This was an Okay rom com - I enjoyed it, but it wont stay with me longterm. I just found it to be a bit repetitive.

A sweet story and one that I'm glad I read, but likely won't remember long term.

A young, naive journalist travels to Italy to interview a rebellious artist in attempts to save her job. Sparks fly while the two spend time together in a beautiful Italian villa.

This was a quick, sweet romance. At times it felt a little reductive, but at only 250 pages, a lot can be overlooked. It was just fine, but won’t stick in my mind as I move on to the next book.

3,5

I wouldn't say this is a forbidden relationship, the blurb gave me the wrong impression and the marketing should reflect what the book is really about because there are good ideas here. I liked how Xander took Jess out of her cage. She let failed relationships with men and her mother take control of her life, but by opening up to Xander, she ended up being used by him. This was clever because I was expecting the opposite. However, the plot moves very quickly, which hurts the characters's development a bit. I also would suggest that Jess's boss should have a bigger role, so the way she talked to Jess about relaxing more wouldn't seem invasive.

I wouldn't mind an epilogue, just to make sure the couple is still together and that they helped each other in the long run. The epilogue could be Jess interviewing Xander, and talking about his last exhibition and what he was planning to do next. This is my first book by the author, and she made me feel the angst, so I would still read other romances by her, and keep her novelas, like this one, for when I need a quick read to escape the real world.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the eARC!

This was an okay romance - it got a bit repetitive in places, but the premise was good. I do think a trigger warning for previous eating disorders and current disordered eating would have been helpful. It's an integral part of the story because one of the character's mental health and insecurities (not to mention the third-act tension) are based around body dysmorphia. I'm not sure I would have picked this book up if I had known.

I thought both characters were interesting, but I do wish we had gotten to know them a bit more - the book could have benefited from being slightly longer. It currently is less than 200 pages, so there's definitely room for it to have been expanded.

With that being said, it's a mostly cute read, pretty quick, and spicy. So if disordered eating isn't a trigger for you, I'd say definitely give this story a chance!

Here Comes Trouble is a fun, flirty romance that brings together opposites in a classic bad-boy-meets-good-girl dynamic. Journalist Jess is determined to keep her life in order, but when she’s assigned to cover a scandal-prone troublemaker, sparks fly, and chaos ensues.

I really enjoyed the playful banter and humor woven throughout the story. The chemistry between the leads was engaging, and their push-and-pull dynamic kept things interesting. However, the plot felt predictable at times, following familiar romance beats without too many surprises. I also wished for a bit more depth in character development to make the emotional stakes hit harder.

Overall, this is an entertaining, lighthearted read perfect for fans of opposites-attract romances with plenty of charm.

⭐⭐⭐⭐️ | 💘 Opposites Attract | 😆 Witty Banter | 🔥 Fun & Flirty

A quick, emotional read with some heavy themes.
The romance moves fast, and while the chemistry is strong, the story could have used more depth and buildup. Some aspects felt underdeveloped, especially the characters' professions and conflicts. Xander's actions were frustrating at times, making it harder to root for him. Despite this, the writing was engaging, and Jess's journey was compelling. A good read that left me wanting more.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an ARC in return for an honest review.
I REALLY wanted to love this book and the premise was good but it’s not long enough. The romance goes from 0 to 100 in what feels like the speed of light which meant I struggled to connect with the characters on any level. Although it’s a very easy quick read.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7306269544

A quick read with some sensitive topics throughout. It’s not a lighthearted romance like I expected, there’s definitely a side of trigger warnings.

'Here Comes Trouble' reads more as a novella, with lots of spicy tension, as well as a focus on deeper themes and the characters' battles with their mental health. Our main characters are journalist Jess and her subject Xander. Instead of breaking the truth out of him for her own article, Jess finds herself stepping out of her comfort zone, with Xander determined to show her her worth. They each end up making the other feel alive and find the purpose they had been lacking in life.

For the shorter length of this novel, I found the pacing to be quite good. Although the plot advanced well, I do think the main part of the plot - besides the fact that this is a romance novel - was neglected. The whole reason Jess and Xander connected was due to her trying to save her job by writing an article about him. However, though they certainly had lots of meaningful and heartwarming conversations, Jess rarely spent any time taking notes while listening to him or drafting her piece. Additionally, it was quite a while into the novel before Xander began the portrait of her that they'd initially agreed he would do in exchange for her writing the article. I think there could have been more included of the journalism and artist aspect.

I also wondered about the repercussions of Jess sleeping with a client, but this didn't seem to be something she was anxious about. I personally feel that maybe their job roles could have been different than what they were, so the reader wouldn't need to question this.

Jess was a great character. I was rooting for her so much to find her confidence amidst all her anxiety and self-doubt. Jess considers herself to be unremarkable and is closed off even to herself, whereas Xander feels wild and invigorating to her.

