THE SPY WHO LOVES ME

Formerly a freewheeling jack-of-all-trades, 37-year-old Phineus Teague is now a corporate lawyer whose real world of tedious paperwork can't compete with his escapist fantasy life as dashing espionage agent Python. But Finn soon learns that dreams can be deadly when his klutzy role-playing ignites the suspicions of two neighbors: the woman he pretends is his exotic nemesis "Tatiana" (and who's actually a genuine villainess scheming to steal a super-weapon from one of Finn's corporate clients), and dishwater-dull Amber Robinson, a real-life Bond Girl on a mission to foil the theft. While an initial overload of goofy details (i.e., organization names like S.C.U.M. and 007-type secret weapons) threaten to keep the plot at parody level, elegant character development eventually wins out. An ample dose of hot sex satisfies the book's romance genre requirements, but the author's flair for fast-paced suspense and sparkling, snappy dialogue enables the book to move past its romance roots and appeal to a wider readership. Cameo appearances by characters from Kenner's previous romantic intrigue, Nobody But You , will please her fans, and action that literally doesn't let up till the last page should keep readers returning for more. Agent, Pam Hopkins. (June)

Forecast: Kenner's star is definitely on the ascent. She's not only skilled, but prolific as well; she recently signed on with Downtown Press for three books and Berkley for two more.