Quick Synopsis

An undercover CIA agent is sent home for Christmas to investigate her sister’s criminal fiancé but the last thing she expects is to fall in love with his bodyguard along the way.

Publisher’s Synopsis

It’s been a long time since Sydney Swift has gone home. An unrelentingly successful CIA field officer, she has spent the last three years pretending to be someone — anyone — other than herself.

But this year, the festive season is coming with some added surprises. Sydney’s beloved little sister has just announced that she’s engaged to Johnny Jones, the heir of an organized crime dynasty. With her built-in cover and her best-in-class reputation, Sydney is approached by the FBI as their way to infiltrate the Jones family at last.

Sydney has until Christmas to gather enough evidence on Johnny to take him down before he pulls off his most dangerous heist yet, all without losing her sister forever. But she hasn’t counted on the challenge of pulling this off right under her family’s nose or the complications of a romantic entanglement with Johnny’s handsome friend and bodyguard, Nick. Sydney always gets her man — but this time love is a target she can’t afford to miss.

Book Review

The Takedown is a debut holiday romance novel in which Sydney, a CIA field officer, is sent home to Maine for Christmas on a mission for the FBI. It turns out while she was on a mission and out of touch with her family her little sister became engaged to the crime boss Johnny Jones. So Sydney needs to gather damning evidence to stop the wedding… the only problem is Johnny’s hunky bodyguard, Nick.

The Takedown combines my two favorite genres to read when I need to relax: thriller and romance. Add in some holiday homey feels and you have a delightful story. This book lived up to my expectations of a fun, action-packed romance novel.

I was impressed that this is Carlie Walker’s debut novel. She managed to write a book across two genres that has depth and a great deal going on. While the spy portion may not have been the most realistic, I could not careless. I was invested in the plot and characters and knew going in that the focus would not be on an accurate portrayal of spy life. Instead, The Takedown included rich back stories and character growth for the two protagonists.

Walker’s writing shined with clever, humorous banter. Sydney and Nick delivered snarky, sharp barbs and playfulness. I enjoyed that both protagonists have more depth than I typically see in the genre. Sydney is a complex character that realizes her shortcomings and is not solely focused on her lust. Nick is a counterpoise to Sydney: sensitive, funny, yet equally guarded. Both characters felt lie real people rather than the perfect stand-ins so often seen in romance novels. Still, Walker tackles their personal issues while keeping the story light.

After finishing The Takedown, I did feel like balance between thriller and romance was slightly askew. I would have liked to see a bit more amassment of romantic feelings and tension. I also think the plot could have benefited from some scenes not fading to black.

Overall, The Takedown is a fun take on a holiday romance with likeable characters that you can become invested in. I recommend it, especially if you are looking for something a little different or are a big fan of Miss Congeniality.

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