Audiobook Review

This audiobook was so good I felt I was in the cinema watching it. No picture necessary. The suspense, the comedy, the smexy scenes. I did not want it to end.
Teddy Hamilton and Andi Ardnt were amazing as Brett and Billie. Billie was so strong but so sweet after all she’s been through. Brett was so not just an anti-hero. To Billie he was her everything.

Wow! I loved this book! This was my first book by this author and definitely will be visiting the backlog. I loved these characters. And I love a little serial killer/mystery thrown into my books. It had me guessing a couple of times. Andi Arndt and Teddy Hamilton narrated and they are so good together. I'll definitely need a physical copy for my trophy shelf.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @Dreamscapemedia for the ARC. I listened to this audio and enjoyed both narrators were wonderful. I loved the chemistry between our main characters and the suspense of the story. This book had humor,suspense,great banter and spice. This is a must read and I have found another great autor to read more books in the future.

My Anti-Hero is an excellent read. I wasn’t sure how Billie and Brett would come together. Brett doesn’t fit the stereotypical athlete. I loved everything he brought to the story. Billie intrigued me. I had so many questions about her and by the end I had all the answers and more. I pulled for these two. They were real and raw and I loved the depth of their story. The narration added even more to an already incredible package.

I highly recommend reading or listening to this page turner.

Billie & Brett had a meet cute when he saved her from tripping, but then we're suddenly in insta-lust territory.

I've read a few of this author's books and they're pretty much all the same in that the heroine has suffered a trauma and the hero swoops in and vows to protect her. That's fine because it's her thing, but this one was just okay for me

I jump right in with this story and was completely invested in Brett and Billie's story. Your heart will break for all that Billie has been through and how she can't get away from what happened. I loved how she literally fell into Brett's life and how from there they became "it" for each other. They were exactly who each other needed. Now the suspense was nerve wracking. I did not see that coming for who The Copier ended up being. You would have never thought this would be possible and I really believed it was someone else that showed weirdness! You will also have no clue of all the secrets that Billie had been keeping for all these years about what happened. It blew my mind and I was left floored. I will say though that Tijan did drop hints throughout with Billie's flashbacks but I never caught on.

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Audiobook review

Overall 3.75 stars ✨

This was a truly enjoyable and fun ride!
Ever since reading the Kings of New York series I've become in love with the stories Tijan brings us, her writing, the plot, everything. And this one didn't disappoint.

Both narrators' performance was incredible. Teddy Hamilton as Brett was absolutely phenomenal. He embraced the character so well and I truly enjoyed every minute of it.
Teddy Hamilton as Billie, however, not that sexy, but okay. 🤭

Andi Arndt was fantastic! Overall I love the way she brought Billie's story to life and I think she is the perfect Billie, however I do feel like some dialogues and scenes were a bit emotionless and I wanted a bit more. Still, a terrific performance!

As for the story, Billie and Brett have a meet-cute that quickly becomes an insta-love. It felt a bit out of the blue and I didn't feel immediate connection to them, but as the story developed I actually ended up enjoying them both. ❤️ I wish they had a bit more of an emotional connection there, too.

Brett is very protective and once he falls for people, he falls hard and will do all in his power to keep them happy and safe.
Billie is a true badass. Seriously, she's incredibly strong, she's genuine and honest and a great FMC.

I cannot put into words how heartbreaking and terrifying Billie's story is. At some moments this book really put me on edge, and I couldn't wait to get to the bottom of it.
And I'm not going to share more, because I absolutely refuse to write any spoilers whatsoever. You just need to dive in and find out by yourself. 👀

Thank you so much NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC of this book! 💖

Billie was the only survivor in a home invasion at a friend’s house and then lost the only family she had left in a car accident.  She’s been asked to do a media interview when she runs into Brett, the newest defensive end for the Super Bowl winning Kings.  

This book was part romance and part suspenseful/thriller. The tension, angst, and twists made this an unputdownable.   Add in a rough and intimidating MMC with a protective and possessive side who falls hard and fast for Billie and I was completely hooked.  Billie was a unique and quirky character.  I loved how she was a huge football fan and animal lover.  Everything about the characters and plot sucked me in.

The audiobook is narrated by Andi Arndt and Teddy Hamilton. They do a great job portraying the emotions and are easy to listen to.

🏈 football romance
🐓 opposites attract
🏈 traumatic pasts
🐓 heroine in trouble
🏈 touch her and die
🐓 insta-love
🏈 possessive and protective MMC
🐓 found family
🏈 suspense
🐓 twists
🏈 open door spice
🐓 first person, dual pov

This had all the makings of a Tijan book that I would ravenously consume. And the audio narrators are two of my absolute favorites! But, despite a strong beginning, I found this book really inconsistently engaging for me- shocking given the strength of the narrators. Tijan can at times be hit or miss for me, and perhaps it was just my mood when I reading it, but I just didn’t fall in love with this in the way I expected.

