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.

Good fun - romp about a secret service assassin returning to work after maternity leave. Neat set up and action well paced. Perfect to try if you enjoy Janet Evanovich style action, laughs and sparky dialogue. An author to watch out for.

A new age spy novel with Alexis Tyler a new mom returning to work at M16 just after her maternity leave. Lex is proving women can have it all balancing motherhood & being a British intelligence agent. She takes being a working mom to a whole diffrent level mixing motherhood into her missions along with some funny mom moments.

I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

A light thriller with great characters and a wonderful story.
This is a very easy read.

A good mix of spy story and women's fiction, with a lot of humour.
I liked this book as it's light and talks about important issue like work/life balance and what you have to face if you're a woman in a male only environment.
It's page turner, full of action and fun to read.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Bonnier Zaffre and Netgalley for this ARC

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book brought back all the feelings I had after having my first child. Questioning how some mothers manage to adopt the flawless look when I had barely managed to brush my hair. How you can possibly manage to do a job, manage your home and care for your child.

All that is with me having a standard job. Lex the MC in this role is an elite covert agent who on her first day back at work is given the task of planning the assassination of a ruthless Russian businessman - nothing like phasing back in!

I loved how this plot developed with Lex feeling like she had to prove she is still able to do her job and prove she can still be a good mum.

Lex has to combine her role as parent and assassin to get close to the wife of the Russian taking her baby with her. I will never look at baby rattles in the same way again and I think bulletproof Pram rain covers could be a top seller soon.

The plot of this story was well developed with humour, deceit, action and betrayal being some of the threads. At 40% into the book I was able to predict some of what happened but this did not detract from the story for me.

I really enjoyed this book and will definitely look for more books from this author in the future.

#KillingIt #NetGalley

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

a woman james bond...had its funny moments but i found it couldnt hold my interest and was finding other things to read rather than carry on with this one....

i am sure others will enjoy it though

I just loved this book... so easily 5 stars from me, I could not put it down. If you want something fun, easy to read and enjoyable give this book a go.

Alexis Tyler is a new mum returning to work after giving birth to her daughter. That on its own has its fair share of obstacles and dramas. Imagine that you are a secret agent in Her Majesty's Secret Service and you are returning to work. Now not only is she female but also a mother.... in the boys club that is HMSS this is a big ask. But try telling Alexis thIs. A great story about a strong women who wants it all, and how she manages, and struggles to keep it all together. Her new role as a mother has its disadvantages but there are also plenty of advantages as well.

This is a funny book with strong messages that women can do anything that they put their minds to. I hope that there is a sequel.. I would love to see what happens next. Thanks to Bonnier Zaffre and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own and are not influenced by others.

The opening line of book is what appealed to me and it did not disappoint. The format was hard to read sometimes but this may be due to device issues rather than the actual book. There were a couple of questions left unanswered but I hope this is to leave it open for a possible sequel which I will read as soon as I can, if I can. This was a great read, perfect holiday book and I thoroughly enjoyed it

I wasn't sure how this book would be, but I really enjoyed it so much. It's a unique idea, a new mother working as an assassin. It had a good blend of the comedy of the juxtaposition of the two ideas. I loved seeing her going from being the loving mother with her daughter and husband to spending the next day spying and breaking into places while planning an assassination.

It also convinced me that all spies and assassins should be women. We have far more things that we tend to carry around that can be turned into gadgets. From tampons to lipsticks, no one looks twice at a women carry that sort of thing. Despite the sexism that Alexis faced, she really proved that having a women, a mother, on the team is nothing more than a asset.

This book is a beautiful, feminist piece about a woman fighting tooth and nail to be recognised in her field after being on maternity leave. It's a powerful story with a suspenseful, funny and all round entertaining story of assassinations and covert ops on top. Definitely a story that's gonna stay with me.

Alexis ‘Lex’ Tyler is returning to work after maternity leave – a difficult prospect for any woman, but particularly for Lex. For she is a ‘Rat,’ a member of an elite section of the secret services, where she works as an assassin. After one mission where she thought she would die, her thoughts turned to the fact that she had never had a baby and now she has rectified that; with husband Will and baby daughter Gigi a part of her life that she keeps totally separate from her work. In all honesty, I found this part of the story a little hard to accept and Will seemed quite unquestioning about her job. Still, that aside, this was a really fun read.

