#spy romance

[fated-mates]

This is the first of three episodes inspired by the incredible time we had at Fated Mates Live in Brooklyn. During the event (which was so so fun we love every single one of you who came!), we asked guests Nikki Payne, Kate Clayborn and Lauren Billings of Christina Lauren to choose an interstitial topic they would like us to tackle on the show. Lauren chose a great one: Exceptions to our rules, meaning…tropes we don’t care for that are done really really well.

So! This one is for everyone who’s ever asked Jen for Secret Baby or Virgin Heroes and anyone who’s ever asked Sarah for Friends to Lovers or Spies. We talk about the books that make us go…not that…but maybe that?

Thanks to Pippa Grant, Charis Michaels, and Adriana Herrera for sponsoring this week's episode.

[checkoutmybookshelf]

We've Had Witches and Pirates, Yes. But What About SPIES?

India Holton as an author has, with three books, become an author who I will read everything she ever writes. The writing style is cheeky and fun and beautiful, and the characters never fail to be engaging and captivating to watch. The first two books also quietly critiques institutions and what it means to be inside and outside of such organizations. This book takes that to a WHOLE other level thanks to the James Bond spoof we're in the midst of. This book also includes neurodivergent leads--Holton has confirmed that both Alice and Daniel are autistic. Overall, the way this book handles romance, sex, and institutions is nuanced and heartbreakingly good. So let's talk The Secret Service of Tea and Treason.

Hey, so...SPOILER WARNING. I'm going to spoil the ever loving hell out of this book. Either read it before continuing or be cool with SPOILERS.

This is a also a CONTENT WARNING for minor mentions of child physical abuse and an organization putting neurodivergent children and adults in arguably abusive situations.

Agents A and B are the top performers of A.U.N.T., and they both secretly imagine their rivals throughout their careers. Those constructs go straight down the drain when Alice (Agent A) and Daniel (Agent B) are assigned to pretend to be married infiltrate the Bassingthwaite historical flying battle manor to thwart an assassination attempt against Queen Victoria.

The megaweapon that the agency was concerned about ends up being a nonstarter/red herring for this universe's version of Q going full-on supervillain (I told you I was going to spoil the end), which actually ends up being VERY funny. You really shouldn't piss off your weapons expert/inventor, because if you do, then when your top two agents apprehend him, you have to give him a medal and a raise. At which point your top agents realize you're a garbage organization and defect, taking a bunch of other agents with them.

This book is EXPLICITLY clear that A.U.N.T. is not a good or even benign organization. It is deeply controlling, toxic, and super unkind to its neurodivergent trainees. Daniel was treated like a bomb that would explode if handled wrong. He is so used to armed men pointing guns at him during situations that his superiors even *think* could get heated that he barely registers them. His life is literally under threat every time his superiors put him in a situation in which he might have an emotional reaction that they feel is inappropriate. Their feelings, mind, not his reality. And there is QUITE the gap between those things.

Alice arguably had it even worse; she was regularly beaten as a child and during her training any time she became overwhelmed, froze, lashed out, or had someone violate her sensory boundaries and she reacted with the full force of her martial training.

So A.U.N.T. is objectively THE WORST at accommodating neurodivergence even as they benefit from Alice and Daniel's skills. That kind of toxic, abusive, and exploitative relationship with an organization is heartbreaking. However, as Alice and Daniel's mission and romance progresses, they gain more perspective on each others' pasts, which allows them to support each other in leaving the organization. Neither could really process or acknowledge how they had personally been treated, but they both know that they cannot stand how the other had been treated. With each other's support, and the support of their friends, Alice and Daniel get to go live happily without bosses who treat them as less than human.

Interpersonally, Alice and Daniel have an absolutely adorable romance. What I found really interesting and really wonderful, though, was how communication and needs were handled. Alice's sensory needs mean that soft touches are a hard no for her. And for most of her adult life, that has meant that after the first try, people have simply stopped trying to engage physically with her. Alice at one point explicitly thinks that people prefer to simply leave her untouched rather than trying to do the work to help her engage in sex in a way that is safe for her. And that is shatteringly common even today; people have weird preconceived notions of what sex "should" be, and if someone does not enjoy or cannot safely engage in those "shoulds," then they "should not" have sex at all. Which is patently ridiculous. Alice and Daniel actually HAVE the conversation about Alice's needs and wants, and they work together to make sure that they both can safely and enjoyably engage in sex.

