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Texas Confidential #2
The Agent's Secret Child
Finding Isabella Montenegro and her young daughter and bringing them back to testify should have been easy. But one look at Isabella and Texas Confidential Agent Jake Cantrell remembered a woman he d cherished...a woman who d died. And one look at the child and he saw himself in her eyes....
Until she d met Jake Cantrell, Isabella s past had been a blank. Now fragmented memories began to assault her. Who was she? If Jake had fathered her child, then her entire life was a lie. Now that false life and the life of her daughter were at stake and there was only Jake to trust.
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 2000
17 people are currently reading
172 people want to read
About the author
B.J. Daniels
514 books1,259 followersB.J. Daniels started her life in Houston, Texas, before her family moved to Montana at age five. She grew up in a cabin in the Gallatin Canyon near Big Sky and later on Hebgen Lake near West Yellowstone. Because of her love for Montana, most of her books are set there.
Born into a storytelling family, all she'd ever wanted to do was write stories. After a career as an award-winning newspaper journalist, she wrote and sold 37 short stories before she finally wrote her first book, ODD MAN OUT. Since then she has won numerous awards including a career achievement award for romantic suspense.
She lives in Montana with her husband, Parker, two Springer Spaniels. When she isn't writing, she quilts, boats and. makes rope/fabric baskets. She always reads, loving to lose herself in a good book.
Born into a storytelling family, all she'd ever wanted to do was write stories. After a career as an award-winning newspaper journalist, she wrote and sold 37 short stories before she finally wrote her first book, ODD MAN OUT. Since then she has won numerous awards including a career achievement award for romantic suspense.
She lives in Montana with her husband, Parker, two Springer Spaniels. When she isn't writing, she quilts, boats and. makes rope/fabric baskets. She always reads, loving to lose herself in a good book.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 14, 2015
I love a quick romantic suspense sometimes and B.J. Daniels has been a good author to provide is. She has great characters and good plots and I didn't see the bad guy until the very end.
Abby was thought to have died in a failed FBI raid. Jake was wrecked and quit the FBI. Abby was actually kidnapped and suffered from amnesia - for 6 years (sometimes you just have to suspend reality when you read these books). Abby has been living in Mexico as the wife/prisoner of Julio, a drug trafficker. Julio has been in contact with the FBI wanting to trade Abby and Elena, he daughter, for safety and a new ID in the US. One day, Julio's home is attacked and he is murdered. Abby and her daughter flee and are pursued. Jake is contacted and asked to bring them out. Jake doesn't believe she could possibly be his Abby (I guess they didn't have dental records back in 2000 - remember, you need to suspend reality at times). Jake grabs them and takes them back to the states. One look at and they both know Jake is her father. How did she survive and why didn't she contact someone? Did someone in the FBI set the raid up for failure, and why? Who is still after Abby and Elena, and why?
Abby was thought to have died in a failed FBI raid. Jake was wrecked and quit the FBI. Abby was actually kidnapped and suffered from amnesia - for 6 years (sometimes you just have to suspend reality when you read these books). Abby has been living in Mexico as the wife/prisoner of Julio, a drug trafficker. Julio has been in contact with the FBI wanting to trade Abby and Elena, he daughter, for safety and a new ID in the US. One day, Julio's home is attacked and he is murdered. Abby and her daughter flee and are pursued. Jake is contacted and asked to bring them out. Jake doesn't believe she could possibly be his Abby (I guess they didn't have dental records back in 2000 - remember, you need to suspend reality at times). Jake grabs them and takes them back to the states. One look at and they both know Jake is her father. How did she survive and why didn't she contact someone? Did someone in the FBI set the raid up for failure, and why? Who is still after Abby and Elena, and why?
April 17, 2018
October 23, 2000
BJ Daniels continues the Texas Confidential series with this month's first secret child book and amnesia story in "The Agent's Secret Child." Six years after the woman he loved died in a fiery explosion, agent Jake Cantrell receives a call from a five year old child, a child who calls him father. Her mother bears a striking resemblance to Abby Diaz, the love of his life. She claims to have no memory of her life before the last six years. Could she be Abby, and can he keep her and her daughter safe from the drug lord who wants them dead?
The title and the expected happy ending shouldn't make it too hard to answer those questions. "The Agent's Secret Child" is told with enough energy and emotion to make it an exciting and refreshing read. Though the circumstances of Jake not knowing about his daughter are contrived, they were at least unique and didn't turn me against one of the characters. Anyone who is tired of secret child books, and I've complained enough about them, should know this is the first in a while that didn't aggravate me. Daniels makes Abby's slow discovery of her identity quite poignant. Jake and Abby's relationship is full of passion. This is a romance many readers will cheer for. The action never stops moving, and the equally strong hero and heroine prove their strength more than once. The mystery is well done, with juicy secrets to be uncovered and some nice investigating on the part of the heroine. The climax was slightly familiar (see last year's "My Lover's Secret," Intrigue 528) and one final twist so obvious it only made one of our heroes look stupid. Honestly, how else could it have turned out? The romance and suspense are still both consistently high and strong enough to make this one a winner.
This book could easily have been five stars (right now it's a solid four and a half) if it had been longer. (Unless you're interested in a really nitpicky point, stop reading now and go buy the book). This isn't only a book where readers will say they wished it was longer. It needed to be. "The Agent's Secret Child" is 233 pages, fifteen less than the average Intrigue, with huge margins and big type. (Temptation length. Why isn't it Temptation priced?) There isn't any place where the emotions or details couldn't have been expanded upon for greater effect. The Texas Confidential agency especially could use more detail. Two books into the series and the agency is still vaguely defined. Too many of the agency characters and background details are offered in quick one line descriptions that read like this is how her editor or the other authors described them to her. They aren't her characters, so Daniels has no idea who they are and isn't going to bother with them any more than she has to. For instance, the author keeps mentioning another agent who disappeared a year ago. This probably will come into play later in the series, but Jake thinks about this so casually and unemotionally that it seems to have no impact on him or his coworkers. It's only going to make it less effective if this plot point comes up in the future, and makes me wonder why Jake would bother thinking about it if he cares so little. It's a very minor point but a crucial one. It says "Texas Confidential" isn't holding up well as a series. (All the ads say these agents are cowboys by day. We have yet to see them do anything cowboy-related.) It's not like Daniels doesn't have room to add more detail. The book could have been expanded, and should have been.
I have no problem recommending "The Agent's Secret Child" highly. The central relationship and suspense are wonderful. Only the foundation the book and the series are set up on are too fuzzy around the edges. For top notch romantic suspense, this is still one book that should not be missed.
BJ Daniels continues the Texas Confidential series with this month's first secret child book and amnesia story in "The Agent's Secret Child." Six years after the woman he loved died in a fiery explosion, agent Jake Cantrell receives a call from a five year old child, a child who calls him father. Her mother bears a striking resemblance to Abby Diaz, the love of his life. She claims to have no memory of her life before the last six years. Could she be Abby, and can he keep her and her daughter safe from the drug lord who wants them dead?
The title and the expected happy ending shouldn't make it too hard to answer those questions. "The Agent's Secret Child" is told with enough energy and emotion to make it an exciting and refreshing read. Though the circumstances of Jake not knowing about his daughter are contrived, they were at least unique and didn't turn me against one of the characters. Anyone who is tired of secret child books, and I've complained enough about them, should know this is the first in a while that didn't aggravate me. Daniels makes Abby's slow discovery of her identity quite poignant. Jake and Abby's relationship is full of passion. This is a romance many readers will cheer for. The action never stops moving, and the equally strong hero and heroine prove their strength more than once. The mystery is well done, with juicy secrets to be uncovered and some nice investigating on the part of the heroine. The climax was slightly familiar (see last year's "My Lover's Secret," Intrigue 528) and one final twist so obvious it only made one of our heroes look stupid. Honestly, how else could it have turned out? The romance and suspense are still both consistently high and strong enough to make this one a winner.
