Book Review: Last Hit by Jessica Clare and Jen Frederick

At my job, we have a type of project that is easy enough that I can listen to podcasts or audiobooks while I work on it. This time around, I chose to listen to this audiobook. It kept me riveted and engaged, but when things got hot in the book, I felt a little nervous listening to it in the office. Talk about some heat.

One-Sentence Synopsis
A sheltered young woman leaves her home to live on her own and becomes involved with a mysterious Ukrainian who has ties with a dangerous Russian mafia group. For a full synopsis, see this book’s Goodreads page.

Immersive Entertainment
Though my first audiobook was fun but not magical, and I have to say…I loved this one. I loved that the readers used a Russian accent when reading from Nikolai’s point of view. I also enjoyed the fact that there were two people reading, one for each character’s point of view.

Living Under a Rock
Daisy is really naive. Really, really naive. But it works in this book because she’s been extremely sheltered and so is weirdly awkward. Her father has kept her under his thumb for years, having turned paranoid and agoraphobic after the murder of his wife. But Daisy wants more, and so after some sneaky planning, she manages to run away to live in an apartment with a roommate. Because I could understand why she had no social skills, her awkwardness and the fact that she was clueless about many things weren’t as annoying as they might have been otherwise.

Keeping Tabs
Nikolai starts out a little creepy, but he’s so endearing that I didn’t actually care that he was peeping on Daisy. He’s an assassin and part of a Russian bratva, but he’s also damaged from his youth. So when he actually has feelings for Daisy, it’s classically trope-ish and really romantic. He wants to protect her, she wants her independence, and this brings some great conflict.

Of course Nikolai doesn’t tell her he’s a killer for hire, and his secrets start to get a little out of hand. But he tries to maintain normalcy by taking her out on dates and buying her nice things…things she doesn’t want him to buy because they cost so much, of course. But he does it anyway. He’s also there to rescue her in a few situations, so props for some damsel in distress situations that make sense considering Daisy’s lack of world experience.

Sex & Violence
This is a darker romance, dealing with mafia and murder and heroines in danger. I loved this blend and thought it was well balanced. There was suspense in the fact that I knew at some point Nikolai’s profession would get Daisy into trouble. It was just a matter of it actually happening. Then when it did, I got all worked up waiting for Nikolai to figure it out and go save her. There are some dark themes. While Daisy isn’t raped, another character is, and there is quite a bit of violence.

The Romance Factor
I got the same heart feels from this one that I get from a really great book I’ve read visually. Nikolai’s desire to protect Daisy is amazingly sweet, and Daisy’s worry that everything she says or does is wrong is kind of adorable. I know, it sounds like  it could get really annoying, but it’s not. 5/5

The Steam Factor
While the sex doesn’t overpower the plot, the sexy times are definitely tantalizing. Daisy’s a virgin at the beginning, but it doesn’t seem to take long for her to jump on the dirty talk/dirty times train. 5/5

Final Thoughts
This was a great story with narrators that I really enjoyed. When it comes to audiobooks, the voices reading the story play a huge part in the experience. I’m going to listen to this whole series, including the book I’d already read (which I loved, so it won’t be a chore to enjoy it again). This one is written by 2 authors I like, and I feel that when they collaborate, romantic magic is made.

Goodreads Review: Unrequited by Jen Frederick

I returned home from visiting a friend and yarn shopping for a few days, so after a long drive, it’s kind of amazing that I’m actually on the computer. However, I had some things I needed to do and I wanted to get this out since the book reviewed below comes out tomorrow. It’s a steamy one. As for me, I’ll be cleaning, putting stuff away, stashing yarn, and preparing to get back to the work grind tomorrow. I also have a few posts I really need to get into words soon for various reasons, so fingers crossed that it happens. 

Unrequited by Jen Frederick

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this without realizing it was part of a series. Though I usually hate coming in on the middle of things, this one didn’t bother me. It can easily be read as a standalone, though of course now I want to read the other ones in the series. Well played, Jen Frederick. Well played.

I’ve read other books by this author, and though I end up liking them, I’ve found them to be fairly dark and intense, so it takes me a little longer to read. This one felt a little lighter, though I’m not sure if that’s the right term. The premise is that Winter has been in love with her sister’s ex-boyfriend even before he was an ex. And then she acts on it one night when he’s particularly vulnerable after his father dies. This night is followed by guilt on her part and infatuation on his, and when they reconnect a few months later, Winter has to decide if she’s willing to get over his past with her sister to try to have an actual relationship with this guy.

I really liked the main characters. Finn is fun in his infatuation of Winter, but he pursues her without going too alpha male. Winter has some fun quirks. She’s a tattoo artist and she’s adopted, which gives something to the plot line. However, the lengths she goes to take care of her sister gets annoying, especially because her sister is a horrible person who I wanted to punch in the face through most of the book.

Though it’s not my favorite, the infatuation since childhood trope is a fun one, and Frederick delivered a really well paced story. It’s a pretty steamy, fairly quick read, so give it a try if you like steamy romance.

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