On Her Majesty's Secret Service

I REALLY enjoyed this one - in fact this might be my favorite of the Bond novels I've read so far! I can't recall if I've ever seen the movie or not, but the story seemed fresh to me. Due to a tip from the musty ol' College of Arms, 007 has the first solid lead on Blofeld in months. Bond has been itching to get a hold of Blofeld to make him pay for his crimes and involvement in Spectre and Thunderball and now he may finally have a chance. Bond prepares to go undercover to determine if their tip is legit and to see what Blofeld is really up to hiding out in the alps. Ski chases, lots of steamy romance (Bond actually falling for a girl?!?), intrigue, and the usual Bond swagger - this 007 novel does not disappoint.

Quantum of Silence

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories they varied in intrigue, missions, and continents. In one or two of the stories Bond is only a minor part of the action - but honestly that made it more interesting. Some of the stories include Octopussy, For Your Eyes Only, The Living Daylights, Quantum of Silence, 007 in New York, The Hildebrand Rarity, From a View to a Kill, and others. Many are also movies but their only similarities to the films are the titles, the plots are vastly different. Minus the blatant sexism and racism; the action is always unique and intense, and the stories are compelling and readable. This collection is better than some of the full length novels, I had no idea that these even existed, being published in Playboy, Cosmopolitan, and other publications. A great collection!

Diamonds are Forever

Quite different than the movie, and filled with sexist, racist, and homophobic content. However, this was written in the fifties so I won't judge it through today's lens. Plot wise - I thought there would be much more about the diamonds, but really James Bond is seeing how far down the criminal pipeline he can go. They're pretty sure the source of illegal diamonds is from French Guinea (or around there) and they know they end up in America. It's up to Bond to pose as one of the low level carriers and see how far on the criminal trail he can get. His new job takes him to New York, Saratoga, and Vegas. These American mobsters are more methodical and organized than he gave them credit for and it's not as easy as a job as he assumed it would be. Lots of action, intrigue, some sex appeal, and unique villains. Classic James Bond.

Die Another Day

The best thing about this audiobook is the narration. They got a narrator with a great British accent. However if you've seen the movie version; this isn't too much reason to read or listen to this novel. The novel is based directly off the screenplay of the movie and not much extra content is added. It follows the movie practically frame by frame. However, if it's been a while since you've seen the movie and you're looking for a high action fix then this will certainly do the trick. James Bond kicking ass and taking names; double crosses, North Korea, smoking hot women, an ice palace, and an invisible car. Decent, but not as good as the original Ian Fleming novels.

Adventure - The Spy Who Loved Me

Author: Ian Fleming

Title: The Spy Who Loved Me

Publication Date: 1962

Number of Pages: 142

Geographical Setting: American Backwoods

Time Period: 1960s

Series: 10th in the James Bond/ 007 series

Plot Summary: It's hard to go wrong with a classic like this and Ian Fleming didn't disappoint. It's a fast paced action adventure and the low page count makes it impossibly fast to read.

It is one of the shortest and most sexually explicit of Fleming's novels, as well as a clear departure from previous Bond novels in that the story starts off the the perspective of the "Bond girl." In fact, most of the book is from her perspective and takes place before she ever meets 007!

A young Canadian woman by the of Vivienne Michel finds herself traveling across America on a scooter. She breaks for a bit at a motel and is offered a job watching the place by herself until the end of the season. On her first night alone, two thugs come in to rough her up and do who knows what else. Bond himself does not appear until two thirds of the way through the book, when he waltzes in the motel after suffering a flat.

Obviously he saves the day and seduces the girl, but in order to learn all the awesome details you'll have to read this classic for yourself.

Subject Headings: (via WorldCat)
Bond, James (Fictitious character) -- Fiction. Intelligence service -- Great Britain -- Fiction.
Spy Thriller -- Espionage -- Fiction
Appeal: Fast paced, dark, and graphic.

Similar Authors & Works:
1. Fiction: (via Goodreads)
The Last Frontier by Alistair MacLean
The Mataresse Countdown by Robert Ludloom
High Time to Kill by Raymond Benson 

2. Non-Fiction: (via subject heading search in WorldCat)
Her Majesty's Secret Service: the making of the British intelligence community by Christopher M. Andrew
MI6: Inside the Covert World of Her Majesty's Secret Intelligence Service by Stephen Dorril
British Security Coordination: The Secret History of British Intelligence in the Americas, 1940-1945 by William Samuel Stpehenson

James Bond for Moms

I'm not going to lie, it took me a hot second to get into this book. I was like "A former spy that's now a mom has to get back into the game to confront an old supposedly dead enemy?!?!? really?!?" Thankfully the book turned out to be pretty awesome and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

As previously mentioned, Lucy (formally known as Sally Sin) has retired from her long and successful career as a spy and settled down with a husband and toddler, a job she finds nearly as difficult as taking out terrorists in foreign jungles and dodging death at every turn. After a few years of retired bliss however, she is suddenly called back to duty when her former nemesis, Ian Blackford, has "come back from the dead." Ian Blackford was a former spy for the US government that went rogue and no matter how many times Sally Sin tried to capture him, she was always the one who got kidnapped. It almost turned into a cat and mouse type of game between the two although Blackford never really harmed her (he was too intrigued, oh and did I mention he resembles James Bond!??!). Now that Ian Blackford is back into the picture Lucy (Sally) must step her game up to protect her three year old son, Theo, against whatever he has up his sleeve.

This novel was witty and magically made motherhood comparable to being a covert agent (nearly as deadly, especially when it comes to bathtime). The story picks up after the first few chapters and the end leaves you thirsting for more. I definitely can't wait to read the next in the series. Bravo Beth McMullen on a superb first novel, I hope there are many more to come!

I received this book for free from GoodRead's Giveaways in return for my honest, unbiased opinion.