HOW THE HITMAN STOLE CHRISTMAS (Holiday with a Hitman 1) by Katie Reus-a review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Google /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 24, 2023

‘Tis the season for a grumpy-sunshine romance with a side of murder and mayhem!

She hates Christmas and everything that goes with it…

Explosives expert Elliana hates Christmas—and the only good thing about this holiday season is that her gorgeous neighbor seems allergic to shirts and clothes in general. She knows because she’s been watching him for months with her drone. She’s never stalked anyone before, but he not only doesn’t seem to mind, he puts on nightly strip shows just for her. When she finally works up the courage to talk to him, she stumbles right into a murder—that he’s committed.

But this holiday is one she’ll never forget…

According to him, the whole murder thing is no big deal—the dead guy needed killing. And while her hot neighbor wants her, protecting her is his main priority. So when she’s targeted, this cinnamon roll hitman kidnaps her for her own good. With a deadly threat hunting them and a hot hitman who keeps handcuffing her to him “for her own protection”, Elliana is starting to reconsider her grinchy stance on the holidays. And when everything finally comes to a head, the results are bound to be…explosive.

••••••••

REVIEW: HOW THE HITMAN STOLE CHRISTMAS is the first novella in Katie Reus’ contemporary, adult HOLIDAY WITH A HITMAN romantic suspense series. This is hitman/ assassin for hire Theo Contos, and US Marine explosives expert/business woman Elliana Reed’s story line.

Told from dual omniscient third person perspective (Theo and Elliana)HOW THE HITMAN STOLE CHRISTMAS focuses on the building relationship between our story line couple. For close to a year Elliana Reed has been stalking her neighbor Theo, a neighbor who is well aware of Elliana’s propensity for voyeurism but Elliana is about to come face to face with the reality of her neighbor’s job when he reveals a contract has been issued for our heroine’s death. Finding in herself a victim of an abduction by Theo, Elliana will quickly discover there is more to Theo than she could have ever imagined. What ensues is the quick building relationship between Elliana and Theo, and the potential fall-out as someone has placed a target on Elliana’s back, and Theo will call in reinforcements from the people he trusts the most.

Elliana despises Christmas, and her new neighbor has decided to decorate for our story line heroine but Theo has an ulterior motive, and getting close to Elliana means protecting the woman with whom he will fall in love.

The relationship between Theo and Elliana is slow to build. Elliana has been spying on her new neighbor for close to a year, learning nothing except his need to pose naked for her cameras. Theo Contos knows just about everything he needs to know about Elliana but when a new contract comes in to take down Elliana, Theo takes drastic measures to protect our story line heroine. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to Elliana’s business partner Weston Davis, singer Rebel Martinez, as well as Theo’s interesting and professional parents Nestor and Lorna, his sister Aileen and niece Nessa. The requisite evil has several faces.

HOW THE HITMAN STOLE CHRISTMAS can only be described as a ‘reverse’ grumpy-sunshine, holiday, romantic suspense novella with a little big of fun and lively interactions. The fast paced premise is captivating and exciting; the romance is seductive; the characters are energetic, charismatic and amusing.

But…with the introduction of several characters and couples, I did feel as though I was missing some information-that the secondary characters had already been established with backstories I missed.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy