Romance with a Twist!

Annie has quit her job with the CIA after a mission that went horribly wrong, and decides to head back to college. The CIA however have other ideas, and Annie finds herself suddenly juggling a job and her courses while living in the garage of one of the professors, Helen. It’s not long before Helen starts putting pieces together about Annie, but Annie has to keep her from discovering the truth to keep Helen and her family safe.

Loved this! From the early nineties era it is set in, to the simplicity of a story centred around someone who worked for the CIA when tech was new and not the highly intuitive things they are nowadays. It was so reminisce of a time I sort of remember, and wish we still had today, like no phone in your pocket, and not being able to find every little detail of someone’s life on the internet. It meant Annie had her work cut out, had to go on missions that were potentially dangerous and invoked some sleuthing skills. What was great was all the red-herrings though, I was sure there was going to be something I overlooked or missed that’d really connect the dots between Helen and Annie on some other level, and yet it wasn’t like that at all, and I loved how unpredictable it all was.

Annie had been through some very traumatic events and she was desperate not to have history repeat itself. She quickly found herself really a part of Helen’s family and they were developing a relationship from a distance for the longest while before an opportunity to act on it had them delving in without consideration for the complications it might cause. Everything moved so fast, and at first Annie’s resistance to the CIA leaving her little choice was great, but at the end of the day there was no denying she was good at what she did and made for it.

Everything about this story was unexpected, to the point it had me addicted to learning more, so I just couldn’t put it down, and can’t wait to read it again. Such a great story!

You cannot go wrong with sapphic spies and love! What a rollercoaster of emotions I felt as I tore through this book. The characters were fun, the plot was decent, and the writing was done well. Definitely recommend!

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC!

Thanks for the free arc in exchange for an honest review.
I had a great time reading this book! The story and romance felt original and representative. As a lesbian, it was fun reading a book with a sapphic romance that wasn’t shaped as a tragedy or the romance itself wasn’t a painful experience for those involved, instead the drama around it was framed around the plot and the storyline. I found all the characters really likeable, and the story well paced and a fun read. Fun, action, sapphic romance, well written! I had a blast reading it, and read it in one sitting!

Another home run read from Emily Waters (4.5 stars)
It's important to keep in mind while reading this book that all of it takes place in the USA of the past, part of it in 1990's. I hadn't read the synopsis ahead of time so some of the story elements caught me by surprise until I realized it was set in the past when attitudes and acceptable behaviors were in many cases very different from now. This may serve as a trip down memory lane (for better or worse) for older readers and potentially offensive to younger ones; it is historically accurate however and could be viewed as some measure of progress over the decades.
This book was a trip to read; an engrossing great page turner. I had fun trying to guess the reveals ahead of time and was frequently wrong, which may have bruised my ego but delighted the rest of me. The plot twists make it an even more engaging read while the truer to life types of characters in the book make them far less predictable than characters aligning more closely to a stereotype. The tone of the story reminded me of some fictional spy and cop shows I've watched on TV in the past but it isn't a copy of any of them. The characters are complex with some clear bad guys and jerks along with good ones often in circumstances requiring questionable actions. There is no shortage of manipulation going on in this book and no one is living the high and glamorous life; it's more gritty and down to earth and likely to keep you guessing what will happen next as you turn pages and read for longer periods of time than you expect to. There is plenty of drama and intrigue with some humor tossed in to keep it from getting too heavy. The ending wasn't totally to my liking even though it made sense for the story's pacing and trajectory. I would love to read a follow-up story with these characters at some point to check in on them and see what they're up to, how they're all doing etc. I recommend this and the author's previous book if you want a break from fluffier lesfic and a read that's going to pull you in and get under your skin. I look forward to reading whatever author Emily Waters publishes next.

It's an undercover agent story but also romance.
Admittedly a difficult romance, between two very different women.
This is a story with very complex characters! Life as a spy is a difficult one anyway.
It's even more difficult, when you try to leave it all behind and start over.
However, Annie’s employer doesn’t allow this. She's just too good to just quit and she has no choice!
Her past catches up with her and becomes a means of pressure.
Her new goal in life is L.A., where she wants to go back to school again to get another master's degree.
At least she tries and in all the uncertainty she meets Helen. Professor Helen Everton.
Helen becomes her home.
This relationship is a little unusual.
It starts slowly and harmlessly and turns into something neither of them expected.
Annie's story made me hate the CIA and FBI a little. It's probably intentional...it made me angry so often that Annies wasn't given any choice. However, the development of her relationship with Helen is the highlight of the book and totally captivated me!
Helen and her three sweet kids are just so warm and feel safe, but Helen also has a lot that lies hidden. Just like Annie!
An exciting story and definitely worth reading!

