Once in Paris

A casual flirtation between an 18-year-old girl and a wealthy man twice her age leads to love and danger in this engaging but not entirely plausible thriller by popular romance author Palmer (The Rawhide Man). Brianne Martin's nefarious wheeler-dealer of a stepfather sends her to study in Paris, where she falls for widowed oilman Pierce Hutton. In the process of Pierce trying to protect Brianne from his undercover activities and Brianne trying to seduce Pierce, they both get caught up in Middle Eastern shenanigans that might--if Pierce and his allies didn't turn out to have near-superhero abilities--lead to WWIII. This is definitely thriller-lite (the supposedly tough-guy hero refers to ""a hush-hush mission""), however, and Palmer manages to fracture her few French phrases (for example, femme du nuit instead of de la nuit). The dialogue is charming, the characters likable and the sex sizzling, and the roller-coaster emotions between hero and heroine will give Palmer's many fans an enjoyable ride. (Dec.)