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Assassins Guild #2
A Spy To Die For
When Spy Meets Spy
Agent: Skylight
Profile: Seasoned Assassin Guild Super-Sleuth. Talented enough that she can write her own rules.
Budget: Unlimited.
Agent: Jack
Profile: Main investigator for the loosely federated Rover Assassins. Guided by a strict moral code, fierce loyalty, and a sense of duty.
More Than Sparks Will Fly
On opposite sides of a high-stakes game, lust lures two spies together in a passionate encounter. Little do they know that the heat of the moment would bind them, turning their worlds upside down. Hunted by deadly assassins, can the pair and their love withstand the onslaught?
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 2, 2013
8 people are currently reading
321 people want to read
About the author
Kris DeLake
7 books28 followersKris DeLake is one of writer Kristine Kathryn Rusch's many pen names. In addition to writing as Kris DeLake in romance, Rusch also writes romance as Kristine Grayson (who specializes in paranormals) and Kristine Dexter (who prefers romantic suspense). In mystery, Rusch writes as Edgar- and Shamus-nominee Kris Nelscott. In science fiction and fantasy, Rusch goes by her real name. Under that name, she's a bestseller in many countries, and a double Hugo winner. To find out more about Rusch and her various names, go to her website, kristinekathrynrusch.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
July 1, 2013
That blurb is very misleading, no memory of that happening...
Ok girl eat at a shady burger joint, in comes hot guy. Girl is a bit lonely, she is a spy after all without any friends. Girl and boy ends up in bed. Boy is a spy too from another organization. Soon boy and girl are running and falling in love and lust. Now that is what this book is about.
Sky is a bad assassin who turned spy. Jack is good at finding things so he turned spy too. Set in a distant future where assassins are for hire and nothing wrong with that. Which makes this into a sci-fi romantic suspense story. If you are not into sci-fi then do not worry, you can take a few ships and sonic showers. If you like sci-fi then good, you will get some romance too thrown in. And of course the suspense part as something fishy is going on and someone is unhappy. Which means run you fools!
It was interesting to see them fall cos they fitted each other well but Sky had her issues. A lone wolf. While Jack, oh I do like when I guy falls first.
It made me wonder about book 1 too, sounds quite interesting too.
A spy novel set in space and a promise of passion.
Ok girl eat at a shady burger joint, in comes hot guy. Girl is a bit lonely, she is a spy after all without any friends. Girl and boy ends up in bed. Boy is a spy too from another organization. Soon boy and girl are running and falling in love and lust. Now that is what this book is about.
Sky is a bad assassin who turned spy. Jack is good at finding things so he turned spy too. Set in a distant future where assassins are for hire and nothing wrong with that. Which makes this into a sci-fi romantic suspense story. If you are not into sci-fi then do not worry, you can take a few ships and sonic showers. If you like sci-fi then good, you will get some romance too thrown in. And of course the suspense part as something fishy is going on and someone is unhappy. Which means run you fools!
It was interesting to see them fall cos they fitted each other well but Sky had her issues. A lone wolf. While Jack, oh I do like when I guy falls first.
It made me wonder about book 1 too, sounds quite interesting too.
A spy novel set in space and a promise of passion.
March 13, 2017
This is very similar to the first book in the series, and the plot runs in parallel with that one, so it might have been even better had I read them closer together.
What does a member of an assassin's guild do if they suck at killing people? Logistics! Well no, they do the research to see if the targets really deserve to die.
In this story, the researchers of two competing guilds cross paths, only to discover that they were meant to be together - so they could save the galaxy! Throw in some entertaining sex scenes, and a few odd-ball characters, and you have a very enjoyable story from one of our best authors.
What does a member of an assassin's guild do if they suck at killing people? Logistics! Well no, they do the research to see if the targets really deserve to die.
In this story, the researchers of two competing guilds cross paths, only to discover that they were meant to be together - so they could save the galaxy! Throw in some entertaining sex scenes, and a few odd-ball characters, and you have a very enjoyable story from one of our best authors.
May 27, 2013
The timeline in A Spy To Die For is the same as the timeline in Assassins In Love. Unlike Misha and Rikki who are assassins, Sky and Jack are spies, one for the Assassins Guild and one for the Rover Assassins.
Characters: Sky and Jack are both great characters. Both have secrets, both have trouble trusting and both usually work independently. It is fun to see what happens when they have to work together to survive.
Plot: I thought the plot here was a little weak. The book is more romance centered than plot centered. This is more of a small splinter off of the plot in Assassins In Love but it is still a fun read.
