Publisher: Moon Zoom Press
Date of publication: November 27th, 2021
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery
Series: Banana Girls
Spies Never Quit—Book 1 (review here)
Spies Never Swoon—Book 2
Purchase Links: Amazon
Goodreads Synopsis:
Anna doesn’t care if the prince is charming. She only has to keep him alive.
Agent Anna Rivers is no stranger to sabotage, mysterious attacks, or high-speed car chases, so the assignment to protect Prince Leopold from an unknown foe should be no problem. But his constant flirting will definitely test her resolve to not get romantically involved on a mission. Can she save the prince and guard her heart at the same time?
If you enjoy kick-butt spy-girls and charming princes, you’ll love SPIES NEVER SWOON, the second book in the Banana Girls series where the romance is sweet and the suspense is cozy.
First Line:
Sitting in the glittering four-story atrium of the most luxurious hotel in downtown Atlanta wasn’t exactly how Anna Rivers had planned to spend her Friday evening.
Spies never swoon by M. taylor christensen
When the author contacted me to read/review Spies Never Swoon, I couldn’t say “Yes” fast enough. I had enjoyed Spies Never Quit, and I had been waiting to see when the second book would be published.
Spies Never Swoon is book 2 in the Banana Girls Series. Readers can read this book as a standalone, which I find myself rarely saying in my reviews. Mari and her boyfriend (plus the other Banana Girls) appear in Spies Never Swoon, but they stay in the background.
Spies Never Swoon is Anna’s story. Anna has two weeks to figure out who is behind the attacks on Prince Leopold’s bodyguards. Anna figures it will be a quick assignment, but it ends up being one of the hardest she has ever done. She has to deal with a mysterious attacker, a flirtatious prince, uncooperative coworkers, and her feelings towards Leo. Can she figure out who is behind the attacks, why they are doing it, and not let her emotions get in the way of the job?
Anna was first introduced in Spies Never Quit when she saved Mari from thugs and brought her into the Banana Girl fold. So, I was thrilled to see that this book was about her. I loved her in this book. Not only was she tough, but she was super smart. I could see why her boss picked her to solve the mystery.
I wasn’t a big fan of Leo when the book started. But, as the book went on and the author revealed Leo’s layers, I began to like him. He ended up being one of my favorite people in the book by the time it ended.
The mystery angle of Spies Never Swoon was very well written. I had thought I guessed who was behind everything by the end of the book. So, when the book’s climax happened, I was 100% shocked about who the bad guys were. The author threw out red herrings and then wrote a twist that took me some time to wrap my head around.
The romance angle of Spies Never Swoon was also well written. There is no sex and a couple of kissing scenes. I liked that, seeing that the author wrote this book for teenagers. Saying that, though, Anna and Leo’s chemistry was excellent.
I never write about this, but the action-angle of Spies Never Swoon was terrific. I was sucked right into the scene and left it feeling breathless. Loved it!!!
The end of Spies Never Swoon was fantastic. I loved how the author ended the storyline but left it open for book 3.
I would recommend Spies Never Swoon for anyone over the age of 16. There is violence and some mild language.
Ooh, I do love a good mystery, Jolie. I imagine it’s quite tricky for an author to write a truly standalone story when creating a series. Happy to hear that Christensen managed it though.
He did!! What I liked the most (and I don’t think I mentioned it in my review) is that my 16 year old can read this.