Hope your day was fantastic, and if it’s not, hopefully a good book can serve as a distraction. Today I am reviewing, If books could kill, by Kate Eberle. This novel is Eberle’s debut, and the book flirts with multiple genres, there is a bit of romance, action, thriller, mystery and a whole lot of comedy.
Viking Penguin, an imprint of PRC, sent this arc my way, and all my opinions are my own. Thank you, Viking Penguin, for this arc.
Roxie Mitchell’s life is turned upside down when she makes a wish to become the protagonist of romance author Anna Matthews’ next novel. Her wish is seemingly fulfilled when she bumps into handsome stranger, Jack. Jack woos Roxie with an after hours moonlight picnic at the local library, but soon their date turns deadly when Jack tries to kill her.
Unfortunately for Roxie, Anna is writing a crime thriller! In her speedy escape, Roxie accidentally kidnaps Grant Hoffman, an anxious English professor– effectively pulling Grant into her story. Roxie and Grant are thrown into the most suspenseful meet cute yet, and will need to work together if they want to make it out of this book alive.
This novel is full of quirky characters and a headstrong protagonist. Roxie studies self defense, which leads to many action packed escapes. She’s also adventurous and a bit delusional, but hey, she’s is the main character, so I’ll give her a pass.
This novel is told through the single POV of Roxie, who begins this book satisfied, if a bit bored with her life. Roxie attends self-defense classes, reads romance novels, has a book club with her best friend, and works as a temp. So a bit of action and adventure is exactly what she needs.
Luckily, Roxie does not have to shoulder the burden of being chased by a killer all on her own; she meets Grant early on, and although he takes some convincing, eventually the two team up to untangle the web of conspiracy they’ve found themselves in.
Grant is not the typical leading man. He’s an anxious English professor who was forced to tag along for the ride. Grant is bookish and classically trained in the humanities; he’s not rich, but he does have a cat. Unfortunately, we only meet Grant’s cat at the very end of this novel, a necessary evil. Grant’s character is refreshing to read about it, most nerdy contemporary love interest are bookish, confident, sometimes rich, and a bit of know it alls. That leads to an annoyed lead protagonist and tension throughout the story. However, Grant often defers to Roxie, and it is Roxie who moves the narrative forward and Grant who supports her. That said, this novel does have a scene where Grant fights for Roxie, literally, and it fits his character perfectly, but it also gives Grant that swoon-worthy fight for the damsel moment.
This novel was not at all what I expected it to be. It is written more as a romantic comedy than a thriller romance. The atmosphere of this novel is light, and much of the tension is broken up by comedic timing. The romantic arc of this novel is also saved for the latter half of the story. Unlike other romance novels, Grant and Roxie are friendly for the majority of this novel, and neither realizes their attraction towards the other until the end. That worked well for this novel and did not take me out of the story.
If books could kill, is a fun debut that does not take itself seriously. It has a similar feel as Alicia Thompson’s Love in the time of Serial Killers, so if you were a fan of that story definitely pick this one up.
Thank you again Viking Penguin and the PRC team for the arc. If books could kill is out July 21st in the U.S and June 18th in the U.K.
until next time libro lovers,
Gabriela
- If books could kill
Hope your day was fantastic, and if it’s not, hopefully a good book can serve as a distraction. Today I am reviewing, If books could kill, by Kate Eberle. This novel is Eberle’s debut, and the book flirts with multiple genres, there is a bit of romance, action, thriller, mystery and a whole lot of… Continue Reading → - Dungeons and Drama a silly and nerdy YA romance makes the perfect weekend read
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