What do you think?
Rate this book
Unholy Trifecta #1
How to Shield an Assassin
It’s not stealing if you’re stealing it back….
Ari had a game plan for life. Shoot people. Get money. Hang out with fellow criminal friends. He saw absolutely no reason to change that plan until one dark night in Memphis, when a little girl reached out to him with pocket change and a desperate plea for him to help her.
Adopting an abused little girl off the streets was, needless to say, not part of the plan. Ari had no idea what he was doing with an eight year old. He especially didn’t know how to juggle taking contracts and raising a little girl.
Things get more complicated when the mercenary, Carter Harrison, approaches him with a job. He needs Ari’s expertise to get into the very high-security museum, Knowles, and steal back Monet’s Water Lily Pond. The job isn’t an easy one. He’d need more than the two of them to make it happen. It’s further complicated because Ari’s not sure what to do with his new daughter while working this job.
And for that matter, how’s he supposed to handle the sexy mercenary?
Tags:
Not child safe but child approved, children know best, Remi approves this book, idiots in love, but Remi loves them anyway, criminals make the best uncles, family of choice, Ari acknowledges Remi as the smarter one, Carter admits his own insanity, nothing blows up, Ivan is very disappointed by this, Kyou has PLANS for Remi, licking solves all problems, bedsheets, lifeskills, children should come with warning labels, it’s not stealing if you’re stealing it BACK, right?, the author once again regrets nothing
Editor: Katie Griffin
Ari had a game plan for life. Shoot people. Get money. Hang out with fellow criminal friends. He saw absolutely no reason to change that plan until one dark night in Memphis, when a little girl reached out to him with pocket change and a desperate plea for him to help her.
Adopting an abused little girl off the streets was, needless to say, not part of the plan. Ari had no idea what he was doing with an eight year old. He especially didn’t know how to juggle taking contracts and raising a little girl.
Things get more complicated when the mercenary, Carter Harrison, approaches him with a job. He needs Ari’s expertise to get into the very high-security museum, Knowles, and steal back Monet’s Water Lily Pond. The job isn’t an easy one. He’d need more than the two of them to make it happen. It’s further complicated because Ari’s not sure what to do with his new daughter while working this job.
And for that matter, how’s he supposed to handle the sexy mercenary?
Tags:
Not child safe but child approved, children know best, Remi approves this book, idiots in love, but Remi loves them anyway, criminals make the best uncles, family of choice, Ari acknowledges Remi as the smarter one, Carter admits his own insanity, nothing blows up, Ivan is very disappointed by this, Kyou has PLANS for Remi, licking solves all problems, bedsheets, lifeskills, children should come with warning labels, it’s not stealing if you’re stealing it BACK, right?, the author once again regrets nothing
Editor: Katie Griffin
268 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 13, 2019
502 people are currently reading
1724 people want to read
About the author
A.J. Sherwood
82 books2,014 followersAJ Sherwood believes in happily ever afters, magic, dragons, good men, and dark chocolate. She often dreams at night of delectable men doing sexy things with each other. In between writing multiple books (often at the same time) she pets her cats, plays with her dogs, and attempts insane things like aerial yoga.
She currently resides in Tennessee with aforementioned cats, dogs, and her editor/best friend/sister/partner in crime.
She currently resides in Tennessee with aforementioned cats, dogs, and her editor/best friend/sister/partner in crime.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 421 reviews
January 4, 2021
This is like Disney decided to break into the world of anti-hero gay erotica. What the fuck, Disney? Stay in your lane for once!
I'm not kidding, guys. Disneyland even has product placement in this book. They are fucking everywhere.
Our Characters:
Ari - an assassin with a heart of gold who adopts a precocious 8 year old and only kills bad guys. He's sweet, insecure, and secretly wishing for his one true love who will protect and complete him.
Remi - the 8 yr old orphan child who approached a man after she witnessed him murdering someone and offered him money to kill her abusive step-father. She is hilarious, mature, and a genius who is the voice of reason when her new-daddy needs relationship advice. *sigh*
Carter - a "mercenary" who mainly seems to rescue children from sex slavery and other bad things. The only person he can't rescue: himself from his aching loneliness and wish for friends he can count on. He needs Ari's help on a job to "steal" one of the most famous paintings in the world for a museum that had it stolen from them. Yes, he's stealing it back from the bad guys.
Carter is just like you'd expect from a mercenary - friendly, open, smiling, helpful, encouraging, protective, selfless, and generous.
Smolder baby, smolder! You are killing it! ( And by "it" I don't mean people, of course.. .well, unless they are really really bad and you are doing society a favor.)
Ivan - the Russian thief who is the best on earth. He also happens to be the sweetest child-like marshmallow that immediately loves the new little girl and has her calling him "Uncle Ivan" within seconds of meeting her.
Aww, such a big softie! There is no way he's going to be serving those birds for dinner on shish kabobs. Dinner will be Cornish Game Hens bought from the market when the teapot went shopping earlier.
Kyou - The Asian super-hacker who is described as hot as a KPop star because, hey, who knows if all of Asia looks like the same small country or not? He's a hot, smart, Asian nerd. That's all that really matters. He hates to leave his house but has more computer monitors than a NASA space launch and can hack any security system at all times ever. He's that Asian.
That's a freaking boss level.
The Story:
It's a heist, y'all. Plus, the main couple are slowly falling in love. With many romantic feelings. So much romance. So very sweet and non-threatening to heterosexual readers. But, don't worry, there is porn. But, this is very palatable porn with much romance and really if you don't know any better could easily be male-female sex scenes. Yes, it's that palatable. Almost any cishet woman would find this stuff hot.
So, what's my problem?
To be honest I'm not a huge fan of heist books in the first place, but when you add in all of the above? Ugh.
I'm not kidding, guys. Disneyland even has product placement in this book. They are fucking everywhere.
Our Characters:
Ari - an assassin with a heart of gold who adopts a precocious 8 year old and only kills bad guys. He's sweet, insecure, and secretly wishing for his one true love who will protect and complete him.
Remi - the 8 yr old orphan child who approached a man after she witnessed him murdering someone and offered him money to kill her abusive step-father. She is hilarious, mature, and a genius who is the voice of reason when her new-daddy needs relationship advice. *sigh*
Carter - a "mercenary" who mainly seems to rescue children from sex slavery and other bad things. The only person he can't rescue: himself from his aching loneliness and wish for friends he can count on. He needs Ari's help on a job to "steal" one of the most famous paintings in the world for a museum that had it stolen from them. Yes, he's stealing it back from the bad guys.
Carter is just like you'd expect from a mercenary - friendly, open, smiling, helpful, encouraging, protective, selfless, and generous.
Smolder baby, smolder! You are killing it! ( And by "it" I don't mean people, of course.. .well, unless they are really really bad and you are doing society a favor.)
Ivan - the Russian thief who is the best on earth. He also happens to be the sweetest child-like marshmallow that immediately loves the new little girl and has her calling him "Uncle Ivan" within seconds of meeting her.
Aww, such a big softie! There is no way he's going to be serving those birds for dinner on shish kabobs. Dinner will be Cornish Game Hens bought from the market when the teapot went shopping earlier.
Kyou - The Asian super-hacker who is described as hot as a KPop star because, hey, who knows if all of Asia looks like the same small country or not? He's a hot, smart, Asian nerd. That's all that really matters. He hates to leave his house but has more computer monitors than a NASA space launch and can hack any security system at all times ever. He's that Asian.
That's a freaking boss level.
The Story:
It's a heist, y'all. Plus, the main couple are slowly falling in love. With many romantic feelings. So much romance. So very sweet and non-threatening to heterosexual readers. But, don't worry, there is porn. But, this is very palatable porn with much romance and really if you don't know any better could easily be male-female sex scenes. Yes, it's that palatable. Almost any cishet woman would find this stuff hot.
So, what's my problem?
To be honest I'm not a huge fan of heist books in the first place, but when you add in all of the above? Ugh.
January 12, 2023
How to Shield an Assassin by AJ Sherwood
Unholy Trifecta series #1. Contemporary M-M romance.
Ari is an assassin. Mostly to the people that need killing. When an 8 year girl, with bruises showing, asks Ari to help her and gives him a couple of dollars in change for his fee, Ari doesn’t hesitate. Since his experience with foster care isn’t great, Ari adopts the girl. She wants to learn his trade? He can teach her. And his friends rally with teaching her to pick locks and other enterprising tasks. Along comes Carter, who needs Ari’s help on a job, and soon their group has a plan.
Entertaining if a bit moral deficient. Humorous as the men try to figure out how to properly raise an 8 year old girl. It’s a strange life, but Remi is happy and loving all the things she is learning for her goal to become The Widow. Aka a Marvel heroine worship. She’s safe and being cared for. The romance of Ari and Carter takes on a family feel as friends joke about their kissing. Steamy sex does occur, but not in front of the child! And it seems there may be an underlying theme of good here. If you look hard enough.
Enjoyable. I look forward to more of this light hearted series.
Unholy Trifecta series #1. Contemporary M-M romance.
Ari is an assassin. Mostly to the people that need killing. When an 8 year girl, with bruises showing, asks Ari to help her and gives him a couple of dollars in change for his fee, Ari doesn’t hesitate. Since his experience with foster care isn’t great, Ari adopts the girl. She wants to learn his trade? He can teach her. And his friends rally with teaching her to pick locks and other enterprising tasks. Along comes Carter, who needs Ari’s help on a job, and soon their group has a plan.
Entertaining if a bit moral deficient. Humorous as the men try to figure out how to properly raise an 8 year old girl. It’s a strange life, but Remi is happy and loving all the things she is learning for her goal to become The Widow. Aka a Marvel heroine worship. She’s safe and being cared for. The romance of Ari and Carter takes on a family feel as friends joke about their kissing. Steamy sex does occur, but not in front of the child! And it seems there may be an underlying theme of good here. If you look hard enough.
Enjoyable. I look forward to more of this light hearted series.
February 15, 2025
What an oddly paced book.
There was SO MUCH potential with this story, but I think it needed massive pacing changes and a longer timeframe for a relationship to develop between MC's because there was no vibes and no reasons for them to like each other. and it could have been amazing.
I was more interested in the little girl and her 'father' element, than the men kissing......... YOU KNOW SOMETHING IS WRONG WHEN I'M MORE INVESTED IN AN 8 YEAR OLD THAN MEN KISSING........
I also had to deduct stars for pineapple on pizza jokes, and the "he let out a breath, he didn't know he was holding" and the fact one MC kept calling the other guy "hon"...... is he your fucking grandchild????? ew. no .
SNOOOOOOOOOOZEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.
There was SO MUCH potential with this story, but I think it needed massive pacing changes and a longer timeframe for a relationship to develop between MC's because there was no vibes and no reasons for them to like each other. and it could have been amazing.
I was more interested in the little girl and her 'father' element, than the men kissing......... YOU KNOW SOMETHING IS WRONG WHEN I'M MORE INVESTED IN AN 8 YEAR OLD THAN MEN KISSING........
I also had to deduct stars for pineapple on pizza jokes, and the "he let out a breath, he didn't know he was holding" and the fact one MC kept calling the other guy "hon"...... is he your fucking grandchild????? ew. no .
SNOOOOOOOOOOZEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.
