Heartbreak for Hire

May 1, 2021

After Brinkley's terrible break-up two years ago, she started working at Heartbreak for Hire, a small, women-only firm in Chicago that pays "Heartbreakers" to get revenge on men who have hurt women. Now the owner of Heartbreak for Hire has brought its first male Heartbreakers into the fold. Even worse, Brinkley's new male counterpart, Markus Cavanaugh, was her most recent Heartbreak assignment. As much as she wants to hate him, she can't help but feel the connection between them and enjoy their easy banter. Now she has to train Mark and play nice to a bunch of sleazy Heartbreak assignments, while working on her art and saving money to one day open her own gallery, not to mention dealing with her mother's disappointment over Brinkley's choices. Hartl (Have a Little Faith in Me) pens a sweet and sexy contemporary romance that focuses just as much on Brinkley dealing with her past as it does on the love story. This fast-paced novel features the right amount of humor and sass to offset how much Brinkley has been hurt by the actions of her ex and her mother. VERDICT A first pick for libraries where contemporary romance is popular.--Amanda Toth, Lane Lib., Hamilton, OH

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May 24, 2021
YA author Hartl (Not Your #Lovestory) makes her adult debut with a fun and flirty but uneven rom-com. Brinkley Saunders is slowly recovering from her disastrous graduate school experience and the devastating breakup that shattered her self-confidence. Though her mother believes she works in insurance, she’s really a skilled operator at Heartbreak for Hire, a business that helps avenge women who’ve been mistreated by men—for a hefty price. Brinkley hopes to use the fantastic pay to one day afford her dream of opening an art gallery. But her plans could be derailed by her current target, Mark Cavanaugh, a man so attractive that Brinkley temporarily forgets about sabotage and the pair of them wind up back at his place. Things get stickier still when Mark shows up at Brinkley’s work shortly thereafter as one of the first ever male Heartbreakers. Brinkley’s determined not to let him distract her from her goals—but their chemistry proves hard to resist. Hartl’s premise is appealing, but the story sometimes misses the mark: Brinkley’s admittedly bad experiences make her mean-spirited and endlessly insecure, and the revenge schemes are sometimes too dark to be amusing. Still, fans of Lyssa Kay Adams and Christina Lauren are likely to enjoy the sexy hero and nonstop banter. Agent: Rebecca Podos, Rees Literary.

June 1, 2021
While dreaming of opening an art gallery, Brinkley has spent the past two years secretly working for Heartbreak for Hire, a revenge-enacting service, specializing in turning men into fools. When her boss announces that she's bringing on male Heartbreakers for the first time, Brinkley is shocked to discover that one of them is a recent target of hers, an adjunct professor named Mark. They have sizzling chemistry, but they also get on each other's nerves. As they work together, Brinkley falls harder for Mark, rethinks her role as a Heartbreaker, and confronts what's holding her back from pursuing her real dreams. The constant push-and-pull between the pair is enticing, and their sexy-steam level runs hot. The concept of being a Heartbreaker is interesting and leads to some satisfying takedown scenes, yet the story overly relies on binary gender stereotypes and the pacing is uneven. While young adult author Hartl's adult debut isn't wholly successful, the narration is conversational and fun, and this unique and captivating tale will please readers.

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