Conception Cover-Up (Top Secret Babies) (Harlequin Intrigue, No 615)

Rating:
Summary: Conception Cover-Up
Review: Karen Lawton Barrett is back and much improved with her second Intrigue, "Conception Cover-Up." Shannon Garrett has been hiding in her mountain cabin ever since the death of her policeman husband. One stormy night undercover cop Caleb Carlisle appears on her doorstep. He claims he and his partner were ambushed in their sting operation. Shannon's not interested in getting involved with another cop, but she can't turn him away. She also can't resist him. Can she trust him to protect her from the danger he brings into her world, and with her heart?

I wasn't a fan of the author's first Intrigue, "Hers to Remember." Luckily, "Conception Cover-Up" is better in every way. Shannon and Caleb are much better heroes, because they're so much more interesting. Caleb may be another cop hero, but at least he's not boring. A strong, honorable man, he's given a compelling back story that helps us understand why he does what he does throughout the book and makes him easy to root for, unlike the hero of HTR, who had little dimension and was just "nice." Similarly, Shannon's story makes us understand her reluctance to be with Caleb. As a result, the love story is so much more dramatic. These are rich, three-dimensional characters with intricate lives. We know more about them than just the action plot they're involved in, so we care about them and really want to see them succeed in the end.

The story is mostly well plotted and packed with suspense. Unlike HTR, there are several twists in the storyline. I was sure I knew who the bad guy was, only to have Barrett fool me, then do it again later. There is plenty of action spread throughout the story. The love scenes are sensual and the characters' chemistry is powerful. The book only falters near the end. The climax comes too early, resulting in an ending that goes on and on and on forever. I was ready for the book to be over long before it was, I was so exhausted by the end. But that's a small price to pay for the great story that comes before it.

One item unrelated to the author's work: (Rant starts now) "Conception Cover-Up" is an excellent book, one of the best of the year. It certainly doesn't deserve to have one of the worst Intrigue titles EVER. If I didn't pick up every Intrigue by habit, I never would have bought a book called "Conception Cover-Up." It doesn't even make sense. There IS a conception (No use avoiding it. Harlequin splashes that fact all over the cover), but it is never covered up. There is NO conception cover-up in this story. The characters don't exactly run around yelling, "We're having a baby," but they also don't engage in the kind of large scale plotting and scheming that the words "cover up" imply. When I think cover-up, I think people being murdered and blackmailed and bribed to keep some information secret. That isn't even close to what this story is about. What are they talking about? What does it mean??? Of course, whoever wrote the back cover copy is also calling this a secret baby story. It certainly isn't a secret in the way we usually think of secret babies. I was actually pleasantly surprised with the way the child aspect came about in the story. It didn't feel as contrived like many secret baby stories do. Barrett has put a nice spin on a familiar element and made this an interesting new story all her own. Too bad someone at Harlequin doesn't want you to know that. (end rant)

In any case, any regular Intrigue reader knows she can't judge these books by their covers these days. What's inside is what matters, and inside "Conception..." is a fast paced suspense tale and emotional love story. It's the kind of book that gives Intrigue a good name. Too bad Intrigue didn't return the favor.

Rating:
Summary: Conception Cover-Up
Review: Karen Lawton Barrett is back and much improved with her second Intrigue, "Conception Cover-Up." Shannon Garrett has been hiding in her mountain cabin ever since the death of her policeman husband. One stormy night undercover cop Caleb Carlisle appears on her doorstep. He claims he and his partner were ambushed in their sting operation. Shannon's not interested in getting involved with another cop, but she can't turn him away. She also can't resist him. Can she trust him to protect her from the danger he brings into her world, and with her heart?

I wasn't a fan of the author's first Intrigue, "Hers to Remember." Luckily, "Conception Cover-Up" is better in every way. Shannon and Caleb are much better heroes, because they're so much more interesting. Caleb may be another cop hero, but at least he's not boring. A strong, honorable man, he's given a compelling back story that helps us understand why he does what he does throughout the book and makes him easy to root for, unlike the hero of HTR, who had little dimension and was just "nice." Similarly, Shannon's story makes us understand her reluctance to be with Caleb. As a result, the love story is so much more dramatic. These are rich, three-dimensional characters with intricate lives. We know more about them than just the action plot they're involved in, so we care about them and really want to see them succeed in the end.

The story is mostly well plotted and packed with suspense. Unlike HTR, there are several twists in the storyline. I was sure I knew who the bad guy was, only to have Barrett fool me, then do it again later. There is plenty of action spread throughout the story. The love scenes are sensual and the characters' chemistry is powerful. The book only falters near the end. The climax comes too early, resulting in an ending that goes on and on and on forever. I was ready for the book to be over long before it was, I was so exhausted by the end. But that's a small price to pay for the great story that comes before it.

One item unrelated to the author's work: (Rant starts now) "Conception Cover-Up" is an excellent book, one of the best of the year. It certainly doesn't deserve to have one of the worst Intrigue titles EVER. If I didn't pick up every Intrigue by habit, I never would have bought a book called "Conception Cover-Up." It doesn't even make sense. There IS a conception (No use avoiding it. Harlequin splashes that fact all over the cover), but it is never covered up. There is NO conception cover-up in this story. The characters don't exactly run around yelling, "We're having a baby," but they also don't engage in the kind of large scale plotting and scheming that the words "cover up" imply. When I think cover-up, I think people being murdered and blackmailed and bribed to keep some information secret. That isn't even close to what this story is about. What are they talking about? What does it mean??? Of course, whoever wrote the back cover copy is also calling this a secret baby story. It certainly isn't a secret in the way we usually think of secret babies. I was actually pleasantly surprised with the way the child aspect came about in the story. It didn't feel as contrived like many secret baby stories do. Barrett has put a nice spin on a familiar element and made this an interesting new story all her own. Too bad someone at Harlequin doesn't want you to know that. (end rant)

In any case, any regular Intrigue reader knows she can't judge these books by their covers these days. What's inside is what matters, and inside "Conception..." is a fast paced suspense tale and emotional love story. It's the kind of book that gives Intrigue a good name. Too bad Intrigue didn't return the favor.

Rating:
Summary: Conception Cover-Up by Karen Lawton Barrett
Review: There are a lot of holes in this story, and it doesn't flow well. The police procedures are not researched very thoroughly, and the timing of events are seriously flawed. The mystery was easily discovered, even though the facts didn't always add up, and there were a lot of unncessary information included while reading.

In addition, the story starts with a character list and description when some of them are merely mentioned and never take stage in the story.

I also found the romance to be a bit too flowery and unbelievable.

This is a light one or two day read, that I would not recommend. Since the characters were not fully developed, the mystery pretty much ridiculous, and the read felt more like a chore. I don't think I'll give this author another try anytime soon.

Rating:
Summary: Conception Cover-Up by Karen Lawton Barrett
Review: There are a lot of holes in this story, and it doesn't flow well. The police procedures are not researched very thoroughly, and the timing of events are seriously flawed. The mystery was easily discovered, even though the facts didn't always add up, and there were a lot of unncessary information included while reading.

In addition, the story starts with a character list and description when some of them are merely mentioned and never take stage in the story.

I also found the romance to be a bit too flowery and unbelievable.

This is a light one or two day read, that I would not recommend. Since the characters were not fully developed, the mystery pretty much ridiculous, and the read felt more like a chore. I don't think I'll give this author another try anytime soon.