I read this after watching season 3 of Bridgerton, and after watching Prudence just NOT ENJOY anything about sex or physical intimacy (but being pressured into doing both anyway), I was SO GRATEFUL that there was consent, accommodation, and everyone involved actually enjoying themselves in this book. I would MUCH rather watch two characters actually have the conversations about how to make sex work for them than watch a female character be forced into sex she does not want to have.

I also appreciated that this book acknowledged that people have weirdly specific preconceived notions about sex and who can/should have what kind(s) of it while also going out of its way to say "no, actually, people should have adult discussions about this and figure out the way that works safely, consensually, and enjoyably for them." This feels vanishingly rare in the here and now, and I adore when books do things like this.

Like the first two Dangerous Damsel books, the writing style in this book was PURE DELIGHT. I literally cannot let that go without saying, because with the rise of GenAI and some publishers trying to replace real authors with AI, I feel it's even more important to highlight it when a writer has a unique style, clear voice, and significantly above-average grasp on language. Especially in popular and romance books, because people tend to use those descriptions to describe literary fiction on the regular--but not all of us WANT to read literary fiction. And those of us who enjoy popular genres deserve to have competent writing from real humans!!! India Holton is just a phenomenal writer, and I will never not recommend her on the strength of that.

Beyond that, we also get more pirate and witch shenanagins, and that's never not a blast.

Overall, this trilogy ended strong, and I cannot recommend the Dangerous Damsels enough.

[jessread-s]

Thanks to @penguinteen for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review 

✩💰💎Review:

Lewis’ debut novel is a thrilling must-read that is entertaining to no end!

“Thieves’ Gambit” follows 17-year-old Rossalyn Quest, a master thief  who plans to run away from her notorious family to leave behind her life of crime. Things take an unexpected turn, however, when her last job goes sideways, leaving her mother’s life in the balance. In a desperate bid to save her, Ross enters the Thieves’ Gambit, a legendary, yet dangerous competition in which the world’s top teen thieves go head to head for the ultimate prize—a granted wish for anything in the world. 

There are no dull moments in this book! Lewis’ high stakes, fast-paced storyline made it impossible for me to put it down. I was endlessly entertained and engaged by the series of heists Ross had to complete in the tournament, the cinematic feel of Lewis’ writing, and the backstabbing, lying, and cheating amongst competitors amidst the chaos.

As much as I loved the novel’s plot, I loved Rossalyn Quest as a protagonist even more! Caught between her dream of a normal life and staying loyal to her family of thieves, Ross’ internal conflict is complex and relatable. Her fierce love for her mother is admirable and I found myself rooting for her to win the wish the entire time! The only thing standing in her way is her struggle to trust others. This layer of intrigue only deepens when her fellow competitor Devroe Kenzie begins to break through her walls with his charm and persistence. I adored their partnership and couldn’t help but audibly scream when it turned into something more. 

“Thieves’ Gambit” is full of love and betrayal and I could not get enough despite the ending absolutely destroying me. I need book two immediately and hope that Lionsgate Studios moves forward with the development of Lewis’ debut so that I can see it on the big screen! 

Cross-posted to: Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

[blam-marie]

It's Nothing Personal - 4

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Ghost dropped casually in the chair, swiped Tristan’s coffee cup from right in front of him, and took a sip. He hoped that the other man would make a face at the triple espresso that had long gone cold, but of course he didn’t. Nothing ever really bothered him, and no expressions touched his features that he hadn’t put there himself.

The scar was nowhere to be seen today, likely concealed by a heavy layer of makeup. His chin-length hair, which Tristan was used to seeing well-brushed and slicked back, had been fluffed in a way that made him seem boyish and charming, as well as about ten years younger. He had earrings dangling from his pointed ears, but they didn’t look terribly expensive. Similarly, his sports jacket was nice, but worn at the seams. He had unbuttoned both said jacket as well as the first few buttons of his shirt, going for an air of casual dishevelment that was entirely at odd with what Tristan knew of the man’s actual personality. It looked good on him, though.

He put the cup back down, wiped his mouth delicately with a napkin, then lounged backwards in the seat.

“Your partner’s been delayed,” was his opening salvo.

Tristan blinked. He had thought that they would dance around the subject a bit longer, but clearly Ghost was in a rush. So, the plan was not to make him miss the departure of the cruise. He’d already guessed as much, but it was nice to have confirmation.

“What have you done to him?”

Ghost raised a fine eyebrow and almost looked insulted.

