This book was exactly what I needed, an easy, funny rom com with lots of character. It was fun and had lots of action to keep me gripped throughout and keep the pages turning, really enjoyed this one and thoroughly recommend!

First of all, I have realised that while I love a strong female character who can fight with magic, I also really enjoyed badass female characters in a more contemporary setting. Because of this book, I am now going to be keeping an eye out for any csi, fbi, on-field agent female characters. From the synopsis alone, this book should've been a highly rated book. However, it fell a little short for me. I found that I wasn't really connecting with the main characters in any way– I was sort of indifferent towards them in general– and as a result, I did not care for what they got up to.

I did manage to finish the book, but I won't lie and say I didn't skim read a few chapters. The romance was alright– although I wouldn't necessarily call it enemies-to-lovers. The two main characters lacked that tension and yearning, in my opinion, and they weren't really enemies to begin with. Enemies to lovers rarely works in modern settings because it require a dramatic/serious element to it– like crime, danger, knife-to-your-throat tension. Btw, I dislike when the female main character instantly starts to backtrack her plan/motives because she's so horny. Like no.

This book wasn't for me, but that's not to say others might not enjoy it. If you want to read about a cool csi agent who is on the mission to stop her sister from marrying a man who's family is worst than the mafia, than this book might be for you.

Sadly, this was not for me.

I was lured in by the pitch - it felt very new and fresh, so I was super excited to dig in. It definitely started off well and had a cast of intriguing characters that quickly sets up a complex web of relationships and conflicts. However I found myself increasingly frustrated by the lack of depth in character development and it made it really difficult for me to connect with them (especially the romance!). Additionally, the twists and turns that were supposed to be surprising ended up feeling a bit contrived and forced, and didn't grip me as I expected.

Despite that, I would defo try this author again in the future!

An exciting premise but a boring book.

When undercover CIA agent Sydney Swift, is sent home over Christmas to investigate her sister’s fiancée, she is surprised by a blossoming romance with his bodyguard.

Unfortunately this book did not work for me at all. The characters felt flat, I didn’t root for the romance and the action was lacking.

Entertaining rom com/action novel.

Sydney is an undercover CIA operative, but she is contacted by the FBI to participate in a mission closer to home as the FBI contact believes they have a mole. The catch? The person they are trying to take down is Sydney's sister's fiancé. How can Sydney show her sister Calla that Johnny is bad news?

This is just such a fun book that really defies genre. There's humor, action, romance, a bit of suspense and a lot of thrills, all packaged together with family drama galore. It's super fast paced and has so much heart alongside the fun plot, but also a bit of spice with the romantic relationships.

This is a holiday tale that is sure to please, I rarely laugh at books that are supposed to be funny but I did laugh out loud quite a few times in the reading of this one. Carlie Walker has a winner with her debut novel and I'll be looking for more from her in the future.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

Firstly, I would like to say a big thank you to Orion and NetGalley for the ARC.

4.5/5 (rounded up).

This was my first spy romance book and I absolutely loved it. I started to recommend this book to friends as soon as I finished the last page. It is utterly addictive and gripping, and is layered with so many twists and turns that I was hanging onto the edge of my seat.

The narrative worked really well with first person perspective. I love Sydney, and she was a great main character, and the story was told well through her.

Sydney and Nick had seriously strong chemistry, and she definitely blurred the lines between the mission, and her own feelings. Nick is charming, and sweet, and he definitely fell first and hard. He really sees Sydney, sees through the tough exterior she puts up, allows her to be vulnerable, and that’s what made them utterly perfect together.

The spy/action drama element of this book truly had me on the edge of my seat, especially in the run up to the ending. The simmering tension (not just the spicy kind) throughout this book kept me hooked, wanting to see if Sydney could successfully take down her sister’s criminal fiancé.

This book also had a real family element to it, and with it being set at Christmas time, this gave the book a very warm, and sentimental edge to it. I really recommend this book – not only did it have a good helping of romance, drama, and action, it also had comedic elements to it. I will be looking out for future releases from this author.

"What does one buy a crime lord for Christmas?"

The Takedown by Carlie Walker is a fun, action rom-com. Sydney works as a case officer for the CIA, and she has just been handed her toughest mission yet. The notorious Jones crime family are planning something big - and the powers that be want Sydney to get as close to them as possible. That should be fairly easy - considering Sydney's younger sister Calla has just gotten engaged to Johnny, one of the Jones clan.

