REVIEW: Down Under with the Hottie (Investigating the Hottie #3) by Juli Alexander

Down Under with the Hottie by Juli Alexander
Series: Investigating the Hottie #3
Published by Suasponte Press on 24th January 2015
Pages: 140
Source: *Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Ten days in Sydney, Australia with my first boyfriend! My Spring Break couldn’t be better. Sure, it’s a mission for GASI, but we lucked out with our cover story. We are boyfriend and girlfriend traveling with a group of American high school students.

I mean, sure, we have some terrorists to stop. And some of the teens on the trip aren’t the nicest. Then there’s this guy, Aaron, who seems to be watching us. With Grandma, Nic, Christie, and some help from the Australians, how can we lose? Except some of our help is actually a hindrance and we’re down to the wire on stopping the terrorists from blowing up the Sydney Tower. The brutal truth is that missions fail, but can we live with ourselves if we don’t succeed? 

Slightly disappointing in comparison to the second novel! I am not a fan of the covers, they are rather cheesy, but you definitely need to look past them as the content is certainly brilliant.

When Amanda and Will are sent on their third mission to Australia, they finally get to be themselves… sort of. On a mission to stop a group of terrorists, they need to help figure out when and where they are going to strike. Alongside this, they need to keep an eye on their fellow high school students, especially the ever-present Aaron.

Amanda and Will, like in the previous novel, are absolutely adorable. They have such a loving and fun relationship, certain to bring a smile to your face. The only problem I sadly had with them, was their witty and humorous comments. What our protagonists were saying, though was funny, felt forced and false; their witty banter just did not flow like it did in the previous novel. But I felt our secondary characters really supported the novel, and it was enjoyable to see them again from the previous novel.

The plot of this novel was addictive and interesting. I was certainly hooked, especially in the last third of the novel for Alexander provided detailed and informative descriptions of events that occurred, but also decisions that were made. The main problem I found with the plot was pacing, for I found it to be really slow. Towards the end it did speed up, but for the build up I felt it dragged. Though I can certainly say it is addictive and the espionage theme was brilliant!

Fun and interesting, Down with the Hottie was an addictive sequel, yet I just did not feel it was as good as the second novel Undercover with the Hottie.