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shazov's review against another edition
5.0
Rhys Ford is one of those authors who just does it for me, lol. I honestly love her writing style, the way she immerses you in a total package: characters, scenery, and story plot. At times you need to get used to her characters, or there's a secondary character that annoys you (I'm looking at you, Kimber!) but she always sucks you (or at least me) in.
This book is no different. It's a fast-paced story, in all aspects. I suppose you can call it a touch of insta-love, but then again, maybe not. Regardless it's just another reason why I love everything this author touches!
This book is no different. It's a fast-paced story, in all aspects. I suppose you can call it a touch of insta-love, but then again, maybe not. Regardless it's just another reason why I love everything this author touches!
reviewerlarissa's review against another edition
3.0
With Ramen Assassin, Rhys Ford has created a new setting for a suspenseful, action-filled, sexy romantic story - Rhys Ford-style.
Ramen Assissin is the first book in a new series and it’s very much a set-up for the rest of the stories. It introduces the reader to former covert operative with a shady past Kuro who has turned to making ramen goodies in his shop and former child star Trey who has fallen very very very far from grace, especially in the eyes of his messed-up family.
True to the author’s style, the story starts right in the middle of an action packed scene and it doesn’t stop there. We get a long introduction into both Kuro and Trey. Especially when Trey literally runs from a dead body into Kuro’s arms.
From there the reader is thrown straight into a mystery and an instant romance between Trey and Kuro. While it’s obvious from the start the two are meant to be, it was a little too easy how to two went from meeting to falling in love.
Trey’s past is another one. A huge part of the story went out racking him over very hot coals due to his past. While the resentment is understandable, the constant reminding and emotional abuse gets old soon and it makes for a little mismatch in the story.
Kuro is another mystery. One I think will unfold more in future stories.
In all Ramen Assassin was a very nice start of a new series, one that will hopefully continue to grow.
Ramen Assissin is the first book in a new series and it’s very much a set-up for the rest of the stories. It introduces the reader to former covert operative with a shady past Kuro who has turned to making ramen goodies in his shop and former child star Trey who has fallen very very very far from grace, especially in the eyes of his messed-up family.
True to the author’s style, the story starts right in the middle of an action packed scene and it doesn’t stop there. We get a long introduction into both Kuro and Trey. Especially when Trey literally runs from a dead body into Kuro’s arms.
From there the reader is thrown straight into a mystery and an instant romance between Trey and Kuro. While it’s obvious from the start the two are meant to be, it was a little too easy how to two went from meeting to falling in love.
Trey’s past is another one. A huge part of the story went out racking him over very hot coals due to his past. While the resentment is understandable, the constant reminding and emotional abuse gets old soon and it makes for a little mismatch in the story.
Kuro is another mystery. One I think will unfold more in future stories.
In all Ramen Assassin was a very nice start of a new series, one that will hopefully continue to grow.
owlsreads's review
4.0
4 stars!
*
Ramen Assassin is a fun novel with lots of action and a fast-moving romance. The premise is pretty creative and the execution of the plot is well done and surprising, if a bit convoluted, and the characters are all layered and intriguing. This is a pretty good set up for a new series and super entertaining.
Rhys Ford is back with another new and dangerous world. The narrative is engaging and the story moves at a fast pace. The dual POVs are also really well written, if a bit too focused on monologues and descriptions, and builds up the tension and its breaking point in delightful ways.
This was fun! I picked this one up on a whim and quite enjoyed it. The plot captures your attention right away and the way Ford introduces and develops the characters and the main conflict in the novel is really well done. There’s action right off the bat and things only pick up as the story progresses.
Kuro and Trey are great narrative voices, even if Ford does focus a bit too much on descriptions and their internal monologues. They have very distinct voices and their interactions are wonderful. The secondary characters are also well developed, even when the story focuses on their biggest flaws.
There is some romance, which I guess falls into the instalust/instalove category. It doesn’t take anything away from the narrative, though, and it does work with the pace and story Ford has set up and is telling. There’s some steam, but the focus is very much on figuring out the murders that have been going on.
Overall Ramen Assassin is a fun and entertaining read with a fast pace, lots of action, and lovely characters. The story hooks you in right from the opening scene and things only get better from there. Recommend it to all M/M fans looking for a fast paced novel with lots of gun fights!
*
Series: #1 in the Ramen Assassin series.
POV: Told from Kuro and Trey’s POV.
Content Warnings:
Instalove:
Steam: Light steam!
Love Triangle:
Cheating:
Cliffhanger: No.
HEA:
Up Next: TBA.
*
“...you’re my particularly favorite brand of trouble.”
