Mission: Irresistible

April 18, 2005
PR specialist Cassie Cooper, who made trouble for her twin sister, Maddie, in Wilde's previous romantic adventure, Charmed and Dangerous
(2004), has planned an Egyptian costume benefit at Fort Worth's Kimbell Art Museum to celebrate the reunion of the separated amulet that once belonged to Kiya and Solen, Egyptian lovers from 3,000 years ago. The benefit gets off to a bad start with the stabbing and disappearance of a man in a mummy costume and the theft of Kiya's part of the amulet. When Dr. Adam Grayfield fails to appear at the party with Solen's section of the amulet, Cassie's boss threatens to fire her. In a comical, if less than credible scene, Adam's nerdy archeologist brother, Harrison, saves Cassie's job by asserting that the theft of Kiya's amulet was staged and party-goers must try to solve the mystery. Cassie and Harrison's search for Adam and the pilfered amulet is coupled with overblown romantic tension and outlandish encounters with their pursuers. The imperfections of the protagonists (Cassie is not model thin, and Harrison isn't a fierce tough guy) add realism to the read, which, if nothing else, is adequate escapist fare. Agent, Karen Solem at Spencerhill Associates.

May 15, 2005
More than anything, Cassie wants the masquerade event celebrating a new exhibit at the museum to go well. Its success might mean her ticket to a better job at the Smithsonian. But after the mummy is stabbed in the back, things begin to go downhill. Harrison has grown up on archaeological digs, working side by side with his mother. He knows the meaning of the amulet that's on display. Apparently, someone else does, too, because in all the chaos, the amulet disappears. Harrison, a self-proclaimed geek, and Cassie, who lives on the edge, join forces to find it. Sharp and sassy, Cassie drives Harrison to the brink, until he doesn't know whether to strangle her or seduce her. An ancient curse, a centuries-old order of bad guys, a mummy, a wealthy meglomaniac and his minions, and true love are shaken but not stirred in this action-packed, fast-paced adventure, the sexy sequel to Wilde's " Charmed and Dangerous "(2004), which features Cassie's twin, Maddie. Both romances belong on library shelves.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)