Danger, desire, and a licence to thrill — what’s not to love? Whether you favour your heroes brooding and mysterious or your heroines sharp-witted and unflappable, spy romances deliver all the heart-pounding excitement of a high-stakes mission with the added bonus of a love story that could blow your cover. From glamorous safe houses in foreign cities to covert rendezvous gone deliciously sideways, these ten books prove that when it comes to matters of the heart, even the most seasoned operative doesn’t stand a chance. So settle in, pour yourself something sophisticated, and get ready to fall head over heels — because these reads are absolutely to die for.
The Blonde Who Came in From the Cold by Ally Carter
Ten years ago, they joined the CIA.
Six years ago, he left the game.
Five years ago, they fell in love.
One year ago, she ran out into the cold with absolutely no intention of ever coming back.
And two minutes ago, they woke up, bloody and bruised and handcuffed together in the dark.
They don’t know where they are. They don’t know how they got there. And they have absolutely no idea who is after them or what this nameless, faceless villain wants.
The only thing that’s clear is that, after ten years of covers and chemistry, secrets and lies, these two rival spies have been sucked into their greatest mission yet, and now they’re going to have to team up to stay alive. (If they don’t kill each other first.)
Lies by Kylie Scott
Betty Dawsey knows that breaking things off with Thom Lange is for the best. He’s nice, but boring, and their relationship has lost its spark. But steady and predictable Thom, suddenly doesn’t seem so steady and predictable when their condo explodes and she’s kidnapped by a couple of crazies claiming that Thom isn’t who he says he is.
Thom is having a hellish week. Not only is he hunting a double agent, but his fiancé dumped him, and thanks to his undercover life, she’s been kidnapped.
Turns out Thom is Operative Thom and he’s got more than a few secrets to share with Betty if he’s going to keep her alive. With both their lives on the line, their lackluster connection is suddenly replaced by an intense one. But in his line of work, feelings aren’t wanted or desired. Because feelings can be a lethal distraction.
The Spy and I by Tiana Smith
The first thing to know about Dove Barkley is that, even though she works as a cyber security analyst, she is one hundred percent not an undercover CIA operative. But when a group of bad guys mistake her for her super-spy sister (news to her!), Dove gets roped into a dangerous government mission that she’d very much rather be left out of, thank you.
Too bad Mendez, the man who claims to be her sister’s partner, says she’s in too deep to back out now. He’s smart, capable, and has a body almost distracting enough to make Dove forget about the team of trained assassins after her.
Dove has information that can help prevent a national tragedy, but there’s mounting evidence that Mendez might not be who he claims. More importantly, she’s running out of time to save her sister. Because the last thing Dove wants is for either of them to go out with a bang.
The Spy in 3B by Nana Malone
Sometimes, romance is (also) hiding in plain sight.
It’s hard to fill out a dating profile when everything you write is a lie. But in her line of work, Lyra can’t exactly tell the truth. And she’s determined to get over the man who broke her heart by moving on, so here she is, lying on a dating app. Then again, so is he.
Lyra is no marketing consultant, but a plucky undercover operator. Marcus isn’t really a videogame designer, but he is obsessive over codes. Both of them are elite undercover agents, and unknown to each other, are each tracking down the same dangerous double agent. As the case heats up, so does their chemistry…but their mutual desire to come clean becomes more impossible with every lie.
Night Magic by Karen Robards
Romance writer Clara Winston dedicates her newest book to her cat, Puff, without knowing what havoc she is about to unloose on her placid (boring?) life. Because there’s a rogue CIA agent out there whose code name is Puff, and some very bad guys want to kill him. When the bad guys show up at mild-mannered Clara’s house, thinking that she can lead them to the man they’re hunting, she is rescued by that man, disgraced CIA agent Jack McClain. Jack is green-eyed, black-haired, infuriatingly macho—and every bit as sexy as the romantic heroes she’s always writing about. Clara hates him on sight, but if she wants to survive he is the only game in town.
With Puff very reluctantly in tow, they go on the run for their lives, battling each other until the sizzling chemistry between them explodes into red-hot passion.
The Secret Service of Tea and Treason by India Holton
Two rival spies must brave pirates, witches, and fake matrimony to save the Queen.
