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No Time To Forget
A year after Quinn Darling wakes up in a hospital with six years of memories missing, she’s desperate for something—anything—to break up the monotony of her new life. Her days are dull, her job is predictable, and her best friend, Callahan Sinclair, seems perfectly content to keep things that way.
Then two strangers show up in her apartment, and Quinn’s carefully rebuilt life comes crashing down. Because Quinn isn’t just a bartender.
Before the accident, she spent six years working for an intelligence agency. And Cal—the surly best friend who’s been by her side since she woke up—is actually the agent assigned to protect her.
Now Quinn is being framed for a journalist’s disappearance, and she and Cal are forced to go on the run. With their team closing ranks around them, they race to uncover who set Quinn up, who’s hunting her, and what secrets she left behind six years ago.
The deeper they dig, the more Quinn realizes her missing memories may have been taken for a reason.
When those memories finally return, she discovers the truth Cal has been hiding since the day she woke up—they were in love.
And Cal has spent the past year hoping one day she’ll remember.
For fans of Ally Carter and Natalie Walters, No Time To Forget is a gritty spy romance with all of the action and none of the spice.
Then two strangers show up in her apartment, and Quinn’s carefully rebuilt life comes crashing down. Because Quinn isn’t just a bartender.
Before the accident, she spent six years working for an intelligence agency. And Cal—the surly best friend who’s been by her side since she woke up—is actually the agent assigned to protect her.
Now Quinn is being framed for a journalist’s disappearance, and she and Cal are forced to go on the run. With their team closing ranks around them, they race to uncover who set Quinn up, who’s hunting her, and what secrets she left behind six years ago.
The deeper they dig, the more Quinn realizes her missing memories may have been taken for a reason.
When those memories finally return, she discovers the truth Cal has been hiding since the day she woke up—they were in love.
And Cal has spent the past year hoping one day she’ll remember.
For fans of Ally Carter and Natalie Walters, No Time To Forget is a gritty spy romance with all of the action and none of the spice.
ebook
Published October 7, 2026
About the author
J.W. Marie
5 books14 followersWhile J.W. Marie got her start writing small town rom-coms, she found her true passion in the spy romance genre. When she's not weaving mysteries and plotting action sequences, you can frequently find her watching television with her dog or grabbing coffee with her husband.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
Oh my goodness, what an adventure! Spies and amnesia... and so many secrets to discover? What could be better? It didn't take me long at all to be drawn right into Quinn and Cal's world... a world that Quinn is discovering might not be all that believes it to be, having lost six years of her memories. While we know a little bit from Cal's POV, we're mostly discovering all these secrets and twists and turns right along with Quinn. And I loved every new discovery. Just when I thought I knew what would happen next, another surprise would change things up and keep me guessing. I have come to love a good spy romance, and this one was done so well. It was smart. It was action packed. It had moments of humor and romance. Truly, it was just such a blast to read. I don't want to give anything away, but this is one you'll want to experience for yourself! This was my first J.W. Marie book and it has me looking forward to more!
No Time to Forget is a closed-door romance with kisses only and minor language.
**ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own.
No Time to Forget is a closed-door romance with kisses only and minor language.
**ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Author
first, thank you J.W. Marie for the ARC copy!! 🫶🏻
oh man, when i tell you that this book was one of the most thrilling books i’ve read, i mean it! 🤗 between the constant plot twists, spy action, and of course romance, this book had everything! this is a clean, no-spice book, which is refreshing to see, because it just goes to show that you can have an amazing romance without needing spice to make the story work 🤍
everything about this book is a masterpiece 🤫
the spy organization, the technology, the missions, the secrets, the twists… everything felt like it was actually connected. all the while, it feels like the characters are solving the mission with you.
~~~~ the storyline ~~~~
quinn darling wakes up from a coma with over 6 years of memories gone 😮
she is trying to piece together any part of her old life, while spending her days working in a bar in charleston. she is only friends with callahan sinclair, who spends his time hanging out with her and working at the same bar she does.
one night, people are in quinn’s apartment and that’s when her life flips upside down. before her accident, she had spent 6 years working for a spy agency, while cal, her best friend who’s been with her since her first day awake at the hospital, is actually the agent assigned to protect her at all costs.
quinn learns she is being framed for a journalists disappearance, and cal’s team and quinn are forced to go on the run. they are racing against time and those coming after them to see who framed quinn and what secrets are still hidden after 6 years. the longer they are trying to solve everything, quinn learns that maybe her memories weren’t taken on accident, but rather for a reason. when her memories come back, she remembers the truth about her life and cal, who had spent every day for fourteen months hoping quinn would learn that the two of them used to be madly in love.
they must solve the pieces of the puzzle before its to late, and before people get hurt.
~~~~ the characters ~~~~
🕵️♀️ quinn darling:
quinn is such a well-written FMC who lost over 6 years of memories after waking up from a coma. she spent time as a bartender before being thrown into a world of action that seems new to her. people seem to know her and have connections to her that she can’t remember, and she loses trust in those closest to her. despite being in the dark, she doesn’t just sit around and wait for answers to fall into her lap, she takes matters into her own hands. she asks questions, she learns, she adapts, and she doesn’t give up until she can remember everything she thought had been lost forever.
she has so much determination and strength, constantly caring about those closest to her and never wanting to put them in harms way. watching her piece together her past memories she lost while trying to juggle who she is now after all the experiences she went through is one of my favorite parts of the story. after everything she went through, she still has a bubbly personality, always being one of the loudest in any room.
✈️ callahan (cal) sinclair:
when i tell you this man is the EPITOME OF YEARNING 😏 each chapter my man cal was literally dying over quinn and how he knew more about her then she even did. he has been through a lot in his life, and puts himself in front of everyone else because he tries to protect everyone close to him. he truly loves quinn, so down bad for her even when she didn’t even remember who she was to him. he was okay with staying friends forever with her rather then lose her again completely 🥺
cal was at his breaking point with trying to keep quinn under control. he had proven himself time and time again as the stronger spy of the group, knowing more tactics due to his military background. on the outside, cal had been seen as hard as a rock, scary and mean, but if you really got to know him, in certain words, he was a teddy bear 🧸 iykyk!
