The Gentleman’s Daughter (The Gentleman Spy Series #2), By Bianca Schwarz ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Espionage, Historical Fiction, Misogyny, Mystery, Physical Abuse, Regency England, Romance, Secret Societies, Sex Trafficking, Sexual Abuse, Suspense, Trauma

Thanks to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: July 6th, 2021

352 Pages

Synopsis: The Gentleman’s Daughter is the second in a darkly entertaining historical romance mystery series set in Regency London…

Sir Henry, secret agent to the crown, must marry a lady above reproach to afford his illegitimate daughter entrance into society. After narrowly escaping marriage to a highborn bigot, he takes an assignment in Brighton, leading him to an abandoned abbey full of dark whispers, and a sinister secret society, the very one Henry has been investigating for three years.

Isabella is as beautiful as she is talented, but falling in love isn’t part of her plans. She only wants to paint, forget her painful past, and keep her overbearing mother at bay. But gaining one’s independence isn’t easy for a woman in 1823, so Isabella embarks on a fake courtship with Sir Henry. Soon, love and a painting career no longer seem so utterly incompatible.

But when the man Isabella fears most kidnaps her, all appears lost. Realizing the kidnapper is part of the same organization he is investigating, Henry chases after them. Entrapped in a web of secrets, both Henry and Isabella must face old enemies, and fight for their happily ever after. (Goodreads)

The Gentleman’s Daughter is a wonderful sequel to The Inkeeper’s Daughter, that much to my delight, surpasses the first book in The Gentleman Spies series.

I was immediately pulled into the story and easily finished this in two sittings. Like its predecessor, this is not your typical frothy Regency romance, as it deals with much darker themes such as: sex trafficking, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and espionage. 

My main issue with The Innkeeper’s Daughter was that I was uncomfortable with the romance between Henry (who is in his 30s), and Eliza (who is barely 18). Thankfully the age difference between Henry and Isabella is not such a yawning chasm. Although their romance is a slow burn through much of the book, I almost immediately loved them as a couple and was rooting for them the entire time. There are some fairly steamy scenes between the two, but they’re well written and believable. While I thought the middle of the book was noticeably slower than the rest, this wasn’t a huge issue and it didn’t take long for the action to pick back up. The ending wrapped up any loose ends ends which left me quite pleased.

Although The Gentleman’s Daughter is the second book in this series, you needn’t have read the first as this does an excellent job recapping without taking away from the current storyline. What I love about this series thus far is though it maintains the Regency setting which I love, Bianca Schwarz is unafraid to go deeper and darker, which makes The Gentleman Spies series quite unlike most others of its genre.

The Minders, By John Marrs ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Computer Hacking, Dystopian Fiction, Espionage, Government Conspiracies, The United Kingdom, Thriller

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: February 16th, 2021

416 Pages

Synopsis:

In this electrifying near-future thriller, five strangers guard government secrets, but only four can be trusted.

In the 21st century, information is king. But computers can be hacked and files can be broken into—so a unique government initiative has been born. Five ordinary people have been selected to become Minders—the latest weapon in thwarting cyberterrorism. Transformed by a revolutionary medical procedure, the country’s most classified information has been taken offline and turned into genetic code implanted in their heads.

Together, the five know every secret, the truth behind every government lie, conspiracy theory and cover up. In return, they’re given the chance for to leave their problems behind and a blank slate to start their lives anew.

But not everyone should be trusted, especially when they each have secrets of their own they’ll do anything to protect…(Goodreads)

The Minders is the third book by John Marrs set in the UK in the not too distant future. While you needn’t have read The One and The Passengers to keep up, I’d still recommend you do so to get a better sense of the world and technology. The chapters alternate between the five complex main characters, and as usual, Marrs does a solid job fleshing out their backstories. The plot itself is a little slower paced in the first half than in the previous books, but it’s still compelling, and given the increasing sophistication of hacking, I could see some of the things detailed in the book happening. My only quibble is that I felt like I was being told rather than shown what was happening, yet despite this, I was still drawn into the story. I have to say that after reading three books in this unnamed series now, I’ve found that the author is quite adept at making what would ordinarily be ludicrous plot points acceptable. Overall, The Minders is another exciting and creative piece of science fiction and a worthy follow-up to the previous books. 

