I had really high hopes for this book, but about half-way through it started to fall flat. I love spy novels and books about spy work and I felt like the story really had a lot of depth and potential, however, as the story progressed it just got boring, like the author was just trying to wrap it up. There wasn’t a lot of chemistry between the two main characters and no real love scenes, just kissing, before they were declaring their love for each other. That was just so unrealistic for a supposed international spy that I stopped caring. He supposedly had a whole history of womanizing (for work and some for fun) prior to the FMC, so the storyline just felt so ridiculous once they started to “love” each other. So meh… not sure if I’d continue the series. If I could half-star it, I’d give it a 2.5 for the start start, lame finish.

The audiobook was amazing. The narrator gives the story life in a different way. The story is really engaging and fun. Swoons and thrilling. Highly recommend

Thank you Net galley and Dreamscape Media for this audiobook.
3.5 stars, i enjoyed listening to this audiobook as the female narrator was super fun and so expressive. Especially when she starts to ramble, it felt so natural, and it helped Mackenzie's character developed a lot. I could understand why Jace fell for her. She was literal sunshine. Jace, on the other hand, trained to be secret operative, keeps his cool even on the time he might be falling hard for her. I love this type of dynamic and that was perfectly shown in this book.
I loved the whole Lancaster family and want each single sibling to have their own book. PLS MEG.
Waiting excitedly for Dreamscape Media to drop "Spies don't fall for their Rivals" on Net galley, cause i will be defo first in line for that.

This is a review of the audiobook.

ALC REVIEW:

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Helicopter fights, high speed chases, and secret agents are everything you need for a great spy romcom. Unfortunately, what was intended to be an action pact story failed to deliver.

Pinpointing my exact grievance with this audiobook was difficult. However, after much deliberation, I have concluded I got hung up on the narration. Sadly, I was not a fan of either voice actor.

Despite my relatively low rating, I don’t want to write this story completely off. Some of my closet reading buddies (who share similar tastes in books) have not only enjoyed this story but the following books in the series. For this reasons, I would be willing to go back and read this as a physical book. My hope is that the traditional version of this story would better suit my preferences and allow me to experience it as Meg Easton originally intended.

Special thanks to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and Meg Easton for allowing me to listen to this book in exchange for my honest review.

*Reading is a subjective and personal experience. As a result, I hope others will take my review with a grain of salt. My intention is to share my honest thoughts without bashing authors, voice actors, or a piece of literature.

DNF at 29% - I just couldn’t get into this unfortunately. I found its start slow and the male narrator had a weird tone to his voice.

Witty, swoony, and packed with just the right amount of suspense, Spies Don’t Fall for Their Asset is a delightful rom-com with a spy twist. Meg Easton delivers clever banter, irresistible chemistry, and a storyline that’s pure fun from start to finish. It’s a must-read for fans of lighthearted espionage and slow-burn romance.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC of this audiobook for my honest review

I was happy reading this , it was a cute romance. I just felt like it was really too much learning and teaching like this is how to have a perfect and healthy relationship kind of conversations and less just this is a fun romance. I just felt like it was too “perfect” but it was still fun.

I love Meg Easton's stories, and "Spies Don't Fall for Their Asset" is no exception.

Adventurous Mackenzie finds ways to step outside her comfort zone regularly in the hopes of bringing joy and inspiration to herself and others. While she's content with who she is, her last boyfriend did a number on her self-confidence and sense of worthiness, and adopting her current approach to life is a way to prove him wrong.

When her sister sets her up on a (really bad) blind date, against her will, she is rescued by another guy in the restaurant, who poses as a long-lost friend to help her out. As much as her date claims to be an FBI agent and tries to wow her with his exploits, little does she know, Jace (the guy who rescues her) actually is an intelligence operative. He'd been in the restaurant to meet an informant when he saw the interactions between Mackenzie and her date and felt a strong desire to protect her from what was becoming an increasingly uncomfortable situation.

