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The UA #1

The Ultimate Agent Book One

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WARNING: THIS MISSIVE CONTAINS CLASSIFIED INFORMATION

Your Mission:
Undertake an adventure of epic, global, and dire proportions.

Agent #524 - Devon Bertrand
Once a normal civilian, Agent Bertrand has been recruited by the Ultimate Agency—a secret organization of the world’s best spies. Now, after undergoing genetic upgrades, he has become a superhuman agent dedicated to fighting against all threats against the nation he now calls home.

Agent #146 - Brett Gallagher
A brilliant scientist, Dr. Gallagher invents and utilizes technologically advanced gadgets and weapons to fight against national security threats like a modern day superhero.

The Target – Maximus Romanov
Employed by a mysterious Russian terrorist group, Romanov is a superhuman operative wreaking havoc in the United States.

Mission Data – Confidential
Join Agent Devon Bertrand and Agent Brett Gallagher on a mission to stop Romanov from destroying the United States. As Bertrand and Gallagher work to discover why Maximus harbors a deep hatred toward America, they uncover a conspiracy brewing against the Ultimate Agency, and one man will make the ultimate sacrifice.

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About the author

Derek Borne

15 books154 followers
Hey hey! Derek Borne here, and I'm a Canadian author of Sci-Fi novels. When I'm not writing, I spend time with my lovely wife and moody bearded dragon Ziggy (She's always looking at me like I'm an idiot). Other times, I'm eating pizza, belting out Broadway showtunes, playing guitar, eating pizza, watching anything to do with Marvel superheroes, and making movie references daily. Oh, and eating pizza.

And for added emphasis...... pizza

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5 stars
36 (42%)
4 stars
37 (44%)
3 stars
8 (9%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
Profile Image for Bradley.
Author 9 books4,870 followers
September 19, 2017
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to read a romance that had a near perfect half-half mix of secret agents a-la Bond with the whole wide world of superheroes and supervillains with enormous world-shattering powers and blame it all on gene-therapies?

Well, LOOK NO FURTHER. :)

Honestly, I was kinda surprised that such a secret agent novel should focus so heavily on food and wooing and googly eyes and a smoldering romance, but that IS a part of the whole mythos. However, it's also a rather huge part of this one, with perhaps a bit more emphasis on the love story than even the world-shattering action and climaxes, which are very evident and are quite larger than life, peppered throughout the entire text.

It's not a problem, of course. The action and the big magical action and battles are everything you'd want from a superhero movie, too.

This is a mixed genre novel, plainly said. Don't be fooled. It's a romance that has equally huge elements of techno-spies and superpowers. For what it is, it's quite good, but don't expect more than tradition requires of these genres, separately.

It was a neat diversion, and clearly written and fast-paced. :)
Profile Image for Katie (hiding in the pages).
3,515 reviews329 followers
April 16, 2018
I had my teenage son read this and he didn't make it past the first chapter because not only was it a little confusing, but all of the casinos and gambling totally turned him off. As for me, I enjoy superheroes and adventure movies and this book definitely has plenty of the heroes and action. But almost too much at times. I found my head spinning on more than one occasion. And the points-of-view changed often and into multiple characters' heads without warning, which gave me a little mental whiplash.

The characters are your typically superheroes, but that's what made it fun, because it was entertaining to discover their talents and the ways they would use them. I love tales of good versus evil and enjoyed watching how that angle played out.

As with most of these types of stories, there are a few romantic tangles and although those aren't the main focus, they are my favorite part (of course), and this book had quite a few displays. I had a hard time feeling a connection with the characters in any romantic regard. The relationships didn't feel deep or genuine, but if you enjoy a superficial romance with much more detailed action, you'll probably enjoy this one.