This book could easily have been five stars (right now it's a solid four and a half) if it had been longer. (Unless you're interested in a really nitpicky point, stop reading now and go buy the book). This isn't only a book where readers will say they wished it was longer. It needed to be. "The Agent's Secret Child" is 233 pages, fifteen less than the average Intrigue, with huge margins and big type. (Temptation length. Why isn't it Temptation priced?) There isn't any place where the emotions or details couldn't have been expanded upon for greater effect. The Texas Confidential agency especially could use more detail. Two books into the series and the agency is still vaguely defined. Too many of the agency characters and background details are offered in quick one line descriptions that read like this is how her editor or the other authors described them to her. They aren't her characters, so Daniels has no idea who they are and isn't going to bother with them any more than she has to. For instance, the author keeps mentioning another agent who disappeared a year ago. This probably will come into play later in the series, but Jake thinks about this so casually and unemotionally that it seems to have no impact on him or his coworkers. It's only going to make it less effective if this plot point comes up in the future, and makes me wonder why Jake would bother thinking about it if he cares so little. It's a very minor point but a crucial one. It says "Texas Confidential" isn't holding up well as a series. (All the ads say these agents are cowboys by day. We have yet to see them do anything cowboy-related.) It's not like Daniels doesn't have room to add more detail. The book could have been expanded, and should have been.
I have no problem recommending "The Agent's Secret Child" highly. The central relationship and suspense are wonderful. Only the foundation the book and the series are set up on are too fuzzy around the edges. For top notch romantic suspense, this is still one book that should not be missed.
June 8, 2018
Great
An amazing and wonderful read.Suspense,mystery,thrills and a whole lot of action.Starts off fast and just keeps going,getting better and better with each page.B.J.Daniels never disappoints.
An amazing and wonderful read.Suspense,mystery,thrills and a whole lot of action.Starts off fast and just keeps going,getting better and better with each page.B.J.Daniels never disappoints.
February 11, 2022
The action starts from the beginning. Isabella/Abby escapes with her daughter. She doesn't remember anything from prior to six years earlier.
Jake is sent to help her. I kept bouncing back and forth about who is trying to kill her. I got a real shock near the end.
Jake is sent to help her. I kept bouncing back and forth about who is trying to kill her. I got a real shock near the end.
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
June 26, 2024
Short, simple, sweet. I liked the characters and rooted for them throughout. I've read other books by this author, and she has never disappointed.
August 14, 2025
3/5 STARS! Fun thriller thats action packed & has some big twists & turns. Good mystery to it too. Really had fun with this one.
June 24, 2015
In this second book of the Texas Confidential series, we meet Confidential agent Jake Cantrell. Some years back, Jake lost Abby Diaz, fellow agent and the love of his life.
Isabella Montenegro and her daughter Elena are on the run after her husband was killed. With his body was a passport and driver's license in the name of Abby Diaz - with a photo of Isabella. There's also a phone number for Jake, which little Elena takes it upon herself to call. Soon Jake, Isabella and Elena are all caught up in a mess of shoot outs, drug deals and lies.
I read this book two or three months ago and I barely remember it at all. All I remember is that I liked Elena a lot, which is why I gave it three stars. The rest I found mildly entertaining at the time, but ultimately forgettable.
Without reading it again, I can't give a fair review, but having read it at least twice (once a few months back, once maybe five years ago) and only remembering it by the cover, I doubt that it would feel any more memorable the third time round. 3 stars.
Isabella Montenegro and her daughter Elena are on the run after her husband was killed. With his body was a passport and driver's license in the name of Abby Diaz - with a photo of Isabella. There's also a phone number for Jake, which little Elena takes it upon herself to call. Soon Jake, Isabella and Elena are all caught up in a mess of shoot outs, drug deals and lies.
I read this book two or three months ago and I barely remember it at all. All I remember is that I liked Elena a lot, which is why I gave it three stars. The rest I found mildly entertaining at the time, but ultimately forgettable.
Without reading it again, I can't give a fair review, but having read it at least twice (once a few months back, once maybe five years ago) and only remembering it by the cover, I doubt that it would feel any more memorable the third time round. 3 stars.
June 29, 2012
I really liked this book. It was fast and easy to read and exciting. It had me trying to figure out who the bad guys really were and how all of the characters were connected and you never really know until the end. I like that in a book.
I liked Abby,Jake and Elena. I was really happy that he took the little girl and claimed her as his own, based solely on eye color and never questioned his paternity after Abby had been gone for six years. Would any guy really do that? There's more to it but you'll have to read the book and find out. ;)
Good book!
I liked Abby,Jake and Elena. I was really happy that he took the little girl and claimed her as his own, based solely on eye color and never questioned his paternity after Abby had been gone for six years. Would any guy really do that? There's more to it but you'll have to read the book and find out. ;)
Good book!
September 25, 2009
Modern
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews