Ava, a coffee shop owner in Ambrosia Falls, is rebuilding her life after a troubled past, while quietly crushing on Zach, a handsome single dad who frequents her shop. Zach values their friendship and avoids romantic risks after past heartbreak. However, mysterious incidents during the town's apple festival raise suspicions that Ava’s past may have caught up with her. As danger looms, Ava and Zach grow closer, making for a sweet romance set against a charming small-town backdrop. This is perfect for fans of small-town festivals, single dads, and love stories with hidden secrets.

I love starting a new series that features a small town and a small-town festival, and that's what you get with A Spy's Secret. Ava is living in Ambrosia Falls after starting over after her previous life went up in flames. She's been running the coffee shop/bakery in town for five years and crushing on the local writer who likes to take up a booth at her shop every day.

Zach is the handsome and hunky single dad of Ambrosia Falls who isn't looking for love. The last time he did that, his dream world fell apart, and he was left to raise his little girl alone. There was no way he was risking his friendship with Ava, even for a chance at something more. He's come to rely on her friendship too much and doesn't want to lose it.

Enter the danger. Who is watching them? Why is the festival falling victim to so many calamities this year? No one knows, but Ava has a sneaky suspicion, and the very idea is terrifying. Has her past finally found her?

If you love small-town festivals, single dads, and a past with enough secrets to fill a bushel basket, you're going to love A Spy's Secret! You'll love all the people in this little small town with big secrets.

A Spy's Secret by Rachel Astor was an engaging romantic suspense. This was my first book by Rachel and I would definitely read more of her books. The characters were very likeable and the small town characters added some chuckles. It was interesting that the former spy was Ava and Zach was the writer. Ava was the owner of the local bakery.
Ava's backstory had me thoroughly engaged. I really wanted to know what happened and how she got out. Rachel had an opening chapter that captured your attention and didn't let go until the final page. I enjoyed the scenes with all her hiding places too :)
Zach was an awesome character and they made for a really cute couple.

open door romance with a few details. heat level 2. The book focused on the mystery and their relationship.
language - some mild profanity throughout the book.

A Spy’s Secret is a well written romantic suspense. I throughly enjoyed the edge of your seat page turning plot. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

A good romantic suspense. It was a quick easy read. There was a lot of suspense and a good back story that kept me on the edge of my seat. I would recommend to anyone who is looking for a sweet romance with a little bit of espionage mixed in.

I really enjoyed that the protagonist is the (former) spy and her friend and neighbour is the mystery writer. Their chemistry comes through the writing and kept me reading long past needing to sleep. I plan on checking out more of this authors stories since her writing is engaging, entertaining, and it's easy to loose track of time.

This was a delight! The back cover text almost reads like a cozy mystery, but this was 1000% more spicy! Still a great autumn suspense/romance with a fall festival and a small town. Loved it!

Thanks to NetGalley and Halequin for access to a copy for review.

This was a lot of fun. I have not read any other books by Rachel Astor and I haven't read many Harlequin Romantic Suspense books in the past few years. I forget how much plot can fit into a category romance.

I liked that the FMC is the one with past as a spy. Ava and Zach are both fun characters. Ava's determination to leave gets a bit old, but at least she never gets to go with that plan. There are definitley some plot handwaves around why Ava's past is coming out to get her - but that isn't what this story about. The story is about Ava and Zach and the circustances have them spending a lot of time together. They are avery cute couple. The small town apple fistival is a great backdrop.

Recommended.