Book Title: Playing it Safe
Author: Ashley Weaver
Series: Electra McDonnel #3
Publisher: Saint Martin’s Press-Minotaur Books
Genre: Historical Fiction -Mystery
Pub Date: May 9, 2023
My Rating: 4 Stars!

I have been a big fan of author, Ashley Weaver and her Amory Ames Mystery series. When I read the first book in the Electra McDonnell series "A Peculiar Combination" I thought - this is going to be fun.

If you missed the first two novels, Electra’s uncle Mick was a locksmith but business was not doing well so he took up safecracking. Electra “Ellie’ joined him and they were doing quite well until they got caught. Major Gabriel Ramsey with the British government approached them that he had another use for their talents. Either they serves as a spies and break into a safe that is housing important blueprints that are critical to the British war effort or they will be turned over to the police.
Turns out Ellie is not only good but likes this. They now are one happy spy family!

So here we are in Book #3
Major Ramsey is once again in need of Electra’s help McDonnell. .She is to go undercover to the post city of Sunderland, a small village and find German spies.
When she arrives in town and is walking to Mrs. James boarding house, she is bumped from behind and thrown off balance and is falling into the path of an oncoming lorry but is pulled back to safety by a stranger.
Grateful but not pleased with for being distracted.
After checking in, she meet Samira Maddox ~ Sami a young girl about her age and while chatting they hear shouts and the screech of a car. That as well as many others run to the street and see a man is lying on the ground.
Turns out to be the same man who recently stopped her from falling into the street!
She is distraught and Sami tells her that she know him. He is Hal Jenkins a friend.

Now Electra wonders if the death she witnessed and the new acquaintance just might be connected to Nazi counterfeiting. Thing get interesting.

I totally enjoyed this light fun read

BTW: The attraction between Ellie and the Major certainly seems to be blooming. Looking forward to Book #4

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Book for granted me the pleasure of reading this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 9, 2023

Dear reader, may I hazard a suggestion? To be on the safe side, before starting this book, clear your calendar. A doorbell ringing? Sleep? Zoom meeting? It doesn't matter, once you start this book you won't want to stop till you reach the end.

Set against the backdrop of World War II, when a stranger dies shortly after rescuing Ellie, she begins to wonder if it might be related to her newest assignment. With time ticking and England's safety on the line, it will take everything in her power to figure out what's going on.

Combining mystery, historical fiction, and a bit of romance, this newest book is a departure from the series in that it finds Ellie and Major Ramsey without her family in northern England. While I missed her family's friendly banter, it allows Ellie time to reflect on what she wants in life, get to know the Major, and experience what life is like outside London.

The only downside of this book? Waiting for the next installment!

Recommended to readers of historical mysteries such as The Maisie Dobbs series.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an advanced reader's copy of this book.

An amazing and un-putdownable mystery read that kept me on my toes throughout my entire read. I simply loved it

Ellie McDonnell finds herself called on a new mission to assist Major Gabriel Ramsey in his quest to put an end to a German spy and counterfeiting scheme on the coast of England. Using her safecracking skills and quick thinking Ellie is able to help as few women could. She and the Major work incredibly well together, yet their attraction for one another could put them at risk.

The best part of this series is the banter between Ellie and the Major. It is obvious to everyone but themselves how well suited they are for one another. The downside to this particular story is how predictable and convenient story lines were wrapped up. The tension and mystery could have been played out a bit more. Overall, it's a very enjoyable series and I will continue reading to see how the two main characters come to their senses!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I’m a fan of Ashley Weaver books and I’m really loving this series. Electra McDonnell and family are expert safe crackers among other things, and when the Major captures them in a job they must agree to help him with clandestine missions during WW2. Book three starts with the MajorRamsey once again needing the help of Electra McDonnell as she goes undercover in a small village trying to find German spies. Electra loves these missions and is quite independently resourceful, something the Major likes and hates in equal measures. While the attraction between them ramps up they most solve who is suddenly killing a group of friends, and who are the spies. I’m already looking forward to book 4.
Great covers, interesting characters, this book is wonderful.

I fully enjoyed another novel hanging out with Electra McDonnell, I've loved this entire series so far!

I always appreciate it when she has an opportunity to crack safes now that she's working for the good guys. I didn't see where this book was going and appreciated that.