Sydney is somewhat estranged from her family, given the nature of her job and her desire to keep herself to herself - but infiltrating her own family Christmas isn't something she had ever considered. Something else she hadn't expected was Johnny's head of security, Nick. Sydney knows that she'll need him onside, so uses her powers of seduction to reel him in for information - but is Nick that easy to seduce? When Calla finally realises that Sydney is going to be around for a while, she decides to push the wedding forward - meaning Sydney has to work extra fast unless she wants her sister to marry into a family of criminals.

I absolutely loved this. It reminded me of that really sweet spot in film a few years ago when Rachel McAdams & Sandra Bullock were making really engaging, warm, comedies with a bit of heart - this was exactly that vibe, and I ate it up. I loved the change in direction part of the way through, and I really loved how the story came together. Miscommunication will always drive me slightly mad, but thankfully it didn't go on long enough to ruin the story here. I loved Sydney, I thought she was a brilliant lead character, and her relationship with her sister was lovely.

It's set at Christmas, but it's not at all festive, so it's perfect to read any time. Loved this one, and I'll be looking out for Carlie Walker's next book!

This was a great romance book, it was fun but also action packed with brilliant banter throughout, an easy enjoyable read that really put a smile on my face.

4.5 stars
I randomly picked this up one day when I had no idea what to read next and I am so happy that I did because I fell head over heels in love with this book.
This might be one of the most unique romance books I have ever read. A CIA agent has to go home for Christmas and gather information about her sister's new fiancee who happens to be a criminal but ends up falling in love with her sister's fiancee's bodyguard. And I loved everything about this book.
I fell in love with Sydney straight away and loved seeing her have to navigate being home for Christmas and falling in love with Nick whilst also gathering intel for her job. I loved how many silly situations she ended up in, especially her meet cute with Nick.
I loved Sydney and Nick's relationship and seeing these two people open up to each other despite everything that is happening around them. I loved seeing Sydney grow and seeing her letting other people into her life and realising she doesn't have to do everything alone.
One of my favourite parts of this book was that I had no idea what was going to happen next. There were so many plot twists and I never knew who we could and couldn't trust and I could not guess how it was going to end, apart from Sydney and Nick getting their happily ever after.
I loved loved loved this book and I cannot wait to read more of Carlie Walker's books and I will be picking it them up as soon as I get my hands on a copy of them.

Okay, I am not normally a festive book reader - to be honest, I didn't quite realise this book would be so Christmassy - but Carlie Walker might have just converted me??

I LOVED this book. I was hooked from the first few pages - personally I grew up in a Sweatpants At Christmas Family, but my dad married a Dress Up For Christmas woman - and that description/character divide alone was enough to reel me in and convince me that Carlie Walker knows how to write a character description succinctly.

I also find that quite frequently, the pacing of a romance book is hard to nail, but once again this author absolutely has. The plot twist about halfway through made me continuously read until the very end - through the second (and maybe third?) twist to the end. Truly a chef's kiss.
Sydney and Calla (and Grandma Ruby and Sweetie Pie) brought an undeniable warmth to this story that kept believable family ties at the heart of it. Set against the backdrop of a sleepy Maine town (yes, coffee sold at the same place as lobster sold at the same place as souvenir tees) this takedown romance was excellent from start to finish. I love it, really - and can't wait to get my hands on the next Carlie Walker piece.

"Your sister is set to marry into one of the most evasive crime families that America has ever produced."

A good story, I just didn't go into it with the right expectations? I think the advertisement of this book as a 'rom-com' / 'romance with spies' just didn't accurately describe the story.

For myself, the story started slowly and gradually picked up the pace - I found it difficult at the beginning to keep interest in the story but more did happen with the plot as it went on. I just wish that more parts were fleshed out and the pacing throughout the plot points ran more smoothly. I just wanted more out of different aspects of the story, with many different moving parts I wish, as a reader, I had more insight into just a few rather than the feeling that it was being stretched to cover lots of ideas.

The characters were good, as readers we get more focus on the main female lead as it is told from her perspective. I appreciated the dialogue and the humour that was found between the two main leads, but I just wanted more. I think that is ultimately what I wanted from the story and characters, just something extra, something that would have just pushed me into the story more as a reader.

