Hazel’s Story Is A Playful Romantic Suspense That Keeps You On Your Toes Throughout! It Is A Slow Burn Full Of Mystery, Yet It Remains Light & Entertaining As Well. Similar To Some Of The Author’s Other Recent Books, There Is A Hint Of The Supernatural At Play. Don’t Forget To Download The Free Bonus Scene From Mr. Remington’s POV Via The Link At The Back Of The Book!


Hazel Fox, a recent college grad, is thrilled to begin her new job. She leaves New York behind, never anticipating the mystery that awaits her. Hazel was orphaned several years ago, so her college roommate and best friend Kehlani became the closest thing she has to family. She followed Kehlani to NYC after graduating, but unlike Kehlani, who landed a great marketing job, Hazel simply couldn’t afford to remain there. Hazel also majored in marketing, but her real dream is to become a writer. Miraculously, after a tedious application process, she was just hired by one of Kehlani's favorite romance authors: Athena Quinn. The job includes room and board as well.

Hazel’s new home is on a small island off the coast of South Carolina. As she pulls up to her employer's estate, the questions begin. She believes she has been hired to be the assistant to Athena Quinn, but apparently a Mr. Remington already holds that title. It seems she has been hired to be his assistant instead. Personally, Hazel believes Athena's recent books lack inspiration, but she nevertheless respects Athena and looks forward to learning from her. Despite the confusion about her title and duties, she hopes to eventually meet the famous author and learn from her. But in the meantime, she must survive working for Mr. Remington.

Mr. Remington, perhaps in his thirties, is infuriating. His heated looks are confusing. The handsome bachelor has strict rules and warns Hazel about the dangers of going out at night. She suspects he is just trying to get her to quit. Largely isolated in the huge mansion, she is lonely. The pool boy – Remington’s nephew, Hudson - is easy-going and suggests that the real danger lurks in the house at night. Soon Hazel wonders if she living in a real-life love triangle. But nothing is as it seems, and she is determined to find answers. She eventually finds her happy ending.

Don’t forget to download the free bonus scene from Mr. Remington’s POV via the link at the back of the book.

Hazel's story is a slow burn full of mystery and suspense, yet it remains light and entertaining as well. Similar to the author's other recent books, there is a hint of the supernatural at play. Whether or not there is a logical explanation at hand remains a question throughout. Hazel is desperate to avoid being labeled the naïve woman that Athena is accused of writing about in her recent books. Her suspicions lead her down a dark path, but is it all a ruse, or is she closer to the truth than she knows?

Hazel's story is a playful romantic suspense that keeps you on your toes throughout. She is silly and naïve in ways, yet she is also determined and unafraid. Mr. Remington largely hides behind his stiff old-fashioned persona, but there are hints of something more from time to time. Their story might not answer every question, but it ends on a light, lovely note. The story is nicely written. The plot is complex. The characters are not deeply developed, but they are quite intriguing. The story is told in first person from Hazel's POV. I rate this book four stars.

I received an advance copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Not your average Romance book.

I read this completely blind. Had no real offers where this book was going to take me.
I felt just as clueless as Hazel, trying to figure out how her story was going to end.

Interesting and different but an enjoyable read that left me guessing until the end.
The mystery of what was going to happen next, had me glued to this book.

Having dreams of making it as a writer, Hazel Fox leaves her best friend and her life in NYC behind, jumping at what she thinks is the opportunity to be the assistant to famous writer Athena Quinn. Once she arrives reality sets in as she learns she is to be the assistant to the assistant, a Mr. Remington who is quite stiff and does not seem at all pleased at Hazel’s arrival. Heck, she isn’t even introduced to Athena. She is merely told that Athena prefers her privacy and not to wander into Athena’s area in the house by Mr. Remington. Right off the bat things seemed quite off. Hazel is told to address everyone as Mr. or Mrs., no first names, formal dressing for dinner. It’s enough to make her want to quit immediately, and honestly I wouldn’t have blamed her. But of course had she done that we wouldn’t have a story now would we? LOL. So of course she sticks around, constantly noting the odd happenings to her friend back in New York and going where she isn’t supposed to and trying to uncover what the heck is going on. While I wasn’t a fan of Mr. Remington (though I suppose at the start that was Ms Smoak’s intention) I’ll admit the oddness of the situation intrigued me and pulled me right in. This is a quick read with an interesting story that had an unexpected number of laughs as well. Thanks so much to Montlake for the eARC.