Content: mild romance; moderate violence (superhero/action-type); mild language

*I received a copy, which did not influence my opinion*
Profile Image for Lizzie.
Author 46 books324 followers
February 5, 2017
5 TOP STARS
This was the first book I have read by Derek Borne and also the first book of this genre. All I can say is WOW! I’ve always been a fan of the comic book genre-type films but never actually read anything like it. This book I would describe as “X-Men meets Avengers”. I went through so many different emotions reading this book. I laughed, cried, screamed at my kindle.
The characters in the book were so multi-dimensional and complex that you can’t help but fall in love with them. The book primarily follows the main characters Devon and Brett who end up working together. They have super-powers that they use to fight against the villains of the story.
Combined with the intriguing plot, as a reader, it keeps you addicted. Wondering what is going to happen next. Although this book is about good vs evil, the author makes sure that it isn’t that simple because at the end of the day, life is never that simple. There will always be shades of grey and Mr. Borne writes those shades into the book perfectly.
My favorite characters were Valeriya & Devon. Valeriya was such a complex character and I loved seeing her change from a hard, cold person that I hated to becoming my favorite female character. She was covered head to toe in those shades of grey and that’s one of the reasons I loved her. She was not one thing or the other but as the book progressed, came out the other side as a kick-ass chick! Devon made me laugh several times throughout the book. He came across as a funny guy with superpowers but deep down, he was just a regular guy that wanted somewhere to belong. I loved the bromance between Devon and Brett and can’t wait to see where these characters are going to go.
Derek Borne writes like a seasoned and experienced writer and I know he’ll go far in his career. This was a new type of book for me and I loved every page, paragraph and word. Looking forward to reading more from this author and another new author for me to follow!
Profile Image for Susan.
193 reviews
May 18, 2022
For the YA crowd who also like James Bond and other super spy stories. And I don't know if it's just because I'm really into the Cold War, but the whole Russian vs. American thing was good.
Profile Image for Kimberly Vanderbloom.
518 reviews37 followers
May 15, 2017
I just finished reading a mystery novel when I got a email from Amazon that my pre order of The Ultimate Agent is ready to download. I believe I squealed because I've been wanting to read this book for months. So of course I started reading it right away and found that I couldn't put it down. I kept sneaking away to read more one page and one more chapter. I found myself devouring this in a day because it was just that good. The character development was spot on and it felt like I was in a superhero movie watching everything unfold. It has to be one of the coolest reading experiences of my life. I love a good superhero but I've never actually read a superhero until now. I'm glad this was my first one because it was great. It is going to be hard to follow with any other author or characters. After the first couple of chapters I stopped what I was doing a gifted a copy to a friend so she could enjoy this book as much as me.

I usually talk about my favorite character at this point. A great character defines what a great book is to me. A author could miss the mark on several things but if I get a chance to identify and fall in love with at least one character I'm going to like a book. See now I have a problem because I couldn't pick just one favorite character. I love Devon and adore Brett. I mean it is like peanut butter and jelly you can have one without the other but it just isn't as good. So I'm thinking my favorite character is their friendship. The banter and love they have for each other is amazing and well developed. I'm really hoping that we get to know more of their history because I found that intriguing.

My favorite moment was also hard to choose. At least this time I could pick one it was just hard. My favorite scene was when they went to Hawaii. I think I liked it so much because I just got back from Hawaii so it was easy to imagine. I loved all the fighting scenes because it felt like I was watching a movie.

Overall, I loved this book and I plan on recommending it to anyone who will listen. I'm look forward to reading the next in the series because these characters are going to be hard to forget.
Profile Image for Stacy.
301 reviews20 followers
October 7, 2017

I read this book awhile back but didn’t want to post my review until I was able to read it with my son. There are rare Indie books that I can read with him. He is 12. But this was one that I know he will treasure forever.

I don’t read much YA or superhero books but I am definitely now a fan. This book was so much more than following two super agents on a mission to capture the bad guy. There was laughter, tears, love, friendship, and most of all…. a positive message. It made me rethink what a superhero is and what society has deemed a superhero.

The message that my son took from the book is that Devon is the Ultimate Superhero because he cares about others, he isn’t selfish, and his friendship with Brett is important to him. He even compared Devon to Captain America.

Now as for Brett, I feel he struggled internally with being in the shadows of Devon because he was the Scientist aka the Specialist. Sometimes everyone wants to be in the limelight. But in the end…they worked together and completed their mission and achieved a personal mission on their own.

If you are looking for a thrilling, suspenseful, keep you guessing book…this is the book for you.
Derek, I cant wait to read the next installment. With my son of course lol.
Profile Image for Louisa Dwyer.
39 reviews2 followers
July 2, 2018
Fast paced YA superhero story

The construct of this book reminded me some something crossed between X-Men and the Avengers but in a novel. The pace is fast and action sequences varied which I’m sure will keep YA readers’ attentions. A sweet couple of clean romances are thrown in for good measure.
Profile Image for Karen Eisenbrey.
Author 25 books50 followers
December 18, 2018
This book is good (clean) dumb fun. It seems to ask, What if James Bond were also Captain America? and proceeds to trot the globe with high-powered battles and sweet romance. Banter and genre tropes abound as The Ultimate Agent (genetically enhanced Devon Bertrand) and The Specialist (genius gadget inventor Brett Gallagher) battle supervillain Max Romanov and his sister Val. Conflict arises when Devon and Brett both fall for Brett's lab assistant Jade Hathaway, but nothing can stand in the way of this superpowered bromance. Especially when Brett discovers a new love interest from an unexpected direction.