The premise is one that is promising- NFL player fresh off the superbowl falls for a quirky heroine whose claim to fame is surviving a massacre from a serial killer as a child who both meet while being interviewed on the same TV show. The characters are classically Tijan- her usual eccentric heroine whose peculiarities or challenges stem from adversity of trauma, and the golden retriever, protective, dreamboat alpha heroes that swoop in to be their safe space in the most beautiful of ways. I really did love both Brett and Billie as characters. The are likable, pretty sweet together, and both struggling with different aspects of their fame. I loved the juxtaposition of a character who DEEPLY wants to be inconspicuous who finds herself in a fast and unexpected romance with a very public figure.

The chemistry was there, but the love story was very insta-love, and Brett didn’t quite develop in a substantive way as much as Billie, though he’s plenty dreamy. They both have quite a bit of baggage to unpack, and I wish we could have seen their romance evolve a bit more. The suspense and serial killer who-dun-it plotline was entertaining, but I think because it became such a loud and substantive part of their romance, it further accentuated the instalove vibes. And for a story that is so instalove, it felt really long at times, and I kept needing to pull myself back into it. The narrators, however, do some amazing performing- and I love them both. The story just didn’t quite hold me throughout. Even though it was enjoyable enough by the end. And, props for some Enemies and Fallen Crest cameos too!

4.5/5 ⭐️ My Anti-Hero by Tijan is the story of the notorious Willow Harm, know by family and friends as Billie, who was known for being the only survivor and the downfall of the serial killer known as the Midwest Butcher. Despite trying to keep a low profile, she agreed to be interviewed by a local morning television show to bring awareness to relationship violence. Brett Broudou, a football star and recent Super Bowl hero, was also on the show the same morning and caught Billie as she tripped walking onto the stage. The clip of that save was trending on social media and replayed on ESPN, but the biggest impact in Billie’s life was the instant connection formed between the two. Many events were pressing in on Billie’s life including the attentions that connection to Brett would bring, the Midwest Butcher was being given a chance to appeal his conviction, and a copycat killer was out there threatening Billie’s safety and that of her found family. Would it be safer for Billie and those’d she cared for if she disappeared and will they let her slip away? I really loved this book, which was very classic Tijan and brought in characters from some of her previous novels. Billie initially presented as timid and fearful, but she had an inner steel that makes itself known as the story progressed. Brett initially presented as brooding and dangerous, but that masked an inner sweetness and protective nature which complemented Billie so well. This was a romantic suspense novel which touched on instant attraction, touch her and die, and found family tropes which I highly recommend. The narrators did an excellent job in this dual POV audiobook, but I personally would not have picked Teddy Hamilton for the brooding Brett. I think he is more suited to the “cinnamon roll” hero. I am voluntarily leaving this honest review after listening to an advanced complementary copy of this audiobook.

Tropes:
Heroine with a tragic past
NFL playing cinnamon roll hero from the wrong side of the tracks
Touch her and 💀 vibes
Mystery/suspense/plot twist

This book had me on the edge of my seat the ENTIRE time. Such a page turner! You want to listen to the audio 🤌🏻

Narrators are A Plus. - the story itself was a good read. I did not know what to expect. But Tijan has a way of putting out good stories. The story has some suspense and the narrating delivered that perfectly.

I loved the premise of this book and for me the plot involving a serial killer’s only surviving victim falling for the football star while danger stalked her more than lived up to my expectations even when I didn’t quite get the heroine. For me Billie let the past define her. She could’ve changed her name and settled into a life of obscurity. Instead, even as an adult she lived in a place where everyone knew her history. She even did a TV interview which fair enough did lead to her ‘meet cute’ with Brett but still, it was almost as if she used her name as a shield to stop people from getting too close to her.

The story itself was fast paced and full of suspense, building the tension and throwing in a couple of red herrings along the way. I even liked the characters as individuals. Willow Harm aka the only surviving victim of the infamous Midwest Butcher aka Billie who despite her tragic past was a bit quirky with her ability to reel off football stats like she was reading them from a book and her love for chickens and Brett Broudou, the brooding football start who was escaping his own past that involved a toxic family. When she met Brett, she had a true fangirl moment which sent him running thinking she was running a con on him until he realises he was wrong and then it was full speed ahead and for me that’s where My Anti-Hero fell a little flat. The romance element of this book just didn’t gel. Billie and Brett were supposed to be mature characters in their thirties but together they seemed to revert back to being teenagers unable to keep their hands and various other parts of their anatomies off the other. The overly possessive Brett came across as being slightly stalkerish, even tracking Billie down when she was on a date with another man, and this was before he’d even taken her on a date. It just seemed a bit juvenile which was a pity as I did love the overall book including the revelation at the end, but I felt myself skimming through the parts involving their romance. I’ve read Tijan before and even with her Fallen Crest series where the character ages range from teens to early twenties, they came across as being more mature than Billie and Brett did here, so I have to rate this book 3.5 stars.

The pairing of Andi Arndt and Teddy Hamilton for the audiobook of My Anti-hero was great casting. These narrators have brought a lot of my favourite books to life and their performances here were exactly how I imagined Brett and Billie would sound. Perhaps I would’ve liked a little more emotion from Andi especially at the dramatic conclusion of this story, but this was still an enjoyable listen.

