Mari is a British spy who knows her limits. When she decides to call it quits after a near miss with death, which was quite the debacle, she finds that it is not so easy to simply quit being a spy. Major Bennett is enlisted to keep Mari in line and see her job through to the end. Mari is not a woman who likes being watched, particularly while she's on the job, creating more than a few humorous situations.

Mari fits what I expect a spy to look and act like. She is brave under pressure and intelligent. She manages to captivate attention and hold my interest. Bennett is brave and determined to fulfill his duty by Mari. He keeps her safe, but represses her ability to do her job. He completely infuriates her, but she finds him slightly endearing after a while. For a seasoned spy, this could be a conundrum.

Anna Randol has beautifully refreshed a story line that has been the focus of many books I adore. The characters truly appear to feel for each other. It is fun watching Bennett and Mari's relationship and belief in each other grow over the course of the novel. I enjoyed Randol's choice to place the heroine in a position of power, especially in a time when that was so rare. A SECRET IN HER KISS is a great addition to any To-Read pile.

Book Summary

A rare beauty, raised in the exotic heart of the mysterious East, Mari Sinclair knows it’s time to end her career as a British spy when she narrowly avoids a brush with death. Unfortunately, there are those who think otherwise—and they are not above using blackmail to keep Mari in the game.

Saddled with a handsome, duty-obsessed "minder" to ensure that she completes—and survives—one last mission, Mari is incensed . . . for her guardian, Major Bennett Prestwood, is simply too dedicated, too unbending, and too disarmingly attractive. But in the face of dark secrets and deadly treacheries, as the true peril to Mari is slowly revealed, loyal soldier Bennett realizes that to save and win this extraordinary woman, he will have to do the unthinkable and break the rules—rules that passion and desire have suddenly, irrevocably changed.