I FINALLY got the next installment of the Spygames series by
Mia Downing. And it did not disappoint! Endgame gives us the story of steely
eyed and hard as nails Charlotte. She’s fierce, she cold, and she’s a
killer. She’s sent to protect Jake’s
brother Aaron. He’s royally screwed up and now she has to keep him safe. Little
does she know, that while she’s on assignment her endgame will be put into
motion.
Aaron and Charlotte are a little different from most
characters in stories like this. Aaron is definitely not like Jake and Chase.
He’s not very confident with the ladies and he doesn’t have much experience
with the women. He’s more afraid of them than you can imagine. Charlotte is
anything but submissive. She’s dominant and in charge of everything. She keeps
a tight control over everything.
As Charlotte and Aaron grow closer, their roles begin to
shift. Aaron learns how to take charge and Charlotte learns to let her true
nature show through. Charlotte and Aaron find themselves growing closer and
closer. The big problem? Charlotte doesn’t expect to survive her endgame.
Now, I’m the first to admit that I like my men dominant and
my women submissive. That’s just the way I like my characters. The first part
of this book was a bit difficult for me, simply because the roles are reversed.
However, it works for these characters. The last half of the book, you really
see the growth in Aaron and Charlotte and you see how they connect with each
other. They are truly meant for each other and compliment each other in ways
you can’t imagine.
Now, at the end of Lethal Limits, I was firmly entrenched in
Team Jake’s camp. Chase could take a flying leap off a cliff for all I cared.
He’s an ass. I guess being Satan and Lord of the Spies will do that do you. But
for all you Chase lovers out there, he redeems himself. I continued to hate
through this book, but by the end, I was feeling all warm and mushy toward
him. Pissed me off!
I’m hoping we get more Spy Games books. I do love a good
super spy!
Hi, I’m Mia Downing, and I want to thank Lee Anne for having me today! I’m excited to share a bit of news first—to celebrate the release of Spy Games: Endgame, the publisher has graciously put Trained for Seduction and Lethal Limits on sale for $.99 until end of day Friday, 9/23 at all locations. They’re extending the sale an additional week at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Links:
When I started writing Trained for Seduction, I had no intention of making it a series. I had an idea for a story, one that began at night while I was laying in bed. You see, my husband snores. Loudly. And seeing I’m fairly low-energy ::cough::lazy::cough:: it seemed like a huge effort to relocate myself to the much colder and more uncomfortable couch. So out of the cold came a really neat story of 62,000 words. My editor loved it and wanted two more books. I scoffed at that—I had no ideas for a series. Jake was a man whore and he’d never settle down. And how could I come up with a third book? It seemed way too much work (remember, I am low-energy.)
Obviously, I came up with a second and third book because book 3, Spy Games: Endgame has been released! Charlotte Smith ends up filling in as Aaron’s bodyguard under the ruse of being his girlfriend. Charlotte is a cold, hard and mean assassin with a score to settle. Aaron is an actor, running from the embarrassment of spiritual failure and his past. Sparks flew when the two met at Jake’s wedding and now both find the smoldering lust to be almost too much to handle. Here’s more juicy tidbits about the characters involved in Endgame.
Charlotte Smith: She describes herself as cold, hard and mean, with a second degree black belt and excellent marksmanship skills. She didn’t start out this way. She was a gentle and kind woman from London, living a submissive life with a caring Dominant. And then she made a mistake, which led to a nightmare she later chose to forget rather than remember.
Charlotte appeared in Trained for Seduction as Kate’s nemesis and was later written to a bigger part. I knew in Lethal Limits she was the redhead in the bar with Jake, but knew little else. I had to add in quite a bit to weave her in better. I loved the idea of her being the strongest of the three women on the exterior, but actually the weakest internally because she’s been through so much. She needs a caring and sweet man who will gently demand her love and attention. I think Aaron is perfect for her. She just takes a bit to agree with me.
Aaron James Anderson: the youngest of five strapping Andersons, Aaron learned early that being smart got him farther than being hot. After having his life mapped out for him at age of sixteen, God went and tossed a monkey wrench in his plans, making him scramble for a whole new destiny. He struggles and hides behind the lies and deception of acting until Charlotte is unceremoniously dumped on his doorstep with her gun pulled and spy senses on full power.
After writing two very strong and well-schooled heroes I was ready for a change. Aaron seemed like the perfect candidate given his religious background and quest to become a priest. I wanted a man who could show some growth and become the man he needed to be.
Chase Sanders: I know he’s not Lee Anne’s favorite character and he’s not ashamed of that. He’s the character you love to hate, and in his story, Trained for Seduction, we see firsthand how he struggles between love for his country and the love for his family and friends. I think the end of Endgame sees a tipping point toward the friends!
I love how we see him from a different characters’ point of view in each book. Charlotte used to think Chase walked on water, until the complications of being the boss got in the way. Where she used to blindly and devotedly follow his orders, now she questions them since they seem to be keeping her from her destiny. Aaron gets flack from Chase being the youngest brother of his best friend, but there’s an undercurrent of some other source of dislike as well. Aaron isn’t about to ask, since he would rather deal personally with Satan than his understudy.
Jake Anderson: I’ll save the best for Team Jake to swoon over. I loved having Jake back in this book. He gets to be Jake at his best—in love, learning to cook, wearing disguises, chatting in Russian. He’s full of advice and insight now that he’s a reformed man whore, but he’s also full of secrets and deceit that make Charlotte wonder if she’s smart in trusting her boys explicitly. It made sense to have Jake tag along for this one and I hope you love the role he plays at the end as mediator. He’s not used to doing that at all.
I hope that gives you a little insight to the characters of Endgame and the Spy Games series! Enjoy!
~Mia
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