Three and a half stars.

Maisie Baxter is a hitwoman for Novum, a boutique 'ethical' assassination service. She founded the organisation with her boss Gabby, a minor celebrity and charity advocate (think Spring Watch and Save the Hedgehogs), they have expanded and now have a second assassin, Owen (good looking but not very bright), a tech guy, Jason, and an admin person Sophie. One of Novum's key tenets is that Maisie (or Owen) can veto a target if they don't consider them to have committed a heinous crime, something Maisie is very proud of, and she loves that Gabby respects her choices.

When we meet Maisie she is on a job for a mysterious anonymous client (not so odd as who wants a team of assassins to know your name) who is also very specific about what they want Maisie to do and when and how, including arranging for her exfiltration. The job goes without a hitch and later the team are introduced to the mysterious client, Pascal Robertson, elusive billionaire CEO of ILS, a company which has created the world's first green fertiliser. Pascal has discovered that some of his senior management have been selling the fertiliser illegally to terrorist organisations to help them make bombs and he is determined to root out all the bad eggs ... the permanent way.

The following week, Maisie (in disguise) is headed to a Young Farmer's Festival where one of ILS's board is giving a keynote speech. She has orders to assassinate him during that speech. After setting up the tent for the following morning she joins the festivities at the bar and bumps into a handsome man who looks as out of place as she feels, the strong cider helps them form an instant connection and they end up spending the night together. The next day, Maisie watches as the ILS director is making his speech, ready to (literally) push the button, when suddenly a light fitting swings down towards him, killing him instantly. Coincidence? Or is there more than one team of assassins hired? Could it be someone from Removals Inc, Novum's main competitor who would kill their own mother if the price was right?

But when the same guy turns up at Maisie's next hit, she realises sweet, shy Will could be working for the opposition.

This gave off similar vibes to the Brangelina film Mr and Mrs Smith, and probably for that reason I did enjoy it, but it didn't feel very original.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

Well this was incredibly addictive. I had been very much enjoying it, sat down to read a bit more with lunch, intending to finish the book when I went out later that day, and instead the next thing I knew about an hour had passed and I was over 9%. So well I had to finish it at that point.

And I had been totally oblivious to the world around me as I was reading. I was hooked on Maisie who is an ethical hitwoman, and was surprised at just how messy her life was about to become.

It starts off gently, getting the reader used to the fact that you are essentially siding with a killer, although she only agrees to kill people that really deserve it, and then a man keeps showing up who she may have an attraction to, and suddenly things are complicated.

As the story ramps up, I was becoming less sure who I was supposed to believe and who is actually on the side for good and who was just pure evil! It's thrilling and what a journey it takes you on.

It's fast paced, exhilarating and I was totally there for every last word of it. This is the first book I've read from this author and based on this it definitely won't be my last. I am absolutely a massive fan of this new type of thriller that seems to be emerging and long may it continue.

Thank you to HQ Digital and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

This is a totally bonkers book, and that is a such a good thing. Maisie accidentally becomes a hit woman and does it really very well. Her boss is demanding and the whole operation is smooth with employees and targets who it is good to get rid of. Through this hit business Maisie needs to juggle a flatmate, good friends who want you at their birthday party and a recent love interest. Maisie also needs to deal with her demanding and sometimes manipulating boss and carry out the hits she has been asked to get on top of and deliver. This isn’t laugh aloud but it is fun and made me smile as I was reading the madness of the plot and escapades.

Rival Assassins that have to work together — it sounded so good in theory but it kind of fell flat for me.

It felt a little rushed and disjointed. Maybe it was because I was in a slump the entire time I read this but this didn’t capture my attention the way I wanted it to.

The romance was very bland and felt forced. The plot was more interesting and the only reason I stayed till the end.

ೃ⁀➷ Thank you NetGalley and HQ for the ARC! ♥︎