💙 sebastian:
lemme tell you, seb is one of the best side characters i’ve read about in a while! he was the comedian in the book, and i’m pretty sure he’s this way because of his past. we weren’t given a lot about what he’s been through, which is something i look forward to seeing in the future! 🫠
he is cal’s only friend, who had stuck by cal’s side through the thick and thin, and always accepting cal back with open arms even after not speaking to each other for years at a time. 🥹
💻 romy:
i’m gonna be honest, at first, i didn’t love romy’s character. she came off as a brat and i didn’t totally mesh with her character.
BUT, as the story went on, her storyline got better and her actions became a bit more understandable. she had been neglected a lot, never enough to some people, so she started off in this story as a hard character who was rude to quinn at first. but as time passed, more about her past was explained and she became softer towards those in the group. she worked hard in the background, being stubborn, extremely tech savvy, and beyond intelligent, wanting to prove herself as a field agent, while building a friendship with quinn.
(don’t even get me started on sebastian and romy… they are the cutest thing over oh my goodness!!) 😛
~~~~ the romance ~~~~
the chemistry between cal and quinn absolutely killed me. their attraction from the beginning of the story and expanding into something so much deeper as the story goes on. their love isn't a fluffy, cute romance. it's a love built on their shared history, sacrifice and loyalty for one another, and knowing someone so deeply that even when one of them forgets, the other still remembers everything 😘
instead of soft love it’s this idea of ‘i know every version of you. i’ll love you even if you never remember me. i’ll protect you even if you don’t understand why.’ ❤️
the amount of yearning in this book is insane. i loved seeing how quinn initially saw cal as just a friend, while cal was looking at her and remembering everything they had been. he didn't care if she ever loved him again or remembered who he was. he was willing to stay beside her and be her friend if that was all she would allow him to be.
~~~~ overall final thoughts ~~~~
i really really enjoyed this book! the action, mystery, twists, the family and side characters, everything just worked.
J.W. Marie managed to write a beautiful story, making me laugh, scream internally, and create theories just to learn i was totally wrong.
i will ABSOLUTELY be thinking about quinn and cal for a very long time and looking forward to any other books by J.W. Marie that she writes in the future!
~~~~ 🚨 SPOILER WARNING - because i have thoughts i need to share 🚨 ~~~~
the fact that cal went fourteen months pretending to be quinn’s friend while knowing she was actually his wife? my man was strugglinggg 🥺
you mean to tell me this man is standing there watching his own wife not remember him at all and still choosing to stay close to her because being near her is better than not having her at all?! 😭
i wish men like cal were real, life would be so much better if so 🥹
bro the fact that quinn kept trying to run away to protect everyone else around her, putting herself in harm’s way because she cared too much about everyone else 🫠poor cal had his work cut out for him trying to keep her in one spot at all times.
and when the worst came to worse, cal had to finally confront his fear of letting go, and having to trust the process. between losing his dad and trying to be more like him by joining the military, he had seen so much.
the ptsd he had and the way quinn was able to pull him out of panic attacks by just being there was the sweetest thing, showing how safe he felt in her arms.
~~~~ quotes that altered my brain chemistry ~~~~
✨“Good grief, he’s been covering up that jaw for thirteen months? It should be a crime. Call it an obstruction of justice.”
✨“She is my making and my undoing. I will linger in her presence as long as she allows, soaking in the tenderness after endless months in the cold. Even if it’s only a passing moment. Even if it’s the product of pity or natural human kindness. Even if the next time she pushes me away, it’s for good. Because without her, I’m a simple soldier with no home to return to.”
✨“I know I’m not a man skilled with words… But I thought I’d made myself clear… Any life without you in it, Darling, isn’t a life worth living.”
✨“I’m never done when it comes to you, Darling. I would gladly repeat the torture of being a stranger to you, because there is no misery greater or emptiness deeper than being separated from you. I loved you as a spy, and I loved you as my friend, and I’ll continue loving whatever version of Quinn you allow me to know.”
✨“Will you just listen to me? You’re a good guy, Cal, otherwise Quinn wouldn’t have married your stubborn ass. You’re trying your best, and the people who know you also know why you have a hard time letting go—but you’ve come a long way, too, and deserve to give yourself a break once in a while. So what if you’re not perfect? Perfection is boring.”
✨“But they made two mistakes. They came after my wife, and they underestimated how much carnage I will leave on my path back to her. She is my conscience. My honor. I will turn an ocean red to keep her safe.”
✨“Kiss me like you mean it, Sinclair,” she says against my mouth, “I’m not going to break.”
**ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own.
oh man, when i tell you that this book was one of the most thrilling books i’ve read, i mean it! 🤗 between the constant plot twists, spy action, and of course romance, this book had everything! this is a clean, no-spice book, which is refreshing to see, because it just goes to show that you can have an amazing romance without needing spice to make the story work 🤍
everything about this book is a masterpiece 🤫
the spy organization, the technology, the missions, the secrets, the twists… everything felt like it was actually connected. all the while, it feels like the characters are solving the mission with you.
~~~~ the storyline ~~~~
quinn darling wakes up from a coma with over 6 years of memories gone 😮
she is trying to piece together any part of her old life, while spending her days working in a bar in charleston. she is only friends with callahan sinclair, who spends his time hanging out with her and working at the same bar she does.
one night, people are in quinn’s apartment and that’s when her life flips upside down. before her accident, she had spent 6 years working for a spy agency, while cal, her best friend who’s been with her since her first day awake at the hospital, is actually the agent assigned to protect her at all costs.
quinn learns she is being framed for a journalists disappearance, and cal’s team and quinn are forced to go on the run. they are racing against time and those coming after them to see who framed quinn and what secrets are still hidden after 6 years. the longer they are trying to solve everything, quinn learns that maybe her memories weren’t taken on accident, but rather for a reason. when her memories come back, she remembers the truth about her life and cal, who had spent every day for fourteen months hoping quinn would learn that the two of them used to be madly in love.
they must solve the pieces of the puzzle before its to late, and before people get hurt.