Thanks to Emily Waters and Ylva Publishing for this ARC!!

Thankyou netgalley and YLVA for the arc of this phenomenal read! This book had me so enthralled! I read the whole thing in one afternoon because I couldn’t put it down! Annie was such a layered interesting character that I just had to know more about her life and what led her to where she is. Reading her background story come out throughout the book really kept me gripped, her instant connection with Helen was so enticing to me. Watching the relationship between the two of them blossom was so lovely, from Helen’s concern over Annie’s job, to them finding out what each other actually did for a living, and then the classic there was only one bed had me giggling and kicking my feet. The 90’s setting made for an interesting take on the acceptance of sexuality. The twist at the end had my breath caught in my throat and seeing them reconcile even if open ended made me feel like I could breathe again. This book has so many interesting thrilling parts to it that I cannot recommend it enough!

Spies, deception, manipulation and possible love. The story begins in the age of landlines, clumpy computers and overt misogyny in the work place. It tells us of the recruitment and manipulation of a bright but naive student and the course her life took as the puppet of a CIA boss who’s corrupt, cruel and manipulative.
It also gives us hope with the possibility of love.
I read this in just over a day as it drew me in and wouldn’t let me put it down.
Thanks to Ylva for the ARC via NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This is a story about Annie who is recruited into the CIA right after college graduation. Her job requires her to interrogate people who are victims or persons of interest to get more information to capture the lead bad guys. She spends several years in Eastern Europe and eventually quits after a very difficult case.

Back in the US she decides to go to California and get her masters degree at UCLA. There she meets Helen who is an associate professor.

I really liked Water’s writing style and character development. And this book had a great plot with some good action scenes.
Annie’s character was very unique and different than any character I have read lately. She was super intelligent and learned how to work the system to her advantage despite her misogynistic and evil boss. Annie’s and Helen relationship was excellent in my view. I also enjoyed Helen’s children. I think they added to show Helen’s character as a devoted mom and as a person who was comfortable with her self.

I would recommend this book to my book friends.

Thanks to Net Galley for allowing me read and enjoy this book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️
👩‍🏫🎒🕵️👩‍👧‍👦👩‍🍼

This historical novel (weird. feels like ten ago but the 1990s was 30) set in 1992 follows Annie after she returns to school at 27, after leaving the CIA and Russia due to a mission going wrong.

She turns up to the uni in Las Angeles, only to find out her housing has been compromised and she has to find somewhere to live for the first quarter. That's where she meets Helen, a single mother who is fostering a child, who had asked to take her name off the spare room list but agrees to take in Annie because she needs the money and seems to be good with baby Zach.

Annie's ex-CIA agent boss doesn't like taking no for an answer, so he blackmails her into doing jobs. She is forced to work as a consultant, help with investigations, or translate jobs. She also has to do this in the middle of the night, which makes Helen suspicious.

Secrets, lies, and falling in love with the landlord are the premise of this book, and it's a good read. It's interesting to read things like sexism in the workplace which still happens today, but hopefully not so much. I liked the age-gap, forbidden-romance type situation when Annie becomes Helen's student.

Thanks to Netgalley and Ylva Publishing for a copy of the ebook. This review is left voluntarily.

Two is a Pattern by Emily Waters was a sweet, spicy and enthralling read! The story follows our main character, Annie Weaver, as she embarks on a new journey in her life. Against her parents opinions, Annie decides to go back to college to get a graduate degree and in trying to find housing, she meets professor Helen Everton. Set in the 90’s, both women living in same house, start to develop feelings for each other. This was a really fun read about trust, agency and love. I loved their love and I loved how lucrative and secretive the whole plot was. I’m not the biggest fan of spy/FBI/undercover plot lines but this was a breath of fresh air. One thing I didn’t enjoy is how abrupt the story ended! I needed more!

