This post contains SPOILERS for all aired episodes of The Americans, including last night's Season 1, episode 12, “The Oath.”

Last night was the penultimate episode of The Americans season 1, and I don't know about you, but they got me good. How did I miss the signs?! It's so obvious, looking back, how the episode was going to end, where the show wanted to be at the start of next week's season finale, but I was too absorbed to notice.

It was hard to narrow down my Top 5 this week, but there was no choice at all when it came to my #1 favorite scene—how about you?

5. Viola's confession to the FBI. We already knew Viola felt incredibly guilty about her part in Elizabeth and Phil's scheme earlier in the season to bug her employer's house, despite the fact that she was as much a victim as her son in the situation, so I didn't feel it was really necessary to set up her trip to FBI headquarters like they did. That said, the fact that Gaad and Stan now have a new source of intel in the bugged clock Viola planted for Phil and Elizabeth will lead to good drama in the future, I'm sure. And given how the episode ended...well, at least the FBI has something going for them?

[Let's count it down...]

This post contains SPOILERS for all aired episodes of The Americans, including last night's Season 1, episode 11, “Covert War.”

While last night's episode wasn't my favorite, it did have some pretty great moments. Here are my top 5 (+1) scenes:

Honorable mention: Elizabeth taking down a CIA agent in the bathroom. I just enjoyed seeing the tiny Kerri Russell beat up someone twice her size. Never gets old.

5. Elizabeth freaks out over her CIA captive's comments that she's just a killer and doesn't know how to love. So untouchable in the pilot episode, Elizabeth has thawed a lot, and actually seems headed toward a complete meltdown. Last night she recognized that she was totally out of control after she lost her shit during her interrogation of the CIA agent who killed her mentor General Zhukov, and she and Philip let the guy go (luckily he was blindfolded the whole time, though they're definitely still taking a risk by letting him go). But the fact that this guy was able to get to her just by calling her out as being a weapon for her country with no one to love (which is...kinda true) shows that Elizabeth could really be on the brink of a breakthrough about her place in the world, the importance of her family, etc. It's been awesome to watch; can't wait to see where the writers go with her next.

[Which scene made #1?...]

This post contains SPOILERS for all aired episodes of The Americans, including last night's Season 1, episode 10, “Only You.”

Last night's episode of The Americans dealt with the fallout of last week's shocking turns in “Safe House,” in which FBI agent Chris Amador and KGB kid agent Vlad were both killed as a result not of premeditated plans but rather of a series of massive misunderstandings and miscommunications.

So things are still FUBAR, pretty much, with both sides still reeling from the way the night's events have spun completely out of control, and naturally it bleeds into their personal lives. Phil and Elizabeth bicker when she drops him off at his motel (“[The motel doesn't look that bad.“ / ”Let me know when you want to trade"). Agent Gaad (a.k.a. John Boy) promises his FBI team that there will be consequences, whether they bring Amador's murderer in in handcuffs or a body bag, and in the privacy of the vault he tells Stan that he shouldn't feel bad for ~doing what had to be done (killing Vlad)~ because this is a war. That same night (seriously, won't the day ever end? these poor people), after being ordered by Gaad to go home and get some rest, Stan shows up at Phil's door with some beers for a nightcap. Phil is understandably caught off guard, wondering how Stan knew where he was and why he stopped by (what does he know?!) but it quickly becomes clear that Stan just needs a friend to unload on about his partner's death—too bad he doesn't really return the favor and ask Phil about why his friend is living in a motel or why his marriage is on the rocks.

[Buddy of the year right there...]

This post contains SPOILERS for all aired episodes of The Americans, including last night's Season 1, episode 9, “Safe House.”

In a season full of romantic ups and downs for KGB agents and cover couple Philip and Elizabeth Jennings, nothing has been more poignant than the first scene in last night's episode, when the pair told their children Paige and Henry—the only two people you know they love unconditionally and never want to hurt, mind—that they were “hitting the pause button” on their marriage and separating.

The scene became all the more painful when Paige asked if her parents still loved each other, because that's the crux of the matter, of course, unbeknownst to the kids: Philip and Elizabeth never did love each other. Or rather, it's because they've realized they DO love each other that they now can't overcome the obstacle of Phil's infidelity and dishonesty. How so deliciously complicated, show?

[Hurts so good...]

If you’ve not seen The Americans—currently showing on FX—here’s the premise: Philip and Elizabeth Jennings are two travel agents living in the suburbs surrounding Washington D.C. at the start of the Reagan presidency. They are KGB sleeper agents, sent to the U.S. more than fifteen years earlier. Their two children are U.S. citizens, their marriage is in name only, and they are damn good at their job.

Elizabeth (Keri Russell) long ago took a lover, and both use sex as just another tool in their spy arsenal. In one such scene, an asset of Elizabeth’s begins to whip her with his belt. Though she could easily kill him by “twist[ing] the guy’s neck like a Stoli bottle cap,” she meekly endures the S&M interlude.

Of the two, Elizabeth is more dedicated to her job as a KGB agent; she inhabits the role like, say, Isobel Lambert, the very Alpha and ice-veined head of the secretive Committee in Anne Stuart’s Ice series. Her beef with Philip (Matthew Rhys) is that he likes the U.S. too much. In fact, when it got dangerous earlier in the season, he suggested defecting.

Traditional, Reaganesque gender roles are reversed in The Americans. Early on Philip listens to a recording of Elizabeth boinking an asset for information. It’s part of the job, but he does not like it...at all. Were the situations reversed, I don’t think at this point Elizabeth would be nearly as bothered. She is more dedicated to the motherland—Philip is more invested in the “marriage.”

This changes when they capture a high level Soviet defector who had raped Elizabeth when she was a youthful KGB recruit. After Philip learns why she’s beating the hell out of him, he takes over and brutally snaps the man’s neck like a twig. She generally slays her own dragons, but is turned on that he would slay one on her behalf. So much so that after they dissolve the rapist with acid (the family that slays together stays together?), they Do It in the car. The Cold War may continue, but for now their cold marriage is thawing out.

[And when things thaw, they might get hot!]

It’s not often that a brand new TV show is renewed only four shows into its first season, but that has just happened to the new FX spy thriller, The Americans, and I can understand why. This is the freshest show I have seen in a long time.

The premise is complicated. Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell star as Philip and Elizabeth Jennings, KGB sleeper spies who live in suburban Washington, D.C., during the Reagan era. They own and run a travel agency and raise an ordinary family to complete their cover (shades of Alias). 

Things become complicated when Philip and Elizabeth start to value their family more than their missions. Then an FBI agent who is more interested in other people’s families than his own moves in next door. And despite her grandmotherly tone and appearance, the KGB handler assigned to Philip and Elizabeth makes it clear that she considers them to be expendable in the name of a mission. Any mission.

To read the full post on the hit show on FX, The Americans, visit our sister Crime and Mystery blog, CriminalElement.com.

Today, Heroes and Heartbreakers is pleased to reveal the deliciously sudsy cover for License to Love, the fourth book in Gina Robinson's Agent Ex series. The exes this time dabble in magic—and anti-terrorism—against a luxurious Las Vegas setting.

Here's the official description:

Rock Powers is one of the most successful magicians in Vegas for a reason—he creates illusions too spectacular to believe. But his former assistant, gorgeous Lani Silkwater, pulled off the greatest trick of all: disappearing into thin air the day after they were married. Two years later, Rock can’t resist a clue to Lani’s whereabouts—or the outlandish plan Lani and her mysterious boss propose, if it means a chance to win her back for good...

Working as a magician’s assistant was one of Lani’s strangest undercover assignments, but she never imagined it would be so dangerous—to her heart. Leaving Rock was the right thing for both of them, but with a terrorist group closing in on Vegas, Rock’s talent with sleight of hand is imperative. To save them both, Lani must reveal secrets she’s kept for years, and one of them is how much she loves the sexy magician who stole her heart…

License to Love will be available August 27, 2013.

This year was an interesting one for romance novel readers. With the astronomical success of E.L. James's Fifty Shades trilogy, we suddenly found ourselves accused of reading “mommy porn” and advocating the “abuse of woman.” Romance had taken a drastic turn; BDSM and erotic romance became the “it” genres to read and the market was instantly flooded with clueless ingenue heroines and broody billionaires with dubious sexual histories. Covers became monochrome with a single object as the focal point rather than the customary hero and heroine portrayed in dishabille. I’m not dismissing the “revolution” but I’m ready for a change.

I’ve read phenomenal books, good books, average books, and some books I’d rather just forget about this year. I left no genre untouched, but found myself rather rather dismayed with romances overall. Again, Fifty Shades set the bar, a rather low bar, and we found ourselves at the mercy of angst-driven, emotionally draining trilogies. I’m not a fan of romantic trilogies. I see no reason to drag out a romance over three books unless there is a viable plot line that is completely separate from the romance.

So what am I looking for in 2013?

[Tell us!...]

Today we're pleased—dangerously so!—to welcome author Gina Robinson to Heroes and Heartbreakers. Gina's next release, Live and Let Love, will be released December 24. Today Gina talks about some very dangerous women. Thanks, Gina!

(For an exclusive sneak peek at Live and Let Love, read an excerpt of Chapters 1-2!)

femme fa·tale 
n. pl. femmes fa·tales—a woman who is sexually attractive but cruel and dangerous to men who have a relationship with her
—Macmillan Dictionary online
French: femme, woman + fatale, deadly

Ah, the femme fatale. The name says it all—a deadly woman. One who seduces men to their dooms, transfixes them, bewitches them. Kills them. There's something absolutely mesmerizing and fascinating about femme fatales. The embodiment of female power, they seem to have it all—charm, beauty, sensuality. And yet, somehow they're not satisfied until they've crossed the line into the dark side. Deep down, we'd all like to have a bit, just the good bits like seductive charm, of the femme fatale in us.

[Let's break out the inner femme fatale!...]

Get a sneak peek of Gina Robinson’s new Agent Ex novel, Live and Let Love (available December 24, 2012), with an exclusive excerpt of the Chapters 1-2. Plus, enter for a chance to win a copy of the first two books in the Agent Ex Series, The Spy Who Left Me and Diamonds are Truly Forever!*

Click here to read the excerpt!

Click here to enter for a chance to win!

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE DOES NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING. You must be 18 or older and a legal resident of the 50 United States or D.C. to enter. Promotion begins December 12, 2012, at 12 pm ET, and ends December 19, 2012, 11:59 am ET. Void in Puerto Rico and wherever prohibited by law. Click here for details and official rules.

[About the books...]

Note: If you haven't seen last night's episode of Covert Affairs (3.16, “Lady Stardust”), read no further. (Seriously! You'll thank us later.)

********SPOILERS********

In the interest of full disclosure, this was my first episode of Covert Affairs. Still, when I heard about the possibility of big shippy doings on the season finale, I had to have a look. All I knew about Annie and Auggie were that she was a CIA agent, he was in special ops, and between all the espionage and derring do, these two reportedly were doing a slow burn on the relationship thing. Would the season finale turn this slow burn into fireworks or would it go down in flames?

Annie, brave and resourceful, finds herself in Amsterdam and in the midst of a dilemma, so she does what any self respecting heroine would do. She consults her soulmate. No matter that she’s in Amsterdam and he’s in Iraq, because the connection appears to be that strong. Annie leaves a voicemail detailing her options and thanks Auggie for letting her talk things out. She’s made her decision, and  it’s back to work. Soon enough, she walks into a darkened room, and surprise, Auggie, sitting there in the dark, or as he puts it, just sitting. A man who’s sure of himself enough to fit such comments into everyday conversation and answers a voicemail by showing up in person to surprise the woman he loves, when she needs his guidance the most? Hot. I fell for Auggie right there, and found myself hoping Annie would as well.

[Get him, girl...]

If you tune into the now Emmy Award-winning terrorism drama Homeland for its second season premiere tonight and find yourself humming a little Lady Gaga, don’t panic. It’s perfectly natural. Because the show’s leads, brilliant and bipolar CIA Agent Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) and Sergeant Nick Brody (Damien Lewis), the former POW-turned-possible-terrorist she’s investigating, are pretty much the dictionary definition of a BAD ROMANCE, baby. And we love them for it.

No one would’ve imagined that one of the hottest couples on TV would come from a socio-political terrorism drama on Showtime. But if you watched Homeland’s phenomenal first season, then you know Carrie and Brody are positively scorching together…and fairly toxic.  We watched along with Carrie as she surveilled the homecoming hero for weeks, getting to know his daily routine better than his own wife, scouring the screen for signs of terrorist behavior. When the cameras got cut off, the manic, obsessive Carrie orchestrated a meeting, at a support group for soldiers with PTSD. The minute they met, sparks flew. There was an instant connection and chemistry that no one expected—not even the show’s creators.

[“Want your bad romance”...]

Just released, Gina Robinson’s Diamonds Are Truly Forever: An Agent Ex Novel is a sexy, sleuthy tale of sex with the ex (not to mention high espionage!). Today, Gina joins us to talk about the different types of spies, and shares some delicious pics, too! Thanks, Gina!

***

Only the wisest ruler can use spies; only the most benevolent and upright general can use spies, and only the most alert and observant person can get the truth using spies . . .

There is nowhere that spies cannot be used.

—Sun Tzu, The Art of War

The Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu identified the importance of using spies in his ancient military treatise, The Art of War, somewhere around 512 B.C. Sun Tzu identifies five kinds of spies:

• Local spies—the enemy’s people
• Internal spies—the enemy’s officials
• Double spies—the enemy’s spies
• Dead spies—spies used to spread misinformation, usually they’re fed bad intelligence by their own government
• Living spies—agents who return with reports and valuable information

In romance fiction, I think we can all agree that the hero must be a living spy, for oh, so many delicious reasons, except, perhaps in a paranormal. In which case, an undead spy could be just the thing. In the tradition of Sun Tzu, and going one better, I’ve identified six types of spies. Five who are perfect romance heroes and one who’s possibly a very sexy villain. They’re just the kind of operatives any woman could find herself falling in love with, on or off a clandestine mission.

[Just when you think spies can’t get any hotter...]

For those who don’t watch USA’s Burn Notice, the premise of it is the story of a CIA operative (a spy!) who has been “burned,” meaning the CIA has sent out a burn notice on the agent, claiming they are unreliable. The newly-burned spy is entirely off the grid, without work history, money, or any kind of support network—essentially a nonentity.

Burn Notice’s lead Michael Westen is stuck in Miami, with few allies. One being an ex-girlfriend, Fiona Glenanne. It’s obvious from the start, however, that their relationship isn’t quite finished.

Michael and Fiona are two of my favorite characters on television. Michael is a total badass, but aside from that, I might like him because he’s canon. Fiona, on the other hand, is how I wish every heroine (or heck, female character in every book) would be like: She’s smart, incredibly capable, and self-sufficient.

[What’s not to like?...]

Time was when summer TV meant reruns and sporting events—and sometimes even reruns of sporting events. But nowadays, there’s original programming to fill those dog days, some of it even eminently watchable and most of it coming to us from our friends in basic and premium cable. Here, a heads up on even more of June’s forthcoming premieres, some of them offering up the birth of brand new series, others returning favorites back for another (non-ratings) season.

Check out the earlier premieres of the summer: Summer Lovin’: June 2012 TV Premieres, Part 1.

And now:

[Your busy DVR won’t thank us, but you will...]

Today we’re thrilled to welcome author Elle Kennedy to Heroes and Heartbreakers. Next week, Elle will release Midnight Rescue, the first book in her new Killer Instincts series. With words like “desperate,” “sex,” “dangerous,” and “passion” in Midnight Rescue’s blurb, who better than Elle to offer her picks for the finest in kick-ass heroines? (See the end of the post to find out how to enter for a chance to win a copy of the book!)

Welcome, Elle!

I’m one of those readers who absolutely adores kick-ass heroines. To me, there’s nothing more satisfying than a woman who can hold her own against an alpha male, a woman who can save herself rather than rely on someone else to save her, a woman who instills honest-to-God fear in those she comes up against. 

I know that most readers enjoy strong heroines, but when it comes to kicking butt, I’ve spoken to many readers who’ve admitted they prefer the hero to be the one doing the butt kicking. Which I understand. Powerful alpha heroes are sexy. Who doesn’t want a tough, capable man coming to your rescue and sweeping you off your feet? 

[That said: Bring on the badass heroines!...]

Sorry, this sweepstakes has ended.

Check our Sweepstakes page for more offers!

Click here to enter for a chance to win!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Purchase does not increase your chances of winning. You must be 18 or older and a legal resident of the 50 United States or D.C. to enter. Promotion begins March 7, 2012, at 2:00 pm ET, and ends March 16, 2012, 1:59 pm ET. Void in Puerto Rico and wherever prohibited by law. Click here for details and official rules.

[About the book...]