In this exciting thriller by E.A. Aymar, a young couple faces danger when they decide to run away together. Melissa falls for a photographer named Jake, but the problem is she already has a boyfriend involved in a criminal family. When Chris, her boyfriend, wants to find her, he turns to Lucky Wilson, an assassin from his family. However, Lucky has his own issues with a failing marriage and panic attacks. He agrees to the job if it means leaving the killing life behind.

As the story unfolds, the characters face challenges in their pursuit of something real and meaningful. The tension rises as they navigate through danger and the complexities of their lives. The narrative explores the themes of survival and unexpected partnerships, making it a thrilling read. The characters' struggles and the twists in the plot keep the reader on the edge, revealing that in this dangerous game, an unlikely alliance might be the only way for them to survive.

I just reviewed When She Left by E.A. Aymar. #WhenSheLeft #NetGalley

I always try to read more international authors, but this was only one of the reasons why I ended up adding When She Left to my shelves. I have a weak spot for crime thrillers with an organized crime angle, and it probably won't come as a surprise when I say that I was absolutely fascinated by the blurb. The couple trying to escape, the professional assassin trying to quit his job, the powerful criminal family not wanting to let go of any of them... Oh yes, the premise had SO much potential indeed.

There is no doubt that When She Left has a very strong premise, and initially things went really well. There is of course a whole urgency about the whole situation; combine this with a healthy dose of adrenaline, a man hunt and a race to survive, and you have an excellent crime thriller cocktail indeed. The story is told with the help of a multiple POV structure, where we switch between the running couple (Melanie and Jack), one of the assassins trying to find them (Lucky) and another member of the Winter crime organization with a secret (Ruby). The different POVs help showing us both sides of the hunt as well as adding more tension.

Sadly, there were certain elements that started to bother me more and more over time. Two of my biggest pet peeves in books are cheating and religion, and sadly both have a rather prominent role in the plot. The first in the form of Melanie: the fact she was actively cheating on Chris just made it SO much harder to properly root for her or feel bad for the situation she is in. I mean, couldn't she already guess how Chris would react to her infidelity?! He would have been angry either way, but the way Melanie handled the whole situation only poked the hornet's nest. As for the religious aspect: this is all Ruby's POV. I started to truly loathe having to spend time with her; both because she is an enormous hypocrite, simply despicable and constantly spouting her religious beliefs. Especially the last is an easy way to antagonize me...

I initially enjoyed following the man hunt, both seeing how Melanie and Jack try to escape and what the other side does to try and find them. There is plenty of action and violence along the way, and things get pretty dark and graphic, so you have been warned! There are also trigger warnings in place for multiple topics including adult/minor relationship, abuse, alcoholism, trafficking... Although some elements are only mentioned briefly, and the main focus is on violence and cheating. Sadly, the plot started to become more and more over the top as it advanced, and the credibility took a nosedive. I'm not always bothered by this, but combined with the other elements that started to grate on me, the result wasn't a positive one this time around.

All in all, I ended up having mixed reactions to When She Left, and I admit that I enjoyed the premise of this story so much more than the actual book. This had to do with multiple elements that frequently seem to antagonize me as well as a lack of credibility and truly likeable characters to root for. This is mainly a personal reaction, so it depends on how you react to certain elements if this story would work for you or not.

BIPOC Suspense Thriller that finds a young couple on the run and the reluctant assassin tasked to kill them who decide that teaming up might be the only way they all survive.

1/5 stars: This is new stand alone by Aymar that's told in multiple POVs: a young woman, her photographer boyfriend, the assassin tasked with killing them and the woman who relays messages for a criminal family. Aymar's writing is well paced and the character work is well done. This book tackles some very tough topics, so take care and check CWs. This just wasn't a book for me, leading me to DNF it at 12%.

I received this eARC thanks to Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

A popcorn book- a novel that might make a better movie, A woman fleeing from the man she didn't know was part of organized crime and the assassin sent after her are the centerpieces but honestly, neither one of them was appealing. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

This was a miss for me. I found the different POVs confusing and I just could not make myself care about any of the characters. The last part was hectic and had lots of action but the rest of the book was slow and I found myself skimming parts.

