Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter

Genre: adventure
Series and Book #: Heist Society #3
Pages: 336
Summary:

Katarina Bishop and W.W. Hale the Fifth were born to lead completely different lives: Kat comes from a long, proud line of loveable criminal masterminds, while Hale is the scion of one of the most seemingly perfect dynasties in the world. If their families have one thing in common, it’s that they both know how to stay under the radar while getting—or stealing—whatever they want.

 

No matter the risk, the Bishops can always be counted on, but in Hale’s family, all bets are off when money is on the line. When Hale unexpectedly inherits his grandmother’s billion dollar corporation, he quickly learns that there’s no place for Kat and their old heists in his new role. But Kat won’t let him go that easily, especially after she gets tipped off that his grandmother’s will might have been altered in an elaborate con to steal the company’s fortune. So instead of being the heir—this time, Hale might be the mark. 

 

Forced to keep a level head as she and her crew fight for one of their own, Kat comes up with an ambitious and far-reaching plan that only the Bishop family would dare attempt. To pull it off, Kat is prepared to do the impossible, but first, she has to decide if she’s willing to save her boyfriend’s company if it means losing the boy.

 

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Hot diggity Ally Carter has done it again!

The reason I really enjoy the Heist Society novels (as well as the Gallagher Girl series) is that Ally Carter has a way of creating characters that never get boring. Kat and Hale continue to be themselves but now they have a bit more to risk. Kat's always been a con; Hale now has responsibility and he can't afford to tangle with the darker side of New York. Kat's family is compassionate. It's nice to have a real family built up within a novel. Many times characters don't have parents or are estranged from whomever they have left that could be considered their family. They don't trust them, they hate them for reasons, etc. The Bishop's stick together. A code among thieves, if you will. Because Hale means so much to Kat, he's considered a part of the Bishop's wacky family. Thankfully, Hale knows this too. I'm glad he and Kat weren't separated for long in the novel.

Ugh, and the cons are so much fun! There's never a dull moment with Kat's crew. They mesh very well. The dynamic within the group was enough to bring a smile to my face. There was conflict, of course, but the whole family situation really extended to Kat's friends as well. They stick together.

This installation in the Heist Society novels lives up to its predecessors. I can't wait for the next one!

The Cover: Elegant, classy, and is that Hale I spot in Kat's sunglasses?

Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter

Genre: adventure
Series and Book #: Gallagher Girl Series #5
Pages: 294
Summary:

The last thing Cammie Morgan remembers is leaving the Gallagher Academy to protect her friends and family from the Circle of Cavan—an ancient terrorist organization that has been hunting her for over a year. But when Cammie wakes up in an Alpine convent and discovers that months have passed, she must face the fact that her memory is now a black hole. The only traces left of Cammie’s summer vacation are the bruises on her body and dirt under her nails, and all she wants is to go home.

Once she returns to school, however, Cammie realizes that the Gallagher Academy now holds more questions than answers. Cammie, her friends, and mysterious spy-guy Zach must face their most difficult challenge yet as they travel to the other side of the world, hoping to piece together the clues that Cammie left behind. It’s a race against time. The Circle is hot on their trail and will stop at nothing to prevent Cammie from remembering what she did last summer.

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There is a reason I love this author, this series, and pretty much everything Gallagher Girl. Because it's freaking awesome!

First, Carter did an amazing job of writing Cammie's amnesia. This is going to sound really weird, but there was so much mystery. Of course, Cammie couldn't remember what happened, but neither could anyone else. This lead to a race around the world to figure out where Cammie was and what she was doing before the Circle of Cavan could strike again. And they did, and Cammie went all kick ass ninja. Leading to more chasing and adventuring and everything spy!

Cammie and Zach's romance has never been the biggest part of the Gallagher Girl Series, but I think that it was more touched upon in this novel because of Cammie's amnesia and her running away. Like Cammie's friends, Zach was affected when she left, and you see this whole new side to him. More compassionate and protective. For the rest of her friends, everything was mostly the same, except Cammie never got any time alone.

Overall, Carter amped up the adventure and suspense. Since Cammie doesn't know anything about what happened for the past four months she doesn't know why the Circle is after her this time and she doesn't know who else could be after her. Also, the amount of mystery was crazy! First the song that she keeps hearing, then her father's journal that's suddenly gone missing, and when she figures out where she's been.... It was so much fun connecting the pieces with Cammie. Omigod, when will the next one be out!?

The Cover: Hidden identity: out of sight. Running away: out of time.

Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter

Genre: mystery & adventure
Series and Book #: Gallagher Girl Series #4
Pages: 265
Synopsis:

When Cammie Morgan enrolled at the Gallagher Academy, she knew she was preparing for the dangerous life of a spy. What she didn’t know was that the serious, real-life danger would start as soon as her junior year. But that’s exactly what happened two months ago when she faced off against an ancient terrorist organization dead set on kidnapping her.

