Ally Carter takes the high school experience and raises it to a whole new level by introducing her readers to an academy where student education consists of learning doctorate level physics, how to build a proper bomb and the languages of the world, and where career day involves being recruited by the CIA, the NSA or the FBI. As the daughters of career spies, these girls are well prepared for international espionage and how to kill the president of Paraguay with a fork, but not how to flirt with boys and get a date for prom. So when the ultimate chameleon, Cammie, gets made on a covert training mission in town, and made by a boy no less, the girls are a bit suspicious. After all, this boy, Josh, could be a spy, and it’s therefore necessary for Cammie to spend as much time with him as possible. All in the name of international security, of course.
In Cammie, Ally Carter has created a likable female protagonist. She’s sweet, funny, and a little bit dorky as she stumbles through discovering whether she’s experience the regular teenage dating dance with town boy Josh, or dealing with something else entirely. Here’s a girl that everyday experiences the extraordinaire, but longs for the normal she doesn’t have—a boring existence where finding out that your father won’t be coming home from his last mission doesn’t factor in. Josh represents this dream with his nuclear family and roots in Roseville that go back generations, and the longing she feels for these things is clear throughout her narrative. It’s not that Cammie doesn’t love the excitement of her legacy (her mother was a Gallagher Girl, a spy, and is now the head master), but a life without secrets sure looks pretty appealing, even if she has to lie to experience it.
Backing her in Operation: Boy are her friends Bex and Liz (daughters of spies themselves) and the reluctant Macey McHenry (bad girl, debutant, and recent Gallagher transfer); all interesting characters in their own right. Standing in the way of Cammie’s relationship with this possible sweet boy? Her mother, her legacy and the new Covert Operations Professor on the block, Joe Solomon, who just might to have it out for our young heroine.
Instead of falling into the trap of introducing too much plot and making Cammie save the world, Carter keeps the story simple (well, as simple as a teenage spy story can be) as girl meets boy, girl lies to boy to appear normal, and then girl has to deal with the fact that normal isn’t possible for a spy in training. Everything that Cammie does to respond to her life and her relationship with Josh falls within the realm of the world Carter has built. Cammie’s not a normal girl, but her basic wants and needs are the same as any other teenager: the need to fit in, belong and feel loved. The theme (which the author by no means hits the reader over the head with) is applicable to anyone in that lying sucks and there are consequences. Cammie lies to herself, her mother and to Josh, and in doing so hurts them all. While the consequences of this tie up a bit too nicely with the mother, the author doesn’t try to convince us that Josh will forget and forgive. Is there hope? Plenty, but there is also much to be explored in later novels.
With I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You, Ally Carter creates a world that will appeal to anyone who wished their life could be a bit more James Bond and a bit less “Leave It To Beaver”. It’s a fun, fast-paced story that manages to take heavy subject matter—the death of a parent, lying, the high school experience—and brighten and lighten with a coating of lip gloss in much the same way that Bond’s martini washes away the aftertaste of the reality of the international arms race. While Cammie’s narrative isn’t flawless (a few comparisons and descriptions seemed more adult woman than teenage girl—even if she is a spy), it’s a joy to read and I can’t wait for the next novel to come out. The Gallagher girls are sure to have many adventures—and an extensive following—in the years to come. Highly recommended for anyone who would be interested in a blend of the Princess’ Diaries, the Private series and Goose Girl.
You can find I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You here and here and its author, Ally Carter, here.

Liz Talbot, 47, mother of twin girls Sarah and Riley, 23, daughter to Sally, ageless, and ex of Ted, is a baker struggling to recover from the no-carb craze. The No-Bagels Emporium is not just any bakery, but an Upper Montclair, New Jersey institution, one Liz took over from the grandparents who raised her while Sally did her thing as a Radio City Rockette. Specializing in artisan bread – sourdough, baguettes, ciabatta, pagnotta, etc. – Liz, a true foodie, also provides gourmet items such as bourbon pecan cinnamon rolls.
Along with her formally trained baker and pastry chef Shemar, and with the help of her friend Celia and high school work-study students DeVon and Desharee, Liz is doing all she can to keep afloat, including preparing for the upcoming Fine Arts and Crafts Show where she will have the opportunity to display her wares to investors.
When Ted, the ex, suddenly dies, having failed to update his will (in which Liz is specifically named) and leaving her millions in assets tied to Talbot Advertising, Liz sees a light at the end of her tunnel of financial problems . . . a light that is summarily extinguished when she discovers there is more to her inheritance than seven figures.
She also inherits a partnership with Ted’s widow – Brandi, the “husband-snatching chickie-babe” responsible for the break-up of Liz and Ted’s marriage. Brandi, who dots the “i” in her name with a heart. Who owns a string of tanning salons. Who within weeks is on Liz’s bakery’s doorstep to point out that Talbot Advertising’s balance sheet has taken a nosedive since Ted’s death. Just what Liz needs. A second struggling business. No, what she needs is a break.
She gets one when attending a wedding with Celia. While in the hotel bar, Liz strikes up a flirtation with a stranger, and ends up in his room for a delicious encounter that lasts until the wee hours – and has her panicking the next morning over what she’s done almost as much as over being late to the crafts fair. It’s at the crafts fair where she discovers the identity of her mystery man. He’s Marcus James, a food consultant for Nabisco who might very well be the answer to her bakery’s future – or might very well be that and more if their anonymous affair didn’t make for a huge conflict of interest.
