Review: ALL FALL DOWN by Ally Carter

Title: All Fall Down
Author: Ally Carter
Publication date: January 20, 2015
Publisher: Scholastic

This exciting new series from NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Ally Carter focuses on Grace, who can best be described as a daredevil, an Army brat, and a rebel. She is also the only granddaughter of perhaps the most powerful ambassador in the world, and Grace has spent every summer of her childhood running across the roofs of Embassy Row.

Now, at age sixteen, she's come back to stay--in order to solve the mystery of her mother's death. In the process, she uncovers an international conspiracy of unsettling proportions, and must choose her friends and watch her foes carefully if she and the world are to be saved.

Everyone says that Grace's mother died in an accidental fire. Everyone says that except for Grace, who claims that she witnessed her mother being murdered in the ambassador's (who also happens to be her grandfather) house in Embassy Row. Years later, Grace is finally back at Embassy Row and, as you can guess, things start heating up. 

A personal favorite aspect of this story was seeing the tenants of Embassy Row humanized. We don't just have Americans, but we meet Alexei, who lives in the Russian house next door. We meet Noah, who lives at both Brazil and Israel because his parents are divorced. We meet others as well, briefly however, but it was still a fun experience for me. It's set in Adria, a fictional European country, but Carter gives the right realistic feel to it. 

How she describes the Iran house is almost chilling. I think it's even more so because I remember seeing a post written by her saying how she saw the Iran house in an actual Embassy Row here. Abandoned, dark, mysterious. Like with all the other houses, they talk about the Iran house as if it's Iran. They say things like "don't go to Iran," which is a poor example and not a real quote, by the way. 

As for the plot, it was slow at first. I've been a mega-fan of Ally Carter for a very long time, but this one took a little more time than I expected to really sink my teeth into. I always love Carter's writing, but Grace's narrative was uneasy for me. I told myself I wouldn't, but I expected to see more Cammie in Grace than I did considering how much their experiences were similar if you compare the fifth book in the Gallagher Girls to this (in terms of memories and family). Once I fully realized that and pushed the comparison and expectation aside, I truly started to like the book more. It also helped that the plot seemed to pick up more. 

One of the best ways to make me appreciate a book: get me to like the secondary characters. I was already becoming increasingly aware of the other characters, but as the plot thickened, the characters deepened. Even though I was suspicious of him for most of the book, I couldn't resist liking Noah from the start. He declared Grace his best friend from the start, which reminded me of an adorable kindergartener. We don't see too much his twin sister Lila, although she has an important part early on. But between his sense of humor and just Noah being Noah, I felt like he was a keeper (friend-wise).

"You're not the one who owes me," I point out.

He nods. "Yeah, well, Lila is . . . Lila. I'm just grateful she didn't eat me in the womb."

Of course, this is a good time to mention the great things about platonic relationships. Romance isn't focused on much in this book, and while I was nervous that we would go into love triangle territory, Carter didn't let me down. Carter may have hinted in the beginning, but for the future books, I'd bet that there will only be one path for Grace. And in true Carter fashion, it will be slow-burn. 

Other secondary characters that deserve recognition is Megan, another American who used to be friends with Grace when they were younger. Although their relationship grew tense, I was actually on Megan's side. Rosie, a younger girl we meet and becomes part of the group, reminds me of Liz from Gallagher Girls and Sloane from The Naturals. I know I said I wouldn't compare, but come on, tell me you don't see a huge resemblance. 

Ms. Chancellor, who's like a surrogate grandmother to Grace, became a favorite of mine. I admittedly had a growing suspicion of her and I won't say anymore, but she deserves a shout-out for the following scene. 

"He said man stuff," I tell her as we walk away."

"He did indeed, dear."

"Are you okay with that? Tell me you are not okay with the phrase man stuff."

"I am not," she says through a too-bright smile.

"But—" 

"But Queen Catalina bided her time and ruled for sixty years, my dear." 

"So you're going to kill the prime minister in his sleep?" I ask.

She never softens her smile. "No. But that doesn't mean I don't appreciate the power of patience."

BOOM! 

Sure, I wanted to tell off the prime minister along with Grace, but Ms. Chancellor showed a prime example of picking your battles. And I firmly believe that she has the incredible power of patience and the power of killing powerful men. 