Thank you to Netgalley for this eARC, I am voluntarily leaving a review.

in this book, we follow sydney & nick. sydney is an undercover CIA agent who is sent back to her home town to investigate johnny jones, the heir of an organised crime dynasty. sydney hasn’t been back home in years, she has spent years pretending to be someone else. but now that she’s back, she needs to tread carefully & try & gather evidence against johnny. the only thing is.. her little sister is engaged to johnny..

nick is johnny’s former bodyguard & now his head of security. it turns out he’s also come to spend christmas with sydney’s family. that makes sydney’s mission even harder.. because this insanely good looking bodyguard is proving to become a big distraction..

this book was amazing omg!! it was everything you need from a holidah romance! it was cute, funny, had a good amount of suspense in it, exciting & the plot was incredible. it was super entertaining! 🫶🏽

sydney was so amazing! her character was sooooo realistic! she was a strong minded, fierce & extremely protective woman who had a soft spot for her family.

i love carlies writing! it’s so easy to follow along & super easy to read! the chapters were slightly longer than i’m used to but i didn’t really pay much attention to them because of how much i enjoyed reading the book! 🥰

if you like- small town romances, holidah romances, badass fmc’s, the one bed trope, slow burn & forced proximity then this is the one for you!
the takedown can be found on amazon & KU so get yourself a copy!! 🩵

thank you for the arc, netgalley <3

This book had everything I love in a romance. Festive feels, spies and lots of spice! This was a fast paced engaging read and I can't wait to see what other novels Carlie will come up with in the future.

This book a little of everything

Romance
Comedy
Suspense
A small amount of spice

CIA agent Sydney is approached by the FBI for a very personal assignment , to help them takedown Johnny Jones the king a large criminal dynasty. Sydney has just one small problem ok make that a large problem Johnny is engaged to her sister .

This book was exactly what I needed as little pallet cleanser read , nice bit of plot but not to dark and heavy which is what I would normally read

4.5 ⭐️

Will Sydney confess what's really going on to her sister Calla. ?...

I loved reading this book. In my opinion it has a good mix betweeen character and plot driven.

This book is funny, witty and portrays so many different relationships in a touching way.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC copy, all opinions are my own.

WMATA wishes it was worthy of a romcom love declaration!

Overall this was a very fun romcom with a fun CIA/bodyguard twist, and the romance was solid!

That being said, for the first 60% of this book this was coasting right into 5 star territory, but somewhere in the middle our FMC Sydney literally lost all her mojo. We are introduced to her as being a competent CIA agent, and yet at the drop of a hat she has all of a sudden lost all logical thinking capabilities. But luckily they come back for the grand finale!

Carlie Walker masterfully presents an adrenaline-fueled and sensually charged romantic suspense narrative that captivates readers from start to finish. Agent Sydney Swift finds herself on a gripping mission to prevent her sister's union with a notorious criminal, leading her through a treacherous path filled with danger, deceit, and unexpected romantic entanglements.

Sydney's plan to gather damning evidence against her sister's fiancé, Johnny Jones, encounters an unexpected obstacle in the form of Nick, the charismatic and handsome bodyguard. As Sydney becomes entangled with Nick, the boundaries between her mission and her burgeoning emotions blur. The narrative unfolds with heightened intensity as Sydney grapples with the conflicting demands of duty and the burgeoning feelings in her heart.

Carlie Walker expertly entwines suspense and romance, crafting palpable chemistry between Sydney and Nick. The intricate dynamics and emotional tension among the characters add layers of complexity to the story, drawing readers deeper into Sydney's mission and the compelling dilemma she confronts.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

The Takedown was a cute romance to read over the holiday season.

Sydney, a CIA Field Officer, is on assignment when she is approached by the FBI for her most personal task yet. Johnny Jones, a crime dynasty king, is the target and the worst bit… He is engaged to her sister. To get to him however, she needs to get around her unexpected attraction to his bodyguard Nick.

This was a fun seasonal book that was enjoyable, it reads quickly and has plot twists that keep you invested. Overall it is a great book that is worth a read if you are looking for a fun book with elements of suspense and romance. It is ideal for around the holidays or even after them. It also has a little spice in it too!

I would recommend this for people who like romance with some side plot.

I will happily read another Carlie Walker book in the future!

Please note that this book is not for me - I have read the book, However I had to DNF and because i do not like to give negative reviews I will not review this book fully - there is no specific reason for not liking this book. I found it a struggle to read and did not enjoy trying to force myself to read this book.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for the opportunity to read this book

4.5

I got this book through an arc on Netgalley but I liked it so much I bought it to have a physical copy!!!

This was such a fun read, and the premise is genuinely so fun it'll suck you right in. It gets crazy, crazier and even crazier by the end. The characters were sooo funny and the family aspect was heartwarming (loved them so much im crying)

I'll say the plottwist wasn't the most mindblowing thing ever and it was pretty predictable but it happened in the middle and wasn't made out to be this big secret.

SO sad this book is so underrated.