The first book in the Rebellious Brides series was fun. I like the spy theme and the danger aspect of the novels. This one took me awhile to get into, but I ended up enjoying it and really getting into the romance.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
One-Sentence Synopsis
A woman wanting to save her daughter has to seduce a famous spy who turns out to be the man she loved when she was younger. For a full synopsis, see this book’s Goodreads page.
Dirty Deeds
Elle was told her daughter at died at birth, but now she knows that the girl is alive and being held by a man threatening to sell her into slavery. With her daughter’s well being held over her head, Elle has to seduce a spy known as The Razor, but she doesn’t believe her target is correct when she finds that it’s Will, her brother’s best friend and the man she’d been in love with before a misunderstanding pulled them apart.
Back From the Grave
Will can’t believe Elle is alive, considering her whole family is under the impression that she’s dead. Now he’s involved in the intrigue and needs to find out what she knows about a fellow spy who has disappeared. But traveling with her proves to be difficult. Will has always loved Elle, and those feelings are stronger now that he’s found her again. He’s also extremely jealous of the man she married (who’s now deceased) and bitter about how she callously turned her back on him when they were young.
Communication Makes It Happen
Elle and Will are the classic example of how just talking about things can save years of separation and heartache. After Elle gave Will her virginity, she had hoped he’d pledge his love for her and they would be married. What Elle got was a half-hearted “I guess I can marry you,” or at least that’s what she heard. Will felt guilty about what he’d done, and even though he had the best intentions and wanted to be married to Elle, he thought that she didn’t want to be married to him. And instead of figuring it out, Will went to get a special license without telling Elle, then got called away on a mission, and when he came back, she was married to a French guy.
It’s like a soap opera, but an enjoyable one, and the misunderstandings between Elle and Will lead to a lot of feels and conflict. There’s also the mystery surrounding Elle’s daughter and Will’s unsurety of the role Elle plays in the spy world. Kind of a hot mess.
Stirred and a Little Shaken
I have to admit that I had a hard time getting into the spy stuff because I really just wanted more about Elle and Will. I loved that they were both hurt because I knew eventually they’d figure it out and it would be awesome. Later in the novel, the spy stuff picks up and there is definitely an edge-of-you-seat vibe. There’s a touch of damsel-in-distress, but Elle is actually a strong character who has a strong maternal instinct to get back to the daughter she’s never met.
The Romance Factor
I loved the fact that these two were made for each other and had loved each other for so long, even though distance and her assumed death kept them apart. There is a lot of tension, and even when they get things resolved, they have to overcome one more personal obstacle…as well as dangerous external factors…to get to their happily ever after. 4/5
The Steam Factor
Sexy times are fairly tame but nicely sensual. 3/5
Final Thoughts
This was a nice, chill read that definitely pulled at my heartstrings. Other than the fact that the characters were a little too self involved when they were young to get it together, they were likable and sweet. The intrigue was a little hard to get into, but the danger and romance towards the end made it worth it.
The Romance Factor 