In the latter half of the book, things speed up more, and Carter manages to surprise me. Having Grace as the narrator provides an unreliable view, which is mostly exciting because you're always on alert. You don't know what you don't know or don't see because we're getting it all filtered through Grace. 

While not a favorite Ally Carter book of mine, it still provided the reliable entertainment factor and enjoyable characters. I'll definitely be reading the sequel as soon as it comes out, especially considering that it ends right when it has all of my attention. Yes, it had great moments and intrigue and conversations, but it had a "first book set-up" vibe to me. Even so, I enjoyed it. In the mean time, I think I should reread The Gallagher Girls and Heist Society again.

What's your favorite Ally Carter book? 

Gallagher Girl Appreciation: Love, Quotes, and GIFS

Anyone who has read my blog before would know that I am an Ally Carter fan. I can find an excuse to put Ally Carter's The Gallagher Girls (or Heist Society) in pretty much any Top Ten Tuesday list. I find a way to add this series in many bookish conversations or non-bookish conversations because really, who says there's a limitation?

I don't exactly remember how old I was when I found the first book while perusing my library's shelves. I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You (ITYILY) came out in 2006, but I possibly didn't read it until a while after. What caught my eye first was the boarding school uniform. Once that lured me in, I couldn't race to the check-out counter fast enough when I read the word spies. My childhood friend and neighbor and pretty much anyone who knew or knows me can attest to the fact that I think being a spy would be the coolest thing ever. We used to tail people around, but being so not covert (being more Liz than Cammie). Our favorite game was using walkie-talkies and hiding all around my yard, ducking behind trees whenever a car drove by. Simply, spies fascinated me and there was finally a form of entertainment that I could enjoy that was geared towards my age range. Hooray for YA!

If any of you haven't read this series, you need to and are such sad souls, I pity you. There are so many reasons/elements to this series as to why I enjoy it so much that I could never explain it all. But I did try and here's the resulting, condensed list.

• The sisterhood. The Gallagher girls stick together and while they're not all "best friends," they have a bond that no one can replicate.
• The ultimate group of friends. In the midst of the Gallagher Academy is the unique four girls with varying personality traits. I love the dynamic between Cammie, Liz, Bex, and Macey. I honestly think that's what most fans adore in this series. While there's mysteries, action, missions, and boys involved, the friendship between the girls truly stands out. 
• The previously mentioned action. It's not fight, fight, fight all the time, but there's kicking and jabbing and spy-like moves that make me want to shout, "Girl power!" or something similar to that notion. 
• The romance. HELLO THERE. In the first book, we had innocent Josh, who had the unique trait of actually noticing Cammie the Chameleon. Her first love, first romance, and they met during her first co-op mission, which is fitting. Of course, I always wondered if there was something dark about sweet Josh because I would so not be surprised considering this is Ally Carter we're talking about. Then we have mysterious Zach, who is so frustratingly cute and dark and...yeah, I was all, "Josh who?" when we met Zach. 
• The emotions. When there are five books and you have read them multiple times, you tend to get very invested into the story and the characters. The fifth book does things to me. 
• It's by Ally Carter.

A few favorite quotes from Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy and Out of Sight, Out of Time.

*Apparently, I forgot to mark quotes from the other books and I lent out the first book.*

"No, guys, we don't hate DeeDee," I said.

"Of course you can't hate her–that would be petty," Liz said in the manner of someone who had given it a great thought. "But we can totally hate her."

-

"What he hasn't seen," said Macey, positioning me in front of the mirror, "is casual Cammie." 

I felt like Barbie's less-than-perfect friend. 

-

Basically the all of page 203 in Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy because there's Zach AND Josh.

-

The Mother Superior, however, didn't seem very concerned about ancient terror organizations. She had the look of a woman who might tell ancient terror organizations to bring it on.

-

"Scoot," Zach told her, and Tina smiled, sliding down to make room for the two of us on the bench.

-
"You're too skinny," Liz said, a girl who I swear once bought a pair of pants that were a size double zero and had to have them taken in. 

-

Zach must have sensed it, because he moved his hand to the small of my back and rested it there. 

-

"Because death is the only thing that could have ever kept him from you." 

-

"Did you teach me how to kill?"

"No." He shook his head slowly. "You mastered those skills all on your own." 

