The Hitman's Guide to Tying the Knot Without Getting Shot - Alice Winters

Title: The Hitman's Guide to Tying the Knot Without Getting Shot (The Hitman's Guide #3)
Author: Alice Winters
Genre: LGBTQ+, suspense
Rating: 4/5
# pages: Audiobook ~9.5hrs
Date read: May, 2021

Leland
Is a nice little wedding with Blow-up Randy and Jackson My Love too much to ask for? Clearly, because someone’s trying to kill one of us… again. Generally, this would be my thing and I would jump right in singing my murder song, but they want Jackson dead and I will do anything (and I mean anything) to keep him alive—including and not limited to: ten Dobermans, bulletproof glass, and dragging Cassel in with the promise of more Jerebear. These people have no idea what they’ve done targeting the man I love because I’m coming after them. But when it feels like everything might be lost, I start to understand that I have a family now who will stand by my side and do everything they can to make sure we end this on our terms.

Jackson
When someone attacks me, it’s clear they want something from me. The issue is that I have no idea who they are or what they’re after. And if I don’t figure it out soon, I’m afraid Leland is going to smother me with his overprotectiveness (or put me in a bubble at the top of a tower). The issue is that time is ticking and with the price tag on my head, there’s no telling who is coming for me or when. Together, Leland and I have to decipher who is telling the truth in this game of life or death because I have plans to marry the man of my dreams and no one is going to stop me—especially with Leland by my side.


Just as amusing and charming as I have come to expect from this series. I love how all the characters (Henry and Castle included) so obviously care for each other, even if they will occasionally go to great lengths to hide it. The wedding was adorable, just as I thought it would be :-D

This marks the end of this series (at least as far as I can tell) - I'll have to check out some of Alice Winters' other books.

Over the Woodward Wall - A. Deborah Baker

Title: Over the Woodward Wall
Author: A. Deborah Baker (aka Seanan McGuire)
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 2.5/5
# pages: 204
Date read: May, 2021

Avery is an exceptional child. Everything he does is precise, from the way he washes his face in the morning, to the way he completes his homework – without complaint, without fuss, without prompt.

Zib is also an exceptional child, because all children are, in their own way. But where everything Avery does and is can be measured, nothing Zib does can possibly be predicted, except for the fact that she can always be relied upon to be unpredictable.

They live on the same street.
They live in different worlds.

On an unplanned detour from home to school one morning, Avery and Zib find themselves climbing over a stone wall into the Up and Under – an impossible land filled with mystery, adventure and the strangest creatures.

And they must find themselves and each other if they are to also find their way out and back to their own lives.


Unfortunately I wasn't too impressed. It was okay, but even though it had no proper resolution, I don't actually think I'll read more of this series. I can't put a finger on what was wrong with it, because it was well-written, and I liked the characters alright - it just wasn't for me.

In style, it was very "absurd fairytale" - reminiscent of "Alice in Wonderland" more than anything else. (Which also happens to be one of the few cases, where I like the movie better than the book).

Her Second Chance Billionaire Sweetheart - Bree Livingston

Title: Her Second Chance Billionaire Sweetheart
Author: Bree Livingston
Genre: Chick-lit
Rating: 3/5
# pages: Audiobook ~6hrs
Date read: May, 2021

Ten years ago, Grayson Matthews’ heart was set on marrying the love of his life, Emma Lane. But when her father refused, forcing him to leave his small hometown of Newton, Kansas, Grayson vowed never to return. Now his grandfather has become ill, and Grayson has no choice but to go back and face the fallout.

Emma Lane never understood what caused her high school sweetheart to leave without a word. Now, Grayson has come back, and he’s still as tight-lipped as ever. She wants nothing more than to hate him, but her curiosity—and some meddling by her sister—has her on a mission to find out why he left. She’ll get answers, even if it means putting her heart on the line.

I loved the first book in this series, but while this second one was still cute, it didn't have that extra something (okay, okay - a cruise!) to make it stand above and beyond most other chick-lits, so I don't if I'll continue on with the third book in the series. The three books can be read independently of each other as there's very, very little overlap.

That said, it was still cute. I really liked both Grayson and Emma, and enjoyed Emma's sister being so very big-sisterly to both of them. I liked that the "mystery" of Grayson's leaving wasn't left a mystery to the reader for long, and that Grayson actually decided to confide in somebody... even if that 'somebody' wasn't the person it ought to have been. I also liked that Emma's father wasn't the villain he was made out to be, and ended up accepting Grayson for other reasons than just because he'd ended up making something out of himself.

As romances go, it's a dime a dozen, but it was still a good comfort read... even if it couldn't quite live up to the expectations set by the first one.