India Holton lives in New Zealand, where she has enjoyed the typical Kiwi lifestyle of wandering around forests, living barefoot on islands, and messing about in boats. Now she lives in a cottage near the sea, writing books about unconventional women and charming rogues, and drinking far too much tea. You can find more of my reviews of her work here.
Known as Agent A, Alice is the top operative within the Agency of Undercover Note Takers, a secret government intelligence group that is fortunately better at espionage than at naming itself. From managing deceptive witches to bored aristocratic ladies, nothing is beyond Alice's capabilities. She has a steely composure and a plan always up her sleeve (alongside a dagger and an embroidered handkerchief). So when rumors of an assassination plot begin to circulate, she is immediately assigned to the case. But she is not working alone. Daniel Bixby, otherwise known as Agent B and Alice's greatest rival, is given the most challenging undercover assignment of his life—pretending to be Alice's husband. Together they will assume the identity of a married couple, infiltrate a pirate house party, and foil their unpatriotic plans. Determine to remain consummate professionals, Alice and Daniel must ignore the growing attraction between them, especially since acting on it might prove more dangerous than their target.
The Secret Service of Tea and Treason is probably the most-full of hijinks and shenanigans than the previous two books! There's a lot of navigating of different social situations—dances! croquet! hiding behind sofas!—making for a lot of interesting interactions between our main characters. The cast is full of those we've come to love—the two couples from the previous books make appearances, don't you worry—but also some new characters who make their mark just as brightly. Even though there's a lot going on in this mission, the romance takes centerstage always, and at its heart, The Secret Service of Tea and Treason is absolutely a love story.
Alice's and Bixby's romance is probably the most trope-y yet. There's fake dating/marriage of convenience, forbidden romance, only one bed, workplace romance, and probably so many others that I'm missing! They (mis)quote poetry to one another and their romance is so sweet, but what I loved the most was how vulnerable both characters were. It seemed to me like, at the very least, Alice was on the autism spectrum. While it's never stated on page if that's true or not, there was something extra vulnerable about their romance. Unlike in the other two, there was more care shown between the two characters as they learned how to navigate one another's needs, while also learning how to work together with the pesky thing called attraction. I love how the vulnerability and the heart of their romance didn't disappear behind the euphemism and the jokes and the (mis)quotes (even though those things are all fun and exactly what I love from an India Holton romance!).
Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn’t gush over the (mis)quotes and the cameos. I think that's what makes this series so special—India Holton is able to entirely carve out her own space in the romance genre, making a unique little world where characters are literary and think and speak in (mis)quotes, where the intention of magic is debated while earrings are stolen right off lobes, and where characters can reappear and make for truly tear-inducing epilogues. I am bereft that this series is over, and the only thing keeping me afloat is knowing that those characters and that world exists in these three books, that I can reread them over and over, and that they will always have their happy ending.
And! That we get more India Holton books soon! I simply cannot wait to read The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love, and you can bet the second it comes out I'll get my hands on it and have a review to share. Until then!
*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*
Comments
Post a Comment