Review: Sugar Plum Spies

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VISIONS OF SUGAR PLUMS . . . 

Most spies take a break for the holidays, but not me, Charlotte Locke. As an analyst for Section 47, a secret spy organization, I normally use my magical form of synesthesia to uncover lies and track paramortal criminals from the comfort of my cubicle. But tonight I’m going out into the field, along with my partner, Desmond Percy, a powerful galvanist. Instead of enjoying Christmastime in the city, I’m in a German castle, dressed like a toy soldier and masquerading as a waitress at a swanky Christmas Eve party. My mission? To gather information that will help Section 47 track down a dangerous enemy. Despite the glitz and glamour, I can’t shake the sense that something is wrong—and that Desmond and I might not leave the party alive. 

DANCES OF DEATH . . . 

My name is Desmond Percy, although I’ve had many aliases during my years working as a cleaner for Section 47. But I’ve never had a real partner until Charlotte Locke. My part of the mission is simple: pretend to be a guest and keep an eye on things at the party while Charlotte uses her synesthesia to track down the information we need. But what starts out as a sugar plum dream quickly turns into a holiday nightmare. Forget the mission. All I want for Christmas is to keep Charlotte safe.

Genre: romantic suspense/paranormal

Publication date: November 2022

Mature content: yes

Review: While I loved reading A Sense of Danger (book 1 in the Section 47 series), this second book did not work for me. At all. 

First, there are several pages of back story. It's clear that the author wanted to make sure Sugar Plum Spies could be read as a stand alone. I don't think it can, even with the backstory, and all that extra baggage was just annoying for some who read book one recently. 

Then I had some issues with the plot, which somehow managed to make little sense. I felt this was more like an extended epilogue of book one, or maybe an intermediate novella, but not a full sized book with its own plot. After all, the whole book describes what happens in a period of just a few hours. 

Finally, the writing was incredible repetitive. The same words and expressions over and over again. I got to a point where I felt that if I read the word "mercs" one more time I would throw up. 

So yes, book one is great and totally worth reading. Book two is just something you may want to read out of curiosity if you loved Charlotte and Desmond in the first book, but it won't add much to what you know about them or give them a happier ending than the one they already had.

Happy readings!

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