Liz finds, however, that no matter her bakery and sex life issues, she can’t turn her back on Talbot’s – not when so much of her past, and now her future, is tied up in the business. Stepping in to save the company will be saving herself, and the bonus she’ll negotiate for her return will help ease her debts. When she and Marcus reconnect, he wonders why she isn’t using her advertising background to market her bakery if that’s where her heart truly belongs. He never caters to her or soft-steps to spare her feelings. It’s a wake-up call Liz sorely needs, one she appreciates honestly without throwing his observation back in his face as a lesser heroine might do to create faux conflict.
In short, these are mature people, likable people, and characters worth reading about – ones who can bitch and moan in one breath, and get over it in the next. No mountains out of molehills. No misunderstandings in lieu of conflict. In fact, Liz’s practicality and determination to face her problems proactively is what makes her such an appealing protagonist, and what makes the story a winner. When she approaches not only her daughters but her mother as well, insisting they all take stock of their adult lives, the reader sees the family support system at work. The dynamic is realistic, avoiding the often clichéd dysfunctional fare. Neither is theirs a fairytale of perfection resolved with a slick deus ex machina.
If there is any part of the book deserving of the chick lit label, it’s Castoro’s abundant references to name brands, labels and designers. Never bemoaning the fact that she is now sporting a wardrobe from The Gap instead of Albert Nippon, however, Liz’s first person voice is engaging, self-deprecating, and relevant. Her thoughts pick up where her dialogue leaves off, and often with such witty irreverence the passages demand being read again. Even so, the pacing, the emotional resonance, and Castoro’s deft juggling of multiple plot lines makes the story zing.
The book is not a romance by genre standards. The focus is on Liz, her family, her businesses, and her life as she deals with Sarah’s fear of the bar exam, Riley’s appearance in a off Broadway play featuring “full-noodle frontery”, Sally’s dramatic machinations, and her growing attachment to Marcus. In the end, however, ICING ON THE CAKE serves up the perfect recipe for a compelling, yummy, and yes, one-sitting read.
You can visit Laura here and purchase this book here and here.

Prince Damien of Nvengaria is in need of a princess, but not any princess will do. He needs the one prophesied by his people. The long-lost one, who is to restore his country to its former glory, heal the sick and tame wild beasts (or demons as the case may be). To top it all off, he’ll know she is the one because she will be the one, the one he falls in love with. When Damien happens upon Penelope Trask, he loves her at first glance, but the long-lost princess isn’t Penelope, it’s Lady Trask, Penelope’s mother. That turns out to be the first of many small bumps in the road; the first is easily smoothed with a ceremony, the rest of the bumps are a bit more difficult to plane. Such as, convincing Penelope to marry and move to Nvengaria.
Penelope may be a simple English girl from the country, but her emotional make-up is deep and her reactions to the Charming Prince are always interesting. She plays the blushing virgin beautifully and more convincingly than the masses of untouched, yet, sexually masterful heroines to be had. Penelope has enough common sense to question the Nvengarian prophesy, the new emotions the accompanying spell casts over her, as well as Damien’s assertions of love for her. She’s a young woman with a mind of her own, whose body is more easily swept off its feet than her mind.
Damien has much at stake in his quest. The Grand Duke, Alexander, has seized political control of Nvengaria leaving Damien, the Imperial Prince, all but a figurehead. Damien must return to his country, wed to the princess, in order to fulfill the prophesy and avoid execution. His time to do so is limited and everyone from Penelope down to his enemies in Nvengaria slow him down and cost him valuable time.
Against this ticking clock and back drop of political intrigue, the romance is full of steam. Steam of the sort that propels the story along and the kind that makes for steamy reading. Ashley manages this neat trick despite Damien falling in love with Penelope the moment he lays eyes on her and then proceeding to immediately tell Penelope of his feelings. The too quick falling in love and the declaration of it, have ruined more than one romance novel. It works here because whether Damien is truly in love with Penelope or simply submitting to the magic of the prophesy remains in question throughout the story. Unlike books involving constructs such as lifemates, it’s clear here that at some point the prophesy will either be fulfilled or broken, thus ending its magic and Damien and Penelope will be left to face their true feelings for one another. It’s that promise that keeps the romance from being a foregone conclusion.
If there is a complaint here, it’s that too much goes on. The story would greatly benefit from streamlining. The prince is charming, Penelope is plucky and the subtle weave of magic (the prophesy and its power) is balanced just so as to keep the idea of magic a possibility without ruining it with too much explanation. But, there is much to distract from what is most charming about this book. Penelope’s mother, Lady Trask has a love of her own, one she must repair. Damien’s Highland friend Egan is setup for his own book at some future point, as are the Grand Duke Alexander and Penelope’s best friend, Meagan. Added to this, Ashley throws obstacles in Damien and Penelope’s path, so they won’t reach Nvengaria in time to fulfill the prophesy, which should be a good thing, but end up feeling like side trips from the main action.
Penelope & Prince Charming is charming, if bloated. Jennifer Ashley has created a couple sexy enough and charming enough to turn pages—even the ones that would be best placed elsewhere—and has woven a worthy addendum to the Prince Charming fairy tale.
You can visit Jennifer here and purchase this book here and here.