Four Steps to the Perfect Revenge by Lilian Monroe is a captivating and thrilling read that kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. The story follows the journey of protagonist, Ava, as she seeks revenge on those who have wronged her. Monroe's writing is sharp and engaging, and her characters are well-developed and complex.

One of the things I loved about this book was the way it explored the theme of revenge. Monroe does an excellent job of showing the consequences of seeking revenge and the toll it can take on a person. The story is also full of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end.

Overall, I highly recommend Four Steps to the Perfect Revenge to anyone who enjoys a good thriller. It's a well-written and thought-provoking book that will keep you hooked from start to finish. I give it four stars out of five.

The story of Ellie and Hugh is fun. It is flirty. She is determined and even though she has self doubts, she is sure that her ex is in the wrong. Her meet cute with Hugh is sweet even. She loves her island life. Hugh has baggage too. Her family, dad, Daphne, mom and the people from the island are relatable characters who add to their story. The writing is strong. Thanks to Net Galley for a copy. This is my honest opinion.

Four Steps to the Perfect Revenge is a fun and quirky rom-com from Lilian Monroe.

Ellie has lost pretty much it all- her fiance, her job, her dog and pretty much all of her dignity in her small town. That is until she decides she will at least have her dog back. Hugh is the mysterious newcomer and apparently related to the towns hermit.

These two are kind of an odd pairing but there is that instant tug between them. I loved how Hugh was kind of drawn to Ellie and her hot mess because he could see and sense the strength she held below the disaster.

I enjoyed how the story kind of revealed itself slowly over the course of the book- even if it was frustrating at times. I think that some of the premise of the small town kind of holding this grudge or judgement toward Ellie's family didn't quite make sense to me especially toward the end when they started to finally turn against her ex-fiance but I get how it was kind of needed in order for the story and Hugh's willingness to help Ellie.

So while it had these moments that were kind of off for me I did find their journey to be fun and enjoyable overall.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and Heartwarming Romance
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2023
Four Steps To The Perfect Revenge is a suspenseful romantic comedy which features Ellie, an events planner, who takes Hugh on a wild journey to claim revenge upon her cheating ex-fiancé, Jason, who brought humiliation upon her and kept her dog, Louie. Hugh had come to Fernley Island about a business opportunity involving inherited land from his estranged father. This book has amazing characters, witty banter, hilarious situations, strong emotions, and steamy chemistry. I highly recommend this heartwarming and fun book and audiobook.
I received a free copy of this book via the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

loved this romance and how the journey stated and ended. loved the friends and all of the trials that they went through on the journey. loved the cast and i can't wait t read more.

This is the first book I read from this author. I really enjoyed the book and was laughing from the first chapter. Ellie has a way of getting caught up in sticky situations and is very passionate about what she believes in. Hugh comes into town to deal with his estranged father’s land and expects to be in for a few days until he runs into Ellie, or rather she runs into him.

Characters in the story are well developed, and it’s easy to point out the villain real quick. With the help of Hugh and Ellie’s family, they are able to help her out of the remnants of a bad relationship, and get her life back together.

I was excited to read this book and it did not disappoint. This is a stand-alone read, with a fun group of characters that keep you tuning the pages. Ellie and Hugh were two great characters who made for an amazing storyline and fun read.

I am not going to give any spoilers if you are looking for a fun read that'll have you laughing, swooning, and just plain escape, give this book a quick read!

I received this book off Netgalley for an honest review.

This was an easy read. It had humor, romance and revenge all rolled into one. The FMC had me hooked from beginning to the end. Loved how the story ended.

Thank you to netgallery for this ARC.

A fun and fast paced read. Ellie meets High in not the best way, but soon he is helping her out. What will happen when she finds out what secret he has been keeping from her?

The end of Ellie’s engagement with her cheating fiancé is only the beginning of her problems as he is determined to make her life as difficult as possible until he gets what he wants. Except for a few people she is feeling unsupported and alone until Hugh comes to town.

Hugh has his reasons for coming to town, but he believed that it would be straightforward, and he would be on his way. He realizes he couldn’t have been more wrong and how much he and Ellie would have in common. As they spend time together their goal to take down a common enemy evolves into so much more.

I enjoyed seeing Ellie fight for what was right while gaining support and help from Hugh as even though they had some missteps along the way they found love where they least expected it.

Four Steps was a really fun, intense and romantic book that I Unexpectedly loved. It’s the type of book where you can’t help but root for the characters, as well as their relationship.
This was my first book by Lilian Monroe and I’m impressed. The opening chapter sets up the main character perfectly and you immediately jump into the plot. Our main character, Ellie Davies is a passionate, opinionated and down on her luck ex-event planner who’s on a rescue mission with her best friend Wyn to save her dog who’s basically being held hostage by her slimy ex-fiancé Jason. At first, you may think this Mission Impossible style rescue is excessive but once you find more out about her vile ex, you get with the program and feel like you’re there with them. After her best friend is injured and the rescue mission fails, Ellie returns to local grump Lionel with the hope he can take them to the hospital. But this doesn’t happen. Ellie sees what appears to be an intruder attempting to enter Lionels House and whacks him with bolt cutters, exclaiming that she’s stopped the burglar. Turns out it is not a creepy thief but a handsome Hugh, nephew to grumpy Lionel who was trying to repair something. I did laugh here because Ellie really thought she’d saved the day, a reaction most would have, I think!
Hugh has returned to the island following the death of his estranged father who left a hefty amount of land to him as an inheritance. He’s certain he will sell the land to a developer who wants to build an up-and-coming luxury resort. Jason is one of the guys involved in this development and is desperate to get his hands on this land as well as Ellie’s parents’ property.
Hugh is dragged into a plot that has resulted in the poisoning of the Davies family’s sheep where the pair find out Jason paid an unknowing local to ‘feed the sheep’. The plot to get this land is becoming more and more violent and aggressive with Jason manipulating everyone who listens to turn against Ellie, something Hugh is not willing to do.
The two work together to gather proof that Jason is a fraud while they also get closer to one another.
I really enjoyed this. It was fun, wholehearted and generally just a joy to read. It definitely makes me want to read more of Lilian’s books. Thank you for the eARC!

I chose this book because it seemed reminiscent of Monica Murphy. And boy, was it! Bad boy falls for the good girl. It was lighthearted and funny. It was the perfect John Tucker Must Die type of revenge romance I was looking for.

This perfect balance between humor and romance kept me turning the pages until I finished it. I enjoyed reading a delightful and entertaining story that had everything that I needed at the moment to have perfect reading time.

The beginning sequence of this story had me laughing out loud and I was so excited to work through this story. and overall, I enjoyed it but the issues that cropped up with Ellie and Hugh were kind of silly, mostly from Ellie's perspective. That felt forced, especially the level of the grievance that was portrayed. That said, there were plenty of humorous parts and I really enjoyed the slow progression of their relationship. The cast was a fun group of characters (Lionel, Hugh's uncle) was a hoot and while the end felt rushed I had a good time reading. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an early read.

Ellie is a little impulsive and defends her friends and family with her whole heart which can make her appear a little crazy to people which is where Hugh comes in. Hugh is in the area looking at the land he inherited from his father. He keeps getting caught up in Ellie's crazy plans for revenge against here ex but Hugh has a huge secret he's Keeping. I absolutely loved Ellie and Hugh’s story its funny, lots of love, laughs and quirky characters. I’d definitely love to see Ellie’s best friend and her sister get their own stories.

Ahh such a fun book filled with crazy antics and an overall good time. Ellie and Hugh were so great for each other. I loved how accepting they were of each other and how trusting they were!

I enjoyed this book, it had a little of everything, mystery and love . Would definitely read more by this author.

I really enjoyed this fun rom com. It was fast paced and took me a minute to get all the characters straight. I loved Ellie and Hugh’s romance, break up and then HEA. The secondary characters were also fun…there is Louie the dog, who plays such an important role, and to lesser degrees, Ellie’s mom, dad, and grandmother, all of who are old hippies! I also loved the small island near Seattle, which gave it a real small town feel. All in all, I love Lillian Monroe’s writing and will always jump at the chance to read and review for her.

Have you ever had a bad breakup? Did your boyfriend/fiancé cheat on you? Did you want to get revenge? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you should enjoy this book! Heck, you will enjoy this book if you like to laugh and love a good rom com! Living in a small town is like living in a fishbowl where everyone knows everything almost before you do it and this book really drives that point home. As someone who grew up in a small rural town, I can attest to the truth of that point. However, I could easily get away by driving to another town and taking a break. Imagine being on an island that requires that you take a ferry to the mainland at only certain times of the day to be able to escape! Add in that the female main character tends to act impulsively on her emotions and you have the perfect recipe for disaster to continuously strike. Add in an ex with loads of money, a sheriff that couldn't walk straight if he tried and a hot guy visiting the island for unknown reasons and you have a bubbling concoction just waiting to explode! This was a fun read and I am curious to see if there will be a second book from this same island as I think that the sister's story has yet to unfold. I am a total series junkie so it would tickle my heart to get to revisit these characters and this town, but first you should read this book and become just as invested in wanting more too!

The premise and title of this made the book seem interesting however it really dragged and I could not get into it. I felt the characters were bland and that the story was just so slow which personally is not my cup of tea.