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

Anyone else have an author that makes you feel like a foolish sailor dashing your body and soul against the rocks? For me that's Ally Carter. Man the way she writes tension has be screaming, blushing, and kicking my feet.

Oh hello!! ehem well here goes nothing

The last time I made a blog post was maybe mid pandemic?? I did have a blog once upon a time. It was called A Little Bit of Everything because that is the type of content that has always called to me. I wrote about fashion, my time working for Disney Cruise Line, what it was like working away from home with mildly managed anxiety 😅. And now here we are again, in a new space and working on being perfectly imperfect.

I've been a Bindery tastemaker for...6 months?? is that real?? And for the last 6 months I have been telling myself to get back to the blog stuff and do some written posts, so. that's the background. Honestly since getting into video creation writing feels so foreign to me, but I do miss the blog days and I'm hoping to bring to back on this platform.

Okay enough of an intro you are probably not reading this for all of that. I have been in a S.L.U.M.P. capitalized and underlined. I started a new job at the beginning of the summer and since then all my energy has been focused on quite literally starting over. I finished 0 books in June which felt soooo weird. And then suddenly 2 days ago I have finally been bit by that book worm again and I can't get enough (thank god because how is a girl gonna have a book platform when she can't finish any books). So I thought we could do a little summer reading update and I'd share the books I read in July and what I'm currently reading. Cool? Cool.

July, I managed to read 4 books in July which made me want to throw a partyyyy 🎉

I am back in my Winter Sea era, H.M. Long's 3rd book in the series came out in July so I wanted to re-read Dark Water Daughter and Black Tide Son

H.M. Long is one of my favorite fantasy authors. She just gets it. The world building, the magic system, the sense of adventure and wonder, and a sprinkling of romance and tensions, her books have it all and I am totally immersed every time I open one of her books. This series follows Mary and Sam on a high seas chase of cat and mouse where pirates, and royalty appointed sea-man hunt for a long saught after treasure. Oh and Mary can control the weather and air with her songs and Sam can walk into the "other" a place where he can catch glimpses of what may come. I have read Dark Water Daughter 3 times now?? And I could read it 100 more.

Staying the world of series I listened to the audiobook for Holy Terrors the final book in Margaret Owens Little Thieves series.

I really don't gravitate towards YA as much anymore, I haven't stopped, I just find unless there is something really there to captivate me I am enjoying my adult centered novels more. There is something so special about this trilogy. It feels like a dark fairytale meets you get to actually see what happens along the way and Margaret had me from chapter 1 book 1. When we meet Vanya she is a little con artist, who also happens to be the goddaughter of Death and Fortune. She unfortunately cons the wrong person and ends up pissing of a Goddess who curses her. That structure along could have held me for 3 books, but the way Margaret brings us along 3 different mishaps of Vanya's all while expanding not just the world she built but Vanya's world, and don't even get me started on the romance. Giggling?? Gasping! Holding my breath all while managing to not feeling weird because I'm reading about teenagers??? It was so satisfying!!!! I am incredibly impressed by Margaret's ability to take very complex emotions, ones that we felt as teenagers and often continue to face into adulthood, and not make them feel contrived or over simplified. I could go on and on about how much I love these books.

The last book I read in July was an arc of one of my most anticipated releases this year. The Princess Knight by Cait Jacobs

I'm gonna try and not get too mushy because wow I'm so proud of Cait. Cait is one of the main reasons I started making book content, I was so inspired by their Tik Tok account and they have continued to inspire me as a creator for the last 5 years. And now I get to hold their book in my hand??? (and I'm hosting their NY book launch event 🥹) Pinch me or hand me a tissue.

So the book. wow. Absolutely charming. This is Legally Blonde meets medieval fantasy and I was hooked the whole time. I actually love reading adaptations, it's one of my favorite sub-categories, especially when authors can take a story and find a new story to tell while maintaining beats and callbacks to the original material without regurgitating the story just in a different font. Clia is our main character, of course she is a Princess, and she has been primed for her duty, to marry a Prince. But when that Prince decides she is not worthy of the betrothal, she not only needs to try and win him back she has to prove him wrong. Throw in a military academy, secret plots, incredible fashion sense, and a grumpy warrior?? How was I supposed to not fall in love.

And now we're in August. Where July was filled with books I can't stop gushing about unfortunately the two books I've finished so far this month are just...fine.

I really have been in a fantasy romance mood so I jumped into Behooved which felt like it was going to be My Lady Jane/Shrek meets magic gone wrong how do we fix it!

Off the bat, I did finish this book. I think I was just so determined to finish something that I didn't want to give up on it but...oof. I really was just bored for a good portion of the beginning, then I was intrigued and the banter was kind of engaging, and then the end totally fell apart for me. Like fully this is a SPOILER but there is noooo pay off for one of the villains. To the point that I was so confused. They essentially "had a reason" for doing the bad thing and the main character was like "well they really had no choice so I'll forgive them" WHAT ?? So this book will be leaving my collection expeditiously because I just don't want to think about it ever again

And then unfortunately I followed that up with another mid romance.

Give Me Butterflies, and Entomologist (someone who studies insects) and an Astrologist fall in love. Cute, they both work at a museum, she's up for a promotion at work, he's on the hiring committee, she crashes their cars. Fun. So where was the banter?? The book starts with Finn (the astrologist) being grump central, if the mayor of Grumpville wore a tie with planets on it. Millie, of course, is sunshine. So why does it take .2 seconds for the grump to un-grump. To the point that they don't actually address that maybe he was grumpy because his sister died 6 months before the book begins. It felt like all of the outlying factors for why these characters had their emotional motivations were constantly on display, but neither of them actually address it within themselves or with each other. And then there was a joke about wingspan and she totally lost me. Again, I did finish the book so I was entertained on some level, but I found myself constantly wishing something else was happening.

And now you're caught up. I'm currently reading Orange Wine by Esperanza Hope Snyder and I'm loving the narrative difference between this and everything else I've been reading lately. It's really reminding me of Isabel Cañas without the gothic horror.

I'm almost 100 pages in and I can't wait to pick it back up later today.

In non book things,

I'm loving Season 3 of the Gilded Age I can't believe the last episode of the season airs tonight.

I've been putting all my creative energy into my podcast Books on the Brain so if you enjoy bookish podcasts give it a listen we only have 3 more episodes left of the season.

And I am back in my superhero phase rewatching Justice League and Justice League Unlimited and I am so content with my cartoons.

Leave me a comment and let me know what you've been reading or watching this summer

xo