Xander is the 'bad boy' love interest and a heartbreaker, unable to find a woman that captures his interest long enough not to cast them aside. With a myriad of past love affairs behind him, he despises commitment and loves his freedom. However, there is something intriguing about Jess to him, and he finds himself determined to break her out of her shell and discover the spirit locked up inside her.

I find the 'misunderstood bad boy' trope a tricky one to navigate, and I have difficulty falling for male love interests who have a history of treating women horribly. It's just not attractive to me. It was good to see Xander wanting to redeem himself with Jess. However, he continued to have some pretty bad behaviour throughout the book.

With Jess' eating disorder at the heart of her insecurities, I found it difficult to be on Xander's side during the 'conflict' of this novel; when Jess discovers he's been using her as a subject on a much more intimate level than she expected, especially knowing his intent to broadcast these pieces to the world. As an ED sufferer myself, I found it much too inconsiderate of Xander - although his intentions were good - to have not discussed it with Jess first. The toxicity of his characters' reaction to her pain made me dislike him, which doesn't bode well for a romance novel.

This negative aspect does outshine my initial praise for the chemistry and the really well written intimacy scenes they shared together. However, as it's my own personal experience that affected my enjoyment of the book, I chose not to knock a star off my rating of four stars, as I did like this novel overall, and enjoyed the authors writing style.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this!

*I received this book as an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) for free in exchange for an honest review*

This isn’t a bad story, but it definitely needs to be longer. The romance went from 0-60 with little to no buildup in between. There is a lot that gets shoved into very few pages, and the ending is rushed and inconclusive. It’s not bad for the quick read that it is, but I’ve also read better short stories than this. 2.5 stars, rounded down for dissatisfaction.

•𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.•

Overall this was a fun, lighthearted romance. Jess and Xander were both very likeable characters and had great chemistry. I also really enjoyed that Xander was an artist. It was a nice change as I feel like I haven’t read or heard of many romance books where the character is a visual artist as a profession.

I also loved that Jess wasn’t your typical sexually confident romance lead. She had lots of confident and body image issues to work through which Xander treated with care and helped her overcome. Though I will say it felt like she overcame them quite quickly and I would’ve loved to see more of those intimate moments briefly mentioned in passing after the first time they hooked up.

Which leads me to my main issue with this book. It was too short and it suffered because of that. The deep emotional moments we did get were really enjoyable. Plus the moments of growth for both Jess and Xander when present were great to read. I just felt like a lot of that growth on the page was missing and instead fell in a sort of “just trust me it’s happening” way and we’re supposed to just go along with the fact they both state they’ve grown. Rather than getting to see that growth. In that way too I really wish Jess’s inner dialogue showed more of that hesitation, shyness, unconfident, vulnerability more. She spends a lot of the beginning of the book saying she doesn’t really have an interest in romance or relationships and doesn’t see the appeal of sex. Yet, when she meets Xander for the first time she’s immediately attracted to him and every scene after can’t be in the same room as him without lusting after him. It just seemed to go against the way her character was initially introduced. However, when she became more confident their dynamic got a lot better and therefore her inner dialogue became better suited.

I honestly just think we needed more time to watch these characters grow and let their chemistry and love blossom fully. It just felt kind of rushed and often times caused a lot of telling instead of showing. The parts we were shown were fantastic (like the picnic scene) and I wish we would’ve got more of that.

Overall though, it was a fun quick read. So I’d definitely recommend it if you want something you can finish in one sitting.

3.5 Stars

Like the main character. She’s got real life issues, and the dynamic of overcoming her insecurities is really interesting.

Where I struggled was the lack of banter for the couple. Their love feels very shallow. It would have been nice to see more than 1 or 2 real conversations.

Overall it was a cute and breezy read. Thank you for letting me read it in advance

This is a flirty, fun, and spicy romance that had me hooked from the first page! Jess and Xander's forbidden attraction, paired with forced proximity and opposites-attract dynamics, created the perfect amount of tension and heat. The chemistry between them is undeniable, and the author's portrayal of personal insecurities adds depth to their connection. It's a quick and enjoyable read, perfect for fans of steamy, character-driven romances! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Im going to start by saying that I am going to review this book as a "novella" . At the page length it is presented at, I feel that is most appropriate AND better contextualizes the pacing throughout the book. This book was CUTE. A sweet, fun, flirty and easy read throughout. I dont typically reach for novellas because im not a fan of an insta love set up and I absolutely DIE for tension. Despite this, I feel that this author was able to build a good amount of tension and flirtation between the two characters that kept me coming back. I also really appreciate the authors portrayal and discussion about tough topics including eating disorders and self confidence. I will say, towards the end it did get a bit instalove for the timeline. This is one of those couples that I leave the book feeling like they are going to be 'end game'. They both had so many personal insecurities and hangups that weren't worked through. If this had been a longer book, I would have appreciated more build up to characters meeting (more back story of the two), and more exploration of them putting in the self work.

