Just Finished Reading … Spies and Prejudice by Talia Vance
Spies and Prejudice
by Talia Vance
To be published by Egmont
on June 11, 2013
Source: ARC borrowed through Around the World ARC Tours. Please see my FTC disclosure on the right sidebar.
Connect with the author: Blog : Twitter.
Summary (from Goodreads:) Berry Fields is not looking for a boyfriend. She’s busy trailing cheaters and liars in her job as a private investigator, collecting evidence of the affairs she’s sure all men commit. So when arrogant—and gorgeous—Tanner Halston rolls into town and calls her “nothing amazing,” it’s no loss for Berry. She’ll forget him in no time. She’s more concerned with the questions surfacing about her mother’s death. But why does Tanner seem to pop up everywhere in her investigation, always getting in her way? Is he trying to stop her from discovering the truth, or protecting her from an unknown threat? And why can’t Berry remember to hate him when he looks into her eyes?
My take: Spies and Prejudice is a mash-up that’s as clever as its title — a loose retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice combined with a fun spy-themed mystery.
Strawberry “Berry” Fields works for her father, staking out cheating spouses. She’s assisted in this by her friend Mary Chris Mass, who’s a tech genius. (Yes, their names are pretty pun-tastic.) One day on a job, two strange things happen. First, Berry and Mary meet two guys– cute brothers Ryan and Tanner, who say they are — huge coincidence! — going to be new students at the girls’ school. Then, Berry sees Mary’s dad exchanging a mystery piece of evidence with a strange woman, which Berry decides has to something do with her mom’s accidental death. Soon Berry and Mary are in the midst of their own mystery.
I enjoyed Spies and Prejudice. It was fun to try to figure out the P & P parallels and I enjoyed the creative liberties that the author took with the original story. Having the Berry (Lizzie) character overhear Tanner’s (Darcy’s) disparaging remark about her using surveillance equipment made me laugh. Ryan (the Bingley character) comes off as sort of a good-natured surfer dude — a totally perfect update. I also loved the Mr. Collins character (a slightly stalkery kid named … Collin) and I think that the nineteenth-century Lizzie should also have had an adorable St. Bernard. Not familiar with Pride and Prejudice? That’s okay. I think you’ll still enjoy this story.
Spies and Prejudice is a breezy, easy read with clever dialogue and a protagonist you can root for — perfect for summer! There’s no stress-inducing cliffhanger ending, however, a big reveal at the end does leave an opening for a possible sequel.
I’d recommend Spies and Prejudice to fans of Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girls series. There were also aspect of the story that reminded me of Veronica Mars and 21 Jump Street — always a plus in my book!
I can definitely see an updated Bingley as a surfer dude-how perfect! As a huge P&P fan, of course this book is on my radar and it sounds like an excellent lighthearted summer read!
I'm always a little wary of P and P retellings but this one had a sense of humor that made me smile 🙂
I'm not sure why this wasn't on my radar before but it does sound like something i might like. I've never read P & P… *hides* but there seems to be a lot of retellings. I like the spy aspect. 🙂
~Sara @ Forever 17 Books
Sounds like a great read, although I didn't really like Ally Carter's books, so I'm a bit hesitant to read this.
Christie @ The Shadower's Shelf
This sounds really fun!! I think I would enjoy it. Fab review hon!!
I really enjoyed this book up until the big reveal at the end, but then I just felt sort of let down by the characters. I really hope there is a sequel though! It would be really cool to see this story go on.
aww this does sound fantastic and unique in its own way.. i always have issues with P&P retellings. I love the Gallagher Girl series so I'm excited for this one.. it also reminds me a bit of Veronica Mars.
great review,
– Juhina @ Maji Bookshelf
Okay… I love: the title, Gallagher Girls, Veronica Mars, and the Lizzie Bennet Diaries. I think this one is right up my ally!
I saw that you read this and liked it earlier and am definitely going to be picking it up. I could use a few light and fun reads and I love Ally and P&P, so definitely a winner for me. 🙂
Tressa @ Tressa's Wishful Endings
P&P and a spy novel?? SIGN ME UP! This sounds like a winner to me! 🙂
Kate @ Ex Libris
I had a lot of mixed feelings about this one. In the end I think I gave it 3 stars, but the thing I really didn't like is that I never felt like things were really figured out. She's told this 'thing' (I don't want to get spoilery for others) and she doesn't ask questions or anything, she's shocked, but then the story just moved on without much explanation. I felt slightly confused… It was a light and fun book though.
I can't believe this is the first time I've heard of this book! It sounds AWESOME. Loved Gallagher Girls, and The Lizzie Bennet Diaries made me love P&P- and yes, the names are seriously puntastic! 😉 Love your review, now I'm definitely picking this up! 🙂
This sounds amazing! Veronica Mars + 21 Jump Street = winning. Plus I love the names and the title. 🙂
Finding all the parallels and also being surprised in places was definitely my favorite part of this book. Definitely cute and perfect for summer. I love spy books so much but nothing beats Heist Society and HALE! Nice review.
I'm kind of over retellings, but this sounds AMAZING!! I LOVED 21 Jump Street so for it to be similar, then i MUST read it! I'm glad you enjoyed it! Great review!
– Farah @ MajiBookshelf
Love finding parallels in a retelling. And this one sounds fun. Especially your remark about VM and 21 Jump Street. There you go again…I had no intentions of reading this one, but I'm seriously considering it now.
I have even read the gallhger series but I had lots of peeps recommend it. Awesome review 🙂
I enjoyed this one too! It definitely reminded me of Veronica Mars.
I CANNOT wait for this! I am hoping my library gets it 🙂 I really enjoyed the fun easy read of the Gallagher series, so nice comparison!