Book: A Hateful Negotiation by Tijan
Reviewed by Maggie Hayes
Rating: 3.5/5
ARC REVIEW
A Hateful Negotiation by Tijan
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5)
College student Blake met crime boss Creighton when they were children placed in the same foster home. Now adults, Creighton is obsessively devoted to Blake and will stop at nothing to protect her—while Blake carries immense guilt over the violence he’s committed in her name.
Hoping to escape that violence, Blake flees Cincinnati for New York, determined to live a “normal” college life. Creighton, unsurprisingly, follows her… and promptly starts a war with the local Mafia families in an effort to make the city safe for Blake. As one does.
Blake tries to resist her feelings for Creighton, convinced that what he feels isn’t love—just obsession. But will Creighton ever be able to prove that his devotion runs deeper than control? Or will Blake’s truly impressive tendency to get abducted (seriously—the only person kidnapped more than her is Rose Landry, IYKYK) unleash his inner monster for good?
Whew! What a ride. I learned a lot about myself reading this book—mainly that I am far more morally grey than I thought. I would have fallen for Creighton immediately, crime boss or not. He was obsessive without being suffocating, protective without being restrictive. It was obvious that he loved Blake from the start, no matter how much she denied it… or how often she called him a psychopath.
The real standout for me was Levi, Blake and Creighton’s foster brother. I want an entire book about him finding love (preferably with a certain roommate) while cracking jokes at Creighton’s expense.
I will fully own that I did myself no favors by not reading the earlier Kings of New York books first, which follow the crime bosses Creighton goes to war against—Trace and Ashton. Without their backstories, they read more as archetypes than fully realized characters, and that one’s on me.
Thank you to @valentine_pr_ for providing an ARC!
For fans of: 🖤 Morally Grey Hero | 🔥 Mafia Romance | 🛡️ Heroine in Danger | 🧬 Foster Siblings | 🫶 Found Family | 🩸 Touch Her and D!e
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