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Ex-cop Gina Ryan traded in her Smith & Wesson to follow a dream. Now she's creating decadent desserts aboard a luxury cruise ship in the Caribbean. But a gorgeous passenger is about to send her perfect world up in smoke.—
Trace O'Halloran is a hard-edged navy SEAL, under strict orders to take some high seas R & R. There's a shipload of women in bikinis eager to help him unwind, so why can't he take his mind off the stubborn pastry chef with an attitude the size of Montana?
When a dangerous assassin from Trace's past appears, Gina and Trace must join forces to save the ship's guests. The clock's ticking, and they'll need every weapon at hand— from body armor to chocolate ganache!
It's The Six Million Dollar Manmeets The Love Boatin this fifth addition to Skye's energetic Code Name series (following Code Name: Blondie). Fresh from a northern Afghanistan war zone and worse for the wear, microchip-enhanced navy SEAL Trace O'Halloran has a new assignment guarding valuable human tissue samples aboard a luxury cruise ship en route to Mexico. Trace, who'd rather be in a northern Afghanistan war zone, grimaces his way through boarding and the first uncomfortable meal before meeting pastry chef Gina Ryan, a rising industry star who gets her kicks creating and plating a thousand crème brûlées a night. Unfortunately, Ryan's nascent celebrity has netted her an enemy in Blaine Richardson, the Cruella DeVille of beverage service. When a villain from Trace's past resurfaces, things go from bad to deadly. While the romance between Trace and Gina feels inevitable and uninspired, and the plot line barely plausible, it makes a fun, antic read. Series fans will find what they came for, but newcomers will want to save themselves some confusion by starting at the beginning. (July)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business InformationAfter nearly being killed in Afghanistan, bionically enhanced Navy SEAL Trace O'Halloran is sent off on a cruise ship both for a little R & R and on assignment as security for a government courier. It should have been restful, but a murder plot and attractive pastry chef Gina Ryan keep it anything but. Soon, the couple are drawn into a deadly game with a clever enemy that threatens the entire ship. Fast-paced action, flashes of humor, and futuristic flavor typify this romantic action-adventure. Fans of the "Code Name" series will enjoy this delicious addition.
Northern Afghanistan Winter
DARKNESS.
Wind and death.
Trace O'Halloran didn't move. Cold dug under his Kevlar vest as he watched the rugged road below him.
Something moved over the snow-dusted ground near his feet. Another rat.
Red eyes glowed in the faint green light of his nightvision goggles. Only rats could survive in this godforsaken mountain pass in winter.
It was Christmas Eve. Back in the States, families sang hymns and parents assembled dollhouses to surprise wideeyed children while snow fell in the soft hush.
But here on a rugged plateau in Afghanistan, the cold was merciless and wind cut with icy fingers. Frostbite was unavoidable if he didn't find shelter soon. But the mission came first.
Trace leveled his gaze on the road three hundred feet below his hiding spot. He didn't think about the fresh wounds across his left wrist or the blood that darkened his forearm, courtesy of a difficult high altitude, low opening—HALO—jump.
Abruptly he felt movements in the night. Leaning forward, he read a change in energy patterns. A three-truck convoy crawled through the darkness. Their Korean-made trucks were guarded by soldiers wielding Soviet RPG-7 shoulder-launched missiles.
An equal-opportunity war, he thought grimly.
And this was his target. The convoy carried covert German communication technology extorted from a weapons designer based in Singapore. Not surprisingly, the man had disappeared before he could reveal his blackmailer. In the hands of a trained technician, the new device could track a massive quantity of U.S. communications. Through the application of mathematical predictive models, government assets could belocated and areas of vulnerability tapped within minutes. In enemy hands the system could inflict catastrophic damage, and Trace's job was to see that the hardware never reached its destination.
Truck lights carved the darkness. The convoy stopped with a screech of brakes. Agitated voices cut through the cold, still air.
The men in the Korean trucks were ruthless and well trained. They would shoot anything suspicious on their trek to an isolated mountain stronghold sixty miles to the north. But Trace didn't intend to be noticed until he was ready. As he glanced at his watch, his skin burned. Frostbite was setting in.
Ignoring his pain, the SEAL fingered a button on the device in his left pocket.
Something moved down on the road. The first truck pulled sideways and two soldiers jumped out. Arguing loudly, they pointed to a paper flapping in the bone-chilling wind.
Right on schedule, Trace thought. Nice to see technology working right for once. His maneuver had lured them exactly where he wanted them.
