The blurb and storyline intrigued me so I knew had to give this a read. The characters are well put together and incorporate you into what’s going on. It has that excitement and mystery over what’s transpiring that keeps it doing. To me it lost some of its edge to me about halfway through, but then picked back up not long after. I do want to go back and read the first book and other series for more. One you want to check out and add to your list.

A thin disguise is the second book in the stitcher series.

I’ve read the first book and enjoyed it so much so I was looking forward to read this second one as it's my second story by the author as well.

Olivia is a great female character she “inherited” impressive skills from her friend Claire and is not on the hunt for a murderer. But her disguise is not so good as she thought. While on a mission, she meets charming Leo, an agent as well and here is where the story starts at full pace. I would better say that actually he meets her as she loses consciousness and he's trying to save her.

Leo is charismatic, protective and everything you want from a perfect character. He has his own flaws and a past but will overcome everything for Olivia.

Her life is not almost unknown, trying to keep her secrets close to heart and not disclosure anything, not even her real name. But it's hard not to fall in love with Leo, especially since he looks like the picture perfect future that she never dared to dream about before.

I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to seeing what other stories the author has in mind for us.

4.5 stars
Arc review from the publisher

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review A Thin Disguise
I was thrilled to receive this book by Catherine Bybee as an ARC. I've read her books in the past and have enjoyed all of them. Her writing style is easy to read, characters are well introduced, easy to follow. This novel was a thriller with light romance, Claire has been shot, ends up in the hospital, she had been working undercover and now has amnesia, her coworkers come to the rescue to ensure she is safe while she recovers, all the while not admitting to who they or she really are. A romance develops, will it continue or last?
A well written book by a fantastic author, a must read. I will continue to read books by Catherine Bybee

A Thin Disguise didn’t wow me as I hoped it would be based on the premise of the FBI agent falling for an assassin. I thought book one was better in comparison.

The story was classified as a romantic suspense, but personally I thought it was lacking in the suspense. The story began on an exciting note, but the excitement ended after the heroine, Olivia, lost her memory. From that moment, the focus was on her trying to regain her memory and her growing relationship with Leo. I expected a change with the return of her memory, however this was not forthcoming. It was not until near that some action was forthcoming. It did not give me the adrenaline pumping feeling one would expect from the genre.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t relate to the characters. I know Olivia has been through a lot. Orphaned at an early age and sent to study at Richter. and on completion of her studies was forced to become an assassin. She is seeking to make amends for the persons she was forced to kill, hence her current situation. Despite this, I found it difficult to feel anything for her. Too aloof for my tastes, I guess her being an assassin made her that way.

Leo was adorable. Having met him in book one, I was happy to know he would get his own story. I like how he stepped up to protect Olivia at the risk of his job. Even after finding out about her past, he stuck by her.

I never thought I would say this, but the romance was boring. They shared flirtatious moments, but their chemistry was non-existent and don’t get me started on the intimate scenes, which felt off. I never felt the passion one would expect from these scenes.

The pacing was not what one would expect from the genre. Parts of the story dragged and there were a few times when I lost focus.. Honestly, I kept reading, in the hopes it would get better.

For me, the best parts of the book were the camaraderie between the characters and the epilogue. The characters shared a few humorous moments, which had me smiling on a number of occasions. The author delivered a swoon worthy epilogue.

To conclude, A Thin Disguise did not deliver as I hoped it would. However, don’t let m opinions discourage you as it appears I am in the minority based on the many rave reviews I have seen for this installment.

A Thin Disguise by Catherine Bybee
Richter #2

Leo Grant, intrigued by a woman he sees in Las Vegas, is chatting her up and putting on his flirt when she is shot by a drive-by shooter. Having lost her memory, she is whisked away by a team to keep her safe as her identity is kept from her and everyone else. Will her memory return? Who is she? Will she and Leo end up together? And, what else happens in this story?

What I liked:
* Leo Grant: FBI Agent, has worked undercover, is on protective detail for a major crime trial, interesting, a good partner for Olivia.
* Olivia: Assassin, previous student at Richter Academy, loner, under the radar, working for Neil temporarily, lethal, intriguing – a good match for Leo.
* Neil and his team: a mismatched team of ex-military, hackers, and others that work alone and with government agencies – a family of sorts. Enjoyed seeing some of the ones I knew from before and meeting new members.
* That Mykonos received the sentence he deserved
* The international sleuthing that produced results
* The conclusion and possibilities for Leo and Olivia in the future
* Thinking about who might have their story told next and hoping to be able to read it.

