Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by book_lover_irl
Hans by S.J. Tilly
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Hans is book 4 in The Alliance series by S. J. Tilly. I flew through the first three books (Nero, King, Dom) and was excited to read the final book. I was not disappointed.
I love S.J. Tilly. She bases many of her books in or near Minneapolis / St. Paul, Minnesota (where I am from), creates amazing, feisty, curvy FMCs with jiggly thighs (I relate!), and crafts amazing stories with wonderful character development. Tilly's MMC in this series are quite unhinged, completely over the top for their chosen lovely FMC, and fall first in the most dramatic way possible. She also writes FUNNY characters with great banter. (Remember Nero's obsession with brass knuckles and King sending ex's to Alaska? Need I say more?)
Hans is another great book about an alpha-h0le MMC who falls for Cassie, the FMC, the first time he meets her. His possessive streak is OTT and leads to stalker behavior that is adorable and endearing (only in a fictional setting, of course). Hans dedication to Cassie's safety is off the charts h0t and unprecedented. Amazingly enough, considering how OTT the other Alliance men are about protection, I think Hans tops them all with the proactive steps he took and ended up having to use during the second half of the book. I can't say more for fear of spoilers. Similarly Cassie's obsession with Hans (delivering baked good weekly for over a year without additional face time?!) can be considered stalking too.
The sparks and chemistry between the 2 MCs has a fabulous build up and the sp!ce is phenomenal when they are together. The way Cassie is so easily distracted when Hans is touching her is amusing and seems relatable. I wouldn't be able to concentrate either if there was a mountain of a h0t man having his way with me.
The plot for Hans moved slower than the plot for Dom. It focused more heavily on building Hans' preoccupation with Cassie, and developing their actual face to face relationship later in the book. There was enough action and suspense that I wanted to keep reading to see what would happen next. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop and see where the plot twists would take us.
Cassie's parents are fabulous side characters. The narrators did their best to make them sound very Fargo-esque (remember the movie?) with their odd Midwestern accent. As someone from MN, who of course doesn't think I have any type of accent, the accent was equal parts hilarious and irritating. LOL. Karmine was my favorite side character of the entire Alliance series. I loved that she was a bada$$ woman who was taking charge of her life after her horrific traum@s. I *really* wish that Tilly would write her a standalone book. Learning about Karmine's mission to help traum@tized women take back their power would be PHENOMENAL. But alas, I've read interviews that state we won't be so lucky.
I love S.J. Tilly. She bases many of her books in or near Minneapolis / St. Paul, Minnesota (where I am from), creates amazing, feisty, curvy FMCs with jiggly thighs (I relate!), and crafts amazing stories with wonderful character development. Tilly's MMC in this series are quite unhinged, completely over the top for their chosen lovely FMC, and fall first in the most dramatic way possible. She also writes FUNNY characters with great banter. (Remember Nero's obsession with brass knuckles and King sending ex's to Alaska? Need I say more?)
Hans is another great book about an alpha-h0le MMC who falls for Cassie, the FMC, the first time he meets her. His possessive streak is OTT and leads to stalker behavior that is adorable and endearing (only in a fictional setting, of course). Hans dedication to Cassie's safety is off the charts h0t and unprecedented. Amazingly enough, considering how OTT the other Alliance men are about protection, I think Hans tops them all with the proactive steps he took and ended up having to use during the second half of the book. I can't say more for fear of spoilers. Similarly Cassie's obsession with Hans (delivering baked good weekly for over a year without additional face time?!) can be considered stalking too.
The sparks and chemistry between the 2 MCs has a fabulous build up and the sp!ce is phenomenal when they are together. The way Cassie is so easily distracted when Hans is touching her is amusing and seems relatable. I wouldn't be able to concentrate either if there was a mountain of a h0t man having his way with me.
The plot for Hans moved slower than the plot for Dom. It focused more heavily on building Hans' preoccupation with Cassie, and developing their actual face to face relationship later in the book. There was enough action and suspense that I wanted to keep reading to see what would happen next. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop and see where the plot twists would take us.
Cassie's parents are fabulous side characters. The narrators did their best to make them sound very Fargo-esque (remember the movie?) with their odd Midwestern accent. As someone from MN, who of course doesn't think I have any type of accent, the accent was equal parts hilarious and irritating. LOL. Karmine was my favorite side character of the entire Alliance series. I loved that she was a bada$$ woman who was taking charge of her life after her horrific traum@s. I *really* wish that Tilly would write her a standalone book. Learning about Karmine's mission to help traum@tized women take back their power would be PHENOMENAL. But alas, I've read interviews that state we won't be so lucky.
Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ .5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
POV: Dual, duet narration
HEA: Yes
Cliffhanger: No
Tropes: Stalker, OTT alpha-male, mafia-vibes, vigilante / assassin
INSTAGRAM: @Book.Lover.IRL
STORYGRAPH: Book.Lover.IRL
GOODREADS: Book Lover IRL
GOODREADS: Book Lover IRL
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really liked this book
⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked this book
⭐️⭐️ Meh… bored or annoyed
⭐️ Seriously? Not worth it
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ INFERNO. P@nty melting
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Blazing h0t
🌶️🌶️🌶️ Now we’re talking
🌶️🌶️ Meh… uninspired missionary
🌶️ Does weak f0replay count?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Trafficking, Grief, Stalking, Murder