-

"Goodbye, [name here]," I said, then climbed the stairs and went to the fifth floor to die. 

-

"We have you, Cammie," Bex said. "We have you."

My mom didn't say anything. Tears dripped off her face and onto mine as I stared up at the woman I wanted more than anything to become. 

"Do you hear the music, Mom?"

"No, sweetheart. No. I don't hear it." She shook her head. Terror and tears filled her eyes.

-

"He took me to the circus. And then he died."

And then I slept.

-

She didn't hesitate or slow; she just threw her arms around me and said, "You're alive." She squeezed tighter. "Thank God, you're alive." 

-

"You're here!"

"Funny, I was about to say the same about you."

-

"You don't get it, do you?" Macey threw her covers off and stepped barefoot across the floor. "We're not mad because you left." She practically spat the words. I wondered if Liz or Bex might wake up, but neither stirred. "We're mad because you didn't take us with you."

-

"You are back, Cam." Macey went into the bathroom and started to close the door. "Which means for the first time that you left, it's okay for us to be mad at you for leaving."

United We Spy, or what a Goodreads user more accurately called it United We Cry, will be out in America in two days. September 17th. Tuesday. I preordered it months ago, but when it comes to my door, I will be at work. You better believe that I will be devouring that thing right when I get home though. I think the concept of self-control and savoring it will not even be manageable or possible. To celebrate this last addition, here is a bunch of GIFs that describe my feelings more than I could ever express with words.

What I will be like on my way home Tuesday:

I know, Mom. I will be perfectly safe.

When I get the book in my possession:

How I hope my crying will be like, especially on my break at work:

How my crying/emotional state will really be like:

I do not drink or support being drunk, especially since I'm 17.
However, this is really appropriate since it has a work desk and all.

Really, this will probably be me to a T.

I emotional eat. It's a problem.

When I read the very last word and the talked-about graduation speech:

When I try to write a review and move on with my life:

So now we wait. I've reread the series, squealed about it and about the ever-decreasing wait time with Emily on Twitter, and now have made this somewhat therapeutic post. I'm as ready as I'll ever be. The only two problems left to solve are: 1. Will I really like her next series as much or as much as Heist Society? and 2. Who will I shove my United We Spy copy at to borrow since all of my friends in person are too busy as well as my sisters? It'll be great squealing with all the internet people, but it always feels great to actually hand a person the book to borrow. 

Have you felt this way about a series before? Are you excited about the sixth, and last, installment of The Gallagher Girls? 

Cover Love #14

Hosted by Bookshelvers Anonymous

Title: United We Spy

Author: Ally Carter

Publication date: September 17, 2013

Publisher Disney-Hyperion

Cammie Morgan has lost her father and her memory, but in the heart-pounding conclusion to the best-selling Gallagher Girls series, she finds her greatest mission yet. Cammie and her friends finally know why the terrorist organization called the Circle of Cavan has been hunting her. Now the spy girls and Zach must track down the Circle’s elite members to stop them before they implement a master plan that will change Cammie—and her country—forever.

Why I love: 

WHY WOULDN'T I LOVE THIS?

So I may be bias in my thinking that this cover is absolutely wonderful considering that I am Ally Carter's biggest fan and would read her grocery lists and clean up any pet poop in her yard just for her. Does that sound too creepy and out there? I have read all of the Gallagher Girls, introduced them to Shelver and my other sister as well as friends and people on the internet.

Cammie is now in a graduation gown on the cover with a really nice red for the background (I knew it! Ally mentioned red in her interview as an "example"). The spine is also really pretty and I love how they have different colored spines for each book in the series. The title is cute, the outfit is cute, everything on the cover is cute.

Excuse me as I go fan-girl in the corner and wipe a tear.

What cover are you loving this week? 

Q&A with Ally Carter + a Signed Giveaway!

If any of you know me, you know that I love Ally Carter. Not to sound creepy (although I tend to come off that way), but I have said before that I would read the woman's grocery lists à la Hazel from The Fault in Our Stars just to read something she has written. I cannot exactly remember when I discovered her and started gobbling up her series, but I do know that it was a while ago. I have always had a fascination with spies (Who hasn't played the game of "spies" where you use walkie-talkies? People without true childhoods, that's who.) and boarding schools were right up there on the list of Things "Sunny" Thinks It Would Be AWESOME to Do/Be. 

