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!

Jess es periodista y se encuentra en una situación complicada, ya que su trabajo no está siendo del agrado de su jefa, quien le ofrece una oportunidad para demostrar que está equivocada y que es buena en lo que hace. Para ello, debe realizar una entrevista al famoso pintor Xander, pero no será una entrevista común: tiene que obtener información que nunca antes nadie ha logrado sacar de él. Al principio pensaba que sería fácil, pero no contaba con el hecho de que no sería inmune al encanto del mujeriego, y ahora se encuentra en una posición difícil. Su atracción por él la está alejando de su objetivo, y su viaje de trabajo se está convirtiendo en un viaje de placer.




Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“Here comes trouble” is the story of Jess, a junior staff writer, who has lived her life following the rules. She has been assigned to interview a well-known artist, Xander, who has a notorious reputation for being a bad boy who likes to party. Although she tries to keep her distance and keep it professional, Xander keeps trying to entice her over to the wild side.

This is the first book that I have read by Christy McKellen. It was a fast-paced spicy romance and to my surprise this rom-com managed to touch on some deeper emotional themes which gave the characters a little more depth and made their character growth more evident.

I felt like the book could have been a little longer as it seemed to be a bit too fast paced in places, but all in all, it was an enjoyable read.

Do you like bad boys and romance? Check out Here Comes Trouble by Christy McKellen was a good read. Pick this up on publication day.

This is a fluffy, easy-to-read romance book—perfect if you're looking for an HEA with some spice and a light plot line.

Jess is on her final strike with the magazine she writes for and is tasked with the daunting job of writing about a hot-shot artist, Xander, who notoriously hates journalists. Xander quickly becomes infatuated with Jess and chooses her as his next muse, demanding that she fly to Italy and sit for him. She decides to trust this supposed bad boy and take the leap and live outside her comfort zone. Despite her desire to remain professional and not be a plaything, she finds herself falling for him and his surprisingly kind and giving nature.

What I loved:
* Hot art guy calling me his muse? A thousand times yes.
* The sweater-and-chair scene had me cracking up.
* I loved the spice. It’s not too intense on the spicy scale, and it really plays into that "I can relax and be myself with you" vibe.
* Jess and Xander gave me How to Lose a Guy in 10 days and I was obsessed

What I disliked:
* The book tends to "tell" rather than "show." Instead of revealing details about the characters gradually through their actions or other characters' perspectives, we get full physical descriptions upfront, which feels a bit rushed.
* I really wish the characters’ happiness would marinate just a little longer. Something sweet or cute would happen, and then barely a paragraph later, the moment would be immediately squashed by a big reveal or emotional bubble burst.
* I wish they communicated better! I understand that this is a plot point, but it could have been teased out in a fun way .

"Here Comes Trouble" was such an enjoyable read! The characters were fun to follow, each bringing their own charm and personality to the story. I loved how their dynamics kept things entertaining, making it easy to stay invested in their journey.

The length of the book felt just right—not too short, but also not drawn out unnecessarily. The pacing worked well, especially with the bit of a slow burn, which made the story all the more satisfying. Overall, it was a great mix of fun, romance, and just the right amount of tension. Definitely worth the read!

3⭐

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Boldwood Books, and the author for providing me with an advanced reader copy for review purposes!

Here comes trouble is a very quick read, not even 200 pages, but it still tries to touch on important topics. It's very fast paced, and I feel like it could've benefited from a few more chapters. I didn't really connect with the characters, they felt too different and most of the time they couldn't understand each other, and that's why more chapters were needed in my opinion.

3.8-4 ⭐️

Quick read, it’s really fast paced. Definitely think maybe the book could’ve been a bit longer. Maybe 6 chapters more would’ve made the story feel more complete and not super rushed. Fast pacing is fine but I think in this case it just felt rushed like in a this is not at all a realistic situation..

It was kinda annoying like the mmc just like not understanding like i suppose body issues/ eating disorders. maybe this could’ve been an opportunity to educate maybe more on those situations.. maybe like dialogue for those convos..idk?
I may need to go back to the start to check but the mmc calling the fmc ‘not conventionally attractive’ idk just wasn’t vibing with the mmc at all just idk like how u gon be saying that like ?? just ugh

This book was surprising!

It was my first read from this author and definitely not my last!

It was fast paced and had original characters that easily became endearing.
Jess is clearly out of her comfort zone, and that’s why we see her characters grow so much. Xander is let himself get surprised and was obviously adapting to reach his goal, which is Jess of course (and it’s so cute). They grow closer as they explore each other compagnie and their connection. As much as the match was obvious, those two are so opposite from each other, I wasn’t sure it truly was gonna work. The spice was so good and the tension made me not want to put the book down.

If your looking for a quick read with feisty characters that are clearly opposite yet forced to share a close proximity, this book is for you!