Review: Double Crossed by Ally Carter

Double Crossed: A Spies and Thieves Story by Ally Carter

Release date: January 22, 2013

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Pages: 60

Reading Level: Young Adult

Genre: Contemporary

Series: Book 2.5 (Heist Society series) / Book 5.5 (Gallagher Girls series)

Source: Downloaded free e-book

Links: Author's Website/Goodreads 

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

Macey McHenry—Glamorous society girl or spy-in-training?
W.W. Hale V—Heir to an American dynasty or master thief?
There are two sides to every coin. Whether these two can work together is a tossup.
Born into privilege, Macey and Hale are experts at mingling with the upper class. But even if they’ve never raised an eyebrow at the glitz, neither teenager has ever felt at home with the glamour.
When Macey and Hale meet at a society gala, the party takes a dangerous turn. Suddenly they’re at the center of a hostage situation, and it’s up to them to stop the thugs from becoming hostile. Will Macey’s spy skills and Hale’s con-man ways be enough to outsmart a ruthless gang? Or will they have to seek out the ultimate inside girl to help?
The worlds of Heist Society and the Gallagher Girls collide in Ally Carter’s fast-paced, high-stakes and tantalizing new story. Get a behind the scenes glimpse as Ally delivers an irresistible thriller that is full of her signature style and savvy twists.

Review: 

Ally Carter's books are perfection. I have not read a single book by Ally that I haven't enjoyed and Double Crossed was no exception. It was fast paced, fun, and threw together characters from two of my favorites series. Adventuresome spy stories are few and far between and Ally Carter's books always leave me wanting more. While I am waiting for the final Gallagher Girls book to be released and attempting to track down a copy of Perfect Scoundrels, this was a light-hearted and entertaining short story that was a nice novella between books. 

Double Crossed was told from the points of view of Macey and Hale, two of the main characters from Ally's top series. Not only did I love getting to see more of them, but it was a lot of fun to get to read from their perspectives and to see how they reacted to one another. Macey and Hale are such awesome people; both of them snarky, flirty, and fearless, and I loved seeing them work together and begin to understand each other. 

I'm not usually one to read novellas that take place between books in a series, but this one looked too good to resist. Although it was under 100 pages, Double Crossed was a very satisfying read. Readers got to see some of our favorite characters developed even more and also met some new ones. The action was still as nail-biting and although the story might not have been as complex as I would have liked, it was still an enjoyable read. 

Ally Carter is a go-to author for me and Double Crossed was just what I have come to expect from her. This was a twisty, exciting, edge-of-your-seat story that featured some of my favorite YA characters. My only wish was that this was a full length book!