When CIA agent Janessa Rogers meets the royal family of Meridia on assignment, she expects to use her skills in linguistics and security detail to protect and serve, but she doesn't expect to find herself engaged to Prince Garrett Fortier, Meridia's most eligible bachelor, as part of the security plan. And she certainly doesn't expect to fall in love with him. Janessa resists her feelings, fearing conflicts in her personal and professional life, yet when the Prince admits his feigned affection has become genuine she can no longer pretend. Matters of security, society, and spirituality make their unlikely romance even more complex, and escalating political intrigue gives Janessa an excuse to ignore the questions in her heart. But when a terrorist plot against the royal family endangers them both, Janessa and Garrett must face the challenges of loyalty to family, to country, to God— and to love.
My Take:
Sure, you could call this a romance, but the real ride of the story is the suspense. That's what I love about Traci Hunter Abramson. That, and she writes about characters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (or Mormons) in a non-awkward way.
Let me explain. Some of her characters are members of this church (as am I), but she's not preachy. Even though this is my faith, it's always weird for me when people try to defend our faith through their writing. Abramson doesn't do that. Her characters are members and it affects the choices they make, but it isn't the spotlighted part of the story.
Okay, on to this story in particular. I love that Janessa is a misfit CIA of sorts. Or at least she thinks so. She's been moved from assignment to assignment thinking it's because of her 'mishaps.' She even mentions that her Chinese (she's a linguist) gets her in trouble, hinting at one of those times. In reality, she's a very capable and skilled agent. The fact she's good at what she does lands her an assignment that will change her life.
Garrett is an all around good guy with fears of his own. He loves his family and will do anything to keep them safe. Including a fake engagement to a CIA agent. As time progresses he finds himself wishing it wasn't so pretend, and that Janessa would stop building walls between them.
I kept trying to guess who was behind the bombings and threats to the royal family until the very end. Turns out only two of the four suspects I had in mind was correct. Thanks goodness, because if it had been one of them I would have cried. No spoilers coming your way here!
This book had great tension and conflict through out on the external and internal sides. The writing was smooth and easy to read. In fact, I kept reading until my eyes blurred, popped some eyedrops and finished the book!
I give Royal Target by Traci Hunter Abramson a 5 because I read it in one day.
1-5 scale and what it means:
1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad
2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing
3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive
3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love
4: Solid mind candy / worth reading
4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read
5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure
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