This book bumped up pretty hard against my willing suspension of disbelief bone. Still it was fast moving and readable. ( )

1 Navy SEAL with Unexplained Oddly Enhanced Vision
1 Renaissance Art Restorer and Free-Climber/Parkour Expert
1 World-Renowned Art Thief Father
1 Sequel Bait Navy SEAL Data Handler

1 Stolen Sketch of the Mona Lisa with Overdrawing By Michelangelo

1 Bad News Crime Family with Ties to Terrorism Financing
2 Sneering Feds with Warrant Issues
1 Impenetrable Scottish Fortress
1 Unexpected Betrayal!

1 Impeccably Conscientious Butler
2 Abbey Ghosts (1 Cat Variety)
1 Brooding Abbey
1 Charming House in Provence

1 Camping Trip (Rescue Variety)
1 Camping Trip (Sexy Variety) ( )

The heroine, the daughter of a convicted art thief, is suddenly thrown into the mess of having to deal with FBI agents and the hero who believe her to be involved in the theft of a Da Vinci. But she has nothing to do with it. She just an art restorer and advent mountain climber. She meets the hero on the mountain while saving a group of stranded college kids. Their attraction was light but there none the same. When they parted ways after the adventure was over, the heroine didn't think of the sexy navy soldier again until walking home one night she's attacked and shot at. The hero pops out of nowhere and saves her from a kidnapping but he reveals himself to be a spy of sorts, and he must take her into custody in a bid to save her life and the life of her father. Their story takes them from San Francisco to the Draycott castle present in the other books. There the heroine teaches the hero parkcore in order to break into a castle to get the stolen painting. I didn't like this book because it had not true voice. In the romance department it was severely lacking. In fact most of the story is spent having the hero and heroine being in different countries and when they are together, sure there's some romance but it's far from the main part of the story. In the suspense department, it was so far from suspenseful. There so many plot lines and different characters and facts thrown at the reader that the story became muddled. As far as the hero and heroine went, I didn't hate them but I didn't love them. They had no spark or interesting personality. The whole book was written in monotone. I'd skip this book unless you like to be bored to tears. ( )

I think I've outgrown the SEAL and Draycott serieses; [a:Christina Skye|71875|Christina Skye|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg] is a more-than-competent romance writer, and I cherish her for being my introduction to the genre with [b:Bride of the Mist|1046920|Bride of the Mist (Draycott Abbey #5)|Christina Skye|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5157S4VSYAL._SL75_.jpg|1033349], which I still have a soft spot for. But.

When Izzy Teague isn't awesome, you are DOING IT RONG. (WTF happened to the awesome Izzy of books past, who wore drag and drove up in a gold Cadillac and shrugged and said, "Hide in plain sight, sugar"?) Also, I would like my damn book about Izzy himself already; he is infinitely cooler than the interchangeable heroes of the SEAL/Code Name series, whom I seriously can't tell apart. And it would be super-awesome if he could stop being described as a doppelganger of Denzel Washington; I promise that your audience has seen a black man in the flesh. Actually, it would be even more super-awesome if he could stop being the only character of color who is on the side of the (American) angels in the entire universe. (If it turns out that Lloyd Rykell is black/Hispanic/Latino/Asian, I will call SO MUCH Magical Negro on your ass, Christina. I'm just saying.)

Let me put it this way: I could not suspend disbelief for this book. And I read fanfiction. (I'm not even talking about the whole Foxfire unit thing, which I have been handwaving since it made its first appearance. It was stupid and unexplained then and it is stupid and unexplained now.) The heroine, the daughter of an internationally recognized art thief, has gone into art restoration? Ooookay. And become one of the best in her field? At the age of, what her early thirties at the oldest? Um. And she is an expert, competitive rock-climber. Ooookay. And she is friends with Nicholas Draycott (who is The Only Person Izzy Teague Trusts!!11!). And art restoration and rock-climbing happen to be The Skillset Required To Save America (plus some random infrared vision and biometrically enhanced muscle response, or something, I don't know, I was drunk by this point).

Yeah, no. ( )

I've been a fan of Christina Skye's 'Draycott Abbey' series since the late 90s and I was so excited to see her publish a new novel related to this series. I was even more excited when I realized this novel connects her 'Operation' series to the 'Draycott Abbey' series! It's like a double reunion with some old friends.

Nell is a respected art restorer and authenticator. She learned her craft from her father, a notorious art thief. But just before he went to prison, he swore to her that he was done with that life. But recently a newly discovered masterpiece was stolen using her father's MO. And suddenly Nell is dodging bullets, kidnappers, and the FBI and her saviour from them all is a hot, hard-bodied, and intense SEAL. Can she afford to forget her motto: Trust no one, lean on no one.

Dakota isn't an ordinary SEAL. He's been surgically enhanced. Just as well as the 'mission' is his life. No feelings, just mission; no ties, just mission. Until he's assigned to follow a woman suspected of colluding on the theft of some priceless art...and nothing is adding up for him. Nothing except the different ways she's getting to him.

This book will definitely appeal to fans of both series. It has the romance of her Draycott novels with the action of her Operation SEAL heroes! I hope Adrian, the ghost, gets a little more ink in the next book as he's such a fascinating character. You can visit the abbey's world at www.draycottabbey.com and she's promises more stories to come at the end of this book although there's no titles or dates announced as yet! ( )