This probably doesn't come as a shock that I loved this book! Another Tijan book that I easily loved. The Fallen Crest series is a comfort read for me and when I saw Brett from that world was getting a book I was ecstatic. If you love football romance and romantic suspense with twists and turns, definitely read this book! Even though it's from the Fallen Crest world it can be read as a standalone.

Tijan writes this all consuming characters that you can't help but fall for and relate to. Billie is this character with baggage that she needs to not only work through but has a battle throughout this story to overcome. Brett is this giant of a man who is the type that is "mean to everyone but her" ugh I love that micro trope.

Their meet cute made me laugh out loud and kick my feet while also keeping me on the edge of my seat which is a common theme throughout this book.

I highly recommend this book and anything by Tijan!

The audiobook was phenomenal. The narrators did such a good job telling this story and making it come to life in my ears. It was very easy to follow along.

Billie and Brett are fire from the start. This book was so much more than I could’ve imagined. Admittedly, I went in blind but there were so many different elements in this book that I didn’t expect. They were all a great surprise. I loved the multiple epilogues. Even though I kind of guessed the final reveal, it was shocking to hear & wished the book didn’t end the way it did. I really loved these characters and hope to see them again down the road 🤞

Teddy Hamilton and Andi Arndt narrating?! Say less! These two are fantastic and are both favourites of mine. They did a great job bringing Billy and Brett to life, and kept me engaged throughout the book.

Whoa! I did not see that final epilogue coming.

I thought the story was well done, and I enjoyed the suspense-driven sub-plot. The overall ending was satisfying but then the last line of the final epilogue opened up SO many questions. I’ve never come across that before. I think it was a clever writing move, but I also left feeling like the conclusion was unresolved.

The relationship between Brett and Billy was good. They had an instant chemistry and their meet-cute was adorable. Tijan does spice right and My Anti-Hero did not disappoint. If you like the most open of doors in your romance, then you’ll love when the romance hits for the two MCs.

I did feel like there were some gaps in the plot along the way, but overall this was a solid romance read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tijan and Dreamscape Media. These are my honest thoughts.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a Tijan book and even longer since I’ve read a M/F contemporary book. Right off the bat this book opens with some insta-lust vibes that neither character hides. The relationship does grow slowly which I appreciated but it also worked for them building something strong and lasting. Hero Brett is part of the Fallen Crest crew (lightly as he was from the opposing team I believe) and while I don’t remember meeting him before I surely remembered Mason Kade and was happy when he popped in. This book did read rather long and took awhile for me to stay focused and finish it up. Both characters have their moments you want to shake them for acting dumb or saying stupid shit. At the same time they really are perfect for each other and I’m glad that when one pushed the other away, rather than take it they’d push right back and stay by their side. Still not a fan of how close Brett was from throwing his life away but scary situations do make us all act out and blur the lines between right and wrong. The audio is extremely well done and made for a more enjoyable reading experience.

"Don't know you. Don't want to know you...if I see you breathing the same air as my woman I'll break your d*ck...touch her and die."

"My life's purpose is to feel safe."

If your purpose is to feel safe then having Superbowl champ Brett fall in love with you is perfect. With so much emotion, tension and a few surprising twists in the very steamy romance suspense My Anti Hero by creative romance author Tijan you will find yourself listening from beginning to end gulping, sweating and blushing all at the same time.

Since she was 12, Billie has had to live looking over her shoulder as the only survivor of the infamous brutal serial killer The Midwest Butcher. She was also the only witness left to put him behind bars. Dealing with the press, true crime fanatics, and now possibly a copy cat killer, at 32, she lives in hiding with only her foster family and best friend in her life.

After a chance meeting with Brett, Billie tries to fight her intense attraction to him. Being with Brett means unwanted publicity and bringing his buried violent past into the present. Is it worth it; more importantly, can they survive it?

One of the best things about this audiobook is the phenomenal performances of the voice actors. As Billie, Andi Arndt brings the vulnerability of living a life in constant fear. When she states, "If I take a day, I'll feel everything...and I'm there alone and never coming back," my heart nearly broke. Then there's the always sexy Teddy Hamilton demanding you acknowledge a true possessive alpha protective lover.

When danger is close we all want a hero but sometimes we need someone who knows about being a villain, who's better than a brutish hot anti hero who when he's with you let's everyone know she's, "mine!"

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Dreamscape Media via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

I read every Tijan book I come across. Always a great story that holds my interest and is exciting. The twists and turns in this particular book were more than expected but it was written in such a way that the reader could easily follow along and didn't get lost. Loved this book. It had elements of darkness but also elements of light. It was a great balance and a fantastic read.

🎧🎧AUDIO REVIEW🎧🎧

I have questions, soooooo many questions, but mostly, I am confused by this entire story.

There’s very little about this story that I liked. It’s problematic and most of it didn’t make much sense. I wasn’t bored, but 14 hours is a LONG time … feel me? I honestly don’t know why half the circumstances in the book were even part of the story.

My biggest concern and confusion stems from the complete loss of cohesion to the story. There seemed to be lots going on but yet nothing at all.

I know Tijan's work. I've read/listened to countless of her stories and she is *unique* in her style but this was beyond her uniqueness. It was just ... wrong.