Spy novels aren't just for adults

Author Ally Carter's newest series is the culmination of her writing career (so far). The wit of Gallagher Girls, the intrigue of Heist Society, and the plots of both are combined with a whole lot of action and great characters. The result is perfect for Carter's current fans and teens who just like good stories. 

The Gallagher Girls series was a well-written, very funny series about teenage girls who go to a special boarding school. It looks like any other expensive boarding school, but really it’s a school for spies. Carter combined the insanity of being a teenager with the idea of teaching those same girls 24 ways to kill a man (one of which involves uncooked spaghetti) and then gave them mysteries to solve. The resulting plots and hijinks were riveting and hysterical. 

The Heist Society upped the stakes. In this series a teenage girl just wants to be normal, but gets pulled back into a life of high-stakes crime when her father disappears. Carter’s writing style matured and so did the plotline.

All Fall Down is the first book in Carter’s new series, Embassy Row. Grace, our main character, witnessed her mother’s death three years ago. Everyone says it was just an accident, but Grace knows her mother was murdered. After three years of psych evaluations and medication and people telling her she was wrong (i.e. crazy), she has learned to keep her thoughts to herself. 

When her military father is posted to a base that isn’t safe for families 16-year-old Grace is sent to live with her grandfather, the U.S. Ambassador to Adria. Adria could have been a new beginning, with new friends and the potential for romance. It might have been just that, too, if Grace hadn’t caught a glimpse of the very man who killed her mother; the man with the scar down the left side of his face. Now she’s lying to her friends, following a trained assassin through ancient tunnels, and generally risking her life to not only prove she isn’t crazy, but to stop the Scarred Man from murdering someone else. 

All Fall Down is skillfully written and plotted. Grace is a likable, intelligent, and witty character. Her new friends, Noah, Rosie, and Megan, are intriguing and I can’t wait to get to know them better. As for Alexi, well, WE know he isn’t just watching over Grace as a favor to her brother, even if she doesn’t realize it yet. And those plot twists at the end have me ready for book two NOW. Full of teenage drama and high emotion (hey, I'd be upset, too, if everyone thought I was crazy), this book is a must read for teens who like mysteries.

Carter, Ally. All Fall Down. New York: Scholastic Press, 2015. 5 Stars.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts and opinions expressed in the review are mine alone. 

A new look at espionage in The Loving Daylights AND a Giveaway!

Today I'm hosting a Tasty Book Tours blog stop for a novel that I truly enjoyed: Lynsay Sands' The Loving Daylights. This reprint, first published as a standalone title in 2003, has been brought back with an updated cover. 

I grew up on James Bond movies and books and loved the adventures of the amorous, alcoholic spy with his over-the-top gadgets and witty repartee in tight situations. As I got older I began to read strong female characters as well, though mostly in fantasy stories. A few years ago I discovered J.D. Robb's Lt. Dallas, and then Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. came out, and pulled all of the things I loved into one package. I was primed and ready for a book like The Loving Daylights.

The Loving Daylights is the comedy version of James Bond. Shy Jane Spyrus is Q, working for B.L.I.S.S. as an inventor of gadgets for agents to use in the field. She can build anything B.L.I.S.S. needs in the international organization’s fight against crime. Some of her gadgets, however, are a little too . . . well, innovative. Like her shrink-wrap prophylactic constraints, or the mini-rocket launcher disguised as a...well, you can use your imagination. 

When Jane's neighbor is kidnapped she has to team up with Able Andretti and her grandmother (a former B.L.I.S.S. agent) and go undercover to rescue her and stop an evil plot. Abel didn't count on this whole spy operation when he stopped by his sister's apartment and discovered that she was missing, but he'll do anything it takes to save her. If that includes showing Jane how to love the daylights out of something without batteries, all the better.

The Loving Daylights is a character based novel, with a plot that gives these characters a lot of comedic opportunities. Jane is adorkable; a nerd who likes her comfort zone and adapts to her new assignment with quite a few hiccups. Her wheelchair-bound grandmother adds even more humor with her matchmaking and spy advice - which are often the same. Abel is sexy as hell...and just as confused. The villains add a purpose and motivation for the characters (and their evil scheme is truly horrendous). The focus of this novel is on the comedy, and is a light and easy read. Perfect for times when you need brain candy, but not something that will stay with you. I'm giving this one a medium-high score, because I did enjoy it, just not as much as other novels I've read lately.

As part of the Tasty Book Tours blog tour, the publisher is giving away three copies of The Loving Daylights. Enter to win your copy of here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

or, if you can't wait, you can buy a copy on Amazon | Barnes | iTunes | Kobo 

Lynsay Sands is an incredibly prolific author. Her bestselling Argeneau series of vampire novels are next on my list (I love a good vampire romance!). Check out all of her novels, and her bio, at www.lynsaysands.net. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. 

Sands, Lynsay. The Loving Daylights. New York: HarperCollins, 2012. 3.5 stars

Disclaimer: I read an audiobook version of this novel downloaded from my local public library. It is NSFW, and not just because you'll be laughing out loud. The thoughts and opinions expressed in the review are mine alone.