Four Steps to the Perfect Revenge

By: Lilian Monroe

Narrated by: James Babson, Amy Hutchins

From the mind that brought you Dirty Little Midlife Crisis comes a funny, fast-paced ride that starts with an impulsive revenge scheme but might just end up a love story.

Even after their breakup, Ellie Davis can’t seem to shake her ex-fiancé. First it was the cheating, then it was the rumors, and now she finds out Jason’s been trying to get his greedy hands on her parents’ property. Where does it end? With revenge, Ellie decides.

But she might just need a little help first.

Enter Fernley Island’s OddJobs app. When the local boat mechanic she hires sends his nephew instead, Ellie has to readjust her plans to account for Hugh Hartford, who’s handsome, brooding, and only in town for a few days. But he keeps showing up, so Ellie keeps hiring him. Little does she know Hugh has his own reasons for investigating Jason Brownlow…

As more evidence against Jason turns up, so does the heat between Ellie and Hugh. But if revenge is a dish best served cold, can their spark survive—or will the secrets between them burn it out?

©2023 Lilian Monroe. (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“James Babson and Amy Hutchins are the perfect pair for this flirtatious rom-com.… Both narrators exude sex appeal as the characters are drawn to each other. Subtle inflections and changes in pace enhance moments of comedy and conflict.”—AudioFile Magazine

“Vibrant characters and comical shenanigans make this a treat.”—Publishers Weekly

“Monroe's tale is laugh-out-loud funny, making for a quick, enjoyable read.”—Booklist

Cute, fun.... and 2 hours too long

This book was perfectly enjoyable, but you can see the inevitable, 100% contrived problems coming all the way back in Act 1. And when that 3rd act blowup finally happens, it's totally expected. i typically hate those types of plot contrivances, and its especially annoying here, but its a trope for a reason. What I didnt expect is for the completely contrived and unearned Act 3 blowup to take up the entire 3rd Act, so much that it robs the drama hinted at in the title of all of its resolution or satisfaction. It just takes over the ending, goes on for way way too long, and about half way through the Act 3 slog, I decided the protagonist was just the worst and didnt care any more. But since I'd sunk 6+ hours into it, I stayed on til the end, which was perfectly charming. Again, it just needed at least an hour and a half of contrived nonsense edited out and needed a fitting conclusion to the actual revenge for it to feel satisfying. which it ultimately did not. Hate to say it, but there it is.

Decent but a bit frustrating!

I liked a good portion of the story but a few things drove me crazy. 1. Authors... Please stop with money is bad. Some people are terrible people but they are whether they have money or not. 2. The h is arrested for vandalism which would not happen if there was no damage. A good attorney would have torn the case apart. 3. The H ends up taking the blame for everything when the h finds out something she didn't know yet she gets a pass for her own bad behavior. The story is worth the read and I am sure others will love it.

Fun read

This book was great to listen to and kept me entertained. Great charters and stories

Making issues out of something that’s not

I enjoyed parts of this book, but the h was hard to deal with. She blamed the H for withholding information that honestly had nothing to do with their relationship. I’m not a fan of books that makeup a problem in order to tell the story. I think it the author would have avoided creating that part of the storyline, it would have made for a better story.

I liked the h’s parents and I think the island people were interesting.

Must read

This is such a fun read. The characterss are absolutley engaging fron page one. Trouble my come in small packages, as well as wit and charm.