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lizziaha's review against another edition
funny
4.0
Truly a good time. I just couldn’t quite accept the premise on this one. The two main characters are supposed to be prodigious spies, but they’re so utterly oblivious that it’s hard to believe. Otherwise, a thoroughly enjoyable story, although I would not quite classify it as historical romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Trafficking
emalderwood's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Another fun read in this series! Also loved getting some autistic rep from Alice.
Alice's sensory experiences and overwhelm I felt were well handled and realistic, including how she herself felt about them. Her autistic traits were kept mostly consistent through the book and went deeper than stereotypes - her autism was a part of what made her, her but she encompassed more beyond the symptom checklist and had her own unique coping mechanisms that allowed her individuality to shine. She also experienced difficulty, and shame, and pain from how her autism impacts her. I really appreciated how that was handled. Alice's hurt and reflections on who she is vs who her many masks are made me feel seen.
I did feel that Alice's lack of awareness around idiom and subtleties of conversation weren't entirely consistent with her character, though. I appreciated her not picking up on all of them or interpreting them incorrectly or just not noticing when someone was speaking with double meaning. What I wasn't as much a fan of was how that was the case in every situation. I felt that as an intelligent spy, who supposedly has spent so long masking and pretending to be someone else undercover, that she would at least have studied and learned the real meaning of some of the idioms and euphemisms people were using. Even if she still forgot or had to take a minute to figure it out, or got it wrong sometimes, it wouldn't have felt it so at odds with how she's had to adapt over her life and mask.
Overall a great read and I absolutely adored Alice. I could tell the author took her time trying to do her justice.
Alice's sensory experiences and overwhelm I felt were well handled and realistic, including how she herself felt about them. Her autistic traits were kept mostly consistent through the book and went deeper than stereotypes - her autism was a part of what made her, her but she encompassed more beyond the symptom checklist and had her own unique coping mechanisms that allowed her individuality to shine. She also experienced difficulty, and shame, and pain from how her autism impacts her. I really appreciated how that was handled. Alice's hurt and reflections on who she is vs who her many masks are made me feel seen.
I did feel that Alice's lack of awareness around idiom and subtleties of conversation weren't entirely consistent with her character, though. I appreciated her not picking up on all of them or interpreting them incorrectly or just not noticing when someone was speaking with double meaning. What I wasn't as much a fan of was how that was the case in every situation. I felt that as an intelligent spy, who supposedly has spent so long masking and pretending to be someone else undercover, that she would at least have studied and learned the real meaning of some of the idioms and euphemisms people were using. Even if she still forgot or had to take a minute to figure it out, or got it wrong sometimes, it wouldn't have felt it so at odds with how she's had to adapt over her life and mask.
Overall a great read and I absolutely adored Alice. I could tell the author took her time trying to do her justice.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Violence
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Ableism, Bullying, and Child abuse
kendal_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Violence, Ableism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Child abuse
Minor: Death and Pregnancy
shaipanda's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I’ve been in such a reading slump most of this year so this took me a while to finish but I loved ittt - it was completely ridiculous but super fun and had a really great time reading it :) it really gripped me esp in the second half
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Sexual content, and Ableism
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Violence
Minor: Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, and Animal cruelty
nenaveenstra's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book was incredibly funny and I - as an autistic person - really related to Alice and Daniel. Without saying it outright, this book is a great representation of what being autistic is like (although I wouldn't say we are all as naive/innocent...). I laughed out loud several times, and I also wiped away tears. The romance was very slow, though.
I think I would love this book even more upon reread, now knowing what to expect. I miss these characters already.
I think I would love this book even more upon reread, now knowing what to expect. I miss these characters already.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Ableism and Child abuse
Minor: Pregnancy
beckyyreadss's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The first and second book in this series were gifted to me by Michael Joseph Penguin Publishing and when I saw that the third book was released, I had to find out how it ended. I didn’t overly enjoy the first two books, so I didn’t have high hopes for this, and it was okay just not mind blowing.
This book has two points of view. The first is Alice also known as Agent A and she 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. So when rumours of an assassination plot begins to circulate, she’s immediately assigned to the case. But she’s not working alone. Daniel Bixby, otherwise knowns 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 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.
If you are wanting enemies-to-lovers – this isn’t it. This book is two people denying their feelings for 200 pages and one of them pretending to hate the other and the other of them having a crush on them but having conflicted feelings about. The only saving grace of this book was the dual POV and hearing Daniel’s thoughts and him being protective of Alice.
I think this book would have actual enemies-to-lovers instead of fake dating and pretending to hate each other. I wanted to know the conflict and why they hated each other and none of them had a valid reason. Another issue I had with this book was I was waiting for something to happen, anything to happen that when the big “villain” got revealed I was almost rooting for him because this book was just a bunch of filler pages until the reveal. I would have liked the separation after the mission to have been longer, but it was like they are forced apart in one chapter and back together in the next.
Throughout this series, all I've wanted was more from it and never got it. It was an alright read but I don’t think I'll re-read them again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Abandonment
Moderate: Sexual content, Child abuse, Violence, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Death, Gun violence, and Animal cruelty
katrinaward's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
This book made me sob. Every single sentence written by Holton is a masterpiece, but the way this book handled the isolating experiences of growing up neurodivergent is the best thing I’ve ever read. I will be reading this book again and again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
meganpbell's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Two rival agents are forced to go undercover as a married pair of pirates to investigate the whereabouts of a weapon intended to kill Queen Victoria in this third and final book in India Holton’s Dangerous Damsels series. I found the setting limiting and the plot dragged for me, but the steam in this installment was the steamiest of the three, I loved the neurodivergence rep too, and Holton’s physical comedy always gets me.
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism, Child abuse, Kidnapping, and Violence
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