"Here Comes Trouble" by Christy McKellen is a romantic comedy that captures the essence of love, misunderstandings, and second chances. The story revolves around characters who find themselves entangled in a series of humorous and heartwarming situations.McKellen's writing style is light and engaging, making it easy for readers to become invested in the characters' journeys. The chemistry between the protagonists is palpable, and their interactions are filled with witty banter and genuine emotion.

Im going to start by saying that I am going to review this book as a "novella" . At the page length it is presented at, I feel that is most appropriate AND better contextualizes the pacing throughout the book. This book was CUTE. A sweet, fun, flirty and easy read throughout. I dont typically reach for novellas because im not a fan of an insta love set up and I absolutely DIE for tension. Despite this, I feel that this author was able to build a good amount of tension and flirtation between the two characters that kept me coming back. I also really appreciate the authors portrayal and discussion about tough topics including eating disorders and self confidence. I will say, towards the end it did get a bit instalove for the timeline. This is one of those couples that I leave the book feeling like they are going to be 'end game'. They both had so many personal insecurities and hangups that weren't worked through. If this had been a longer book, I would have appreciated more build up to characters meeting (more back story of the two), and more exploration of them putting in the self work.
I enjoyed this authors writing style and the dual POV in third person (usually not my fav but the author did such a good job of writing in third person that I actually wasn't focused on the narrative style).

Here Comes Trouble Jess is the main character she’s a journalist who has body issues not confident in herself and personal issues. When her boss gives her a column to write about Xander an artist who is doing a new exhibition to interview him. Jess knew him as a playboy on how he’s always with girls. When Jess meets Xander for the interview he asked to paint her in his paintings. Jess thinks he’s good looking and he thinks she’s good looking he flirts with her. Jess is like I’m going to be a professional and get the interview done. There romance in the book was cute cheesy in a good way. I wish it had more personal issues told in-depth. When I read the book I thought it was going to be short but how I read the book made it feel longer in a good way I love to read long books that are good. I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend this book to others. And there was spice in the book if you like reading books with spice in it. This was my first Christy McKellen book I read.

By the way big thank you to Netgalley, Boldwood Books and to the Author Christy McKellen for the ARC of the book.

This fluffy romance delves into sensitive topics like eating disorders, body image, and the struggles of growing up feeling like a failure. Overall, I found it to be a charming romance with just the right amount of spice, but I couldn't help but wish the story had taken a bit more time to fully explore key moments. At times, things felt rushed, as if something significant would happen—good or bad—and then, within moments, the issue was either resolved or everything was fine again. Personally, I enjoy stories where the characters' emotions are given more room to breathe, where you can really sit with them and savour the moment. Unfortunately, this wasn’t one of those stories.

The couple themselves are undeniably cute, but the way the story was told made it feel like a friend was recounting events rather than the couple sharing their own experience. It gave the narrative a sense of being rushed, skipping over the deeper, more meaningful bits, which left me wanting more of their actual journey rather than a brief overview.

Predictable & cheesy but a few cute moments...

I wanted to love this, I really did. ’m being generous with two stars because I know some people might enjoy this for what it is - a light, super cheesy romance with plenty of spice. But for me, it just didn’t hit the mark.

I went into this book expecting a fun & spicy romance with a bad boy artist (I thought he was a rockstar, not a literal artist - whoops) and a good girl journalist, but unfortunately it just didn’t quite deliver for me. It’s a similar story to a Netflix Christmas hallmark type movie. Classic, if a bit cliché. The premise had potential but the execution felt rushed.

My biggest issue was that there wasn’t enough buildup before the romance. I love a slow burn, or at least some real tension, but Jess and Xander got together way too fast, and I just didn’t feel invested in them. There was no real character development beyond their relationship, and the side characters didn’t add much either, which made the whole thing feel kind of flat.

The writing also took me out of the story a few times. Some of the descriptions had me cackling instead of swooning (his muscles being compared to ski slope moguls?? Her throbbing pelvis?? I can’t..) The dialogue didn’t help either, Jess kept going on about how hot Xander was while there was little mention of his personality, which just made me roll my eyes.

That said, it wasn’t all bad. The paint fight scene was super cute & I really liked Lake Garda as a setting, it’s a beautiful place and that felt unique to this story. I just wish it had been more of a presence in the story because, honestly, they could have been anywhere.

At only 200 pages, it felt like the story needed more space to breathe. Maybe if it had been longer, we could have gotten better character development and a more natural romance? As it stands, it was just too predictable and surface-level for me. If you love light, super cheesy romance with lots of spice, you might enjoy this more than I did - but personally, it just wasn’t for me.

Sorry! But a big thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me an ARC of this book to review.

This was a cute book. It was spicy, but I appreciated that there was more to the plot that just that. It was nice to see these characters grown individually throughout the story. I really enjoyed understanding the characters from both POVs!