Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the ARC. The characters were pretty transparent. The story was predictable. The characters could’ve developed into more if the story was a little longer. I felt like their relationship was rushed, especially at the end. The slow burn up until the end and then the end of the story was rushed could have been longer, and Better dispersed throughout the story. I was able to read the story in one day. This book is perfect for a rainy day read sitting by the fire. It was cozy, a lighthearted romance. Would definitely recommend to a young adult age grouping

Thank you Netgalley for the arc. This was an ok story. It was not spicy. Very short story that can definitely be read in 2 hours or less depending on your speed of reading.

It was a quick read but sadly I was not invested in the characters. I think it would have been better if it wasn’t a novella. It needed more pages in order for more character development.

Cute Novella with plenty of spice and banter. Nice short read and a perfect palette cleanser from longer books.

Thank you to Netgalley and Christy McKellen for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley and author Christy McKellan for the opportunity to read this ARC 💕

This was a cute novella, but I think it could've benefited from being more than that. With less than 200 pages, there wasn't enough room for character development, and the relationship between the two main characters was a tad fast-paced. But it's got to be difficult to fit all that into a novella anyway.

My issue was that I really couldn't connect with the characters, and I didn't feel the chemistry between them either. But it's not a terrible read if you're looking for something short and spicy!

It wasn’t long enough for the romance to actually be spicy or interesting tbh. I wanted to learn more about the FMC’s body insecurities and how it affected her relationships.

Ever been interested in a little spicy painting session? This book is for you.

Jess is a journalist about to lose her job who some might describe as wound a little tight. Xander is an artist with a bad boy reputation whose career is on the line. Although from Jess’ POV, they start as enemies and opposites, the fact that Xander can see past Jess’ confidence and coldness and be so intrigued by her leads to a cute (and spicy) story of how these two can help each other find their way in their careers…and love.
I love and relate to Jess when she is faking it until she makes it even if she’s not feeling so confident deep down.
And of course I swoon over Xander being so attentive to Jess and her insecurities- just wanting to show her how amazing he thinks she is.

This was a great book and I’m so grateful to NetGalley, Boldwood Books, and Christy McKellen - allowing me to read this story for my honest opinion.

Having read quite a few of romance books in this format, this book suffers from some of the same issues that I continuously see:

There is a lot of build up to the conflict, but limited care afterwards. Everything post-sex feels rushed and like their needs to be a quick resolution to the next steamy scene. In this book in particular, it feels like parts of the plot and sex scenes are still in note form and detail was not given to either.

Another general annoyance I have with this genre is how wordy it can be. Rather than getting to the point, the dialogue tends to be very winding and made to be unnecessarily complicated. This book suffers from this as well as being redundant when talking about the feelings of the characters. This book is meant to be read in a weekend, there is not a lot of lag time between me reading chapters so I do not need a recap about the very basic and uncomplicated feelings these two individuals are having.

I feel that this book could use a little more time and care before going to print.

Here Comes Trouble by Christy McKellan is a short somewhat predictable novella that takes on some rather deep themes. Jess, a journalist needs to make more of an impact at work. In an odd chain of events Jess Lafayette winds up going away for the weekend to interview Xander Heaton famous artist and lothario. Xander and Jess spend the weekend and then some discovering each other. Only to fall back into old patterns and leave apart. They learn much about themselves and connect again. It should be noted that the book deals with a previous eating disorder and body image issues.

“Here Comes Trouble” is by Christy McKellen. I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it was predictable (which at times is a comfort read for me) and there were some cute moments. On the other hand, I did some serious eye rolls at some of the descriptions (comparing stomach muscles to ski slope mogul????) and the boss’s comments to Jess (main female character) about needing to get laid [excuse you now? In what office setting is that appropriate?]. There’s not a lot of build-up between the two main characters - they nearly go from meeting to romance very very very quickly. I did like having both characters’ POVs in this book. There’s spice and it was kinda cute. The cover, in my opinion, doesn’t match the book’s contents at all - but that’s a minor nit.

3..5 stars. This was a quick read but I wish I could have had more? It almost felt too rushed for me. It had spice but I wasn't feeling connected to the characters so I wasn't loving it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a very short and easy read. The two main characters were fairly two dimensional and the plot was predictable, but it was well written and I enjoyed the resolution.

Rating - 4/5
I rated this as a novella due to the length of the book

What a cute read! I loved the pacing and the plot was great. Both characters really learned about themselves and developed throughout the story and I can imagine this as such a fun film to watch! Great spice too.

I enjoyed this but it felt rushed?

It progressed very quickly, cute storyline but it wasn’t enough to really get to know the characters before it progressed. The chapters were very long, and I liked having insights into both but it felt like it should have been in perspectives!

Overall the storyline was sweet, it was nice to have some spicy scenes where the female wasn’t a professional as I feel like this doesn’t happen often and it makes it relatable!

Just wished it went deeper into certain aspects, who Jess is, who Xander is before they meet. A little bit more too and fro before they go on holiday together.

Loved this book in the end! Totally gave me a How to a lose a guy in 10 days meets 10 things I hate about you vibes! Seemed slow to start with Jess’s overly buttoned up personality but quickly became a continuous read when she started to let go more!

I love the cover and description. The concept is fun. I did find myself skimming a lot. I never felt interested in the characters and never felt the sexual tension.

A short, cute and spicy read that’s perfect as a palette refresher but unfortunately wasn’t entirely my cup of tea. There were some words that just kept putting me off reading it sadly.

This is a fun rom-com, perfect for a vacation read. It's opposites attract and the characters are both pretty fun to get to know. Nothing too deep, just a fun, quick read.

Starting with what I liked: The story is entertaining and the spice is good. It's easily digestible and even went over a few deeper themes than I originally thought it would.

Unfortunately, I feel like the book should've been longer and more fleshed out for it to have the opportunity to be even better and to give us more insight into the characters to make them feel more relatable.

Here comes trouble, and so did my mixed feelings!

This book is a super quick, fast-paced read and while that makes it easy to fly through, it also means things move "fast". Maybe a little too fast. Jess and Xander have that classic opposites-attract dynamic: she’s the guarded journalist, he’s the charming artist, and they’re forced into close proximity. The tension? So good. The spice? Even better. But the romance itself felt a bit rushed - like they went from “who are you?” to “I can’t live without you” in record time. I wanted more buildup, more depth, and maybe a few extra chapters to really feel their connection.

That said, there were some REALLY cute moments. The paint fight? Adorable. The setting? Loved it. But some of the writing pulled me out of the story (I’m still thinking about those ski slope muscles...), and I couldn’t fully connect with the characters. Jess’s growth was nice to see, but I wish we got more of her outside of the romance. And Xander? He had his moments, but some of his comments just made me go HMMMMM...... So, if you’re looking for deep character development, this might not quite hit the mark.

If you’re in the mood for a cheesy, fast-paced romance with plenty of tension and spice, this might be a fun one for you. Just don’t go in expecting a deep, slow-burn love story - this is more of a whirlwind fling.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the digital copies

#HereComesTrouble #NetGalley