Now the danger follows her everywhere, and even Cammie “The Chameleon” can’t hide. When a terrifying encounter in London reveals that one of her most trusted allies is actually a rouge double agent, Cammie no longer knows if she can trust her classmates, her teachers—or even her own heart.

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Spy action, some romantic scenes with Zach, and heart-pounding secrets, this book definitely tops off its series! With every page we learned something new, and with every chapter came another adrenaline-pumping, kick-butt scene!

It starts in London, where Bex and Cammie are ice skating, and Carter doesn't waste time pushing the novel onto the track she wants it to go on. The mystery starts right away when the CIA and MI6 are after Mr. Solomon, and no one knows why. Of course, Cammie devises all the plots on how to find out. Carter added lots of action scenes in this novel, which was such a rush! I missed all the spy-ness and CoveOps missions in Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover!

Ah, Zach. We see so much more of him in this novel which was especially nice considering him and Cammie had this constant love-hate relationship. He was so much more vulnerable, too, which was a good and bad thing. I still think that Zach's incredibly hot with the whole mysterio get-up, but he was so sweet when he was with Cammie. Also, I got the sense that Cammie was looked at as a more fragile character, and the best part of her was that she went out of her way to show people that she was still "The Chameleon".

Overall, an excellent novel picking up from where Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover left off. The ending had a cliff-hanger, and I got the sense that it was the end of the series. But that's not true at all! I looked on Ally's website and saw that she has a Gallagher Girl #5 coming soon! YAY for that! Can't wait for the next one and all the adventures that Cammie gets into.

The Cover: Ooh, so covert! Love how the model's hiding her face, but still has a smile.

Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter

Genre: mystery & adventure
Series and Book #: Gallagher Girl Series #3
Pages: 263
Synopsis:

When Cammie “The Chameleon” Morgan visits her roommate Macey in Boston, she thinks she’s in for an exciting end to her summer break. After all, she’s there to watch Macey’s father accept the nomination for vice president of the United States. But when you go to the world’s best school (for spies), “exciting” and “deadly” are never far apart. Cammie and Macey soon find themselves trapped in a kidnappers’ plot, with only their espionage skills to save them.

As her junior year begins, Cammie can’t shake the memory of what happened in Boston, and even the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women doesn’t feel like the safe haven it once did. Shocking secrets and old flames seem to lurk around every one of the mansion’s corners as Cammie and her friends struggle to answer the questions Who is after Macey? And how can the Gallagher Girls keep her safe?

Soon Cammie is joining Bex and Liz as Macey’s private security team on the campaign trail. The girls must use their spy training at every turn as the stakes are raised, and Cammie gets closer to the shocking truth….

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Although I was a bit sloppy in remembering who the characters were (I haven't read the books in, like, two years) most of it came back to me as Cammie brought up her the mysterious Zach, and the previous operations (althought they'd been illegal) she and her friends had gotten into.

I felt as if this were a more somber novel of the four in the series. There's more doubt in Cammie's mind, like she's not as good as she thought she was. When Macey's almost kidnapped, there's also her sudden deflation. Macey slips into an unrecognizable character and as Cammie tries to find her friend again, she finds out more about the life of a spy than she'd like.

Of course, the entire Gallagher Gang was back, and Bex and Liz were just as funny and full of energy as I remembered! The operations that they slipped into (including sneaking out of Gallagher Academy more than once) and hiding from the people who they looked up to were all as reckless and fast-paced as I liked. I felt as if I was there with them, and I saw everything they did. This is one of the things I love about Carter's writing: she describes everything with immense detail!

Overall, such a great installment in the series. I thought it was heavier than the previous novels, and I wish that it had been a bit less dark and more carefree. But Carter added enough humor and adventure that it wasn't a total drag of a book. :) The title of the book was correct in saying that you should never judge a girl by her cover. Masks were the theme of this novel, and there was no doubt that they were very good at showing people what they wanted to see.

The Cover: Cute! Gosh, I love these covers. They've always been some of my favorites!

Uncommon Criminals (Heist Society #2) by Ally Carter

Genre: adventure
Series and Book #: Heist Society #2
Pages: 298
Synopsis:

Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life: Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she’s simply been known as the girl who ran the crew that robbed the greatest museum in the world. That’s why Kat isn’t surprised when she’s asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners.

There are only three problems: First, the gem hasn’t been seen in public in thirty years. Second, since the fall of the Egyptian empire and the suicide of Cleopatra, no one who holds the emerald keeps it for long—and in Kat’s world, history almost always repeats itself. But it’s the third problem that makes Kat’s crew the most nervous, and that is…the emerald is cursed.

