Embers

“His mission, his entire life, changed in a single heartbeat.” I could live in this world. I mean from a safe distance on an island, but yep, this is my new home. I loved everything: the danger, assassins, the strategy, the chase, the push and pull between Harry and Asher (otherwise known as the hottest foreplay ever), the real moments between them when they decided to grudgingly trust even when they still wanted to punch each other, assassins, and the many layers of intrigue. It’s all right in my sweet spot, and I don’t want to leave.

Asher is such a sexy combo of lethal and laid-back. I laughed at the many ways he poked at Harry during their reluctantly willing partnership but applauded/cheered/swooned at how Harry reacted. Gah, Harry, what’s not to love. Protective, grumpy, lethal, secretly—deep, deep down secrets—sweet, he’s perfect. If I thought I had a sliver of a chance, I’d say he’s perfect for me but I don’t want to risk it when Asher is involved. Plus, there’s nothing that can come between these two, or their amazing love. They set my heart on fire as I watched them burn for each other. Riveting, intense, scorching hot brilliance all set in a killer world of suspense, you’ll fly through the pages as you devour it whole.

I loved it. I'm a sucker for a good assassin book. Harry & Asher broke my heart. At the bottom of it all, they were very lonely & didn't realize how much they wanted to be loved. So we have Asher who is sent to take out Harry because he has outlived his usefulness. Unbeknownst to Asher, he has a price on his head as well. So now our two MC's are on the run trying to stay one step ahead of killers & trying to take down the bad guys. The trust did not come easy, but with a common goal they learn that they can lean on each other. The love between our MC's was a long time coming. I could have lived without their initial sex scene, it was a bit too much IMO. I loved how Asher's playfulness/OTT sexual come-ons balanced out Harry's grumpiness/seriousness. This will most definitely be a book I read again. I hope it comes out on audio so I can listen to it at any time.

3.5 rounded up to 4 because overall, I really enjoyed the book.

Since this is my first book by N.R Walker, so I didn't know what to expect, so I was pleasantly surprised to find The Kite, while billed as a romance, had plenty of action and humor as well.

I am not an expert on weapons, spying, or any other part of the covert lifestyle, but I found the situations that Harry and Asher encountered mostly believable, even if a few places required just going with it. There is a lot of tension throughout the book and it really keeps you on the edge of your seat. The steamy scenes are scorching hot!
One of the downsides of having a romance book that only spans a few weeks is that there really isn't any build up of the relationship. The two MC's had prior knowledge of each other, but they didn't have any interactions, so essentially they go from zero to sixty to a hundred in no time at all. I'm a sucker for romance though, so I'm willing to concede that sometimes a situation (or a death order) drops the perfect person in your life.
Harry and Asher were both very interesting characters. They are cast as a grumpy and sunshine couple, which I do enjoy. What I liked less was the way they developed as characters together. I like when books show how relationships change individuals, but some of the changes (not the protective streak) were way too sudden. By the end of the book, I was missing some of the early individual character traits, and in my opinion, Asher was almost unrecognizable. Still, the romance is sweet and they do make a very cute, and very deadly, couple.

This was a great action-packed read with two men who become unlikely allies and then unlikely friends and lovers. I really liked both Harry and Asher, they both had sad backgrounds and the job they did only made their loneliness and isolation from meaningful relationships more obvious. When they are thrown together because their lives are both in danger there are plenty of issues for them both to work through for them to learn to trust each other.

This novel was darker and much less sweet than some of NR Walker's other novels, but I really enjoyed it and she did a great job of keeping my interest and conveying all the situations they were in, the different countries and areas they passed through and the many emotions these two heroes went through on their journey to find safety and love.

What scared me the most about the corruption situation in this novel was the thought that our governments and those in power probably are behind assassinations and manipulations throughout the world and we know nothing of this. Is this a good thing or a bad thing and who is policing those in power making those decisions?

While there was action, chaos and danger, there was also humour and plenty of chemistry between Harry and Asher which I really enjoyed. Even when they first met and didn't trust each other at all, they had respect for each other and I liked how that respect grew into something more. Once this happened there was plenty of sweetness between them.

Thanks to Netgalley and BlueHeart Press for a digital copy of this novel in return for an honest review.

The Kite is absolutely not the kind of book I would normally choose for myself. I only ever decided to give it a go because I’d recently adored Upside Down by the same author and hoped this would be the same, despite my hesitation.

I was not disappointed.

The Kite follows Harry and Asher, two assassins who end up on the run together with a hit out on them. And of course, they fall in love along the way.

This is your typical grumpy/sunshine read with a splash of enemies to lovers. Harry is grouchy and sullen and can’t stand Asher’s seemingly eternal smiles and need to talk Harry’s ear off. They’re constantly bickering and pushing each others buttons, even while fucking.

Watching these two trained killers soften for each other and learn to trust each other just absolutely melted my heart. I’m not much of a smut reader, but I can overlook the smut for an exceptionally tender romance.

This book is thrilling and fast-paced and heartfelt. If you love spy stories and steamy romances, then this is definitely the book for you.

🖤🔸🛩️𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙆𝙄𝙏𝙀 𝘽𝙔 𝙉.𝙍. 𝙒𝘼𝙇𝙆𝙀𝙍 🛩️🔸🖤

“𝙏𝙬𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨, 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚, 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙮 𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙚.”

ᴛɪᴍ “ʜᴀʀʀʏ” ʜᴀʀʀɪɢᴀɴ, ʀᴀɴ ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ ᴏᴘs ғᴏʀ ᴀᴜsᴛʀᴀʟɪᴀ, ᴀ ʟᴀᴡ ᴜɴᴛᴏ ʜɪᴍsᴇʟғ! That what his Government would have you believe.

ᴀsʜᴇʀ ɢᴀʀɪɴ, ᴡᴇʟʟ-ᴄᴏɴɴᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛ ᴀssᴀssɪɴ, ɴᴏ ᴘᴀsᴛ, ɴᴏ ʜɪsᴛᴏʀʏ, ɴᴏ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛʀʏ! He is not without loyalty though.

I absolutely loved Harry and Asher, complete opposites in temperament. One has grumpy disposition the other is a literal ball of deadly sunshine. I loved the back and forth banter and Harrys utter exasperation with Asher and their endless threats of violence and murder of eachother! 😂

“ᴛʜɪs ɢᴜʏ, ᴡʜᴏ ʜᴀᴅ ɪɴᴛᴇɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴋɪʟʟ ʜɪᴍ, ᴡʜᴏ ɪɴғᴜʀɪᴀᴛᴇᴅ ʜɪᴍ ʟɪᴋᴇ ɴᴏ ᴏɴᴇ ᴇʟsᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ʜᴀᴅ, ᴡᴀs ᴜɴᴅᴇʀ ʜɪs sᴋɪɴ. ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ғᴜᴄᴋɪɴɢ ᴛɪᴄᴋ.”

The Kite, was an against the clock non-stop action romance between A KITE whose strings have been cut “𝐆𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨 𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲.” and the Assassin sent to kill him, “𝐈𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 , 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡.” what they found was a home, a country and a future.

“𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐫? 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬?”

𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚.

I always love reading stories from N. R. Walker and this is another great one. Harry and Asher are great from the start and I just couldn't put this one down. Every turn gave a surprise. I would love to see more from them.

Thank you, Xpresso Book Tours, for allowing me to read The Kite early.

N.R. Walker, an action-packed story, grumpy versus sunshine. What could I wish for more? I thought I would devour this book in a day and love it with all my heart. Sadly, I didn’t. It definitely was a fast read, but I just didn’t connect to the characters as much as I wanted to. Therefore this was an okay read, but nothing more than that.

SO GOOD.
This was my first N.R. Walker novel, but it won't be my last.

"The Kite" is is the fluffiest, most violent book I've read in a while. It was wholly addicting, action-packed and totally endearing, with a romance that reached teeth-rotting level of cuteness.

I adored the plot! I admit, I wasn't 100% sure what was going on in the beginning, because there's so much action (gun fights, hand to hand combat, daring escapes, illegal border crossings, secret betrayals, revenge plotting? You name it.), but after a bit I managed to get the hang of what was happening on page.
And, little by little, both MCs slowly revealed themselves, along with their vulnerabilities and hidded depths and desires. I managed to utterly fall in love with them and their relationship. Harry was fabulous: a grumpy badass with a protective streak that was both endearing and sexy. And Asher? GAH, I loved him. He's bratty and infuriating and deadly and vulnerable and sweet and ugh, just lovely. I loved them together: the hate sex, the enemies-to-reluctant-allies-to-kind-of-friends-to-lovers-to-soulmates? I live for that!!! INJECT IT INTO MY VEINS, PLEASE AND THANK YOU. I loved their banter and chemistry so much. Plus, they were so cute and sweet to each other at times: my heart could not take it. I also adored the side characters (who do I need to sell my soul to for an origin story about the mysterious Four?!).

I'm glad I got the chance to read this book! It was my first N.R. Walker, but I'm already on my way to buy a few more of her books. My bank account won't be happy, but oh well.

The Kite is an action packed story with two very intriguing characters. We get two POVs, we see what's going on inside their heads, what changes and how, the moment their relationship starts meaning more than bickering, trying to kill each other and sleeping together to pass the time and blow off some steam. Harry and Asher are assasins, have been killing people for money for a very long time. Harry thinks he's doing it for his country, eliminating the bad guys but 1) he is the target now, and 2) he is saved by Asher, he himself a target and the one sent to kill him.
What starts is journey across many countries for these two men, escaping who is trying to kill them while at the same time finding proves for the reason they need to be eliminated. It's them against the world; their relationship grows to the point where if one of them gets hurt, the other will stop at nothing to save the other, burning the world if necessary.

I was glued to the pages, couldn't stop reading! This was definitely not a fluffy N.R. Walker book, yet my fluff-looking heart loved every second of it!

4.5*

This was a departure from Nic's usually light-hearted romances and I was totally down for it!

It's a fast-paced, adrenalin rush ride as two off the books black ops assassins end up working together to find out who's put a bounty on their heads.

Bouncing around the Mediterranean, North African coast and into the Middle East, the narrative takes the reader from one country to another as Harry and Asher follow leads and search for clues under the direction of a mysterious man known only as Four.

Along the way they go from uneasy allies to frenemies, to friends with benefits to lovers and then to falling in love, all while dodging bullets and the two men on their tail.

For a book which has a surprisingly large number of deaths on page, it doesn't feel particularly violent in tone, which sounds like a bit of a contradiction. But the kills aren't drawn out, it's a one line reference to someone being shot and nothing is graphically described on page.

Which is one of the reasons for why I knocked a half star off. For me it made Asher and Harry's role as assassins a little bit too good and lacking some of the tension which comes from taking a life - whether that life has been spent doing evil in the world or not.

Especially when Harry finds out that his kills in the last few years haven't been bad men at all, but people who knew too much about his handler's dirty deals. He's essentially killed three innocent men and yet there is no reaction to that news.

There's always an element of having to suspend disbelief when you're reading any kind of book that deals with special ops, black ops, behind the scenes dodgy government dealings etc, but this one didn't go too out there and make things ridiculous.

Four's ability to know everything and find Asher and Harry ways to escape from every corner they found themselves trapped in was a bit too easy, but it wasn't beyond the realms of possibility.

I did think the big climax was far too easily achieved though and I would have liked just a little bit more of a confrontation and final throw down with the bad guys.

Overall though, this was an enjoyable read and I would definitely read more of Asher and Harry - if they hadn't retired their guns and settled down to a life of domesticated bliss :D

I really wanted to love this book since it has many elements that I enjoy - rival assassins, unlikely allies, on the run, bedsharing, etc - but it never quite came together for me. I had a hard time connecting to the characters at first because they're so closed off and focused on surviving that it took a long time for them to share about their pasts and feelings. Plus the pacing and writing felt kind of choppy and that threw me off at times. I did like the progression of the relationship between Harry and Asher. Once they started getting closer I became more invested in them and the story. In the end, I did like the book but I think I would like it better as an audiobook (my brain tends to be less picky when listening to a story than reading it). If you like assassin stories and want to see some hard done by guys get even and get together, check it out!

Miss Walker changed things up and went a little bit of a different story than she usually does. While we eventually got the romance she's so good at, this was more gritty than her usual work, and the MC's were more serious and hardened by their lives, and it was mainly lust they felt for each other at first.

This book focuses on <b>Harry</b> and <b>Asher</b>, two assassins. Harry works for his government as an assassin, but Asher is an assassin who has no affiliation, a mercenary basically.

At the start of this, though, we learn that Harry has been betrayed by his handler, and he's been killing many innocent people who didn't deserve to die, in order to cover up his handler's shady dealings.

He learns of this through Asher, who saves his life after Harry is the one who has a contract put out on him as a scapegoat for his handler's criminal activity. Asher also has a hit out on him, but he also has someone who is basically the only family he has, a man he saved many years ago from being killed and who is a super genius hacker who he trusts implicitly.

So Asher already knew of the hit on him and Harry - he was even contracted himself to kill Harry, but he doesn't - and a lot of the details of why and how.

Instead of killing Harry, he saves him and takes him with him to not only be on the run from those trying to kill them, but to also find information and proof of Harry's handler's illegal dealings so they can stop those coming after them and hopefully retire from the assassin life and live a more normal life.

As they are chased all over northern Africa and into the Middle East, these two start to fall for each other, although Harry perpetually has a scowl on his face and has a wall up around him, and is determined to hate Asher even though he can't help but like him.

Asher is less severe and more talkative and outgoing than Harry, but he has his own demons and has his moments of darkness. He is an assassin too after all.

My only real niggle to this, and why I gave this .5 stars off, is mainly the transition from lust to love in this.

It felt like it happened maybe a little too fast. The way this story was going, it was feeling like it'd need at least another book to get these two a place of love. So from one minute going to Harry trying to deny any attraction to Asher and even so much as liking him - even though he couldn't help but like him - to fairly quickly being in love with him and being all in was just rushed to me, it felt like.

Now don't get me wrong, I always love how this author writes romance. She's just so good at expressing the love between her two MC's. But because this story was more gritty and dark and our MC's have never really known love and are hard asses who have a hard time letting someone in - mainly Harry, but Asher sees it as just physical at first (or he tries to think of it as just physical) before Harry changes the game - I expected it to take longer for the love to come and for them to realize it.

So that transition could have been done better. But overall, once we got the change and once these two were on that "I love you" train, it was done well.

The chemistry was so well done in this. I felt it throughout and it was very believable that these two were into each other.

Also the rough sex was very hot - as much as the time where they have slow sex - and it felt very intense either way they had sex. As this author rarely writes such sex scenes (the rough ones. Their first time with penetrative sex doesn't even use any lube or prep, nothing. How Asher loved that, I don't know, but I guess he loves the pain. He's a fan of rough sex haha.) it was fun to get those kind of scenes in this book.

It made when we got the sex that was closer to love making - that this author does more in books. Which are also great and I love that - all the better.

And of course these two eventually prevail and Harry's handler gets his. Was a tad too easy? Maybe. But also they were on the run for weeks prior and went through a lot of shit so it didn't feel too unearned and unbelievable.

If you love this author and want to get a different kind of story than what she usually writes, this is a great book to dive into.

We get assassins falling in love - always a treat - and some high stakes action that sees our MC's almost die a few times.

The plot holds up well enough - even though yeah, it could have been tighter and probably stretched out for more than one book, in my opinion - and it kept my interest throughout, wanting to see how these two would get out of it.

I highly recommend this book. It's N.R. Walker moving out of her comfort zone a little bit and worked very well.

Two massive thumbs up from me. I say definitely give this one a chance! 🥰😘😍

Thank you so much to the author and Netgalley for providing an e-arc of this. All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

This was a fun grumpy/sunshine assassin romance that definitely requires a serious amount of suspension of belief. In this, we follow two assassins are discover they have a hit out against them and work together to uncover who is behind it. All while falling in love.

This book is action packed from cover to cover. I loved how fast paced this story was and following their travels all over Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

However, this a romance. And I found the romance to be lacking. While the plot was well paced albeit mildly ridiculous (but fun!) the romance was all over the place. I didn't understand why these 2 liked each other beyond their connection through their job and trauma.

There was zero romantic build up and it almost felt like one of the characters was goading the other into intimacy. I needed more development on the romance side. It felt like we went from hate sex to love in 10 seconds with zero explanation or development.

Overall I enjoyed my time reading this. But it's been less than 24 hours and I don't remember the characters names. This isn't a story I particularly connected with and it's not likely to be one I think about again.

"By giving Asher to me, you gave me a reason to live. That was your first mistake."

Can someone erase this book from my mind so I can read it again for the first time? PLEASE?!

N.R. Walker brought a loner, grumpy, rage-y behemoth of a black ops man together with a smart, ready with a smile, well connected sunshiney independent contract assassin and made magic!

'At least you would have shielded Asher...'
"I'm actually surprised at how well we get along."
"I hate you."

For all the action, running to save their lives, investigating these two do, what they uncover and Harry learning how much he was betrayed, and there's a lot and it's so well written it was playing like a movie in my mind when I was reading, what the story left me really with was their chemistry, banter, love but most importantly the depths in which those two really connected.

"I think they've been waiting a decade for someone my height to come to town."
Just seeing Harry laughing, joking, playing, ready to lend a helping hand! This was everything!

"I just felt loved." He shook his head and began to cry. "I knew when I was here I was safe and loved. I didn't know... I didn't know what love was. [...] "It wasn't my parents. It was you who loved me."
And Asher... Dear, sweet, firey Asher finding his home, where he belonged with Harry.

Really I can't with this story! It's so hard to write a coherent review when all you want to do is hug the story and just stare into a sunset and sigh contentedly.

P.S.: SO MUCH COVER LOVE!!!

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and NetGalley that I voluntarily read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was an action packed read with a hefty dose of grumpy/sunshine murderous vibes. Asher is the sunshine, a bit of a brat, and a very good shot. Harry is almost all grump with a squishy center, a mountain of a man who goes for brute force 99% of the time. They hate each other but are better off together to survive.

I really enjoyed the parts of this story that showed how these two grew to trust one another. The bickering and antagonism made sense for two rival assassins and the way they were both closely guarded emotionally lent a genuine feel to their relationship. The latter third really carried a lot of their dynamic, especially with the tender moments and delightful revenge.

While the overarching plot was satisfying enough I suspended a lot of disbelief for elements of this read, which was a bit tiresome. However, if you read it like one watches an action movie and lean into that it’s an enjoyable romance forward ride.

ARC provided by Net Galley, all opinions are honest and my own.

This is a classic grumpy/sunshine story with an assassin boyfriends twist. And I loved it! Yes, this is a romance and the development of the romance takes center stage throughout. But the backdrop is a compelling thriller in which these two assassins work together to bring down a corrupt Australian intelligence official. For fans of the Jason Bourne franchise, this gives Bourne movie vibes, only gay and with much more romance.

This one is billed as enemies-to-lovers, and it is, but the friction between these two is playful rather than hateful. Asher is the sunshine in this grumpy/sunshine duo and his antics bring out the grump in Harry. And a grumpy Harry is, somehow, an adorable Harry without losing any of his edge.

A thing I really loved about the book is just how frequently there is only one bed. It's that one bed that, overtime, shows the reader the building trust between these two as they go from taking turns sleeping on the floor to sharing the one bed.

For fans of hurt/comfort, there is quite a bit of caretaking in the last third of the book. Walker is able to make Asher vulnerable without making him appear helpless or weak. And for all that Harry is a grump, the way he watches over Asher is a demonstration of his sincere feelings.

Sometimes authors tell us rather than shows us, but here we have the opposite. The blossoming relationship between these two is shown over time. And while both MCs have trouble saying ILY, that sentiment is demonstrated in their actions.

How a book that features on-page violence and hate sex can also be cute, I'll never know, but Walker certainly pulls it off with this one. All the stars!

The Kite is an action packed mm romance with a lovely dose of grumpy/sunshine. It felt very two against the world. Two assassins, that don’t trust or like each other much have to team up to solve a mystery and learn to work and trust someone else.

This book has some themes that I adore, assassins, grumpy/sunshine and action. It was also quite funny which is always very welcomed. But sadly I had some issues that prevented me from loving it.

*Spoilers ahead (minor plot spoilers)*

Things I loved:
- how grumpy Harry is. And how flirty Asher is. Opposites attract is catnip to me. Seeing this two very very different men learn to trust each other and slowly fall in love was lovely and at sometimes hilarious.
- Only one bed for most of the book. Enough said.
- The final “boss fight” and resolution. This was fun. And very satisfying. Seeing them be actually good at their jobs and the bad ones getting what they deserve was perfect
- The caretaking. I won’t say much more not to spoil but my heart melted.

What I didn’t enjoy as much:
- Geographical issues. They go all over the world so I understand not getting everything right. But some issues were quite noticeable especially if you know the area. Like forgetting there is a border to cross between Spain and Gibraltar.
- Harry’s naïveté. I’m sorry but an assassin that still believes that his government will for sure only make him kill “bad” people? The job is already morally grey at best.
- Four. He could do too much. One person can somehow have eyes, ears and resources everywhere in the world? I don’t care how good you are with computers but one person does not do the job of a well staffed secret service (and better!). With infinite money to boot.
- Some random sentences. Like describing physics engineering as turning physics into engineering followed by random science looking buzzwords that made no sense.

