Two Is a Pattern by Emily Waters is a gripping sapphic romance set in the early nineties with twists and turns that will have you flying through the pages.
After a mission goes incredibly wrong, rising-star CIA operative Annie Weaver quits her lucrative government job and reinvents herself as a college student seeking her second master’s degree. But the CIA refuses to let her go quietly.
Between juggling classes and falling for her gorgeous landlord, Professor Helen Everton, Annie deals with off-the-books-missions for her shady and controlling former boss.
As Helen gets closer to the truth, Annie has to figure out how to maintain her freedom while keeping Helen and her family safe.
Can these two women create a life together despite the odds against them?
Writing
Emily Waters has written a suspenseful tale that gripped me from the first page. As a teen in the early 90s, I appreciate Emily Waters’ attention to detail. There are pay phones and pagers, scrunchies, Cabbage Patch Kids, leggings with stirrups, and mentions of popular songs from the time which I listened to over and over and may have even danced to during school dances. This time in LA was contentious due to the events after the Rodney King trial. The destruction, loss of faith in law enforcement, and rebuilding had a major impact on people’s lives. I appreciated Waters taking the time to show how devastating the series of events was for the people of LA and the nation as a whole.
Waters’s storytelling is fast-paced with main and supporting characters who will leave an impression. She provides details but leaves enough out to allow readers to fill in the blanks.
Pros And My Favourite Parts
Annie Weaver is a badass whether she realizes it or not. She wasn’t just any CIA operative. She was one of the best linguists and interrogators from any government agency. She was skilled at blending in, gaining trust, and telling lies. Now, she’s trying to reinvent herself but isn’t sure who she actually is. I could feel her struggle with the circumstances she finds herself in while trying to live her life in LA. I appreciated her viewpoints and willingness to step in and help Helen with her kids. Plus her sweet tooth rivals that of Buddy the Elf. I spent a lot of time wishing that something could go smoothly for Annie but it isn’t meant to be. She never complains, keeps her head up, and gets the jobs done. Her strength is admirable.
The relationship between Annie and Helen plays a secondary role in the story yet it’s no less important. Annie keeps her developing feelings for Helen to herself for a while and doesn’t divulge the depth to readers for a long time. When she does, it’s a wonder she didn’t have cartoon hearts circling over her head. Being privy to Annie’s psyche only kept Helen a bit of a mystery which I enjoyed. Helen and Annie both have reasons for not trusting others and the way they were able to first build a solid friendship, paved the way for more. Their chemistry is smoking and their encounters are hot!
Annie hasn’t spent a lot of time around young children and, amazingly, her presence was soothing for Helen’s foster son, Zach. She easily assimilates herself into Helen’s family and becomes just as close with Helen’s children as she is with Helen. Annie quickly learns about each child’s likes, dislikes, strengths, and challenges which solidifies her place in their lives. I can understand the appeal of seeing Paula Abdul in concert, as she was my first concert at thirteen!
Heads Up
None for me.
The Conclusion
Two Is a Pattern by Emily Waters is a fast-paced ride that keeps readers in suspense right til the last page. Annie is trying to get her life back on track after leaving her CIA job. She’s moved to LA for school yet her old life keeps her in shackles. Obstacles keep standing in the way of rebuilding her life but Helen and her family help Annie in more ways than one. This story is filled with intrigue, suspense, emotion, and bits of humor. There are pagers, scrunchies, adorable kids, and a heavy dose of how is this all going to play out. Emily Waters has written another winner that I highly recommend!
Excerpt from Two Is a Pattern by Emily Waters
The woman pulled the stroller parallel with the wall, then set down her purse and began rummaging through a beat-up brown diaper bag that she was holding against her hip. Her bobbed, dark brown hair reflected auburn in the sunlight and fell forward, obscuring her face except for a pair of wire-framed glasses with large lenses that peeked out between her locks. She wore scruffy clothes.
Annie returned her attention to her book, still watching the woman from the corner of her eye, not looking up until the woman said, “Shit!” The bag had fallen to the ground, its contents spilling everywhere.
The woman sat down on the wall and looked at the mess. Only the stroller separated them; the baby slept tucked under a light blue blanket.
“Here, let me help.” Annie set her open book down on the wall, spine up. “It’s okay. It’s fine. I’m fine,” the woman said, shaking her head. She rubbed her hands on her jeans and half closed her eyes.
“How old is he?” Annie asked, nodding toward the baby as she crouched and started picking things up—a gold tube of lipstick, a tampon, a crumpled receipt.
And an identification badge with the woman’s picture attached to a lanyard. The woman hopped off the wall and snatched it away but not before Annie read her name and title.
Helen Everton, Adjunct Professor Annie handed Helen Everton the items she’d picked up, forcing the woman to stop jamming things back into her bag. When she accepted them and everything was back inside, she gave it a good shake.
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Bits and Bobs
ISBN number: 978-3-96324-881-8 (this is for the e-book, I couldn’t find the paperback)
Publisher: Ylva Publishing
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