Bulletproof Mascara: A Novel($24.99Value)

Description

Q: What do you get when you cross Avon Ladies with Charlie’s Angels? A: A world-class intelligence organization run by women who really know their foundation. When Nikki Lanier signs up as a cosmetics rep at Carrie Mae, it’s hardly her idea of a dream job. With a degree in linguistics and a hard-core workout regimen, the twenty-six-year-old redhead once had hopes for a real career. But unemployed and desperate to escape life at home with her nagging mother, she’ll try anything—even selling makeup to housewives. Soon, Nikki learns that the powder and lipstick are simply cover-up for the Carrie Mae Foundation: a secret organization of international espionage and high-tech mascara founded for the purpose of “helping women everywhere.” Whisked off to Thailand with the legendary Carrie Mae agent Val Robinson, Nikki is soon in over her head. Between investigating the abduction of a human rights activist, tracking down a murderous arms dealer, keeping up with her wildly dangerous new partner, and occasionally trying to date a hunk who may or may not be CIA, Nikki has to use all the courage and cosmetic technology she’s got to bring down the bad guys and get out alive. With the support of the colorful Carrie Mae crew, Nikki will overcome even the most harrowing obstacles—including incessant phone calls from her mother—or die trying. With a linguistics degree and no other prospects, Nikki Lanier takes a job with the philanthropic arm of Carrie Mae, a cosmetics company, to get out of her mother’s house. She doesn’t expect the training to involve target practice, intelligence techniques, and identifying explosives disguised as make-up. The Carrie Mae Foundation is actually a network of secret operatives charged with protecting women around the world. Nikki passes her training with flying colors. Her boss, the enigmatic Mrs. M, then pairs Nikki with flinty agent Valerie Robinson and sends them to Thailand to find the missing director of a women’s clinic. Mix in double agents, human trafficking, and repeated run-ins with a charismatic stranger who’s hiding something, and Maines turns in a tale full of surprises. This debut novelist may lack polish, but she makes up for it with a clever premise in this madcap romantic adventure that is as humorous as it is action-packed. --Aleksandra Walker “A delicious spy spoof debut… Maines deftly combines humor with action in this fashion-forward thriller, which will remind many of such TV shows as Charlie's Angels , Alias , and Heroes” --Publishers Weekly “A tale full of surprises, with a clever premise….this madcap romantic adventure is as humorous as it is action-packed” -- Booklist "Mix a pinch of James Bond with a dab of pepper spray body splash, add in a handful of humor and one nagging mother, and you've got BULLETPROOF MASCARA. Bethany Maines' debut is great escapist fun!" --- Susan McBride, author of The Cougar Club Bethany Maines lives in Tacoma, Washington where she works as a graphic designer for an architectural firm. She graduated from Western Washington University, traveled a bit, received her second-degree black belt in karate, ran a marathon, and was recently married.