**"Sunny" is in quotes because just like Shelver, I am anonymous and that is not my real name.

Anyways, this year, I got to meet my absolute, all-time favorite author. I cannot say exactly when because my sister Shelver wants to keep our location anonymous as well and you can easily figure out where Ally Carter was on a specific day. With all the bookishly great things happening and even a SIGNING, Ally talked to us and did a lengthy Q&A session that I thoroughly enjoyed. She is not only hilarious, but super nice. 

Thanks to recording it on my phone, below is what happened: 

Q: Will we ever find out what the "W" stands for [in W.W. Hale the Fifth]? 

A: W.W. Hale refuses to tell Kat his first name. She can steal anything, but can't find out her boyfriend's first name. So it kind of drives her crazy. The answer is yes, you will find out, but I'm not saying when.  *evil laughs* Eventually though.

Q: Will you write anymore books like Double Crossed?

A: I hear from readers that say I'm a Gallagher Girls fan, why do we have to sit through Heist Society and vice versa. I'm like, "Can't we all just get along?" I think my evil plan is working though because I hear from people who say they got interested the other series because of Double Crossed. (So she really doesn't answer this question, but yes, I think she might.) 

Q: How do you come up with the names for the characters?

A: All different kinds of ways. Cammie was for alliteration and I knew I wanted her to be known as the Chameleon. For the first 4 or 5 drafts, I called him [Preston] Prez Son because he's the presidential candidate's son and I couldn't think of a name for him. Then my friend Jennifer Lynn Barnes read it and she said "Yeah, I just kept calling him Preston." So I was like, "Okay, his name is Preston." So sometimes I totally, completely don't care and sometimes I spend hours researching geneology sites for names of people. It really just varies. (she did care about Nayhaw who appeared in short story for Barnes and Noble for Cross My Heart and appears in Gallagher Girls 6 and is modeled after Jennifer's college roomate) 

Q: Are you going to write another series?

A: Probably! 

Q: How do you come up with the cons in Heist Society?

A: It's usually whatever the book needs to have happen. I've read a lot of con books and movies. But most of them are made up, especially the ones you never find what it's about, like "How can we do the Princess Bride? We can never find a sixth fingered man that quickly!" I have no idea what the Princess Bride is, I just want a funny joke. 

It's a great movie.

Q: Do you have any advice for people who want to be an author?

A: First thing is write. And that's it. No, okay, but that honestly could be it. Don't get the cart before the horse.

Q: How do you come up with a title?

A: I honestly don't know the answer to that question! I wish I knew. I'd Tell You I Love You was a gift from heaven. I spent a lot of time looking up idioms on the internet [for Gallagher Girls]. For Heist Society, it was a little bit harder. I fought against it since it's a little bit hard to say and a bit of a tongue twister. But I kept coming back to it. The second title came from a line from the first book: "Kat herself was a highly uncommon criminal." My editor that I was working with at the time came up with Perfect Scoundrels so I was like "Score! I don't have to come up with one!" For Gallagher Girls 6, all of them have been worse than the one before it.

Q: How did you decide to be an author?

A: The idea first came to me when I was about twelve or thirteen years old and I was reading The Outsiders for the first time. I'm from Oklahoma and Outsiders is set in Tulsa. Tulsa was the "big city" that we went to. It kind of blew my mind that the Outsiders was written by a woman who lived in the city that I kind of knew. Then when I found out she had written it when she was sixteen years old and I was a teenager myself, I was like, "Oh my gosh, that is what girls do from Oklahoma. They write books!" The lightbulb went off and I knew it was the career I wanted to do. I realized that books were written by other people besides dead Europeans. but also, people like me wrote books. 

Q: Will there be any character spin-offs? 

A: Possibly! I learned many things from Double Crossed, but I realized that I really liked the synergy from the characters meeting each other. So who knows, maybe Macey becomes a permanent part of Kat's crew or Gabrielle does her own spin-off with someone totally new. The amazing thing is that I don't know what will happen next and that kind of excites me. Again, like I said in the beginning, what excites me as a writer, hopefully will excite you as a reader. I will not rule anything out. At this point, I don't have any plans to do a true-blue Gallagher Girls spinoff. 