Overall this was a fun book, and there were a lot of components that I really liked - a very strong FMC who’s the best at her job (in a traditionally male field), a sapphic love story set in an era where that was taboo, and a ‘romance’ book that isn’t centered around the romance.

Despite there being several aspects that I really enjoyed and kept me engaged, I will say that there wasn’t a ton of plot and it didn’t feel like the book really built to anything. It was more of a window into a life, where there were some interesting days and some not, than a typical buildup and plot crescendo. That being said, I think it’s a testimate to the writing how fun the book was despite this!

Two Is a Pattern by Emily Waters is a fast-paced ride that keeps readers in suspense right til the last page. Annie is trying to get her life back on track after leaving her CIA job. She’s moved to LA for school yet her old life keeps her in shackles. Obstacles keep standing in the way of rebuilding her life but Helen and her family help Annie in more ways than one. This story is filled with intrigue, suspense, emotion, and bits of humor. There are pagers, scrunchies, adorable kids, and a heavy dose of how is this all going to play out. Emily Waters has written another winner that I highly recommend!

Annie Weaver, a gifted young CIA agent, quit the agency following an undercover mission gone wrong, and decided to go back to school while figuring out what to do next. Unfortunately, her boss isn’t willing to let her walk away and is willing to resort to devious measures to prevent her from moving on. Now Annie is left juggling living in a new city, attending a new university, moonlighting as an unwilling government agent, and struggling to figure out the unwanted feelings she is developing for her new landlord Helen. Helen meanwhile has her own hands full dealing with a recent divorce, two jobs, two kids, a foster baby, and a strange but enchanting woman living in her garage and working suspicious hours.

The Good:
-The relationship between the MC’s was very sweet and I enjoyed their moments together; I wish there had been a lot more of them! The same can be said of Annie and the secondary characters, who didn’t get enough screen time for how delightful they were.
-I enjoyed the setting in the 90’s far more than I expected. Pay phones, pagers, paper maps and getting lost while driving; it was a surprisingly enjoyable experience.
-This was a fun spy thriller. These elements took over more of the novel than the romance plotline but were quite entertaining, so it worked. It was particularly enjoyable as it was set in the 90’s so we didn’t have all the high-tech elements of a more modern setting.
-The “subtle” critique on the methods used by US government organizations and police was well done. Having the POV from someone who was explicitly pro-law enforcement yet still had some major issues with what was taking place was a good approach.

The Complainy Parts:
-My only real complaint that isn’t a nitpick is that the novel ended too abruptly, and the end section felt too rushed. I’m unsure if I disliked the ending or if I liked it but thought it was too rushed (regardless it was too rushed). The events in the final section would have been incredibly emotional but were all but nearly skipped over, so the reader did not get that impact. With how much I was enjoying the novel, the end section could have been stretched out over another 100 pages and I would have been happy to read it all.
-I also don’t see the purpose of why they ended this novel the way they did; its difficult to dive into without extensive spoilers but it didn’t quite work for me. Thankfully this wasn’t an ending that ruined the novel, and I still enjoyed it overall.
-Some minor plot points were dropped without resolution, making me wonder if they were forgotten or intended to be written that way (the “girl in her class” for example). It makes sense given how the novel ended but didn’t sit right with me.
-I wish there was more of the relationship between the MC’s, because it was delightful and I think it would have been great to see it developed more. The timeline of the novel certainly gave them ample opportunity to grow close believably, but we didn’t get to see it all. There was more of a focus on Annie’s professional life (which was good!) which came at a cost of leaving less pages for the relationship.

pretty cute romance. i wasn't expecting it to be this fun :D i loved the characters quite a bit. it looks like I've also got her debut novel as an ARC so I'll hopefully read that one soon :D thanks for the arc

I read both of Emily Waters' books back to back. I didn’t realize Honey in the Marrow (Oct 2022) was her debut novel. Story wise this is very different, but her writing style is distinctive. Annie Weaver is a brilliant and talented CIA operative, recruited out of college. When a mission goes horribly wrong she tries to leave The Company, and they don’t want to let her go. She moves to California to pursue a second masters degree and her old boss makes things uncomfortable enough that she agrees to be lent to other local agencies that can use her interrogation or language skills. She is taking classes in criminology and ends up living over the garage of Helen Everton, one of the teachers in the department.

