Fatal Exchange (Christy #3) by Cindy M. Hogan

For 19-year-old Christy Hadden, it’s life as usual as a spy, only this time in Paris, France. Her mission: retrieve a flash drive containing evidence that a high public official is working to destroy Paris. Pretty standard, until someone steals the drive from her. Forced to abandon her position protecting the informant, she goes after the thief, but returns empty handed—only to find her informant dead.

Christy's failure taints her reputation at Division and the director has lost all faith in her. But Christy isn't one to slink into the shadows. Alone and disgraced, she decides to track down the drive and solve the murder, not only to redeem herself as a spy, but to give meaning to her informant’s sacrifice, and perhaps even save Paris.

Suspenseful, with the right amount of romance, and awash with action, Fatal Exchange will send you on a thrill ride that will be hard to forget.

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This book had so many elements that I just love.  I was really looking forward to reading this book and it definitely did not disappoint.

Fatal Exchange is the third book in this Christy series.  Christy is a spy and a good one at that.  I love her spy team because they are so fiercely loyal to each other.  They are friends and they look out for each other one hundred percent.

The pacing of this book is fantastic.  It was fast and I felt like I was on a fantastic ride where I hold on for dear life with a smile on my face the whole time.  There is danger and suspense almost around every turn.  It was great fun.

There is some light romance, but it isn't a main focal point in the book until toward the end.  I think this book probably could stand alone, but I would recommend reading the whole series because that is really how you get to know the characters.  I'm sure this book wouldn't have been so good to me if I hadn't been following the series and had that connection to the characters with the background of knowledge that comes with it.

This is, by far, my favorite series from Cindy Hogan.  She has found her groove with these books and I am a fan.

Content:  Clean- no swearing or sexual content beyond some kissing.

Kate Unmasked (Code of Silence, #1) by Cindy M. Hogan

The mysteries of her past consume her.

Seventeen-year-old Kate has never stopped searching for the secrets of her past - the secrets that began with her missing birth parents. After years of every lead drying up and every hope turning false, Kate finally lucks onto a promising lead.

Determined to find the truth once and for all, Kate travels to the gritty New Jersey shore. But what she finds is worse than she ever could have imagined. She can't hide from who she is, and now she must face the awful consequences of finding the very people she should have been hiding from.

Some secrets should stay dead and buried.

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I'm coming in with a mixed sort of review on this one.  I'm a fan of Cindy Hogan's Christy Series and because of that I had high hopes for this book and the beginning of this new series.  I didn't love it like I wanted to but there were parts I definitely enjoyed.

The main character, Kate, has me so conflicted.  For the most part, I just didn't like her and I liked her best friend even less.  There were some redeeming moments for Kate but overall, I just felt like her character was inconsistent.  One moment she is whining and annoying and the next she is brilliant.  Kate is a teenager though and I've had a few of those, so I know the attitude swing that is possible with teenagers but for some reason I just had a hard time liking Kate.

Duran, on the other hand, was completely likable from the very first moment.  He is the character that kept me feeling hopeful and not crazy like I want to strangle you.

The first half of the book just sort of eeked along.  It felt slow and there was just way too much teenage drama and whining.  It got old.  The last part of the book, things picked up and I was more into the story and what was happening.  There were so many things that as I reader, I just didn't buy into.  I didn't believe it.  Most of it in regards to Kate.

Maybe this is written with the younger teenagers in mind?  I don't know but I'm still debating whether or not to follow this series.  Maybe I'll just stick to the Christy series which I really do love.  I'm reading the next book in that series right now and I'm really loving it.  Look for my review of that one next week!

Hotwire by Cindy M. Hogan + a $25 Giveaway

Division spy Christy Hadden can't wait for her latest assignment posing as a student at a prestigious New York City academy and car thief extraordinaire. The best part of the mission is her attractive handler, Jeremy, and her new team. The worst part? The sociopath masquerading as the academy's most popular guy. But soon she realizes the car thieves are much more than they seem. Her simple spying mission becomes more dangerous than anyone imagined. If the organization discovers her true identity, they won't hesitate to kill her, and if she fails, others will suffer the same fate. Young Adults, teens and adults will love this exciting suspenseful adventure with a dash of romance. You won't want to put it down.

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It's true.  What the blurb says above?  You won't want to put this book down.  I sure didn't want to but I expected that going in.  I looked at my day when I started this book and thought it was going to be tough putting the book down when I had to do so many other things that day as well.  If you've read anything by Cindy Hogan, you know that she writes suspense and tension really well.  All of her books, for me, have been fast paced, full of action with killer tension.

I first got to know Christy in the Watched trilogy and now she has developed into a young woman and a first class spy.  It's also true what the blurb above says about the romance.  There is only a dash, much to my frustration.  Christy has her eye on Jeremy but not much happens on that front.  Just a bit of teasing by the writer that makes you want to beg for more.  haha.  The bad guys in this book will give you shivers (not the good kind either).  There are a lot of bad guys!

This book was good fun to read.  I loved the pull the book had and the constant forward movement.  I'll definitely be coming back for the next book when it comes out.  I hope it's soon!

Content:  Some graphic, intense violence, kissing

Enjoy the following excerpt!

"It took me a second to realize it, but Kozlov was speaking in Russian. I flipped my head to Jericho. He clenched his jaw, and a vein pulsed on his temple. He had definitely understood Kozlov’s words. Did that mean that Jericho knew Russian? Did he have a Russian heritage? Were his parents Russian? Or had he been working for Alexander for a while and had taken Russian classes in order to fit in better? That made more sense to me. Besides, it seemed obvious, now that I knew him better, that he was involved with the bratva for the status, the power of it.

The fire in his eyes told me he would find a way to make me pay. Of that, I was sure

I thought Kozlov would leave now that he had laid down the law, but he didn’t. He stood there, waiting to watch Jericho succeed or fail.

I watched, despondent, as the kids we’d come to save were led away with the same hopeless acceptance they’d shown when we’d taken them out of the container in the first place. It broke my heart.

With military-like precision, Jericho ordered the rest of the guards to take up positions along the path to some container that would be our home for two weeks. I glanced at Jeremy. What was going to happen to us? Would Halluis and Ace be able to send someone? And even if they did, how would we be able to get to our would-be rescuers?"

   

Cindy M. Hogan graduated with a BA in education and is inspired by the unpredictable teenagers she teaches. More than anything she loves the time she has with her own teenage daughters and wishes she could freeze them at this fun age. If she's not reading or writing, you'll find her snuggled up with the love of her life watching a great movie or planning their next party. Most of all, she loves to laugh. She is the bestselling and award winning author of the Watched trilogy, a YA suspense series with a dash of romance. She has since branched off to write a mystery, Gravediggers, that won Best YA novel of 2013, a contemporary romance, Confessions of a 16-Year-Old Virgin Lips, and two in a spy series, Adrenaline Rush and Hotwire.

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Blog Tour Giveaway $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 12/26/14 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway