REVIEW: A Thin Disguise by Catherine Bybee

In A Thin Disguise (Richter #2) by Catherine Bybee, In Las Vegas on assignment, operative Olivia’s entire life changes in the blink of an eye. How she ended up one minute talking to a handsome man out on the strip and then the next minute in the ICU is anyone’s guess. Because Olivia can’t remember anything. Not her real name, her job, where she lives…nothing. So she’s not sure if the bullet she jumped in front of was meant for her or the guy she met, Leo. Who just happens to be an FBI agent also in town on business. As Neil MacBain steps in to keep Olivia and Leo protected until they find answers, she hopes that if/when she regains her memory, she won’t have anything in her past to regret–or to keep her from building a future with Leo.

‘Who the hell am I?
The more she asked the question, the more afraid of the answer she became.’

Leo knew that being an FBI agent meant he could potentially be in danger at any given time. But he surely didn’t expect to get shot at in Vegas. Or for a beautiful stranger to take the bullet in his stead. Even if Olivia didn’t end up in the ICU, Leo would have stuck close to her seeing as he can’t deny he’s drawn to everything about the mysterious woman. So being set up by MacBain’s team to hideout with Olivia is not a hardship for Leo. It’s when she remembers her past that he worries their newfound relationship won’t hold up and that she’ll bail on him and the team. But Leo’s all in. Even if Olivia does run, he’ll do everything he can to support and help her–whether she decides to give them a fair chance or go it alone.

‘He had to uncover her secrets so he could assure her that no matter what they are, they could figure it out together.’

A Thin Disguise was the perfect combination of heart-pounding danger, camaraderie, secrets, and scintillating attraction, all wrapped up in one epic adventure that crisscrossed the globe.

‘For the first time in Olivia’s adult life, she felt as if the skills Richter had taught her were being used for the greater good.’

I’m having such a wonderful time with Catherine Bybee’s Richter series! I devour anything she writes of course, but there’s just something about the mix of intrigue and romance together in this series that works so very well. It doesn’t hurt that the heroines in the first two books have been forces to be reckoned with. (lol) And the heroes? *dreamy sigh* Good (sexy) guys with some alpha tendencies–but in the best of ways.

As thrilling and passionate as Claire & Cooper’s book, Changing the Rules, was, Olivia and Leo’s was exciting in its own way where they were shoved into a forced proximity situation for their protection. And because of Olivia’s amnesia issue. They were quite the duo: Leo, an FBI agent and Olivia, a former assassin. You can already imagine the drama just thinking about them as a potential couple, right? Bybee did a fantastic job (as always) with building the plot, keeping us wondering if Olivia would regain her memory and if so, how Leo would handle finding out about her past. And their conversations were every bit as engaging as with the rest of Bybee’s past characters. It ran the gamut from fun and flirty to intense and heartfelt, and everything else in between.

I will note that this can be read as a standalone as enough of the situation Neil MacBain’s team has been working on is mentioned here, but I really think to get the full scope of things it would be worth it to read Changing the Rules as well. Also, both books deal with human trafficking so it can get a little heavy at times. But Bybee made sure to blend in some lighter elements to keep it from being overly dark.

With a plot that packs a punch and a cast of characters you will undoubtedly fall in love with, A Thin Disguise is everything I look for in a Catherine Bybee novel–and the reason I always come back for more.
 
QOTD: Our heroine (Olivia) was a former assassin/operative trying to redeem herself after what she was forced to do in her past. Are you a fan of redemption stories?

Book Info:

Publication: Published July 6th 2021 | by Montlake | Richter #2

A former gun for hire and a federal agent find themselves on the right side of love but the wrong end of a bullet in this Richter installment from New York Times bestselling author Catherine Bybee.

On a fateful night in Las Vegas, FBI agent Leo Grant is working on a critical detail in a high-profile child prostitution trial when a beautiful woman jumps into the path of a bullet meant for him. Little does Leo know that the woman is Olivia, an ex-assassin who is seeking redemption one good deed at a time.

One minute, Olivia is lunging in front of Leo on the Vegas Strip. The next, she’s waking up in the hospital in a haze of pain with no memory of her past, her enemies, or even her own name.

With Olivia suffering from memory loss and completely unaware of the danger she is in, it’s up to Leo and Neil MacBain’s team of operatives to keep her safe. With Olivia and Leo both unaware of her past crimes, the two have little reason to avoid their growing attraction. Slowly her past seeps in through the cracks as she struggles to find the answers of who she is. When the veil is lifted and her dark past is staring her down, Olivia must turn her back on Leo and the love she can never allow herself to have, and race to find her would-be killer.