Velvet Undercover

Presenting Velvet Undercover by Teri Brown.

Here is summary of the book:

Perfect for fans of Jennifer Donnelly and Libba Bray comes this page-turning historical spy thriller from Teri Brown, author of the Born of Illusion series.

Samantha Donaldson's family has always done its duty for the British Crown. In the midst of World War I, seventeen-year-old Sam follows in their footsteps, serving her country from the homefront as a messenger for the intelligence organization MI5. After her father disappears on a diplomatic mission, she continues their studies of languages, mathematics, and complex puzzles, hoping to make him proud.

When Sam is asked to join the famed women's spy group La Dame Blanche, she's torn—while this could be an unbelievable adventure, how can she abandon her mother, who has already lost a husband? But when her handlers reveal shocking news, Sam realizes she can't refuse the exciting and dangerous opportunity.

Her acceptance leads her straight into the heart of enemy territory on a mission to extract the most valuable British spy embedded in Germany, known only as Velvet. Deep undercover in the court of Kaiser Wilhelm II, Sam must navigate the labyrinthine palace and its many glamorous—and secretive—residents to complete her assignment. To make matters worse she must fight a forbidden attraction to the enemy—a dangerously handsome German guard. In a place where personal politics are treacherously entangled in wartime policy, can Sam find Velvet before it's too late . . . for them both?

A thrilling story of one girl's journey into a deadly world of spy craft and betrayal—with unforgettable consequences.

World War I Germany. Spy Thriller. La Dame Blanche. An impossible rescue mission. Velvet Undercover by Teri Brown is all of that but somehow along the way it is cheesy and rather lighthearted for a story of this genre. Of course the cover doesn't give much away, instead of giving the feeling of a warm contemporary story instead of the historical dark period that was WWI. Even with its failing this proved to be a quick and breathless read spurring us forward with the next to solve the identity of Velvet, a most daring spy conveniently positioned in the House of the Kaiser.

This is the story of the tenacious Samantha. Girl Guide. A master puzzle solver and fluent particularly in German. Plucked from school to be chosen for La Dame Blanche to go to Berlin undercover and identify and retrieve the spy code-named 'Velvet' on the promise that the mysterious disappearance of her diplomat father be looked into thoroughly. Strong willed, stubborn, a scholar and quite possibly way out of her depths in the business of a spy. Before being deployed into the field she receives her needed help with what she needs to know. The spy training at best felt sorely lacking and Samantha herself detracting from the mission on account of her running scared.

The first rule of espionage - don't trust anybody and don't get attached. Falling for the enemy is not an options. Sam strikes a friendship with royal guard Maxwell. While insta in its origins, share a multitude of cute and well paired scenes together. But with such failings notwithstanding the narrative flows smoothly and we are invested in the pursuit of uncovering who Velvet is. Expected a lot more out of the book but the experience was rather satisfactory.

"An exciting spy thriller in WWI Berlin. Satisfactory but also unputdownable"

Genre :     Historical Fiction, Espionage, Thriller, Mystery, Romance

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Release Date: 20th October, 2015

My Copy: publisher & edelweiss

Rate:             4/5 (Really Liked It)

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