It Had To Be You is a funny, addictive and so entertaining book about two assassins who fall in love (or lust) and are then hired to kill each other.

It's a glorious game of cat and mouse and I loved every minute.

This is the 2nd book I have read by this author and both were amazing. I am definitely going to read her older ones.

I eagerly dove into It Had to Be You by Eliza Jane Brazier. I have read and loved her previous novels, but with this book, I could not get into it.

Blame it on my mood, because I cannot find fault with her excellent writing. It was simply a case of not connecting with the characters.

Many others have read and loved it so please check it out for yourself!

When Eva and Jonathan hook up on the sleeper train from Florence to Paris, they think they’ll never see each other again. Which is too bad, because neither has ever felt a spark like this for another person. But love isn’t on the agenda in their line of work.

Six months later, they run into each other in the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles. This encounter is not by chance, because Eva has been hired to kill Jonathan. She’s a contract killer, but what she doesn’t know is that he is too.

Their meeting kicks off a high-stakes adventure across Western Europe. There will be tourism. There will be bodies. Eva and Jonathan might even fall for each other.

As the two get closer to completing their assignments, it becomes clear that they are also being hunted — by something even more dangerous than love. . . .

Eliza Jane Brazier ups the ante with each of her books, and this one following two assassins across Europe is wickedly fun. Sometimes gruesome, sometimes steamy, this one is quirky and a total page-turner. It is over the top and you might have to suspend disbelief at points, but it's so good.

What to expect:
▪️unhinged characters
▪️cat & mouse games across Europe
▪️insta lust/love
▪️open door spice
▪️satire

The synopsis reminded me of The Takedown by Carlie Walker in a way, but with contract assassins instead of spies. I was pretty excited for it because I do love a good cat and mouse story, and was hoping for a solid enemies-to-lovers trope (like Heartless Hunters). But this leaned more towards unhinged like Butcher & Blackbird (minus the torture & graphic food imagery). It ended up being a combination of tropes/themes that I don’t care for (unhinged characters, insta love and a sprinkle of satire). If the above mentioned themes speak to you, then you should check this one out.

Read if you like:
🖤 Mr. & Mrs. Smith
🔪 Assassins
😵 Hired to K*ll Each Other
❓Who’s in Charge

Eva and Jonathan hook up on a train ride after running into each other after sparks fly, but then when they come together 6 months later it’s kill or be killed…. Or maybe just F*ck instead?!

When things get out of hand between them, will they work together or apart? Is their palpable chemistry enough?!

I really enjoyed the overall plot of this one, and the narration was well done, especially with the dual POV and two narrator is, but at times the plot didn’t quite flow and work as much as I hoped to keep me engaged the whole book dying to know what was coming next.

Thanks so much to Berkley for my ARC and PRHA for my gifted audiobook copies in exchange for my review!

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun and easy read, fast-paced and fairly predictable. I don't have too many gripes with it - the writing is stilted at times, and the characters are quite dramatic, as you would expect.

"My heart is on a chain that is tied around her ankle."

The sex scenes are a bit interesting. With a bullet wound to the chest, high on E, on a luggage rack of the moving train? On top of the table full of tapas in a private room of a Barcelona restaurant? In a dilapidated French mansion where the giant gas fireplace still somehow works? Sure, why not.

It can be, at times, cringy: "I mold her; I elongate her insides." But I suppose that's part of the genre as well.

Could be a fun movie!

International intrigue and love spill from the novel, It had to be You.

Eva and Jonathon hook-up for one-night only on a sleeper train. Their lives are forever changed, each haunting the other thoughts. Unbeknownst to them, they are both hired assassins and soon they become the hunted. The chemistry is explosive even after months apart.

This book is sexy, wild, unhinged, fantastic and a total banger. Hooked from page one, It had to be You is sexy, darkly funny, unhinged and fantastic.

Thank you, Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley

"It Had to Be You" by Eliza Jane Brazie hurtles its relentless and electrifying meld with romance, suspense, and danger when two top-of-the-line contract killers meet each other and apparently find it impossible to resist through a deadly game across Western Europe.

The novel's premise is, undoubtedly, very interesting and presents a rather unique spin on the enemies-to-lovers trope. The manner in which Eva and Jonathan meet on a sleeper train sets the stage for a wild and unpredictable journey full of twists, turns, and unexpected passion.

Fast-paced and dynamic, Brazie is a rush of an author who tantalizes her readers with adrenaline-fueled action and smoldering chemistry between the two protagonists—the tension crackling with intensity between Eva and Jonathan as they fumble through work and also their entailing dangerous situation.

Though the premise is very promising, it falls through in other facets of its execution. The characters are engaging, but there is a real lack of depth and development that inhibits an investment from the readers in their journey. The motivations of the characters and the backstories of Eva and Jonathan are haphazardly sketched out, thus following no clear path to understand or empathize with their actions.

Furthermore, the novel is marred by clichés and predictable plot twists through which originality and potential for impact get lost. In exactly this formulaic way, the romance of Eva and Jonathan plays itself out: familiar tropes, conventional material, with no meaningful surprises or revelations.

Moreover, these sequences in addition to the high-stakes encounters were, at times, somewhat disjointed and rather irresolute in following a clear-cut narrative structure that could help hold an immense level of tension and momentum of the story very well. As such, they are flashed out in a very patchy manner with tachycardic instances intermingled with plot lulls that hinder the overall flow of the novel.

