PRIVATE MANEUVERS - Denise A. Agnew

Hot Zone, Book 3

Samhain Publishing  www.samhainpublishing.com

ISBN: 1-59998-904-2

April 2008

Erotic Contemporary Romance – Short Story

Clarksville, Wyoming - Present Day

It was supposed to be a fun vacation to Mexico to see the ruins. Instead, Marisa Clyde's tourist van got held up by rebels, and she and the other passengers feared for their lives until a group of soldiers saved them. And one fine specimen of the male species made Marisa his special assignment until they made it back home. Too bad Marisa doesn't want to get involved with any man in uniform. And boy, does he look yummy in it. Marisa thought Mexico would be the last time she saw Chief Warrant Officer Jake Sullivan. Instead, he shows up in her hometown with a job as a bouncer at her uncle's bar. Will Marisa be able to resist his sensual allure?

Ever since Jake Sullivan saved Marisa from those rebels, he hasn't been able to get her lovely body out of his mind. Although he can't understand why she's so cold towards him, Jake is more than willing to show her how good he can be to her. And that chance comes when Marisa's uncle invites him to Clarksville to bounce at his bar while Jake is on a thirty day leave. Jake couldn't have planned it better himself. Getting through the wall that Marisa has built up around her proves to be tougher than he thought though. But he's a patient man, and he knows she'll eventually give in to the sexual tension that sparks up every time they're in the room together.

PRIVATE MANEUVERS had all the makings of a steamy read about a sexy soldier protecting the woman he's quickly come to care for. But while reading it, I couldn't help thinking Jake deserved someone a hell of a lot nicer than Marisa. For the first half of the book, her attitude towards him shifted from exasperated gratefulness to downright rudeness. True, readers later find out why she's so wary of getting involved with a soldier, but I just felt like she could have treated him differently. This kept on and on, until I feared she might never get over the attitude. Marisa finally redeems herself, and this title from Denise A. Agnew turns into a hot little number as Jake not only tries to get Marisa into his bed, but into her heart as well. Jake is really a cool character, and what woman can resist a man in, and out, of uniform? Even though he too has a hard time understanding why Marisa doesn't like him all that much, he's a very determined man when it comes to getting what he wants. There's a subplot involving a couple of prank calls to the bar, and some colorful secondary characters that add humor and insight.

Though it starts off a little shaky, hang in there and give Denise A. Agnew's PRIVATE MANEUVERS a chance. You won't be disappointed.

Courtney Michelle