Ok. So, I love Ally Carter. Absolutely love her. But the first 100 pages or so of this first instalment of the "Embassy Row" novels was a bit slow starting, and didn't possess much of the Carter charm that I love. . But then it got interesting. And then it got exciting. And it was then that I knew that It was the Ally Carter I've come to read/know and love.

At first I thought the portrayal of Grace was a bit overdone, but man - flashback central at the finale made me realise that of course it's going to be overdone to hide THAT kind of truth.

Alexei and Grace are totally gonna get together, I can feel it. And Jamie is gonna go all macho big brother (I hope).

Noah was perhaps the most genuinely interesting character to read about, and I hope he and Megan get together.

Megan = best for character development.

Rosie is adorable and I love her.

Ms. Chancellor aka BAMF.

The last 100 pages of this book definitely boosted it from a 3/5 to a 4/5