Series Name: My Spy, # 2
“What I can promise,” Chan said, voice low and urgent, “is that I won’t ever intentionally hurt you. And I’ll do everything in my power to keep anyone else from hurting you either.”
A warm fuzzy feeling spread out across my chest, like sparklers lighting up a night sky. No, not sparklers–willows. The firework that hung in the air for a moment, trailing streamers of golden magic behind like its namesake tree.
His fingers traced along my jaw, and all the bones in my body melted.
Mr. Nice Spy is a fun, flirty, fast-paced rom-com that is hard to put down.
Andee Paxton knows she’s good at her job as a fireworks designer. What she doesn’t know is that her biological father is Holt, a dangerous arms dealer who has escaped prison. And now he’s searching for his long-lost daughter-dearest.
After the CIA surprises her with this news, they drop another bombshell: they want to use Andee as bait to capture Holt once and for all. But before the CIA can even attempt to spring their trap, she’s kidnapped along with the very hot Officer Adam Chan—all because they were too busy flirting to worry about silly things like “safety protocol.”
A fake relationship—for their protection, of course—and just a few explosions bring Andee and Chan closer, but there’s more than their growing connection at stake. If Holt’s plan succeeds, the world will be brought to its knees. Andee and Chan must rely on each other to stop him…or else everything (including their feelings for each other) might just blow up in their faces.
The synopsis for this book sounded unique and so different from other rom-coms that I have been reading. I was looking for something light-hearted, fun, and entertaining, and that is precisely what I got. This is a light romantic suspense spy novel; think of those fun spy action movies. This is a really easy book to sink into. Tiana did a great job of bringing together all these different story elements (mystery, suspense, action, and romance) and creating this unique story. If you like your rom-coms fast-paced and witty, you will love the wild ride this book takes you on.
One of the things that really stands out in this book is the fact that our CIA hero is disabled. Chan was injured on the job and now requires hearing aids. This book has a lot of American Sign Language, which Tiana brilliantly incorporated into the plot. Tiana also included this message that even though a person may live with a disability, it doesn’t mean they aren’t capable of great things. Chan is a fabulous spy, and his disability doesn’t hinder his ability to do his job.
I loved both MCs in this book. There is this great reverse grumpy sunshine feel to their relationship. Andee has this slight type A personality, which has made it hard for her to make friends at work. She is an overachiever, and her co-workers don’t usually appreciate that. Andee is also not the most socially adept, which can lead to some fabulous awkward situations (i.e. when she has to pretend to flirt). This unexpected adventure she finds herself on pushes Andee out of her comfort zone. But as her journey unfolds, she discovers that she has this hidden strength she didn’t know she had. Chan is Mr. Nice Spy. He is that sweet, charming, cinnamon roll guy who just so happens to be a trained CIA operative. I loved his character. He’s not the typical alpha male character you would normally get in these stories. He is that perfect book boyfriend.
The romance in this book moves quickly. It’s pretty clear that there are sparks between Andee and Chan right from the first moment that they meet. I loved their banter; it was fun and light-hearted. External factors, i.e. getting kidnapped, cause their budding romantic relationship to develop a little quicker. Getting locked in a small room for an extended period of time really creates that perfect opportunity for the two MCs to really get to know each other. The whole getting kidnapped element also heightens the emotions within these characters, which they sometimes act upon. In this story, there are a lot of smouldering looks, steamy make-out sessions, and snuggling in one-bed situations. I devoured every single one of those romantic moments that happened between these two. It just made me smile because they were often so sweet.
Mr. Nice Spy is a satisfying and wonderfully romantic story with an exciting spy element twist.
Thank you, Berkeley Publishing, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
