4 stars.

"10,000 Hours With a Rich Menace" by Jahquel J. is pretty wild, and I really enjoyed it! It's a mess (complimentary). It's a dark romance, which I don't have much experience reading, but I found it to be just the right amount of scandalous and unhinged for me. Stevie and Menace are both layered characters who seemingly change by the book's end. Despite Menace's (many!) flaws, I found him slightly endearing??? Is something wrong with me? LOL! Stevie and Menace have terrific banter with one another. Even when they get angry with each other, there is still a connection and major spark between them (despite the, you know, kidnapping thing). I love a good arranged marriage book, so this satisfied me immensely! There is a ton of drama going on in this story, most of which felt fun and thrilling to read. I thoroughly enjoyed Simone Rothschild and Myles Washington's dual audiobook narration. I feel like they complemented one another very well here. Their narration is crisp, quick, and they work well together as Stevie and Menace. I was honestly addicted to the narration to the point where I couldn't stop listening and finished this book rather quickly.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jahquel J., and Dreamscape Media for the complimentary ALC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Thank you, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, for letting my ears experience this wonderful book! This audio book is so amazing the book is great but the narrators give so much more life to this story! Both the mmc amd mfc are neurodivergent, but they don't let this hold them back in life or love. Menace was a menace before he met Stevie she did not change him but did bring out the best in him just as he did with her. This has a mafia feel to it, betrayal and all. If you don't fall for Menace and Stevie there is something wrong with you and you are likely rooting for Stevie's dad and friend. The spice in this is perfect it is steamy but adds to the story!

***Five Stars***

I don't think I was the intended audience for this book, but I don't care. I loved it.

Menace is absolutely UNHINGED in the best ways. Stevie was a lot naive but when it came down to it, she displayed a backbone not often found in romance books. I was entertained and engaged from start to finish.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and the author for the opportunity to listen to and review this book.

I DNF’d this book. I really liked the synopsis but it was so slow and painful for me. I like my books to go more along the lines of the plot and this book at 30% hadn’t even hit the moment where they meet.

The narration wasn’t great. The female spoke at more of a normal speed to me. The male narration I would have to slow the speed or I didn’t understand what was being said. I believe this is one of the first books I have ever had that happen.

I think this book would be better read as opposed to listened to.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Loved this book now I want to go back and reread the other series that interconnect . Love the random statements from menace. I connected with Stevie’s character a lot with being different and not like what most women like. The narrators went great with the characters it helped paint a better picture of the characters for me

🎧 Audiobook Review | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)
10,000 Hours with a Rich Menace by Jahquel J. was serving urban romance heat and chaos in the best way. This story had everything: forced proximity, arranged marriage, kidnapping (!!), and alllll the rich family drama your toxic little reader heart could ask for.

The audiobook narrators? Chef’s kiss—they brought the characters to life and kept me completely locked in.

Now let’s talk about the FMC. She was definitely naive—like, girl?? really??—but oddly enough, I understood her. Some people really do move through life like that, vibing to their own soundtrack, and Jahquel made that believable. Even with her naivety, she was layered, lovable, and her growth was so satisfying to watch. And the possessive, caring MMC? I ate that UP. The balance between soft moments and unhinged obsession was perfect.

This was a character-driven story with rich Black love, complicated family dynamics, and some characters I honestly wanted to square up with (and you will too!). The tension? On point. The romance? Unmatched. The toxic luxury vibes? Absolutely addictive.

If you’re into urban romance with a little darkness, a lot of heat, and characters who live and love LOUD, then go ahead and add this to your TBR immediately.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media. Jahquel J, and NetGalley for the audiobook.

First off this was a really good listen. The narrators were amazing. I enjoyed the storyline and the growth of the characters. I rate the story three stars because there was a lot of repetition in regard to the mmc and fmc personalities. For me it took away from the story a little bit. Overall I would still recommend.

Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. I DNF ed at 50%. Nothing more than the blurb had happened at that point. I think the plot line was too slow for me

I could not finish this book - the narrator made it very challenging to focus on the story. While the story sounded intriguing, I could not get past the pacing and tone of the voice of the reader. I would much prefer to read the book versus listening.

10/10 Can I go back and reread this for a first time??? This was my first book by this author and baby I’m sad I’ve been missing out. There was so many times I was laughing and kicking my feet. I loved both MC’s. I can't wait to read the author's back log!!!

Thank you Dreamscape media for the free audiobook. Jahquel J will have you hooked once you start one of her books! When I wasn’t listening to the audiobook I was reading via kindle on my iPad mini or iPhone. The narrators did great!!