She then goes on to say something about Gallagher Girls 6: I will say there is a fairly excellent scene [in GG6] with Mr. Solomon with his shirt off. There is also a scene with Zach with his shirt off frying bacon so two of my favorite things: shirtless Zach and bacon! So basically when you're writing the last book in a series, you want to put everything you possibly want to happen in a book, you feel like you gotta put it in THIS book. 

Q: Is there any kind of movie in the works in this time and are there certain actresses you would like to be in those movies?

A: Right now, there are no movies in the works for either series. Both series have been under option at various places before. But the thing with Hollywood is that it's crazy. You never ever know what's going to happen. Trust me, the one thing I want on this earth most is to have a movie made on one of these series. I love movies. I would love that very very much. Her picks for actresses: Probably Emma Stone (the first picture) or Anna Kendrick (the second picture). These actors come and go and age out of this stuff, but characters stay the same, Ally Carter also adds.

I like gifs better than pictures so...yeah.

Q: If you were to pick another genre to write in, what would that be? 

A: I think I would always write this. I have kind of toyed with a western of all things because I love westerns. I could totally write a western, don't get me wrong. Would that be career suicide? PROBABLY. But I have this theory that dystopians are basically westerns. Think about it. Katniss out on the praire, searching and killing dinner with a bow and an arrow. Tell me that's not a western, people. The government is corrupt and people basically have to govern themselves. WESTERN. So there are a lot more overlap than people realize. It's what people realize that counts. But I'm a contemporary writer, I don't think I could ever write paranormal or fantasy because other people do that better than I would do that and so I think you should go where your strengths are. And my strength is unrealistic realistic fiction. I am a genre of one. 

Q: Do you think either series would be better suited for a TV show? 

A: I think either of them would be good for a TV show.

Q: Do you have a happy dance you do when you finish a book? 

A: I do have a happy dance I do! I call it the dance of the finished book. If you go on to YouTube and you search "Emma Stone Dance Dare," she did an appearance on the Ellen show where they actually did a dance dare where she had to do a dance behind people without them knowing it. It is the funniest three minute dance footage ever and so whenever I finish a book, I turn that on and dance. Yet another reason why Emma Stone is my spirit animal. 

My input: I have previously seen this dance dare before Ally Carter talked about it and shouted YES! when she mentioned it. It is quite entertaining. I love Ellen...and Emma Stone.

Q: Do you have any input on covers and if so, will we see a shirtless Zach on the next cover? 

A: I do have a little bit of influence on the covers, not like approval or anything, but I can say things like, "You know, I don't know if that's the right color." (She mentions a dark red, so maybe that's a hint?) I have seen the cover for Gallagher Girls 6, but it does not have a title on it yet. It is a girl in a graduation gown so it very much looks like the end of a series. It's very fitting. 

Q: Do we get a little history on Abby and Townsend? 

A: *hesitates and thinks* NOT what you're thinking. Like we do not get to hear their misadventures, but I think if I ever did another Double Crossed, it would be The Abby and Townsend Chronicles because they just kind of crack me up, they are the weirdest, little couple ever. But we do find some things about Townsend before we met him in the Gallagher Academy. He is the one who has been chasing the Circle the longest, so he has some valuable information. 

What I thought of as the "duh" question: (since it is ALWAYS on her website)

Q: Would you ever want an undiscovered actress have the lead or major role? 

A: That would be awesome! Unfortunately, I would have no role in the casting process whatsoever. But if they were to come to me and say "We found this awesome unknown girl who's going to be Cammie!" That would be great for me. 

Q: Do you read any other YA book series? 

A: Absolutely! I almost read exclusively YA. The last YA I just finished was David Levithan's Every Day. My friend Jennifer Lynn Barnes has a new YA series coming out next fall which I think is going to be a really great read-a-like for people who are finishing up Gallagher Girls, it's called the Naturals. It is kind of like the TV show Criminal Minds. It is a teen Criminal Minds. It's teens criminal profilers living in a house together. Because Jennifer is my best friend, I got to read the first book a few weeks ago and it was awesome. So I begged her for the second book so hopefully that will be coming my way very, very soon. I love YA. 

Q: If you were an animal, what would you be? 

A: My gosh, I don't know. Probably a sloth. All I want to do is lie on the grass and have people bring me brownies. 

Another Ellen video relating to the topic: 

It officially starts at 1:58, but the whole thing is hilarious.