Ramen Assassin is a fun novel with lots of action and a fast-moving romance. The premise is pretty creative and the execution of the plot is well done and surprising, if a bit convoluted, and the characters are all layered and intriguing. This is a pretty good set up for a new series and super entertaining.
Rhys Ford is back with another new and dangerous world. The narrative is engaging and the story moves at a fast pace. The dual POVs are also really well written, if a bit too focused on monologues and descriptions, and builds up the tension and its breaking point in delightful ways.
This was fun! I picked this one up on a whim and quite enjoyed it. The plot captures your attention right away and the way Ford introduces and develops the characters and the main conflict in the novel is really well done. There’s action right off the bat and things only pick up as the story progresses.
Kuro and Trey are great narrative voices, even if Ford does focus a bit too much on descriptions and their internal monologues. They have very distinct voices and their interactions are wonderful. The secondary characters are also well developed, even when the story focuses on their biggest flaws.
There is some romance, which I guess falls into the instalust/instalove category. It doesn’t take anything away from the narrative, though, and it does work with the pace and story Ford has set up and is telling. There’s some steam, but the focus is very much on figuring out the murders that have been going on.
Overall Ramen Assassin is a fun and entertaining read with a fast pace, lots of action, and lovely characters. The story hooks you in right from the opening scene and things only get better from there. Recommend it to all M/M fans looking for a fast paced novel with lots of gun fights!
*
Series: #1 in the Ramen Assassin series.
POV: Told from Kuro and Trey’s POV.
Content Warnings:
Spoiler
Discussions of drug addiction.Instalove:
Spoiler
A bit.Steam: Light steam!
Love Triangle:
Spoiler
No.Cheating:
Spoiler
No.Cliffhanger: No.
HEA:
Spoiler
For now!Up Next: TBA.
teenykins's review
4.0
This is 2nd try with Rhys Ford, the first one with Black Dog Blues didn't take, even though it was narrated by Greg Boudreaux whom I love, and I'm glad to say that I quite liked it.
Kale Williams is a master when it comes to narrating mysteries and he really kept this one going when I would have DNFed it after the way Kimber talked to Trey in the beginning.
Loved Trey and Kuro together, they had a great chemistry and enjoyed their talks, especially how they boosted each other up.
Kimber is not redeemable in my eyes because as Kuro said she has MAAAAAAJOR daddy issue that she takes them out on Trey, disguising them as issues with his past mistakes.
I'd love to continue the series but only if they are released from another publisher.
Kale Williams is a master when it comes to narrating mysteries and he really kept this one going when I would have DNFed it after the way Kimber talked to Trey in the beginning.
Loved Trey and Kuro together, they had a great chemistry and enjoyed their talks, especially how they boosted each other up.
Kimber is not redeemable in my eyes because as Kuro said she has MAAAAAAJOR daddy issue that she takes them out on Trey, disguising them as issues with his past mistakes.
I'd love to continue the series but only if they are released from another publisher.
haletostilinski1's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 happily given stars!
I think Rhys Ford is at her best when she's writing suspense and crime with her romance. My favorite books by this author have been the [b:Murder and Mayhem|24937601|Murder and Mayhem (Murder and Mayhem, #1)|Rhys Ford|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1429206720s/24937601.jpg|44594669] series, and this follows along that route.
Although neither Trey or Kuro are cops, cops are involved in this and crime is happening around them.
Trey is a washed up child actor who was a drug addict and alcoholic and has had many stints in rehab, except the last time at the start of this was two years prior, so he's been committed to staying clean more than he ever was before.
Kuro is a former black ops officer - we aren't told, but I guess he worked for the CIA? - who has to retire when his latest mission puts his face all over the news, and thus blows his cover. So, now retired, he moves to LA and opens up a ramen shop, pretty dedicated to living the normal life now.
For months, Trey has been coming to his shop, and while they haven't talked, there's been a connection.
But one late night, Trey is running through LA at night to shake off intense cravings for drugs and alcohol, a habit he's come into to be doing something when his cravings get too intense. Unfortunately, while he's running near the ramen shop, he runs into two thugs caring something very large...that turns out to be a body....that Trey recognizes.
But he doesn't have much time to think about it before the two thugs are shooting at him, and as he's being shot at outside the ramen shop, Kuro steps out of the shop in the alley and shoots at the men while protecting Trey.
Everything changes for them, not only romantically but in other parts of their life as whoever is behind the death of the man tries to kill Trey because of what he saw.
