The Shaughnessey Accord

The Shaughnessey Accord is the second story in Alison Kent's Smithson Group series, and it packs a lot of action and romance into only 117 pages. If the first two books of the series are any indication (The Bane Affair is the first), I'm going to love the rest of them.

Tripp Shaughnessey makes regular stops at Glory Brighton's deli--not only for the food. After weeks of exchanging admiring looks and flirty banter, Tripp makes his move and kisses Glory in her storeroom. One kiss leads to more, but when the deli is taken over by terrorists, Glory and Tripp have something else to worry about besides their intense attraction.

What neither Glory nor the terrorists knows is that Tripp is an operative in Hank Smithson's specialized group, which makes him the perfect man to be trapped with in a storeroom. He's got a few ideas about how they'll get out.

If this sounds like an unlikely setting for romance, you're right. But Kent makes it work through the couple's initial chemistry and the way they work together to get out of the situation.

I liked the heroine in The Bane Affair, and I liked Glory, too. She's spunky but doesn't put herself in stupid situations that often occur in romantic suspense. Other writers would do well to follow Kent's example: you can create a heroic hero without making him have to rescue the heroine from her own stupidity. There's no stupidity here.

I also enjoyed the nice little touches in the story. In some short books, the romance suffers because there is not enough room to add interesting, compelling moments. The Shaughnessey Accord isn't lacking in those moments; we see several ways Tripp and Glory interact: at times she is annoyed with him, at times they are passionate. One of my favorite moments is a tender spooning one. It's just lovely.

Its only shortcoming (if you can call it that) is that it's too short--I wanted more. Luckily another book in the series is coming in December: The Samms Agenda. I can't wait! The Shaughnessey Accord: 4 out of 5.

Alyssa