Heartbreak Incorporated is an odd but well written fantasy action romance mashup featuring a female investigative journalist written by Alex de Campi. Released 14th Feb 2024 by indie pub Rebellion, it's 304 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a spicy romance with mystery and fantasy elements. It does a reasonable job of the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink genre straddling, but in the end, the book might have been better served to have tried to find 3 or 4 genres and stick to them.

Nearly every reader of modern romantasy/ romance adventure recognizes the prevalent physical descriptions which abound in the genre. (It's not a bug, it's a feature). This book has it in spades. The action driven plot has all the moving parts in working order, but readers will still need to bring a healthy suspension of disbelief to the read. There are some elements of distressingly ingrained misogyny, including from the female MC. It's sadly typical of the genre... and it's clear and present here, too.

Three and a half stars. It's a standalone read. Definitely spicy/explicit parts, NSFW. Worth a look for fans of the genre; and the author is better than average at plotting and action sequences.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

DNF @ 13%

I had to DNF this book because of how despicable and anti-female this FMC, Evie, is. I would hope she would redeem herself at some point in the story, but the plot isn’t compelling enough for me to give Evie the benefit of the doubt.

Here are some thoughts Evie have that explain what I mean:

“She’d always assumed if she was really good at something, if she worked hard to be the best, it would impress the boys, and then they’d like her as much as they liked other girls. Maybe even more. But finally, at twenty-five, she’d realized that boys didn’t want the best girls. They wanted girls like Gemma: decorative little blondes who were always a complement, never a challenge.”

I guess Evie is too smart for the boys to like her. Woe is Evie.

“It often felt to Evie like every other girl in existence had been sent some secret instruction book on their thirteenth birthday: This is how to do your hair, your makeup. This is how to make men like you. This is how you settle. Then there was Evie, tomboyish and adrift and unwilling to hide how sharp she was, and who never received the How To Girl manual.”

It’s giving,”I’m not like the other girls”. Ew. It’s actually so pathetic that she’s been stressing about this for 12 years. For someone who claims to value intellect over men, you sure do be thinking about winning them over all the time!

Last one, because this is where I dropped off.

“Gemma knew what she was doing, was focused on her goal, eyes on the prize. She would eventually marry a man a decade older than her, maybe not handsome, but who would keep her in lip filler and handbags and tall suede boots to her heart’s content.”

You know what’s so funny about this one… Gemma and Evie work the same damn job. They are in the same exact place in life, but somehow Evie is so much better than she is because her lips are thin and her hair is brown.

What a joke.

Thank you NetGalley and Rebellion for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest reviews. All opinions are my own.

I was drawn in by the cover and the writing was spectacular!

I found this piece to be exceptionally well-crafted, and I'm eagerly anticipating the opportunity to delve into more works by this author. Given its potential popularity among our library patrons, we're certainly looking forward to adding it to our collection

"From acclaimed comics writer Alex de Campi, a sexy (prose) novel about an agency that specialises in breaking up relationships, with a side hustle in the occult."

Thank you to netgally for this advanced copy and letting me review it. This was a four star read that I absolutely devoured within two days especially when the books is a romance mystery. My favorite character is Evie who is a journalist who comes upon a thrilling story full of secrets she didn't let anyone change her mind from wanting/ learning the truth. I hope everyone liked it as much as I did.

Heartbreak Incorporated by Alex de Campi

What a fun read! This one really hit the spot with just the right balance of mystery, romance, intrigue, drama, and that extra bit of dark noire paranormal element that made me hop that this is the beginning of a series that I would gladly read.

Evie Cross has been pursuing her dreams since graduation and believes she would do anything to win a Pulitzer Prize. She works temp jobs and sidelines helping out with a friend who is in the catering business when the perfect job crops up…or at least she HOPES it is perfect for her. She is intrigued as well as drawn to the magnetic man who is doing the interviewing but feels she blew it…only…things change while she is doing her bartending catering gig that night and a chance occurrence opens doors for her.