~~~~ the characters ~~~~
🕵️♀️ quinn darling:
quinn is such a well-written FMC who lost over 6 years of memories after waking up from a coma. she spent time as a bartender before being thrown into a world of action that seems new to her. people seem to know her and have connections to her that she can’t remember, and she loses trust in those closest to her. despite being in the dark, she doesn’t just sit around and wait for answers to fall into her lap, she takes matters into her own hands. she asks questions, she learns, she adapts, and she doesn’t give up until she can remember everything she thought had been lost forever.
she has so much determination and strength, constantly caring about those closest to her and never wanting to put them in harms way. watching her piece together her past memories she lost while trying to juggle who she is now after all the experiences she went through is one of my favorite parts of the story. after everything she went through, she still has a bubbly personality, always being one of the loudest in any room.
✈️ callahan (cal) sinclair:
when i tell you this man is the EPITOME OF YEARNING 😏 each chapter my man cal was literally dying over quinn and how he knew more about her then she even did. he has been through a lot in his life, and puts himself in front of everyone else because he tries to protect everyone close to him. he truly loves quinn, so down bad for her even when she didn’t even remember who she was to him. he was okay with staying friends forever with her rather then lose her again completely 🥺
cal was at his breaking point with trying to keep quinn under control. he had proven himself time and time again as the stronger spy of the group, knowing more tactics due to his military background. on the outside, cal had been seen as hard as a rock, scary and mean, but if you really got to know him, in certain words, he was a teddy bear 🧸 iykyk!
💙 sebastian:
lemme tell you, seb is one of the best side characters i’ve read about in a while! he was the comedian in the book, and i’m pretty sure he’s this way because of his past. we weren’t given a lot about what he’s been through, which is something i look forward to seeing in the future! 🫠
he is cal’s only friend, who had stuck by cal’s side through the thick and thin, and always accepting cal back with open arms even after not speaking to each other for years at a time. 🥹
💻 romy:
i’m gonna be honest, at first, i didn’t love romy’s character. she came off as a brat and i didn’t totally mesh with her character.
BUT, as the story went on, her storyline got better and her actions became a bit more understandable. she had been neglected a lot, never enough to some people, so she started off in this story as a hard character who was rude to quinn at first. but as time passed, more about her past was explained and she became softer towards those in the group. she worked hard in the background, being stubborn, extremely tech savvy, and beyond intelligent, wanting to prove herself as a field agent, while building a friendship with quinn.
(don’t even get me started on sebastian and romy… they are the cutest thing over oh my goodness!!) 😛
~~~~ the romance ~~~~
the chemistry between cal and quinn absolutely killed me. their attraction from the beginning of the story and expanding into something so much deeper as the story goes on. their love isn't a fluffy, cute romance. it's a love built on their shared history, sacrifice and loyalty for one another, and knowing someone so deeply that even when one of them forgets, the other still remembers everything 😘
instead of soft love it’s this idea of ‘i know every version of you. i’ll love you even if you never remember me. i’ll protect you even if you don’t understand why.’ ❤️
the amount of yearning in this book is insane. i loved seeing how quinn initially saw cal as just a friend, while cal was looking at her and remembering everything they had been. he didn't care if she ever loved him again or remembered who he was. he was willing to stay beside her and be her friend if that was all she would allow him to be.
~~~~ overall final thoughts ~~~~
i really really enjoyed this book! the action, mystery, twists, the family and side characters, everything just worked.
J.W. Marie managed to write a beautiful story, making me laugh, scream internally, and create theories just to learn i was totally wrong.
i will ABSOLUTELY be thinking about quinn and cal for a very long time and looking forward to any other books by J.W. Marie that she writes in the future!
~~~~ 🚨 SPOILER WARNING - because i have thoughts i need to share 🚨 ~~~~
the fact that cal went fourteen months pretending to be quinn’s friend while knowing she was actually his wife? my man was strugglinggg 🥺
you mean to tell me this man is standing there watching his own wife not remember him at all and still choosing to stay close to her because being near her is better than not having her at all?! 😭
i wish men like cal were real, life would be so much better if so 🥹
bro the fact that quinn kept trying to run away to protect everyone else around her, putting herself in harm’s way because she cared too much about everyone else 🫠poor cal had his work cut out for him trying to keep her in one spot at all times.
and when the worst came to worse, cal had to finally confront his fear of letting go, and having to trust the process. between losing his dad and trying to be more like him by joining the military, he had seen so much.
the ptsd he had and the way quinn was able to pull him out of panic attacks by just being there was the sweetest thing, showing how safe he felt in her arms.
~~~~ quotes that altered my brain chemistry ~~~~
✨“Good grief, he’s been covering up that jaw for thirteen months? It should be a crime. Call it an obstruction of justice.”
✨“She is my making and my undoing. I will linger in her presence as long as she allows, soaking in the tenderness after endless months in the cold. Even if it’s only a passing moment. Even if it’s the product of pity or natural human kindness. Even if the next time she pushes me away, it’s for good. Because without her, I’m a simple soldier with no home to return to.”
✨“I know I’m not a man skilled with words… But I thought I’d made myself clear… Any life without you in it, Darling, isn’t a life worth living.”
✨“I’m never done when it comes to you, Darling. I would gladly repeat the torture of being a stranger to you, because there is no misery greater or emptiness deeper than being separated from you. I loved you as a spy, and I loved you as my friend, and I’ll continue loving whatever version of Quinn you allow me to know.”