A Spy To Die For is a fun light read. It is a good place to get your SFR (Science Fiction Romance) fix so pick it up. Even though it is book 2 in the Assassins Guild series it can stand-alone but pick up Assassins in Love for a double SFR fix.
Characters: Sky and Jack are both great characters. Both have secrets, both have trouble trusting and both usually work independently. It is fun to see what happens when they have to work together to survive.
Plot: I thought the plot here was a little weak. The book is more romance centered than plot centered. This is more of a small splinter off of the plot in Assassins In Love but it is still a fun read.
A Spy To Die For is a fun light read. It is a good place to get your SFR (Science Fiction Romance) fix so pick it up. Even though it is book 2 in the Assassins Guild series it can stand-alone but pick up Assassins in Love for a double SFR fix.
May 5, 2017
Took me a good while to read this book. I wound up not finishing it the first time I checked it out of the library and it was several months before I rechecked it. The hero and heroine are both researchers for groups of assassins, though the hero has recently quit his renegade bunch, because they were assassinating people even when his research showed they weren't bad guys. They have a great one-night stand, then the heroine discovers that someone wants to assassinate the hero and she decides to help him stay alive. A chase and some adventure ensues. It's strangely dull adventure, I think because it still took place in the spaceship. I liked it.
October 30, 2021
Kris DeLake is a pseudonym for a writer that I like quite a bit, Kristine Kathryn Rusch. I like the fact that she uses so many pseudonyms for different styles of writing. I read them all because she's a good writer.
Kris DeLake writes science fiction/romance with sex. The Assasins' Guild series has a guild of assassins and a rival group of assassins in an interstellar civilization. They're only supposed to kill *deserving* people.
I suspect some people will really like these books. I prefer her other pseudonyms (and her regular name).
Kris DeLake writes science fiction/romance with sex. The Assasins' Guild series has a guild of assassins and a rival group of assassins in an interstellar civilization. They're only supposed to kill *deserving* people.
I suspect some people will really like these books. I prefer her other pseudonyms (and her regular name).
March 21, 2021
This book was OK. Like, not amazing, but the characters were fine and the story was inventive and interesting. You only really get to see the two main characters basically- like even when they have conversations with other people you only get snippets or you miss them. Like, dialog is basically only Jake and Sky. That said, it wasn’t like any other romance I’ve read before. And I did finish it, so there’s that.
April 2, 2020
It was a quick read. Very fantasy and romance based. Probably would have read the first in the series first of I had the opportunity
May 6, 2023
2 1/2 stars. Cute couple but tedious plot line.
June 19, 2023
This could have been a novella that happened parallel to book 1, rather than a full-length novel.
July 6, 2013
Originally published at Book Lovers Inc.
This is either a sequel or a parallel-que (this needs to be a word, really) for DeLake’s Assassins in Love. It’s second in the series, and some of the events in Assassins in Love seem to have taken place before the start of A Spy to Die For, but the two stories end at very close to the same point in time.
It’s not as confusing as it sounds.
On my other hand, even though this story didn’t quite read as deliberately light-weight as Assassins in Love, it actually worked better. Or maybe there weren’t quite as many plates spinning.
DeLake’s gritty space opera world, there are two competing groups of contract assassins; the Guild and the Rovers. The Guild is considered to be slightly more fussy about the contracts they take than the Rovers. It seems like they get paid better, and they certainly train their agents better.
Of course, this story, like Assassins in Love, concerns a pair of operators who would normally work for the rival agencies. But not as assassins, hence the title. Skye and Jack are both researchers, they’re the recon agents who make sure that contracts are on the up-and-up.
Even in this less-than-bright future, not everyone who has a price on their head deserves killing. Skye and Jack do recon because Jack refused to be an assassin, and Skye refused to be good at it.
But Jack’s Rovers have decided that money is more important than the ethics they used to abide by, and the new leader of the Rovers has put out a contract on Jack for pointing out that they aren’t, well, the moral killers they used to be.
He’s one night too late. Skye met Jack first. And in spite of her need not to get involved or attached to anyone, she’s emotionally attached to the man she spent the best night of her life with. The gut instinct that has kept her alive tells her that Jack is a good man. And that even though everything about someone putting a contract out on him means that he’s been dealing with bad people, he’s still a good man.
So she helps him escape. She has her own reasons. The same man who put the contract out on Jack also accepted a contract from someone in her own Guild, and she knows that’s just wrong. Especially since the woman who gave him that contract is someone who has been disciplined. And is someone who has always been her enemy.
But their escape from the first trap leads them, not just to a long trip to places where they can get unregistered ships and even better unlicensed information--it’s also time for two people who aren’t sure that it’s okay to trust anyone to find out that they have much more than just amazing chemistry. They have a real partnership. All they have to do is live long enough to find out what that means.
Verdict: A Spy to Die For is much more of a straightforward science fiction romance than Assassins in Love was, and that’s a good thing. Jack and Skye meet cute in a pretty run-down space station burger joint, and have one perfect night. They may want more, put that’s all their lives have taught them to expect.
Then it all goes to hell. Skye’s experience of relationships is that everyone leaves her, something that started with her parents. She may want to try for something more, but her early experiences are all of abandonment, and life as a Guild spy doesn’t encourage involvement. And in their first night together, it’s not as if she and Jack can be candid about their work! They start out with a lot of lies of omission.
When they’re forced to rely on each other, the relationship builds slowly and hesitantly, which is the way it should be. Sex is easy, love, or even the ability to trust and rely on another person, is hard for both of them.
This was a story where the character creation was good. The world building had been done in the previous book. The plot was admittedly a bit on the thin side, but watching Skye and Jack reach towards each other made the story fun.
I give A Spy to Die for by Kris DeLake 3 and ½ stars.
This is either a sequel or a parallel-que (this needs to be a word, really) for DeLake’s Assassins in Love. It’s second in the series, and some of the events in Assassins in Love seem to have taken place before the start of A Spy to Die For, but the two stories end at very close to the same point in time.
It’s not as confusing as it sounds.
On my other hand, even though this story didn’t quite read as deliberately light-weight as Assassins in Love, it actually worked better. Or maybe there weren’t quite as many plates spinning.
DeLake’s gritty space opera world, there are two competing groups of contract assassins; the Guild and the Rovers. The Guild is considered to be slightly more fussy about the contracts they take than the Rovers. It seems like they get paid better, and they certainly train their agents better.
Of course, this story, like Assassins in Love, concerns a pair of operators who would normally work for the rival agencies. But not as assassins, hence the title. Skye and Jack are both researchers, they’re the recon agents who make sure that contracts are on the up-and-up.
Even in this less-than-bright future, not everyone who has a price on their head deserves killing. Skye and Jack do recon because Jack refused to be an assassin, and Skye refused to be good at it.
But Jack’s Rovers have decided that money is more important than the ethics they used to abide by, and the new leader of the Rovers has put out a contract on Jack for pointing out that they aren’t, well, the moral killers they used to be.
He’s one night too late. Skye met Jack first. And in spite of her need not to get involved or attached to anyone, she’s emotionally attached to the man she spent the best night of her life with. The gut instinct that has kept her alive tells her that Jack is a good man. And that even though everything about someone putting a contract out on him means that he’s been dealing with bad people, he’s still a good man.
So she helps him escape. She has her own reasons. The same man who put the contract out on Jack also accepted a contract from someone in her own Guild, and she knows that’s just wrong. Especially since the woman who gave him that contract is someone who has been disciplined. And is someone who has always been her enemy.
But their escape from the first trap leads them, not just to a long trip to places where they can get unregistered ships and even better unlicensed information--it’s also time for two people who aren’t sure that it’s okay to trust anyone to find out that they have much more than just amazing chemistry. They have a real partnership. All they have to do is live long enough to find out what that means.
Verdict: A Spy to Die For is much more of a straightforward science fiction romance than Assassins in Love was, and that’s a good thing. Jack and Skye meet cute in a pretty run-down space station burger joint, and have one perfect night. They may want more, put that’s all their lives have taught them to expect.
Then it all goes to hell. Skye’s experience of relationships is that everyone leaves her, something that started with her parents. She may want to try for something more, but her early experiences are all of abandonment, and life as a Guild spy doesn’t encourage involvement. And in their first night together, it’s not as if she and Jack can be candid about their work! They start out with a lot of lies of omission.
When they’re forced to rely on each other, the relationship builds slowly and hesitantly, which is the way it should be. Sex is easy, love, or even the ability to trust and rely on another person, is hard for both of them.
This was a story where the character creation was good. The world building had been done in the previous book. The plot was admittedly a bit on the thin side, but watching Skye and Jack reach towards each other made the story fun.
I give A Spy to Die for by Kris DeLake 3 and ½ stars.
August 17, 2013
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A Spy to Die for is one of those books that started well and ended well but lost its way in the middle. When I started this I was sure I was onto a winner but the whole middle section bored me slightly which was a real shame as it had the potential to be a really amazing book.
There were lots of strong elements to this. Firstly the writing and world building was excellent. This book is set in space so every scene is on a new and interesting planet or a space ship. Kris Delake did really well at bringing everything to life and I had no problem envisioning anything. I loved that there was nowhere clean or savoury in this book. Everything was dingy, dark and a little dangerous. It really added to the whole feel of the book.