I loved Evie’s big heart and strength. I adored Misha and the secrets about him that gradually were shared. Gemma, Abbi, Beatrice, Claudia, and Masha were perfect in their own way. I liked the business Heartbreak Incorporated is involved in though perhaps it is a bit on the shady side. The addition of the antique book, what it held within inside, and what followed was rather creepy but elucidated as it was meant to.

Again, I am hoping this is the first in a series and look forward to finding out just what Misha, Evie, the supporting characters and those men in red robes might get up to in a second book if it is written.

Thank you to NetGalley and Solaris for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

Break ups stories can be a lot of fun when they are done right... This one was super unique and I enjoyed every minute of it!

Heartbreak Incorporated is the latest novel release from Alex de Campi. De Campi is best known for her stellar work in comics and graphic novels. Just last year, I read and reviewed her graphic novel Parasocial, and I enjoyed it so much that it made it to my top ten books of 2023. After that, I quickly added Alex de Campi to my list of instabuy authors.

Heartbreak Incorporated is utterly unique. Actually, is there a better word for unique? Because this is one of the most interesting contemporary romances I’ve ever read. There’s mystery, intrigue, complicated moral questions, and supernatural beings.

Heartbreak Incorporated is sexy, thrilling, and full of surprises. It’s perfect for readers who enjoy paranormal romances and cinnamon-roll monsters. Misha might just be one of the most complex love interests I’ve seen depicted, and I loved him for all his messiness. This novel gets spicy, so definitely be prepared. However, de Campi also delves into constructs like gender, sexuality, and performativity in smart and thoughtful ways. I do think it could have been tighter and more structured, but I enjoyed it overall! I would love more in this world – and it's perfectly set up for sequel novellas and comic one-shots.

Although this book sounded really great from the synopsis I couldn't really connect with the writing style or the main character. Thanks to Solaris for the chance to read it.

Evie’s at a low ebb, her dreams of working as a top notch investigative journalist are dead, she’s living hand to mouth with no permanent job and no savings but she does have an interview for a mysterious job that’s not really clear but she’ll take anything at this point. Misha Meserov is super duper hot in a European way and he gets paid loads of money to break up marriages for the super rich but he’s got ethics or does he. Evie begins to suspect all is off with her super hot boss.
This was mixed bag for me, there were elements I liked. The premise was interesting and I liked the characters but it took too long to get into it and the plot was thin and patchy. The pacing was all over the place and the choice of narrative structure, I felt kept a distance between the reader and the characters that was alienating. Overall it was enjoyable but it felt like the writer started writing one book and then realised she needed some plot and hastily chucked some ideas around.

This is a fantasy mystery with a romance vibe that is secondary to the story. However, I felt like there’re light elements in the fantasy and it’s more a mystery book than a fantasy one, but with an interesting choice of supernatural creatures.

I felt like there’s a great character development and single one of them has a strong personality and they work so great together. Then, the pace of the story was accomplished perfectly and the world-building in this book is intriguing, and I felt like it added more to the story.

Overall, this was a fun read with a fun premise but lacking a bit on the romance plot of the story. I felt like the door to more books into this world was left open, so I’m curious to see if it’ll be explored.

Thank you, NetGalley & the publisher, for approving me to read this arc and write this review.

