Scan barcode
vickis's review
4.0
Lots of fun, think James Bond with a female butler who gets into trouble and plunges into his world of espionage. There will be places you laugh and places you gasp and a few places you suspend disbelief and don't care. Good light travel reading or if you want something to brighten your spirits.
somasis's review against another edition
4.0
Basically 007 and his housekeeper/butler, mostly murder and mystery with one of the most satisfying slow burn romances I've ever read. Nearly perfect with breakneck pacing, excellent plot twists, and characters I want to read more about. I only wish some events in the text were a little more clear and some POV changes were more clearly defined. I already have the next book downloaded on my kindle
anwoodward's review against another edition
5.0
Oh, I positively devoured this terrific book. The writing is lovely, the humor is dry and just a bit silly, Mae is a delight and Kitt ... more Kitts, please. I’d like to know more about Bryce, too - hope he gets a book as well!
cana's review against another edition
2.0
I liked the premise but oof, this was so slowly paced it felt like I was reading it for about 60 years. I want suspense to be a little bit quicker moving.
kiwicoral's review
3.0
I loved the leads and their slow-burn, banter filled relationship. Alas, this was too much “suspense” and not enough “romance” for my taste in romantic suspense.
pluxaplong's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
rhodered's review
4.0
I loved the heroine. The hero is meant to look like Daniel Craig as a cranky James Bond, and he’s portrayed more convincingly and humanly than you might expect. She is the standout though. She’s self possessed, intelligent, with a sense of her own worth and not remotely the cliched lonely, helpless widow.
In fact she’s far more like women I know IRL than the out-of-touch, needy middle aged women routinely portrayed in fiction. So, it was a near constant shock reading this to realize I was seeing a real middle aged woman, with a real woman’s strength, sophistication, humor and inability to take shit from anyone. She’s set financially, she’s not wanting children or grandchildren, she’s capably making her way through the world on her own terms, and although mourning a beloved husband, not mourning the fact that she’s got no one to look after her, because she can look after herself.
I can’t tell you the relief of it. To find a woman I can identify with who’s actually about my age in a book. Along with a there-as-eye-candy man.
Also there’s LGBT rep in passing because despite cishet leads this is a world that’s very like the real world.
Why not five stars? I got tangled in all the Italian names. I’m not much of a suspense or mystery reader, so that figuring out who dunnit was not my thing. i didn’t like reading the phonetic bits showing her accent, they jolted me out of the story. And I was a bit fed up with her mourning for the husband, after 16 years one ought to have moved on. But, who’s to say? I’ve never been a widow.
In fact she’s far more like women I know IRL than the out-of-touch, needy middle aged women routinely portrayed in fiction. So, it was a near constant shock reading this to realize I was seeing a real middle aged woman, with a real woman’s strength, sophistication, humor and inability to take shit from anyone. She’s set financially, she’s not wanting children or grandchildren, she’s capably making her way through the world on her own terms, and although mourning a beloved husband, not mourning the fact that she’s got no one to look after her, because she can look after herself.
I can’t tell you the relief of it. To find a woman I can identify with who’s actually about my age in a book. Along with a there-as-eye-candy man.
Also there’s LGBT rep in passing because despite cishet leads this is a world that’s very like the real world.
Why not five stars? I got tangled in all the Italian names. I’m not much of a suspense or mystery reader, so that figuring out who dunnit was not my thing. i didn’t like reading the phonetic bits showing her accent, they jolted me out of the story. And I was a bit fed up with her mourning for the husband, after 16 years one ought to have moved on. But, who’s to say? I’ve never been a widow.
irishcontessa's review
Read the first quarter but just didn't really like the characters or the pacing
queenofthegeeks's review
5.0
Kitt is a rake, Mae is a buttoned up serious housekeeper. Neither can admit they have feelings for each other and use biting sarcastic word swords to keep each other at arm's length. But Mae's killing a guy with a toilet brush nut punch puts them on a collision course for honesty. One, the best thing about this book is the caustic sarcastic batter. It's like a cross between Moonlighting and James Bond. (I am well aware my knowledge of Moonlighting screams, "Hi! I am middle-aged."). My second favorite thing about this book is the Italian swearing, fond memories of my time living in Italy! The third, this book is non stop action and the ending is a perfect circle to the start, dry slow humor that says nothing but means everything...and her toothbrush moves in :)
This is a perfect story of two middle-aged MC starting over with each other.
This is a perfect story of two middle-aged MC starting over with each other.