Dark fur brushed his arm. Ears raised alertly, a black Labrador retriever held his down position behind a rock, awaiting Trace's next order. The big dog had trained with Trace for months to prepare for this mission, and Trace sensed the dog's eagerness to go to work.
Not yet, Duke.
His hand settled on the dog's head. The Lab watched every movement, waiting for the next touch command.
As the wind keened over the rocky slope, Santa Fe and Christmas cheer were a universe away. Trace couldn't even remember his last Christmas at home. His last two leaves had been cut short because of security alerts. As part of a top-secret government team, code-named Foxfire, Trace trained hard and kept personal attachments next to nil. That was the price of admission for special operations work, but the conditions had never bothered Trace, not when the stakes were so high.
Other people might call him a patriot. But for Trace the job boiled down to very personal terms—protecting family, friends and a way of life from enemies without honor or scruples. If doing his job meant taking a bullet, he was more than ready to pay that price with his own blood.
A silent alarm vibrated at his wrist.
Showtime.
Silently, he pulled a small box from his Kevlar vest. The dog sniffed, then gripped the box's metal handle between his teeth. When Trace touched the Lab's collar in a prearranged command, weeks of training kicked in. Duke skirted the rocks, turned and then headed for the road below.
Be safe, Trace thought. Stay low and move fast. He didn't have to project the commands. Duke would do exactly as trained.
Trace leveled his scoped assault rifle and measured his target. A third hostile soldier jumped down, shouting at his teammates. Trace took out the nearest truck's tires and front windshield with a four-second burst.
The insurgents scattered. Gunfire hammered the air above Trace's head. His next volley drilled the middle truck's gas tank. Under the explosive flare of an orangered fireball, he jumped a boulder and dropped into a narrow wash that snaked toward the road.
Hidden by walls of sand, he followed the curve of the wash, a shadow swallowed by the greater darkness of the night. One short tap on a small transmitter alerted his backup team that the encounter had begun. Now he had only minutes to complete his objective and head for the extraction point.
He sprinted to the bottom of the wash and found the big package exactly where he'd left it a day earlier, buried beneath a foot of sand. In seconds Trace had opened the hours. He rechecked the uniform pockets, then hefted the dead weight over his shoulders.
Hidden by the mayhem of the explosion, he carried the along a second trail barely visible in the light from the burning truck.
If all went as planned, the insurgents would find the com using them. Everything they picked up from U.S. sources would be carefully constructed disinformation.
Trace wasn't crazy about using human remains for a mission, but their local allies had provided unidentifiable bodies of insurgents killed in a violent skirmish earlier that day. Now they were dressed and outfitted as American soldiers.
Automatic weapons fire punched the air to his left, and a tracer round whined over his head. For every round he could see, Trace knew there were three others invisible in the darkness. The SEAL followed the rocky slope away from his service dog, who bounded toward a nearby covered, he turned into the open and made a clumsy run toward the highest ridge, his movements calculated to draw maximum fire.
The maneuver worked. Down the hill, dark shapes raced toward him, rifles level.
Kevlar was good, but it wouldn't stand up to repeated bursts from an AK-47. That's where the ceramic plates in his vest took over. But a glancing blow hit him with deadly force and knocked him off his feet.
Calculating the speed of his pursuers, he primed a grenade and lobbed it over his shoulder. Rocks shot up, clawing at his back and neck while gunfire burned near his face and tore through his glove. His excited pursuers clustered at the top of the slope below, shouting in delight when they saw Trace fall.
A second burst of fire drilled up his arm, but he didn't move, feigning a fatal wound.
His heart pounded.
Sweat streaked his face.
Footsteps raced behind him. He calculated strike force, distance and probable accuracy as the wind howled over the rocks, and then his fingers closed around another grenade. He yanked the pin and lobbed the deadly metal sphere hard, generating a wall of noise that masked more enemy fire.
The blast was deafening. Sand flew into his eyes and mouth. Another round tore through his right deltoid.
Trace's vision blurred. More shrapnel from enemy fire tore into his chest and neck. He stumbled and then plunged forward, the wind in his face as he hit the cold sand. A chopper crested the mountain, the whine from its engines blessedly familiar.
Another explosion ripped through the night, and the lead truck vanished in a red fireball.
The big Lab had accomplished his mission, planting his C-4 charge under the last truck while the insurgents were distracted by Trace's clumsy run.
Nice job, Duke.
Pain raked Trace's chest. He stumbled as blood gushed thickly over his Kevlar vest, every muscle stiff, every movement strained. Over his head the mountains seemed to darken, blurred between cold wind and night sky.
