Secret Agent Heiress

Whitney MacNair's family had always been deep into politics. And when a tabloid spread a scandal about her, just as election time neared, her father sent her to Lonesome Pony Ranch in Montana. Daniel Austin ran the ranch and all that went on in the area. So Whitney would be safe ... and out of the papers until after the polls were closed. The Lonesome Pony was not just a normal ranch though. It was also a cover for Montana Confidential, a government organization placed there to deal with The Black Order. Dimitri Chilton was the leader of The Black Order. The terrorist group had been annoying for a couple of years now. Montana confidential planned to end it once and for all. Then Chilton kidnapped Whitney. Washington sent the best to her rescue from their National Security Agency. Agent Vincent Romeo was to get Whitney back alive. It was nothing he had not done several times before. But Whitney was not the defenseless, spoiled rotten, heiress people believed. Vincent had met his match! **** It was refreshing to see an heiress who had some grit in her. I had gotten very tired of fainting debutantes in need of a big, strong man. Especially those from old money or in high politics. The author, Julie Miller, gave the characters in this book cunning and class. Each character had their own background and personal traits. Great reading!

The tightly linked Montana Confidential series (each begins right where the previous entry left off) draws to a semi-impressive close with the outfit's fish out of water 'Society Girl Friday' Whitney MacNair getting kidnapped by Black Order honcho Dimitri Chilton. Plenty of action and plot twists follow. But the muscular hero is tepid and underdeveloped (that Whitney, after appearing in small doses in the previous series entries, is so well developed makes the poor fellow look even more like a cookie cutter stoic, tall, dark and handsome stereotype) and the battle of wits and brawn with the Black Order and its web of conspiracy takes center stage instead of the romance. That means there's more chills n' thrills than passionate heat. That complaint aside, this is a great read. Recommended.

This book was a real page turner for me. This timely tale of terrorism and political intrique mixed with passionate romance was an enjoyable read. Ms. Miller makes you care for Whitney, who is a strong-willed heroine dealing with the disappointments of her powerful family. Although Whitney has lived a privilaged life, she pays a heavy price in the harsh light of the media. I loved the fast-paced action involving this woman who is thrown into a dangerous world but triumphs using her inner strength and intelligence.

The Montana Confidential series concludes with "Secret Agent Heiress" by Julie Miller. This is a solid, if underwhelming, end to the series.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.