Blurb
From USA Today bestselling author Michelle Heard comes a scorching yet deadly romance about a waitress who falls for a mysterious coworker—only to discover his lethal past.
I thought Rowan was just the quiet bartender who watched me too closely and made me feel things I shouldn’t.
Then his past catches up to him, and I’m in for a rude awakening.
One minute I’m living my normal life, and the next, I’m on a trip across the country with a man trained to kill without hesitation.
A retired assassin. Possessive, violent, and deadly enough to leave a trail of bodies behind us.
Every mile between us and the men hunting him drags me deeper into Rowan’s terrifying world, where violence means survival and bloodshed comes way too easy.
I keep looking for redeeming qualities in him but quickly realize there are none, and there’s no escaping a man like Rowan Teller.
Not even if I wanted to.
Review
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
BOOK: My Neighbor, the Assassin by Michelle Heard (eArc)
A dark romance following a waitress who discovers her quiet bartender coworker is actually a retired assassin, thrusting her into a high-stakes, violent road trip across the country.
TITLE: My Neighbor, the Assassin Author: Michelle Heard Status: Read | Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐ Progress: Read 100% of 100%
QUICK IMPRESSION The story hooks you quickly with the tension between Rowan's guarded manner and Annie's quiet and naive nature. Rowan's struggle with the new emotions Annie gives him an endearingly lost quality early on, though his morally gray/black tendencies quickly take over as the story heats up.
QUICK NOTES
I wrote lots of notes as I read this book- mostly highlights of part's I loved... And a few I didn't. Here's a few:
• 56%: He's almost like Data from Star Trek in this context—he really didn't know what to do with emotions at first!
• 59%: He starts going a bit too far for me here... I know he's morally gray, but still.
• 71%: Her memorizing where the body wash/shampoo is before taking off her glasses—I felt so connected to Annie in this shower scene (the amount of times I grab the wrong bottle) π π€.
• 73%: "“Sign right here.” Lewis turns the ledger and points to the paper."Signing the ledger and the atmosphere gave me John Wick vibes!
• (view spoiler)
QUOTES TO KEEP
• •Quote (21%)"I can’t do friendships," I say again, then I lift my eyes to hers and admit, "But I want to. Fuck, do I want to. Maybe I can steal a moment in the sun with Annie and be more than a retired assassin who’s lost all direction in his life." -this is where Rowan got me on his side, he had a tough life π
• Quote (89%): "You lure me over to the dark side." / "The darkness needed you." - Annie/Rowan
• Quote (91%):“My wolf, all death and darkness to others, but so gentle with me.”
• Quote (91%):"“You're not just my forever. You're the only place that's ever felt like home,” she continues. “If the world comes for us tomorrow, if everything falls apart, I will run with you. Every time.”" - Annie
• Quote (95%):"Welcome home, my wolf... I hope the rest of your life is filled with long, lazy days and cozy nights... I hope the only touch you feel is loving, the only words you hear are kind and caring, and the only thing you see is beauty." - Annie
KEY CHARACTERS • Rowan Teller: Retired Assassin / Bartender. Cold, quiet, possessive, and deadly, but deeply undone by the feelings Annie evokes in him.
Annie Collins: Waitress. Observant, empathetic, and relatable (especially her shower routine without glasses!), attempting to navigate Rowan's violent world.
(There are more, but these the two main characters π)
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Good: Strong romantic angst and tension between our Morally grey/black MMC and our sweet relatable FMC. Beautiful emotional scenes near the conclusion had me finishing the book with a smile. The action scenes are really written well, they were playing brilliantly in my imagination.
The Bad: the incident (spoiler section) really did not sit well with me after 91% of him saying he would never hurt her...
Verdict: A thrilling, action packed, slow burn but steamy dark romantic suspense. Perfect for readers who love high-stakes scenarios, danger and possessive, morally gray leads.
"I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own."
View all my reviews



