I really loved the beginning and straight away I was interested. The two main characters Jack and Skye meet within the first few pages and there is no real build up to their relationship. They are attracted to each other and have the opportunity to test that attraction. Normally I don’t like it when relationships move to quickly but this worked for me. I really enjoyed the action after they got together as they were trying to safely get off the planet they were on. It was exciting and I thought I was in for a romantic action packed thrill ride but then everything slowed down.
Not much seemed to happen in the whole middle section which was a bit bizarre. They travelled through space having a lot of sex and not really knowing if they should trust each other but that was really it. I didn’t need every page to be full of action but would have liked something a little more exciting to have happened. It was like this book crawled to a stop and I struggled to get through it as it just didn’t hold my interest any more. Then all of a sudden it all clicked back into place and I was enjoying it again. The ending maybe could have been a little more thrilling but I liked it.
The characters were likeable but I didn’t fall in love with them. Both Jack and Skye seemed to have the exact same problems and a lot of the same feelings about a lot of stuff. If I had to pick I would have to say he was better because he was more open and honest about the way he felt about Skye, whereas she did the whole denial thing and only realised what she had when it was nearly too late.
Overall A Spy to Die for was an enjoyable read with some great world building and good chemistry. The middle dragged which was a shame but it was good enough for me to actively look at other books in the series.
The publisher provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
May 24, 2015
Skye Jones, aka Skylight, is a trained and highly gifted assassin who works for the Assassins Guild. While taking some down time after completing an assignment, Skye travels to the Krell space station to get her hamburger fix. All Skye wanted was her treat of greasy greatness but what she ended up with was meeting a tall handsome stranger and beginning an investigation that will change her life forever – whether it will be a good change or a bad one is still open.
Jack Hunter is an assassin who worked for another assassin group until just recently. Now Jack is freelance and he really doesn’t have much good to say about the highly touted Assassins Guild. However the night he stops for what he thinks is the best hamburger and soda in the galaxy, Jack meets a woman who might just change his mind about Guild assassins.
The attraction between Jack and Skye was fast and furious which lead to what was meant to be a night of passion. However, when both Skye and Jack get leads on something big going down that seems to have assassins going against assassins they team up to find the answers and to watch each other’s back. Things are getting deadly fast and, at first, it seems that Skye and Jack only find more questions instead of the answers they are seeking. It’s not only the danger that is heating up, so is the passion between Jack and Skye. When all the cards fall and lives are both saved and lost, the final outcome facing Skye and Jack seems like it might tear them apart rather than bring them together. But when you are talking about people who live by their wits and skills, never bet against the home team and love.
Two deadly assassins, who should have never met, find red hot passion and deadly danger that all begins with a hamburger place in a shaky space station. I saw that the sparks were flying fast and furious when Skye and Jack met the first time. I could also tell that acting on that attraction was not the norm for either of them. I loved how both Jack and Skye fought together to bring down a rebel ring and save a life and to keep the love that they unexpectedly found. I love great suspense and double love it when romance surrounds that suspense and I found all of that and more here. A Spy to Die For is a fast paced and suspense filled romance between two people who know how to kick butt and take names.
Reviewed by Jo for Joyfully Reviewed
Link: http://bit.ly/1IWdQKp
Jack Hunter is an assassin who worked for another assassin group until just recently. Now Jack is freelance and he really doesn’t have much good to say about the highly touted Assassins Guild. However the night he stops for what he thinks is the best hamburger and soda in the galaxy, Jack meets a woman who might just change his mind about Guild assassins.
The attraction between Jack and Skye was fast and furious which lead to what was meant to be a night of passion. However, when both Skye and Jack get leads on something big going down that seems to have assassins going against assassins they team up to find the answers and to watch each other’s back. Things are getting deadly fast and, at first, it seems that Skye and Jack only find more questions instead of the answers they are seeking. It’s not only the danger that is heating up, so is the passion between Jack and Skye. When all the cards fall and lives are both saved and lost, the final outcome facing Skye and Jack seems like it might tear them apart rather than bring them together. But when you are talking about people who live by their wits and skills, never bet against the home team and love.
Two deadly assassins, who should have never met, find red hot passion and deadly danger that all begins with a hamburger place in a shaky space station. I saw that the sparks were flying fast and furious when Skye and Jack met the first time. I could also tell that acting on that attraction was not the norm for either of them. I loved how both Jack and Skye fought together to bring down a rebel ring and save a life and to keep the love that they unexpectedly found. I love great suspense and double love it when romance surrounds that suspense and I found all of that and more here. A Spy to Die For is a fast paced and suspense filled romance between two people who know how to kick butt and take names.
Reviewed by Jo for Joyfully Reviewed
Link: http://bit.ly/1IWdQKp
August 10, 2013
Previously reviewed at The Good, the Bad and the Unread
I started out as a Science Fiction fan, and specifically a fan of Space Opera with ambiguous, and not-always-skilled, protagonists (think Blakes 7 or, more recently, Firefly), so when I saw this book described as 'Mr. And Mr. Smith meets Firefly', I was forced to overcome my objections to reading the second in a series without having any knowledge of the first book and grab hold of it.
The prose in this one isn't stunning, but I love the concept of two outcasts who join opposing associations of assassins only to find that they can't actually face killing their targets. On the other hand, both have a particular talent for investigation, and have turned their skills to checking out the targets their organisations have been hired to bring down in order to ensure only the real bad guys get bumped off.
Skye and Jack hook up for a one night stand on a space station, and I did love both the awfulness of the fast-food joint where they first meet and the fact that tall people like Jack just aren't suited to life in space – where everything is designed for short people like Skye (and me). I also liked that Jack, while having the more traumatic childhood in some respects, is also the one who actually admits to having friends and is prepared to go out of his way to make sure they're okay. Skye on the other hand claims not to have friends, even when Jack points out that she does seem to have got on rather well with some of her classmates at the assassins school.
This story has some reasonable thought put into the world-building aspects, although I would have liked more details about how various aspects of the universe worked. Also, the ending felt a little too rushed and convenient for my tastes. Not bad, just not stunning either.
I started out as a Science Fiction fan, and specifically a fan of Space Opera with ambiguous, and not-always-skilled, protagonists (think Blakes 7 or, more recently, Firefly), so when I saw this book described as 'Mr. And Mr. Smith meets Firefly', I was forced to overcome my objections to reading the second in a series without having any knowledge of the first book and grab hold of it.
The prose in this one isn't stunning, but I love the concept of two outcasts who join opposing associations of assassins only to find that they can't actually face killing their targets. On the other hand, both have a particular talent for investigation, and have turned their skills to checking out the targets their organisations have been hired to bring down in order to ensure only the real bad guys get bumped off.
Skye and Jack hook up for a one night stand on a space station, and I did love both the awfulness of the fast-food joint where they first meet and the fact that tall people like Jack just aren't suited to life in space – where everything is designed for short people like Skye (and me). I also liked that Jack, while having the more traumatic childhood in some respects, is also the one who actually admits to having friends and is prepared to go out of his way to make sure they're okay. Skye on the other hand claims not to have friends, even when Jack points out that she does seem to have got on rather well with some of her classmates at the assassins school.
This story has some reasonable thought put into the world-building aspects, although I would have liked more details about how various aspects of the universe worked. Also, the ending felt a little too rushed and convenient for my tastes. Not bad, just not stunning either.
March 6, 2023
This book was not at all what I expected and I'm not certain if it was for the better or the worse. Basically, the hero and heroine meet in a rundown burger joint in the space station before going back to the hotel room for a quickie. The heroine, not ready to have anything more than a one-night stand, parts way with the tall handsome man only to overhear a conversation about a plan to murder him. She rushes to him and together they escape the station and flee into space. Neither the hero or heroine were battle drawn soldiers but they both work for assassin guilds.
The heroine was dumped as the guild as a child and forced into the training to become an assassin but she lacked the stomach and will to kill other people so instead she now investigates the targets for other agents. The hero had a mirror image for his childhood only he was dumped off at the rovers, an organization with less 'rules' than the guild when it comes to choosing targets. They are so much alike it was scary. Though the heroine did have a bit more knowledge about ships and how to deal with dangerous situations, for an assassin investigator, the hero was lost when it came to knowing how to survive. I liked that about him, it takes a real man to show fear and the hero was afraid when he learns about the kill out on him.
I will say that the pacing for the story was very slow and honestly not much happened. If you are expecting a high pace, action packed space adventure, this book is not for you. But neither was it an in-depth study of human nature and relationships. It was a fun albeit light, fluffy read without anything truly remarkable about it. I did enjoy the main characters though I wished something more happened to make their love affair more interesting. Most of the time they were making love in different parts of the ship. I kept waiting for a spark but I never felt it. But it was a fun read. Loved the hero and heroine respectively.
The heroine was dumped as the guild as a child and forced into the training to become an assassin but she lacked the stomach and will to kill other people so instead she now investigates the targets for other agents. The hero had a mirror image for his childhood only he was dumped off at the rovers, an organization with less 'rules' than the guild when it comes to choosing targets. They are so much alike it was scary. Though the heroine did have a bit more knowledge about ships and how to deal with dangerous situations, for an assassin investigator, the hero was lost when it came to knowing how to survive. I liked that about him, it takes a real man to show fear and the hero was afraid when he learns about the kill out on him.
