & Mrs.

August 5, 2002
An outrageously fun setup—married but separated Secret Service agents Bobby and Angela Holland are forced to work in the home of the president's cranky mother after she receives death threats—establishes the opening tone of McBride's (Baby, Baby, Baby) contemporary romance. When emotionally reticent Bobby clams up even further after his kid brother is killed, Angela suffers six months of silence before she decides their marriage is doomed and transfers across the country to L.A. One year later, the undercover job of posing as married domestics is a nightmare for Angela and a dream come true for Bobby, whose awareness that his wife is dating a hot Hollywood star finally spurs him to bare his heart. But with Angela refusing to listen to him, his tongue incapable of saying what he wants it to, his boss questioning his professionalism and "Crazy Daisy," the president's mother, making his life as difficult as possible, Bobby suspects this job may be the end of him. As the death threats become more ominous, the tone darkens and is lightened only by Angela's frustration at playing cook instead of cop—a frustration that escalates into panic when the president makes an unscheduled visit for dinner. Like Nick and Nora Charles, Angela and Bobby play well off each other, while Daisy's sharp-tongued comments keep both jumping in this thoroughly enjoyable read. (Sept.)Forecast:An attractive cover image—a silhouette take-off on James Bond—coupled with blurbs from romance heavyweights Nora Roberts and Christina Skye will do much move units and build McBride, who is best known for her Harlequin series romances, a broader readership.

September 15, 2002
When the president's mother receives a threatening letter, the secret service springs into action. Margaret "Crazy Daisy" Riordan is none too fond of the agents already protecting her in Hassenfeld, Illinois, so they secretly replace her married housekeepers with a pair of married agents, so as not to offend her or cause a scandal if news leaked out. Naturally, Bobby and Angela are chosen for the job: they're outstanding agents and dedicated to their jobs, but they're not exactly married. After Bobby's brother was killed, Angela couldn't accept that Bobby wouldn't confide his grief in her, and she left him. Now living in California and dating a movie star, Angela is shocked when she arrives at her new assignment to find Bobby as her partner. But Bobby and Angela have to put aside their differences and play along to ensure Margaret's safety. But Margaret figures out that they're agents, and she sets her own secret agenda. McBride's cute romance is full of enough laughs and plot twists to keep readers happy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)