People who like mob-type books would probably enjoy this book, unfortunately it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Melissa unknowingly was dating a man heavily involved in his family's crime organization, and just as she realizes how terrible he actually is, she falls in love with a photographer and decides to get away from the Winters family. Now the Winters family has put a hit out on her, and their longtime assassin for hire Lucky is conflicted about the hit. They offer him to get out of their organization though, and the offer is tempting. But eventually, Luck and Melissa see an opportunity that the Winters missed, and an unlikely alliance is formed.

I'm not entirely sure why these characters didn't click for me, but for some reason, I just wasn't connected to any of the POVs even though this is normally a plot I would love. There's definitely still a lot going on that keeps the story mostly moving forward, so I feel like maybe I was just in the wrong mood for this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Novel about a deeply entrenched criminal family.

Interesting character development and plot enjoyable and entertaining.

In the run and being hunted Melissa and Jake have everything to live for and everything to lose. But her boyfriend doesn’t care either way, he’s been double crossed.
This book is so full of twists and turns and what just happened moments that you gasp when the vigilante steps in.
As the end nears some of these players are still standing and the back and forth between them and the suspected vigilante is like a high stake tennis match.
Great book

Thank you #NetGalley #WhenSheLeft for this ARC

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the eARC to read and review.

I have really mixed feelings about this one; on one hand, I read it essentially in one sitting over a few hours. That’s usually a sign that it was engaging. On the other hand, I struggled with a lot of it and admittedly skimmed some parts. There were way too many POVs, especially having been written in third-person; there was nothing discerning about the different POVs to justify that many.

The opening scene was great, then it slowed down with the introduction of all the characters, picked up a bit, then the last 25% was just pure chaos. But also, say Winterses one more time…🙄 Maybe come up with a better name for this crime syndicate?

Overall, this was forgettable and I’m going with 2.5 stars on this one, rounded down.

𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗛𝗬 𝗤𝗨𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗦:
“Sins carry more weight than wounds.”

Dates read: 10/19 (DNF)

Star rating: 2.5-3

Personally I thought it has a good premise and the story is going great. The only fault is it was very confusing and I couldn’t get through with the four different POVs. Great mystery thriller book; just not for me.

What a twisted tale. There are so many crime families that this story could be about.

You have the woman who thought she fell in love with the crime bosses nephew only to realize she doesn’t want to live the life.

To be hunted is a life all its own. How you stay alive is a whole different thing.

This was a great story by an author new to me. I loved this book and have added Aymar to my favorites list.

When Melissa met Chris he was a sweet and awkward guy who was trying to distance himself from his criminal family. Now that Chris's father has passed he has stepped into his criminal shoes and when Melissa sees his violence in action she starts looking for an out. Cue super awkward photographer Jake who only seems to process the world through the lens of a camera. When they go on the run, Chris calls in every hit man on his family's list rather than live with the humiliation. Lucky is one, and he jumps at the chance for an exit from the mob life, hoping to bridge the gaps in his family and live his cover story full time.
This story was fast paced, with lots of action and urgency. Chris is a little cringe, which actually makes him less predictable and more dangerous. Jake and Melissa are both bumbling to the point of being endearing if a little improbable. Lucky is the star character of this story, with his emotional turmoil about his cheating wife, and loyalty to people caught up in a similar situation to his own. I found myself screaming, don't go there more than once, like an audience member in a horror film.

Melissa is involved with a man in the mafia. She falls in love with another man and they run away together to have a fresh start and make a new life. We all know that isn't going to just work out. Indeed it doesn't.

The jilted boyfriend hires an assassin to kill his ex and her paramour. However, the assassin is having all kinds of personal issues, including anxiety attacks. Does he fulfill his job (he had extracted a promise that he could leave the life if he did this job) or decide to find another solution to his problem? Could it be one that involves his targets?