I will say that the pacing for the story was very slow and honestly not much happened. If you are expecting a high pace, action packed space adventure, this book is not for you. But neither was it an in-depth study of human nature and relationships. It was a fun albeit light, fluffy read without anything truly remarkable about it. I did enjoy the main characters though I wished something more happened to make their love affair more interesting. Most of the time they were making love in different parts of the ship. I kept waiting for a spark but I never felt it. But it was a fun read. Loved the hero and heroine respectively.
February 15, 2014
A Spy to Die For was a pretty awesome read.
A quick word of warning: A Spy to Die For takes place concurrently with Assassins in Love, the first book in the Assassins Guild series, and references events in that novel, so you definitely want to read that first. It’s a neat storytelling device — and one I don’t think I’ve encountered before — and it helps provide some more context for the events that take place in both novels. And it’s really neat to see more than just one approach to handling the problem in question.
I think I actually enjoyed A Spy to Die For a tiny bit more than Assassins in Love because I really fell for the characters. Sky’s was an unexpected sort of character — not hard enough to be an assassin but beholden to the Guild, she works as something of an intelligence gatherer,checking out targets to make sure that they are indeed appropriate targets for the Guild. It’s a solitary lifestyle, which has contributed to Sky’s lack of trust, but not as much as her parents, who kept leaving her behind when she was a kid. Jack is also an experienced intelligence gatherer, though not for the Guild. They initially start off as a one-night stand but realize that they have a strong connection. (Sky is a bit more reluctant to admit it than Jack, which contributes to the fun of reading A Spy to Die For.)
There’s also a nice bit of action since there are folks trying to kill them. You can expect some stealthy action, some overt action, and an explosion or two, which should please all of the readers who appreciate a good battle or fight scenes.
All in all, A Spy to Die For is a great read. I’d definitely recommend it. But I think you’d enjoy it more if you read Assassins in Love first since it’ll give you a better grounding in the world. DeLake’s Assassins Guild series is a great sci fi romance series and I think you should be putting it on your TBR list if you haven’t already!
http://ireadgood.wordpress.com
A quick word of warning: A Spy to Die For takes place concurrently with Assassins in Love, the first book in the Assassins Guild series, and references events in that novel, so you definitely want to read that first. It’s a neat storytelling device — and one I don’t think I’ve encountered before — and it helps provide some more context for the events that take place in both novels. And it’s really neat to see more than just one approach to handling the problem in question.
I think I actually enjoyed A Spy to Die For a tiny bit more than Assassins in Love because I really fell for the characters. Sky’s was an unexpected sort of character — not hard enough to be an assassin but beholden to the Guild, she works as something of an intelligence gatherer,checking out targets to make sure that they are indeed appropriate targets for the Guild. It’s a solitary lifestyle, which has contributed to Sky’s lack of trust, but not as much as her parents, who kept leaving her behind when she was a kid. Jack is also an experienced intelligence gatherer, though not for the Guild. They initially start off as a one-night stand but realize that they have a strong connection. (Sky is a bit more reluctant to admit it than Jack, which contributes to the fun of reading A Spy to Die For.)
There’s also a nice bit of action since there are folks trying to kill them. You can expect some stealthy action, some overt action, and an explosion or two, which should please all of the readers who appreciate a good battle or fight scenes.
All in all, A Spy to Die For is a great read. I’d definitely recommend it. But I think you’d enjoy it more if you read Assassins in Love first since it’ll give you a better grounding in the world. DeLake’s Assassins Guild series is a great sci fi romance series and I think you should be putting it on your TBR list if you haven’t already!
http://ireadgood.wordpress.com
July 19, 2013
This book was reviewed by Susan from http://bookedandloaded.com and was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Original Rating = 3.5 out of 5.
An intergalactic spy thriller A Spy to Die For by Kris DeLake was a soft romance and a good read. I enjoyed the description of the planets they visited and could feel their gritty realism. Places of thieves and lost identities. It made me want to linger there and see in more detail how anyone lived in such shadows.
The Assassins Guild a very thought provoking “government” of assassins and spies. I really feel their objective could have been discussed in much more depth. A universe where you can hire someone to assassin a target who the reigning government could not prosecute or who got off on a technicality in a trial, bring some very deep questions that I would of loved to hear be debated and bring more depth to Skylight, the Assassin Guild spy and Jack, the investigator for a competitive guild the Rovers.
