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The Secrecy #2
The Extortion
Adam West and Emma Stewart are back in the field. They're sent to Sydney, Australia to deal with claims of extortion, tasked with determining whether or not mass, dangerous water contamination is a result of laziness or crime. While there, they encounter situations which put them in terrible danger and even worse danger in the foreseeable future. Neither of them are fully prepared to deal with what lays ahead.
331 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 5, 2020
About the author
James Butler
20 books4 followersI'm a young (21) British author. I usually write quite quickly, and I have some big plans for future releases. I'm always looking to improve my craft, so I'd appreciate you leaving any reviews or ratings on any of my books following you reading them. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 21, 2022
I just finished book two in the series and it’s as good as the first book, if not better!
The Extortion picks up where The Secrecy left off. Our team (Adam and Emma) are still fresh from their first mission with the injuries and mental trauma. We get to see the aftermath, and of the two, Emma is having a harder time adjusting. Now, this is perfectly understandable because it hasn’t been that long since she was living a normal life and then got kidnapped by The Secrecy, separated from her family, forced to watch her own funeral, then train and get shipped off on a dangerous mission.
I don’t want to give too much of a spoiler, but these teenagers, who already had something so crappy happen to them, were forced to watch people die while carrying out their mission. And as if I didn’t hate The Secrecy enough, seeing how hard Emma is handling it all just makes me hate them more. While they were given physical training, the organization obviously didn’t prepare these kids well enough mentally before shipping them off on a mission, although I can’t say it would have done anything if they had. In the first place, they shouldn’t have kidnapped these teenagers and forced them into this position, but I digress.
They were able to complete their first mission, but Emma’s negative reaction has an effect on Adam, who I’m sure is only holding up better because he has her there, he’s lost everything but he still has someone. So if Emma is too affected by PTSD to go on missions with him anymore, what then? Will The Secrecy kidnap a new partner for him or will he be forced to work alone? And what happens to Emma, since they already faked her death? It’s not as though they would return her home. So Emma suffers, Adam worries, and the organization just sets them aside to wait for their next mission.
As much as I hate them, I have so many questions about this secret organization. Specifically, I want to know when Adam and Emma get to take them down (if at all. There are still 2 more books to go and I’m hoping for a happy ending.)
Emma does bounce back while they’re healing, and our spies/agents get back to training, and then it’s off on another mission.
And here’s one other point that pissed me off. Adam and Emma get to go on this mission with an older agent—and this older agent didn’t have to get kidnapped. He was ready to sign himself up as a secret agent and just got picked up by The Secrecy. So they had options, but they chose kidnapping teens. I mean, after seeing Adam and Emma in action I can see why they got picked (they do train hard and struggle here and there, but other than the general unhappiness and mental health issues, these two actually make kickass agents) but I would have been happier for them if they’d had more of a choice.
I won’t give any spoilers, but I will say I learned why the agency would be so desperate for new agents in this book to the point of choosing to rely on two teens. The Secrecy doesn’t go down in this book, sadly, but my fingers are crossed! I can’t explain since I already said no spoilers, but Adam and Emma don’t have to fight the good fight alone, which increases the chances of the final showdown I’ve been dreaming of since book 1 actually happening! Meanwhile, we get to see Adam and Emma grow even further while on their second mission.
I’ll take a break and then move on to book three.
The Extortion picks up where The Secrecy left off. Our team (Adam and Emma) are still fresh from their first mission with the injuries and mental trauma. We get to see the aftermath, and of the two, Emma is having a harder time adjusting. Now, this is perfectly understandable because it hasn’t been that long since she was living a normal life and then got kidnapped by The Secrecy, separated from her family, forced to watch her own funeral, then train and get shipped off on a dangerous mission.
I don’t want to give too much of a spoiler, but these teenagers, who already had something so crappy happen to them, were forced to watch people die while carrying out their mission. And as if I didn’t hate The Secrecy enough, seeing how hard Emma is handling it all just makes me hate them more. While they were given physical training, the organization obviously didn’t prepare these kids well enough mentally before shipping them off on a mission, although I can’t say it would have done anything if they had. In the first place, they shouldn’t have kidnapped these teenagers and forced them into this position, but I digress.
They were able to complete their first mission, but Emma’s negative reaction has an effect on Adam, who I’m sure is only holding up better because he has her there, he’s lost everything but he still has someone. So if Emma is too affected by PTSD to go on missions with him anymore, what then? Will The Secrecy kidnap a new partner for him or will he be forced to work alone? And what happens to Emma, since they already faked her death? It’s not as though they would return her home. So Emma suffers, Adam worries, and the organization just sets them aside to wait for their next mission.
As much as I hate them, I have so many questions about this secret organization. Specifically, I want to know when Adam and Emma get to take them down (if at all. There are still 2 more books to go and I’m hoping for a happy ending.)
Emma does bounce back while they’re healing, and our spies/agents get back to training, and then it’s off on another mission.
And here’s one other point that pissed me off. Adam and Emma get to go on this mission with an older agent—and this older agent didn’t have to get kidnapped. He was ready to sign himself up as a secret agent and just got picked up by The Secrecy. So they had options, but they chose kidnapping teens. I mean, after seeing Adam and Emma in action I can see why they got picked (they do train hard and struggle here and there, but other than the general unhappiness and mental health issues, these two actually make kickass agents) but I would have been happier for them if they’d had more of a choice.
I won’t give any spoilers, but I will say I learned why the agency would be so desperate for new agents in this book to the point of choosing to rely on two teens. The Secrecy doesn’t go down in this book, sadly, but my fingers are crossed! I can’t explain since I already said no spoilers, but Adam and Emma don’t have to fight the good fight alone, which increases the chances of the final showdown I’ve been dreaming of since book 1 actually happening! Meanwhile, we get to see Adam and Emma grow even further while on their second mission.