Most of my issues can be ignored so you can enjoy the book and let it take you into an adventure ride.

Fast-paced, actioned packed, assassins-to-lovers read.

It was like reading an MM Jason Bourne. Lots of action, lots of running around different locations, with plenty of conspiracy, hidden truths, and danger.

I really enjoyed how quickly this book moved. I feel like some authors can get caught up in exposition and that slows a story like this down to a snail's pace which can also slow down my interest. But, NR Walker nailed with, she was descriptive enough to make sure the reader could almost see exactly where her guys are, and managed to keep the story exciting and moving along.

Harry and Asher were delightful. Dangerous, badass, and kinda sweet. I liked how they both felt real, I could imagine them in the world. Being the best at they do, but also knowing they were also reaching a turning point in their lives. That they wanted more in life but not sure how or if it is even possible.

A very entertaining and gritty read from start to finish.

3.5* Very readable, but I didn't ever feel as if there was real danger around.

This is a tale that's very readable, as is pretty much everything that this author does. It is fast paced and it reminds me very much of the Exit Strategy tales by Jocelynne Drake and the Hitman vs Hitman series by LA Witt and Cari Z, where I can almost visualise the tale playing out on a small screen. But, I also get the feeling, as with the series I mentioned, that you're meant to suspend disbelief to be able to go with the plot, because it delves but doesn't really dig into the world of elite hitmen. These guys did not at all feel like hardened assassins; they trusted each other far too much and far too easily, without enough proof that professionals would want, which is where suspension of disbelief first came in. That's not knocking the tale, because going on the run together had to happen to give rise to the tale, but as mentioned in the title of the review, I didn't ever really feel as if the leads were in mortal danger, despite the mention of the dual hit, the people after them, the killings that seemed to be dumbed down a bit. I think I'd have liked more of a feel of a thriller, of mortal danger, a bit more gore and that feel of action going bam! bam! bam!, which the tale didn't really allow for. There weren't even any physical fights, because Harry was too trigger happy, which Asher actually commented on.

The storyline that NRW wove in as the reason for the guys being taken out, was believable and as usual, she's researched things to make locales/persons/food, etc. sound believable. I'd have liked to see a bit more of the leads speaking local languages, as we're told they're both multilingual, but that doesn't really happen, and that detracted from the believability. Sorry for the multiple use of believable and its variations but there was a feeling that things were being skimmed a little at times. A bit lite, if you'll pardon the misspelling.

But, there is a storyline and the leads spend a fair bit of time together during their escape, though I didn't see their attraction to each other as much as I have in most of her other leads. I can't quite explain it, but there wasn't that visceral attraction that kind of feels implied with this type of tale, where one tough guy falls for another. Actually, it felt a bit as if Harry was railroaded into being with Asher via the latter's flirting and manner, and I'm not sure I believed the sex scenes; there's a reason for this, but it'd be spoilering quite a bit if I went into detail. Also, Harry being described as 3 foot wide and about 6'3 tall, made me wonder how he could be an assassin, as there's no disguising him and he looked so out of place in all the locales they were in, that he stood out like a sore thumb, and yet he didn't stay out of view. At times, yes, he was in the car whilst Asher went into stores, but with someone as physically standout as he was, he was just a bit too conspicuous and noticed and his actions weren't typically those of an assassin. There was no stealth and not much 'under the cover of darkness' here. He certainly did not blend into any background that featured in this tale and there was no attempt to conceal him.

But, the tale worked. Like I said, you have to go with the flow here and it's a bit how James Bond films work - there's an expectation, there's the pace of events, there's the killer/s working taking out bad people - or is there? Something is revealed about Harry's past that I thought would have him full of remorse and struggling to come to terms with his actions, and that he didn't, made him seem less to me. I didn't dislike him, but to discover that what you've based your career on, the premise by which you've worked, isn't what you've been told, and to not have much regret or to not personally make reparation, makes you a bit less lead material than I'd hope for. I don't think that was portraying him as a hardened assassin, but it felt like an omission of sorts or skimming. I mean, even James Bond has a conscience and rights stuff in his own way, but here...

The HEA is sweet but didn't feel believable. I won't spoiler, but it just didn't segue.