Skylight and Jack meet by chance and quickly get wrapped up in uncovering a plot that could rock the Assassins Guild to its core. Knowing Slylight’s background of loath of the Guild I sometime wonder at her loyalty. It was a home when she did not have one, however, I was left reaching for something in several areas. Slylight’s search of her parents was brought up on several occasions in the first half of the book and then completely dropped. I also wondered at her high standings as a spy. How in such short time did this come about?
In all I enjoyed the book and journey!
An intergalactic spy thriller A Spy to Die For by Kris DeLake was a soft romance and a good read. I enjoyed the description of the planets they visited and could feel their gritty realism. Places of thieves and lost identities. It made me want to linger there and see in more detail how anyone lived in such shadows.
The Assassins Guild a very thought provoking “government” of assassins and spies. I really feel their objective could have been discussed in much more depth. A universe where you can hire someone to assassin a target who the reigning government could not prosecute or who got off on a technicality in a trial, bring some very deep questions that I would of loved to hear be debated and bring more depth to Skylight, the Assassin Guild spy and Jack, the investigator for a competitive guild the Rovers.
Skylight and Jack meet by chance and quickly get wrapped up in uncovering a plot that could rock the Assassins Guild to its core. Knowing Slylight’s background of loath of the Guild I sometime wonder at her loyalty. It was a home when she did not have one, however, I was left reaching for something in several areas. Slylight’s search of her parents was brought up on several occasions in the first half of the book and then completely dropped. I also wondered at her high standings as a spy. How in such short time did this come about?
In all I enjoyed the book and journey!
December 23, 2013
This review originally posted on my blog, drey's library.
I’m going to start with a nit-pick, because it was just so obvious – to me at least. Jack Hunter, our hero, is supposed to be six foot six. And Skylight Jones, our heroine, is brushing five feet. Anyone notice that the cover models don’t have a foot-and-a-half discrepancy in height? I wish the people who do the covers actually either knew this information, or paid attention to it. Alright, nit-pick over. Let’s move on to the good stuff.
I liked A Spy to Die For; the characters are fun and the setting (mostly spaceships and space ports) is interesting. Both our hero and heroine are orphans, both ended up working in the same field – albeit for rival organizations. They don’t know it at first, of course – they’re too busy flirting up a storm. But when Skye finds out there’s a hit out on Jack, she can’t let this fabulous one-night-stand just go and get himself killed.
The chemistry sizzles, and while the plot isn’t quite the seat-of-your-pants action thriller my favorite James Bond movies are, it’s enough to keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next. Add A Spy to Die For to your beach bag for a fun read to while away a few hours with!
drey’s rating: Pick it up!
I’m going to start with a nit-pick, because it was just so obvious – to me at least. Jack Hunter, our hero, is supposed to be six foot six. And Skylight Jones, our heroine, is brushing five feet. Anyone notice that the cover models don’t have a foot-and-a-half discrepancy in height? I wish the people who do the covers actually either knew this information, or paid attention to it. Alright, nit-pick over. Let’s move on to the good stuff.
I liked A Spy to Die For; the characters are fun and the setting (mostly spaceships and space ports) is interesting. Both our hero and heroine are orphans, both ended up working in the same field – albeit for rival organizations. They don’t know it at first, of course – they’re too busy flirting up a storm. But when Skye finds out there’s a hit out on Jack, she can’t let this fabulous one-night-stand just go and get himself killed.
The chemistry sizzles, and while the plot isn’t quite the seat-of-your-pants action thriller my favorite James Bond movies are, it’s enough to keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next. Add A Spy to Die For to your beach bag for a fun read to while away a few hours with!
drey’s rating: Pick it up!
August 1, 2013
Agent Skylight "Sky" Jones, a spy for the Assassins Guild, meets Jack Hunter, a former spy for the Federated Rover Assassins. The attraction between the two is instantaneous, and they have a one-night stand. Sky kind of regrets, that she may never see Jack again, but then she overhears the head of the Rovers putting a hit out on Jack. After this, Sky and Jack are on the run, not knowing who to trust.
With combustible chemistry, Jack and Sky make for one hot couple. I really like the fact, that these two slowly grow into a relationship, after being forced to work together. Jack and Sky make a formidable team, each bringing their own strengths to the table, and they are true partners by the end. A SPY TO DIE FOR is, also, filled action and adventure.
Overall, A SPY TO DIE FOR is a very enjoyable science fiction romance with great characters and an intense action-filled plot. I'm really hoping, that there will be another book in this series, soon.
With combustible chemistry, Jack and Sky make for one hot couple. I really like the fact, that these two slowly grow into a relationship, after being forced to work together. Jack and Sky make a formidable team, each bringing their own strengths to the table, and they are true partners by the end. A SPY TO DIE FOR is, also, filled action and adventure.