✨“Will you just listen to me? You’re a good guy, Cal, otherwise Quinn wouldn’t have married your stubborn ass. You’re trying your best, and the people who know you also know why you have a hard time letting go—but you’ve come a long way, too, and deserve to give yourself a break once in a while. So what if you’re not perfect? Perfection is boring.”
✨“But they made two mistakes. They came after my wife, and they underestimated how much carnage I will leave on my path back to her. She is my conscience. My honor. I will turn an ocean red to keep her safe.”
✨“Kiss me like you mean it, Sinclair,” she says against my mouth, “I’m not going to break.”
**ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Author
**thank you so much for the ARC J. W. Marie!!**
🩶OH MY GOSH. I'm sorry y'all but there is no way I can be chill about this book. You've been warned. This is top 5 books I've read this year, I kid you not. I give it 6 stars because that was the most heart-wrenching, action-packed, mind-altering, spy thriller book I've ever read. Every aspect was done so so so well.
💥The characters: Quinn has lost her memories of the last 6 years and is thrust into a world of espionage that she doesn't remember. People, places, missions, relationships that she should know but doesn't. She is such a strong female lead, it's so refreshing to see an FMC that is capable, willing to learn, refuses to give up, and still cares so much about her family. 💪Despite being in the dark, despite not really knowing who she is, Quinn takes charge and doesn't take no for an answer. I love her tenacity and her spirit.
✨Cal is such a well-developed character too, oh my gosh. He loves Quinn, it's obvious from the beginning. He protects her when she doesn't know she needs protected. He is fiercely loyal and caring. From the start, Cal is very clearly a capable spy. He's well-trained and can easily dispatch whoever he needs to. Cal's chapters were basically pure, unadulterated yearning and I am HERE for it. 😫😮💨🤭He's so so completely in love, he'd do anything (and I mean ANYTHING) to keep Quinn safe.
🩶Apart from the two main characters, Sebastian and Romy were just as compelling. I am so excited to read more of them. Sebastian is HILARIOUS, I was actually laughing out loud anytime he spoke. Yet we still got a glimpse of sobriety from him, and I am so so so so looking forward to diving into his character in the future. The funny ones are always the most tortured. 🫣 And Romy! She starts out so bitter and a little bratty, but you don't really know why. Her character development in this book was SO GOOD, and she's not even the main character. She's headstrong and stubborn and wickedly smart. The guy in the chair, if you will. I love that all the characters have their own personality, and none of them feel flat. Even Sprosser and some other agents/briefly mentioned characters were important to the story and were deeper than merely an NPC or something.
💥THE PLOT: Are you KIDDING me?!?!?! 🤯🤯🫨😳😨This book threw me for a loop, it was so insanely thought out. Just mysterious enough to keep me in the dark and keep me guessing, but written so well that I was still able to come to conclusions on my own and make guesses. YET I was still surprised and left in shock. I kid you not, there were multiple times when I had to put my kindle down, and stare into the void with my jaw on the floor. 😱😱I also screamed into my pillow and held my head in my hands as my mind furiously worked to put the pieces together. J. W. Marie, you are a GENIUS!! Just when we got some new information and I put two and two together, then Quinn would leanr something else or it would come to light and the world would shift under me. Like genuinely, this spy organization, the neuronabond technology and all of it was so intelligently planned out and so interesting to read about. It seriously kept me on my toes the whole time.
✨I'm already a huge fan of J. W. Marie, but this is my favorite of her books. I know she put so much heart and soul into this and it paid off, it is brilliant. 🫶😍
🩶And the ROMANCE. 😫😭🥹😮💨😍❤️GOOD GRIEF GIRL, I AM OBSESSED. CAL AND QUINN ARE DESTINED FOR EACHOTHER AND THEIR LOVE STORY, THE WAY IT WAS WRITTEN, THE WAY THEY COMPLIMENT AND CLASH WITH ONE ANOTHER, THE DEVOTION, THE LOVE, THIS IS UNMATCHED. 😭🫶I need a Cal in my life, like where is he. 😔D1-level yearning here. Cal will do anything and everything for Quinn, and I'm not spoiling anything of course, but just read it omg. The romance/their story actually cleaved my heart in two. 💔❤️🩹The raw emotions I felt reading this were... oh my gosh, I can't even put into words how amazing this was. 🥹🥺😩
The amount of highlights/comments I left is unprecedented.
💥The action, the spies, the found family, the romance, the occasionally unhinged characters, the flaws that made them so human, the intricacy of the mystery, the suspense... I could go ON AND ON AND ON.
Do yourself a favor and get this book (comes out OCT 6TH!!!!)
‼️OK SPOILER WARNING. SPOILERS AHEAD SPOILERS AHEAD ‼️🫵
I'm serious, I'm going to keep a digital diary of my feelings and reactions to specific scenes.
*ahem*
the mere fact that Cal spent 14 months with her pretending to JUST be her friend because being near her was better than never seeing her at all was insane. this man tortured himself by being with her but not having her for 14 months. when in fact SHE IS HIS WIFE. 😫😫😫😭😭💔💔 THEY'VE MARRIED. when i tell you I SCREAMED. "My Cal. My husband." HELLOOOOOO?!?!?! it hurts so bad but so good at the same time. Them being married (together for 5 years?!?!) makes her forgetting and him still protecting her 10x worse. 😭😭😫oh cal. And his pov's are just straight him yearning and saying he's selfish because he can't let her go. Like dude, hello what. And her povs of finding him attractive and starting to maybe feel something for him while not knowing it's her husband (which we didn't know either)... cal went THROUGH it. And then she remembers and she runs away?!!??! But the way Cal can just tell by looking in her eyes that she remembers it all. That his wife is back omg
she is his guiding star, his home, and he would (and has) kill for her. the SCENE WHEN SHE'S FIRST TAKEN AND HE SINGLE HANDEDLY RESCUES HER FROM THE EXAM ROOM THING RAHHH. 😮💨
"You were never alone."