The main characters are all young and beautiful and sincere. Even people with secrets don't have them for long, at least from the reader. Point-of-view moves around constantly, though it's never unclear whose perspective we're getting. Everything shown is also told, so there's no chance of missing anything. I question the security protocols at this super-secret agency that doesn't foresee teleportation even though they're using it themselves and doesn't seem to even do a background check on a defector who joins up. And who is going to pay for all the damage to landmarks around the world?

Recommended for fans of clean escapist fantasy who have a high tolerance for smirking and arch banter.
Profile Image for Mysti.
55 reviews7 followers
February 11, 2018
Unfortunately I couldn’t even finish this

Three cheers for Kindle Unlimited or I would have been sorely disappointed at the loss of a mere dollar on this book! I could not finish it. I don’t know who gave all of the good reviews? Friends, family, swag recipients? It’s juvenile, bounces around at inappropriate times and too much going on- pick a few things for the characters and build on those. Skilled at hand to hand, swordsmanship, guns and ammo, mathematician, invention of a teleportation device and on and on....
Hopefully being a new author the next books will be better. I won’t be buying any to find out though. Sorry.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
134 reviews4 followers
June 11, 2017
This is a book where every scene and piece of dialogue can easily be mentally transferred to a comic book. The characters are somewhat cliché, but that adds to its charm. It kind of reminds me the original Batman and Robin television series. Sure it's a bit cheesy, but that's half of what makes it appealing. This a great YA read, especially as an alternative to the traditional, overused superheroes.
Profile Image for Sandra Loves Reading.
741 reviews10 followers
June 4, 2018
Hmmm...I found this book really hard to read.
It's well written. Is totally action packed too. Has romance. Has heroes and villains.
But I kept remembering Batman and Robin on the television when I was a child and speech marks with "Kerpow" or "Boom" etc. and I kept feeling that they should be in here too. Like reading an old fashioned superhero comic, just minus all the drawings.
So while it is very well written, it isn't for me.
Profile Image for K.D. Reid.
Author 4 books14 followers
February 16, 2018
The Ultimate Agent is a novelized comic book with all of the flair and excitement that comes with them. There is plenty of testosterone and an awesomely competitive bro-mance, making it a great read for young adult males. It's also a very clean love story with intelligent, strong, and daring female protagonists, and even though they occasionally came off a bit dramatic, it all fit very well with the genre of the book. Some of the romance gets built quickly and has the potential to feel a little chaotic and rushed, but the relationships round out in a way that is undeniably cute and ready to continue flaring in the next book. Not to mention that although the lines between good an bad never blurred, the poignant story line of the villian forces the reader to empathize, just a little, with evil.
The writing style is very well done, keeping secrets while maintaining omniscience, a tricky feat. It feeds the 007 meets D.C. Comics feel, and even though some of the willing ignorance of the characters (by choosing to not read a mind, for example) was a bit of an eye roll, it keeps things classified while the reader zooms through the fast-paced thrill. All the while, little secrets and loose ends pop out, leaving plenty of open ends to make the sequel another great read. With a little nitpicking, it could be said that some of the writing gets repetitive on occasion with the same adjective appearing twice or more on the same page for the same scenario or that a few of the time jumps feel off, but it's nothing atypical to a superhero's story. Overall, it was an awesome book, and I think Stan Lee would agree that it gets 5 stars.
Profile Image for Amanda Mann.
Author 30 books172 followers
September 9, 2020
What an adventure!

First things first: This is the first 'superhero' book I've read. I love superheroes, but I've never actually read a book about them. It's always been TV shows or movies. That is DEFINITELY going to change.

Mr. Borne is a natural story-teller. He hooks you in from the very first page and doesn't let go throughout the entire book. As is usual with all things superhero, the action never stops. There is never a dull moment in this story. It's always one thing after another and you are left thinking things like, "Can't these guys ever catch a break"?

To me, the story read much like a comic book. The descriptions give you just enough to imagine the images in your head and aren't too over-done. It begins to feel more like 'watching' than reading because it just easily flows. I really liked that.

I think the characters are what really made this story the amazing piece of art that it is. The playful and witty banter between Brett and Devon is the ULTIMATE (see what I did there?) bromance! Even in the toughest of spots, the fact that they can still mess around with each other really made things interesting. They had me laughing out loud many times!