I was thrilled to receive this finished copy, a few weeks before it releases! Then I picked it up and couldn’t put it down! It’s so damn good! So much spice, killing, the banter, the alternative POVs.. it’s all so good! It’s like Mr and Mrs Smith, but better!! I just loved reading this one, like a fun little treat! This just cemented Brazier as an auto buy author for me! I absolutely loved her last novel, Girls and Their Horses and have recommended it to so many people and this one is even better!

Eva and Jonathan share a steamy moment on a train, never to meet again- until Eva is assigned to kill him. What follows is a supremely fun, unhinged ride through the cities of Europe, providing a backdrop to their romance unfolding (despite their best efforts). I loved their internal monologues, the fun twists, and the real laughs. Brazier's writing lends itself well to characters who always feel a little off-kilter, which keeps the plot unpredictable. If you like your romance a little dark, this one is for you.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for this e-arc.*

4.5/5

I’ve read all of the authors books and this is definitely her best in my opinion! She’s always drawn me in with an addictive writing style and a compelling hook but she really took things to the next level here. The premise itself was unhinged in the best way and the characters are just as bat shit as the premise suggests. I love a deranged character and here you get two and you also get some pretty steamy romance which I’m always down for. There was also some great dark humor if that’s your thing and the cat and mouse vibes kept the entire thing exciting. I had a blast with this one and think if you want a unique thriller this is a great choice.

Eva and Jonathan hook up on the sleeper train from Florence to Paris, thinking they’ll never see each other again. Which is too bad, because neither has ever felt a spark like this for another person. But love isn’t on the agenda in their line of work. A SPICY CONTRACT KILLER THRILLER! It Had to Be You was absolute insanity. I had so much fun reading this book. Eva and Johnathan were amazing characters. They were murderous, funny, damaged, witty, and self-deprecating. I loved that we got both of their POVs. I don't read a lot of spicy romances, so I am not sure what this is on the pepper scale but a few of the scenes were H-O-T. I am thinking 3 chili peppers AT LEAST.

I don't know what Eliza Jane Brazier puts in her books, they are THICK and I ZOOM through them. Her writing style keeps me flipping pages for hours!

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley, and Eliza Jane Brazier for the opportunity to read this ARC!

This was a fun one. I'm all about a contract killer plot line. I enjoyed their story and shenanigans and the back and forth between the two contract killers with a hit on each other. It was super entertaining and I found myself binging it whenever I could.

Thank you so much @berkleypub @netgalley for my copy of It Had To Be You! I am obsessed with EJB and have read all her novels. She just has such a addicted writing style that I manage to read her novels in one sitting (not an light task as they are all around 400 pages) but she is just that good.

I loved the cat and mouse game in this one and the Mr. and Mrs. Smith vibes. You get perspective from both characters and it’s full of suspense and some steamy sex. You all know that’s not my usual forte but this was HOT and so well done it just worked. Throw in some European setting and it was just perfection. Another win for EJB!

A fun, action-packed romp from a reliably entertaining author! The European scenery was a serious bonus.

While I did really enjoy the premise of this book, once the two assassins knew who each other were, the story lost a lot of momentum for me.

"It Had to Be You" puts a fresh spin on the "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" concept. Tautly written, spicy but propulsive enough to keep it from spilling into romance novel territory, with delightful European backdrop to boot. Good for fans of unhinged/sociopathic/murderous MCs, assassins, bucolic (if bloody) train rides through Europe.

Thank you Berkley and PRH Audio for my gifted copies. All opinions are my own. I’m so glad I requested It Had to Be You. This was such a wild ride and I couldn’t put it down.

Eva and Jonathan meet on a crowded sleeper train to Paris. They have an instant connection and hook up but don’t expect to see each other again because love isn’t common when you’re an assassin.
They meet again months later at the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles because Eva is hired to kill Jonathan. This starts a wild journey across Europe. The audiobook narration by Will Dameon and January LaVoy was perfection!

I’d recommend this if you liked The Blonde Identity or The Takedown. This was slightly more unhinged but I couldn’t stop reading it!

Thank you Berkley for the gifted digital ARC!

I really enjoyed this sexy Mr. and Mrs. Smith-esque novel. It was a quick read with short chapters (which I love) and I also enjoyed that we got to read from both Eva and Jonathan's perspectives.

The ending was very twisty and fun and I really enjoyed how everything wrapped up. This is a perfect vacation read!

It Had to Be You pub date is July 16.

“I would die for her, I think, I might even let her kill me”

OKAY TOXIC ROMANCE GIRLIES UNITE! we ride at dawn with this thriller romance that gives mr and mrs smith meets butcher and blackbird 😮‍💨

this wasn’t my favorite by this author, but it was such a wild ride I was here for it!! two assassins-for-hire meet by chance on a mission, only to pick up a hit on each other six months later 🫨 and you know I love a good dramaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

the pacing was all over the place which kept me from getting super invested in the story - it kept switching from so much action to total description based writing that made me want to skip entire chapters 🫡🙃

overall, the story itself had good bones, but it was a one and done shot for me 🤠 the characters were a total hot mess, especially for their trauma filled past (which they super glossed over??? give me flashbacks!!)… and the 360 they both did at the end? made zero sense I swear

I did binge it in one night so that was a fun time, but I think I’d rather just watch mr and mrs smith or re-read the butcher and blackbird series!!! thank you to berkley for the gifted advanced and gifted copies in exchange for an honest review!

rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: provence rosé