Hazel is excited to begin her job as the assistant to Athena Quinn, a successful author as she believes it will give her the insight she needs to further her dream of writing as well. The two things she hadn’t expected was that she would be reporting to Mr. Remington, the author’s assistant, or that the locale would be more suspicious than scenic.

Mr. Remington is a mysterious character who guards his privacy and his secrets. That combined with the fact that he never allows her to meet Athena as well as the surprises and suspense will have Hazel wondering what she agreed to and what the truth really is.

Some of Hazel’s actions will have you wondering what she is thinking while a lot remains unknown when it comes to Mr. Remington for a good part of the story. There are a few secondary characters that add humor and intrigue who will draw you in.

Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking ‘just one more page’.
The imagery throughout the book was definitely something, it intrigued me a lot. And to add more to it, Hazel’s journey is an unique one.
The mystery surrounding Mr. Remington (aka Athena Quinn’s assistant), had my mind working overtime trying to catch up and decipher what could possible happen.
I believe there could have been more answers, but I enjoyed reading this book a lot. 100% entertaining.

Thank you Netgalley and Montlake for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I am not the target audience for this book... maybe me from 10 years ago would have really enjoyed this book. But not today.

This felt like a combination of "Twilight" with Christian Grey as the main character. But not sexual Christian Grey - the bossy, controlling (out of the bedroom) one. The one who made her question what was going on.

This was a thriller - but never really got off the ground. It just felt ... really surface. I wasn`t confused or on the edge of my seat - I was really just wondering "Why is Hazel putting up with this"????

I am likely not the target audience, so rather than go into details and possibly spoil this story; I will simply say - this wasn't for me. I've read some of Ivy Smoak's previous works and they were a better combination of romantic-thriller/ spice -- this had no spice and the ending was wrapped up way too quickly.

Hazel and Atlas both really annoyed me.

I can't recommend this book. Sorry to the publisher and the author for being so negative - I've enjoyed her books in the past. Just not this one.

I've seen author's books circulating around on the social media for quite a while, but this book is the first Ivy Smoak's book that I read and it will not be the last. This book was pretty fun and it has mystery, suspense, romance and plot twists that were pretty clever.

The story began with Hazel Fox, a young writer, arriving at her new job on a private island hoping to get inspiration from a renowned novelist . Instead she met a Mr. Remington. The more time Hazel spent in the house the more she noticed how strange and haunted the estate was. Secrets began to unravel and Hazel should have left since she started to wonder if she should have ever come to the estate in the first place. However, she stayed on, of course.

Overall, it's a fun and easy to read thriller/suspense/romance. There were a lot of creepy moments, yet, there were many funny moments too! If you've enjoyed CoHo's Verity, you'll most likely enjoy this too.

Thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I throughly enjoyed this book. It was unique, fresh, mysterious, and at times a little creepy. A perfect summer time read.
Hazel (FMC) driven, curious, funny and so relatable. Mr. Remington (MMC) mysterious and handsome, and put the two together, the sexual is through the roof!
The plot has a nice flow, BTFB will have you hooked and keep you guessing!

Thank you Netgalley, Montlake and Ivy Smoak for the ARC.

Hazel takes what she thinks is a dream job working for a famous romance author. However, she gets there to discover she is actually just the assistant to the assistant. Mr. Remington is mysterious and clearly hiding secrets.

This one gave me Verity vibes with a more annoying protagonist. I wish it had committed more to be a thriller or more a full romance a la Rebecca. I think big fans of Verity would enjoy this a lot but if you didn’t like Verity, this one might not be for you.

