Hugo

Olive Township, Book 2

De: Jennifer Millikin

Narrado por: Marissa Clay, Aaron Donahue, Hannah Chiclana

Retired fencing Olympian Hugo De la Vega lives a quiet life in Olive Township. He has his friends, his olive orchard, and a recurring daydream about what he would say to his father's murderer if given the chance to look him in the eyes.

True crime podcaster Mallory Hawkins arrives in the eclectic small desert town with one purpose: to investigate Hugo's father's unsolved murder from twenty years ago.

A chance meeting at a sandwich shop has Hugo harmlessly flirting with Mallory, until he realizes she's the stubborn woman who has been hounding him for months. Hugo's swift and emphatic refusal to support her investigation forces Mallory to reveal her personal connection to the case.

Now Hugo is spending time with the woman whose emails he once deleted. She's witty, eternally curious, and pregnant. Finding this out should make it easier for Hugo to deny the magnetic pull he feels toward her, but it has the opposite effect.

When a situation threatens Mallory and her baby's safety, Hugo finds himself moving her into his house at the orchard. Now they're splitting time between a search for justice and fighting their mutual attraction... until a middle of the night encounter in the kitchen has them taking their relationship from professional to personal.

With each passing day, Hugo gets closer to laying it all out on the line for Mallory.

As long as the killer doesn't get to her first.

Hugo is the second in a four-book contemporary romance series inspired by the film The Princess Bride. Expect swoon, sass, spice, and happily ever afters.

©2025 Jennifer Millikin (P)2025 Jennifer Millikin

A Whodunit with Heart

Jennifer Millikin's "Hugo" delivers a compelling blend of mystery and slow-burn romance, brought to life beautifully by narrators Marissa Clay and Aaron Donahue. The story centers on Hugo De la Vega, a retired fencing Olympian living a quiet life in Olive Township, haunted by the unsolved murder of his father two decades prior. His tranquil existence is shattered by the arrival of Mallory Hawkins, a true crime podcaster determined to unearth the truth about that very cold case.

The initial friction between Hugo and Mallory is palpable and engaging, with Hugo’s emphatic refusal to cooperate giving way to a grudging alliance once Mallory reveals her deeply personal connection to the investigation. The evolving dynamic between them is a highlight, marked by witty banter and an undeniable magnetic pull, even as Hugo grapples with Mallory's pregnancy. Donahue masterfully captures Hugo’s conflicted emotions and protective instincts, while Clay imbues Mallory with a perfect balance of stubborn resolve and vulnerability.

As the investigation intensifies, threatening Mallory and her unborn child, Hugo’s protective nature takes over, leading to their cohabitation. This forced proximity fuels their mutual attraction, shifting their relationship from professional to deeply personal in a steamy, well-earned middle-of-the-night encounter. The narrators skillfully navigate these emotional shifts, allowing the listener to fully immerse themselves in the burgeoning romance amidst the underlying tension of the murder mystery. "Hugo" is a satisfying listen for anyone who enjoys a captivating whodunit intertwined with a heartfelt, passionate love story, all expertly delivered through the engaging performances of Clay and Donahue.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Love this town!

Thank you to Jennifer Millikin and Valentine PR for providing me an early copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

First and foremost, I need to just say how cute it is that the town of Olive Township is a narrator in its own right, and I just love how much it’s cheering on its townspeople. 🥰

So this whole series is *inspired* by 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦, and it has been so fun so far! It’s not so heavy handed that its a repeat of the original story, and you definitely do not need to be a fan or have watched/read the original works to enjoy these stories, but it sure has been fun for me to pick out all the little familiarities.

In Book 1, we get Westley’s story, in Book 2, we get the incomparable Inigo Montoya’s.

A pregnant true crime podcaster coming to town to solve the decades old murder of Hugo’s father, the murder for which he would love to seek revenge…This one definitely had a romantic suspense feel to it, which led to an exciting finale, but I would say most of book leans heavily into the romantic aspects, for sure.

I’m really enjoying these books so far, and I *think* we’re being teased about a Fezzik story in the next one? 👀

Audiobook notes: Duet narration! Both narrators were great, and if I’m not mistaken, that was Hannah Chiclana (my personal standout narrator from book 1) back for the town’s “voice”, and I loved that!

What this book is giving:
✅ Small Town Romance
✅ Duet Narration
✅ Inigo Montoya-coded
✅ Olympic Gold Medalist in Fencing
✅ She’s pregnant
✅ It’s not his
✅ True Crime Podcast Crime Solving

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
🌶️🌶️🌶️ / 5

What an amazing book!

This was book 2 in the Olive Township Series and my first time reading into it. This was such a good book to listen to. Marissa Clay, Aaron Donahue and Hanna Chiclana worked so well in narrating this that I felt the tension and suspense, the good feel moments more than if I had read it. Hugo is an amazing character that just owned the fact that he wanted to protect Mallory and her unborn baby. And the end the ending? 🫢 me at my desk at work stopping everything to listen as it unfolded! Ugh so good! If you already read this book, you’ll know everything that’s happened. Now I need to get my hands on book 1 and hear how that went down.

Small town suspense

Mallory is a true crime podcaster who has been reaching out to Hugo about his father’s death that happened 20 years ago. She has a personal connection and really wants to dive deeper into this case, With many attempts to reach out she decides to take a visit (with major encouragement from her bestie) into Olive township for a spa weekend getaway.

I loved Hugo and Mallory’s meeting. This story has all the small town drama, family/town meddling. Hugo immediately steps in to help when Mallory seems to be on a lead to her case and her safety is threatened! Did I mention Hugo is an Olive farmer and a gold medalist fencer… and well you can find out the rest on that. 🥵

Their chemistry was amazing, and the twists and turns to this story were so fun to watch unravel. I really enjoyed this from the start of this story, to the last bit and can’t wait to re visit Olive Township.

Sweet with a hint of suspense

I’ve been eagerly waiting for Hugo’s book ever since we met him in Penn, and I had a feeling his story would be intriguing, especially knowing who the FMC might be. And I’m happy to say, it definitely delivered!

I really enjoyed the chemistry between Hugo and Mallory, both as friends and as something more. Instant love isn’t usually my favorite trope, but it was well-written and didn't mind it all. The added suspense also kept things interesting and exciting.

One thing I particularly appreciated was how, despite having a large cast of characters, it never felt overwhelming. Everyone fit into the story in a way that made sense and added value.

Wild hearts and dangerous love is irresistible.

A page turner that dares to keep you guessing until the very end. Millikin shakes up the senses with an emotional rollercoaster ride. Nothing is as it seems. Mallory and Hugo are an intriguing duo of cluelessly, unpredictable, frustratingly, irresistible wanna-be sleuths. With danger hiding in the shadows and heartache waiting on the horizon, will this perfectly, imperfect match get a clue and fall in love? Showstopper that blends suspense and emotion. Wild hearts and dangerous love is irresistible.

I love Mallory and Hugo!!

This book is such an amazing book! I loved how Mallory and Hugo’s relationship deleted from friendship into forever love. He stepped up when he didn’t need to and helped her with her little “peanut” all while trying to find out what really happened to his father and her sister. He reminded her that she doesn’t need to do it all on her own. She reminded him that there is always someone who genuinely cares

So freaking good!!!

I read the ebook before diving into the audio and it was like experiencing two different stories. Listening to the audio definitely elevated the story bringing it to life. When reading the arc I couldn’t envision what the characters sounded like in my head but after hearing these performers duet narrate this book, I was in awe. I adored Hugo so much my first read through and it more than doubled after Aaron owned the part. Hannah and her pitch was spot on. Listen to this audiobook. It will really transport you into this story and the town of Olive Township.

Great narration!

Hugo and Mallory’s story is so sweet and filled with an unsolved mystery that is dying to be solved!

🫒Small town romance
🫒She’s pregnant (it’s not his!)
🫒Forced proximity
🫒Undeniably connection
🫒Golden retriever MMC

When Mallory comes into the town with the goal to meet Hugo, she doesn’t expect to fall in love with him. Mallory is a true crime podcaster and she wants to solve her sister’s m$rder. She suspects that Hugo’s father was dealt the same fault by the same person, so she starts her mission to solve it.

Hugo is the golden retriever of golden retrievers. He is sweet and caring and just an all around good guy. I loved how instantly he took to Mallory and took care of her and peanut, aka her unborn child. These two were so cute from start to finish.

Marissa Clay, Aaron Donahue, and Hannah Chiclana do a great job with this narration. Their voices really drew me in and kept me on the edge of my seat with this story!

Mystery solved

Hugo and Mallory are a great team. He is hesitant to talk to her; mainly because his family hasn’t talked about what happened to his dad, but once his mom gives the okay, he starts to open up. Mallory is a true crime podcaster and she is searching for the person responsible for what happened to her sister, which happens to be similar to what happened to Hugo’s dad.

As they search for answers they grow closer. I found it endearing how he was protective of her and Peanut. Without realizing it, he was letting her and everyone in town know he was falling for Mallory. Mallory was also falling for him, but couldn’t understand why he would want the responsibility when Peanut’s biological father didn’t want anything to do with them.

The innocent touches, intimate moments, and quiet moment they had were all fantastic. The connection they ended up having came in handy, once the mystery was solved. Even though I suspected who was involved, I didn’t have the exact reason until the end. I am loving this series so far and can’t wait for Vivi’s book.

The narrators did a fantastic job of bringing Hugo and Mallory to life. The emotion they brought to the words made me feel like I was experiencing everything in real life. I would definitely listen to more books narrated by these narrators.

I received an ARC and this is my honest, voluntary review.