Review by Ronny
Series Name: Alliance, # 4
Hans is a delicious, steamy mafia romance that is so hard to put down.
Favourite Quote:
“My stomach protests at the last bite, but I can’t waste it. It doesn’t matter how bad her creations are, my deep-seated need to consume every bit of Cassandra won’t let me throw them away. And my tastebuds won’t let me go through this torture twice. So, this had become our ritual. Cassandra leaves me something that lands somewhere on the scale of edible, and I binge eat it while standing alone in my kitchen, staring out the window over my sink and imagining I’m eating them in her house, with her next to me.”
Book Synopsis:
CASSIE
How to make the handsome, brooding man across the street notice me.
Step one: Deliver baked goods to his front porch, even though he never answers his door and always returns the containers when I’m not home.
Step two: Slowly lose my mind as a whole year passes without ever running into him, no matter how hard I try.
Step three: Have my boudoir photos accidentally delivered to his mailbox instead of mine. Have him open the package. Then have him storm into my home for the most panty-melting scolding of my life.
Step four: Still figuring out step four.
HANS
I’m a dangerous man.
A man who has spent the last two decades removing so many souls from this earth that it’s a miracle my hands aren’t permanently stained red.
I’m a man who belongs in the shadows.
I certainly don’t belong in my pretty little neighbor’s bedroom when she’s not home, touching her things and inhaling her scent.
I shouldn’t follow her. Shouldn’t watch her. Because no number of cookies on my doorstep will change the fact that love isn’t an option for me.
The only option left for me is violence.
Review:
Phew, this book is steamy and bursting with bonkers banana pants shenanigans. I loved every moment of this story, and I admit that I have read it a couple of times over the course of a couple of months. It’s just so good and hits EVERY SINGLE ONE of my buttons. I knew I needed to read this book when I found out that this scary hitman was forcing himself to eat the terrible home-baked cookies his neighbour made him because he knew if she ever found out he didn’t eat them, she would be upset…..swoon…. I can’t even begin to describe how happy that makes me. Before I start gushing too much about this book, I will let y’all know this is a dark romance. It’s not super, super dark, but there are things in this book that might not click with everyone. First, the hero is definitely stalking/obsessed with the heroine. So, if you don’t like a stalker-ish hero then don’t read this book. This is also a mafia romance, which means there is going to be violence on the pages. It’s not overly gruesome, but it is there.
Now, onto the gushing. This is a fun, spicy, quick and dirty read. A lot of the things that happen in this book would never happen in real life, so turn off that critical part of your brain and just enjoy the ride. I love a romance that is bursting with ridiculous banana pants shenanigans; the crazier, the better. This is part of S.J. Tilly’s mafia series, but Hans isn’t part of any mafia group; he is a hitman who takes out bad guys who are part of human trafficking operations. The mafia elements aren’t really that present in this book. We have met Hans in the previous book in the series and he was portrayed as this ruthless killer that is feared by all, which just makes the fact that his sunshine, sweet neighbour has him befuddled and wrapped around her finger without her even knowing it. There is just something about an alpha male feeling those big messy feelings that just makes me so happy.
The first part of the book is focused on this stalker-ish relationship between Cassie and Hans. Cassie crushes on Hans big time and brings him cookies in hopes that he will come out of his house and talk to her. Hans finds himself drawn to Cassie and quickly becomes obsessed with her. He becomes this big garden angel to Cassie, making sure she is safe because, in his eyes, she has no self-awareness of the dangers she constantly puts herself in. Hans also believes that he doesn’t deserve Cassie, because he thinks that he is a monster too damaged to be loved by someone like her. Things heat up pretty quickly between these two, and that lusty chemistry just leaps from the pages. The second part of the book is where all the action takes place. Cassie and Hans find themselves in a dangerous position when someone from Hans’s past comes back, wanting to kill Hans and anyone close to him. I really enjoyed the action parts; they moved fast and gave the story some interesting plot twists.
The romance is hot, like really hot. I loved the fact that Cassie is a curvy heroine and Hans worships every curve she has. There is this insta-lust feeling going on in this book. From that first encounter, Hans and Cassie both feel this strong attraction for one another. I liked the chemistry between these two, probably because I am a sucker for a good grumpy sunshine romance. This is a dark romance, so there are definitely elements in this romance that may not be super healthy, and even Cassie admits that Hans being obsessed with her shouldn’t be as much of a turn-on as it is. Overall, it was just a dirty, fun ride, and I enjoyed watching these two interact with each other.
Hans is a spicy, dark romance that is perfect for any bookworm looking for a romance that may be wrong but feels right.
