I Spy: 6

I Spy is the second "Partners in Crime" book, the first being Dangerous Curves. "Partners in Crime" is a corporate security firm made up of former FBI agents and partners Aimee, Daphne, and Raine. Dangerous Curves was Raine's story; I Spy is Aimee's. I Spy begins when Aimee is hired to uncover industrial espionage for McConnell Aerospace. She zeroes in on the most likely culprit, only to discover that he, in turn is focusing on her as a likely culprit for selling McConnell's secrets, not to another company, but to another country. CIA agent Race Gardner and Aimee join forces to stop the spy, but only after Aimee makes it clear that she doesn't work for free. Aimee and Race fall in love, but as things get more complicated, Aimee's avowed love of money makes Race's superiors believe she's sided with the villain. Both Race and Aimee, and their trust in each other, are put to the test in the page-turning, can't-put-it-down climax. The good: The suspense. The suspense in I Spy was truly gripping. I knew (thank goodness for that happy ending guarantee!) Aimee and Race would both make it out alive, and that they'd end up together, but just how they'd manage it was not at all certain. The villain. The villain was particularly well-done, I thought. He was sympathetic and understandable... and completely ruthless. The heroine's emotional arc. Aimee was her own worst enemy. Her stated intentions to work only for money, as opposed to dedication or duty, caused everyone but those closest to her to believe the worst, and caused even them to pause a little. Her fledgling relationship with Race was put to an extreme test of trust that they both passed with flying colors, putting a lump in my throat & tears in my eyes even as the suspense made my heart pound. (yes, I was a bit of an emotional dishrag by the time this story was done!) The bad: Something happens near the end that I'm not going to spoil, but it's shocking and may ruin the book for some readers. As a frequent romance reader, I fully expected it to be avoided somehow, but it wasn't. It made the book more realistic for me, but YMMV. The nice little bonus: As in Dangerous Curves, there's a young girl--two as a matter of fact: Josie and Giselle. A little minor theme running through these books, it seems, of young girls being smarter and more aware than people give them credit for. The verdict: I'd been looking forward to I Spy since reading Dangerous Curves. I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I Spy has made me expect even more from Daphne's story. I can't wait!

This is the first Jacey Ford I've read and I really liked it - not loved like some books that grip your soul, but I would definitely look for her next one. Strong female Aimee Devlin and strong, sexy male Race Gardner are a combustible combination. And what's really cool is they are fallible people who fall hard, fast, but do what is right for their country no matter how painful it is to their relationship.

I loved Dangerous Curves and anxiously awaited this book. I was not dissappointed, although I would have enjoyed a little bit of catching up with Raine and Calder. Aimee is spying at a corporation looking for an employee who is stealing secrets. She is unaware that the FBI has a spy working there as well. When they discover each other, the sparks fly (although it would have been better if they had been attracted to each other in their "drab" cover). Aimee and Race end up working together and fall in love. As a result of the investigation, Aimee ends up working undercover for the "bad guy" Nic. The reason I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 was that I think Ms. Ford spent too much time developing Nic's character, that I found myself liking him. I beleived Nic's feelings for Aimee were deeper then Race's. I almost wanted Aimee to end up reforming Nic and have them be together. It was a good book, and I am waiting for the next one, but I hope that the Hero is more developed in that one.

Aimee Devlin, former FBI agent, now a partner with two friends in the Partners in Crime security firm, has the uncanny ability to make herself blend into the woodwork, enabling her to observe and gather information in a variety of situations. Her latest job has her doing just that as she investigates the employees of McConnell Aerospace, in search of the one who is being bribed for information by a rival company. Aimee is immediately suspicious of Horace "Race" Gardner, the company's new CFO, whose never-ending quest for company information marks him as questionable. As it turns out, Race is a CIA undercover, who is likewise investigating McConnell's employees, but he is on the lookout for someone who is making a deal with international arms dealer Nic Sabre. Once the two realize that they are on the same side, Aimee is hired by the CIA to infiltrate the luxurious private compound of Sabre. Aimee immediately falls in love with Nic's daughter, Josie, but cannot allow herself to trust anyone else at the compound. She does manage limited contact with Race, who wants to scrub the mission as he begins to fear for Aimee's safety, but Aimee refuses and convinces him that they must follow through with their original plan. The one thing Aimee does not plan on is Nic Sabre falling in love with her. Barely able to stomach him or his pursuit of her, Aimee has to force herself to tolerate his very presence as well as his romantic advances. Ms. Ford has penned a wonderful story of romantic suspense, bravely taking her heroine to extremes that others would not dare, raising one question after another as you turn the pages. These sophisticated, intelligent characters are extremely easy to care about. Twists and turns abound and the "bad guys" are truly evil and generate an abundance of chills. The love scenes are very tastefully done and add just the right amount of heat. This is without a doubt one of the most creative and enjoyable romantic suspense books that I have read for quite some time and I can very easily give it my highest recommendation. Courtesy Laurie/Romance Junkies

Joe McConnell CEO, of McConnell Aerospace, believes that a member of his executive board is selling secrets not just as an espionage spy to a rival company but to a foreign government. He hires former FBI agent Aimee Devlin of Partners in Crime to ferret out the culprit amongst his inner eight. Pretending to be an executive assistant, Aimee soon hones in on the newest member of the inner sanctum, CFO Race Gardner, who acts suspiciously. At the same time that Aimee focuses in on Race, he pays extra attention to her as an undercover CIA agent trying to figure out who is selling secrets to the enemy. Aimee acts the most suspiciously. Quickly both realize the other is an operative and soon they combine their resources to uncover the traitor even as they fall in love. As with DANGEROUS CURVES, the first Partners in Crime tale, I SPY is a delightful investigate romance starring two likeable protagonists. Aimee's reason for leaving the Feds is simply that her real hourly rate was below the minimum wage, something that Race can commiserate with. The who-done-it is cleverly handled so that the audience will wonder until the final altercation as prime suspects keep changing with new evidence surfacing. Jacey Ford writes a fabulous suspense laden thriller that will keep readers interested form start to finish. Harriet Klausner