Review: You Only Love Twice by Bec McMaster

You Only Love Twice
(London Steampunk: The Blue Blood Conspiracy #3)
Bec McMaster
Release: August 14, 2018
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With the clock ticking down, the Company of Rogues must find a deadly killer and stop them from assassinating the Queen... before London burns.

First rule of espionage: don't ever fall in love with your target.

Five years ago, Gemma Townsend learned the hard way what happens when you break this rule. She lost everything. Her mentor's trust. The man she loved. And almost her life. Love is a weakness she can never afford again.

When offered a chance at redemption, the seductive spy is determined to complete her assigned task: to track down a dangerous assassin known as the Chameleon, a mysterious killer sent after the queen, whose identity seems to constantly change.

But as her investigation leads Gemma into a trap, she's rescued by a shadowy figure she thought was dead—the double agent who once stole her heart.

A man with few memories, all Obsidian knows is Gemma betrayed him, and he wants revenge. But one kiss ignites the unextinguished passion between them, and he can't bring himself to kill her.

Can Obsidian ever trust her again? Or is history doomed to repeat itself? Because it soon becomes clear the Chameleon might be closer than either of them realized... and this time Gemma is in the line of fire.

Review:
I waited longer than I want to admit to finally read this spin-off series and I'm loving it! I've wanted to know more about Gemma since she was introduced. And we finally get her story in this book! Gemma is a blue blood assassin and spy for the Company of Rogues. Her greatest regret was the time she fell in love with the enemy and failed her mission where she was shot and was made into a blue blood. This book gave me some serious Winter Soldier vibes if Winter Soldier was a romance. (Thanks Gretly for identifying what it was reminding me of!)

Obsidian, the man she fell in love with, is one of the dhampir that the COR has been battling and may not be the man that she knew and loved. And he definitely isn't. Obsidian has known pain and suffering on an incredible level and has gone through lots of mental reconditioning. He knows he hates Gemma enough to kill her but he doesn't remember more than that and grows frustrated when he can't bring himself to actually do it.

Obsidian and Gemma’s second chance romance kept me on my toes with all of the emotions! I was cracking up at their biting banter while absolutely loving their chemistry. They were totally suited for each other, fulfilling a need neither one was willing to admit to, and I caught myself hoping things would finally align in their favor so they could be together.

This book is intense with lots of little moments that are unexpected. There are also some huge developments in the overall plot arc that are thrilling. We find out who is behind the dhampir and all the other chaos that has been unleashed upon London. It was so hard to put this book down for even a moment! I was drawn in from page one and didn't really stop until I was done.

And that ending! It's going to lead to some major changes for the Company of Rogues, I know it! This book was so great! What I loved about this book is that we see the COR move from friends to a found family and I'm totally here for it! I can't wait for the next book to see Charlie's story and what happens next!

    1/2

  4.5 / 5 Stars

Our reviews of other books in this series:

Mission: Improper (London Steampunk: The Blue Blood Conspiracy #1)

The Mech Who Loved Me (London Steampunk: The Blue Blood Conspiracy #2)
To Catch a Rogue (London Steampunk: The Blue Blood Conspiracy #3)