In the realm of contemporary fiction, Alex de Campi's "Heartbreak Incorporated" emerges as a captivating tale that delves into the complexities of love, loss, and the fine line between obsession and true connection. At the heart of the story lies Evie Cross, a 25-year-old aspiring investigative journalist whose dreams of making it in New York City seem to be slipping away. When she takes on a temporary job at a small consultancy specializing in breaking up relationships, she finds herself entangled in a world of deception and intrigue. The enigmatic Misha Meserov, the principal of the consultancy, is a man of contradictions—tall, handsome, and charismatic, yet infuriatingly aloof and secretive. As Evie delves deeper into Misha's scandalous world, she becomes convinced that he is hiding something—something that goes beyond the realm of mere relationship dissolution. When a wealthy San Francisco tech CEO with a dissolving marriage starts delving into the occult and turns up dead, Evie is forced to make a choice: pursue her journalistic desire for the truth or surrender to her growing desire for Misha. De Campi skillfully weaves a narrative that is equal parts thrilling and introspective, exploring the complexities of human relationships and the lengths people will go to find love or escape heartbreak. The characters are well-developed and relatable, each with their own motivations and vulnerabilities, making them feel like real people rather than mere plot devices. The interplay between Evie and Misha is particularly captivating, as they dance around each other, unsure of their true feelings yet drawn to each other like moths to a flame. The author's writing style is fluid and engaging, seamlessly transitioning between moments of lighthearted banter and intense emotional depth. De Campi has a knack for creating vivid imagery and sensory details that immerse the reader in the story's world, making them feel like they are right there with Evie as she navigates the treacherous waters of love, deceit, and self-discovery. Overall, "Heartbreak Incorporated" is a compelling and thought-provoking read that will appeal to fans of contemporary fiction, romantic suspense, and stories that delve into the darker recesses of human nature. Alex de Campi has crafted a tale that is both entertaining and thought-provoking, leaving readers with much to ponder long after they finish the last page.

I DNF'd this somewhere between 150-200 pages. I couldn't get into it and I think it's just not for me. I never really connected with Evie or Misha. I don't particularly like the political, blackmail, scandal, themes in stories, and I just couldn't seem to care or get invested. I also wasn't feeling the romance part of the story, I just didn't feel the connection between them. I thought the premise/setting sounded intriguing from the synopsis, but it just never hooked me in. I can objectively see why some readers would really love this. I'm by no means saying it is bad, it just wasn't for me. Although I'm rating it one star here (because it requires a rating), I won't be rating or reviewing this anywhere else because I don't believe that would be fair since I DNF'd it.

This was my first mystery thriller romance book, and I loved it. I was hooked from the very beginning because I needed to know what kind of supernatural the MMC Misha was. I liked the supernatural addition to the story. I loved that the author kept me guessing.

The MFC Evie’s love for journalism and investigating intrigued me as she couldn’t just let things go or keep to herself. She had great instincts and kept the mystery going. I liked the battle between her attraction to the MMC Misha and her protective instincts towards herself.

The spice was so worth all the suspense and slow burn. I was shocked that the MMC Misha had more than one supernatural ability; believe me, it’s not what it seems. I enjoyed this surprise a lot and I loved that this story includes LGBTQ. The main characters of the story show that love is love and that’s all that matters.

The side characters were interesting to me as well. I hope the character named Gemma gets her own book one day. Maybe write another book about Gemma, Evie, and Misha’s new business adventure and explain what deal was made by Misha, please. The ending of the story left me with questions, and I need answers. 😉

This book is for you if you like:

Romance, Suspense, Medium-High Spice, and Off-Limits attraction.

I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The state sees marriage as a financial contract, a business. And when billionaires get married, that’s big business! So, who do the billionaires hire when they cook up a Marriage and Acquisition scam? Say you wanna marry an heiress and steal all her money? Who do you call? Heartbreak Incorporated.

A romance of many sub-genres. It’s a girl living in New York trying to make it as a writer, an enemy’s to lovers romance, a murder mystery, a spy plot!

It starts with Evie, our hapless protagonist, trying to make ends meet in New York. She got a journalism degree for a job that doesn’t exist anymore. She wants to break a big story but can’t bear the thought of hurting her sources. So when she interviews to be a secretary for the love interest and most handsome and fascinating man in New York, everything changes.