Him having the panic attacks and her being their to pull him out of it. I LOVED her having the dreams and not thinking they were real, and then omg when she finally remembers (with the necklace and the sleeper code like she's a winter soldier) oh that chapter put me through the ringer. The little glimpses of Cal and also the betrayal at the same time were crazy.
And she finally remembers but then the readers still don't know a lot and then her and cal pull that crazy car chase/gunfight in the rain. and he freaking grabs her by the belt loop multiple times in this book, might i add. omg and when he gets shot and she helps stitch him up and bro i FIGHTING the demons, looking back and knowing they're married and how much restraint he had to have for that long is insane. i loved that scene AH 🤭
when they were in the safe house still and watched movies like when they were in Charleston 🥹🥺
He bought the plane for her and then had to fly it with her but no with her because she didn't remember him. like girl genuienly knew nothing about him and doubted whether she could trust him at all in the beginning and poor guy, her HUSBAND is like being tortured.
of course the "my wife" scenes will get me everytime and the "touch her and die" but I'm OBSESSED with the fact that we get "my husband" scenes too. ABSOLUTE CINEMA. 🙌🙌🤭
"I would've torn the sun down from the sky if I thought it was gonna make you smile when you woke up." 😭😭❤️🩹
Like he would love any and all versions of her, whatever she would allow. and when she gets her memories back she is just as equally in love with him.
Romy being basically batman/a bond villain is so sick and cool and I just love her character. The family dynamics are hard (it's giving sydney and her dad in alias) but above all else, "We live and die as a team" and seeing the relationships deepen was so rewarding. Cal and Romy's childhood was not easy, and he enlisted after his mother basically left him to take care of Romy. And Romy was put into boarding school to get "rid of". But they still love each other so much.
ok but in general, the chip in her head being controlled by Bellam/the senator and that they could see all her memories, remove them at will, and basically make it a weapon was crazy. And they were planning on putting it in HUNDREDS of people; that's terrifying!!!!
I knew something was going to go wrong when they went to save Gwen, and I had my suspicions about her from the beginning but OMG i was NOT expecting THAT to happen. 😨 Gwen is basically a contractor and omg envisioning Sebastian all beat up and romy on the ground like that was SO SHOCKING omg i legit dropped my kindle and had to stop reading. 😰 and then gwen is a real class A jerk and just kills people she doesn't like hello?!?! but cal has to let quinn go OMGGGG WAHHHHH
but Quinn is badass and ICONICCCCCC and gets out and I love that she saves herself but cal also comes to the rescue, best of both worlds.
I had my suspicions about Michael too, but didn't want to think about it because it would be an awful betrayal. however, he did redeem himself slightly in the end, but he's not gone so there's that.
But yeah the romance was so insanely well written. The chemistry/attraction were only the beginning, but it went so much deeper. SO MUCH DEEPER.😫🫶❤️😭❤️🩹🥹🥰🫠🤭 Their souls are intertwined, they would move heaven and earth for eachother. I will be thinking about this book for a very long time. I did make a pinterest board. I will be buying the physical copy so i can reread and tab it. I fear i need a few business days to recover. QUINN AND CAL AHHH OMG I CANNOT GET OVER THE HEARTBREAK AND THE HEALING UGHHHHHH
🩶OH MY GOSH. I'm sorry y'all but there is no way I can be chill about this book. You've been warned. This is top 5 books I've read this year, I kid you not. I give it 6 stars because that was the most heart-wrenching, action-packed, mind-altering, spy thriller book I've ever read. Every aspect was done so so so well.
💥The characters: Quinn has lost her memories of the last 6 years and is thrust into a world of espionage that she doesn't remember. People, places, missions, relationships that she should know but doesn't. She is such a strong female lead, it's so refreshing to see an FMC that is capable, willing to learn, refuses to give up, and still cares so much about her family. 💪Despite being in the dark, despite not really knowing who she is, Quinn takes charge and doesn't take no for an answer. I love her tenacity and her spirit.
✨Cal is such a well-developed character too, oh my gosh. He loves Quinn, it's obvious from the beginning. He protects her when she doesn't know she needs protected. He is fiercely loyal and caring. From the start, Cal is very clearly a capable spy. He's well-trained and can easily dispatch whoever he needs to. Cal's chapters were basically pure, unadulterated yearning and I am HERE for it. 😫😮💨🤭He's so so completely in love, he'd do anything (and I mean ANYTHING) to keep Quinn safe.
🩶Apart from the two main characters, Sebastian and Romy were just as compelling. I am so excited to read more of them. Sebastian is HILARIOUS, I was actually laughing out loud anytime he spoke. Yet we still got a glimpse of sobriety from him, and I am so so so so looking forward to diving into his character in the future. The funny ones are always the most tortured. 🫣 And Romy! She starts out so bitter and a little bratty, but you don't really know why. Her character development in this book was SO GOOD, and she's not even the main character. She's headstrong and stubborn and wickedly smart. The guy in the chair, if you will. I love that all the characters have their own personality, and none of them feel flat. Even Sprosser and some other agents/briefly mentioned characters were important to the story and were deeper than merely an NPC or something.
💥THE PLOT: Are you KIDDING me?!?!?! 🤯🤯🫨😳😨This book threw me for a loop, it was so insanely thought out. Just mysterious enough to keep me in the dark and keep me guessing, but written so well that I was still able to come to conclusions on my own and make guesses. YET I was still surprised and left in shock. I kid you not, there were multiple times when I had to put my kindle down, and stare into the void with my jaw on the floor. 😱😱I also screamed into my pillow and held my head in my hands as my mind furiously worked to put the pieces together. J. W. Marie, you are a GENIUS!! Just when we got some new information and I put two and two together, then Quinn would leanr something else or it would come to light and the world would shift under me. Like genuinely, this spy organization, the neuronabond technology and all of it was so intelligently planned out and so interesting to read about. It seriously kept me on my toes the whole time.
