if i told you, i’d have to kiss you by mae marvel

What a fun premise- just like Mr. and Ms. Smith or The Incredibles, but this is a queer romance, Ms and Ms Smith. Yardley and KC are breaking up and moving out, although they both clearly still love each other. They both work for the same company as secret spies, but don’t know it about each other. They work together and realize they don’t know each other at all, although they very much love each other. Professionally known as Tabasco and The Unicorn, they are the best in their fields.

The biggest issue is that they are spies and really should have known each other’s secret identity, it didn’t make a lot of sense that they were both excellent and well regarded and didn’t know they were living with a spy fluent in so many foreign languages. I wish there was a bit more build up of the romance, the spy parts were fun, not silly. I do like some of the “Mae Marvel” books but this was not my favorite, I found it to be a bit disjointed. But it was a good story and setting.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin’s press for the ARC. Book to be published June 10, 2025.