It’s an atypical Billionaire Romance love interest, Mishka, a Georgian who left Russia after the fall of the USSR and made his fortune in New York. He seduces people for a living, and his job is a mix of a divorce attorney, private investigator, gigolo, and sexual blackmailer. So yes, of course, he’s also ripped and hot. Then, about midway through, something crazy happens that makes this a paranormal romance, too! I can’t spoil it.

There’s a lot to love about this book. I liked how we always see the darker side of wealth: the plots and scheming, the backstabbing and betrayal. Of course, rich people pay someone to break up their unwanted marriages! And it turns out it’s the perfect premise for a multi-genre romance.

Check out Alex de Campi’s second novel if you love her comics. Thanks, Solaris Nova and Netgalley, for the review copy.

I had a lot of fun reading this paranormal romance mostly set in New York City. It felt fresh, entertaining and was well written!

Evie, 25, takes a job as a temp for a secretive, small agency specializing in breaking up people. Evie's new - and veery handsome - boss Misha or his associates will seduce whomever they need to catch in a compromising position (so their clients get the upper hand in a divorce). But everything isn't as it seems, and Evie's background in investigative journalism makes her unable to look the other way when clients start turning up dead...

Great characters, lots of layers in the story, the pacing was great, the mystery elements well thought out, the worldbuilding intriguing and the supernatural aspect believable and somewhat original! The romance was a bit insta-lovey but it was still a slowburn with lots of fun and cute moments making me root for Evie and Misha to get together. A great read for anyone into paranormal romance or urban fantasy!

Thank you to the publisher Solaris and NetGalley for providing an eARC for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a review.

I really did not know what to expect when I started this book. In the beginning, I was worried it wasn't going to keep my attention with Evie's struggles to make it as a journalist in NYC, we've heard that story before, but this book took that piece and turned everything else upside down. It took paranormal thriller and put the readers at the heart of it. Struggling with Evie on what the right decision was and pushing for more information from Misha, and it kept me engaged until the end trying to find out what the final twist would be and if this book would end in any way that could be called happy. I was pleasantly surprised while reading and could not put this book down.

My only complaint with this book was the lack of conversations between Evie and Misha. At times, I really wanted them to leave all logic aside, but at the end of the day there were some difficult conversations that I don't think we saw them have and if they're going to get their HEA they need to have them.

It's got heart, humor, romance, and supernatural creepies, and its the perfect, appropriate antidote to the overly gushy stories on valentine's day.

Evie Cross had big dreams of becoming an investigative journalist but at 25 and struggling to make it in New York City, she’s finally starting to admit that her dream is her side hustle and her day job is actually… her job. That is, until she signs on as a temp for a small consultancy whose principal, Misha Meserov, specializes in breaking up relationships. Misha is tall, infuriatingly handsome, and effortlessly charismatic - he can make almost anyone, man or woman, fall into bed with him. And he often does.
But the more Evie is exposed to Misha’s scandalous world, the more she becomes convinced that he’s hiding something… when a wealthy San Francisco tech CEO with a dissolving marriage starts delving into the occult and turns up dead, Evie has to decide between her journalistic desire for the truth and her growing desire for Misha.

This book surprised me and kept me reading. I didn't know what to expect and was happy to read this twisty, gripping and well written story.
The author is a talented storyteller and I loved this story
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I don’t know what I expected going into this book but it was so much better.

This is unlike anything I’ve ever read and really drew me in. It was mysterious, thrilling, heartbreaking and gorgeous.

This is a paranormal book but the way it’s written doesn’t make it feel overwhelming, the balance between the paranormal and the day to day life was done wonderfully.

I highly recommend this book!

This was a fun read that I wasn't expecting. I've never read a book by Alex De Campi and I'll be honest that I wasn't fully expecting the supernatural/magic aspects of this book and for some reason when I was at the halfway point and it's revealed about Misha, I was a little confused. Then I became unconfused.
I was fully just expecting this company that breaks up relationships but I definitely got a lot more than I planned. It was cute and I did enjoy the characters a lot.