CUTTING LOOSE

Author: Tara Janzen ISBN: 9780440243854 1/2008 SUSPENSE Publisher: DELL

She's the unsuspecting beauty with something everybody wants. He's the secret agent in so deep nobody can find him. Until now... CIA operative Zachary Prade made his name taking out world threats. But now he’s tracking a very different kind of danger and her name is Lily Robbins. Lily holds the key to a valuable encoded file that’s about to fall into the wrong hands. All Zach has to do is retrieve the key and forget the rain-soaked beauty who came to his Central American plantation seeking shelter from more than the weather.... All Lily knows is that Zach Prade saved her life. They met when she traveled to El Salvador to film a documentary…and got caught in the middle of a nasty drug-and-guerrilla war. Now, back in the U.S., hunted by spooks and assassins, Lily has to trust Zach again—even as he's arousing a passion so hot it’s criminal. That is, if they can survive long enough to enjoy it…

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I have read worse, so I am not knocking this one exactly, but CUTTING LOOSE is not really all that action-packed, interesting, or sexy. It has that "going through the motions" feel to it that no matter the situation, whether it's a car chase or a shoot out, I do not feel the desperate on-edge feeling I want to.

I will go so far as to say that the book has some finer features other than the plot, like a lot of intriguing characters, but they just do not have all that much to do. They are described as such crazy, kamikaze style people, that I keep waiting for them to kick butt. Instead, they got lost in tunnels and booted up computers. Perhaps they are simply waiting to showcase their skills in the next book?

While not my favorite action romance, CUTTING LOOSE does have heart and a neat back story that sounds much more interesting than the plot taking place in the here and now. So, if you are a fan of Tara Janzen, that might be enough for you.

Shannon Johnson