Known as Agent A, Alice is the top operative within the Agency of Undercover Note Takers, a secret government intelligence group that is fortunately better at espionage than at naming itself. From managing deceptive witches to bored aristocratic ladies, nothing is beyond Alice’s capabilities. She has a steely composure and a plan always up her sleeve (alongside a dagger and an embroidered handkerchief). So when rumors of an assassination plot begin to circulate, she’s immediately assigned to the case.
But she’s not working alone. Daniel Bixby, otherwise known as Agent B and Alice’s greatest rival, is given the most challenging undercover assignment of his life— pretending to be Alice’s husband. Together they will assume the identity of a married couple, infiltrate a pirate house party, and foil their unpatriotic plans.
Determined to remain consummate professionals, Alice and Daniel must ignore the growing attraction between them, especially since acting on it might prove more dangerous than their target.
Spies Don’t Fall for Their Asset by Meg Easton
He’s an international spy. She accidentally becomes his asset.
Every Tuesday, my best friend and I get together to watch spy movies, and I dream of a secret agent sweeping me off my feet.
Imagine my surprise when a) one actually does, b) I don’t realize he’s a spy (even though “secret” is in the job title, so I should’ve seen that coming), and c) his mission is to protect me.
For the I don’t need protecting. But if I did, Jace would be my top pick. I have more fun and feel more connected during the 10 minutes when he’s rescuing me from a blind date than I’ve had in the past several years of dating combined. Add a helicopter, a black-tie gala, and a motorcycle chase, and even though I’m reluctant to date anyone, I’m ready to let him protect me anytime.
Yet, my (considerable) reluctance to date is nothing compared to Jace’s. He has a rule not to date anyone until he is no longer a covert intelligence operative. Something about it being a bad idea to mix love and espionage.
But am I falling anyway? Yeah, I might be falling.
Send help.
The Spymaster’s Lady by Joanna Bourne
She’s never met a man she couldn’t deceive…until now.
She’s braved battlefields. She’s stolen dispatches from under the noses of heads of state. She’s played the worldly courtesan, the naive virgin, the refined British lady, even a Gypsy boy. But Annique Villiers, the elusive spy known as the Fox Cub, has finally met the one man she can’t outwit.
The Spy Who Ghosted Me by Jennifer Peel
Are you ready to get ghosted?
Three years ago, I fell truly, madly, deeply in love. It was kind of hard not to when Cash Denton, the sexiest man alive, literally ran into me on the streets of Bordeaux, France, and kissed me. Best. Meet. Cute. Ever. That led to the best two months of my life. Or . . . so I thought, until Cash disappeared into thin air. At first, I assumed he was in a coma or had amnesia after a tragic accident, since there’s no way he would have left me. But that was just wishful thinking because, you guessed it, he ghosted me with a capital G.
So, you can imagine my surprise when he suddenly shows back up in my life at my parents’ resort—while I’m there for my sister’s wedding, no less. It’s the last thing I need, seeing as one, I hate drama, and two, I’m pretty sure my sister’s fiancé isn’t who he says he is. There’s a lot of that going around, apparently. Because get this: Cash, or whatever his real name is, claims to be a spy. You heard me right—a spy. If that wasn’t crazy enough, he wants me to pretend to be his girlfriend so he can keep tabs on the supposed diamond smuggler my sister is marrying. I’m not sure who or what to believe. All I know is, this wedding is way more than I bargained for and there is nothing pretend about my feelings for Cash or whoever he is. But can a regular girl and her ghost live happily ever after? Or will the spy turn out to be just another ghost story?
Code Word Romance by Carlie Walker
Two exes. One mission. A trip she’ll never forget…
Max is just your average girl. She works odd jobs, has a soul-crushing amount of debt and just happens to have an uncanny resemblance to Europe’s youngest female prime minister, Sofia Christensen . . .
So when the prime minister receives a credible death threat, the CIA approaches Max with a a life-changing amount of money if she pretends to be Sofia on the prime minister’s annual Italian trip.
It would be a dream if it weren’t for those pesky assassins and Flynn, Max’s ridiculously hot handler – the man who broke her heart years and years ago.
With her life now on the line, Max knows she has no choice but to lose herself in the role. But losing her heart to Flynn again? Now that’s a risk that she isn’t willing to take . . .
