Title: Under Cover

Author: MaryJanice Davidson

Publisher: Brava 2003

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 294

Rating: 4 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library; Contemporary Romance; A to Z Titles: U

I enjoyed this fun little read. Action adventure romance.  I've decided that I like this type of contemporary romance over all the others.  I want something besides the sex scenes.  Those are nice, but I need plot.  I need a conflict.  I need something else to be driving the characters.

This volume included three stories populated by the same large group of characters.  Like all short story anthologies, the stories appealed to me differently.

1. "Sweet Strangers" -- This story was okay.  I liked the main female character, Renee Jardin.  My only issue--Renee and Eric jumping into bed (metaphorically, as there was no bed involved) within ~two hours of meeting.  I know this can happen in real life, but this story felt a bit rushed.  On the other hand, the plot was interesting and did a good job of introducing the characters for the next two stories.

2. "Lovely Lies" -- Definitely my favorite of the three stories.  I loved Lori and Peter.  Lori felt like a real character.  Peter was enough of a thug for his background, but with a real soft spot inside.  Great characters, good plot, interesting dialogue.  I was really into this story.  Read it in one setting way past my bedtime.

3. "Delightful Deception" -- Dr. Jimmy Scrye was hands down my favorite male character.  But Dr. Thea Foster just didn't connect to me.  I know she was supposed to be IQ (the Ice Queen).  However, she was too icy.  I just couldn't see how Scrye could really fall for her.  I just didn't see it at all.  On the other hand (yeah I know back and forth and back and forth in these stories) I loved the dialogue in this story.  Snappy, imaginative, and full of sarcasm.

So far, I've read many Davidson books, and I must say I think she's really hit and miss for me.  I liked the Alaskan Royals trilogy.  I liked the Fred the Mermaid trilogy.  I liked the first Cyborg adventure and couldn't finish the second one.  I'll probably get around to the rest of her books soon.  They're short, they're fun, they have fun characters, they have good sex scenes.  Overall a decent author for a beach read.  (Now to find a beach to read on)