Kat might be in way over her head, but she’s not going down without a fight. After all, she has her best friend—the gorgeous Hale—and the rest of her crew with her as they chase the Cleopatra around the globe, dodging curses and realizing that the same tricks and cons her family has used for centuries are useless this time.

Which means, this time, Katarina Bishop is making up her own rules.

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An awesome sequel to an equally awesome first novel. Uncommon Criminals had my nerves on end, had me biting my nails in anticipation, and laughing out loud! Kat and her crew were awesome characters and I was so happy to revisit them.

The stakes were higher than before in this novel, and the con was more complex. At first, it was simple. But after Kat initially stole the Cleopatra Emerald, Ally threw in a twist that I didn't see coming. After that, everything grew more risky, and Kat was taking emotional tolls throughout the whole story. She was forced to uncover some nasty family secrets, confront some feelings for Hale, and through it all she had to believe in herself even when things got tricky. She would be all into the heist, then back away, nervous and afraid. Then something would go right, and she'd be all for the con again. I think she was forced to choose between the family business and doing what she had been before the Emerald had appeared--stealing for the original owners of lost pieces.

The same cast from Heist Society was back and still as awesome as before! Hale, Gabrielle, Simon, the Bagshaw brothers, and even Nick were included. I loved the character that Ally put into each one of Kat's crew members, making them all very real.

Overall, Ally did a marvelous job with this sequel. The heists were just as fun as before, and had just as much detail. The characters all had minds of their own, and weren't just two-dimensional. And the secrets and mysteries that Ally added made everything especially interesting. Can't wait to see if Ally has more planned for Kat and crew!

The Cover: Just like Heist Society's, I love Kat's shades and the Emerald reflected in them.

Heist Society (Heist Society #1) by Ally Carter

Genre: adventure
Series and Book #: Heist Society #1
Pages: 287
Synopsis:

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected.

Soon, Kat’s friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring her back to the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has good reason: a powerful mobster’s priceless art collection has been stolen and he wants it returned. Only a master thief could have pulled off this job, and Kat’s father isn’t just on the list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.

For Kat there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it’s a spectacularly impossible job? She’s got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully, just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family’s (very crooked) history—and with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

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I've read Ally Carter's Gallagher Girl Series (except for the more recent novel Only the Good Spy Young) and I loved those. This was another stunning debut from Ally. I love a great con, as I mentioned in my review of White Cat by Holly Black, and this definitely lived up to my standards.

Kat was a great MC. You understood the way she resisted Hale when he came to ask her for help with the con that she really wanted to leave "the life" when she joined Colgan School. But I loved the joy she felt when she was involved in the con and I loved the people who helped her along the way. Hale, her best friend; Gabrielle, her perfect cousin; the Bagshaw brothers, two very mischievous boys; and Simon, a completely nervous wreck. I loved the way Ally brought everything together and explained everyone. But sometimes I was really confused about what she was talking about. It seemed to me that she was sharing a inside joke with the novel and I wasn't a part of it.

The heist was amazing. Ally explained the mastermind behind it and she told us every detail about what was happening when it was happened. She also added just enough twists to keep you interested until the end, where she added just a twinge of mystery to keep you excited for the next novel.

Overall, I can't wait to read the sequel! I loved the con and the people in Kat's life. Ally is such a great author in creating an exciting world, both legal and not. I loved her Gallagher Girl series and I am hooked on Heist Society. The detail in every chapter, the suspense leading to the heist, and the characters in the story were all perfectly executed. Once I get my hands on Uncommon Criminals, Heist Society's sequel, I am going to pick it up with no hesitation. This was such a great novel.

The Cover: I love the missing painting in Kat's other lens and her crooked smile. It's a great fit for this novel.

Release: Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter

 
Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life: Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she’s simply been known as the girl who ran the crew that robbed the greatest museum in the world. That’s why Kat isn’t surprised when she’s asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners.
 
There are only three problems. First, the gem hasn’t been seen in public in thirty years. Second, since the fall of the Egyptian empire and the suicide of Cleopatra, no one who holds the emerald keeps it for long — and in Kat’s world, history almost always repeats itself. But it’s the third problem that makes Kat’s crew the most nervous, and that is . . . the emerald is cursed.
 
Kat might be in way over her head, but she’s not going down without a fight. After all, she has her best friend — the gorgeous Hale — and the rest of her crew with her as they chase the Cleopatra around the globe, dodging curses and realizing that the same tricks and cons her family has used for centuries are useless this time.
 
Which means, this time, Katarina Bishop is making up her own rules.

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I haven't read the first book in the series, Heist Society, but I will read it soon. It's waiting for me at home, on  my shelf. But I have read Ally's other series, the Gallagher Girl series, which is completely different from this series as it is about a school for spies. Ally's writing, from my experience, is funny and full of action and romance. You don't want to miss this!