The Spy Wore Red by Wendy Rosnau, Silhouette Bombshell #32, Spy Games, February 2005 Rating: B

An impressive blend of romance and suspense make Spy Games a good read. The reader is kept on their toes throughout the book, never certain where the next explosion or gunshot was going to come from.

Nadja Stefn AKA Q works as an assassin group called QUEST. She's their number one bedroom assassing, getting up close and personal to her victims. Five years ago she experienced one night of love making without having a job to do and as a result of that one night had a child. Her brother hid the girl, though not well enough. In her former life, Nadja was an Olympic quality skier, her career ending when she injured her leg. This is something her grandfather has never forgiven her for. Nadja doesn't come across as strong and confident as she should given she's a top notch agent. I guess not everyone is comfortable personally just because they are professionally. It was clear her growth emotionally was a bit stunted.

Bjorn Odell works for EuroQuest, doing similar work as QUEST does. He has a photographic memory and knows instantly when choosing his partner through QUEST for his assignment that Nadja is the woman he had a one night stand with five years ago that knocked his socks off.

Nadja and Bjorn are thrown together, rekindling their hot feelings for one another yet despite days together where she had opportunity to tell him, Nadja keeps their child a secret until she has no choice but to tell him.

There is a personal attachment for Nadja and the mark they're after. The European setting, the chalet much of the second half of the book takes place at, are unique and make the book stand out.

Some of the things in The Spy Wore Red were a bit contrived, a blizzard conveniently comes onto the scene so Nadja and Bjorn are stranded together. The Spy Wore Red was a good read, there was enough action in it to make up for the few things I found fault with. I rate it a B.

©Susan Falk and phantomroses.com