Now I look forward to the next one!

Electra McDonnell and Major Gabriel Ramsey are back in a new cozy WWII mystery/thriller. The Major needs Electra (Ellie) to travel to a English port city for a new mission. Ellie, who comes from a family of thieves and is masquerading as an avid bird watcher, brings along her lockpicks but knows very little of what she is supposed to do. No sooner does she arrive in town than she witnessed a death and makes some new friends. Soon she realizes that the death and the friends might be connected to Nazi counterfeiting.

This series is fun to read, and has a bit of tame romance. There also is an ongoing side plot involving Ellie's mother, with a big twist at the end. The books should be read in order.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books (St. Martin's Press) for the ARC. Playing in Safe won't release until May but that will give you time to read the first two books.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! I don’t think I could have waited u til the actual release date to get my mittens on this book!

Ashley Weaver and her Electra McDonnell series has become an instant-read for me, and the third instalment did not disappoint.

And not to spoil anything, but I’ve waited patiently for two whole books already for some of the ✨occurrences✨ in this book to actually take place…

It was a fun take on an interesting mystery, and I’ve really grown fond of all the characters in this particular world!

In this further adventure of Electra (Ellie) McDonnell, it's 1940 London and everyone is under nightly bombing from the Germans. Major Ramsey comes to inform Ellie that she is needed in Sunderland for a special assignment . She is now Elizabeth Donaldson and he is RAF Captain John Grey. As soon as she alights and gets settled, a murder occurs and she is tasked to get to know the local group that he associated with. Ellie and Ramsey need to discover the murderer as well as thwart a German spy network.
Another adventurous mystery set during WWII with all the familiar main characters, thrilling escapades and a hint of romance.
Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this e-galley of "Playing It Safe".

The third book in the Electra McDonnell series sees Electra being sent on a mysterious mission to Sunderland where she is ostensibly meant to be birdwatching. Almost as soon as she arrives though she is drawn into an intrigue when she is almost hit by a car and then the man who saved her is mysteriously killed outside her boarding house. Tasked with infiltrating the deceased group of friends, Electra and the Major work together to uncover a ring of spies. Tension grows both from the danger of the mission and from feelings between the two coming to the surface. I hope this turns into a slow burn romance.

One thing is foremost in everyone's mind in London in 1940: the war. Specifically, the nightly Blitz that is wreaking havoc on the buildings and lives (and minds) of its inhabitants. Ellie McDonnell and her family of professional thieves have committed to staying on the straight and narrow in exchange for being able to help their country, which includes Ellie's taking an undercover assignment in Sunderland, a port city northward. But her handler, British Intelligence officer Major Ramsey, only trusts her so far and the details are frustratingly vague. No sooner has she arrived to Sunderland, however, than the deaths begin. While trying to untangle if the murders are connected to her mission, she and Major Ramsey have to question who to trust during this deadly time.

This third installment of the Electra McDonnell series sizzled! I could really feel the horrors of war and the Blitz, when no one knew what tomorrow would bring, or even if they would live until then. I felt the atmosphere of seizing one's pleasure and living life to the fullest, when one knew that destruction and death could come at any moment. The pressure and tension were thick. Even in Sunderland they couldn't escape it, though I felt Ellie's guilt keenly that she was in relative safety while her loved ones were still stuck in London. She is such a firebrand of a person--strong, smart, and itching to do more. And the Major seems as cold and stoic as ever. They can be themselves around each other, but the tension that there could be "something more" there is only increasing. For some reason Felix seems to be up to no good, and I can't help suspecting him even more than before. This book was fast-paced and kept me up past bedtime (and I really love my sleep!). There was plenty of action, character development, and twists and turns right up to the final page, in relationships and revelations. I can't help but believe there will be more in the series and I am aching to read the next one!

What a wonderful book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Playing it Safe is the third book in the series starring safe cracker and former thief Ellie McDonnell. It’s England, 1940 and the intelligence service of the war office is again in need of Ellie's expertise. This novel successfully weaves together several plots, both personal and professional and the ending was downright thrilling. The addition information on a sub plot regarding Ellie's deceased mother bodes well for future books in the series.