And then he died.
US Navy Foxfire specialist Lieutenant Trace O'Halloran has chips implanted inside him that enables him to be more than he could have been otherwise. The chips allow him to scan anything breathing with the scope of his psionic net.------------------ However, on his last mission he was severely injured and his chips turned off with the understanding they will be reactivated once he heals. Feeling ready to return to the job, albeit without the use of his chips, Trace is assigned backup duty guarding a package heading to Puerto Vallarta, but he knows it is a gimmick to get him on R&R. For ten days Trace is to relax on the cruise ship, but he cannot stay calm as he feels that is inappropriate even for a backup and besides which he is attracted to pastry chef Gina Ryan whom he met on dry land. However, someone on board wants her dead although no motive seems to surface and only Trace can keep her safe, but she wonders about the cost to her heart.----------------------------- Fans of Christina Skye will feel that the cruise is a homecoming as Carly McKay nee Sullivan of GOING OVERBOARD is on the ship (nice touch). The latest Codename romantic suspense thriller is fast-paced and filled with plenty of action with the irony being that the audience knows who wants to kill Gina and why. Adding angst to the tale is that Gina is going blind even as she has obtained a TV show (some readers might feel that subplot is going overboard to gain unnecessary empathy towards the lead female) although the enigmatic Izzy sees opportunity. Fans of the ongoing SEAL series will appreciate this terrific entry.-------------- Harriet Klausner
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 1, 2011
worst book you have herd of
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Love this book!! Just like Code name Nanny and Code Name Baby, sexy and thrilling!! Loved the characters and the plot.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This was a great romantic story with such a hunk of a seal. This story is steamy, sexual friction going on, dismay and finally true love. I enjoyed this book so much. I recommend this book to anyone.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.What a great book!! My favorite are the love scenes and how we are revisited to the main characters on Code Name: Nanny, even if it is brief!
A wonderful plot and touching. 5 stars all the way!!
Anonymous
Posted March 29, 2007
I loved this book! I think I liked the dogs as well - or better - than the humans. Dogs are such intelligent creatures it seems that they can read your mind, and Baby and crew is no exception. I enjoyed their antics. The plot kept me engrossed, and who can argue with a damsel in distress and a hero to rescue her, even if she doesn't know she is in trouble or needs rescuing. I think this is my favorite 'Code Name' book... so far.
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Posted January 8, 2007
This book was amazingly written. I couldn't put the book down. It took me three days to read and believe me the way I read books that is fast for me. This book kept you on your toes. I even started to get choked up towards the end of it all. Man I love these kinds of stories.
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Posted January 8, 2007
This book was so much fun reading. I am a dog lover so reading about these amazing dogs was real cool. It had thrill and chill, and the romance mixed in, makes this a great book and a page turner. You don't find many authors that can mix thrill and romance this good.
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Posted December 31, 2006
I loved it. It was a page turner right from the beginning. I couldn't put it down. Her Code Name series is fantasic I can't wait for the next one. It makes you look at us blonds differently.
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Posted July 16, 2006
okay! this story starts out about a photographer on an isolate island for a photo shoot but when her plane crashes only she and the pilot survive. She then is rescued by a navy SEAL. Then story then ventures off and becomes hard to follow! But there are alot of interesting factors in it. Like the navy SEAL's ability to telepathicly talk to eachother just by thinking it. And a lot more!!! And a lot of it is unrealistic, but i enjoyed what i got from it and i think you should take a chance on it!
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Posted July 11, 2006
I'm not one for romance books but it was actually really entertaining! MY cousin reads these all the time and i just started on the baby one. So far, i think blondie is better, but I'm only so far into the book. Anyway, Max is extremely hot and Miki is unusual like me! Fun, fun!
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Posted September 5, 2006
I was a little sceptical because Jess's occupation seemed a little...colorless. But Ms. Skye came through for us once again!