All in all, I am far more pleased with this story than I thought I'd be. I can't wait to read the next one!

5 out of 5 superhero stars!
Profile Image for Kath Dee.
777 reviews26 followers
April 3, 2017
The Ultimate Agent - Derek Borne

4 1/2 STARS

I was given this book for an honest and unbiased review.

The Ultimate Agent by Derek Borne could be described as a cross over novel. Entering the realms of fantasy fiction and comic books but with a very suave James Bond-Esk feel to it.

Not my traditional genre, but none the less a riveting read, full of mystery. From the first chapter I was enthralled and intrigued.... wondering where the story would take me.

The Characters, though over the top in their personas, were written to encapsulate the feel of this super spy, super hero type of novel.
Devon and Brett are the kind of guys you'd want on your side but they are also backed up by some kick arse smart women.
There's a touch of simple clean romance too. So in closing, I enjoyed The Ultimate Agent and now look forward to reading the next Ultimate Agent novel.

Thank you Derek, you have now ignited my interest in a new genre.
653 reviews7 followers
August 28, 2017
The Ultimate Agent is a fun, wholesome superhero slash secret agent novel. In the world Borne has created, super-abilities can be given to someone via a scientific change to their DNA. This story revolves around a secret agent with those abilities (The Ultimate Agent), a secret agent who designs and uses his own inventions to be a superhero without having those abilities (The Specialist), and a few other scientists. And villains, of course! The constantly-switching narrative took me a few chapters to get used to, but it was nice having the insider intel [aka all the characters' thoughts and motives]. I also would've liked a little bit more build-up to the romance, because it seemed a little bit rushed. But overall, there's something for everyone in The Ultimate Agent: romance, suspense, and lots of action!
Profile Image for E.A..
951 reviews27 followers
June 24, 2018
I love this book! Everything about it is freaking outstanding. I love superheros, and spys, and action. Mix that together and you got one hell of a read!

This book is not only original, fun, and wick entertaining, its top tier unique. Told in muli POV, we are immerse into a fascinating world, that is rich and detailed. The writing is easy to follow and the story progression was on point. The flow was steady and the tone match the scene changes as it went from normal to intense. The action with well choreographed, and made you fell like you were watching a movie. And the characters, wow, lots of wows! They were the topping to this literary cake.

I love, love, love everything about this book, and I can't wait for the next instalment to come out. If you haven't guested it, this is a super high recommendation from me.

Happy Reading; you will not be disappointed!

