Just Like a Man    by Elizabeth Bevarly Order:  USA  Can Avon, 2004 (2004) Paperback Read an Excerpt     Reviewed by Martina Bexte Emerson Academy principal Hannah Frost admits that as liars go, ten year old Alex Sawyer has a tendency to tell real whoppers. His latest has his classmates convinced that Alex's father is a seasoned spy who regularly goes a few rounds with an assortment of gadget laden bad guys. Determined to nip her student's lies in the bud before things get totally out of hand, she calls in Michael Sawyer to discuss the situation. And immediately finds herself attracted to the handsome widower in a way that pushes her usually calm, controlled and cool demeanor into a distinct red zone. Five years ago Michael walked away from OPUS and swore never to return. These days he's quite content running his accounting firm and being a single dad. But when his 'old boss' informs Michael that he still has obligations to OPUS and that he's the only one who can catch a rogue operative named 'Raptor', he reluctantly agrees to take on the assignment. What he doesn't anticipate is his son telling tall tales at school. Or that he himself will fall head over heels in lust with the prim and very sexy Ms. Hannah Frost. Michael has high hopes that he and Hannah might have a future once he wraps up the assignment. But when his nemesis insinuates himself into the romantic equation, things become increasingly dangerous; especially when Hannah throws loose her restraints and decides to play spy too. Elizabeth Bevarly has a talent for using internal dialogue to fill in back story and character development, a lot of which is humorous and insightful as male and female each try to figure the other out. This device would have worked just fine in a straightforward romance. But once the caper part of this story hits full stride, these dialogues become heavy handed (often redundant) and really slow down the pacing. But there's plenty of humor and great chemistry between leads Hannah and Michael. And what's not to like about a precocious kid with a knack for spinning outrageous tales? Bevarly also runs a parallel, very enjoyable plot line involving another academy instructor, who teaches an evening class and finds romance with an older man (he appears to be a certified 'bad boy', but is anything but). Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Romance books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews