Under Cover, one of Davidson's first published works, consists of three interlinked novellas. In "Sweet Strangers" security specialist Renee Jardin is on the run, with inadvertently-stolen property in her possession. Desperate to evade capture, and with nowhere to run but a glass-walled elevator, she locks lips with the perfect stranger she finds in there. Turns out that, though he's also hunting for Renee, he really is perfect.
In "Lovely Lies" former security boss Peter Random, fired by his biotech employer for failing to catch a rogue security officer who stole a valuable invention, agrees to protect Lori Jamieson. An heiress with a consuming fear of her dead mother's ruthless husband and his brutally stupid son, Lori wants to donate her entire fortune to worthy sources, and gains love for herself.
In "Delightful Deception" scientist Thea Foster, better known as IQ (intelligent quotient or ice queen, take your pick) is hoping for better luck with her new boss. The old one wouldn't let her release a life-saving medical breakthrough, forcing her to plant it on a security officer. New employer Jimmy Scrye is her opposite in every way - maddeningly informal, spontaneous, casual, and younger. So why is Thea so attracted to him?
Though stand-alone, the connections between the novellas are rewarding when read back to back. Each story is light, amusing, a little romantic (though a bit heavy on the sex scenes for me - I prefer my porn to be porn), and well written. There was a nice sprinkling of meta commentary (like Davidson's observation that many romance novel heroines are Too Stupid to Live, an unfortunate fact about the genre), though a couple of things jarred me - most notably the issue Thea has with Jimmy - "Good Lord, I'm robbing the cradle. He's four years younger than I am." Oh my God! Call the police! Oh, wait - they're both in their thirties.
I was also flummoxed by the description of a plush gray carpet that "looked like it had been swept, then vacuumed twice" - is it more telling about Davidson, her character, or me that I wouldn't be able to distinguish a swept, double-vacuumed carpet from any other kind of clean carpet if you paid me?
If you want a light, well-written break from the stress of every day, this is for you. But don't expect anything too substantial. - Alex
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