A mostly okay read. It's a bit short and feels like some things could have been elaborated on a little more.

Damn! Kat Cassidy spares nothing in Night Moves, a raw and gritty romance. Peter and Nico have horrible pasts, and are brought together, ultimately helping each other.
James is a tyrant and some of the scenes are heart-wrenching.
Nico's past is just sad, and his struggles to move on aren't easily overcome.

This book contains abuse, murder, car thiefs, and family issues. But in between, you'll get some bits of romance. It's about addiction, and so much more.

I definitely want to read the next book.

I finished this short book (116 pages) in one sitting and while I can't say I absolutely loved the plot, it has stuck with me and upon reflection, I want to read more about these characters.

Peter is a career car thief with a psychopath for a father ("Patience was how he'd built everything, knowing when to lie in wait. Pragmatic brutality had gotten him the rest of the way") and a sister Olivia who may or may not be much better. We get their story in the present time, interspersed with a series of flashbacks that are at times horrifying and Kat Cassidy crafts memorable characters in a short number of pages. There is the beginning of a possible something between gorgeous Greek mechanic Nikos Patrakis and Peter ... but Nikos has a lot of baggage of this own and Peter has been brutalized and demoralized by a lifetime with his father and needs to realize that he is not broken.

For such a short novella, this story packs a lot of punches and the ending gives us many threads for additional book(s) with Olivia going out on her own ("None of us are getting out of this fucking family alive unless we play this smart") as Peter confronts demons of his own and Nikos copes with a huge loss and tries to start over. It's gritty and depressing at times, but there's something about this plot and the characters that just draws you in, and I'm looking forward to reading the second book in the series, "Backstreets." 4 stars.

Peter Bauer has been in fear of his gangster father his whole life, he believes hes worthless at everything except stealing cars. This time he’s gone for the wrong one. Meanwhile he’s thrown together with talented mechanic Nikos Petrakis who gives him hope. I really loved this story and was willing them through the gritty reality of their lives. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was not sure I was going to like this book, but I just finished it really pleased with the experience. The blurb is more glib than the story really is, although there are some funny moments. But Peter is definitely sympathetic. Nothing about his life is simple or easy, but I so needed him to get to where he could be okay that the last half of the book flew by.

It does need a Content Warning for on-page child abuse of the main character, as some readers could legitimately be triggered by it.

This book had me intrigued by the synopsis and I couldn’t wait to read it. It’s the first book in the Hot Wire Series and does a great job introducing many characters along with their backgrounds and what makes them tick.

“...he loved the rush, the getaway, the come down.”

There are parts that will break your heart, frustrate you, make you laugh and give you hope. Characters relationships, loyalties and betrayals are still developing and getting exposed. I’m hoping for more in depth meaningful moments in later books in the series.

Such a fun, sweet debut from author Kat Cassidy!

I've never been much of a romance reader, but this one had all the elements that I love in a book-- a lovable yet flawed protagonist, well developed side characters, and smart humour peppered throughout. The flashbacks to Peter and Olivia's childhoods in particular were a highlight for me-- my heart broke for them over and over.

Also, strangely, I learned a lot about cars? Who knew. Guess I just needed a couple of fictional hunks to pique my interest.

I can't wait for the next book by this author, she has a promising career ahead of her!

2.5* This book had too many ingredients in it, and not enough blending. Too rushed and skipped.

This isn't an awful read, but for me it wasn't believable as the author stuck in too many different tangents and didn't elaborate on them enough, and at the end of the book, hadn't meshed them enough. It felt as if she hadn't done her homework, but had simply heard of terms such as hotwiring, money laundering and demi-sexual or bisexual and had included them, without really going there. She dropped stuff in, didn't explore them and then rushed the finish entirely unsatisfyingly.

It's not as easy as it's made out to launder money, which I can state for a fact, due to the profession that I've been in for 31yrs and counting. There's no way Liv wouldn't have been connected via ISPs and tracing, so I didn't buy that part of the tale, deal or no deal with the cops. And, there's basically nothing about hotwiring that happens in this tale. Yes, there's mention of some cars being boosted, but too much time and effort is spent on minor, unnecessary characters such as the Bruces and the other various crime families who get name-dropped but who amount to nothing in the tale.

As to the relationship between Nik and Peter? For me it was a non-starter. There wasn't any honesty between them from the start, and the way in which Nik was portrayed as a Greek immigrant didn't ring true. I live in a part of London that's full of Greeks, Greek Cypriots and Turks and Turkish Cypriots, and the way the author's written Nik makes him sound archaic and somewhat of a throwback to a generation more in line with his mother or even grandparents. He was not at all believable, and the so-called romance with Nik didn't ring true at all. If Nik was as traditionally Greek as the author made out, I'm pretty sure he'd have struggled with being demi or bi, but the issue wasn't addressed at all, nor was a future with Peter.

Peter as a lead was utterly lacklustre and lacking in a backbone. There's no mention of exactly how old he is, but I'm thinking mid-20s, by which time he should have grown a pair, or at least been plotting his way out. There was nothing interesting or compelling about him and I struggled to find anything redeeming about him. Even Erik, a bs'tard of a character, was more interesting.

The tale ends in a non-ending way, with mention of more of Nik and Peter to come. I think I'll stop here. I think the author needs a good team of betas and an editor that's not associated with her, as too often, friends and family can't be distant enough to critique as needed.

ARC courtesy of the author and NetGalley.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Peter has lived a life of crime since he first learned to steal a car at the age of 12. Surrounded by morally dark grey individuals, as well as an abusive father, he's hit a multitude of low points in his life, but with the help of his twin sister, manages to survive. Barely. After car mechanic Nikos is forced into his father's business, however, things somehow become even more complicated than ever before.

While perhaps not exactly what I was anticipating, Night Moves was an entertaining read, and a good start to a series. By the end of the story, I was invested in Peter's character, and was totally rooting for him. However, I do wish the romance aspect of this story was a bit more slow paced, as it's only the beginning of the series. So far, the relationship between Nikos and Peter seems too superficial, and I definitely wish they took more time to develop a relationship. Despite this, I do think the future installment will take more time to build on their relationship.

In addition, I loved the brief interludes the author chose to include, giving us insight into other character's lives. It really helped me connect with characters I wouldn't normally like, and also intensified my dislike for the villain, which is always a plus.

Overall, Night Moves was a quick and entertaining read with a compelling main character, and I look forward to the next book in the series.

3.5/5