Keep watching until after the clip! 

Q: Where is your favorite place that you have ever been to visit? 

A: I have not traveled as much I would like to. Now granted, as an author, you do travel but sadly, you don't get to see many places. I have been to San Francisco a half a dozen times, but I have never been to Fishermen's Warf. You are there and you go to the airport to the hotel to the bookstore...to the airport. I did reserve extra time for when I went to Italy because I knew I would want to sightsee. So probably Italy!

Q: Did you use that time to write the information from Heist Society? 

A: Yes. I didn't know exactly how I would use it, but I took enough notes to know that I would eventually use it. Whenever I am in a cool place like that, I always take notes just in case. For example, there is a big scene in Gallagher Girls 6 that takes place just outside of the United Nations in New York. So that last time I was in New York, I went to the UN and took a lot of the pictures and walked around the area. 

My input: She mentions how the thing she needed to have happened, happens outside anyways which are where protests happen, in the park area. So will there be a big scene with protests in GG6? Eeep!

Q: How long does it take to write a new book? 

A: I would work on a book as long as I humanly, possibly could if my editor didn't rip it out of my hands. That usually happens every nine months, for me. For some people, it takes three years while it takes others three weeks. But as of late, it takes about nine months for me. 

Q: How many Heist Society books are you planning to write? 

A: I don't know! 

Q: What is your writing process like? 

A: Really, really crappy first draft, heavy lifting in the second draft, and with the third and fourth drafts, just getting narrower and narrower and focusing on smaller things every time. 

Q: Will we ever figure out who Sicily Romani is? 

A: Yes! 

She also says one more thing about Gallagher Girls 6: " People say, "Promise me there will be a happy ending." I cannot promise there will be a happy ending. My job is to deliver a satisfying ending. Does that not make anyone else get really nervous? She then went on and joked about Zach's funeral, which nearly everyone started freaking out about before she started laughing. 

~*~

Now to celebrate this monumentous event in my life, I was able to not only get my own books signed, but I also had a friend's mother get Ally Carter to sign two other books for me to GIVE AWAY. Yay! Giveaway time! 

The rules: 
-Must not cheat. (go look back up at the DUH gif) 
-Must be in USA (sorry, guys, but the shipping costs!)
-Must be...awesome? Already completed!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

But really, this bookish event? Too great to even put into words! I went with Shelver and my best friend and I really didn't care if my feet hurt at the end of it all. We also got a free book from the table so I snatched up Asunder. The day was a BIG win.

I can finally scratch "Go to an author signing" off my bucket list and Top Ten Bookish Goals for 2013. 

Also, my sister Shelver posted her recap and own giveaway of it yesterday if you want to check it out. Along with some slightly embarrassing quotes of me :)

Review: PERFECT SCOUNDRELS by Ally Carter

Title: Perfect Scoundrels

Author: Ally Carter

Publication date: February 5, 2013

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

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.

Review:

That's right, folks. The third book in Heist Society is out and I got it the day before the publication date thanks to the joys of preordering and my sister gifting it to me for Christmas. Who cares if it's a Christmas present a little over a month after December 25th, it's ALLY CARTER, GUYS! 

The story starts out with the gang in the middle of a con. Hale uses the g-word (girlfriend) and Kat is taken aback by it. She likes Hale, but the world girlfriend is foreign to her. However, we don't get far until Hale receives news of some kind and leaves in the middle of a con. Big no-no. We find out though that poor Hale's beloved grandmother just died. During all of this, we get flashbacks to when Kat and Hale first meet. Hale has always felt like the black, unwanted and uncared for sheep of the family. The only exception is Hazel Hale, his grandmother. While Hale was born into the family, Hazel married into. Despite those two differences, they always had a connection of feeling lonely in their tycoon family. 

Being an Ally Carter fanatic, who likes to shove her books into friends' faces and has to restrain herself from tackling anyone who hasn't read the books, it's hard to look at this book objectively. So I'll try to be more organized with my thoughts. 

The characters. Oh, what a lovely bunch of characters. I want to be part of the Bishop family and have such lovable friends. 

