âKate Donovanâs Parallel Lies is so full of action it will keep readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. Her characters are well-developed and her dialogue and description are great.â
âRomantic Times BOOKclub
âIdentity Crisis is a terrific CIA suspense thriller that never slows down until the final confrontation between the Feds and the bad guys occurs.â
âHarriet Klausner
A rough voice reminded her of the danger to an agent on an unsanctioned op in a foreign land. âFreeze!â
Miranda spun toward the voice, and as she did so, the test tube of HeetSeek slipped from her grasp, crashing to the floor at her feet.
She jumped back, certain that the lab would be rocked by an explosion. When nothing happened, she almost laughed with relief. Then she raised her hands above her head, looked directly into the angry eyes of the armed men in the doorway and said with a cheerful smile, âI guess Iâm busted. And so is my loot.â
Dear Reader,
Every once in a while when Iâm writing a story, I fall in love with the wrong guyâa guy the heroine would never choose because heâs so flawed. She rides off into the sunset with her chosen love, and Iâm left with two choicesârehabilitate my guy so that heâs hero material, or just keep him for myself.
At least, thatâs the way it used to be.
Enter Silhouette Bombshell, which gives me a third choice: find a heroine who loves my flawed guy, warts and all. Because in Bombshell, he really doesnât have to be a âheroâ in the sense that he saves the dayâthe heroine takes care of that! He just has to be the right guy for her. And he has to be sexy.
Which brings us to fiery, tortured Ray Ortega. If you read Identity Crisis, you know how badly he screwed up. If you didnât read it, even better! This story tells you all you need to know about Ortegaâs shortcomingsâand his impressive strengths.
But most of all, youâll be impressed by Miranda Cutler. She really does save the dayâin ways you could never expect. I hope you agree theyâre an incendiary pair!
Best wishes,
Kate
is the author of more than a dozen novels and novellas, ranging from time travel and paranormal to historical romance, suspense and romantic comedy. An attorney, she draws on her criminal law background to create challenges worthy of her heroines, who crack safes, battle bad guys and always get their man. As for Kate, she definitely got her man and is living happily ever after with him and their two children in Elk Grove, California.
To Paulâwriting this story was a breeze
because I had you to inspire it. Love, Kate.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
âT his is such an honor, Ms. Smith. Working with you and your team. You guys are legendary at Langley. Especially you.â Twenty-six-year-old Miranda Cutler took a deep breath to stop herself from gushing. Then she adopted a more businesslike tone. âMay I ask why I was chosen for this assignment?â
âYou have all the necessary qualifications,â Jane Smith explained, reaching across the kitchen table to finger a lock of Mirandaâs hair. âYou live in a building with security cameras, and you have red hair. Or at least, almost red. If there was more time Iâd make you lighten it, but this will have to do.â
Miranda stared for a moment, certain that the older agent was joking. Then without pulling away she murmured, âI donât understand.â
âDonât be misled. Itâs a compliment that weâre trusting a rookie with something as sensitive as this. Of course, we had no choice. But still, youâre lucky. I would have killed for this kind of opportunity when I was starting out.â
The bitchiness underlying Smithâs attitude stung Miranda, but the younger CIA operative reminded herself that this woman was the best of the best. The mere whisper of her name in the espionage world evoked stories of daring exploits and black ops phenomena. And for reasons that were about to be revealed, this superspy was seated at Mirandaâs kitchen table.
With that reminder in place, she used a respectful tone as she asked her guest, âWhat kind of opportunity is it, exactly? I mean, red hair and security cameras? There must be more to it than that.â
Smith nodded. âLess than five hours ago, a high-ranking government official was framed for murder. If the story reaches the public, that manâs reputation will be ruined for life, as will the reputation of the president. Weâre going to prevent that from happening.â
Miranda leaned forward, impressed with the plan, and finally understanding the interest in the security cameras. âWeâre going to provide him with an alibi? Make it look like he was here with me when the murder occurred?â
Smith glanced over her shoulder at the pair of male operatives who had been quietly pacing Mirandaâs living room floor. âSheâs quick, just like I predicted.â