✨I'm already a huge fan of J. W. Marie, but this is my favorite of her books. I know she put so much heart and soul into this and it paid off, it is brilliant. 🫶😍
🩶And the ROMANCE. 😫😭🥹😮💨😍❤️GOOD GRIEF GIRL, I AM OBSESSED. CAL AND QUINN ARE DESTINED FOR EACHOTHER AND THEIR LOVE STORY, THE WAY IT WAS WRITTEN, THE WAY THEY COMPLIMENT AND CLASH WITH ONE ANOTHER, THE DEVOTION, THE LOVE, THIS IS UNMATCHED. 😭🫶I need a Cal in my life, like where is he. 😔D1-level yearning here. Cal will do anything and everything for Quinn, and I'm not spoiling anything of course, but just read it omg. The romance/their story actually cleaved my heart in two. 💔❤️🩹The raw emotions I felt reading this were... oh my gosh, I can't even put into words how amazing this was. 🥹🥺😩
The amount of highlights/comments I left is unprecedented.
💥The action, the spies, the found family, the romance, the occasionally unhinged characters, the flaws that made them so human, the intricacy of the mystery, the suspense... I could go ON AND ON AND ON.
Do yourself a favor and get this book (comes out OCT 6TH!!!!)
‼️OK SPOILER WARNING. SPOILERS AHEAD SPOILERS AHEAD ‼️🫵
I'm serious, I'm going to keep a digital diary of my feelings and reactions to specific scenes.
*ahem*
the mere fact that Cal spent 14 months with her pretending to JUST be her friend because being near her was better than never seeing her at all was insane. this man tortured himself by being with her but not having her for 14 months. when in fact SHE IS HIS WIFE. 😫😫😫😭😭💔💔 THEY'VE MARRIED. when i tell you I SCREAMED. "My Cal. My husband." HELLOOOOOO?!?!?! it hurts so bad but so good at the same time. Them being married (together for 5 years?!?!) makes her forgetting and him still protecting her 10x worse. 😭😭😫oh cal. And his pov's are just straight him yearning and saying he's selfish because he can't let her go. Like dude, hello what. And her povs of finding him attractive and starting to maybe feel something for him while not knowing it's her husband (which we didn't know either)... cal went THROUGH it. And then she remembers and she runs away?!!??! But the way Cal can just tell by looking in her eyes that she remembers it all. That his wife is back omg
she is his guiding star, his home, and he would (and has) kill for her. the SCENE WHEN SHE'S FIRST TAKEN AND HE SINGLE HANDEDLY RESCUES HER FROM THE EXAM ROOM THING RAHHH. 😮💨
"You were never alone."
Him having the panic attacks and her being their to pull him out of it. I LOVED her having the dreams and not thinking they were real, and then omg when she finally remembers (with the necklace and the sleeper code like she's a winter soldier) oh that chapter put me through the ringer. The little glimpses of Cal and also the betrayal at the same time were crazy.
And she finally remembers but then the readers still don't know a lot and then her and cal pull that crazy car chase/gunfight in the rain. and he freaking grabs her by the belt loop multiple times in this book, might i add. omg and when he gets shot and she helps stitch him up and bro i FIGHTING the demons, looking back and knowing they're married and how much restraint he had to have for that long is insane. i loved that scene AH 🤭
when they were in the safe house still and watched movies like when they were in Charleston 🥹🥺
He bought the plane for her and then had to fly it with her but no with her because she didn't remember him. like girl genuienly knew nothing about him and doubted whether she could trust him at all in the beginning and poor guy, her HUSBAND is like being tortured.
of course the "my wife" scenes will get me everytime and the "touch her and die" but I'm OBSESSED with the fact that we get "my husband" scenes too. ABSOLUTE CINEMA. 🙌🙌🤭
"I would've torn the sun down from the sky if I thought it was gonna make you smile when you woke up." 😭😭❤️🩹
Like he would love any and all versions of her, whatever she would allow. and when she gets her memories back she is just as equally in love with him.
Romy being basically batman/a bond villain is so sick and cool and I just love her character. The family dynamics are hard (it's giving sydney and her dad in alias) but above all else, "We live and die as a team" and seeing the relationships deepen was so rewarding. Cal and Romy's childhood was not easy, and he enlisted after his mother basically left him to take care of Romy. And Romy was put into boarding school to get "rid of". But they still love each other so much.
ok but in general, the chip in her head being controlled by Bellam/the senator and that they could see all her memories, remove them at will, and basically make it a weapon was crazy. And they were planning on putting it in HUNDREDS of people; that's terrifying!!!!
I knew something was going to go wrong when they went to save Gwen, and I had my suspicions about her from the beginning but OMG i was NOT expecting THAT to happen. 😨 Gwen is basically a contractor and omg envisioning Sebastian all beat up and romy on the ground like that was SO SHOCKING omg i legit dropped my kindle and had to stop reading. 😰 and then gwen is a real class A jerk and just kills people she doesn't like hello?!?! but cal has to let quinn go OMGGGG WAHHHHH
but Quinn is badass and ICONICCCCCC and gets out and I love that she saves herself but cal also comes to the rescue, best of both worlds.
I had my suspicions about Michael too, but didn't want to think about it because it would be an awful betrayal. however, he did redeem himself slightly in the end, but he's not gone so there's that.
But yeah the romance was so insanely well written. The chemistry/attraction were only the beginning, but it went so much deeper. SO MUCH DEEPER.😫🫶❤️😭❤️🩹🥹🥰🫠🤭 Their souls are intertwined, they would move heaven and earth for eachother. I will be thinking about this book for a very long time. I did make a pinterest board. I will be buying the physical copy so i can reread and tab it. I fear i need a few business days to recover. QUINN AND CAL AHHH OMG I CANNOT GET OVER THE HEARTBREAK AND THE HEALING UGHHHHHH
October 8, 2026
It’s been a while since a book has made me cry, but here we are 😭
☆5
Oh my goodness…this book was incredible!