“Me? Nothing. Airport security, on the other hand…”

Tristan was unimpressed. “You slipped something into his bag? What is this, sabotage 101?”

“He got caught with it,” he pointed out.

Tristan shook his head. “Point taken.”

Damn it, Reed. What was he doing, falling for the most basic trick in the book and making them all look bad?! And knowing Ghost, it must have been some truly nasty shit, too. Undeclared bags of soil samples, expensive mushrooms, a pet moss ball, or a novelty magical fishing lure; the sort of thing nobody were aware they weren’t supposed to carry across country lines until they had several governmental agencies yelling at them about it. Airport security was no joke, but give Tristan a loaded handgun in his bag to explain away any day, rather than having to face the International Agriculture Oversight Committee after having tried to bring an orange as a snack for a trip oversea, when that orange had potentially been exposed to a deadly roots-melting bacteria that was common and harmless in his home country but could ravage entire landscapes if allowed to escape somewhere with a different climate. He’d have better chances of surviving close combat with Special Agent Mark.

In all likelihood, Reed would be stuck explaining himself to local authorities for hours, and might even have to be bailed out or pay a substantial fine, depending on what exactly it was that Ghost had put in his bag. If they had been on their home turf, he could have simply pulled rank and skipped the security check altogether. But the cruise was departing from a sovereign polity who had only just clawed their democracy from the claws of a rigged election that could have plunged them back into ten more years of dictatorship, so having one of their spies get caught sneaking into the country would just not be a great idea for Tristan’s agency right now. Or worse, getting caught sneaking aboard a cruise ship where the brother of the new president was taking his wife for a well-deserved and suspiciously-timed vacation along with all of their friends.

Tristan sighed. “What do you want?”

Ghost shrugged one shoulder. “Same as you, I imagine. Intel.”

“Right. So you and…” he waved a hand. “Whatever partner you’ve got are going on this little trip too, and you figured that I’d recognize you as soon as I got on board, so you decided to come and say hi out of what, courtesy?”

The other agent’s lips quirked with amusement.

“Not quite. Its a very exclusive cruise, as I’m sure you know,” he said. “All the tickets sold months ago, mostly by word of mouth. It would be suspicious if four entire passengers dropped out at the last minute and were replaced by wait-listed strangers no one knows, as opposed to just two.”

An uncomfortable rock dropped in the pit of Tristan’s stomach.

“We are not boarding together.”

“Why not? Our missions are the same, or close enough. We have no reason to get in each other’s way. Might as well collaborate.” Tristan had no idea if his side would want to keep the information he was about to gather out of anyone else’s hands, because he had no idea what that information even was. But he had caved to Ghost’s ‘we should collaborate’ logic once before, and it had been nothing but a mistake. One that he wasn’t really eager to make again, even if his entire body sung at his proximity with the other man. Or perhaps exactly because of that. Ghost took another casual sip of the cold coffee and Tristan tried not to look at his hands. Or at the quick flip of tongue that came out to wet his lips.

He tried to make his voice firm. “I am not pretending to be a couple with you.”

“Why not?”

“You know why.”

He could still vividly remember the rush of kissing him — as well as the flash of the gunshot and his voice, cool and steady in his ear: Don’t be upset. It’s not personal, it’s work. Yeah, no. There was a reason his ‘do not get involved with other agents’ rule was in place. Ghost turned to gaze thoughtfully out of the café window.

“So you intend to board as a newlywed on his honeymoon… alone? Or are you just going to not board at all?”

Tristan groaned and shoved his phone into his jacket pocket. He shouldered his bag. “I need to make a call.”

“Is there time?”

He looked at his watch again. “Fuck!”

Ghost chuckled. “Relax,” he said, standing up and grabbing the handle of his suitcase. “It’ll be fun.”

[scrumptiousloveflower]

Why aren't there many spy books?? Do you know how good the romance would be in that!! Especially as a subplot! It could be an enemies to lovers, forbidden love, villain falls for the hero (and vice versa) literal partners to lovers! And the stakes would be so high it would keep everyone on edge. Like so much angst!!

And let's not forget the slow burn would be soooo worth it especially with an angry love confession.

[theflyingcottage]

The ladies of the Dangerous Damsels series by India Holton. Pirate, witch, spy.

[susantbraithwaite]

Well, Hello There!

