Review: Splendid Isolation (Shadow Play #3) by Helena Maeve

Old spies make dangerous hostages.

A prisoner at the tender mercies of the British Secret Intelligence Services, Manuel has to believe that trading freedom for protection was his only hope of avoiding payback for his crimes. Yet his chequered past is neither forgiven nor forgotten. Every day, Manuel is tasked with providing his handlers new intelligence about the bloodthirsty power players he once served. And if he refuses, there are consequences.

In charge of Manuel’s debriefing is Cole, a high-ranking Section officer whose history is intimately intertwined with Manuel’s misdeeds. He has made it his mission to unearth Manuel’s secrets, however long that takes. He will break Manuel because it is necessary. Avenging a broken heart has nothing to do with it.

But time is not on their side. When Manuel’s former employer targets the safe house where he is imprisoned, his usefulness as an asset is called into question. As old passions awaken, both Cole and Manuel discover that letting go of the past may not be as easy as they’d hoped.


The best of the series so far!
(IMO)

This is what I've been looking for out of this series. It caught my attention right out of the gate and held it throughout. It is lighter on the espionage than its predecessors, but the relationship between these two protagonists is sublime. I'm happy to relinquish a little spy game for a second chance romance.

Manuel and Cole have a history which isn't expounded on all that much but it's clear they had a relationship, separated because of their jobs but never forgot each other. That lost love trope... 




There also seems to be a teensy bit of acrimony betwixt the two and you know what that means. That's right, kids!

Hate sex!





WINNER! WINNER! CHICKEN DINNER!

The great plot twists and stellar writing I've come to expect from this author, but this story had that missing element I've been desperately searching for in the previous two books-two protagonists I can root for.


These books can be read as stand alones and I would highly recommend this one to anyone looking for a smart writer who can weave a good spy tale with some stellar sex and adventurous plots.






A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Find out more on Goodreads.

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