I had high hopes for Heartbreak for Hire, in part because workplace enemies-to-lovers romcoms are a favorite category of mine. Don't be fooled by the cover art or jacket copy -- this is far from a workplace romance despite the fact that the hero and heroine work together briefly. That workplace is a big part of the problem with this novel; "Heartbreak 4 Hire" (or "H4H" as it's referred to in-text) is a strange and mean-spirited concept that toes the line of entrapment under the guise of giving "bad men" their due. "In the world at large," Brinkley explains, "men still had the upper hand, and in our own twisted way, we considered what we did an evening of the odds." There's just... so much wrong with this. Margo, H4H's founder, is more ambiguous than enigmatic, and her claim to be helping her four female employees (all victims of misogyny in various forms) overcome their past traumas is the weakest weak sauce. Our main character, Brinkley, has reservations about her work at H4H, but even her glimmers of guilty conscience can't save her from the distasteful association.

Brinkley herself suffers the same ambiguity as her boss. She's an artist -- a painter -- but her dream is to open a gallery. To start, gallery ownership and curation are entirely separate disciplines from making art. We never see Brinkley interact with her local art scene, visit a museum, participate in the art community in any way. So... why is she opening a gallery? 

Brinkley's foil, Mark, is similarly vague. He's a reluctant academic because of his loyalty to an already-dead character whose presence is only noted in a single scene. He longs to teach middle school and run a metal-detecting club for children, since patience and disappointment are ideal qualities to introduce during after-school activities. Mark is miraculously ripped and a sexual wonder, but don't worry -- he wears sweater vests, so he fits right in at the university. 

The writing is spare and oddly paced, with a penchant for casual hyperbole (did it really take Brinkley an HOUR to put her hair in a bun? Does Mark really smell like "rain and moonlight"?). There was a pervasively perfunctory feeling to the prose... not much joy in the writing.

Overall, this was a miss for me. If feminism is about justice, H4H is a perversion of the desire for equality. The characters were thinly drawn and largely unlikeable. I never cared whether or not Brinkley and Mark got together, which seems the most basic emotional investment readers should make in a romance.

Heartbreak for Hire is a quirky romcom that has laugh out loud moments. The plot is like the opposite of Hitch (the movie) and it was fun to see Brinkley and Mark go on their revenge assignments.  There were some moments that I wished were explored a little more to see Brinkley and Mark's relationship outside of work. Overall, it was certainly an enjoyable and escapist read!

A unique premise, a steamy romance, and a fierce female lead overcoming the garbage the world has thrown at her? Of course, it's a a Sonia Hartl novel! Hartl's first adult romance is engaging and funny, and my only complaint is that some of the secondary characters weren't given as much time on the page as I would have liked. More friendship to go with the excellently developed romance!

A fresh and fun read! Hartl's debut into adult romance feels very much like a grown up version of her YA books: feminist, fun, and fierce.

This was a fun book to read. The twists and turns in the plot were great to keep me buried in the book, I really enjoyed the author's writing styles, and you cannot help but love the characters. I don't want to spoil anything, but I absolutely loved the ending!!

Realistic fiction. Brinkley's heart was broken, but she was "saved" by her current boss (and now works) at Heartbreak for Hire. It's here that Brinkley feels that she can help other women who have also been mistreated by the male species. And then there's her mother who just cannot understand why art, instead of academia, is so important to Brinkley. And then Brinkley meets Mark. Wow! Her life just got even more complicated... what's a girl to do?!

I enjoyed Heartbreak for Hire, liked the concept and was giggling over the banter and back and forth of B and M’s relationship. Was a quick enjoyable read.

A delightfully witty romcom, Heartbreak for Hire leaves a reader smiling from beginning to end. With believable characters and a plot that leaves one guessing, this is a book worth adding to your shelf. 

Main character Brinkley Saunders appears to have it all - beauty, brains and a job that she enjoys. Or so it seems. Everything is going well until she meets Markus Cavanaugh, who just happens to be her latest target. Suddenly what looks like a perfect life begins to show cracks. As things begin to unravel, the author takes her readers into the middle of a colorful mess full of interesting situations, people and memorable moments.  

At times laugh-out-loud funny and at others sweetly poignant, this is a love story that is as much about learning to love yourself as it is about finding the right person. Overall, it left this reader enjoying the ending and wondering about a possible happy ending for the other characters in the future.

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this one! 
I was pretty excited about it based off nothing but the cover and the description that the dude wears a lot of "criminally sexy sweater vests". Like, hello, sign me right up please. 
But I don't know, this book felt a little mean spirited. 
Brinkley didn't feel like an entirely formed character to me, and the concept of H4H didn't make a bunch of sense. Namely she's not _actually_ breaking hearts, just humiliating dudes, and also how on earth does she explain this high paying under the table job on her taxes? Charlie's Angels but for revenge is a weird concept!
She felt like a bummer. And obviously that dude her mom was trying to hide from was her dad. She's not very observant for someone who is supposed to be super observant and read people for her job.
Mark was ok! I wanted more of a nerdy vibe instead of secretly hot, super good at sex dude. 

Bits were steamy, which is good, but it couldn't entirely save it for me, which is why it's 3 stars.

Heartbreak For Hire had such a compelling story! After being dumped by her cheating ex, Brinkley starting working for a company who brought down bad men. This isn’t Brinkley’s passion though, she dreams of opening her own gallery full of her own art, she just hasn’t worked up the courage to do so. Enter Mark, who pushes her to be herself all while facing the same thing in his life. This is a love story but also a story about finding yourself and deciding what you truly want. Not to mention, there was SO MUCH good chemistry between the couple in this book.