About Spies, Lies, and Allies:

Summers are supposed to be fun, right? Not mine. I've got a job at my dad's company, which is sponsoring a college scholarship competition. I just found out that, in addition to my job assisting the competing interns, I'm supposed to vote for the winner. Totally not what I signed up for. 

There's a crazy guy running the competition like it's an episode of Survivor. Then there’s Carlos, who is, well, very distracting –– in a good way. But I can't even think about him that way because Crazy Guy says any fraternizing on the job means instant disqualification for the intern involved.

As if that's not enough, an anonymous weirdo with insider intel is trying to sabotage my dad's company on social media...and I'm afraid it's working.

Much as I'd love to quit, I can't. Kristoffs Never Quit is our family motto. I just hope there's more than one survivor by the end of this summer. 

Buylinks: https://entangledpublishing.com/spies-lies-and-allies-a-love-story.html

Excerpt from Spies, Lies, and Allies:

“Let’s see where helping me on my project falls on this list.” Carlos picks up a pen and clicks it, eyeing me from underneath ridiculously long lashes.

Cautiously, I take a tiny step toward his desk so I can read the list.

“Number three.” I point to the napkin. “Teamwork.”

He nods and underlines the word. I notice he’s added numbers six through ten. Nothing is written next to those numbers, except for ten, next to which he’s drawn a smiley face.
“What’s that for?” I point to the smiley face. He leans back in his desk chair and grins up at me.

“Not sure yet.”

My heart throbs in my chest and my imagination is off and running, fantasizing about

number ten.

Carlos points to number five: nicknames. “I think this is where we left off at lunch.” He clicks his pen repeatedly and I resist the urge to snatch it out of his hand. “I’d prefer not to be nicknamed for a pasta, but I gave you a cereal nickname, so…” He shrugs but keeps his eyes on mine.

“I…pasta…what?” He’s not making sense.

He bites his bottom lip, and I have no trouble picturing what will make me “smiley face” if we ever make it to number ten. Also, I’m pretty sure he’s a mind reader because his gaze drifts down to my lips, then back up to my eyes.

“The Manicotti. Who is it?” He glances across the room. “Elijah? He can be sort of cheesy.”

My mind analyzes his words, sliding them around like one of those puzzles where you have to move a string through twisted metal. And then it clicks.

“You read my notebook! You’re the one who—” Panic zings through me as I remember what I wrote about him, Carlos is trouble, and his editorial comment, True. Is Carlos adorable?

Apparently I’m not the only spy around here.

“Why’d you pick this desk?” I’m desperate to change the subject.

“I like the view.”

“But it’s better by the windows.”

“Depends on which view we’re talking about.” He gives me a cryptic smile, one that makes my stomach dip. “Anyway, I saved your notebook. You’re lucky no one else read your notes.”

Mortified and defiant, I cross my arms over my chest. “You didn’t have to read it. You could’ve just returned it.”

“I was just checking to make sure you’d listed all of Mr. Mantoni’s rules.”

“Uh huh.”

Across the room, Elijah stands up and stretches. He glances at us, an amused smirk twisting his lips like he knows something I don’t.

Carlos writes on the napkin again. Number six: healthy disagreement.

“You’re kidding, right?”

His responding grin packs more heat than it should.

“I think we’ve gone off track.” I’m proud of how calm I sound, even though my nerve endings are exploding like firecrackers.

Spies, Lies, and Allies by Lisa Brown Roberts
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Laurel wants a summer job, but she wants to spend time with her incredibly busy workaholic dad also. Offering her services as an assistant, she ends up meeting with all the company's interns who are fighting for a scholarship. When she finds out who she is actually working with she freaks.

Carlos is just one of the hotties she is to help over the summer. He is a busy family man, who also hopes to get to college. The sparks between them are lit almost immediately. Only problem with this is the timing. He is disqualified for the scholarship if he is seen dating or fraternizing with Laurel.

This book just shot out the gate. The release timing was excellent, with all of the great Star Wars and pop culture references. Laughing my way through, I had a hard time putting the book down just to eat! This author has quickly become a must for me.


***This early copy was given in exchange for an hones review, by Netgalley and its publisher.

View all my reviews

About Lisa Brown Roberts:

Award-winning romance author Lisa Brown Roberts still hasn’t recovered from the teenage catastrophes of tweezing off both eyebrows, or that time she crashed her car into a tree while trying to impress a guy. It’s no wonder she loves to write romantic comedies.  