October 18, 2019
This was a light-hearted slow burn low steam love story. Told from dual POV it features asexual (that's how he seemed to me) assassin starting a relationship with a very patient and protective mercenary while planning a successful heist. The characters are very likable and approachable. I enjoyed Ari, the assassin, and his friends Ivan, the thief, and Kyou, the hacker, especially how they rallied when Remi, a little girl, came into their lives. Carter, the mercenary, was what they all needed to become a true team. There was light humor, plenty soft happy feelings and a bit of suspense. But all in all, this was a story on the fluffier side of things. Enjoyable story.
January 15, 2020
I liked it for the most part, with a few niggles, like a bit of drag when the pacing slowed midway, but I'm interested enough to stick around and see what happens in the next installment.
December 5, 2019
It’s not stealing if you’re stealing it back….
Ari had a game plan for life. Shoot people. Get money. Hang out with fellow criminal friends. He saw absolutely no reason to change that plan until one dark night in Memphis, when a little girl reached out to him with pocket change and a desperate plea for him to help her.
Adopting an abused little girl off the streets was, needless to say, not part of the plan. Ari had no idea what he was doing with an eight year old. He especially didn’t know how to juggle taking contracts and raising a little girl.
Things get more complicated when the mercenary, Carter Harrison, approaches him with a job. He needs Ari’s expertise to get into the very high-security museum, Knowles, and steal back Monet ’s Water Lily Pond. The job isn’t an easy one. He’d need more than the two of them to make it happen. It’s further complicated because Ari’s not sure what to do with his new daughter while working this job.
And for that matter, how’s he supposed to handle the sexy mercenary?
Tags:
Not child safe but child approved, children know best, Remi approves this book, idiots in love, but Remi loves them anyway, criminals make the best uncles, family of choice, Ari acknowledges Remi as the smarter one, Carter admits his own insanity, nothing blows up, Ivan is very disappointed by this, Kyou has PLANS for Remi, licking solves all problems, bedsheets, lifeskills, children should come with warning labels, it’s not stealing if you’re stealing it BACK, right?, the author once again regrets nothing
Dear AJ Sherwood,
I read your book on the recommendation of the close friend whose tastes mirror mine probably 95 percent of the time. Sadly this was not one of those times. Friend warned me that the story will be fun if and only if I will suspend my disbelief. And this was my main problem - suspending disbelief was too hard too many times.
The blurb pretty much tells you the outline of the whole story. If it is in the blurb, for me it is not a spoiler and fair game to talk about in my review, so readers beware. Moreover, if I have an issue with the plot point or characterization I may have to reveal it otherwise how would I explain what my problem was?
Ari is an assassin, but he is of " he only kills horrible people" type. Note, this is not the suspension of disbelief that I am complaining about. In fact, usually the only times I can read about assassins if they are Ari's types OR they don't feel like they should be killing people anymore type. I have a strong suspicion that they have very little to do with real assassins :).
Somebody (I wish I could remember who it was ) once wrote something to the effect that if you make small details believable for the reader they are more likely to go along with you when you are trying to sell outlandish big plot point and I think this is so true.
See, abused little girl who follows you while you are trying to do your killing assignment and decides to hire you to kill her abusive stepfather may be a character I can convince myself to go along with to see what happens next. Even though I know of course that this is already from the very beginning of the story is a pretty outlandish development to put it mildly.
But NO NO NO man, you cannot adopt this girl after you um helped her out with her dilemma. This is called kidnapping no matter what your good intentions are, okay?
But even that I could probably persuade myself to go along with and check my brain completely at the door. This abused eight year old becoming criminal master mind in training couple months after meeting her adoptive father though, that was the straw that broke the camel back, I kept being thrown out of the story over and over again.
Which was too bad really, because relationship between Ari and his merry band of criminal brothers were sweet and gentle and I could see myself liking them. Same thing with his new boyfriend . I mean I liked how protective Carter felt of Ari, I thought pacing of their relationship development was wildly off ( if one can even call it relationship development - oh I cannot figure out what this is, oh couple days later why don't we date), but I liked them together.
The job they were given was also kind of ridiculous - no, not because they had to steal Monet, but the precise circumstances of why they had to "steal it back". Since blurb wisely did not share this at least, I won't either. So it was ridiculous, but once again I do watch heist movies, I can handle over the top stealing jobs for the sake of fun. What I disliked was that I was kind of bored during the time they prepared to do the work, not even sure why.
Grade: C
Ari had a game plan for life. Shoot people. Get money. Hang out with fellow criminal friends. He saw absolutely no reason to change that plan until one dark night in Memphis, when a little girl reached out to him with pocket change and a desperate plea for him to help her.
Adopting an abused little girl off the streets was, needless to say, not part of the plan. Ari had no idea what he was doing with an eight year old. He especially didn’t know how to juggle taking contracts and raising a little girl.
Things get more complicated when the mercenary, Carter Harrison, approaches him with a job. He needs Ari’s expertise to get into the very high-security museum, Knowles, and steal back Monet ’s Water Lily Pond. The job isn’t an easy one. He’d need more than the two of them to make it happen. It’s further complicated because Ari’s not sure what to do with his new daughter while working this job.
And for that matter, how’s he supposed to handle the sexy mercenary?
Tags:
Not child safe but child approved, children know best, Remi approves this book, idiots in love, but Remi loves them anyway, criminals make the best uncles, family of choice, Ari acknowledges Remi as the smarter one, Carter admits his own insanity, nothing blows up, Ivan is very disappointed by this, Kyou has PLANS for Remi, licking solves all problems, bedsheets, lifeskills, children should come with warning labels, it’s not stealing if you’re stealing it BACK, right?, the author once again regrets nothing
Dear AJ Sherwood,
I read your book on the recommendation of the close friend whose tastes mirror mine probably 95 percent of the time. Sadly this was not one of those times. Friend warned me that the story will be fun if and only if I will suspend my disbelief. And this was my main problem - suspending disbelief was too hard too many times.
The blurb pretty much tells you the outline of the whole story. If it is in the blurb, for me it is not a spoiler and fair game to talk about in my review, so readers beware. Moreover, if I have an issue with the plot point or characterization I may have to reveal it otherwise how would I explain what my problem was?
Ari is an assassin, but he is of " he only kills horrible people" type. Note, this is not the suspension of disbelief that I am complaining about. In fact, usually the only times I can read about assassins if they are Ari's types OR they don't feel like they should be killing people anymore type. I have a strong suspicion that they have very little to do with real assassins :).
Somebody (I wish I could remember who it was ) once wrote something to the effect that if you make small details believable for the reader they are more likely to go along with you when you are trying to sell outlandish big plot point and I think this is so true.
See, abused little girl who follows you while you are trying to do your killing assignment and decides to hire you to kill her abusive stepfather may be a character I can convince myself to go along with to see what happens next. Even though I know of course that this is already from the very beginning of the story is a pretty outlandish development to put it mildly.
But NO NO NO man, you cannot adopt this girl after you um helped her out with her dilemma. This is called kidnapping no matter what your good intentions are, okay?
But even that I could probably persuade myself to go along with and check my brain completely at the door. This abused eight year old becoming criminal master mind in training couple months after meeting her adoptive father though, that was the straw that broke the camel back, I kept being thrown out of the story over and over again.
Which was too bad really, because relationship between Ari and his merry band of criminal brothers were sweet and gentle and I could see myself liking them. Same thing with his new boyfriend . I mean I liked how protective Carter felt of Ari, I thought pacing of their relationship development was wildly off ( if one can even call it relationship development - oh I cannot figure out what this is, oh couple days later why don't we date), but I liked them together.
The job they were given was also kind of ridiculous - no, not because they had to steal Monet, but the precise circumstances of why they had to "steal it back". Since blurb wisely did not share this at least, I won't either. So it was ridiculous, but once again I do watch heist movies, I can handle over the top stealing jobs for the sake of fun. What I disliked was that I was kind of bored during the time they prepared to do the work, not even sure why.
Grade: C
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2020
Aj Sherwood is a solid writer. Her book Fourth Point of Contact will always be one of my favorite romance of all time. However, I had a really hard time connecting with this book.
My problem, first and foremost, is with Remi. While it irks me, I can generally let it slide it when kids don't act kids in books. However, seeing that 8 year old Remi is one of our MC and takes her fair share of time in the spot light, its a lot harder to ignore it. Especially with the abuse that she went through, you'd think she'd take her time opening up, but no- right from the start she sounded like a 15 year old.
Second, I wasn't really interested in the characters probably because they didn't act like how super secretive, professional criminals would act. It pulled me away from the story so much that I got bored and had a difficult time finishing. I know the book is supposed to be light and fluffy but the characters were too "cute" and often unrealistic if you get my drift. More than once, I had to take a break from reading and ask, "Ok. Is this something that he/she would do?", "Is this how he is supposed to sound like given his character, past, etc?"
Next. I wasn't interested in the characters. The only character who acted like a real person was Luca, the MC's brother and so I was more interested in their interaction, in Luca's story, and his love life than I was with the MC. That tells a lot. I really hope Luca gets his book and if he does, Sherwood won't polish all his edges and turn him into an unrealistic character, for the sake of being "likeable" or adorable (which makes them sound one-dimensional character) like he did the other four.
Lastly, the pacing and substance. I really loved Sherwood's work on Fourth Point of Contact. It had the right balance of seriousness and quirkiness which I had a hard time finding here. Not to mention the pacing in this book was too fast and I found it hard to believe how the characters (with the exception of, again, Luca) moved so easily with little to no hesitations.
Nevertheless, I am really looking forward to the next book and hoping it includes Luca.
My problem, first and foremost, is with Remi. While it irks me, I can generally let it slide it when kids don't act kids in books. However, seeing that 8 year old Remi is one of our MC and takes her fair share of time in the spot light, its a lot harder to ignore it. Especially with the abuse that she went through, you'd think she'd take her time opening up, but no- right from the start she sounded like a 15 year old.
Second, I wasn't really interested in the characters probably because they didn't act like how super secretive, professional criminals would act. It pulled me away from the story so much that I got bored and had a difficult time finishing. I know the book is supposed to be light and fluffy but the characters were too "cute" and often unrealistic if you get my drift. More than once, I had to take a break from reading and ask, "Ok. Is this something that he/she would do?", "Is this how he is supposed to sound like given his character, past, etc?"
Next. I wasn't interested in the characters. The only character who acted like a real person was Luca, the MC's brother and so I was more interested in their interaction, in Luca's story, and his love life than I was with the MC. That tells a lot. I really hope Luca gets his book and if he does, Sherwood won't polish all his edges and turn him into an unrealistic character, for the sake of being "likeable" or adorable (which makes them sound one-dimensional character) like he did the other four.
Lastly, the pacing and substance. I really loved Sherwood's work on Fourth Point of Contact. It had the right balance of seriousness and quirkiness which I had a hard time finding here. Not to mention the pacing in this book was too fast and I found it hard to believe how the characters (with the exception of, again, Luca) moved so easily with little to no hesitations.
Nevertheless, I am really looking forward to the next book and hoping it includes Luca.
September 3, 2021
This was a fun, light hearted read. Just as I've come to expect from this author. I really liked Ari and Carter. And Remi. Usually children acting like adults doesn't work for me but for some reason it worked for me this time.
It got rather slow in the middle though, when they were mostly planning the heist and Ari and Carter was running in circles around each other.