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Posted May 10, 2006
If you love romance and action read this book it has everything in it a true love, sex, pets, and men in uniform working to capture a bad guy. And the ending is just great to top that off. I now if you read this book you'll fall in love i know i did.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Photographer Miki Fortune is working on a full color calendar of models on dozens of beaches when she leaves for the next spot on a dilapidated plane. A storm forces an emergency landing at sea near another island. Navy SEAL Max Preston saves her life, but is put off by doing so.--------------- Max is working with his canine partner Truman trying to locate psychotic former Foxfire teammate Enrique Cruz, governmentally enhanced Ops. Like Truman Max has also been altered so his tactile skills enable him process biochemical indicators. Miki destroys his ability to use his sense of touch because he prefers to believe that his attraction to her is stronger than his improved senses rather than she is an uncover associate of Cruz.--------------- The Code Name series (see CODE NAME: BABY) are some of the most fun action adventure romances on the market today. Max, Miki, and Truman are a terrific trio who find themselves in one harrowing situation after another. Adding to the good time is that Max distrusts Miki though Truman adores her while she reciprocates the canine¿s feelings but thinks his playmate is a lunatic. Fans will enjoy this exhilarating romantic suspense thriller because of the threesome.------------- Harriet Klausner
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Posted April 1, 2006
Miki Fortune has been a photographer for ten years. She finally has the chance for her first national commercial exposure. She is hired to do a full color calendar of models on dozens of beaches. But she has no time to relax. Her plane goes down in the middle of a tropical paradise. Her boss is dead, the pilot is barely alive, and she nearly drowns. If that is not bad enough add in that she is now incarcerated with a crazy person and his VERY intelligent Labrador retriever. The man has a radio hidden somewhere but refuses to call for medical help. Can her life possibly get any worse? ............................. Navy SEAL Max Preston and his partner, a dog named Truman, are part of a secret government program called Foxfire. They have sophisticated biomedical enhancements implanted and are on a top secret mission. A rogue Foxfire agent, Enrique Cruz, escaped government control weeks earlier and took the government's newest billion-dollar weapon guidance system with him. Cruz's enhancements are growing and no one knows how his abilities are maturing. Max and Truman are to stay quiet, out of sight, and track the stolen system. Above all, Cruz must be brought in or eliminated. But Cruz's best ability is to project false images which allows him to disappear at will. Max has no time to babysit. He also does not believe in coincidences. Miki's story of going down in his secluded area just as Cruz is due to appear is simply too good to be true. Some dangerous weather is headed their way. Max and Miki must join forces to overcome incredible odds or die trying. ................................ ***** Books written by author Christina Skye should have a warning label 'Highly Addictive'. This series just seems to get better and better. If you have read the previous novels in this series, then you will recognize quite a few of the secondary characters' names. But do not fret if you have never read any of the other books, each one is a stand alone tale. New readers to the series will not find themselves lost or floundering at sea. The short synopsis I gave does not go into all the dangers Max, Miki, and Truman find themselves in. For one thing, some nasty maritime pirates are in the vicinity. So make sure you have PLENTY of time to read before you even open this book. Once I began this adventure, I read the entire night through. *****
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.The Foxfire top secret Navy SEAL seven-man squad were all genetically changed using experimental nanotechnology and biological enhancements. Each has their own skills, but all are monitored by Lloyd Ryker from a distance. They work incidents that are impossible for normal people to survive................ One member Lieutenant Trace O'Halloran uses his mind to make sweeps of perimeters. He notices strange activity from a teammate Gabriel Enrique Cruz, who can control animals, but apparently lost control and has gone rogue. Trace¿s commander Wolfe Houston is stunned because Cruz died last year. Ryker sends Wolfe to track down Cruz whose target apparently is Trace¿s sister Kit, a law enforcement dog trainer based in New Mexico, who is working with four special Labrador puppies that unbeknownst to her have been genetically altered so that they work strategically as a team. Cruz wants to become the leader of Baby, Diesel, Butch, and Sundance. Wolfe and Kit know each other so his assignment to capture Cruz seems easy except that his friend¿s baby sister is an adult that he desires with all his heart a distraction he cannot afford if he is to protect her and the canines.......... The latest Foxfire tale (see CODE NAME: NANNY and CODE NAME: PRINCESS) is a fast-paced romantic thriller that never slows down hooking the audience from the moment Trace realizes what is going on. The story line is action-packed, but the key protagonists and the canines seem genuine even with the genetic modifications. Baby the pack leading runt steals the show in many ways as fans of the series will appreciate this strong tale as Christine Skye makes her cast, human and canine, seem like real people and dogs just having extrasensory skills......... Harriet Klausner
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Posted October 10, 2005
When the enemies of the USA want to kidnap and subvert genetically enhanced canine trainees, both the dogs and their trainer, Kit O'Halloran, are in danger. Protecting them calls for the best, so an equally genetically enhanced soldier is given the job. Wolfe is old friends with Kit, and a finds that the little girl he once knew is now a woman. However with deadly foes who will stop at nothing after her and the pups, Wolfe will need all his amped up abilities to keep her safe. His main foe has similiar gifts. Like Wolfe, he can project mental images that can make Kit believe anything, even that he's Wolfe. It's a good thing Wolfe's been altered so that he doesn't really need much sleep. ..................... Though this is certainly an intriguing tale, no pun intended, there are spots in which it could be improved. The dogs certainly steal the show, but it would have been interesting to see more about what the dogs and humans who had been granted extra abilities could do. However, that aside, this is an enjoyable book that all of Ms. Skye's contemporary fans should love.