Both of them are surprised by how easily they riff off each other as they weave a backstory neither had planned, to explain Jace's interruption of Mackenzie's date. So, when they accidentally bump into one another again later than week, it's natural to pick up where they'd left off.

The story goes from there, including some witty banter with a high-speed chase or two and some espionage thrown in for good measure. Easton is a skilled storyteller who has created characters for this series that are equal parts sweet and funny, producing a heartwarming romance.

Thank you to the author, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

This was a cute closed door romance. It was a light suspense novel.

I liked the character and like Jace and Mackenzie together. The interactions with the side characters was well done.

I hope we get more from Jace's siblings.

Hallie Bee Bard and Rusty Mewha did a wonderful job with the narrations.

This was a cute, sweet, fun, and lighthearted read. I wanted more spy action but still enjoyed it.

Thank you to Netgalley for my complimentary ALC. All opinions here are my own.

⭐️ 4.75/5. I can officially say I will now be binging all the spy romances I can find! This story had all the fast-paced action paired with small-town romance that I needed in my life.

Includes themes of:

👠 Protective spy MMC
👠 Family of spies
👠 FMC with a zest for life
👠 Small-town romance
👠 Helicopter flights, secret agents, and high speed chases

One of the best things about this book in my opinion is that the predictable ending I was expecting happened 2/3s of the way in, and so it wasn’t the end. It wasn’t even the climax. The real climax and ending then caught me off guard in a really creative and positive way that kept the ending from being predictable.

The only thing that wasn’t my favorite was that for those first two thirds of the book, the FMC is a little bit too naive—to the point where I feel like she needs to think a little harder about the circumstances 😂

Otherwise, though, I love the characters, plot, resolution, and setup for book 2!

Jace is an international spy. Mackenzie is out on a horrible date with someone who says he’s a spy. Clearly that guy is not! Thankfully Jace swoops in to save this horrible date he witnesses. Somehow after some turn of events, Mackenzie becomes Jaces’s asset. Jace must now protect Mackenzie without her knowing so he begins to date Mackenzie. The problem is he’s really falling for her. Can Jace protect Mackenzie and have a relationship?

The audiobook definitely enhanced the story read by Hallie Bee Bard. Each voice was distinct and easy to follow along to. Listeners will enjoy this spy romcom.

I adored the narrator's performance! Hallie Bee Bard has such a brilliant voice and sounds like a happy podcaster telling her friends an entertaining story. It worked really well for the FMC's personality as a spy movie aficionado who loves to talk about it with her sisters. Rusty Mewha is one of my favorite narrators because they bring an articulate and polished sound that is unique in a sea of male characters. Incredible match for the part of a freelance spy who notices the girl trapped on a horrible first date.

Their meet cute was hilariously cute and I enjoyed that Mackenzie kept surprising him. First, he thought that she might also be an operative but when he realizes that she fell into the middle of his operation accidentally, Jace does everything he can to protect her. One of the really unique elements here is that in their "real" life, it's Mackenzie who is teaching Jace something new. He's perfect at pretend but when it comes to socializing, she's the one to push him out of his comfort zone.

Unfortunately, the spy element which I was most excited for didn't work for me because we as the readers knew way too much. Jace is in the dark because he's trying to figure out Mackenzie's involvement while keeping his profession a secret from her. Mackenzie is the dark because she doesn't know that Jace is a spy or that all these operatives are circling her. But as the reader, we know it all and it ruined the element of surprise for me.

I LOVED this book!!! It was so much fun and fast paced that I read it in one sitting.

It reminded me of twilight but instead of vampires it was spies.

The characters were very likeable and their chemistry was god-tier. The writing was fantastic and extremely gripping. I truly cannot wait to read the next book in the series.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!!!