It got rather slow in the middle though, when they were mostly planning the heist and Ari and Carter was running in circles around each other.
January 24, 2025
Jan 2025
Kindle edition
Re-read for a group challenge week 2. At this point I think I need to take a break. It feels like one re-read too many, love the characters but nothing felt new and I found myself getting a little bored. Nightmare before Christmas all over again. Great book, think I'll just give it a few years before re-reading next time.
September 2023
Paperback edition
I don't know why, when it comes to books I really like, I decide I must have the book in all formats. I brought the paperback and regret it. It's bigger than the UK traditional sizes, which means this one will have to sit amongst the similar sized manga I own. I read the other two on kindle and will have to think about buying them paperback. Story wise, still one of the best given I'm on a heist buzz at the moment.
Jan 2021
Re-read. I really love this series and it’s become one of my favourites. I love how it’s not insta love and everyone has their own trials. I really liked how protective Carter is and how his sister immediately knew Ari was a target. Most of all I really like how all of the relationships run and not one is singled out. All three are equally important to Ari, his daughter, his boyfriend and his friends. Would’ve been nice to seen more of Luca.
Jan 2020
This was sweet and I loved it. Dual POV, Ari the Assassin single father and Carter the Merc on a mission. Both are sweet, strong and it just flows so smoothly. Remi was adorable, although it was sad what she'd been through. I'm looking forward to the next one. Ivan needs some love.
Kindle edition
Re-read for a group challenge week 2. At this point I think I need to take a break. It feels like one re-read too many, love the characters but nothing felt new and I found myself getting a little bored. Nightmare before Christmas all over again. Great book, think I'll just give it a few years before re-reading next time.
September 2023
Paperback edition
I don't know why, when it comes to books I really like, I decide I must have the book in all formats. I brought the paperback and regret it. It's bigger than the UK traditional sizes, which means this one will have to sit amongst the similar sized manga I own. I read the other two on kindle and will have to think about buying them paperback. Story wise, still one of the best given I'm on a heist buzz at the moment.
Jan 2021
Re-read. I really love this series and it’s become one of my favourites. I love how it’s not insta love and everyone has their own trials. I really liked how protective Carter is and how his sister immediately knew Ari was a target. Most of all I really like how all of the relationships run and not one is singled out. All three are equally important to Ari, his daughter, his boyfriend and his friends. Would’ve been nice to seen more of Luca.
Jan 2020
This was sweet and I loved it. Dual POV, Ari the Assassin single father and Carter the Merc on a mission. Both are sweet, strong and it just flows so smoothly. Remi was adorable, although it was sad what she'd been through. I'm looking forward to the next one. Ivan needs some love.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2020
This was my first book by this author and I must say I enjoyed her writing style.
Her writing flowed effortlessly , her humour and characters were very relatable and the romance was nicely developed. There weren't any heavy sex scenes in the book plus, it was a slow burn romance so I'd say it was pretty low on the heat scale. This actually worked for the tone of the book so I wasn't bothered in the least.
My only niggle with this book (written about criminals who became an unlikely family to a little girl) was the pacing. Had the pacing been quicker, I feel like this book would've been a 5-star book easily.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed this book and will be reading the other books in the series. I'm very curious to see who can match the mischievous Ivan and who Kyou had been stalking..*ahem* "protecting"🤣
Her writing flowed effortlessly , her humour and characters were very relatable and the romance was nicely developed. There weren't any heavy sex scenes in the book plus, it was a slow burn romance so I'd say it was pretty low on the heat scale. This actually worked for the tone of the book so I wasn't bothered in the least.
My only niggle with this book (written about criminals who became an unlikely family to a little girl) was the pacing. Had the pacing been quicker, I feel like this book would've been a 5-star book easily.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed this book and will be reading the other books in the series. I'm very curious to see who can match the mischievous Ivan and who Kyou had been stalking..*ahem* "protecting"🤣
June 17, 2023
Three men and a little lady...does anyone remember this second chapter movie. Where a mother hands over her child to her father. Except she doesn't know which of the three men is the father. They decided to co-parent. I'm still waiting on a third chapter. Either the pains of dating or the wedding day. Since it's an 80s movie. Hollywood might get around to rebooting the franchise.
Thats what I am reminded of, an interesting take on the found family thrope. The shanagians that ensue. That time that they lose her in a crowd. Except the story got The Professional movie of an assassin finds himself training a teen gal.
I am here for it! Just 8 years old and coding. 5 months of programing and she is rerouting camera feeds. Shoot my Daddy started driving lessons at 5 years old. Rifle training at 8 and 13 learning about cars. What fun can be had? Who knows, besides the author.
I am enjoying every scene.
Thats what I am reminded of, an interesting take on the found family thrope. The shanagians that ensue. That time that they lose her in a crowd. Except the story got The Professional movie of an assassin finds himself training a teen gal.
I am here for it! Just 8 years old and coding. 5 months of programing and she is rerouting camera feeds. Shoot my Daddy started driving lessons at 5 years old. Rifle training at 8 and 13 learning about cars. What fun can be had? Who knows, besides the author.
I am enjoying every scene.
May 14, 2020
4.5 Stars
Thoroughly enjoyable! Can't wait to read the next ones...
Thoroughly enjoyable! Can't wait to read the next ones...
August 1, 2020
**grm**
I had a few problems with this book, but I'll make it short and write the 3 most important issues I had with it.
1)If you want to use another language, be sure you know what you are saying in the actual context you are using it. If someone thinks that writing or speaking Italian means only saying: bella, caro, capiche(that btw no true italian uses, and is a cliché that people give us and something they mostly connect to the mafia way of talking, and all this bcs they just watch movies made by dumb ppl, I must add.), and other phrases that had ALL ANOTHER meaning written the way the author did. If someone thinks that writing 3-4 words means knowing a language that is actually as difficult as italian language is, if you want to write it decently, then they are completely wrong and actually this also pissed me off a bit.