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Posted July 18, 2005
This is my first book by this author. I found her name by the reviews and decided to try her. I did not find this book exciting or filled with action. I was bored and wanted to give up on it many times but decided to keep trying. I couldn't take it, I had to skip through a lot of the pages. It got a little exciting toward the end but then I thought it was dragged out. However, I did like the romance. I will try one more book and hopefully I will be better.
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Posted August 31, 2005
Foxfire is a secret seven-man team. Few even know they exist. Each man has chip implants so Lloyd Ryker can track them and monitor their body functions. The men share special genetic technology, still experimental. The nanotech and bio-enhancements enable them to accomplish impossible tactical work under deadly fire. Each member has particular specialties. One member, Gabriel Enrique Cruz, mastered the ability to control animals. He was receiving new training when his mind snapped. Cruz went rogue. Then the worst possible thing happened, Cruz escaped. ................................. Inside their individual containment units, Lt. Trace O'Halloran was the first to realize something was wrong. Trace's special ability allows him to set energy nets and carry out controlled psi sweeps with his mind rather than eyes. Trace alerted his commander, Wolfe Houston, via mind link. Trace's sweep informed him that Cruz was causing the chaos. This surprises Trace and Wolfe because Cruz supposedly died over a year ago. Trace's sweep is confirmed when Lloyd Ryker pulls them out of their containment units. Only a member of Foxfire could hope to hunt down another member. Trace cannot be on this mission because his sister, Kit, is involved. So Ryker sends Wolfe in alone. .............................. Cruz's target is in New Mexico. Kit O'Halloran is a civilian dog trainer. Kit has eleven years experience training service dogs for law enforcement and military units. Her success rate is unmatched. Currently, she has four dogs undergoing training. Kit has no clue that these dogs are special. She has never even heard of Project Home Run. And she has no idea of the genetic technology within the dogs. These four black Labrador puppies are a team in every meaning of the word. The runt, Baby, is the obvious leader. Diesel, Butch, Sundance, and Baby can communicate with each other, plan and execute strategies together, and sense things other animals could not. Cruz intends to get his hands on Kit and the dogs no matter what it takes. .......................... Wolfe is just as determined to protect them from Cruz. Like Cruz, Wolfe has a way with animals. Wolfe's ability with animals is not as good as Cruz's though. Wolfe can also create image displacements, meaning he can cast illusions and alter the memories of others. Since Kit already knew Wolfe, it made him the perfect choice to protect them. Wolfe must not reveal too much to Kit about the himself or the dogs while protecting them. At the same time, he must locate Cruz and bring him in. It should not be too difficult for Wolfe, except that Kit is no longer the same girl he knew. She has grown up and is now a huge distraction. ........................... ***** Author Christina Skye continues her stories of battle-honed Navy SEAL members ... and this one is the best to date! Foxfire is the team sent in when all the other elite teams fail, so you can only imagine the potential waiting for Skye to access. The possibilities are unlimited. This story starts out with a bang and ends with one too. You will have no time to breathe, much less stop and cook dinner. Non-stop action from cover-to-cover. My advice to you is this: take a few vacation days from work and order a lot of pizza. You are in for one hell of a ride! *****
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Posted May 31, 2005
This is the first romance novel I've read, and I picked it up by accident. I was not disappointed! It's very romantic, steamy, and emotion-inducing. Any romance fan will love it!
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Overview
Ex-cop Gina Ryan traded in her Smith & Wesson to follow a dream. Now she's creating decadent desserts aboard a luxury cruise ship in the Caribbean. But a gorgeous passenger is about to send her perfect world up in smoke.—
Trace O'Halloran is a hard-edged navy SEAL, under strict orders to take some high seas R & R. There's a shipload of women in bikinis eager to help him unwind, so why can't he take his mind off the stubborn pastry chef with an attitude the size of Montana?
When a dangerous assassin from Trace's past appears, Gina and Trace must join forces to save the ship's ...