I listened to the audiobook and the narrators were amazing! I loved the author’s writing style- it felt very natural to me and like I was listening to friends. Romance, lots of humor, mystery, family and friendship- it truly has it all. The characters are literally the best. There is a second book in this series so far and the way I see it, there are 5 more easy characters to have books in this series- 3 more also have potential and spin-offs from new books could be even more. I truly hope this becomes a VERY long series with different main characters for each book but with all characters existing in their universe. Highly recommend this one, I was sad when it was over and I’m starting the second immediately!

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁:

Spy Romance = Yes Please!!! This was a super fun read, it was like being by in an action spy romance movie. Highly recommend if you want adventure, fun, sizzling chemistry, cuteness overload like serious relationship goals, and to smile the entire time you read. Loved it so much this was my first book by Meg and now I need to go binge the rest of this series.

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:

Mackenzie is a physical therapist by day and a spy movie lover by night, she loves the thrill and adventure the secret agents lives bring. But a chance encounter with a stranger could turn her world upside and make her unkowningly star in her own spy romance.

Jace was on a mission when he saw a beautiful brunette on a horrible date that needed a quick save, so of course he helped her. He didn’t expect that same gorgeous woman to now be at the shopping center while they watch a handoff go down. Even worse the target mistakes her as their assets and slips the package into her purse. Being quick on his feet Jace has to intervene and their once random encounter now gets a second chance.

With the target now looking for Mac to recover the package she is now in danger, so Jace will have to fake date her for her protection. But the problem is Mac and Jace have real chemistry and you shouldn’t mix real feelings with espionage especially when your whole family is spies.

𝙁𝙖𝙫 𝙌𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚:

“It was the kind of kiss that they base entire movie scripts around. Write songs about. Nations rise and fall because of kisses like that. I’m an addict.”

𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒍𝒍 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒅:

* Intelligence Operative CSA MMC
* Physical Therapist FMC Turned Asset
* He Rescued Her From Horrible Date
* She Was Shopping & Accidentally Became a Target
* He’s Fake Dating Her For the Mission
* Family of Spies
* Small Town - Cipher Springs
* Sweet Action Romance
* Dual POV


💕😎🔎💼 💕😎🔎💼 💕😎🔎💼 💕😎🔎💼💕

What a fun listen. The Narrators did a great job really bringing the characters to life. You felt the radiant sunshine that MacKenzie was and how that really pulled Jace into her orbit.

There was a good amount of action (like any good spy movie) with romance twisted through it. I really enjoyed the story and can't wait to get my hands on book 2!

DNF @ 30%.

UGH, as a lover of spy thrillers and romcoms, I had high hopes! But this was just not hitting for me at all. It was wayyy too cheesy (and this is coming from someone who doesn't mind some good cheese!) and honestly cringe at times? Definitely a light hearted and easy read, but not one I could see myself finishing.

4.5⭐, 1🌶️

I loved this book! I honestly felt like so many of the romance movies where a girl unknowing falls for a spy/ gets involved in secret agent hijinx. Hallie Bee Bard and Rusty Mewha were great narrators for Jace and Mac. I binged this audiobook in one day cause I just didn't want to put it down - even for a non-spicy romance. I fell for both characters, and love Jace falling for Mac and his whole family helping him get himself together.

💜Hidden Identity/ Career
💙Dual POV
💜 Closed Door/ Just Kissing

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Mac is a spy movie loving girl who's just trying to get her life together. Jace is... a spy. When a drop goes wrong, and Mac accidentally gets handed a package meant for another redhead with a magenta bag (who knew there would be TWO?) Jace is sort of forced to tail Mac constantly and "show up" wherever she is.

This book is SO MUCH fun. I honestly think I could happily listen to it a few times over and still really enjoy it (and I'm not one for rereading things most of the time...) and have fun letting the whole thing play out.

The romance is perfect. The background characters are fun and interesting. The family full of spies?! Hilarious that is even a thing, but the characters themselves work individually, and then the fact that they're family is just a delight.

The audiobook is a lot of fun to listen to, and I really liked both voices. The pacing is great. I loved this whole thing.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley in return for sharing my thoughts on this book. Thanks to the author and publisher for this opportunity!