You Don’t Know My Name by Kristen Orlando

You Don’t Know My Name is described in the synopsis as a “page turner,” and let me point out how true this is!  I couldn’t put this down, and before I knew it, I had read through the entire book.  I started it when I was in the waiting room at the doctor’s office, and I came home, read some more, and then finished it.  It was fast paced, fun, and full of romance and tons of thrilling situations that kept me on the edge of my seat.

If you’ve read some of my reviews, you know that I’m totally obsessed with spy thrillers.  I knew this was going to be right up my alley as soon as I heard that it was a spy thriller, without even knowing what the book was about.  I didn’t really bother to read the synopsis again after the first time, and normally I do this multiple times prior to reading a book so I can remember what it’s about.  But that didn’t really matter to me, because I knew it was going to be amazing.  Spy thrillers are  just so full of awesomeness that once I start reading, it’s pretty much impossible for me to put it down.  Yes, I walk around with a book in front of myself like some people try to maneuver around a grocery store while playing with their cell phones (only I’ve mastered the art of walking, cooking, and brushing my teeth without driving other people insane).

“‘To whom much is given, much is expected.'”

This is the motto that Reagan grows up hearing.  Her parents are part of a secret spy agency known as The Black Angels, and they have an incredible amount of special training, and go on dangerous missions to rescue civilians and take out people who are harmful.  Reagan has seen her parents go on these missions, come back just fine, or sometimes even hurt, but it’s par for the course for her family  Reagan, who one day will be a member of The Black Angels, also trains – running several miles a day, practicing martial arts, and target practice, both before and after school.

Reagan has also grown up in many different places, with many different names.  Every time someone discovers the location of her family, the government uproots them and moves them somewhere else, with no notice, with a fresh name, home, and the inability to ever go back to previous locations, interact with friends and neighbors, or be the people they once were.  While it has been difficult for Reagan in the past, it’s almost impossible this time.

This time, Reagan has Luke.  Luke, the perfect guy that gives her butterflies and gives her a reason to get excited about each new day.

When Luke and Reagan finally decide to move their relationship above friendship, it makes her happy and she feels like she has everything she’s ever wanted.  It also makes her question whether or not she wants to be a Black Angel when she graduates from high school – does she really want to trade the comfort of love and being able to settle down just to be a secret agent like her parents?  What about all of the things she wants for herself?

When Reagan’s parents come home from a mission looking a lot more disgruntled than Reagan has ever seen them, she knows what’s coming.  She knows she’s about to be uprooted again, and there isn’t anything she can do about it.  She won’t even get to say goodbye to Luke, and the two of them will have their hearts broken.

When Reagan’s parents are kidnapped by family members of one of their prior targets in order to extract revenge, Reagan decides that instead of doing what the other Black Angels insist she do – sit back quietly and wait for them to be rescued, that she is going to take matters into her own hands and save them herself.

This book was action packed from the very beginning to the very end.  So much happened that there wasn’t a dull moment in the entire book.  I loved how the considerations for her future shaped who Reagan was as a person – she had to deal with what she wanted out of her life – if she wanted to become a Black Angel, as everyone expected her to, or whether she wanted to give all of that up for a peaceful life, where she could settle down, make friends, raise a family, and not have to worry about training, hiding, and getting killed while on missions.

I hated the way that Reagan tried to deal with her and Luke’s blossoming relationship once they decided to take things to a new level – she wanted to hurt him intentionally so that he would let her go.  After all, she couldn’t exactly tell him why she was about to disappear, but I still felt like she was a bit heartless in choosing to do it the way she did.

And that ending?  It made me so sad, but it was a perfect set up for the next book, which I know is going to be another one heck of a thrill ride.

It’s so rare for me to rate a book 5 stars, but man, this one deserved it.  I did wonder if this was going to be way too romance-y for me, and skimp on the thrills and action, but it didn’t.  In fact, the romance was a nice side-plot, but it wasn’t the main point of the book, and I loved that.

I’m super excited for the next book in the series – like, so excited that I’ll probably read this one over a few times.  If you’re interested in spy thrillers or just want a romance with a bit more than just romance on the pages, you definitely need to pick up You Don’t Know My Name!