I love spy novels but, with the exception of Mick Herron’s glorious Slough House series, good female characters are few and far between; especially as main characters. As a woman, and a mother, I really enjoyed a whole new take on this genre. Lex feels that she has to prove herself back at work, with many feeling she can no longer do her job – that she is not fit enough, not committed enough and that motherhood has, in some way, changed her. Which, of course it has. However, motherhood is going to be a bonus in her new mission – the assassination of a Russian in London, for reasons of national – indeed, world – security.

The author of this novel treads a fine line between creating a fast moving, undercover, covert operations story, while exploring Lex’s conflicted feelings as a mother. The mission involves Lex making contact with Dimitri Tupolev’s wife, Dasha and her daughter, Gigi, is the perfect cover story. This is a story of the mission, but it also intersects with the world of Russia’s elite and wealthy, of yummy mummies, unconditional love and the way that your world is never the same once you have a baby – who have a way of just coming into your life and changing everything. I hope this becomes a series and I look forward to reading on. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

Few mothers returning to work after maternity leave will face quite the same dilemma as Lex. How to juggle being a full-time government assassin with being the mother of a baby girl, with a husband who is blissfully unaware of her real job, while trying to stay alive for her child when quite a lot of dangerous people want her dead.
This is a thoroughly enjoyable romp, much better than I expected, with a good plot and written with a wry sense of humour. Any London commuters who read it will never feel the same about delays on the underground.

What a pleasant surprise.

I really thought that this was going to be one of those chick lit books where a woman is doing some kind of job that really goes against the grain and she’s all “girl power, bitches!” whilst saving the world and not so much as chipping her Shellac. You know the kind – we’ve all read them.

This one is different. Honestly.

We have Lex, the main character who actually works for one of the lesser known security services in the UK as an operative and we meet her on her first day back after maternity leave.

Lex has a lot to prove. To her bosses, colleagues and of course to herself.

I really enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting. I can see this becoming a series that I would be only too happy to read as long as it doesn’t get any cornier.

Light, funny and a easy read for lazy days.

Tapping into every mother's guilt, this is a story of a working mother whose career naturally triggers a little more self-doubt and guilt than for most of us. While most are deskbound, our heroine is a government operative and sometime assassin, deliberately putting herself in situations of utmost danger, where one wrong move would mean she'd definitely miss the nursery pick-up, forever.

She's a woman with the same thoughts, worries and hopes of every mother who has to prove that she hasn't suddenly lost her ability to do her job, deliver the goods and be a fully functioning member of the team now that she's had a child. It's an age-old story that most women can relate to, given a fun twist.

It's a good story and has great potential for a whole series, I'd argue, but i really wish the author had resisted all the overly cheesy, Bond-esque, one liners. yes, they're clever, but they're overused here, like too much salt on a salted caramel pudding - the occasional one adds spritz, but dusted throughout just gets boring and annoying.

Killing It is the first novel by Asia Mackay and it is a book with a difference.

Yes it is a page turning spy thriller with lots of action but it is the first time that I have read a spy thriller combined with a parenting book.

And yes it does work.

The story is strong enough to keep you hooked and the humour, mainly from the problems of being a mother as well as a killer, works well.

The story moves along at a pace to keep the pages turning and the writing is strong. There are a number of twists and turns to the story

There are a number of main characters but all are described well and their characteristics easily identifiable

So overall an excellent debut novel that is thoroughly recommended

I found this pretty easy to get into. At first I was interested and didn't want to stop, but when I stopped for the day and tried picking it up the next day I struggled.
I just didn't get much from this at all. I ended up skim reading a lot of it.

I liked this! It was super fun and the plot was great. Think feminist revision of the Kingsman movies, or even Melissa McCarthy in Spy. Alexis "Lex" Tyler is a spy working for the secret service. But she's also newly experiencing motherhood. It's a quirky mixture of the two messy livelihoods combined into one - full of comedic moment as well as heartfelt ones, the perfect balance. Definitely more New Adult than YA or Adult. Really enjoyed this!