The Power Couple, By Alex Berenson ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Espionage, Mystery, Thriller

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review review.

Release Date: February 9th, 2021

432 Pages

Synopsis: Rebecca and Brian Unsworth appear to have it all. A nice house in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Two well-behaved, healthy teenage children. Important government jobs—Rebecca working in counterterrorism for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Brian serving as a coder for the National Security Agency. Their lives stand to improve even more, as Brian, in his off-hours, has just developed and sold a highly profitable app.

However, the Unsworths’ marriage isn’t as perfect as it seems. After two decades together, they’ve drifted apart, talking little and having sex even less. Seeking to revive their strained relationship, they decide for their twentieth wedding anniversary to take their two kids, Kira and Tony, on a European getaway.

They have a blast…until one night in Barcelona, when Kira doesn’t come home from a dance club. She’s gone. Abducted. Over the course of a single weekend the Unsworths will do everything possible to find her—as Kira herself discovers just how far she’ll go to break free of the trap that’s been set for her. And even as Rebecca and Brian come together for Kira, they realize their marriage is more tenuous than they realized.

The Power Couple is another example of how Berenson can spin an exciting yarn that’s impossible to put down. The story is told from the povs of Kira, Rebecca, and Brian. Additionally, Rebecca’s and Brian’s chapters are in the past and present, which could have turned into a convoluted mess, but instead gives the reader an intriguing look into their complicated marriage and how their relationship and decisions tie into Kira’s kidnapping. There are several twists, especially in the last half of the book, that caught me by surprise, by in retrospect made sense. The finale is a little crazy, and veers into Mr. and Mrs. Smith territory, but as the villain gets their just desserts, I’m not going to quibble. While The Power Couple screams “HOLLYWOOD!” it’s not your average popcorn thriller, as it in addition to the mystery and action, it delves deep into its characters’ psyches. I highly recommend this for fans who love flawed characters along with their mystery/thrillers,

 

Proof Of Lies (Anastasia Phoenix #1) ~ By Diana Rodriguez Wallach – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Espionage, Mystery, Thrillers, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: March 7th, 2017

400 Pages

Synopsis: Some secrets are best kept hidden…

Anastasia Phoenix has always been the odd girl out, whether moving from city to international city with her scientist parents or being the black belt who speaks four languages.

And most definitely as the orphan whose sister is missing, presumed dead.

She’s the only one who believes Keira is still alive, and when new evidence surfaces, Anastasia sets out to follow the trail–and lands in the middle of a massive conspiracy. Now she isn’t sure who she can trust. At her side is Marcus, the bad boy with a sexy accent who’s as secretive as she is. He may have followed her to Rome to help, but something about him seems too good to be true.

Nothing is as it appears, and when everything she’s ever known is revealed to be a lie, Anastasia has to believe in one impossibility.

She will find her sister.

Proof of Lies is the introduction to Wallach’s new Anastasia Phoenix series, and it certainly starts things off with a bang! The action begins on the very first page and never slows down, which had me finishing this in one sitting despite it being 400 pages. What really carries this book is its main character, Anastasia who’s basically a teenage James Bond. After their parents are killed in a car accident Keira becomes Anastasia’s guardian, but there’s a lot of resentment between them and their relationship is rather rocky. Despite that, when Keira disappears, Anastasia doesn’t think twice about conducting her own rescue mission when the official police investigation stalls. She stubbornly believes Keira is still alive despite everyone else saying otherwise. She continuously dives into dangerous situations that could easily get her killed, but she doesn’t let this stop her. She’s already lost her parents, she’s parents and she’s determined that she’s not going to lose her sister too. Aiding her in her cross-country search are Keira’s best friend and computer hacker extraordinaire, Charlotte, and the mysterious Marcus, who has an intriguing connection to Anastasia’s family. The romance between Anastasia and Marcus was a little bland, but I think this may be because it’s meant to take a back seat to the search for Keira. What I really loved though is that the author sets her completely wild story against events that actually happened. The two blend together into a unique and intriguing mystery which kept me guessing right up until the end. Proof Of Lies is the type of book where many of the situations are totally improbable, but you just have to go with it. I highly recommend it to YA and adult fans of exciting mysteries and espionage thrillers. I can’t wait for the sequel, Lies That Bind to come out next year!