Reviews

Integrity by E.J. Noyes

motaki's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Such interesting characters, too bad we got just few glimpses of Sofia Flores, because she seems really nice. 
Hope will get more interactions between our leading couple in the next book, I wouldn't mind if the focus shifted a little more on their relationship. 
I find the pace to be too uneven, we got really intense/high adrenaline moments followed by long chapters of almost nothing happening. 
Abby Craden is fantastic as usual. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture, Panic attacks/disorders, and War

Minor: Car accident and Death of parent

zefrien's review

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

heyspaghetti's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.5

llizz's review

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Lexie Martin is an intelligence analyst who finds out about a chemical weapon attack, only to be warned by a stranger to keep quiet. Lexie tries to save the intel as she's accused of stealing it and running for her life.  In an effort to keep the intel safe, Lexie convinces her new girlfriend, Sophia Flores to vacation with her but risks the possibility of their relationship being built on secrets.  
Being a fan of E.J Noyes, I always look forward to their books. This one has some good action scenes, sardonic dialogue from Lexie when she finds herself in a tight spot or dealing with by-the-book agents and some spice between Lexie and Sophie as their relationship blooms. There are some parts that lag, but the story moves along leaving us on a “soft” cliffhanger. I’m looking forward to the second book that comes out in November. 

platch_woolf's review

adventurous challenging emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

judeinthestars's review

adventurous dark emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Lexie Martin isn’t a spy but you’d be forgiven for thinking she is. She’s an intelligence analyst, and to be honest, I think real spies are probably the only ones who care about the difference. Because not being a spy doesn’t protect her from getting mixed up in some very spy-y trouble after one of her assets from when she was a field agent alerts her to the use of an unknown chemical weapon against civilians. When a man breaks into her house and threatens her, she manages to flee and comes up with a plan that involves driving to Florida and bringing along the woman she just started dating as a deterrent for whoever is after her. Lexie then finds herself trying to get out of the mess she’s been thrown into and simultaneously falling in love with the delightful Sophia Flores.

Both funny and tragic, Integrity reminds me of the Ask, Tell books in that it deals with very serious matters but the tone is closer to that of Reaping the Benefits. The interactions between Lexie and Sophia are delicious. If she hadn’t got caught in a very complex and terrifying situation, Lexie would be a lot of fun and her relationship with Sophia reflects that. Noyes manages the tour de force of blending a horrible war crime and a hot and sweet meant-to-be romance arc, neither taking more space than is needed nor feeling like an afterthought in the other’s story (I’m not sure the chapter titles add anything, though). While the premise is very different, it brought to mind the movie Mr and Mrs Smith, I think more for the tone and mood than the repeated fighting and shooting. The falling-in-love-in-unusual-situations and the constant-but-necessary lies and the impossible question of whether a relationship can be built in these circumstances.

To be fair, however, while she nails the sexy aspects, I wish Noyes had given more space to the romantic element to bloom. There’s obvious chemistry, which makes the physical part completely plausible but the falling-in-love side could have been fleshed out more. And since the story is told in first person (Noyes is excellent at first person POV) from Lexie’s point of view, Sophia remains very much a mystery. Hopefully, we’ll get to know her better and see more of the MCs together, building the relationship beyond lust (though please give us that as well) in book 2, Leverage, out in November 2023.

The espionage/thriller arc is well-paced, mind-scrambling, exciting yet with an ending that, while temporarily satisfying, promises many more twists and surprises. In a blog post on her publisher’s website, the author shares her love-hate relationship with writing these books and planning a series as a pantser. She also mentions the help she got in making sure the story, despite being fiction (as the very short author note at the beginning reminds the reader), is plausible.

Saying Abby Craden’s narration is excellent is beginning to be repetitive. It feels a bit sacrilegious to write but I sometimes struggle a bit if I listen to two of her narrations back to back because she uses two main voices for sapphic MCs. It’s in the range of her secondary characters’ voices that I find she really shines. I love her MC voices too, obviously, but they can sound similar from one book to the other. In this book though, I felt there was more nuance, maybe because the characters aren’t as radically different as we’re used to. They have very distinct personalities but they’re both easygoing, sweet, and with a good sense of humour (again, that’s how I feel Lexie would be in normal circumstances). Yet Craden manages to make them sound perfectly distinguishable from each other. And her voices for the male characters blow me away as usual.

E. J. Noyes is one of my favourite authors and I was really excited about this novel. It delivered and I wish I didn’t have to wait for another six months to get my hands (or ears, since I’ll probably listen) on the next book in the series. 4.5⭐️

pandon's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Lexie is an intelligence analyst who receives a tip from one of her informants. Sophia is a graphic designer who is/wants to date Lexie. This book is a thriller/mystery/love story. E.J. Noyes writes a gripping whodunit, with well defined secondary characters that has surprises to the end. 

And I want more.  While the ending is satisfactory, I want to know what happens to the very, very bad guys. This book is the first of a trilogy, so I hope there are some answers in the next book. 

women_using_words's review

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Noyes never fails to impress me with her talent. She is fearless in her storytelling, never hesitating to flesh it out and let the story take her where it will. Because she does, it feels organic to the reader. Scenes don’t feel forced. They work. Furthermore, they advance the plot. It all works to prove Noyes is a master at producing stories that are pure, indulgent escapism. Readers get so caught up in the narrative that it’s over before they know it and they’re a little disappointed that it has. However, a true Noyes fan always knows that the reread is going to be just as good, if not better than the first time through.

Such is the case with Integrity. Integrity is the first book in Noyes’s new Halcyon Division Series, and it is some top-shelf stuff. It’s a lovely romance infused with a fast-paced mystery, and it all makes for one hair-pulling ride. The romance is central to the fabric of this story, and Noyes weaves it into the framework quite beautifully. Readers will love Lexie and Sophia’s chemistry. They are strong, independent women and perfect for each other. Moreover, they are perfect for this series.

When I first cracked open the pages of this story, I wasn’t sure how Lexie and Sophia’s relationship was going to fit into the big scheme of things. However, Noyes surprised me; she’s quite clever with her romance plotting in Integrity. I thought the story was going to be all espionage/government cover-up/crooked politics. I kept wondering how the romance would matter to the storytelling as a whole. I shouldn’t have questioned Noyes’s intentions though. I should have known she’d reveal all in due time; she’s sneaky that way. In a delightful turn, Noyes uses the romance to strengthen the plot, and it plays out superbly. Readers are hooked by the spy action as much as they are the bedroom eyes being tossed about on the page. It’s lovely, and it’s engaging, and it leaves one wanting more.

Final remarks…

Readers can always count on Noyes for a first rate story and Integritydoes not disappoint! Book one of the Halcyon Division Series is a fantastic beginning; I have no doubt readers are going to enjoy this journey and sign up for more. This is heart-pumping, non-stop, page-flipping fun, and one heck of a ride! My recommendation: don’t miss out!

Strengths…

• Well-developed plot
• Thrilling storyline 
• Likable characters 
• Exciting and fast paced
• Engaging romance 
• Leaves one wanting more

vivelelivre's review

adventurous emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

tegan_mae_rosenbaum's review

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Wonderfully crafted, engaging and keeps you wanting to read more!!