Secret Agent Heiress [Paperback]

The book picks up right where the last one, "Licensed to Marry," left off (this series should be read in order). Political heiress Whitney MacNair, who was sent to the Montana Confidential agency after a scandal drove her out of Washington D.C., has been kidnapped by the terrorist the Confidential agency has been after from the start. Agent Vincent Romeo is sent in to rescue her. He doesn't expect to like the scandalous heiress, let alone fall for her. Can he keep his heart in check to save the woman he loves?

One aspect the Montana Confidential authors have succeeded at is in the characterization of Whitney. She has appeared in all the books and has been developed consistently throughout them. Readers who've read the earlier books will feel like they already know her. I had mixed feelings about her. On the one hand she is determined and resourceful. She's not the kind of heroine who sits around and waits to be rescued. On the other, her actions are often foolish and several times I was disgusted by her lack of common sense. She's the type of woman who won't stop talking when she's hiding from the bad guys a few feet away because she wants to keep bickering with the hero. I liked that she always wanted to go out and do something. I didn't like that her actions were seldom thought out before went through with them. She's likable, though frustrating. Unfortunately, Vincent's character seems sketchy next to her, and I never felt like I got to know him. A man of few words, he was just this dark silent person lurking in the background. The villains exhibited more personality than the hero, which diminished the romance somewhat.

In spite of my doubts toward the characters, "Secret Agent Heiress" is a strong story. Miller's tale is well-paced and unpredictable. There are several instances where I thought I knew where it was going, where most books would go. Miller keeps things interesting by shifting her plot at several points and sending it in a different direction. For instance, many authors would be happy to have their characters do nothing but run for the length of the story. Miller doesn't do that. There's more to "Secret Agent Heiress" than that, which should keep readers engaged and interested to see what will happen next.

One disappointment readers of all the Texas and Montana Confidential books might have is that Daniel Austin, the only character to carry through all the books, is deprived of his own story. The way his storyline is wrapped up here is dissatisfying, though that likely is not entirely this author's fault.

Overall, the Montana Confidential series was nowhere near as good as the Texas Confidential series. Let's hope next year's Chicago Confidential series doesn't continue the trend. With "Secret Agent Heiress," it at least ends something of a high note.