What I didn’t like:
* Remembering why Mykonos was on trial
* Knowing there are evil people like Mykonos and his organization

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in the series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

Olivia on her last assignment as an assassin sacrifices herself in an attempt at redemption. Leo the target knows who she is and questions why she stepped in the way of a bullet marked for him. Both have questions as does the Bureau that puts them in a place to recover. Time and recovered memory are running out. Both need answers and Olivia just wants to stop. Together can they solve the reason Leo was targeted and let Olivia step away from a life she no longer wants?

Loved reading the awesome and amazing second book in the Richter series written by the phenomenal Catherine Bybee. When Olivia saves Leo's life and gets shot, Olivia loses her memory, has a passionate relationship with Leo, gets her memory back, and leaves to find the assassin. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, full of action, suspense, and romance, and a must read love story.

**The ARC copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Montlake in exchange of an honest review **

Honestly, when I read the synopsis, I thought this book would be kind of exciting and packed with all sort of actions. But it was not. It had potential. It could've been a really good books if the interaction between the characters didn't lack the emotions or we could have a bit depth in the action department. Overall, just a meh read.

A THIN DISGUISE (Richter Book #2) by Catherine Bybee is an exciting and action-packed romantic suspense. Once again, even though all the male characters of MacBain Security are highly trained, it is the women taken in from Richter who are elite, highly trained, kick-butt heroines. The plot of this book continues months after the ending of the first book with the same characters, but the romance plot is unique to this story.

Olivia Naught was groomed from a young age to live a life not of her choosing. She expected to be an international spy with her training from Richter, but soon learned she was to be an assassin with no control over her own life. When the man controlling her is killed, she works to redeem herself. She refuses to join MacBain Security, but she does agree to secretly guard the witness that will put the leader of a criminal family in prison.

FBI Agent Leo Grant has worked the criminal case that Olivia is guarding the principal witness for. Leo accidently interferes and he stops Olivia on the Vegas strip where Olivia takes a bullet for Leo from a passing car.

Waking in the hospital with no memory puts Olivia in danger. Leo and the MacBain team of operatives work to keep her safe until she can remember her past. Olivia and Leo’s attraction grows, but there are secrets in her past and the others know she will walk away when she remembers who she is.

Will Leo be able to pull Olivia in from her solitary life and prove they are stronger together with a little help from their friends?

I love Olivia and Leo together. The ex-assassin and the FBI agent who you think could never work, but Ms. Bybee’s deft plotting makes it happen. Olivia, like all the girls of Richter, have pasts that could destroy them, but they meet the one man who will emotionally save them. All the romances in this series continue to add members to the MacBain Security pseudo family. These books are all action-packed and full of thrills, but this book does have a few slower chapters while Olivia has amnesia and is healing from her gunshot wound, but it is necessary to show there can be a different Olivia than the solitary assassin from previous books. The sex scenes are passionate and explicit, but I feel they are not gratuitous.

I love this book, series and author and I am looking forward to many more books to come!

is it bad that I wanted MORE amnesia hahaha
Another smashing success with another amazing Kick butt heroine.
I love a strong independent woman don't need no man story because it shows that love is not a NEED but a desire.. a partner makes you a better person but not a person if that makes sense. I love the Richter girls and I want more.

I’m loving this series! Olivia and Leo’s story kept me on the edge of my seat. I love a good romantic mystery and Catherine Bybee writes some of the best!

I began reading Catherine Bybee's books with the First Wives Club, and from there, I've read most of her series. One of my favorite series is the Weekday Bride series, and this book is a spinoff of both series. We met Neil McBain in the Weekday Bride series and again several times in the First Wives Club series.

I am so glad she has created a series for the students who have come out of the Richter School. This story solidifies that opinion beyond a shadow of a doubt. Filled with a tough woman escaping her guilt, a charming and caring FBI agent, and characters we have already come to know and love, the story takes you from Vegas to Colorado to California to Europe and back to Texas. All filled with page-turning excitement and a great story that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I highly recommend it to anyone who has or hasn't read Catherine Bybee's books before. I guarantee you will want to read everything by her by the time you finish.

