Hans

Alliance #4

by S.J. Tilly

CASSIE

How to make the handsome, brooding man across the street notice me.

Step one: Deliver baked goods to his front porch, even though he never answers his door and always returns the containers when I'm not home.

Step two: Slowly lose my mind as a whole year passes without ever running into him, no matter how hard I try.

Step three: Have my boudoir photos accidentally delivered to his mailbox instead of mine. Have him open the package. Then have him storm into my home for the most panty-melting scolding of my life.

Step four: Still figuring out step four.

HANS

I'm a dangerous man.

A man who has spent the last two decades removing so many souls from this earth that it's a miracle my hands aren't permanently stained red.

I'm a man who belongs in the shadows.

I certainly don't belong in my pretty little neighbor's bedroom when she's not home, touching her things and inhaling her scent.

I shouldn't follow her. Shouldn't watch her. Because no number of cookies on my doorstep will change the fact that love isn't an option for me.

The only option left for me is violence.

Genres: Dark Romance, Romance, Mafia Romance, Dark, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Audiobook

432 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 28, 2023

About the author

S.J. Tilly lives in Minnesota with her husband and their herd of boxers. She spends an unhealthy amount of time with her face buried in books, reading and writing. If she’s not nose deep in text, or harassing her dogs, she’s probably playing with her plants, pretending she knows how to garden.

You can find her stumbling around on Instagram @sjtillyauthor

https://www.amazon.com/S.J.-Tilly/e/B...

Reviews

[S.J. Tilly]

Available now!

Grab your copy today! Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!
https://books2read.com/HANS-SJTilly
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[Marianna Moore · Rating 1 out of 5]

During spicy time he called her “little girl” and made her call him daddy. Excuse me while swallow back my vomit.

[Noa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Make them pay, Hans. Make them suffer."

Hans is a dangerous man.
And even saying that would be an understatement.
He lives in a world of ghosts and shadows and blood.
Ever since that day 20 years ago everything changed and his life has been about one thing.
Vengeance.
Until she moved in next door…
His butterfly. The bane of his existence.
And since then he has been a man obsessed.
So when a mistake in the mail leads Hans to march over to her house.
It's game over for them both.

"Because this crush I have on my hot neighbor is getting out of control."

Cassandra Cantrell has been obsessed with her neighbor ever since she moved in.
She remembers his smell, she can't stop thinking about him.
Ever since she moved in she has been baking cookies in hopes to get him to talk to her.
But every time it's the same.
She leaves the cookies and the next day the box is cleaned and left next to her mailbox.
No words. No thank you. Nothing.
So why is her super hot neighbor currently knocking at her door and yelling her name?

"Because you know I need to own you."

I received an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Does she not realize what a fucking temptation she is? Does she have no sense at all?"

He is obsessed with her. She wants to get to know him. But what happens when his life starts to creep in? Will his butterfly fly away? Or stay with him and burn?

"Yeah, Cassandra Lynn Cantrell, I'm obsessed with you."

This is one of the most bittersweet reviews I think I will write.
"The Alliance" has become one of my favorite series of 2023. If not my favorite series. And it is all thanks to S.J. Tilly.
From Nero, to King and Dom, and now Hans. I love this universe. I love these characters and Hans is no exception.
Because OH MY FUCKING GOD THIS BOOK!! THIS MF BOOK WAS EVERYTHING!! THE ONES WHO KNOW THEY KNOW AND THE ONES WHO DON'T TRUST ME YOU ARE MISSING OUT!!

"He touched something Cassandra touched. Life fades from his eyes."

First we have Cassie. And S.J. Tilly proves once again that plus size badasses are the most fun FMC to read (I will take no objections). I mean her baking for him each time, caring for him, and then the possessiveness!! I was here for it, I was here for all of it!! You have this fluffy bubbly girl with a backbone and that is exactly what I needed!! Plus her relationship with Hans was just amazing!! This butterfly has a backbone trust me (as Hans would say -> continues to giggle profusely.)

"When are you going to learn that there are consequences for being a brat?"

And moving on to the man of the hour. This wait was so worth it!! Hans has quickly risen up the ranks and has become my new obsession because I will be thinking of this man for months to come and you can place your bets on that because OMFG the fact that he eats everything she touches and makes. Do not lower your standards people!!! And the Butterfly!!! I was melting! I was actively melting throughout this book and I am not apologizing!!

"A girl like her should wear absolutely nothing, and she should spend her nights on her back with her thighs spread, her hands pinned, and her body heaving… underneath-mine- where no one can ever lay eyes on her."