Lisa’s books have earned praise from Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and the School Library Journal. She lives in Colorado with her family, in which pets outnumber people. Connect with Lisa at www.lisabrownroberts.com.

Author Links:

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~  Instagram ~ Goodreads ~ Newsletter

Giveaway:
Signed copy of Spies, Lies, and Allies + some spy-related swag
 

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Laurel wants a summer job, but she wants to spend time with her incredibly busy workaholic dad also.  Offering her services as an assistant, she ends up meeting with all the company's interns who are fighting for a scholarship.  When she finds out who she is actually working with she freaks.

Carlos is just one of the hotties she is to help over the summer.  He is a busy family man, who also hopes to get to college.  The sparks between them are lit almost immediately.  Only problem with this is the timing.  He is disqualified for the scholarship if he is seen dating or fraternizing with Laurel.

This book just shot out the gate.  The release timing was excellent, with all of the great Star Wars and pop culture references.  Laughing my way through, I had a hard time putting the book down just to eat!  This author has quickly become a must for me.  I give this story a 4/5 Kitty's Paws UP!

***This early copy was given in exchange for an hones review, by Netgalley and its publisher.

Mind Platter - dnf

Spies, Lies, and Allies - 5 stars

Die Bibliothek der besonderen Kinder - 3 stars

Favorite book(s) of the month: Spies, Lies, And Allies

Books started this month but haven't finished yet: If I Tell You (reading something on my laptop takes me far too long), Das fünfte Zeichen, Shopaholic (finished in the meantime)

This month sucked, in more ways than one. I didn't get much reading done and what I read didn't do anything for me. Except "Spies, Lies, And Allies", it's my absolut favorite book I finished reading this month and pretty much saved April for me.

First things first: I received this book through NetGalley.

This book comes out May 4th, and you should totally check it out!!!

Summary: Summers are supposed to be fun, right? Not mine. I’ve got a job at my dad’s company, which is sponsoring a college scholarship competition. I just found out that, in addition to my job assisting the competing interns, I’m supposed to vote for the winner. Totally not what I signed up for.

There’s a crazy guy running the competition like it’s an episode of Survivor. Then there’s Carlos, who is, well, very distracting –– in a good way. But I can’t even think about him that way because Crazy Guy says any fraternizing on the job means instant disqualification for the intern involved.

As if that’s not enough, an anonymous weirdo with insider intel is trying to sabotage my dad’s company on social media…and I’m afraid it’s working.

Much as I’d love to quit, I can’t. Kristoffs Never Quit is our family motto. I just hope there’s more than one survivor by the end of this summer.

**

There is a reason why Lisa Brown Roberts is slowly but surely becoming one of my favorite YA authors. Her stories are just amazing, the settings are great and her characters always become my favorites.

So let's talk about the setting. I loved it. I loved the whole internship/scholarship scenario. Cause it brought together so many great characters, that probably never would have become friends, if it wasn't for that special circumstance and the bond they now share while going through all the ups and downs of their internship.

Which brings me right to the characters. I loved them. I loved every single one of them. Firstly, Laurel, the main characters. (Fun fact, give me a Laurel in any book, tv show or movie, and I will probably love her.) I loved her right from the start. She's a fangirl just like me. To the pain of the people around me, I always find a tv show or movie reference to every situation in life. Sorry, not sorry.
I loved the other interns as well. I loved Trish, she was everything I want to be. I loved Ashley. And the dudes, Elijah, Carlos and Jason. Jason just was that hurt little puppy that I wanted to protect at all costs.

There were also some great relationships. I loved Laurel and her parents, especially her dad, since we got more of that relationship. I loved their car rides and how Laurel came around and saw that her father and his company aren't anything evil.
Right from the beginning of the book, the first time the interns met, I wanted nothing more from this book, than lots of amazing friendships. Especially Laurel and Trish. Both had so many prejudices towards each other, that's why I wanted them to get over that and become the great friends, that I knew they could be. I especially loved moments when the whole group was together, the fussball tournament, the time when they all got locked into the basement. I loved these moments, thats when they really came together and started to really get to know each other and became a great time and good friends. I'm always here for that.
And of course the lovestory of Laurel and Carlos. It's something that we all knew would happen but I still enjoyed it a lot. They had some really great chemistry. Sometimes they were frustrating, especially Carlos, when he got jealous of Jason and was just a jerk. I also loved meeting Carlos' family, they were such a fun bunch.

Overall, I truly loved this book and can totally see myself reading this one a few more times. On a side note, I also really wanna read the book Laurel was reading in the story, I wanna get to know Qa'hr myself.