When Hazel Fox arrives at her new job on a private island, she discovers that she won’t be working with the author but with Mr. Remington. Not only does Hazel find Mr. Remington attractive but he sends out mixed messages. She is unsure whether he is trying to get her to quit or whether he is attracted to her. However, Hazel is very certain that he has his secrets that are dangerous.
This was an interesting read with plenty of banter between the couple. I wasn’t quite sure whether this was a romance or a mystery. Overall, there were plenty of twists and turns, some of which were quite predictable. I was entertained throughout.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’m really torn about this book. It’s definitely a page turner. I read it in half a day including sleeping. But I don’t think I’d recommend it.

The story is creepy, but not satisfyingly so. I guess it’s a romance, but again not satisfying. It’s more a young girl doesn’t get enough attention, invades everyone’s privacy and does/imagines stupid stuff. When it began to resemble Twilight, I almost DNF’ed but I was too curious to see how it played out.

Surprisingly this book was pretty funny, though. It did make me laugh out loud in parts.

The only part that actually annoyed me was the too often mention of him “lowering his brow.” I don’t think I’ve heard it put that way and, I counted, it’s mentioned 25 times in the book.

Hazel was hired to work as an assistant to Athena but discovers she's really going to be working for her creepy assistant Mr. Remington. So she's the assistant to the assistant- in the scheme of things, no big deal except that it is for her. And she's on an island in a creepy house with a man who seems off. This takes some turns between being an unlikely romance thing and a suspense novel or sorts - and it never really finds its footing. I also found Hazel immature. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A rare miss from me so over to others,

Bad Things Feel Best intrigued me from the very first page. The creepy and gothic vibes pulled me into the story, leaving me wondering what Hazel had gotten herself into. This opportunity of a lifetime filled Hazel with more questions and a ton of confusion. And when you add Atlas into the story all bets are off.

Bad Things Feel Great is filled with mystery, intrigue, delicious tension, and creepy vibes that kept me on my toes. I had a feeling what the plot twist was going to be almost from the beginning, but there were enough moments that had me questioning whether or not I was on the right track.

I enjoyed the banter with Hazel and Atlas. Atlas was definitely hard to figure out. He was the kind of character that you love to hate. Together, I thought Hazel and Atlas had great chemistry but thought the romance between them was quite tame.

If I had to make one complaint it would be that I felt like the ending was rushed. There was all this wonderful buildup and intrigue and then when the climax of the story happened, it was over far too quickly. I think one more chapter or two would have made things feel more finished.

Otherwise, I really enjoyed this book and had a great time getting lost in this story.

Such an amazing story! Had me on the edge of my seat and I couldn't put it down. So many theories running through my head the whole time. Definitely had to creepy factor with the most amazing characters. I love, love, LOVE, me some Mr. Remington!

As a fan of Ivy Smoak's other novels, I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy of her newest standalone, Bad Things Feel Best. However; I found the characters to be dull and couldn't connect to any of them. I lost interest by the fifty percent mark and flipped fast through the rest.

3/5. Releases 8/8/2023.

For when you're vibing with... a chaste romantic thriller, a readalike for Colleen Hoover's Verity, and "my boss is maybe a murderer but like.... he's single...".

When Hazel Fox takes an assistant job on a private island, she looks forward to working with famous author Athena Quinn. But it turns out she's actually working for Athena's mysterious right hand--Mr. Remington. Mr. Remington doesn't want to be known by anyone, let alone Hazel; and the more she attempts to understand him, the more he resists her.

This book wasn't a match for me--and I think that's partly because of how it was marketed. But I think it possibly a good option for those who seek an entryway to romantic suspense... without quite as much murder and sex.

Quick Takes:

--Here's the thing. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm not a big fan of reading something you know you won't be into and then giving it a low rating. I like romantic suspense, though it's been a while since I've read it. I'd never read Ivy Smoak before, and I assumed based the descriptions of and reviews for her other books that this would have some heat to it. I may not have done my research well enough there. I also assumed based on the marketing for this book that it would be a) both mystery-forward and romance-forward b) kind of mysterious and sexy.

I would not personally call this romance-forward. There is a romance plot, it is prominent. I do not think it was prominent enough for this to be categorized as genre romance. It's a side quest, in a sense, for Hazel. It's not super woven into the mystery itself, the way it might be in a romantic suspense novel. One of the reasons why I suggested it as a readalike for Verity (a book I didn't enjoy, but I know others have) is that the romance feels about as central to that novel as it does to this one.

--I love the island atmosphere in the novel, and the general sense of isolation is what built the eeriness up the most (though that's perhaps broken by the presence of Hazel's friend Kehlani; while I didn't dislike her character, she very much felt like the obligatory best friend versus a character Smoak put a lot of thought into, and she didn't really need to be there).

I just feel that the style of Hazel's narration, her POV, her personality... Kind of fucked with this book's ability to be a proper thriller. Before I began reading primarily romance, I went through a period wherein I read primarily thrillers. This book didn't commit to being a thriller any more than it committed to being a romance, to be honest. If you are newer to both genres, you may be satisfied with the light touch. I don't like a light touch. With anything.

--Hazel wasn't super believable to me as a protagonist. Yes, it's typical for thriller girls to be kind of nosy, to get into shit they should really leave alone. But there was something about the way she went about it that suggested a lack of connection to reality--and not in an intentional, "unreliable narrator/mentally ill protagonist" kind of way. It felt like she didn't get how this job was a move forward in her career, and didn't value it? Which seems like a petty thing to critique about a thriller-ish romance-ish novel, but like I said, this book has something of an identity crisis, so it felt more prominent to me.

--The reality is that as interesting as Mr. Remington could be in theory... He never actually becomes a truly fleshed out character. And if only one character feels actually prominent (and she never even seems to 100% like this man) you cannot connect to the romance plot. Or at least, I can't.

The Sex Stuff:

This book is closed door, and to be honest, that seems oddly soft for a book that's meant to be dark? Definitely doesn't gel with the title or the way it's being marketed.

I feel like this was hard for me to come to an opinion on--because I'm really not the reader for this subgenre. It's not quite a thriller, not quite a romance. It's difficult for me to critique it, because I don't really know what standards I'm judging it by...? But again, I imagine that Colleen Hoover readers (or at least Verity readers) may like it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Montlake for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Bad Things Feel Best is the upcoming newest book for Ivy Smoak and I’ve read some of her other series and loved it but honestly this book fell flat for me :(

I downloaded it because it was available free for one day and went into it blind. I want to keep this review spoiler free-ish so I won’t go into extensive detail but what really broke the book for me was the characters.

I just felt like one of them captured my attention at all and the MMC, Mr. Remington, who was supposed to be morally grey man was anything but to me. He was just flat out boring.
Then we have Hudson who was basically a throw away character. He was in a love triangle with the FMC but was really just a buffer type.
And then we have Hazel who is the FMC, she again was kind of boring to me and had no character development.

The books plot reminded me of an off brand verity and just fell through. I Love Ivy’s other books but this one just didn’t do it for me :(

Thank you to Netgalley for offering this book up in exchange for an honest review

Bad Things Feel Best (Kindle Edition) by Ivy Smoak
Hazel Fox and Mr. Remington both have their own secrets. She is hired to be an assistant to a famous author - but finds out that she is the assistant to the assistant -Mr. Remington. The house is spooky and there are so many rules. There is angst, deceit, secrets, mystery, a few laughs and tears, romance, steam, interesting people all getting to a HEA.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Action-packed Informative Page-turner Haunting Romantic Happily Ever After Twisted Scary Entertaining Steamy.

3.5 stars
Bad Things Feel Best by Ivy Smoak had an interesting premise, smexy bits, silly and fun parts but im still not too sure on the hero. The end fell a little short for me. Will there be a follow up book? I hope so.

I had higher hopes for this one, but it fell flat for me. Hazel was naive and for an aspiring author I expected her to be more in tune with her surroundings. Mr. Remmington was a mysterious character that I wanted to know more of. The plot twist I saw coming and didn't really do much for me. Overall, it was a quick read, but nothing that I was really loving.