This playlist is classics (in my opinion) and it fit so well!!

(Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4Y5... )

🎵 "Daisy 2.0" - Ashnikko, Hatsune Miku
🎵 "Cruel Summer" - Taylor Swift
🎵 "Doin' Time" - Lana Del Ray
🎵 "Candy" - Doja Cat
🎵 "Morally Grey" - April Jai and Nation Haven
🎵 "Heaven" - Julia Michaels
🎵 "I Wanna Be Yours" - Arctic Monkeys
🎵 "Teeth" - 5 Seconds Of Summer
🎵 "goosebumps" - Travis Scott
🎵 "Devil In Her Eyes" - Bryce Savage
🎵 "Work From Home" - Fifth Harmony, Ty Dolla $ign
🎵 "Private Show" - Little Mix
🎵 "A.D.I.D.A.S" - Little Mix
🎵 "Angels Like You" - Miley Cyrus
🎵 "Cravin'" - Stileto, Kendyle Paige
🎵 "Like A God" - Lia Marie Johnson
🎵 "The Summoning" - Sleep Token
🎵 "THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND" - Bad Omens
🎵 "STAY" - True North, Loveless
🎵 "She Looks So Perfect" - 5 Seconds Of Summer
🎵 "Tattoo" - Loreen
🎵 "Dangerous Hands" - Austin Giorgio
🎵 "The Devil Wears Lace" - Steven Rodriguez
🎵 "Freak" - Doja Cat
🎵 "Killing In The Name" - Rage Against The Machine
🎵 "Sway With Me" - Saweetie, GALXARA
🎵 "Eat Your Young" - Hozier
🎵 "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)" - USHER
🎵 "Hello" - Evanescence
🎵 "Bella Ciao" - Becky G
🎵 "Confident" - Justin Bieber, Chance The Rapper
🎵 "When You're Gone" - Avril Lavigne
🎵 "Beggin'" - Maneskin
🎵 "nameless" - Stevie Howie
🎵 "OHMAMI" - Chase Atlantic
🎵 "Elastic Heart" - Sia
🎵 "Electric Love" - BORNS
🎵 "If I Killed Someone For You" - Alec Benjamin
🎵 "Bonbon" - Era Istrefi
🎵 "Red Flags" - Mimi Webb
🎵 "Wonderland" - Natalia Kills
🎵 "Desperado" - Rihanna
🎵 "Ruin My Life" - Zara Larsson
🎵 "Panic Room" - Au/Ra
🎵 "Wanted" - Todrick Hall
🎵 "Savage" - Bahari
🎵 "Shatter Me" - Lindsey Sterling, Lzzy Hale
🎵 "Bring Me To Life" - Evanescence
🎵 "Tantrum" - Ashnikko
🎵 "BRAT" - Chrissy Chlapecka
🎵 "BABYDOLL (Speed)" - Ari Abdul
🎵 "Perfect" - One Direction
🎵 "AMERICAN HORROR SHOW" - SNOW WIFE
🎵 "Can You Feel My Heart?" - MOTHICA
🎵 "Love On Top" - Beyonce
🎵 "FMRN" - Lilyisthatyou
🎵 "Animals" - Nickelback
🎵 "Salvation" - Christabelle Marbun
🎵 "Seven Nation Army" - Stevie Howie
🎵 "Paper Rings" - Taylor Swift
🎵 "Dirty Thoughts" - Chloe Adams
🎵 "Hrs & Hrs" - Muni Long
🎵 "Holding Out For A Hero" - Nothing But Thieves
🎵 "The Reason" - Hoobastank
🎵 "Nonsense" - Sabrina Carpenter
🎵 "I'm yours sped up" - Isabel LaRosa
🎵 "Massacre" - Kim Petras
🎵 "Hurry Up And Save Me" - Tiffany Giardina
🎵 "Hayloft" - Mother Mother
🎵 "Us And Pigs" - SOFIA ISELLA
🎵 "Church" - Chase Atlantic
🎵 "Spectrum" - Florence + The Machine
🎵 "Heathens" - Twenty One Pilots


And S.J. Tilly proves once again that she can set us on fire with her words…

"All fucking night. Teasing me with this fucking dress."

"I should make this pretty ass so sore you won't be able to sit still on that plane tomorrow. Should make it so you think of me every time you sit for the entire week."

"That's it. That’s my good girl."

🔥 Tropes 🔥

🍪 Plus Size Romance
🍪 Dark Vigilante Romance
🍪 Stalker/Obsessed MMC
🍪 Neighbors
🍪 Forced Proximity
🍪 Age Gap

https://www.instagram.com/p/C04A6booj...