I’ll take a break and then move on to book three.
February 24, 2023
**spoilers below**
This book starts off right where Book 1 ended. I like the ease of going from the first book to this one, because I was wondering how Adam and Emma’s first mission affected them. And as it turns out, it really affected Emma mentally. I was surprised at how calm Adam seemed about the whole thing, spending most of his time focused on how Emma was coping (which wasn’t very well). The Secrecy needs to provide therapy or counselling for their agents, not just cold looks and passive aggressive remarks. Thankfully, they have Scotty and Becca who seem to care about their well-being, which is more than I can say for Linda.
The first part of the book starts off with a slower pace, showing us the routine Adam and Emma are forced into by the organization. Even though they both seem resigned to their fates as agents, it’s nice to see that Adam isn’t completely taken in and convinced the people they’re working for are good.
That is really hammered home when we’re introduced to Charlie Flynn, a new character that will be helping Adam and Emma on their next mission. Charlie tells the teens that he signed up, not kidnapped like they were. It made me wonder if The Secrecy really needs to kidnap new agents, or if that was just a lie they came up with. But, unfortunately, Charlie doesn’t matter much, because he is killed off very suddenly. I was so disappointed with his death! I was hoping he would be a mentor to Adam and Emma and be an adult they could trust, but he’s gone.
There are also a lot of cute scenes between Adam and Emma, which I figured would be touched on eventually. While I like them a lot, and think their interactions are adorable, I would be okay if they remained just friends. Chapter 21 is in Emma’s point of view, and it was a nice touch to see things from her perspective, and I hope the sequels have similar chapters. The two of them do little things that reminds the reader that they’re just kids – like giggling together when one makes the other yawn, and feeling awkward when talking about sharing a bed.
Things get intense quick, and the action/fighting scenes are very well written. It feels like I’m watching them play out in front of me. The chase scene through the villa is especially intense, knowing that there is smoke and fire all around, along with parts of the house collapsing makes for a stressful read.
I was so shocked when Duffy came back, and even more so when her story is revealed. I knew from the first book she was going to be important, but I’m so happy that she (seems) to be one of the good guys. These kids need to catch a break once in a while.
I usually mention some general issues, but I didn’t have any with this book. I just want more! I want to know more about The Secrecy. I want to know who can be trusted and who can’t. I want to know if they take down The Secrecy. This is my favorite book of the series so far, and I can’t wait to read the next one!
This book starts off right where Book 1 ended. I like the ease of going from the first book to this one, because I was wondering how Adam and Emma’s first mission affected them. And as it turns out, it really affected Emma mentally. I was surprised at how calm Adam seemed about the whole thing, spending most of his time focused on how Emma was coping (which wasn’t very well). The Secrecy needs to provide therapy or counselling for their agents, not just cold looks and passive aggressive remarks. Thankfully, they have Scotty and Becca who seem to care about their well-being, which is more than I can say for Linda.
The first part of the book starts off with a slower pace, showing us the routine Adam and Emma are forced into by the organization. Even though they both seem resigned to their fates as agents, it’s nice to see that Adam isn’t completely taken in and convinced the people they’re working for are good.
That is really hammered home when we’re introduced to Charlie Flynn, a new character that will be helping Adam and Emma on their next mission. Charlie tells the teens that he signed up, not kidnapped like they were. It made me wonder if The Secrecy really needs to kidnap new agents, or if that was just a lie they came up with. But, unfortunately, Charlie doesn’t matter much, because he is killed off very suddenly. I was so disappointed with his death! I was hoping he would be a mentor to Adam and Emma and be an adult they could trust, but he’s gone.
There are also a lot of cute scenes between Adam and Emma, which I figured would be touched on eventually. While I like them a lot, and think their interactions are adorable, I would be okay if they remained just friends. Chapter 21 is in Emma’s point of view, and it was a nice touch to see things from her perspective, and I hope the sequels have similar chapters. The two of them do little things that reminds the reader that they’re just kids – like giggling together when one makes the other yawn, and feeling awkward when talking about sharing a bed.
Things get intense quick, and the action/fighting scenes are very well written. It feels like I’m watching them play out in front of me. The chase scene through the villa is especially intense, knowing that there is smoke and fire all around, along with parts of the house collapsing makes for a stressful read.
I was so shocked when Duffy came back, and even more so when her story is revealed. I knew from the first book she was going to be important, but I’m so happy that she (seems) to be one of the good guys. These kids need to catch a break once in a while.
I usually mention some general issues, but I didn’t have any with this book. I just want more! I want to know more about The Secrecy. I want to know who can be trusted and who can’t. I want to know if they take down The Secrecy. This is my favorite book of the series so far, and I can’t wait to read the next one!
July 19, 2022
the book as always was a 10 out of 10
the grammar is very good,the details is just out of this world
and is most definately interesting.
the fact that he continued the book all by himself is just mind blowing
i would recommend this book to espacially everyone who read the first book as the sequal is just endless entertainment.
i can't wait to read and review part 3(THE REBELLION)
Definately check out this book if you are fan of Harry Potter.
Hats off for JAMES BUTLER for the amazing books
the grammar is very good,the details is just out of this world
and is most definately interesting.
the fact that he continued the book all by himself is just mind blowing
i would recommend this book to espacially everyone who read the first book as the sequal is just endless entertainment.
i can't wait to read and review part 3(THE REBELLION)
Definately check out this book if you are fan of Harry Potter.
Hats off for JAMES BUTLER for the amazing books
November 17, 2022
loved it!
I absolutely loved this book. Would 100% recommend to a friend. I can’t wait to read the next book! :)
I absolutely loved this book. Would 100% recommend to a friend. I can’t wait to read the next book! :)
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews