Review: Blonde Ops by Charlotte Bennardo & Natalie Zaman

Blonde Ops 
by Charlotte Bennardo & Natalie Zaman

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Publication: May 2014
Format: ebook
Source: ARC, Netgalley
Connect with Charlotte: Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Connect with Natalie: Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Pitched as The Devil Wears Prada meets James Bond for teens, featuring a fashion magazine intern in Rome who uncovers a plot to kidnap the First Lady.

Expelled from yet another boarding school for hacking, sixteen-year-old Rebecca "Bec" Jackson is shipped off to Rome to intern for Parker Phillips, the editor-in-chief of one of the world’s top fashion magazines. But when a mysterious accident lands Parker in a coma, former supermodel and notorious drama queen Candace Worthington takes the reins of the magazine. The First Lady is in Rome for a cover shoot, and all hands are on deck to make sure her visit goes smoothly.

Bec quickly realizes that Parker's "accident" may not have been quite so accidental, and when the First Lady's life is threatened, Bec is determined to uncover the truth. On top of that, Bec must contend with bitchy models, her new boss, Candace, who is just as difficult as the tabloids say, and two guys, a hunky Italian bike messenger with a thousand-watt smile and a fashion blogger with a razor-sharp wit, who are both vying for her heart.

Can Bec catch the person who's after the First Lady, solve the mystery of Parker's accident, and juggle two cute boys at the same time? Blonde Ops is a fun, action-packed romp through the hallways of a fashion magazine and the cobblestone streets of Rome

Blonde Ops was set around Rome and the glamorous world of fashion. When Bec was expelled from school for hacking, her parents sent her off to stay with Parker, a friend of her mother, who was also the editor of Edge magazine. But when Parker is injured in a car accident, a former supermodel, Candace Worthington took over Edge, and the custody of Bec. When Bec realized that there are something suspicious about Parker’s accident, she started to investigate the people around her.

This book was a very fun read with a little bit of thriller, mystery and romance. I think the author did a very good job with the plot. The storyline was entertaining, and the mystery of who was it that was trying to hurt the first lady was very exciting. Everyone sounded like a possible suspect to me.

Bec was a likeable character. Although I do question her hacking skill, I still like her voice and attitude. Bec may be the usual troublemaker, but she can also be kind and meddlesome. I love Bec’s and Candace relationship. They didn’t start out well, but when they get to know each other well, they can be fun. I especially love it when Bec would always do or say something to annoy Candace.

The romance between Bec, Dante and Taj was light, fun and exciting! Dante was the Italian who worked as a delivery man. He’s a family man who happened to have a lot of cousins in Rome. Taj was a fashion blogger who had some mysterious side. I love both Dante and Taj and would like to see them again. Hopefully, there will be a sequence to this book.

I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.