Helen is a mother of two and fostering a baby as well and Annie enjoys helping with the kids. This is primarily Annie’s story and while she is extremely competent at her job, she can’t control much else in her world. I love the moments she and Helen share together. And if I had one complaint it would be there aren’t enough of those. I was riveted till the very end. The writing leaves the reader to read a lot between the lines. Every emotion and thought isn’t on the page but left for you to decipher. Rounding down only because the ending comes together almost abruptly.

I will watch for whatever Emily Waters writes next. Thank you to NetGalley and Ylva Publishing for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review. (4.5 Stars)

This is a unique, sexy, spy story set in the 90s. There are pay phones and pagers haha. Two is a Pattern follows Annie, ex CIA, rebuilding her life on a more conventional path by returning to college. Helen, college professor, has a garage room for rent which she reluctantly rents to Annie. I don’t want to spoil the story at all. Throughout the story Helen struggles to break free from an organization that refuses to release its grip on her in any capacity. The story flowed reallllly well until, the end. I swear I was just reading and it was done. Waters is 2/2 for me. I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Here’s a twisty turny story for ya, and you can take a trip down memory lane for the 90’s … re-live the age of pagers! Dive into the story of Annie, the ex-CIA (but can you ever really *ex-CIA*??) trying to get herself back into something of a life after a stint in Eastern Europe left her with tragic guilt-ridden secrets. In Los Angeles, she meets Helen, a professor in the department where Annie is attending classes at UCLA, And who doesn’t love a good “resistance is futile” backdrop when it comes to people who should just say no? Keeping the spoilers here to zero and saying enjoy the intriguing ride

In the clutches of the Company (CIA)
Set in the early 90s the story focuses on Annie, a mature student doing her second masters, after she left the Company (CIA), but once in their clutches it is nigh impossible to escape them.
First off I really liked how Waters sets the scene in the 90s: landlines (how did we ever live without mobiles, social media and google maps?), pagers, blatant misogyny whereever you looked or listened, guys hitting on every female …
Second there is a subtle and then not so subtle vituperation and loathing of the methods the CIA employs in the US and outside: the lies, the coercion, the corruption of people, the corruption full stop. It seeps more and more into the story and is even more noticeable since it contrasts against the other main character‘s (Helen) family and her kids - BTW I loved those kids and how Annie and the kids grew closer.
I was not a fan of the end though - seemed a bit abrupt and rushed.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. The review is left voluntarily.

While Emily Waters’ first book was a pleasant and nuanced read, this one takes the cake. I really enjoyed the 90s setting, the tension of spy work and the love story, though here I would probably be more satisfied with a less abrupt ending.

Waters pens another novel about a woman in California navigating her way through the liminal space of big life changes, but the two novels could really not be more different in the best ways possible, each of them a gem in their own right.

In "Two is a Pattern," there's almost a frenetic kind of energy as we follow the protagonist, Annie, through her leaving the CIA and attempting to start fresh in grad school in California. Waters' style lends itself to building this energy - I very much felt Annie's adrenaline in a way that felt like treading water in a whirlpool - but it does so much more than that. Waters' distinctive writing style tells us exactly what we need to know, and in that, provides us with so much *more* left unsaid between the lines. It helps make the characters feel more lived in than they already are. It's another of Waters' strengths, the level of detail woven into the tapestry of the book as a whole to not only bring the characters to life, but to treat the environment almost as a character in and of itself.

My only "complaint," if we can even call it that, is that I was left wanting more. I wanted more time with the secondary characters. I wanted to know more about Helen. I wanted more time with her and Annie's love story (though I suppose that, in particular, is part of the point, given where we end pre-epilogue). I was worried going into this that the student/teacher and age gap were going to hit on personal squicks of mine, but Waters handles them well in a way that, for the most part, doesn't feel inappropriate. They're both adults over the age of 25, and the student/teacher dynamic doesn't come into play until later in the story, without any hints of uncomfortable power dynamics and imbalance.

But Waters judiciously chooses her words to the point where for all that's left said, you get almost a half book in the things she leaves unsaid, and it feels selfish to want more of all of the good we were already given.

Also, bonus points for Paula Abdul, I see you.

[NetGalley was kind enough to provide me with an ARC for this title.]