I found it a tad far-fetched that Trey ran into a crime that was connected to him - beyond them gunning for him after he sees the body - even at 3 in the morning in LA, and that that crime was happening not that far from the ramen shop, but for the story I can mostly let it go.
Because I really enjoyed Trey and Kuro together, I loved their connection and they had great chemistry. I wish we had gotten to see the full sex scene between them (we get the penetration, but it skips over mutual blowjobs and most of Kuro fingering Trey) but from what we did get it was really good. It was the only sex scene, so I wish we had gotten more, although at the same time I get that they had to establish a connection and so much shit was going on...but hey, I'm greedy ;)
The secondary characters were interesting, although Trey's older half-sister pissed me off. But then she redeemed herself at the end...but for the majority of this I wasn't feeling sympathetic toward her, even though logically I could understand her hesitance, what with Trey's past addictions and probably all he put his family through. Still, just giving her brother the tiniest chance and compassion would have been nice. (It comes near the end, but...it almost felt too little, too late.)
Overall, this was a wonderful start to this series, and I really enjoyed Trey and Kuro together, so much so I already want more. Wonder when that second installment will come out? *wink wink, nudge nudge*
I highly recommend this, and while the story and characters are different, the crime angle felt similar to Murder and Mayhem to me, so if you've enjoyed that series, then I definitely recommend this, it's worth a read.
Two thumbs up from me!
***ARC generously provided by the Alpha Book Club in exchange for an honest review***
I think Rhys Ford is at her best when she's writing suspense and crime with her romance. My favorite books by this author have been the [b:Murder and Mayhem|24937601|Murder and Mayhem (Murder and Mayhem, #1)|Rhys Ford|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1429206720s/24937601.jpg|44594669] series, and this follows along that route.
Although neither Trey or Kuro are cops, cops are involved in this and crime is happening around them.
Trey is a washed up child actor who was a drug addict and alcoholic and has had many stints in rehab, except the last time at the start of this was two years prior, so he's been committed to staying clean more than he ever was before.
Kuro is a former black ops officer - we aren't told, but I guess he worked for the CIA? - who has to retire when his latest mission puts his face all over the news, and thus blows his cover. So, now retired, he moves to LA and opens up a ramen shop, pretty dedicated to living the normal life now.
For months, Trey has been coming to his shop, and while they haven't talked, there's been a connection.
But one late night, Trey is running through LA at night to shake off intense cravings for drugs and alcohol, a habit he's come into to be doing something when his cravings get too intense. Unfortunately, while he's running near the ramen shop, he runs into two thugs caring something very large...that turns out to be a body....that Trey recognizes.
But he doesn't have much time to think about it before the two thugs are shooting at him, and as he's being shot at outside the ramen shop, Kuro steps out of the shop in the alley and shoots at the men while protecting Trey.
Everything changes for them, not only romantically but in other parts of their life as whoever is behind the death of the man tries to kill Trey because of what he saw.
I found it a tad far-fetched that Trey ran into a crime that was connected to him - beyond them gunning for him after he sees the body - even at 3 in the morning in LA, and that that crime was happening not that far from the ramen shop, but for the story I can mostly let it go.
Because I really enjoyed Trey and Kuro together, I loved their connection and they had great chemistry. I wish we had gotten to see the full sex scene between them (we get the penetration, but it skips over mutual blowjobs and most of Kuro fingering Trey) but from what we did get it was really good. It was the only sex scene, so I wish we had gotten more, although at the same time I get that they had to establish a connection and so much shit was going on...but hey, I'm greedy ;)
The secondary characters were interesting, although Trey's older half-sister pissed me off. But then she redeemed herself at the end...but for the majority of this I wasn't feeling sympathetic toward her, even though logically I could understand her hesitance, what with Trey's past addictions and probably all he put his family through. Still, just giving her brother the tiniest chance and compassion would have been nice. (It comes near the end, but...it almost felt too little, too late.)
Overall, this was a wonderful start to this series, and I really enjoyed Trey and Kuro together, so much so I already want more. Wonder when that second installment will come out? *wink wink, nudge nudge*
I highly recommend this, and while the story and characters are different, the crime angle felt similar to Murder and Mayhem to me, so if you've enjoyed that series, then I definitely recommend this, it's worth a read.
Two thumbs up from me!
***ARC generously provided by the Alpha Book Club in exchange for an honest review***
toobendy's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I don’t know why but I didn’t really feel any chemistry between the love interest and our hero. Also the family relationships were very shallow and so many things were glossed over.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Murder, and Gun violence
bigleoenergy's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
inferiorwit's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Sexual content, and Murder
Minor: Infidelity and Police brutality
christycorr's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
aishoka's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0