2)No one would ever believe that an 8 years old was able to master all these skills in 6 months or so, I found it ridiculous and I was annoyed by all the scenes where they let this kid do a job that was actually pretty important and that could put many ppl at risk if done wrong. Nope, I didn't find it amusing or nice to have a kid see them talk about a job or being part of their team. If you put kids in a story, make them be kids, or if you want them to be prodigies, then give us a background to base it on and make it believable, and you should still add limits since this isn't a fantasy book.
3)I thought these 2 things would be the only points I'd make, but reached the end of the book there was a part where the author wrote his/her thoughts, and there a phrase really made me roll my eyes. They say that reviews help them, and on this I can agree, but soon after they add that they would not complain not even for a 4 star review. I was like "WTF?" in my mind a 4 star review is good, I wouldn't rate a book 4 stars if it was bad. So this kind of arrogance of expecting all 5 stars and almost "accepting" the 4 ones, annoyed me so much since I don't really like this kind of attitude.
Said all this, I will add that I liked the story and I'm curious about the other couples, but I can't and will not rate this book more than 3 stars, for all the points I added up.
I had a few problems with this book, but I'll make it short and write the 3 most important issues I had with it.
1)If you want to use another language, be sure you know what you are saying in the actual context you are using it. If someone thinks that writing or speaking Italian means only saying: bella, caro, capiche(that btw no true italian uses, and is a cliché that people give us and something they mostly connect to the mafia way of talking, and all this bcs they just watch movies made by dumb ppl, I must add.), and other phrases that had ALL ANOTHER meaning written the way the author did. If someone thinks that writing 3-4 words means knowing a language that is actually as difficult as italian language is, if you want to write it decently, then they are completely wrong and actually this also pissed me off a bit.
2)No one would ever believe that an 8 years old was able to master all these skills in 6 months or so, I found it ridiculous and I was annoyed by all the scenes where they let this kid do a job that was actually pretty important and that could put many ppl at risk if done wrong. Nope, I didn't find it amusing or nice to have a kid see them talk about a job or being part of their team. If you put kids in a story, make them be kids, or if you want them to be prodigies, then give us a background to base it on and make it believable, and you should still add limits since this isn't a fantasy book.
3)I thought these 2 things would be the only points I'd make, but reached the end of the book there was a part where the author wrote his/her thoughts, and there a phrase really made me roll my eyes. They say that reviews help them, and on this I can agree, but soon after they add that they would not complain not even for a 4 star review. I was like "WTF?" in my mind a 4 star review is good, I wouldn't rate a book 4 stars if it was bad. So this kind of arrogance of expecting all 5 stars and almost "accepting" the 4 ones, annoyed me so much since I don't really like this kind of attitude.
Said all this, I will add that I liked the story and I'm curious about the other couples, but I can't and will not rate this book more than 3 stars, for all the points I added up.
July 31, 2022
Fun and gripping
I love assassin books and I love heist books, and this has BOTH. It was so fun seeing the softer side of these men who kill and steal for a living as they helped care for a precocious little girl. I really enjoyed this, and can’t wait for the next in the series!
I love assassin books and I love heist books, and this has BOTH. It was so fun seeing the softer side of these men who kill and steal for a living as they helped care for a precocious little girl. I really enjoyed this, and can’t wait for the next in the series!
May 2, 2020
Absolutely loved this book. From the way Ari and Remi met to the epilogue.
It was great to see the way the men took Remi under their wings , even teaching her hacking and getting into safes.
A great book and I hope there will be more in the series.
It was great to see the way the men took Remi under their wings , even teaching her hacking and getting into safes.
A great book and I hope there will be more in the series.
December 30, 2023
Suspend all belief, those who enter these pages. I mean, an eight year old who can solicit a hitman, then gets adopted by him. Then she's good at all the associated skills her "uncles" teach her - lockpicking, computer hacking, etc. It's just too far fetched but I listened to this in audiobook and it was easy, upbeat listening, and I needed it so I enjoyed and was thankful for that aspect of my experience with How to Shield an Assassin.
The narrators did a pleasant job as well.
The narrators did a pleasant job as well.
August 24, 2020
3.5 stars to begin this series. It was a lighthearted and fun journey into the lives of an assassin, a thief and a hacker. This had all the ability to be a nail biter, but these guys were pretty easygoing. A mercenary joins the group looking for a team and becomes a love interest then throw in a vulnerable orphan who adds to the mix and this becomes one big family. This is light fiction and it’s as simple as that. Reality is pretty low and heat is lower. Fun & friendships ❤️
September 12, 2025
Rating - 3 stars
There was so much potential for Carter and Ari and it all went down the drain 😭 The chemistry was good but the romance was so rushed that I was more interested in Remi than anyone else 😭 I’m so sad cause it could’ve been amazing 🥲
There was so much potential for Carter and Ari and it all went down the drain 😭 The chemistry was good but the romance was so rushed that I was more interested in Remi than anyone else 😭 I’m so sad cause it could’ve been amazing 🥲
May 13, 2021
Ooh. I did not like that very much. Felt like a kid's fantasy movie. You have the kid who is perfect, magical, super smart in every way. And I guess side characters. I didn't care too much about the little girl. I don't mind kids in stories, but if I wanted to read a story about a child main character then I woulda gone to YA.
December 8, 2025
2025 re-read: I noted more job-related flaws this time through, but who cares? It's not a how to commit crime novel, it's a romance with found family. The romance is very satisfying, and the family is unique and fun.
2020:
Being demi myself, I recognized Ari's sexuality immediately (I've seen a few reviewers guess it as ace, but it's more he needs familiarity (demi) than that sex is unappealing, and that his reflexes work against closeness. The child is brilliant and quick, and felt the most fictional - but I didn't care. I adored these people and this story and am VERY glad this is book 1. Carter's lovely. Ivan is hilarious. Kyou is the quintessential hacker - and this guy he protects/stalks is intriguing. Given that we have an assassin, a mercenary, a thief and a hacker, this is still a surprisingly light, delightful story.
2020:
Being demi myself, I recognized Ari's sexuality immediately (I've seen a few reviewers guess it as ace, but it's more he needs familiarity (demi) than that sex is unappealing, and that his reflexes work against closeness. The child is brilliant and quick, and felt the most fictional - but I didn't care. I adored these people and this story and am VERY glad this is book 1. Carter's lovely. Ivan is hilarious. Kyou is the quintessential hacker - and this guy he protects/stalks is intriguing. Given that we have an assassin, a mercenary, a thief and a hacker, this is still a surprisingly light, delightful story.
October 14, 2022
I loved everything about this one. By far one of my favorite series. Being able to listen to it was a joy. Not how I expected the guys to sound, but it was fun. Ivan's voice was the best.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2020
I'm SO reminded of a quote from Leverage after reading this - "sometimes bad guys make the best good guys."
Ari is not a good guy - he's an assassin. He's also friends with a thief, a hacker, and befriends a mercenary. (See why I get the Leverage vibes, you guys?!) While on a job, Ari rescues a young girl and decides to keep her rather than have her get lost in the foster care system. She is renamed Remi and officially/unoffically (because, y'know, illegal!) becomes his daughter.
Carter is ex-military and now works as a mercenary and likes being a team leader. Problem is - he hasn't really had the best of teams. Now he has a new job to steal back a priceless painting, and he knows this is going to be a 2-person job and goes in search of Ari. After Ari calls in his friends Ivan and Kyou, the four (five, if you count Remi!) must work together to get the job completed.
This is a slow-burn in the romance department, and I would say Ari might identify as demi-sexual or grey-ace, based on some of his thoughts about previous experiences with men. It's also definitely a character-driven story. I LOVED the quirks and habits of all four of these men together. The jokes about Ivan licking things, Kyou having this mysterious man that he's stalking/protecting/watching (MUST know more about that!), and how after reading this I have a feeling Remi is going to be the most mature one of the bunch LOL.
I will say that Remi hovers that fine line of being a cute kid character and also a bit unbelievable - TOO precocious and TOO smart for her age. I think she'd have to be a child prodigy to pick up things as quickly as she does and to be as mature as she is. Yes, she's had an unimaginable childhood and has some serious trauma, but I almost wish she had been like 10 or 11 to help make things just a bit more plausible?
Of course, at the end of the story, these four now have to figure out what to do next. Carter wants them all to work together, and I can't wait to see how the next job with them all goes. I know the next story is Ivan's, but I do hope we'll get more of Carter and Ari as they were still in the early stages of their relationship, having to go slow and at Ari's pace.
As with movies and shows revolving around heists and illegal crimes (The Italian Job, Oceans 11, Leverage, etc) you definitely have to suspend some belief to make some scenarios work. I think you will enjoy this story if you can just enjoy the quirky characters and the journey!
Ari is not a good guy - he's an assassin. He's also friends with a thief, a hacker, and befriends a mercenary. (See why I get the Leverage vibes, you guys?!) While on a job, Ari rescues a young girl and decides to keep her rather than have her get lost in the foster care system. She is renamed Remi and officially/unoffically (because, y'know, illegal!) becomes his daughter.
Carter is ex-military and now works as a mercenary and likes being a team leader. Problem is - he hasn't really had the best of teams. Now he has a new job to steal back a priceless painting, and he knows this is going to be a 2-person job and goes in search of Ari. After Ari calls in his friends Ivan and Kyou, the four (five, if you count Remi!) must work together to get the job completed.
This is a slow-burn in the romance department, and I would say Ari might identify as demi-sexual or grey-ace, based on some of his thoughts about previous experiences with men. It's also definitely a character-driven story. I LOVED the quirks and habits of all four of these men together. The jokes about Ivan licking things, Kyou having this mysterious man that he's stalking/protecting/watching (MUST know more about that!), and how after reading this I have a feeling Remi is going to be the most mature one of the bunch LOL.
I will say that Remi hovers that fine line of being a cute kid character and also a bit unbelievable - TOO precocious and TOO smart for her age. I think she'd have to be a child prodigy to pick up things as quickly as she does and to be as mature as she is. Yes, she's had an unimaginable childhood and has some serious trauma, but I almost wish she had been like 10 or 11 to help make things just a bit more plausible?
Of course, at the end of the story, these four now have to figure out what to do next. Carter wants them all to work together, and I can't wait to see how the next job with them all goes. I know the next story is Ivan's, but I do hope we'll get more of Carter and Ari as they were still in the early stages of their relationship, having to go slow and at Ari's pace.
As with movies and shows revolving around heists and illegal crimes (The Italian Job, Oceans 11, Leverage, etc) you definitely have to suspend some belief to make some scenarios work. I think you will enjoy this story if you can just enjoy the quirky characters and the journey!
October 16, 2019
So I first learned of A.J. Sherwood through her Jon's Mysteries series and kinda fell in love with her writing style. And then I read her Fourth Point of Contact and my mind was blown!
But this book... this book is a bit different from her others and yet oh so wonderful, It was a fun, delightfully amusing romp despite the main characters being an assassin, a mercenary, a thief and a hacker. Oh, and a seriously badass little girl who has them all wrapped around her finger!
