J.C. Phelps
has brought Alex Stanton back to life in Shades of Grey, the second
novel in the series. It’s packed with as
much adventure and thrills as the first, and is sure to take the reader on one
heck of a ride. It was published in 2006
by NewPub Binding.
Alex Stanton
has been with White & Associates for several months now, but she still has
no idea just how much there is left to learn about her new partners. She’s taken on the permanent alias of Ms.
Grey (all the partners have different colors as aliases) and is tasked on her
first solo mission. It seems relatively
simple – go undercover and determine whether or not an employee has been
embezzling money – but the facts she finds don’t sit right with her, and when
she learns a contract has been put on her life she knows this case wasn’t so
simple after all. The clues start to
come together and it all connects with a legendary and mysterious sniper known
only as Penumbra. Now her sole focus is
to unravel Penumbra’s true identity, but when secrets start to become known,
she wonders if she really wants to know who Penumbra actually is.
This story
resumes right where Color Me Grey (you can find my review of that book here)
left off and continues the dynamic story arc of Alex Stanton – also known as
Ms. Grey – and her new job with White & Associates. The books are connected, and it is better to
read them all in chronological order, but it isn’t absolutely necessary. Alex is continuing her training, we get to
learn more about some of her colored partners (Mr. Red, Mr. Green, Mr. Blue,
Mr. Brown, Mr. Black, and Mr. White) and there are a couple of missions all
jam-packed in this book.
This book
revolves around Alex and her path to self-discovery and self-confidence as she
learns new skills as an agent for White & Associates. White & Associates is a private military
corporation taking on cases for both the government and civilians such as reconnaissance
and recovery missions. Alex is a strong
and capable female lead, and it’s very entertaining to watch her become so
determined to keep up with (and sometimes outdo) her male counterparts. She’s working in a “man’s world” and wants so
much to fit in with her coworkers. This
book deals more with her struggles to be considered and equal amongst the men,
and it’s amusing to read how she deals with the coddling she sometimes receives
from the men. I’ve never felt that way
myself, but I have no doubt there are tons of women out there that have gone
through the same thing in the professional world; determined to succeed and
earn the respect and admiration of their male counterparts.
While the
main storyline was much the same as the first book, the overall mission was
vastly different and offers up a little bit of a surprise towards the end. We also get to read a little bit more about
her male co-workers, and it’s nice to see how she interacts with each of
them. The characters are so unique, and
this story is so interesting I just wish that the men weren’t so much
alike. I think the author tried to write
them differently, but a lot of the times their dialogue and actions were all
the same. The only character that really
stands apart is Mr. Black, and I think that’s only because he was such a large
focus in the first book. Even Mr. White,
who is supposed to be her “romantic interest” (even though nothing has happened
yet), seems like the same character as Mr. Red or Mr. Blue. All of the men had the potential to be
interesting and individual, but a lot of times they just seem to roll into the
same person, which was a little disappointing for me.
The actual
mission is very well thought out, and I really liked the little twist at the
end. I thought that was written very
well and I am looking forward to reading more of this series to see how it all
unfolds later on. I like how Phelps was
able to correlate all of the missions and have them collide together with a
reasonable and fitting explanation. It’s
no real surprise what’s going on, but Phelps does do a nice job of getting us
there. The actual resolution to the
conflict seemed a little anti-climactic to me, and I wish there could’ve been a
few more thrills and action scenes before it all got resolved. But, I think Phelps was more focused on the
twist and telling that story than she was on solving the case, and I think
that’s why it was wrapped up so neatly;
so the reader could focus on the twist that caused havoc on Alex’s
emotions.
Once again,
the first person narrative is in effect (as it was in the first) and so it’s
all told from Ms. Grey’s point of view.
I think it must be easier to write that way, because my one and only
real complaint about this series is that it is told in the first-person. I think all of the characters could have been
developed so much more if the narrative was in the third-person instead, and
there could be so much more depth to the storylines involved. Regardless, this is still a fun series and I
will continue to read them all until there aren’t any more left.
I really
like this series and I enjoyed this book as well. I give this book a B+ grade, it’s fun and the
characters are interesting even if they aren’t fully developed to their full
potential. The storyline is interesting
and the plot well thought out. Alex is a
dynamic character and one you find yourself really pulling for. If you like strong and able female
protagonists, you should really check out this series by J.C. Phelps. It’s a mix between James Bond and Alias, with
a kick-butt kind of girl and a lot of no-nonsense men. It’s a fun and entertaining read that won’t
make you think too much, but if you’re looking for a little escapism in the
form of one strong and sassy woman, this might be a fun series for you to check
out. 
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