The YEARNING, the action, and mystery in this book was amazing! I love Callahan, Quinn, Romy, and Sebastian so much. The found family aspect in the book was my favorite.
Cal…He is a grumpy teddy bear, and I love him so much for that. It was heart wrenching to watch how Quinn couldn’t remember who Cal was because of her lost memory. But Cal still showed up for her. He never stoped loving her. I love how he was protective of Quinn. He’d burn the world for her. He’d crawl to her just to keep her safe.
Quinn is perfect for Cal. She’s the chaotic sunshine in his life. I loved their banter so much. Quinn was sweet but fierce to protect those she loves.
The plot twists had me staring at the wall on multiple occasions. This book absolutely did give me a book hangover…how am I supposed to move on🥹🥹
I fell in love with all of these characters and I neeeeed Romy and Sebastian’s book so badly (pretty please!)
Now go do yourself a favor and read this masterpiece ✨
tropes:
♥️best friends to lovers
♥️spy x spy
♥️mystery & crazy plot twists
♥️found family
♥️amnesia
♥️”Touch him & d!e”
♥️second chance
♥️grumpy x chaotic sunshine
♥️yearning!!
♥️protective mmc
♥️he takes care of her
♥️dual pov
CONTENT:
- kisses only (no-spice)
- 2 a- words used (otherwise no swearing)
TW: death, mention of tort^re, slight gore (not too detailed), v!olence
☆5
Oh my goodness…this book was incredible!
The YEARNING, the action, and mystery in this book was amazing! I love Callahan, Quinn, Romy, and Sebastian so much. The found family aspect in the book was my favorite.
Cal…He is a grumpy teddy bear, and I love him so much for that. It was heart wrenching to watch how Quinn couldn’t remember who Cal was because of her lost memory. But Cal still showed up for her. He never stoped loving her. I love how he was protective of Quinn. He’d burn the world for her. He’d crawl to her just to keep her safe.
Quinn is perfect for Cal. She’s the chaotic sunshine in his life. I loved their banter so much. Quinn was sweet but fierce to protect those she loves.
The plot twists had me staring at the wall on multiple occasions. This book absolutely did give me a book hangover…how am I supposed to move on🥹🥹
I fell in love with all of these characters and I neeeeed Romy and Sebastian’s book so badly (pretty please!)
Now go do yourself a favor and read this masterpiece ✨
tropes:
♥️best friends to lovers
♥️spy x spy
♥️mystery & crazy plot twists
♥️found family
♥️amnesia
♥️”Touch him & d!e”
♥️second chance
♥️grumpy x chaotic sunshine
♥️yearning!!
♥️protective mmc
♥️he takes care of her
♥️dual pov
CONTENT:
- kisses only (no-spice)
- 2 a- words used (otherwise no swearing)
TW: death, mention of tort^re, slight gore (not too detailed), v!olence
Review of advance copy received from Author
Let me tell you…. This book was absolutely phenomenal!!! I loved every bit of it and could not stop reading! So many twists that keep you on your toes the entire book. I loved spy movies etc but this was my first spy book and I was obsessed!!
Quinn Darling has amnesia of the past 6 years with no recollection of what happened but in fact- she’s a spy. Callahan is her partner trying to keep her safe til all of a sudden they are dragged back into a world of mystery and survival. Will Quinn get her memories back in time??
Let me just say the plot was plotting and her writing has you hooked!!!
Cal- my mannnnnn😩❤️ brother could not stop yearning for this girl👏 and Quinn was such a baddie and I was here for it!! (And…Sebastian is the adorable side character who is so funny that you need more of him)
As a Christian reviewer I was so pleased with this book and if this is your vibe then you’re gonna love it!❤️ There are a couple bad words in the book but it was not out of hand and not overused which is a blessing itself because so many books today want to overuse swear words. There is obvious fighting, gore, violence because it is a spy book if you need help deciding if you want to read and there is also NO SPICE!
Overall out of 5 this book is a 10⭐️ and I will in fact be waiting impatiently for the next book the J.W. Marie writes❤️
Quinn Darling has amnesia of the past 6 years with no recollection of what happened but in fact- she’s a spy. Callahan is her partner trying to keep her safe til all of a sudden they are dragged back into a world of mystery and survival. Will Quinn get her memories back in time??
Let me just say the plot was plotting and her writing has you hooked!!!
Cal- my mannnnnn😩❤️ brother could not stop yearning for this girl👏 and Quinn was such a baddie and I was here for it!! (And…Sebastian is the adorable side character who is so funny that you need more of him)
As a Christian reviewer I was so pleased with this book and if this is your vibe then you’re gonna love it!❤️ There are a couple bad words in the book but it was not out of hand and not overused which is a blessing itself because so many books today want to overuse swear words. There is obvious fighting, gore, violence because it is a spy book if you need help deciding if you want to read and there is also NO SPICE!
Overall out of 5 this book is a 10⭐️ and I will in fact be waiting impatiently for the next book the J.W. Marie writes❤️
Review of advance copy received from Author
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨4.5
This book was awesome. Everything that I ever wanted in a spy movie but book form. I can't even tell you how far my jaw dropped to every twist and turn of the plot in this book! Every reveal and cliffhanger end to a chapter. The relationship between the main couple runs so deep and heart wrenching. All I can say is well done!
I received an ARC copy of the book (I was so excited!) all opinions and thoughts are my own!
Releases Oct. 7th, run, don't walk to red this if you love spies!
Content:
💋: kisses-some more heated
🤬: mild swearing only
⚔️: some more graphic descriptions of fight typical of a spy novel, lots of blood, guns, attempted torture and mention of torture
⚠️: lots of violence and blood (some more graphic), medical trauma (head trauma, surgeries, other needs for stitches), description of dead bodies, on page deaths
* I would liken the level of violence to something like the hunger games. Descriptive at times, but not every page is filled with it.