[Samantha (bookgramsaga reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (ARC review)

''Because vengeance is rarely clean''

Safety warnings:
- H 39 / h 30
- No cheating
- No OW/OM drama
- Mention of human trafficking
- Mention of s*xual abuse/r*pe
- Kidnapping
- Violence/d*ath
- Stalking
- Loss of loved ones
- Attempted assault
- HEA

This book turned out very differently than I imagined it. For some reason I had this elaborate plot in my head after Hans' appearance in Dom's book and what we discovered about him. I am not saying it’s a bad thing that it didn’t pan out how it imagined it in my head but that it’s nice to be surprised.

I don’t want to give anything away, but I’ll just say a few things:

Let's just say Hans out of all the guys in this series is the most complex one, he deals with the guilt and pain from what occurred in his life two decades ago. His mission in life has only been about one thing until his vixen of a neighbor shows up and everything changes for him. The obsession that he felt for Cassie was unhinged but at the same time it kept him grounded in a world of chaos.

Cassie was a great addition to this series, and she was a fun FMC. She comes from a normal life and never in a million imagined herself immersed into the life that Hans's leads of the Alliance.
We got great cameos from everyone, and I have to say seeing Nero in each book that is not his own makes me like him even more every time. He is so funny in other POV's.

The ending of this series made me sad as we said goodbye to the group of people we have grown to love and care for. S.J. Tilly gave us a great farewell! I really enjoyed this series and definitely recommend it!

[Kursed Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only neighbor on Cassie Cantrell’s deserted cul-de-sac is a standoffish recluse. What she doesn’t know, Hans Eklund is always watching, ensuring he doesn’t bring danger to his Butterfly’s door.

Guilt-ridden and on a path of vengeance, Hans’ lifestyle is not conducive to love. Yet once he lets the bubbly baker in, there’s no path forward without her.

I can’t think of a series that I’m more sad to see end. I was late to the SJ Tilly fan club, but she brought it with this series and, in particular, this book. Seeing all the pieces come together, including cameos of all the previous couples, made this final chapter bittersweet. With his complex backstory and emotional baggage to work through, with the help of his perfect match, Hans was easily my favorite MMC of the Alliance. If you’ve been sleeping on SJ Tilly like I was, this is your sign to grab a book and dive in!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Burn: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Darkness: 🖤
Heat: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Range of Emotions: ☹️😊🫠😳😍
Ending: 💗 {HEA}
POV: 👫🏻 {Dual}

🗄️ Genre: Dark Romance
🗂️ Subgenre: Suspense

✨ Tropes: Age Gap (9), Neighbors, Stalker(ish)
💫 Microtropes: Alphahole, Curvy Woman, Jealous/Possessive/Obsessed, Tracking/Spying, Vigilante

💋 Kinks: 🍑, Domination, Finger Licking Good, Spanking

⚠️ Warning: This steamy read will leave your panties wet and reaching for BOB.

🚩 Safety Squad: Unalìvíng, Vìolençė, and other potentially triggering elements. If you have any hesitation, check the warnings before diving in. Otherwise, blind is best!!

📣 Type: Hans is part of the Alliance series, but can be read as a standalone. While no other books need to be read in order to follow the story, reading prior books may enhance the experience.

🛑 Be Advised: My Goodreads shelves are … explicit in both senses. As such, they could be considered spoiler-y.

[Marissa | goingonbookcation · Rating 1 out of 5]

He called her “Little Girl” and she called him “Daddy”.

Absolutely fucking not. Get therapy.

DNF @ 70%.

[Tiffanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have loved every other book in this series but I DNFd this book. There is absolutely 0 character development of Cassie. The only thing she is, is obsessed with Hans. No thanks. Everything was so rushed too. This one was a miss.

[Soft Nectarine ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

When he avoids her publicly but stalks her privately 👀 bad boy assassin falls for the girl next door and WORSHIPS the ground she walks on!

“Side by side, we probably look mismatched. The girly girl and the intense assassin. But my palm fits in his perfectly.”

Cassie is just a regular HR manager girlie until she unknowingly moves in next door to an assassin. Well she doesn’t know he is eliminating his enemies on the weekends but she doesn’t have a MASSIVE crush on the her older neighbor, Hans. But our assassin boy avoids her since his life is too dangerous. Well…he still breaks into her house to check her appliances & sleep in her bed 👀✨ hilariously unhinged dark romance!