Wanda and Mitchell’s story was wild and interesting. I don’t want to post spoilers so I’m not even trying to post a summary. I loved the cameos of characters from the authors other series. I’ll read anything Jahquel J puts out and I’ll recommend this book to my black romance readers.

10,000 Hours With a Rich Menace had me hooked from the jump. I absolutely loved Stevie! She’s so sweet and pure, but not in a weak way. Her energy is soft but strong, and it was refreshing to see a female lead hold her own with just kindness and grace. She brought out a different side of everyone, especially Menace. Now let’s talk about him. Menace starts off cold, closed off, and definitely living up to the name... but the way he grows through this story? Whew. Watching him open up and slowly transforming into someone who actually feels was everything. You really see the shift not just because of Stevie, but because he wants more for himself. I loved how it wasn’t just a romance, it was about healing, trust, and leveling up emotionally. So good! I highly recommend if you love character growth, strong vibes, and a relationship that makes both people better.

I unfortunately cannot give a star rating to this book since I am going to DNF at 30%. I didn’t feel a connection to the characters. The FMC is quite frankly too naive and dumb to just accept her kidnapping and forced marriage without a “the fuck you are” and kicking and screaming. And to have a nail client who was nice to you all the time up and give you thousands of dollars, smh stop.
Due to this app, I am forced to give a rating but I would like to be very clear, I did not finish the book so I can’t fairly score it and will be reflected that way on my socials.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review for 10,000 Hours with a Rich Menace by Jahquel J.
Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

From the moment Maverick “Menace” Caselli stepped onto the scene, I knew this audiobook was going to be an obsession. 10,000 Hours with a Rich Menace delivers a deeply satisfying romance wrapped in chaotic charm, character growth, and emotional vulnerability that had me absolutely hooked.

This is a character-driven love story in the best possible way. Maverick’s evolution—fueled by his undeniable connection with Stevie—is what truly sold the story for me. He’s possessive, protective, and just unhinged enough to keep you on your toes… and somehow it works. I laughed, swooned, and highlighted lines I’ll be thinking about for weeks.

The dual narration was a fantastic choice, and while the narrators had slightly different pacing styles, they each brought strong performances that amplified the emotional core of the story. The male narrator captured Menace’s cocky yet devoted energy perfectly, and the female narrator gave Stevie the fire and vulnerability she deserved.

If you’re into possessive MMCs with heart, fierce Black love, and rich family dynamics, add this to your library immediately. Menace is the standard now—no crumbs left.

I love Menace! Him and Stevie are my favorite. Both have flaws. Stevie is caring and ditzy to a point. Menace with his ADHD and OCD. Who doesn’t love a marriage of convenience? Their worlds are opposite and you see how Stevie becomes part of his world.

This might be my fav from Jahquel… just don’t tell Capone. This grumpy/sunshine, urban Cinderella story gave me at the things I need in a book, there’s spice, yearning, action, acceptance, understanding, the definition of If He Wanted to He Would! Stevie was so sweetly innocent that my heart melted for her! I loved this so much. Highly recommend!

I zoomed through this book!!!!! I love unhinged man who is only soft for the girl they’re in love with. Menace is crazy AF and Stevie is a weird sweet nerd and honestly they’re the perfect fit for each other. I also love the supporting characters like Zoya, Jeffy and Greene. They were so fun and the found family in this book is amazing. I need to go back and read the rest of Jahquels books. I couldn’t put this book down and the audiobook is just too good had to force myself to press pause so I could make it work on time. The two narrators brought the characters to life

The overall story/plot of the story wasn't incredibly impressive. What did impressed me, were the characters. Stevie at times struck me as little slow on the uptake, but made up for it with compassion. Menace had his OCD, but loved fiercely. His character arc was the one I was most impressed by. Both these characters were throwed as hell, but the author leaned into it. Menace's little quirks made him so much more memorable.

The audiobook was good but the narrators speeds were so wildly different. I kept having to adjust the playback speed every chapter.

Dual narration - Simone Rothschild & Myles Washington
Great narration.

Dark, Mafia, neurodivergent book

This was a great book I enjoyed the story and how the author developed the plot and characters. Definitely recommending to a few of my book besties!

I DNF at 25%. I was having a hard time getting into the story. The premise was interesting and I'm all for a forced marriage but the language and vulgarity made me want to stop listening. Every other word was f*** or n**** and that's just not for me. I'm a dark romance lover but especially when listening to an audiobook, language like that stands out and unfortunately I can't skip over or ignore things.
Thank you for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook.