A Secret Service by Joy Jenkins
4.5 stars
A Secret Service is a contemporary young adult story set in Washington DC.
Eighteen-year-old Carter is the daughter of a Secret Service Agent. Left to bring up his daughter alone when his wife walked out, Steve Owens fell back on what he knew; he brought her up to defend herself using his Navy SEAL training.
Forced to attend a prestigious high school, Carter is a social outcast, not helped when she stands up to the bullies. She meets Link and Donovan when their own school is closed for an emergency; they are an odd duo, but Carter befriends them and they aren’t put off by her straight-talking and forward attitude.
Carter is excellent at reading people and she soon sniffs out the truth about Link and Donovan. The trio remain friends, helping each other out, particularly when Link and Carter both have some serious emotional setbacks.
I did enjoy this book, the writing flowed easily and I was engrossed in Carter’s world from page one. I loved how Carter called her dad Captain and he in turn called her Sarge as they negotiated the ups and downs of a father/ daughter relationship. Carter was a fun character, with a whole arsenal of verbal weapons and physical abilities to tackle any foe. The author also made Link and Donovan likeable characters and I could easily picture them all in my mind. I loved the ending but I won’t give away any spoilers.
I’m always happy to dip into a good young adult story and this one I can recommend. I shall look forward to more from this author.
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Carter Owens, daughter of a Secret Service agent, is trained to disassemble any weapon, any situation, and anyone. Her biting sarcasm and razor-sharp mind make her impossible to beat in a word fight and when talking doesn’t work, she uses her fists. She attends Hamilton Prep, Washington D.C.’s most prestigious high school, where everyone is related to someone in power, except her.
When Hamilton Prep receives a flood of new students, Carter’s role as social outcast changes when she makes two unexpected friends. Friends who are hiding a secret. As Carter uncovers the truth, she confronts challenges she is unequipped to handle and finds herself in a dangerous situation.
For a girl trained to see everything, Carter never saw this coming.
Rosie Amber 
This looks like a good book for some of my younger friends!
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