Assassin Ari (Aristide) Benelli has lived his life in the shadows and alone. Sure he has a twin brother but that brother was as far from a career criminal as Ari could get so he stayed as far away from Luca as he could for his brother's sake. He had a few friends, a hacker and a thief, but he lived his life solo, doing the job he was good at. And yet a desperate and abused little girl named Remi had him doing the unthinkable - adopting her and settling down. Sort of.
With the help of Ivan and Kyou (the thief and the hacker) - Remi's adopted 'uncles' - Ari attempts to raise his very own little Black Widow in the making while continuing to work. Enter Carter Harrison - Mercenary with a soft spot for kids and a pretty honourable guy all around.
Carter has a job, one that needs a very specialized skill set - and the only one who has it is Ari. A stolen painting needs to be 'liberated' from a private collector with a penchant for illegal objets d'art and a Fort Knox like security system. Ari is the only one who's ever managed to get in and get out. But Ari comes with a crew, and Carter is blindsided by the attraction he feels for the assassin as well as being completely charmed by Remi and reluctantly impressed with Ivan and Kyou.
This book was lighthearted and _fun_. I enjoyed every gosh darned minute of it, from Ari's unconventional parenting, to Remi with her vulnerability and swagger, to the 'crazy uncles'. The romance between Ari and Harrison was sweet and nice but the story itself drew me in and kept me interested.
Can't wait til for book 2!
But this book... this book is a bit different from her others and yet oh so wonderful, It was a fun, delightfully amusing romp despite the main characters being an assassin, a mercenary, a thief and a hacker. Oh, and a seriously badass little girl who has them all wrapped around her finger!
Assassin Ari (Aristide) Benelli has lived his life in the shadows and alone. Sure he has a twin brother but that brother was as far from a career criminal as Ari could get so he stayed as far away from Luca as he could for his brother's sake. He had a few friends, a hacker and a thief, but he lived his life solo, doing the job he was good at. And yet a desperate and abused little girl named Remi had him doing the unthinkable - adopting her and settling down. Sort of.
With the help of Ivan and Kyou (the thief and the hacker) - Remi's adopted 'uncles' - Ari attempts to raise his very own little Black Widow in the making while continuing to work. Enter Carter Harrison - Mercenary with a soft spot for kids and a pretty honourable guy all around.
Carter has a job, one that needs a very specialized skill set - and the only one who has it is Ari. A stolen painting needs to be 'liberated' from a private collector with a penchant for illegal objets d'art and a Fort Knox like security system. Ari is the only one who's ever managed to get in and get out. But Ari comes with a crew, and Carter is blindsided by the attraction he feels for the assassin as well as being completely charmed by Remi and reluctantly impressed with Ivan and Kyou.
This book was lighthearted and _fun_. I enjoyed every gosh darned minute of it, from Ari's unconventional parenting, to Remi with her vulnerability and swagger, to the 'crazy uncles'. The romance between Ari and Harrison was sweet and nice but the story itself drew me in and kept me interested.
Can't wait til for book 2!
March 15, 2020
What happens when you remake The Thomas Crown Affair with an assassin, thief, hacker and mercenary for hire PLUS Little Orphan Annie?? This book. The premise sounded interesting ... and I have enjoyed the author's other books ... but alas, not this one. Other reviewers had warned about having to suspend belief in order to enjoy this book but when the 8 year old started to walk, talk and operate like an experienced member of Ocean's Eleven ... I had to give up suspending belief and started fast-forwarding towards the end. The M-M romance was at least drawn out and slow burn, much facilitated by the said precocious 8-going-on-48 year old. Plus I had serious qualms over the judgement of the adult MCs on how they were 'looking after' their 'ward'. It was telling that not a single sane adult female character was involved enough to throw in some alternative opinions on the whole saga.
August 6, 2021
Reread- still love these characters as much as I did the first time 🥰
-----
Another entertaining story by AJ Sherwood. An assassin , a hacker , an 8 year old black widow wanna be, and let's throw in a mercenary to round things out. This story is funny, sweet, and interesting as all 5 of them work together for a job. Can't wait for more books in the series. I can see this becoming one of my favorites.
-----
Another entertaining story by AJ Sherwood. An assassin , a hacker , an 8 year old black widow wanna be, and let's throw in a mercenary to round things out. This story is funny, sweet, and interesting as all 5 of them work together for a job. Can't wait for more books in the series. I can see this becoming one of my favorites.
October 9, 2020
DNF @ 12%.
This is far too cutesy, that it just comes off as ridiculous.
Remi doesn't talk or act like an 8 year old. Ari hardly seems believable as an assassin, let alone a successful one.
This is my second attempt at AJ Sherwood, and my second early DNF, so it's probably fair to say this is not a match made in heaven.
This is far too cutesy, that it just comes off as ridiculous.
Remi doesn't talk or act like an 8 year old. Ari hardly seems believable as an assassin, let alone a successful one.
This is my second attempt at AJ Sherwood, and my second early DNF, so it's probably fair to say this is not a match made in heaven.
June 14, 2022
This story is absurd. Just completely off the wall, bonkers, barmy, and batshit.
Apparently, that doesn't matter, though, because I was completely hooked and unable to put it down until it was over.
I've DNF'd this author's novels in the past and kinda-sorta avoided them since, but, this series, at least, I'll definitely be continuing.
I guess it's just my kind of crazy.
Apparently, that doesn't matter, though, because I was completely hooked and unable to put it down until it was over.
I've DNF'd this author's novels in the past and kinda-sorta avoided them since, but, this series, at least, I'll definitely be continuing.
I guess it's just my kind of crazy.
September 1, 2025
I love this series!
I have read/listened to this series 10 times now and I still love it like it was the first time I experienced it!!
I have read/listened to this series 10 times now and I still love it like it was the first time I experienced it!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 421 reviews