annieb123
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
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.