Last updated on 09/22/2026
Vivian McKay loved her life in the States, but she’s finding a freedom in London she can’t deny. She’s studying and working with a mentor at McKay-Taggart and Knight. It’s exciting and fills something inside her, especially the covert ops work with MI6. She’s learning the art of espionage and intelligence work but from the safe confines of a comfy desk.
Until a mission goes wrong and she finds herself in the middle of a dangerous game she has no idea how to play.
Malcolm Mays spent a lot of time getting shot at in various parts of the world as a member of British Special Forces. After being forced to retire due to injuries, he signs on at McKay-Taggart and Knight. It’s a job for now while he finds a way to get back to where he belongs. He’ll make some money, heal and decide on how to spend the rest of his life. What he didn’t count on was meeting Vivian. She’s too young for him. Not merely in age but in experience. And yet he can’t stop thinking about her.
When Vivian’s life is threatened, Malcolm finds himself at a crossroads that could lead to happiness or the greatest danger he’s ever encountered.
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Review:
I couldn’t put it down!
Vivi and Mal’s story takes the teams (eventually–at first it’s just the UK-based people there) to London, where Vivian has been mentoring at McKay-Taggart and Knight. As a therapist, she’s mostly behind the desk, but she’d really love to take on a case of her own and has been going through cold cases, looking for one that Damon Knight will let her take on…with no luck. She’s also been having zero luck with British men, and even playing at the local club hasn’t been completely satisfactory.
Except for one night, that was amazing…until it wasn’t. Then that “one night” shows up in her office, 18 months later…turns out, they’re coworkers now at MTK.
Mal’s older than Vivi and has a complicated past with a horrible relationship history–and that’s just the tip of his issue-filled iceberg. She finds him another therapist, but he resists putting the work in. What he does put noticeable effort into? Avoiding Vivian. Until he can’t anymore. And when Vivi is in danger? He’ll stop at nothing to save her, and heaven help anyone who gets in his way…
Big Girls Don’t Spy starts off a new 2nd gen spin-off series, Masters & Mercenaries: Global Dominion, and this book picks up where Love and Let Spy left off. Even though it’s the first in its series, it does continue one of the side plots from the previous series–including one of my favorite secondary characters!–and, as all her books do, has so many characters to keep track of that if you’re completely new to the universe it’ll be easy to get lost. (There is a set of family trees in the beginning of the book, but they can only help so much ;)) Vivi and Mal’s story will likely keep you turning pages regardless, but if you’ve read the previous series, the big reveal here will hit so much harder than if you haven’t (I’m still reeling!) and of course the last few paragraphs will have you ready for the next book to come out, like, yesterday. But I guess we can wait until March… 🙂
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.