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A review by mrsroothless
Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie
4.0
I very nearly set this book down after just 2 pages when a man breaks into Agnes house with a gun and says he's there for her dog. It was one of those moments where surely I had read it wrong, but no, the guy really did say he was there to take her dog. Her dog. I did an actual eye roll when I realized that really was the situation. I decided to give it a chance anyway at least for a few more pages and before I knew it the time was 4:30 am, my husband having gone to bed some 5 hours before and I was closing the book after reading the last page.
I just spent the better part of the day with a migraine due to eye strain from finishing this book on top of the book I had read earlier in the day. Totally worth it though. I really found this book amusing and simply could not put it down. I'm a sucker for 'good' assassin stories so this one was ahead of the game in terms of satisfaction. It wasn't a perfect story but the entertainment factor made certain things easy to overlook.
First, the chemistry between the two main characters was believable and the characters themselves were well written. I enjoyed Agnes short temper and the inner monologue and Shane amusement with Agnes attitude. The main thing that was silly in the story and less believable was how quickly the relationship turned serious. I mean the entire story takes place over a single week and But then again, maybe I'll just stick with the belief that life and death situations speed all of those emotions up.
The second issue I had was at the beginning of the story. The writing style was different from a lot of stories I've read in that they don't explain who characters are nor did they give the background on situations right away. This book read as though it was a sequel where things are already expected to be known by the reader with the understanding that they have read the first book and if they haven't eventually things do get explained. I did spend a good portion of the beginning convinced this was book #2 of a series and that I had read things out of order. After a certain point, enough things were explained that the feeling faded.
Now despite the above, I really did find this story entertaining. I loved how many different situations the characters found themselves in and the humorous coincidences that cropped up which caused issues for our main characters. I was immediately charmed by both Agnes and Shane as well as Shane's literal partner in crime, Carpenter. I connected with these characters right away and felt invested in their future. The whole mob connection was a unique way to have a character in a situation where an assassin could be called to their protection and be accepted as totally normal right away. It was a really good way to normalize the violence that occurs.
This book won't be for everyone (but really that can be said for all books) but I think that most readers of romance would find this one worth their time.
I just spent the better part of the day with a migraine due to eye strain from finishing this book on top of the book I had read earlier in the day. Totally worth it though. I really found this book amusing and simply could not put it down. I'm a sucker for 'good' assassin stories so this one was ahead of the game in terms of satisfaction. It wasn't a perfect story but the entertainment factor made certain things easy to overlook.
First, the chemistry between the two main characters was believable and the characters themselves were well written. I enjoyed Agnes short temper and the inner monologue and Shane amusement with Agnes attitude. The main thing that was silly in the story and less believable was how quickly the relationship turned serious. I mean the entire story takes place over a single week and
Spoiler
by the final chapter they were living together and Shane was willing to completely change his career path for Agnes.The second issue I had was at the beginning of the story. The writing style was different from a lot of stories I've read in that they don't explain who characters are nor did they give the background on situations right away. This book read as though it was a sequel where things are already expected to be known by the reader with the understanding that they have read the first book and if they haven't eventually things do get explained. I did spend a good portion of the beginning convinced this was book #2 of a series and that I had read things out of order. After a certain point, enough things were explained that the feeling faded.
Now despite the above, I really did find this story entertaining. I loved how many different situations the characters found themselves in and the humorous coincidences that cropped up which caused issues for our main characters. I was immediately charmed by both Agnes and Shane as well as Shane's literal partner in crime, Carpenter. I connected with these characters right away and felt invested in their future. The whole mob connection was a unique way to have a character in a situation where an assassin could be called to their protection and be accepted as totally normal right away. It was a really good way to normalize the violence that occurs.
This book won't be for everyone (but really that can be said for all books) but I think that most readers of romance would find this one worth their time.