The Agency: cover reissues and contest

To Y.S. Lee, The Agency is…

A love letter to Victorian London, in all its glory and hypocrisy

A desire to see different kinds of people in historical fiction: the poor, the brown-skinned, the marginal

A teasing homage to the Victorian detective novel

A radical possibility for a poor girl in 1850s England

How I LOVED these books, let me count the ways:

1. Feisty female lead character who is a spy (also a diverse character)

2. Mary's intelligence and resourcefulness

3. The Agency is for women only

4. The romance 

5. Mary discovering her background (reminded me of Sally Lockhart)

6. James isn't going to "make" Mary do anything

7. Victorian London - love this setting

8. The action

9. The danger

10. Being in the Queen's household.

I wish there were more Mary Quinn stories but I'm really glad more people will discover them again. After I read the first one, I begged Candlewick for the ARCs of the rest. I rarely ask publishers for ARCs, but it was too hard to wait for these books to come out! Want to see what I thought of each book, check my reviews here.

Y.S. Lee has a Ph.D. in Victorian literature and culture and says her research inspired her to write Book One of The Agency trilogy. “Women’s choices were grim in those days, even for the clever,” she says. “The Agency is a totally unrealistic, completely fictitious antidote to the fate that would otherwise swallow a girl like Mary Quinn.” Y. S. Lee lives in Ontario, Canada.

http://yslee.com/

https://twitter.com/yinglee - @yinglee

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Y-S-Lee/73653078249

Need more convincing? Read a sample chapter from book #1 or listen to the audio reading.

Have I sold you on these books yet? 

Well, you're in luck! Candlewick is gifting one lucky reader a complete set (all four books). 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Body at the Tower

Mary Quinn will take on her most challenging assignment for the Agency yet. She'll have to pose as a twelve year old boy looking for work at the construction site for the Houses of Parliament. A man fell from his death from the top of the tower and nobody can figure out more details.

This assignment brings back memories from her old life where she lived as a boy on the streets until the ladies rescued her. In order to replicate her persona, she will remain incognito throughout the mission. Under the circumstances, her emotional state remains fragile, nervous, and scared. However, she's determined to take this assignment and see it through.

On her first day as Mark, she makes two grave mistakes within minutes of arriving on site. She makes it known that she can read, which gives her an edge on most men. Mary's making a little progress on the case when Mr. James Easton appears - also on the case. It's been a year since she's seen him and he's changed drastically. When he doesn't seem to recognize her, she's not sure if she's happy or disappointed.

Can Mary/Mark worm her way into the building crowd enough to uncover the truth about this man's death. Could it truly be an accident or something more sinister?


My Thoughts: There are so many books I read that blow me away - and this series is one of them. How long until the 3rd book comes out? I ADORE this series. It's so amazing - there's the thrilling spy moments, the uncover scenes, the mystery which always leads to danger, and the romance. I heard there will AT LEAST be three volumes to Mary Quinn's adventures. I would love to read more. I also heard there might be some novels about other characters in the Agency. I would love reading about Felicity and Anne and how they founded the agency. As you can tell, when it really comes down to it, I just want MORE (and quickly!)

The Cover: I LOVE LOVE LOVE this cover. Plus, the dress comes from a great scene in the book.

Source: I begged Candlewick for a copy (something I NEVER do, but I *needed* this book)

Spotted: Body at the Tower

I'm super excited for this book, I adored the first one - check out my review if you missed it.

Here's the 2nd book cover, it comes out August 10th.


Is it it pretty?
HURRY Up August!!!

(add to Goodreads)

EDITED to add: Y.S. Lee wrote up a post complete with pictures on the making of this book cover. Check it out