Review of "Engagement and Espionage" by Penny Reid

My Review:

This is book is the first in a newer series by Penny Reid. It focuses on Cletus Winston and Jennifer Sylvester from the Winston Brothers series as they deal with mysterious happenings around town. In this story, the farmers that supply Jenn the ingredients for her famous Banana Cake either start refusing to sell to her or have bad things happen to their farms. Jenn and Cletus think there is something foul at play, and it seems to all connect back to Jenn's father, who is intent on ruining Jenn's mom during their divorce. Jenn and Cletus work together along with the Winston brothers and family to figure out what's going on before things turn deadly.

I love Penny Reid's writing and have read her other series, Knitting in the City and The Winston Brothers. Reid writes characters that have struggles and differences, which makes the reader care more about their journeys. Her stories are also entertaining and humorous. Cletus is one of my favorite characters from her series so I was happy to see this spin-off series featuring him. Let me say that it did not disappoint!

I thoroughly enjoyed the story, not just as entertainment, but also as a mystery. While the reader gets a clue pretty early on about who is mainly behind everything, it's still interesting to see how everything fits together. So for me this novel is a big win as it combines humor, romance, and mystery all in one story.

How Much Coffee Was Needed?

I was excited to get this book and couldn't wait to read it. Reid's writing is the type that makes reading so entertaining that you do not realize just how long you've read. I ended up staying up way too late one night finishing this novel. This book was worth 3-4 extra cups of coffee as I didn't want to put it down. Again, any sleep lost was totally worth it!

What's Next?

The Searcher by Tana French

Review "Dating You/Hating You" by Christina Lauren

 

My Review:

If you've read other books the author duo Christina Lauren, then you know what to expect from this one. Two people are attracted to each other, but are put in difficult situations where they really shouldn't like each other. Mix in some humor and hot romance, and you've got this book.

In this story, Evie meets Carter as a setup by mutual friends at a party. Both are Hollywood agents, but still seem to hit it off. Little do they know that Evie's company has just bought out Carter's company. As the two companies merge, Evie and Carter become co-workers/competitors forced to work together with the possibility of only one of them keep their job. Of course, they struggle to not only work together but hide their attraction to one another. 

Evie and Carter have strong chemistry in this story. It was entertaining to read about how they struggled to make things work both in and out of the office. I also really liked the character of Evie as she has a great sense of humor (Carter calls her Evil, which I love!) and is very competitive. She's been dealt a lot of junk in her job, but she still rises above it and is successful. 

The book is a cute and light read for anyone who just wants to have a little fun and escape reality for a bit. I really enjoy reads like this as I can just sit back and be entertained. This book is the perfect type of read when work or life is very stressful, and you may not have a lot of extra energry, but you just need a break. I've read several books by Christina Lauren and have enjoyed them (My favorite might be The Unhoneymooners. Wow, that was a weird word to write out!), so I knew what to expect for this one. It was a quick read too, which I appreciated as I didn't feel like I labored throught the book. Overall, a fun book and just what I expected from this pair of authors.

How Much Coffee Was Needed?

I read this book during Spring Break, so I was able to stay up later and get up later in the morning. I did stay up late one night trying to finish this book, so I definitely needed extra coffee. This book was worth 2 extra cups of coffee for me. It was a fun story, and I just wanted to keep reading.

What's Next?

Engagement and Espionage (Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries Series Book #1) by Penny Reid