-E.A. Walsh.
Profile Image for Alyne Hart.
Author 19 books323 followers
March 18, 2018
I was gifted a paperback of The Ultimate Agent from Derek.
Before I start this review I will add that this is not my usual genre, so I can't review anything genre specific.
What I can say, is what a seriously FUN read. From the very first chapter I was drawn into this world, and it held my attention all the way through. It was fast-paced, riveting, action-packed and did I mention FUN?
The characters are well fleshed out and interesting. The world building is out standing. But I think my favorite part of Derek's writing is his dialogue. He has a gift with dialogue - which just happens to be my favorite thing to read and write!
There was even a touch of romance.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I look forward to seeing more work like this!
85 reviews1 follower
December 29, 2023
3.75⭐️. Took me a little while to get into this one. But this is my first book like this so that was to be expected for me as I tend to stick to the same kinda books. But once I got about halfway I got hooked. A little confusing for me at first but once you get into it it’s so much fun. So much action it’s like a marvel movie playing in your head. The romance was very fast burn, which for me personally I prefer slow burn but I was more focused on the action anyway so I didn’t really mind. Overall it was a very fun experience and I’m so glad I tried this new ( for me) genre of book. It’s a series I look forward to continuing. Definitely think this book would be good for people who like a fast paced action packed read!
Profile Image for Amy Bartelloni.
Author 14 books120 followers
September 25, 2018
Good, clean, FUN, action! Devon Bertrand is a great character. You'll love his back and forth banter with the other agents, in a way that reminds me of the Hitchhiker's Guide. Don't let that fool you, though. There's plenty of tension, some romance, and a *lot* of action. The story has something for everyone, and the level of romance is completely appropriate for a YA crowd, but still enough to draw you in. The other agents (especially Brett Gallagher, "the Specialist"), and even the bad guys, were completely fleshed out and interesting on their own. I was glad to see it wasn't a cliffhanger, but left plenty of material open for book 2. Can't wait to pick it up.
Profile Image for Megan Hunt.
95 reviews6 followers
June 9, 2017
Secret agents, love, laughter, destruction, gadgets, action, heroes and villains all combined into this awesome Ultimate Agent book.
If you haven't read this yet your in for a treat.
Brett and Devon become like brothers whilst fighting evil and witty remarks to each other, they had quite the bromance going on.
Hope that we get to see a lot more of them in the next book for another chance to save the day!
1,268 reviews7 followers
August 3, 2019
Brett and Devon are fantastic characters! The whole vibe of this book... it encompasses the feeling of reading classic spy comics, imaginative gadgets of Mission Impossible, albeit older characters, but the movie Cloak and Dagger comes to mind, as well as the quirky but awesome team players for some reason reminding me of tv shows The A Team and Charlie’s Angels . Right from the start you get pulled in with the mystery of who you’re reading about and why people are after him. This is a story you didn’t realize you were missing out on.
Profile Image for Shannon Godwin.
3,023 reviews32 followers
December 3, 2017
Let me start by saying this book is not like anything I have read before. It is not my type of reading but I did find it to be a pretty good read. The writing is good and it flows great. It puts you in the mind of the Marvel movies you watch or read about. There are secret agents and villians in this book. It is overall a good read.
Profile Image for Leanna.
176 reviews28 followers
July 17, 2018
Wow I've never read anything like this and I absolutely loved it. This book was so fun to read. The banter was just perfect, the bromance was hilarious, the chemistry was amazing, and the storyline kept me intrigued and entertained the whole time. I am excited to hear that this book is part of a series.
Profile Image for Bridgett Brown.
830 reviews48 followers
August 4, 2019
I enjoyed this book. It’s basically a superhero/Secret agent story. In this story superheroes are not born but made. The Ultimate Agent may have met his match when he has to fight against a Russian Agent who has also been given superpowers. I’m definitely interested in reading the rest of these books. The one liners in this book were great.
Profile Image for Lynn Stifle.
3,817 reviews68 followers
April 18, 2020
Oh my gosh, I couldn’t put this book down! It was so so good! A superhero/secret agent what’s not to love! I loved the witty banter and the bromance between Brett and Devon, and their characters are easy to love. This story is fast paced, has heaps of action, intrigue, and plot twists. It’s a fantastic story that pulls you in and before you know it you are hooked. I loved everything about it, there was never a dull moment, and I definitely recommend it.
Profile Image for Rachel Hill.
853 reviews36 followers
March 31, 2021
So, this is actually a hard review to write. I've decided to kind go up the middle, not great, not bad. Who doesn't love Superman, Batman, The Avengers? Mr. Borne delivers on the super hero vibe...and the sweet romance. However, my biggest issue was figuring out just what was going on. It went from scene to scene with so little in between. There was a lot of action and adventure more so than basic storyline which kind of left it hard to follow. I asked myself numerous times, now how did we get here? I have no problem having to "stay engaged" because a story is a little harder to follow but it's a lot easier to do when it isn't so fast paced. I think Mr Borne has a lot of good writing qualities and a great premise here, I just kinda needed more story than action.
14 reviews
May 29, 2022
After reading dino rift (an amazing-must try book!) I wanted to try another book by this author. I read the blurb and realised this would be a book that doesn't normally appeal to me but because I loved dino rift so much I wanted to give it a try.
I'm so glad I tried something different, I love the marvel movies and it was like getting stuck into a new marvel movie!! The characters are lovable and believable, along with the characters the plot is met with lots of action mixed with love! I'm looking forward to getting stuck into the next novel while I wait for more books by Derek Bourne to come out!
Profile Image for Sarah.
327 reviews5 followers
April 30, 2017
4.5 stars!

This is the first book of Dereks I have read. And the first book of this kind of genre too.
This story had me hooked from the first chapter.
It is full of action and twists and at one point made my heart drop!
If you want a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat then this story is for you!
Thank you for this opportunity!
Profile Image for Steven Smithen.
Author 7 books103 followers
June 8, 2017
Refreshing and fun!

I enjoyed the Ultimate Agent. I found it refreshing and fun. It's a mix of the Avengers meets James Bond. Gadgets and Superpowers! Looking forward to Devon's and Brett's next mission.
Profile Image for LeAnn Mason.
33 reviews
August 9, 2017
This is a fun superhero read, with dueling forces and inventive man-made powers (some of which I totally want). The characters are fun and easy to love and not love 😉. The "omnipresent" narration may take a few to get into but then it's a fun ride with an enjoyable comic-ish feel.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews

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