Ashley Weaver is one of my favorite authors. I absolutely love both of her series, and eagerly look forward to the next installment of each. As expected, this one did not disappoint!

I do feel like the mystery aspect of this latest in Ellie’s series left a few questions that I wish had been answered. But I really liked seeing a new side to Major Ramsey and Captain Beaumont was a fun new character. Ellie is a fantastic sleuth and I can’t wait to see where she and Major Ramsey go next.

Hopefully we will see a little more of Uncle Mick’s “friends” from shady places in the next book. They always add a lot of flavor to the books!

Ashley Weaver is just completely pitch perfect with both of her series. I just wish she could write them as fast as I read them.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my complimentary digital copy. All opinions are my own.

What's not to love about a heroine who is former criminal on a series-long redemption arc with government agents, spies, and a love triangle complicating her life? Electra "Ellie" McDonnell embarks on an adventure with Major Gabriel Ramsey to track down counterfeiters who are helping German spies operate in England with fake identity documents.

The very beginning of the book has Ellie and her family enduring the Blitz in London. Even when you know about that period of WW2, seeing characters that Ashley Weaver has made us love living through nightly bombardment is heart-wrenching. It's almost a relief that Ellie and Gabriel's assignment takes them to the northern port city of Sunderland, but ports were targets for German bombing runs as well, so they aren't completely safe.

The counterfeit investigation is complicated and a fairly large cast of secondary characters is introduced almost as soon as Ellie arrives in Sunderland, but they each have unique characteristics that make it easy to keep track of them. Weaver always gives a few scenes where Ellie has to use her lock-picking and safe-cracking skills along with a big action scene. This installment doesn't disappoint. Seeing Ellie operate without her family as her team makes this book different, but she's fierce and quick-thinking as always.

Regarding the love triangle, it's rare to find a scenario presented where both love interests for the lead are equally appealing. While Ellie's childhood friend and now boyfriend Felix isn't front and center in this book, his care for Ellie is evident and he assists with her investigation from afar. Of course, Gabriel is by Ellie's side for the most of the events in this book. It's hard not to root for him as he tries to supervise Ellie while also deferring to her expertise at times.

The secondary plot through the first three books involves Ellie's dead mother and there's a big twist in that part of the story at the very end that means book four will be an epic installment in this series.

I adore this series, and the third entry does not disappoint. Ellie is again called to use her skills to help the British Government solve a mystery in the early years of WWII. This time, Ellie heads to Sunderland on her handler’s orders. The mystery is interesting and well done, with some peril for Ellie and the Major and some tension about the nature of their relationship. Ellie is as compelling as ever, while the Major becomes a more well-rounded character in this one in particular. You could read this without having read the rest, but I’d encourage you to read them all. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

This book was absolutely amazing! All the stars! My favorite of the series so far. I have so many gushing thoughts right now that it’s challenging to order them all. BUT I will say, the romance was *chef’s kiss* perfection. This book is mainly a mystery but the author ignited the pages with some spark-filled heat between the main characters. (All clean of course) But the romantic tension was palpable. And I loved it! The mystery was unpredictable and believable. The twists and turns led to an exploding ending that made me gasp, then hold my breath, then gasp again. I devoured this book and am trying not to think about the very real fact that I’ll have to wait an entire year to read the next in the series. *I received a copy from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I just love this series. It’s cozy and has just the right amount of intrigue, danger, and romance. Not the most complicated of plots, but I don’t care. Electra is a great character, and I’m excited to see where she and her cohorts go next.

This is the third book in the series. I just love the characters and was happy to have Ellie and Major Ramsey paired up for another adventure. I look forward to reading the next installment❤️

Ellie McDonnell is a locksmith who works with her uncles business. The family are expert thieves, but have turned their art into help for the British government.
Major Ramsey with the British Intelligence needs Ellie’s help again. He asks that she travel to Sunderland and await his instructions. Ellie is annoyed at the lack of details but does as she’s asked.
Ellie immediately stumbles upon something suspicious when she sees a man fall to his death in front of her boarding house. The Major and Ellie stumble upon a Nazi counterfeiting operation. Was this man connected to it?
As things start to heat up in Sunderland and bombs go off, the race is on to find the people behind this operation. Will the Major and Ellie be able to stop them and get home to London safely?

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.