A very well written story. I loved the chemistry that the characters share.

when garrett catches isabelle trying to sell her passport in bangkok in her spy to have, he's both furious and impressed. isabelle is clearly resourceful and up to something. and when it turns out that she might coincidentally be the daughter of the man he's searching for he's compelled to follow the lead. but he's also compelled to help her, because isabelle is clearly down on her luck and in need of rescuing.

once back in canada isabelle ends up as garrett's sister's new nanny, she assumes that he has everything to do with her newfound employment. obviously, he wants to keep tabs on her. obviously, he's not just a government program officer. she's well aware of his interest in her father, but she believes that her father is misunderstood. she can't believe that the man who raised her would truly be involved in something illegal that could harm people.

garrett admires her loyalty. but at the same time it presents a problem. he doesn't think she actually knows anything about her father's less than legal transactions, but his superiors don't want to miss the chance that isabelle could lead them to him. the problem is actually that garrett finds isabelle compelling and attractive. he can't stay away from her, and it's not just because he's been ordered to spy on her. he wants her any way he can have her. and at the same time he knows that he shouldn't.

isabelle finds herself torn between her loyalties to her father and her attraction to garrett. it's even more difficult as it becomes clear that garrett is right about her father. being with garrett feels like a betrayal of the man who raised her. but her life is better when he is in it. she is happy when he is with her. garrett and isabelle are perfectly matched. her unconventional upbringing makes her the ideal partner in his unconventional life. and as long as they can get past her daddy drama, their future looks bright. which you know, it kind of exactly what you want in a romance novel. this one is surprisingly sweet, given that i was expecting more of a suspense thriller type deal. but that isn't a bad thing.

The things I loved about this story was Isabelle's protectiveness for her father and the tension between her and Garrett as he tried to prove her father was trading secrets. I loved the background being set in different cities.
Characters were well developed and the writing was smooth and seamless.

Her Spy to Have is an exciting, fast paced romantic suspense. Isabelle Beausejour is stuck in Thailand, thanks to her father, who didn't show up when he was supposed to. Now she's trying to find a way back home. She's been working and living abroad most of her life, following her father as he works at what she has always thought was a respectable job. Garrett Downing, a CSIS officer (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) watches as Isabelle sells her Canadian passport, and is very, very interested in the young, seemingly plain young woman's actions. As he shepherds her on her way with an offer to buy her some food if she'll explain to him what she was doing selling her passport, she and he, have no idea that their chance meeting will change both their lives.

Garrett doesn't realize that when he arranges for her way home to Canada, to have someone meet her (and watch her after that to make sure she stays out of trouble) that his brother-in-law would end up hiring her as his nanny, thus ensuring that Isabelle and Garrett would be intertwined in each other's lives from then on. He also has no idea that the young woman whose father he (and the rest of the CSIS and other international agencies) is very interested in catching and bringing to justice, will be the one he falls deeply in love with, even if nothing can ever come of that love.

I really liked Her Spy to Have. It had just the right amount of intrigue and suspense bolstering the ensuing love story. Both Isabelle and Garrett are engaging, likable characters and their chemistry is pretty hot. I liked seeing Isabelle grow and come into her own with Garrett's love and guidance. I am looking forward to more Spy Games stories now!

I loved the story line and premise of this book. The writing was fantastic and I thought that the main characters were interesting and well written. The protagonist had great character development, however the main critique that I had for the novel was that I felt held at arms length from the characters and I felt that the main character was a little bland personality wise. All in all I still really enjoyed the story and would love to read more by this author.

They Why: It was a fast paced, sexy, but thrill ride of a book that brought two people in unusual circumstances together.

Isabelle is a former au pair and has been living abroad for most of her 24 years of life traveling with her father. But soon her father's disappearance and getting stranded in Bangkok makes her reevaluate her relationship with her father. well, hopefully since she was caught by CSIS- Garrett trying to sell her passport who's there for a different reason. She realizes that she's needs to work with him to find her father and what's he up to.

Garrett doesn't realize the woman he stopped in Bangkok is the daughter of a man who's is dealing with a deeper hole than they both realize. As he tries to keep his eye on Isabelle, but as he finds out more about her father, he begins to keep more than his eyes on her. I started to understand her attachment to her father, but she soon realizes that maybe her father was only doing this himself rather than her. Both of them tries to dance around their feelings and attraction to one another, haha! But in between was what made me chuckle the most.

Final Thoughts: I can't wait to read more of the series and also THAT ENDINGGG!

First of all, thanks to NetGalley for giving me a chance to read and review this book!

Short Blurb:

The games are about to begin.

Au pair and Canadian ex-pat Isabelle Beausejour has been living abroad for most of her twenty-four years, traveling the world with her irresponsible father. When Isabelle finds herself stranded in Bangkok, with no job, no money, and nowhere to turn, she soon becomes desperate.

Canadian Security Intelligence Service officer Garrett Downing is on the hunt for Canadian military goods that have gone missing. Instead, he finds himself coming to the aid of a young Canadian woman with more resourcefulness than common sense.

Isabelle has no choice but to accept a stranger’s help in getting back home to Canada. Once there, however, as enemies turn into lovers, it soon becomes a game of keeping secrets. Garrett is more than he seems. Isabelle knows more than she’s willing to admit. Will she choose loyalty to her father over the love of a man who tells lies for a living?

Cover Review:

The cover is simple, alluring and in tune with the storyline! I would surely have picked it up to know more about it after seeing that cover.

Review:

The first thing that drew me to this book was when Isabelle met Garret for the very first time, when she was trying to sell her passport. There were mysteries all around. Why was she selling her passport? Who was Garret? Who was Isabelle?

The plot was interesting, mysterious, alluring, passionate and all that I look for in a book. There wasn't much in the way of plot twists, but it was still worth it without them.

The characters though, were full of mysteries. Especially, the character of Isabelle. There was so much I wanted to know about her. But she kept it all hidden. Even after the book ended, there were things I wanted to know, that the author had deemed unimportant to mention. The characters were also realistically described. For once, the heroine wasn't the prettiest lady in the world. For once, the character's inner beauty was focused on. That was the most beautiful part of this book.

The dialogues were witty, the writing style engaging. It is the kind of read that you have to continue reading once started. Otherwise, you'd be left wondering about a million questions!

The ending was the sweetest, most heartwarming I could've asked for. It warmed my heart to know that they'd finally found each other, to have and to hold.

Her Spy To Have gets 4 stars for its heartwarming, mysterious and alluring story and characters.

Not a bad story overall. Good writing. Interesting plot.

LOVED this book! I loved the premise of Isabelle being trapped in Bangkok when she encounters Garret. Odd circumstances put them at cross purposes and make for a very entertaining novel that I couldn't put down.

This novel had me turning pages just as quickly as possible, and yet sorry when it ended. If you enjoy smart and fast paced romantic suspense, you will love this book. While it's the first novel I've read by this author, it won't be the last. I can't believe that I've been missing out on her work until now and there is nothing better than finding an author new to you that you love. This author is in that category for me and I'll be working my way through her back list. This is a must read.