A Very Merry Hitman (Holiday With a Hitman #2)

Katie Reus

Blurb:

She’s surrounded by hitmen…

Aileen’s parents, brother and all her neighbors have unconventional jobs to say the least. So she’s surrounded by hitmen. Is it a little strange? Sure, but so is she. And lately she finds herself looking at one of her neighbors in a new light. When the single mom asks him for a teeny tiny favor—to help her after years of being celibate—he shuts down. So she decides to throw herself back out there and start dating again.

And he’s the most intimidating of them all…

Dante has wanted Aileen for as long as he can remember, but because of her past trauma, he’s always considered her off-limits. When two different Santas try to rob her in a matter of days, then all bets are off. Something weird is going on, so he does what any good hitman would do—he takes over her protection detail. He’ll keep her under his roof, in his arms, and hopefully in his bed, while ending any and all threats to her. Too bad her nosy family keeps getting in his way. It may be the most wonderful time of the year, but danger is about to find them all.

Themes: Holiday, Contemporary

Rating: 4 stars

Heat Rating:

Review:

I was so thrilled when I learned we would be getting a second story around these hitmen because after last year’s holiday story I knew I would kill for another one (sorry I had to do it). Katie Reus is one of those authors that can make the most ridiculous sounding premise into the perfect story and really, an entire community of hitmen… Who would ever believe that could be true? But she manages to make you believe it and actually fall in love with these killers and want to read their romances and see how they celebrate the holidays and build their families. She really does understand the human psyche. This newest story in the Holiday With a Hitman series revolves around a woman that was once brutalized and lost a piece of herself while gaining a beautiful child from it and the man that has lost his heart to her finally seeing one another clearly and finding love. Aileen is determined to reclaim her life, beginning with her sexuality and she feels the best way to do that is with the one man she trusts and is attracted to, but when she finally works up the nerve to ask her neighbor Dante to be her lover she feel he rejects her and runs scared. Dante has wanted Aileen for YEARS but is stunned when she asks him to be her lover and before he can make head or tails of her request, she runs from him. Now they are stuck in a weird limbo and strange things are happening around them including Aileen trying to date other men and Santas attacking Aileen. Danta is determined to now only protect the woman he loves but to finally get her into his bed and make her understand that she is his irrevocably. Aileen had no idea the depth of Dante’s feelings for her but now she is faced with a dangerously aroused hitman on her tail (quite literally) and she’s not quite sure she is ready for everything coming at her but is they can’t figure out everything going on around them it might be a moot point. Can a community of hitmen protect one single mother in time to give a hitman the time to convince her that she is love of his life and give them all the Christmas gift of a Happily Ever After?

I positively LOVED this story, so much was happening at any one moment that I could not put the book down and there was no way to stop reading for sleep. Aileen was such a survivor, having gotten past the one trauma that no woman should be forced to live through, then having even more at the hands of her tormenter. But she’s made a beautiful, if not full, life out of it with her daughter and her family, but she wants to finally reclaim the broken part of herself. She knows that Dante is the one man that she can trust with her body and goes to him and when he admits his feelings immediately accepts that she too feels deeply for him. While you might think she is fragile because she isn’t a killer like the others around her, she is strong, sassy, sweet, and witty, I loved watching her stand up for herself and demand she be treated as an equal. Dante is the perfect alpha, strong and protective of the woman –and little girl—he claims as his, even if only in his heart but he never gives her reason to distrust her or fear her. I loved seeing him walk the tightrope of his dominant and strong personality without being overbearing (even if he slipped sometimes) as he protected Aileen and shows her how much he loves her. He is smart, dedicated, willing to do anything including kill to protect those he loves, but he never pretends to be more than he is which is a badass hitman. I loved their chemistry and the attraction between them burned bright every second they were together or even just thinking about one another. I look forward to seeing their relationship in future books in this series (hint hint) because I hope to continue to see new installments each holiday season from Katie because this series is certainly one that is unique and worth every word.

*eARC provided by author for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was provided.