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Undercover Dad
He'd forgotten everything - his identity, his woman, his baby
It had been sixteen months since Rachel Goforth had seen or heard from FBI agent Stephen Chandler, but she wasted no time heeding his frantic call warning her of danger. Yet when Stephen met her at the Smoky Mountain safe house, he arrived bleeding, dazed - and with amnesia.
Stephen had no memory of the cases they'd worked together or the night they'd spent together - but Rachel could never forget the feel of his body against hers. She had a baby daughter to remind her. A daughter whose father didn't know her - a daughter whose life was suddenly put in danger unless Stephen could remember who was on their trail. But if he did remember the past, would he and Rachel have a future?
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1999
About the author
Charlotte Douglas
86 books15 followersCHARLOTTE DOUGLAS has loved a good story since she learned to read at the age of three. After years of teaching that love of books to her students, she now enjoys creating stories of her own. Often her books are set in one of her three favorite places—Montana, where she and her husband spent their honeymoon; the mountains of North Carolina, where she has a summer home; or Florida, near the Gulf of Mexico on Florida’s west coast, where she’s lived most of her life.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 17, 2018
Good Author, Familiar Story
January 20, 2000
I bought this book when it came out like I do all Intrigues, and it took me three months to work up the enthusiasm to read it. Ho hum. Another secret baby. Another federal agent with amnesia. When I picked it up, I was pleasantly surprised. The flashback that makes up the early chapters are suspenseful and engrossing. The kind of fast-paced detective work Rachel and Stephen are forced to go through in their race against time to save a kidnap victim is a blast. Then the story moved back to the present, and everything became familiar. Very familiar.
There are two things I need to make me love these kind of books and forget that it is a story told too often: good explanations for both the amnesia and the baby being kept a secret. This time, the cause for the amnesia was so abrupt that it came across as stupid and random. One minute Stephen doesn't have amnesia, the next he has to hit his head because this is an amnesia book. I can also buy some reasons for heroines to keep their pregnancies a secret and not let the father know. The one offered here was not one of them. After winning my respect in the beginning, the characters quickly lost it. Throw in the fact that the villain was obvious, the result of too few suspects to chose from, and "Undercover Dad" (A bad title. Stephen is not really undercover through most of the book, if not all) left me cold.
The problem with pointing out a three star book's flaws is that it can sound worse that it is. "Undercover Dad" isn't terrible by any means. It is old hat. Charlotte Douglas is an able storyteller with an engaging writing style and some clever plotting. The moment where Stephen meets his daughter is very moving. I liked her other amnesia story, "A Woman of Mystery," earlier this year. That one was surprising. This time I felt two steps ahead of the characters most of the time. Anyone who hasn't read variations on this theme so many times, or who likes it reading it repeatedly, will get more out of it than I did. A fast read, but not much more.
January 20, 2000
I bought this book when it came out like I do all Intrigues, and it took me three months to work up the enthusiasm to read it. Ho hum. Another secret baby. Another federal agent with amnesia. When I picked it up, I was pleasantly surprised. The flashback that makes up the early chapters are suspenseful and engrossing. The kind of fast-paced detective work Rachel and Stephen are forced to go through in their race against time to save a kidnap victim is a blast. Then the story moved back to the present, and everything became familiar. Very familiar.
There are two things I need to make me love these kind of books and forget that it is a story told too often: good explanations for both the amnesia and the baby being kept a secret. This time, the cause for the amnesia was so abrupt that it came across as stupid and random. One minute Stephen doesn't have amnesia, the next he has to hit his head because this is an amnesia book. I can also buy some reasons for heroines to keep their pregnancies a secret and not let the father know. The one offered here was not one of them. After winning my respect in the beginning, the characters quickly lost it. Throw in the fact that the villain was obvious, the result of too few suspects to chose from, and "Undercover Dad" (A bad title. Stephen is not really undercover through most of the book, if not all) left me cold.
The problem with pointing out a three star book's flaws is that it can sound worse that it is. "Undercover Dad" isn't terrible by any means. It is old hat. Charlotte Douglas is an able storyteller with an engaging writing style and some clever plotting. The moment where Stephen meets his daughter is very moving. I liked her other amnesia story, "A Woman of Mystery," earlier this year. That one was surprising. This time I felt two steps ahead of the characters most of the time. Anyone who hasn't read variations on this theme so many times, or who likes it reading it repeatedly, will get more out of it than I did. A fast read, but not much more.
January 20, 2015
This story is about Rachel Goforth (former FBI Agent) and Stephen Chandler (FBI Agent & Rachel's former partner).
The last time Rachel saw Stephen was sixteen months ago at his going away party. He had gotten a promotion and was moving to Atlanta. They spent the night making love. When Rachel woke up beside Stephen she panicked and ran. She refused all attempts to see him and wouldn't answer the phone. She found out that she was pregnant on the day she learned he was engaged to another woman. She decided not to tell him about the baby and moved away after resigning from the FBI.
Fast forward to present day, where she receives a call from Stephen saying that they are in danger from a previous case they worked together. He gives her a map to a safe house in the mountains. When Stephen meets her at the safe house, he is bleeding, dazed and has amnesia. Who is after them? Will Rachel tell him that he is a father? Is he married? Does Stephen still love her? Will they finally get together?
I really enjoyed this story! I loved Stephen and Rachel. I loved how Stephen was so patient with Rachel. She loved him but she was scared of getting hurt again. When she was younger she was left at the altar. The scars of that day stayed with her, making her scared to give love another chance. Stephen knew what he wanted (her) and he was patient and understanding with her. Perhaps he should have tried harder to make her understand that he really loved her, but love isn't easy, and we often do crazy things to obtain it.
I totally recommend reading this book!
The last time Rachel saw Stephen was sixteen months ago at his going away party. He had gotten a promotion and was moving to Atlanta. They spent the night making love. When Rachel woke up beside Stephen she panicked and ran. She refused all attempts to see him and wouldn't answer the phone. She found out that she was pregnant on the day she learned he was engaged to another woman. She decided not to tell him about the baby and moved away after resigning from the FBI.
Fast forward to present day, where she receives a call from Stephen saying that they are in danger from a previous case they worked together. He gives her a map to a safe house in the mountains. When Stephen meets her at the safe house, he is bleeding, dazed and has amnesia. Who is after them? Will Rachel tell him that he is a father? Is he married? Does Stephen still love her? Will they finally get together?
I really enjoyed this story! I loved Stephen and Rachel. I loved how Stephen was so patient with Rachel. She loved him but she was scared of getting hurt again. When she was younger she was left at the altar. The scars of that day stayed with her, making her scared to give love another chance. Stephen knew what he wanted (her) and he was patient and understanding with her. Perhaps he should have tried harder to make her understand that he really loved her, but love isn't easy, and we often do crazy things to obtain it.
I totally recommend reading this book!
March 26, 2012
Stephen, agent au FBI recontacte en urgence son ex-coéquipière, Rachel pour lui fixer un rendez-vous et l'avertir qu'ils sont tous les deux en danger car un tueur cherche à les éliminer. Stephen n'a pas le temps de donner plus d'explications et lorsqu'il retrouve la jeune femme, il est victime d'une agression qui lui fait perdre la mémoire. La façon dont survient l'amnèsie est tellement abrupte que cela en devient ridicule et totalement irréaliste. Néanmoins, on arrive quand même a se laisser porter par l'intrigue car on se demande qui est le mystèrieux assaillant et surtout quelles sont ses motivations.
Il y a aussi une histoire en parrallèle. En effet, 16 mois auparavant, les 2 protagonistes ont eu une aventure et celle-ci a apporté un enfant dans la vie de l'héroine. Mais celle-ci ayant appris les fiançailles de ce compagnon d'un soir, qui était partie suite à une propotion sans rien savoir de l'état de la jeune femme, ne lui a jamais rien dit. Cette histoire d'enfant secret tombe un peu à plat car on a vraiment du mal à comprendre les réactions de Rachel ainsi que celle de Stephen.
Au final, une histoire peu aboutie avec un suspense qui s'étire pour retomber platement dans le dernier chapitre. Le tout semble baclé, on fini par s'ennuyer, s'agacer même à cause des répétitions et des lourdeurs. On arrive avec soulagement au mot fin, impatiente de passer à autre chose.
Il y a aussi une histoire en parrallèle. En effet, 16 mois auparavant, les 2 protagonistes ont eu une aventure et celle-ci a apporté un enfant dans la vie de l'héroine. Mais celle-ci ayant appris les fiançailles de ce compagnon d'un soir, qui était partie suite à une propotion sans rien savoir de l'état de la jeune femme, ne lui a jamais rien dit. Cette histoire d'enfant secret tombe un peu à plat car on a vraiment du mal à comprendre les réactions de Rachel ainsi que celle de Stephen.
Au final, une histoire peu aboutie avec un suspense qui s'étire pour retomber platement dans le dernier chapitre. Le tout semble baclé, on fini par s'ennuyer, s'agacer même à cause des répétitions et des lourdeurs. On arrive avec soulagement au mot fin, impatiente de passer à autre chose.
November 29, 2010
I am not a Harlequin fan. This book was one of a few that were given to me and I decided to give it a try. The premise seemed like it could be a good quick read. I skipped through most of it. The writing was bad, the relationship was bad, and the story line was even worse. I won't be trying any of the others given to me. They will go straight to Goodwill.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews