ARC Review: Last Hit (Hitman #1) by Jessica Clare & Jen Frederick

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: February 3, 2015
Publisher: Berkeley Trade
368 Pages

From two bestselling authors—the first in a deliciously bold new series that takes readers to the most dangerous edge of desire . . .

Nikolai: I have been a contract killer since I was a boy. For years I savored the fear caused by my name, the trembling at the sight of my tattoos. The stars on my knees, the marks on my fingers, the dagger in my neck, all spoke of danger. If you saw my eyes, it was the last vision you’d have. I have ever been the hunter, never the prey. With her, I am the mark and I am ready to lie down and let her capture me. Opening my small, scarred heart to her brings out my enemies. I will carry out one last hit, but if they hurt her, I will bring the world down around their ears.

Daisy : I’ve been sheltered from the outside world all my life. Home-schooled and farm-raised, I’m so naive that my best friend calls me Pollyanna. I like to believe the best about people. Nikolai is part of this new life, and he’s terrifying to me. Not because his eyes are cold or my friend warns me away from him, but because he’s the only man who has ever seen the real me beneath the awkwardness. With him, my heart is at risk . . . and also, my life.

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Umm…this book was kind of all over the place. Russian hitman falls for country bumpkin who knows nothing about the world. The premise didn’t grab me, but I figured, what the heck, I would give it a shot.

This was insta love. Plain and simple. Nick sees Daisy from his building across the street and instantly knows she must be his. And when I mean sees her from across the street, I mean, he spies on her from his apartment into hers. I’m sorry but that’s not romantic (come on, Daisy!). He also tends to stalk her and destroy her things so he can buy her new ones.

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Then there’s Daisy, the little innocent virginal flower. Her mother was killed in a random act of violence and because of that, her father shut the out the outside world and raised his daughter within the confines of his own house. Only letting her leave for a few hours each day to buy food. Somehow Daisy manages to run away and it’s in the big city where she meets Nikolai.  She literally knows nothing about life and easily trusts Nick almost from the moment they meet.

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The book then proceeded to go the way most insta love books go: everything super-fast and super unbelievable. He teaches her about her sexuality while also lying about his profession (oh he’s a hitman). He tries to get her to quit her job because it’s not safe and he can’t protect her there.  And then DRAMA.

Of course Nick’s profession was going to cause problems. And poor little Daisy gets caught up in the crossfire. Sigh…predictable. Unfortunately, this book just didn’t cut it for me. And when your side characters are more interesting than your main, there’s a problem. What this book did do for me was entice me to read the next one.  Regan and Daniel just seem so much more interesting than Nikolai and Daisy.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher for my honest opinion and review.

Book Review: The Virgin's Guide to Misbehaving (Bluebonnet #4) by Jessica Clare

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: June 3, 2014
Publisher: Berkley
304 Pages

Playing innocent is easy.

After being the quiet, shy girl her whole life, Elise Markham is ready for a mental makeover. She’s done keeping to herself and staying out of trouble—it’s time to break out of her shell and maybe meet someone intriguing in the process. So, on a photography trip to Bluebonnet, she has a whole lot more on her mind than snapping photos, especially when Rome walks into the picture.

Playing dirty is fun.

The newest instructor at Wilderness Survival Expeditions has a colorful past, to say the least. Having come from a family of notorious con artists that destroyed his credit and reputation, all before his eighteenth birthday, Rome just wants a decent job and a quiet life in a town where no one knows his name. He’s exactly the kind of bad boy that an innocent girl like Elise should stay far away from.

But Elise is tired of doing what’s right. She’s ready to throw caution to the wind—and let Rome show her just how exciting being bad can be…

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Elise Markham comes from a very sheltered childhood. From a color disfiguration on her face to scoliosis of the spine, she never really fit in, never had a boyfriend or any real friends actually. Her parents and brother treat her like she’s glass but Elise wants to prove that she’s not breakable. 

Enter Rome, the new employee at her brothers company. He’s exactly the opposite of everything Elise has ever known and most importantly, he’s not safe. There’s a mysterious quality about him and he’s obviously hiding something, but Elise doesn’t care. He’s the perfect boy to give her what she needs – a crash course in losing her virginity. Of course, feelings escalate and they both realize that “just sex” is not something that’s possible.

Using humor and a small town setting, Clare was able to tell Elise’s story in a way that was believable and relatable. Elise’s shyness, although a bit extreme, was something that I’m sure a lot of people could understand. I loved how patient Rome was with her and how he slowly brought her out of her shell. He waited until she was comfortable with him and herself before he started anything. Underneath his macho exterior, Rome is actually a nice guy. He has an ugly past that he’s running from, but for once, it’s not of his doing. 

This was my first book from this series so at times I felt as if I was a little behind on the backstories of others, but it wasn’t enough to turn me from the story.  If anything, it made me more curious to read the other books. The only characters I wasn’t too keen on were Elise’s brother and his girlfriend. I get the overprotective brother act, but this was just suffocating. And his girlfriend, I honestly don’t see how the two of them were compatible.

Overall, a solid love story with humor thrown. Perfect for summer beach reading. 

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher for my honest opinion and review.