Hi, I’m Susan 👋 It’s been a while since I introduced myself! Let me take a minute to say hi to the new faces around here. 🤗 I’m a Scottish romantic suspense author. I love writing about Scottish spy heroes and the strong women they fall for. My stories are filled with intrigue, passion, and a bit of Scottish charm… we do have a flair for inventive swearing (that’s charm, isn’t it?)🕵️‍♂️❤️ When…

[eveningmoonlite]

My illustration of Yor and Loid! Inspired by Frederick Leightons “The Reconciliation of the Montague’s and the Capulet’s over the Dead Bodies of Romeo and Juliet”.

[yuushin7]

Whoops, just realized I forgot to post this here 😅I got into drawing characters over photos as a form of practice while keeping it chill. This is a great way to scratch that itch of wanting to draw full illustration but no time/energy to do it. Photo is mine, taken xxx years ago with analogue camera in my dad's birth village. I turned it into countryside Twiyor moment

[fated-mates]

You are in the right place! Your eyes do not deceive you! We’re actually talking about spy romances this week and no Sarahs were harmed during the discussion, but that’s probably because it was a discussion with one of her favorite people, the fantastic Nana Malone!

We talk about Nana’s immense career, about how she took matters into her own hands and started making the covers she wished to see in the world, about her Brown Nipple reading challenge, about her latest book, a Kobo original, The Spy in 3B, and about porny ferris wheels. Real ordinary stuff. We also get to the bottom of why Sarah doesn’t like spy romances generally, but why she can’t get enough of Mr. & Mrs. Smith retellings.

S03.41: Spy Romance Interstitial with Nana Malone

RELEASED: June 2, 2021

[lonelyoleander]

an uneasy reunion

[pjs-everyday]

someone: do u watch spy x family?

me: yea, and I’m so normal about it

also me:

🙂🤲❤️

[blam-marie]

It's Nothing Personal - 3

01 02

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Tristan was an experienced professional. Over the course of his career, he had handled many unexpected and horrifying situations with calm and aplomb. He was a ‘figure it out as you go along’ kind of guy, a real ‘roll with the punches’ sort of fellow. So there was no reason why the appearance of Special Agent Ghost should make him want to duck under the table and hide.

(Yeah, his designation was Ghost. Of course he had such a trite and obvious codename, cool ones were for try-hards. You went up against the ‘Midnight Berserker’ or ‘Crimson Kraken’, you knew it was going to be a piece of cake. But if a ‘Captain’, ‘Viper’ or even worse, a ‘Mark’ showed up? It was probably best to skedaddle, because shit was about to get real.)

(And also before you asked, no he did not know Ghost’s actual name. Another annoyance to add to the list.)

Ghost was still looking directly at him. He hadn’t even swept his eyes over the interior of the café, hadn’t even bothered to pretend that they didn’t know each other. His lips pulled into a smile, and Tristan experienced a full-body shiver before he forced himself to look away.

That was NOT an appropriate reaction, he scolded himself. Get your shit together!

By the time he looked back, Ghost had started making his way towards him. Now that he had moved away from the doors, Tristan could see that he was lugging a large black suitcase with him. The kind that locked with magic, and contained far more than it should. This day was just getting better and better.

Still, something inside of him unclenched at that, and he felt his shoulders relax with something akin to relief. Ghost may be dangerous, but he was also predictable. He never did anything without a very good reason, and if you could only just figure out his logic, it was possible to extrapolate a good guess as to what he planned to do next. Keep that up for long enough, and you might even be able to get ahead of him. In theory.

The suitcase obviously meant that he planned to get on the same cruise as Tristan. And the fact that he had let Tristan see it, meant that he wanted him to know that. Why? Because it arranged him. How did it arrange him?

Ghost stopped next to his table and touched the back of a chair, but didn’t pull it out yet. He smiled warmly.

“Hello, gorgeous. Do you mind if I—?”

It arranged him, because Tristan had something that he wanted.

He smiled back. “Sure, go right ahead.”

[toss-a-coin-to-your-stan-account]

i just realized Radovid didn't just become the lover of a bard - he became the lover of one of the most famous bards of the Continent who is incredibly well known for his songs he writes based on his love and heartbreak brought on by A Guy He Loved Who Broke His Heart. imagine you were a prince and your kingdom's spy network was like "hey there's this bard spy we're using for his ties to the Literal Two Most Important People to the Future of the Continent" and then you're like. that's fucking taylor swift.

[baba-the-fool]

love in twilight

[nightmarilyn]

Binged spy x family so now it’s my new personality :)