-Kat. The MC, the leader of the con, the talented thief. Once again, I love Kat. She has a big heart and while things conflict her, she tries to do the right thing for everybody. Yes, she made me get tense when she decided to not share a few things with a certain person in the beginning, but that soon was resolved. And yes, she started to flow to the MC whining territory. However, unlike other MCs, she checked herself and Ally Carter was going to address it unlike other authors who think it's perfectly acceptable for MCs to have a blow-out, pity party. 

Her father was right, and Kat knew it. But she was also a little mad that he'd broken off a perfectly good pity party with logic. 

-Hale. Kat will always be the MC, but Hale started to get more of a spotlight on him in Perfect Scoundrels. Unfortunately, it was because he was the target. Someone conned him. Through it all, like any normal person, Hale would start to become not like the good Hale we knew. In grief, he does stupid things like break into an office on a whim or get drunk. With anyone else, I might squint critically at his actions. But with Hale? He was so vulnerable and confused, I wanted to give him a hug. 

It might be incredibly biased and too sentimental on my part, but I also think it's sweet how close Hale and Kat are. Besides his grandmother, he hasn't had a real family. Marcus is definitely loyal and you see a closer bond as the story progresses between the two, but you can see how different Hale's relationship with Kat is from the other people in his life.

And even though Hale has some moments that make us fear Hale and Kat's relationship, there are smoochy scenes that will leave you smiling from the cuteness. 

May I also add, what's with him being called Scooter? I don't remember an explanation on this, but I'm determined to find out. Hopefully I'll snag an interview with Ally Carter and ask, if not, somebody please find out.

So she rose and walked around the table, brought her hand to his face, and kissed him. 

"Why shouldn't she choose you?" Kat forced a smile. "I did." 

-Gabrielle. I seriously love this girl. I wasn't sure of her in the first one, grew to like her even more in the second book, but this one? She blew me away! She gave Kat reality checks, told it how it was, and while gentle when it was necessary, she was tough. I cheered for her when she went up against the heartsick Kat and was thrilled every time I saw her name on the page. She was definitely one of my favorite characters. 

"What I mean, dear cousin, is that maybe you want Hale to get out of his family's business because that is the only way to keep him in yours."

-The Bagshaws and Simon. Hamish, Angus, and Simon are also such lovable characters. The Bagshaws are the kind of characters you want to cheekily grin with and squeeze them in your arms. They're the dorky, lovable guys that make you remember why secondary characters are so important. Same goes for Simon. 

"Don't worry, Kat," Hamish said. "You're about to feel much, much worse."

-Marcus. Okay, you know how I said the Bagshaws and Simon are the reminders for how secondary characters are such an important factor? Well, Marcus is definitely another reminder. Once again, he's another character I want to hug, even though he doesn't seem like the huggable type. He reminds me of Joe from the movie The Princess Diaries. He's so sweet and loyal, but you know there's determined toughness underneath. 

I just really like this scene.

"I don't care if we lose the company, miss. But I would care a great deal if we lost the boy."

-Eddie, Bobby, and the rest of the the Bishop family. Like I said in the beginning of all this, I would love to be a part of the Bishop clan! Eddie is strong and the head of the family while Bobby's protective father shines through which I adored. Who doesn't love protective male family members? But I especially loved how different members of Kat's family came to help with the con and help Hale. There was a specific moment near the end with her family that made me want to shout, "BOO YAH!" 

The insult slid off Bobby like water. "So, you know, kid, according to thief culture, if you're going to court Kat, you now owe me two dozen goats."

-Garrett. I can't say much for him without spoiling too much, but you must know that I despise him. 

"The maid," Garrett cut her off. "I know. I know. You're...noble." 

"Yeah. You should try it sometime," Kat said.

The plot was amazing, as usual. Such impossibilites happening and twists and turns. They run all these different cons and then you feel doom seeping in at one (or several) point. I was sucked in and wishing that everything would turn out alright. And the twists and turns are fantastic, trust me. The only negative that creeps up is how it might be anti-climactic. I was too entertained and enthralled in the story to actually care, but it might disappoint others. Oh, and something else that I can't mention that made me groan with frustration.

The writing was wonderful and so different from how she writes the Gallagher Girls, but I adore it just the same. I love the way it's like episodes and I love how Ally Carter narrates. It's simply beautiful. 

Verdict: Another score for Ally Carter!

Have you read any Ally Carter? Have you read Perfect Scoundrels yet? If so, what did YOU think?