Cherry Adair
Kiss and Tell (2000)
Author: Cherry Adair
Genre: Romance (Suspense)
Plot Summary:
Marnie Wright goes to visit her late Grandmother's cottage in the mountains to figure out what to do with her life. Everything is fine until a tree crashes into her house and she is forced to stay with Jake Dolan, a harsh stranger who feels the last thing he needs is a cute blond around. Jake is staying on the mountain in a forced vacation from T-FLAC, a special operations military unit, on suspicion of being a double agent. Things turn worse when an unknown group of soldiers turns up to get rid of Jake, trapping Marnie with him. SPOILER: Jake distrusts Marnie because of being earlier betrayed by a romantic interest who tried to cut his throat and killed one of his friends in the process. Jake has a secret lair that he and Marnie hide in while the soldiers above try to locate them. It is in the hide-out that they begin a relationship and that Jake finds out that Marnie is missing her heart medication that was on the surface when the soldiers arrived. Jake tries to get Marnie out of the area on a helecopter that is shot down after take-off. She survived by being pushed out of the helecopter by one of the soldiers prior to its explosion. The soldiers are found to be a terrorist organization led by the friend that he thought had been dead.
Geographical Setting: mountains, somewhere in Western U.S.
Time Period: 2000
Series: Wright Family #1
Appeal Characteristics:
The book provides a very gripping suspense story in which the romance takes place. The reader is propelled forward in the need to know what is going to happen next. Who are the unidentified soldiers? Are Jake and Marnie going to be found? Is Marnie going to survive without her heart medication? All of these provide a very compelling page turner. The romance, of course, is another draw to the book. It provides the typical romance plot structure, but having an expected plot line with a happy ending is definitely a draw for those looking for it. The heroine and setting could also be important factors with some of the readers. Many readers of this title have noted the strong character and independence in Marnie and the stormy/snowy weather throughout the book in combination with the mountains definitely play a roll in the story. Those looking for a story with such a character and in a mountainous location and/or a storm would find this book to be a good suggestion. Lastly, the story provides quite a bit of espionage and military content and could definitely provide content for someone looking for that within a romance.
Read-alikes: After reading this book, one looking for similar titles should continue with the Wright Family series with the next book, Hide and Seek which provides a similar type of romance following Marnie's brother, Kyle. Readers may also enjoy further titles by Adair, starting with Hot Ice as it is very similar to the Wright Family series. Readers looking for further romantic suspense titles may want to try a book by Nora Roberts, possibly the foremost author in romatic suspense. One could first try Montana Sky or Northern Lights, both of which provide similar setting elements in addition to the romatic suspense. Another author that readers may enjoy would be Sandra Brown who offers romantic suspense that are a bit stronger in sex and violence than Roberts. Envy may be a good starting point for Brown. Readers may also wish to try The Burning Point by Mary Jo Putney for similar plot and heroine. Lastly, a reader in search of more military/special operations content within the romance and suspense setting may want to try the Navy SEAL Team Sixteen series by Suzanne Brockmann which begins with The Unsung Hero or Lola Carlyle Reveals it All by Rachel Gibson.
Red Flags: sexuality
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