My second book in March was done in two days, and of course, I am happy with that small achievement. The good thing is, A Secret Service by Joy Jenkins sort of reminds me of the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter, and even though the resemblance isn't at all uncanny, both are equally interesting hence my growing interest in reading anything affiliated with school and spies.
A Secret Service follows the story of Carter Owens whose father is a Secret Service agent. Since it has been only the two of them for years, Carter grows up being trained to disassemble weapons and fight. Attending the most prestigious school in Washington D.C. called Hamilton Prep full of the children of people in power, being quick-witted, brilliant, and fearless turn out not enough. Carter always considers herself as a social pariah though thankfully, she doesn't care.
Everything changes though when some new students come to attend their school. Carter unexpectedly makes friends with the sweet if a little shy Link Evans and his mysterious yet moody friend named Donovan Keller. For once, Carter fails to scare them both away. She doesn't know why they choose to be stuck with her, but she knows for sure that the two are hiding something important that she can't quite put her fingers on.
As expected, A Secret Service was such a light and fun read to go through. While the chapters were mostly short, the pace was actually steady enough to follow (even the ending didn't feel rushed). The main characters might seem to be too clever for their age, but it was no big deal. Considering their background, it's hard not to root for them to be as badass as possible.
Carter, especially, was so badass and intelligent and I adored her so much for that. For a short period of time in the beginning chapters though, I had admittedly feared that she's going to come out too perfect and clever. Thankfully, that's not the case. I did appreciate the way the author managed to twist her brilliance and showed vulnerability. It's encouraging to see a badass main character going through a step back but learn a lot from it. As for her her sarcasm and wits, I loved them! Had a frequent good laughs because of her, thank you so much.
With not so many characters around, it's actually pretty easy to spot the bad guys, but don't worry, the action scenes were still very interesting regardless. The friendship, as well as the family bond, was very adorable also. Donovan and Link managed to push past Carter's invisible barrier, and it’s heartwarming to witness their dynamic relationship through her lens. Even though I didn't think how each of them technically forced the other to talk about their problem was right, I still thought that it played a very important part in regards to Carter's development and thus quite necessary.
In my opinion, A Secret Service would be a good choice if you want to read something light that also covered the topic of secret agents. Badass, funny, and entertaining: it's a contemporary book with a slight mystery to it and a slow-burnt romance as a bonus. Last but not least, I want to thank the author for providing me an e-book of her book—I'm so grateful for the opportunity to read and review it.
Actual rating: 4.3★