This book was awesome. Everything that I ever wanted in a spy movie but book form. I can't even tell you how far my jaw dropped to every twist and turn of the plot in this book! Every reveal and cliffhanger end to a chapter. The relationship between the main couple runs so deep and heart wrenching. All I can say is well done!
I received an ARC copy of the book (I was so excited!) all opinions and thoughts are my own!
Releases Oct. 7th, run, don't walk to red this if you love spies!
Content:
💋: kisses-some more heated
🤬: mild swearing only
⚔️: some more graphic descriptions of fight typical of a spy novel, lots of blood, guns, attempted torture and mention of torture
⚠️: lots of violence and blood (some more graphic), medical trauma (head trauma, surgeries, other needs for stitches), description of dead bodies, on page deaths
* I would liken the level of violence to something like the hunger games. Descriptive at times, but not every page is filled with it.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Huge thanks to J.W. Marie for the ARC!
This book was good! It was more action/mystery thriller than it was romance and I wasn’t quite expecting that, but I’m not too mad about it. I do wish we would have had more scenes between Quinn and Cal because as much as I loved them as individual characters, I didn’t feel very invested in their love story. But the scenes they did have had great chemistry. The yearning. *chefs kiss* 😍
The beginning started a bit slow, but eventually picked up and I enjoyed the pace after that! I absolutely love the characters and I’m excited for the next book. If you love thriller/mystery with a romance sub plot, this book is for you!
ETA: I did really love the writing style in this book. I’m not one to highlight a lot and I found myself highlighting quite frequently!
This book was good! It was more action/mystery thriller than it was romance and I wasn’t quite expecting that, but I’m not too mad about it. I do wish we would have had more scenes between Quinn and Cal because as much as I loved them as individual characters, I didn’t feel very invested in their love story. But the scenes they did have had great chemistry. The yearning. *chefs kiss* 😍
The beginning started a bit slow, but eventually picked up and I enjoyed the pace after that! I absolutely love the characters and I’m excited for the next book. If you love thriller/mystery with a romance sub plot, this book is for you!
ETA: I did really love the writing style in this book. I’m not one to highlight a lot and I found myself highlighting quite frequently!
Review of advance copy received from Author
ARC REVIEW!!
Ok, spy romance is a new genre that I need to read more of ASAP! This book was so fun and full of plot twists. I loved their team and the found family dynamic between them! I feel like in so many action movies, the spies are always so broody and serious, so I loved having Quinn’s chaotic, sunshine personality! It also made for such a fun relationship dynamic with Cal who was at his wits end trying to protect her. I love how committed this man was to her, making her his top priority, more so than his job. I love how many elements there were to this book that also provided emotional depth. From Cal and Quinn’s complicated relationship, to Romy and her feelings, and their relationship with Sprosser. This book was such a good time and I will definitely be reading more of JW Marie’s books in the future!
Ok, spy romance is a new genre that I need to read more of ASAP! This book was so fun and full of plot twists. I loved their team and the found family dynamic between them! I feel like in so many action movies, the spies are always so broody and serious, so I loved having Quinn’s chaotic, sunshine personality! It also made for such a fun relationship dynamic with Cal who was at his wits end trying to protect her. I love how committed this man was to her, making her his top priority, more so than his job. I love how many elements there were to this book that also provided emotional depth. From Cal and Quinn’s complicated relationship, to Romy and her feelings, and their relationship with Sprosser. This book was such a good time and I will definitely be reading more of JW Marie’s books in the future!
Review of advance copy received from Author
ARC review
This is actually a 4.5 star rating for me! I loved this book! The banter between all the characters were on point and I laughed out loud more times than I can count. There is no spice which I absolutely love. The yearning especially by the MMC is like agony in the best way possible. I mean any guy who chooses to be your friend out of respect for you when you wake up from a coma and can’t remember a thing is an automatic green flag am I right?! And the subplot that is forming in the background with two of the side characters makes me excited for a second book!!
This is actually a 4.5 star rating for me! I loved this book! The banter between all the characters were on point and I laughed out loud more times than I can count. There is no spice which I absolutely love. The yearning especially by the MMC is like agony in the best way possible. I mean any guy who chooses to be your friend out of respect for you when you wake up from a coma and can’t remember a thing is an automatic green flag am I right?! And the subplot that is forming in the background with two of the side characters makes me excited for a second book!!
October 7, 2026
I love the way J.W. Marie writes for example “But Cal seems hellbent on tipping everything upside down, dumping the contents of my life into a blender and letting it run.” But besides that I enjoyed this book so much, the family dynamic between a team and, the ache of a love story that needs to work out had my heart into pieces! Everyone needs a good spy romance in their life.!
Tropes if you want them:
~ Dual POV
~ Best Friends to lovers
~ No Spice BUT YEARNING
~ Chaotic Sunshine X Protective Grumpy
~ Lovers to Strangers
~ Mystery
~ Amnesia
~ Second Chance Romance
Tropes if you want them:
~ Dual POV
~ Best Friends to lovers
~ No Spice BUT YEARNING
~ Chaotic Sunshine X Protective Grumpy
~ Lovers to Strangers
~ Mystery
~ Amnesia
~ Second Chance Romance
Review of advance copy received from Author
Wow. WOW! I could not put this book down! I did not see those plot twists coming 🤯.
If you like:
🕵️♀️ Books about spies
🕵️♀️ Plot twists
🕵️♀️ Action and suspense
🕵️♀️ Star crossed lovers
🕵️♀️ No spice romance
Then this is the book for you!
*Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving this review.*
If you like:
🕵️♀️ Books about spies
🕵️♀️ Plot twists
🕵️♀️ Action and suspense
🕵️♀️ Star crossed lovers
🕵️♀️ No spice romance
Then this is the book for you!
*Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving this review.*
Review of advance copy received from Author
This was an amazing romantic suspense book by J.W. Marie. Cal and Quinn's story is a terrific read with suspense and twists that kept me hooked from the start. The characters and romance in the book were really amazing. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a great spy romance book.☺️
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