Overall, A SPY TO DIE FOR is a very enjoyable science fiction romance with great characters and an intense action-filled plot. I'm really hoping, that there will be another book in this series, soon.
July 8, 2013
I found Skye to be refreshing, especially when she propositioned John not long after meeting him. Just the way that she worded things had me laughing. To say that John was sputtering would be kind, he was so stunned. The best thing was that Skye kept getting that same reaction from him through out the book. I kept waiting for John to do the same to Skye, wondered if it would even happen, but lucky for us it did, close to the end and John's words totally threw Skye.
I really liked how similar Skye and John were, they had some much in common, including their jobs and how they felt about the people they went after. It made things so much easier when they went on the run and had to work together to figure things out.
I really liked how similar Skye and John were, they had some much in common, including their jobs and how they felt about the people they went after. It made things so much easier when they went on the run and had to work together to figure things out.
January 6, 2014
A SPY TO DIE FOR by Kris DeLake is a Science Fiction/Romance. #2 in the "Assassins Guild" but can be read as a stand alone. This is the story of Skylight and Jack two assassins on opposite sides of a high-stakes game. Two spies hunted by deadly assassins. While, "A Spy To Die For" was interesting as well as fascinating it was what want I expected. Two spies should do spies things right? Well not the case, but they do have passion, romance and adventure. Lust rules the day and fate steps in,the pair find themselves falling into more than trouble. A fun read, but not what I expected. If you enjoy Science Fiction you will enjoy "A Spy to Die For". Received for an honest review.
RATING: 3
HEAT RATING: MILD
REVIEWED BY: AprilR, courtesy of My Book Addiction and More
RATING: 3
HEAT RATING: MILD
REVIEWED BY: AprilR, courtesy of My Book Addiction and More
August 12, 2015
I liked the story, but the execution left much to be desired. I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway, so I really wanted to be able to give it a rave review! But...
Two spies from opposing assassin organizations meet up and try to uncover the plot that involves members of both organizations. It sounds like a story with lots of potential. But I didn't sense much chemistry between Skye and Hunter past their initial meeting. Their investigative techniques left me flat. It was mostly 'online'. Yeah, maybe that is realistic spying for a futuristic setting, but not really interesting. And the final reveal was very anticlimactic. I liked it enough to finish, but that's about it.
Two spies from opposing assassin organizations meet up and try to uncover the plot that involves members of both organizations. It sounds like a story with lots of potential. But I didn't sense much chemistry between Skye and Hunter past their initial meeting. Their investigative techniques left me flat. It was mostly 'online'. Yeah, maybe that is realistic spying for a futuristic setting, but not really interesting. And the final reveal was very anticlimactic. I liked it enough to finish, but that's about it.
September 27, 2013
NUMBER OF STARS: 3
REVIEW:
I enjoyed this book. This was my first book by Kris Delake, yet it is book 2 in the series, which I didn’t know when I started reading. But I never really felt lost with the storyline. Will I did enjoy the book I didn’t connect completely with the world.
Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.
Review will be posted at www.books-n-kisses.com .
REVIEW:
I enjoyed this book. This was my first book by Kris Delake, yet it is book 2 in the series, which I didn’t know when I started reading. But I never really felt lost with the storyline. Will I did enjoy the book I didn’t connect completely with the world.
Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.
Review will be posted at www.books-n-kisses.com .
October 2, 2013
This book was really great. I got it just for the double leather vests on the cover, but it ended up being a great story, well written, and hot sex. What the cover and blurb on the back don't convey is that they are SPACE spies that work for 2 different assassins guild. I will definitely read this author again.
April 16, 2020
I prefer other books of this author in these books the sex scenes are more explicit than in other romances she's written, and the character building is more diluted, her short stories and books usually have very interesting characters, but I'm in the mood for something just entertaining, and this did it.
December 1, 2015
Its a sci-fi romance between two very different and at the same time very similar spies who are in the same business with a different organization behind them. It was a fast read with some sexy, thrilling and funny moments. A great mix if you like the futuristic setting, which I did.
June 3, 2014
I enjoyed this sequel to "Assassins in Love". It takes place at the same time as the first novel and is about two data reseachers from opposing factions.
July 5, 2013
Another fun little romp in Kris DeLake's Assassin's Guild world.
September 19, 2013
Another enjoyable sci-fi romance from Kris De Lake. I didn't rate it as highly as Assassins in Love but only because there was no Rikki (the heroine from book 1) who I loved.
September 25, 2013
This book started off great and then proceeded to get more and more ridiculous. I wasn't able to finish it because I don't care for slapstick.
June 3, 2016
Great series
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