I love the premise of this book, and I'm pleased to say that the story itself lives up to the promise of the captivating premise. This is a quick read, and I enjoyed it so much that I was wishing the book had been longer; that's very unusual for me because I love quick reads. Katie Reus has scored a homerun with this new series. I can't wait for the next one (I'm assuming there will be a next one and will be sad if not).

What a great, quick and easy read this book is. Action packed, Christmas themed, entertaining and fun. It is a holiday suspense with romance and intrigue. It moved quickly but I had no problem keeping up.

An enjoyable, entertaining read that I think would have made a great full length novel with the addition of more information and more backstory, etc. But I still enjoyed it and had some fun with it.

Thank you NetGalley and KR Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

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 bit 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 couple, I did feel as though I was missing some information-that the secondary characters had already been established with backstories I missed.



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The dedication for this book is "to all my fellow weirdos. Keep being you" I knew after reading that this book would be an odd one. Straight into chapter 1 we meet Elliana, a retired military explosives expert, who's current hobby is drone stalking her hot across the street Neighbor whoes name she has yet to learn. Well no judgement here because, this is totally me 100% I relate. But, then it turns out her hot neighbor (whoes name is actually Theo) KNOWS she's watching him and they actually just have this odd voyeurism thing happening? I mean kind of odd... but okay. Upon finally meeting Elliana learns this hot neighbor is actually a hitman... and the real action unpacks. This was a very fast paced book that took you from 0 to 100 faster then a Nascar driver trying to win a race. I actually can't 100% determine my feelings for this one. This was full on insta-love (which isn't really my cup of tea) overall I'd say this was about a 3/5 stars on my scale, I most likely will not read it again but, it was a nice pallete cleanser between some of my heavier recent reads, and it definitely kept me entertained. I would reccomend this to someone looking for a book that doesn't take itself to seriously, and overall I enjoyed it .. I think?

Thank you to the publisher and author for giving me the opportunity to read this as an ARC in exchange for an honest review 😄

I received an arc from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
This was a short story that had a lot of action packed themes and an unusual romance that started out in a very unlikely way.
Fast read but a good one!

I expected that the book would start or with how the two of the main characters met and go into their year of flirting from a distance, which was the main reason why in the beginning I found it hard to get into the book. I did see that in the beginning there were two pages which were talking about how the story started and a little bit of background information that was mentioned back to as it was the main reason why the two of them got together in the first place but there were very vague details that were mentioned.

The whole book was well written but it went from 0 to 100% very quickly and brushed over a lot of what I expected the plot to be. There was also a lot of plot lines which were overlooked as a whole and relationships which were built on ‘you will be around so we have to like you’ which I didn’t like because I wished there was more around it and I wish I could get to know a lot of the characters more then you were allowed.

With that being said, the book was well written and the story was unique despite there being many similar ones around. Also the fact that the two main characters were very realistic despite the storyline sometimes being quick to jump from one point to another. The spice was also very realistic and not overly descriptive whilst still allowing you to see the full picture.

How the Hitman Stole Christmas was a fun, palate cleanser of a romance read for me. It had insta-love (which isn’t for me but was still entertaining), banter, grumpy-sunshine vibes that made this an overall cute read. Elliana is a military explosives expert who has been spying on her neighbor whose name she doesn’t know, until one day she learns his name and that he is a hitman. Theo is Ellie’s neighbor and was born into a family of hitmen who are very protective of their friends and family. When he finds out Ellie needs protection, he jumps in to save the day.
I felt as though this story moved a bit too quickly, though I did enjoy the banter and found it to be an entertaining read.
Thank you to Netgalley and KR Press for the opportunity to read this one in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was spicy, fun and fast. The whole book from start to finish was a whirlwind. I wouldn’t exactly call this a Christmas story, just that it took place during the month of December. The two main characters had a little bit of awkward chemistry when you first meet them, but it plays out well. The family and friends are a fun mix but it’s quite a lot of characters for such a short book. Excited to see how the rest of the series plays out!

How The Hitman Stole Christmas by Katie Reus

A fun, holiday, romantic suspense. It was an easy fast read at about 166 pages.

Eliana is an ex marine, explosive expert that is grumpy and hates Christmas. She has been stalking her neighbor for over a year using her drone. Theo is agorgeous, sunshine man who loves decorating for the holidays. He knows she has been watching him and decides to turn up the heat by doing a sexy striptease when he knows she is watching. She decides to go next-door and give him a Christmas gift of his favorite cookies and coffee as a way to meet him. She wasn’t expecting the bruised tied up man in his house or the fact that he is a hitman. He only kills bad people so she is surprisingly okay wit it. When Theo learns a hit has been taken out on her, he kidnaps her to keep her safe until he finds out who put the hit out.

A funny, short holiday read that I really enjoyed! It was full of banter that had me laughing. I liked the reverse sunshine trope. The characters were great and I love Theo’s family. I highly recommend for the holiday season!

4.5 stars.

I absolutely loved this book. It's hilarious. It's perfect if you are in a funk and need something to cheer you up.
The characters are quite insane and I adore the casual violence. (No, I am not screwed in the head)
The vibe of the book kind of reminded me of the movie Red starring Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Karl Urban and Mary-Louise Parker.

You don't need to use your brain. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Definitely going in my re-read pile for when I feel down in the future.

4.5 Stars

Christmas hater and apparent voyeur, Elliana Reed should feel bad about watching her irresistible neighbor, but he seems to enjoy her attention just as much as she enjoys giving it! Until the day that Elliana decides its time to meet Theo Contos for real... and he kidnaps her!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How the Hitman Stole Christmas was a quick and steamy read, set during the Christmas holidays! Elliana and Theo share an uncommon attraction, but when he kidnaps her, will their relationship be over before it ever really began?

Elliana is retired from the military and a current explosives expert. But all her years in her career couldn't prepare her for meeting Theo. He's gorgeous, addictive... and a hitman?

Theo may kill people for a living, but they all definitely deserved it. And when it comes to Elliana, all Theo wants is to protect her, and keep her close... even if he has to kidnap her to do it! Because the woman he can't stop thinking about is suddenly in very real danger...

This book was an extremely fun read! Elliana and Theo fell in love adorably fast, even though their relationship is anything but conventional. This book was so entertaining, and I loved Theo's and supportive and hilarious family, and Elliana's friends who are her family!

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest and unbiased review.

This one is hilarious and deliciously sexy! Theo is my favorite character this author has written and that's saying a lot! And Elliana is his perfect match. There's just the right amount of suspense. A perfect holiday read.

A fun and fast paced read. I like how it is told from both points of view. Looking forward to more books from this author.

How the Hitman Stole Christmas is a different take on a Christmas holiday romance. By Katie Reus s is filled with suspense, danger, intrigue all mixed in with a heavy dose of love make for a unique story for this time of year. From the title, it sounds as if it would be a dark tale but it is actually not at all. What it is a story of grumpy and sunshine though together when ex-marine, explosive expert, Elliana is suddenly in danger and neighbor Theo, currently a hitman decides to protect her.

So while it might not be a Hallmark Christmas movie type of story, it is definitely an amusing entertaining story that would fit on the small screen or the big screen for that matter. If you are looking for a different Christmas tale this year, be sure to read How the Hitman Stole Christmas.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was fun, steamy, fast-paced and I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.

I loved Elliana and Theo's quirky relationship so much and enjoyed every minute of their story. Theo was so hilarious! I'm so excited that there will be more hitman books. I especially can't wait to read Aileen and Dante's story!

Elliana has been watching her gorgeous neighbor for months. When she finally decides to go next door and introduce herself, she stumbles across his not so little secret.

How the Hitman Stole Christmas romantic suspense novella. While it is on the shorter side, it's full of plenty of spice and feisty banter. It is a stand-alone.

These MCs have full-on “instalust” for each other. They’re into each other before they even meet but as soon as they do sparks fly. Theo’s family is unexpectedly delightful and I feel like some of them could definitely be developed into stories of their own. There’s a good balance between romance and suspense.

This is the first book that I have read from author Katie Reus but it won’t be the last.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and KR Press, LLC!

Great start to the holiday season with this little gem. Elliana and Theo are a delight. Brought together unceremoniously, action and suspense. Choose this story to start the holidays. Hea.

This has got to be my favourite Katie Reus book so far as Elliana drone stalks her mysterious new neighbour Theo, in this reverse grumpy/sunshine romcom/suspense story. Elliana hates Christmas but she saw a way to use it as an ‘in’ with her neighbour. I mean who's going to refuse coffee and cookies plus he had been putting on a performance for her peeping Thomasina tendencies so that’s basically an invitation, right? She just didn’t expect to interrupt him in the middle of working. Who would’ve thought a hitman would bring work home anyway! But he only kills people who deserve it so it’s all good. Their lives collide when someone puts a hit out on Elliana, leaving Theo with no option but to kidnap her to keep her safe. Now all they have to do is evade an unknown assassin while tracking down whoever was behind the contract…. and along the way Theo has to persuade the christmas grinch that is Elliana to wear a festive jumper for her friends' party and all without her killing him.

A fantastic hero who’ll literally kill for his woman, a feisty heroine who hates Christmas, sizzling chemistry, deliciously wicked banter and a fabulous cast of secondary characters who leave me hopeful that this is the start of a new series and what’s not to love about this book. To me How the Hitman Stole Christmas is what you would get if Hallmark did their version of Die Hard. Definitely a well-deserved five star read for me.

I am always a sucker for Katie Reus. Before you get into it, definitely be aware it is a novella. Which means it is fast-paced and to the point. I thought it was a really fun, enjoyable, and quick read. Elliana is as tough as they come and she has been observing (read that as spying on him while changing) her very attractive neighbor. When she decides that she would like to stop looking at him from afar and get a close up look, Elliana walks right into a situation. Theo is a hitman and she walks in right after he has carried out a hit.

The two of them are hilarious with their banter and their chemistry is definitely heated. Things only escalate as a hit has been put out on Elliana and Theo decides the best way to keep her safe is if he kidnaps her while they try to figure out what is going on. Even Katie Reus's full-length novels don't take me long to devour, so this one went really fast being a novella. There were plenty of major plot events happening and characters to get to know. I'm hoping that we will see more of the characters in future novels.

Usually, I feel like her novellas are directly related to a bigger series. While all of the plot points were resolved within this novella, there is definitely enough going on to have at least one full-length novels. So I'm going to sit back, wait, and hope that we will see more of the characters mentioned here!