I was so intrigued from the first few pages! I really enjoyed the plot! It was pretty brilliant actually! I really enjoyed where the story went! The characters were different and I really loved there this book took them!

This was an awesome read. It started off a little slow but it totally built up to some great action and intrigue. I loved that Olivia was the kick butt heroine. I haven’t read the first book in the sorties so will have to definitely read it.

A Thin Disguise is book two in the Ritcher series. This book is everything you could ever want in an romantic suspense. Throughout the time I was reading this, this book have me strong female Jason Bourne vibes. This book took me on a ride that I didn't want to end. I can't wait to see what's next from Catherine Bybee.

In the first book of the series a private group breaks open a high school prostitution gang and brings some of the kingpins to justice. This second book picks up with the trial and the expert testimony of one of the victims. Leo Grant is the FBI agent running protection, Olivia is the stealth protector assigned to the case. Perhaps she's not so secret when a chance meeting between Leo and Olivia leads to a bullet which hits Olivia and leaves her with dissociative amnesia. Who was the target of the bullet?
FBI agent Leo Grant definitely thinks he's the target and Olivia took the bullet for him. When she wakes up with no memory of who she is and where she is, Neil MacBain's team comes in to guard her. As it turns out she's well known to Neil who hired her as his secret weapon and also to some of his team who came from the Richter school in Germany. 
As Olivia's memories come back, she knows she has to sever her growing romantic ties with Leo and friendship with the rest of the team guarding her in a safe house. Can she find redemption for her past and come in from the cold? Leo is determined to do what it takes even if means risking his career with the FBI. 
I definitely recommend reading the series in order as the two books are very interconnected and the second book paints a deeper picture of some of the characters. An excellent suspense that will keep you at the edge of your seat. These are the first of the books that I've read by the author but I'm definitely a fan now. Can't wait to see what comes next.

An orphan trained to be an assassin meets the FBI agent in this detective/romance story. The push and pull between Olivia and Leo is great, and her work family all rally round when she gets shot and suffers from amnesia, helping to heal her physically and mentally. Anew author for me who I look forward to reading more from.

This was my first book by author Catherine Bybee and what a great introduction to her writing as well as a complex suspense world that she has built.

A Thin Disguise is the second installment to Bybee's Romantic Suspense series Richter. It follows Olivia who is a former student the Richter a school where the students were taught anything but normal. Olivia is on assignment where she is looking out for a witness who has a target on her back but some very prominent people who want her gone. But Olivia is shot and wakes up with no memory and is thrust into the world of people who want to protect her, especially from her past and Leo a federal agent who has a soft spot for this stubborn woman.

Olivia is an extremely complex character, she is always alone, on the run, not trusting anyone because of her past. She was an assassin and her connections to Richter brought her to Neil and his team of former Richter connections. They normally work with the government and police, doing things their way. All they want is the best for Olivia and know how she functions, with her memory lose, they just have to wait for the ball to drop. She has one heck of a past and it was interesting to see her memory fighting both the new possibility and what her life has always been like.

Leo is trying to stop these powerful people from targeting an innocent young woman. He comes across Olivia at random and cant get her out of his head. They end up randomly meeting again which ends in a shooting. Now he's brought into a world he didn't know existed. I loved his character, he just a good man who falls hard for a someone who thinks she cant have anything good.

Overall this was a fantastic story, lots and I mean lots of suspenseful moments. Wonderful secondary characters and a background story that I feel will unfold more with each book. It did take me a bit to catch up to what was going on in the beginning, as this is the second book and I have not read the first. However I was easily enthralled with the story that I couldn't put it down and had to know more. Now I'm off to read the first to tie in the connections.

Romantic suspense is my favorite romance sub genre, so you can say I have read my fair share. The blurb caught my attention and I am glad I was not disappointed!

When you read this sub genre, you are not looking for reality so much as a pulse-pounding, action-packed read. I am happy to say this book definitely delivered.
Leo and Olivia are the type of couple you can't help but enjoy due to the crazy complications in their stories. I am definitely going back and reading the first book of the series because I want more!

Suspenseful
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2021
2nd book in the series it can read as a standalone.
Suspenseful tale of an assassin meeting an FBI agent. Secrets are kept safe so that all involved stay alive.