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.

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.5/5)
This book was like watching a high-speed car chase with no brakes, no seatbelts, and somehow I was emotionally invested in the passengers.

Stevie thought she was getting an all-expenses-paid vacation from her best friend—her BEST friend—only to wake up basically handed over like an Amazon package to Staten Island’s most emotionally unavailable billionaire menace. I was not emotionally prepared for the betrayal. That so-called bestie didn’t just stab Stevie in the back—she set the whole girl on fire and tossed her to the wolves in Gucci loafers.

Menace, the accidental husband, was exactly what his name suggests: rich, intense, and allergic to healthy communication. The chemistry was definitely there, but every time he called her “wifey,” I experienced flashbacks to toxic TikToks and the sudden urge to stage an intervention.

There were moments I really enjoyed—mostly the drama, chaos, and “WHAT IS HAPPENING” energy that kept me turning pages like I was watching a soap opera on 2x speed. But in the end, I just couldn’t fully connect. Between the betrayal, the whirlwind marriage, and my deep discomfort with possessive nicknames, I think this’ll be a one-and-done for me.

Still, if you like your romance spicy, slightly toxic, and dipped in betrayal? This book is basically a buffet.

Maverick and Stevie were messy and crazy but that just made them perfect for each other. This was a great story with several intriguing micro tropes that made for a full, well developed story.
The narrators were great and brought depth and feeling to the story. Their voice acting was top notch and the pacing was perfect.

While I always try to stretch my reading palate, I had to give up on this one. I liked the premise, but there was quite a bit of grammatical issues with the text, there were too many characters for me to keep straight (more a me issue probably), and I really struggled to connect to the story.

I was given the audiobook version and both narrators were great. My only issue was with the speed of narration. The female narrator spoke slower than the male, so I constantly had to adjust the speed as the narration flipped back and forth.

While I didn't necessarily enjoy this book, I'm sure it might be a win for others who can better relate to the characters.

I read the book but listening to the story was a different experience for me. I know it's crazy but when it came to the audiobook, I absolutely loved the story more. The narrators did a fantastic job with this story and the characters and I'm hoping that when it comes to Don and Kora's story the same narrators are used. I realized that when listening to the story I noticed things I didn't notice when I read the story. I had no idea what rule Don broke but after really listening to this story, I now know. The audiobook also doesn't have the editing mistakes that the book has which also made a difference in the story for me. Now when it comes to Menace and Stevie, I also found myself loving them more with their slow and crazy selves. They were a trip and had me laughing out loud so many times at their antics. I truly enjoyed them and was able to feel their connection and love more than when I did when I read the story. enjoyed everything about this audiobook, and I know it's one I will be listening to over and over. I would definitely recommend this audiobook to romance readers looking for a story that's steamy, with a little drama, great friends and family and a lot of laughs. I'm definitely looking forward to listening to Don and Kora's story.

This book was amazing. Menace alone was hilarious but adding the family and additional situations made him funny at every turn. The way he thought the way he loved was beautiful. I was skeptical about the choice of the narrators but Myles knocked it out of the park. I would highly recommend this book.

Ａｕｄｉｏｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
10,000 Hours with a Rich Menace by Jahquel J is book 1 in the Caselli Family and could be read as a standalone, but I wouldn't recommend it. I would recommend reading Capone 1 all the way through Capri's book. So you can get the full Jahquel J. effect, but if you want to dip deeper, please follow her Facebook page to get the full effect.

First, I loved this book. I devoured this book; I couldn't stop listening and even rewound a few times! This book had me giggling and also gave me some good ideas.

Menance was definitely that man! He didn't play about his family, but his wifey Stevie, you were going to get the smoke behind that one. Stevie is weird, but honestly, in the world we live in, who isn't weird? I love that she lived in her own world, but honey, she was stressed. She would put herself in danger and wouldn't even know it. Bless her. But Stevie and Menace together were everything.

The audiobook is dual narration. Simone Rothschild and Myles Washington did a good job bringing this story to life. They were both easy to listen to and understand. I listened at 1.8x speed.

Thank you, NetGalley, and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Quick Summary: A dark mafia, neurodivergent romance

My Review: 10,000 Hours With a Rich Menace by Jahquel J. is a 2025 Urban Fiction Romance. It was released on 5/6/25. It is book 1 of Caselli Family series.

About the Book: "
Imagine your best friend invites you on an all-expenses-paid trip.

While she’s out on a date...

...the silence is shattered.

A man is standing there. Watching you. Before you can scream, darkness takes over.

You’ve been handed over to Menace Caselli.

Not as a prisoner—as his wife."

In My Own Words: An innocent young woman gets caught up in her friend's misdeeds. She is kidnapped by an anti-hero with a quick wit, a big attitude, and a dark side that's next level.

About the Characters:

Menace/Maverick - Monkish, brutal force, not to be played with,quirky, loyal protector, rigid and stubborn, sweet, particular, dark side, foul mouth, all about the sexy times

Wanda/Wifey - introvert living among extroverts, lonely, hesitant, ADHD, hungry for relationships, brokenness in history, dysfunctional relationship with surviving parent, tender-hearted, kind, "opened nose"

About the Conflict: There was a whole lot to this story. Like a ton of issues. The biggest conflicts dealt with the behaviors and tendencies of the lead characters. Additionally, the groomer's angle was a point of contention. (I'll stop there, although I could definitely go on.)

About the Audiobook: This book was narrated by Simone Rothschild and Myles Washington. This duo did an amazing job! They brought these characters to life in such a way that made them believable in all the weirdness of the crazy.

My Final Say: This was an interesting production. The raw humor and hot & heavy talk... I can't even!

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Reasons I enjoyed this book:

Funny
Original
Steamy
Twisted
Witty
Challenging
Dark

Other: Readers who enjoy mafia-esque stories, dark romances, and stories where the funky connection between an "ordered chaos" couple is featured may like this book.

Rating: 3-/5
Recommend: +/-
Audience: A
Status/Level: 💬
Audiobook: Yes
Narration: +

Thank you to the author, to the publisher (Dreamscape Media), and to NetGalley. I appreciate the opportunity.