Killing It by Asia Mackay is the ultimate holiday read. Perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella and Mick Herron (not an obvious combo!), and those of us who grew up watching Buffy Summers and Sydney Bristow kick ass while also juggling a life. The little London touches were also a nice surprise for a local, and hopefully entertaining for the casual visitor.

I really enjoyed Killing It! Such an unusual take on the typical 'spy' novel, and I thought it was carried out very well. It was great fun and very funny at times, and the plot itself didn't suffer for this. Very original, and a great read too.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The storyline was really good and enough intrigue to keep you curious as to what happened next!

A bundle of joy for Lex Tyler, secret agent, and a bundle of fun for the reader.

Loved this from beginning to end. It's funny, lively and surprisingly thought-provoking, touching on the (mis)treatment of women after maternity leave, and expectations of mothers.

Highly recommended.

Really wanted to enjoy this book as the description sounded really good but I just didn’t warm to the heroine or the storyline

A really enjoyable read with a completely different theme. Can a new mum return to her work as a ruthless MI5 rat? Well written, showing in an unusual way how mothers multi task.! Keeps the reader on tenterhooks ,waiting to find out if Alexis will succeed.

Brilliant idea! A real insight into how woman who are mothers are still the same people they were in a previous life, only with more complications!
Lex is a professional killer...and a new mum.
Killing It combines the elements of a tense thriller with the comedy of a young mum trying to fit in with everyone else..with some surprising results.
A very unusual idea...but it works!

When I first got this book, there was some expectations that I had and it turned out to be good.

The plot itself, is constantly moving and it kept surprising me with sudden and really unexpected plot twists and there were things happening I did not think would actually happen. This makes the book really interesting to read.
Additionally, the writing style of the book makes the book easy to read as although the topic is very serious and manly and there’s a lot of action, there is still a bit of humor in it, which makes the book a lot lighter to read.

Another thing that makes the book this good, is the complex characters. The main character, Lex, is in her own league and the issues she has to work through make the book more complex and more interesting. Of course, at the end, it was really hard to work out who the bad guys are and who the good guys are so this, I think give the book a bit of edge to it. And, one of the big characters is a baby. Babies make everything better, even books.
All in all, this book was great to read and I enjoyed it a lot.

Proof that women can do it all!! A well written story with lots of action yet feeling involved. Although it is somewhat extreme, it does show how strong maternal love can get a grip on you but at the same time there is lots of action and excitement with a nice twist towards the end which I didn't see coming!

When I first heard about this book I wasn’t sure whether it was going to be a proper thriller/crime book, or a tongue-in-cheek, humour novel. To be frank it is a bit of both.

Alexis is one kick-ass female and she is just as good as the men. She works damn hard and lo and behold anyone who tries to dismiss her for being female. Her life outside of her home might be complicated, but she tries to keep everything as normal as possible for her daughter inside her home.

The book started off in the midst of a scene and then cuts back to two months previously and her first day back at work after her maternity leave. Whilst the book was really entertaining and a lot of fun, there were times when I did find myself skimming over parts as there was a lot of descriptive writing throughout and in my personal opinion not all of it was needed.

The plot was certainly unique and perked my interest enough to hold me to the pages and have me reading it in two days. There were a lot of twists and turns and unexpected moments. If you like a book with a tough, strong woman then this is a book for you.

Mothers among you, if you're a thriller lover but like a bit of a chuckle as well, this book has it all. I loved it and really hope there's a second one coming. I honestly can't remember laughing out loud at a book this much in quite some time and for that, Asia Mackay, I salute you!

The main character, Lex was perfectly portrayed as an uncertain new mother who is also a trained assassin working for the British secret services. She has just gone back to work and the conflicting emotions and dilemma are wonderfully portrayed. The thriller side of things creates an intriguing storyline, which kept me engrossed and eager to keep reading.

I loved the author's writing style, which was easy and flowing, with nuggets of wit littering the pages. I heartily recommend this one - it's a belter! (less)

I loved this book, it was funny, clever and had a female lead that was totally badssa.

Lex is a spy, works for a secret branch of the government and is in a team called Unicorn. Lex has been off work for a while having a baby with her husband Will and he has no idea what she does for a living. Lex is tasked to infiltrate some yummy mummys lead by a Russian Oligarchs wife who wants her husband dead.

This reads like its almost true, you can completely picture that things like this exist. I liked Lex, she was smart, savvy, loyal, yet very Lara Croft like. I am not sure if the author is going to write another book about Lex, but i would be really happy to read about her again.

I loved the premise of this book but I really couldn’t get into it. The first few chapters were just describing meetings and setting up the book but it just didn’t do it for me. I was expecting a bit more action from the off

# What I liked
Alexis is returning to work after giving birth to a daughter a few months back. This is especially difficult for her because she doesn't have an easy job. She is working as a secret agent in the UK. Alexis has to deal with all the prejudices men can have towards women. She always has to prove that she can do the exact same job as a man can and that she is the best at her job as a secret agent.

First of all, let me tell you that this book was badass as hell. I liked every aspect of this book! I loved that the main character was a female and not like in every other thriller book where the secret agents are primarily male.

Killing it was super realistic as it shows what woman have to deal with on a daily basis in their working life. This book was also great because it showed us a woman that worked as a secret agent. A job that which isn't that usual for a woman. Especially not for a new mom.

The events at the end of the book were amazing. I never thought that what happened, would happen. I was really surprised by it. Which makes the book even more interesting to read. It was a hilarious read and easy to get through it.

# What I disliked
Absolutely nothing. It was too short, however. I would have liked to read more of this amazing book.

# Favourite Character
The main character, Alexis Tyler of course. But I also really liked her colleague Jack.

I would definitely recommend this book to every thriller fan. Particularly for those who like a good fast-paced book based in the UK and which gives you some James Bond vibes with a female main character.

An enjoyable premise which as a working mother I enjoyed. I was made uncomfortable on a few occasions however with reference to things like this government agency having an "attractiveness test" which detirmined what missions you could and couldn't go on as well as an obviously sexist male agent who makes NUMEROUS references to the protaganists breasts.

This novel told the story of a secret agent/spy who had recently become a mother, and the funny/life-death balancing act she was performing.
I liked the characters and enjoyed the story too.
At first I felt like parts of the plot were too complex but after getting into it I thought it was great!

Tongue in Cheek 4.5*
Neither the title nor the cover of this book appealed to me and in the normal way I would not have read it. However, the synopsis seemed kooky and rather different and so I decided to go for it. And, I’m glad I did as it was a thoroughly enjoyable and humorous book, very much from a woman’s point of view, so the male reader may find it less enjoyable but overall highly readable. Recommended.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Since giving birth I have to admit I haven’t read much fiction at all. It’s hard to find time to juggle everything you need to as a new mum, especially when it comes to fitting in work as well. My reading time has been given mostly to self-help books, educational books on a wide range of mumsy things and of course, reams and reams of overly cute rhyming books, some complete with finger puppets for my son. When I saw Killing It, the debut novel by Asia Mackay, it was the title cover that made me think “I need to read this book”. Whoever designed that cover absolutely nailed it, but did the writing deliver?

In Killing It, Alexa Tyler struggles with the same issues as many mums do when juggling a career and a family. Heading back to work after maternity leave she has to combat her own self-doubt over whether she’s still good enough for the job, her emotional turmoil about leaving her young daughter with a nanny, the put-downs of colleagues in a male-orientated workplace and the practical aspects of things like working and pumping when you’re breastfeeding, trusting your nanny and getting home before bed.

She also has to deal with the fact that she’s a trained assassin working for a super-secret government agency, her partner is her ex-lover, her maternity stand-in wants to sabotage her career and steal her job and she has to go undercover to overthrow a Russian threat. Perhaps not quite the same as the rest of us then… at least she has killer stilettos and a bulletproof pram to work with.

This is a fun, action-packed thriller that doesn’t take itself too seriously despite the subject matter. Killing It is light heartened and entertaining and although the whole secret spy thing isn’t that realistic (and doesn’t need to be), it’s entirely relatable to new mums, especially those battling workplace woes and feeling like they have something to prove.

We follow as Lex has to use her newfound status as “mum” to go undercover and neutralize the threat, all whilst dodging bullets, insults, and doubts both from herself and others. It manages to pull at the heartstrings a little as well, whilst we explore her blossoming relationship with her husband and put to rest some past experiences with her partner.

It’s a little bit heavy handed on the feminism and girl-power rhetoric with that core message being repeated throughout. We get you girl, you’re a powerful independent woman, roar. If you’re not a parent, this book may fall flat, as it does play heavily into Lex’s relate-ability as a working mum. If I’d read this before I had a child, I’d have struggled a lot more to relate. As a fairly recent parent, I found myself nodding (and grimacing) along with the parenting woes.

Overall 4 stars from me – Killing It is a gripping debut, enjoyable and well written, proof that you can be a badass with a baby!

Fabulous! With so much going on in this multi-faceted novel, you must keep your wits about you!

We first meet Lex on the day she returns to work following a short maternity leave; a stressful time for any new mother but then seldom have a career as a trained assassin! Proud of her achievements in a male dominated world, Lex is determined that motherhood won't stop her doing a job she's damn good at and is happy to blaze the trail for generations to follow. But how will the powers that be deal with her return?

I've always enjoyed a good spy thriller, and this reminded me - in a way - of the tv series Spooks. Ordinary men and women who go to work each morning, returning home to their unsuspecting families at the end of an often gruelling day. That side of this story is very well thought out and completely plausible, and on it's own would be an attractive read. The humour in this book is what makes it stand out from the crowd - it's so funny! The R&D department put Bond's Q in the shade. Several similarities to events reported in the news - if indeed they were genuine and not planted - piqued my attention and yes, made me wonder how much is true! Lex Tyler is a woman every young girl should hold in her heart as an example of how to dream of their future - forget Gaga, Lex is the real Lady!

Such a fun and thrilling read deserves no less than a full house of stars; I have winced and grinned my way from beginning to end, and closed my kindle with a big sigh of complete satisfaction. Different and dazzling!

My thanks to publishers Bonnier Zaffre for approving my request via NetGalley. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.

'Killing It' lives up to its name and manages to be entertaining while giving the reader a fast-paced thriller laced with satire and delivering a thought-provoking feminist message.

Lex is a successful woman in a predominately male world, nothing new there then, you may think, but she's a trained assassin working for a wholly deniable government organisation. After nearly a decade of killing for a living, she decides to risk a relationship and Gigi; a lovable baby is the outcome of this. Returning to work after maternity leave, she wonders if she's can still be the edgy killer she previously was, not helped by the less than helpful reactions of her male counterparts.

The plot is full of twists, excellent characters who are vividly depicted and soon bring the reader into the world of government endorsed assassins and London's Yummy Mummy set. At times it seems safer to hang out with the killers, at least their weapons aren't hidden.

Lex is always challenged in this book as she tries to be both a professional worker and consummate mother. Will she have to choose one or other or will the choice be made for her?

The final twists are well-executed and the ending realistic and satisfying.

If you enjoy a thriller that doesn't take itself too seriously but makes you think, this is the one.

I received a copy of this book from Bonnier Zaffre via NetGalley in return for an honest review.