Picture it, summer 2023, I have a beautiful movie night in full of take out, a crisp glass of wine, and a couch all to myself. I decide to revisit an action rom com I haven't seen in years.
This Means War, two spies who work together accidentally start dating the same girl who does not know either of them are spies. This movie has all the beats I look for in most romances, a little bit of stakes, humor, and actual romance. This movie then puts me in a reading mood I could not believe I had never explored before, the sub-genre that is espionage (0r spy) romance. I made some videos on Tik Tok about it, I managed to read a few books before falling out of that mood, but ultimately I was left unfulfilled.
Now we get to fast forward. I'm back in my spy romance mood and I have reignited my blog abilities with Enchanted Echoes so welcome to my in progresss Espionage Romance Roundup. I'll be sharing all the books I find, giving a little review, and depending on how on top of things I am I might even share books I plan to read. This is essentially a live working document that will continue to expand as I find and finish more books. I absolutely welcome recommendations AND they don't have to be contemporary 😏 I found a host of historcals on Libby this weekend and can't wait to dive into those!
Okay I think that's enough of an intro! Onto the books
The Secret Service of Tea and Treason by India Holton
Alice and Daniel are both agents for A.U.N.T ( the agency of undercover note takers) and they are being sent on their most challenging mission yet, go undercover as a married pirate couple to sabotage a murder plot against Queen Victoria. yes I did say pirates. But what is more dangerous, the pirates around them or their feelings for each other?
I started my espionage romance journey on such a high because this book is incredible. I am the biggest India Holton fan and it all started with this book. The way she weaves whimsy, comedy, fantasy, and action together is everything to me. This book set the bar for me and I don't think anything will every overtake it.
Partners in Crime by Alisha Rai
This is a roundup so I will be sharing the highs and lows and unfortunately was a DNF, however I think I'm going to give it a second chance now that I'm not deep in the midst of grief walking into a book about a family member that has recently passed away. Mira and Naveen find themselves in Vegas when Mira needs to settle her aunt's affairs. However, they are not prepared to escape kidnappers, evade art thieves, and consorting with hackers who can decipher just what it was Mira’s aunt was involved with.
The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter
A woman wakes up in Paris and discovers a few things, she has no idea who she is, a hot man is with her, and people trying to kill her. She quickly learns, thanks to Mr. Hot SPY, that she's actually a twin?? Soon they're lying their way across Europe--dodging bullets and faking kisses as they race to unravel a deadly conspiracy and clear her sister's name.
This book was fun. It was my first foray into Ally Carter and she has quickly become an author whose releases I look forward to. The way Ally writes tension????? This woman has me BLUSHING, my breathing is shallow, and I find myself falling into her books like a movie. If you are a spice forward person when it comes to your romances however, Ally is not the author for you. It's not even closed door, she builds an unscalable brick wall. To each their own, but when the tension is so good and the pay off is dust I do find it takes away from the experience. I'm excited to see what Ally publishes in the future and you can bet I will be reading it.
To Have and To Heist by Sara Desai
Another DNF... also there will definitely been espionage adjacent books on this list because if it gives the vibe of spy or spying, to me it counts. The wedding of the season, a stolen necklace and her best friends reputation is on the line? Simi is about to risk it all. Now she needs to do is transform a ragtag group of strangers into an elite heist crew, infiltrate a high-society wedding and steal the necklace from a dangerous criminal before the happy couple say “I do.” And of course Jack the mysterious stranger who quite literally walked out of bushes is there offering to help.
I read this book, and by read I mean read a few chapters and realized it was not for me, a few years ago and I just remember being more frustrated in the first few chapters than I was intrigued so I stopped reading.
It Had To Be You by Eliza Jane Brazier
When Eva and Jonathan hook up on the sleeper train from Florence to Paris, they think they’ll never see each other again. That is until Eva realizes she's been contracted to kill Jonathan. As they race around Europe they quickly realize maybe they are both being hunted and would be better off teaming up together than against each other...and their ever present attraction.
This book was fun. It was high action, so much intrigue, and the perfect book to read as I was wishing for a euro summer journey while being tied to work and responsibilities.
The Blonde Who Came In From The Cold by Ally Carter
The sequel to The Blonde Identity, two agents wake up handcuffed to each other, they don't remember how they got there and after they escape realize they can only trust each other. The problem? Their 10 years of personal history fighting alongside each other and against their attraction.
Ally hit it out of the park again. The tension driving this book forward was so so so good and I've had several sequences of this book playing back in my mind for the last week since I finished it. She did lose me at the very end when several loose ends were actually not tied up, and not in a loose way they were straight up never addressed and left me wondering if she remembered some of the large plot points she had left in the middle of the book.
The Spy and I by Tiana Smith
Dove is an ethical hacker showing companies how to protect themselves from the bad version of her. And her sister is a travel photographer. At least thats what she thought until a case of mistaken identity has her taking on a fake identity meant for her sister she finds out her sister is not only a CIA operative but a wanted double agent. But can she trust Mendez who claims to be her sisters partner? And will she make it out alive?
I hated this book. I'll say it. The survival instincts were so bad I could not believe someone who works in cyber security would have no clue how to maintain real life security. Also if a man started asking me questions about my sister and then forced me to come to another country and I spent all my time in that other country only in apartments and vans I'd be thinking I wasn't running a secret spy plan. How are you going to set a book in Prague (or any notable city for that matter) and then it has no actual bearing on the plot. This book could have been set in the middle of Kansas and would have been able to keep every beat of the plot. No thanks. Also what romance?? They bonded over making homemade oreos and then suddenly they're in love? I'm not buying it.
On the TBR
