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About Breaking the Dance by Clare O’Donohue

Husband and wife college professors Hollis and Finn Larsson think their days as accidental spies are behind them. But just weeks into a new school year, a mysterious envelope arrives containing two passports. The photos are of Hollis and Finn but the names are Janet and Tim McCabe. Within hours, the couple is forced onto a private plane headed to Argentina with an Interpol mission to find Irish art thief Declan Murphy and a haphazard plan to get home with their lives―and marriage―intact. As clues take them from the mountainous north through the tango halls of Buenos Aires to the southernmost tip of Tierra del Fuego, they rush to find Declan and escape from the clutches of those who would do them harm.

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Review of Breaking the Dance

Hollis and Finn are quite entertaining as they step into their second round of playing international spies. How they got into this position, I can’t tell you because I have not read Beyond the Pale, book 1 in this series. But, after reading Breaking the Dance, I plan to. Already have it downloaded to my kindle.

I do know that Declan Murphy had something to do with it. Art forger and con man, enigmatic and charming, the reader does not really get to know Declan all that well. There must always be an air of mystery surrounding him. This is sure to make him a favorite character.

I also really like Blue agent Peter Moodley. He is all don’t ask questions, just do what I tell you one moment and the next he is there to save Hollis and Finn from certain harm. I’m pretty sure you don’t want to mess with him, but you do want him on your side. He and Declan have a hate-hate relationship that will evolve into something else in Breaking the Dance. It is quite enjoyable to watch.

But of course, the stars of the book are Hollis and Finn. As a couple, they are adorable and their banter is charming. As spies, they manage quite well, surprisingly. Hollis actually had CIA spy training, but ultimately went for the academic career. So her spy skills are there, just a bit rusty. Hollis is pure academic. For both of them, their intelligence is what allows them to become these accidental spies. They can think on their feet, improvise when needed and fake it when they don’t know what the heck they should know.

In Breaking the Dance, they are presented with a series of cryptic clues. While I thought the clues were a bit contrived to move Hollis and Finn from one scenic South American locale to another, I still enjoyed them. Taking place mostly in Buenos Aires Argentina, the narrative is full of admiration for the city’s architecture, people, food and for the culture in general. I’ve never been there, but I kind of want to visit now.

This contemporary spy story is full of intrigue, humor and romance. Breaking the Dance does stand alone, if you want to start the series here. I plan to catch up with book 1 and continue the series because I can’t resist the mysterious international criminal and the smart academic couple.

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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