💛 he cannot stop touching her AT ALL times

💛 ott obsessed mmc (this man scarfs down her leftovers just because she touched it)

💛 plus size fmc (she is 30!)

💛 yes, of course he puts a tracker on her *consentual*

💛 her racy photos get accidentally delivered to his house & he immediately stomps to her house

Hans is a GIANT CINNAMON ROLL and you can’t convince me otherwise. When Cassie brings over her terrible culinary creations he force feeds himself scarfing down everything in a single sitting 🤢 and this is by far the funniest and sweetest thing in the whole book! Him feeling possessive of all the food she touches is the level of mmc possessiveness I really need!!!

THE SMUT. AAAA. Perfect mix of mmc obsession and absolutely filthy ways he loves to make her fall apart. Their dynamic definitely has some Daddy/bg vibes with the age gap & when that translates to their sex life 😮‍💨 HANS JUST GETS IT!!! Also helped that Cassie was equally as obsessed with Hans.

One thing I’m really enjoying about the series is rational fmc (sometimes iffy in mafia romance) & NO 🛑 third act breakups. In this book I like how Cassie and Hans are not get into repetitive arguments over mafia-overprotective-alpha male stuff. Hello, this is a mafia romance what did you expect!! And Hans does some absolute unhinged things BELIEVE ME


grumpy x sunshine ☀️
dd/lg dynamics
overprotective mmc
assassin mmc
plus size rep (loved this the most!)
🍑
stalking
breeding kink (lite)
found family
HEA

[glavreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

sj simply delivers EVERY. SINGLE. TIMEEEEEE.

of course hans delivered us crazy, obsessed, stalker who's rich and hot and FREAKAYYYY. of course we got another amazing curvy heroine and a hero who's DOWN SO BAD FOR HER that he eats all of her absolutely inedible creations.

100000/10. i will miss this series so much but i cannot wait for what's in store.

[nush ❀ · Rating 2 out of 5]

*sigh* & i was so fucking excited also. im so sad

[Kiara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah… I didn’t stand a chance.
This was a beautiful, strong finale to the Alliance series — and without question my favorite of them all 🖤

🦋 The Setup

Cassie has been hopelessly drawn to her handsome, brooding neighbor for a year. Her strategy? Leaving baked goods on his porch and quietly losing her mind while he never once answers the door. Hans, meanwhile, is a dangerous man — a vigilante who’s spent two decades carrying a kind of loss that never really leaves you.

One mistake in the mail.
One knock on her door.
And it’s game over for both of them.

🐻 Hans Eklund (39)

Big. Broody. Blonde Viking.

Hans is obsessed in the most delicious, unhinged way. He eats all of Cassie’s terrible baking — every crumb — simply because she made it. And the way he gets irritated when anyone else eats it??

“It doesn’t matter how bad her creations are, my deep-seated need to consume every bit of Cassandra won’t let me throw them away.”

He’s morally gray and fully convinced he doesn’t deserve love — but his backstory gives his character real weight. Before everything fell apart, Hans was just a nineteen-year-old college kid who wanted to be a lawyer. That version of him is gone — and watching Cassie slowly bring pieces of him back felt deeply earned.

“But if decades of working to rid the world of evil has taught me anything, it’s to embrace the good. I haven’t had much good. But the woman next to me, she’s my good in this world. And losing her would destroy me.”

🍪 Cassandra Cantrell (30)

Sassy. Feisty. Worst baker known to man.

Feeding people is Cassie’s love language, and I loved how perfectly she matched Hans’s intensity.

She’s possessive (putting his phone calls on speaker the second she hears another woman’s voice 🤭), fearless, and completely unbothered by his darkness. To the point that when Hans assumes she’s panicking after witnessing his violence… she’s actually breathing heavy because she’s turned on 😂

I adored that she was never written as fragile. She’s clumsy but confident, knows exactly what she wants, and walks straight into Hans’s life like she belongs there — because she absolutely does.

“A pretty little butterfly I can’t help but want to protect.”

🖤 My Thoughts

This book felt deeper and more emotionally rich than the others in the series. The chemistry between Hans and Cassie was all-consuming, tender, and addictive, and watching their relationship grow completely melted me🥺

I’m really going to miss the Alliance banter. Nero trying to steal Hans’s katana had me in tears 😂 His ongoing fixation with new weapons will never not be funny — I swear I love him.

And the ending? Perfect. So satisfying. Seeing everyone together again felt like a love letter to the entire series, especially with Cassie’s parents becoming this warm, unexpected found family for them. I closed this book smiling—and a little emotional 🥹

Tropes / What to Expect

🦋 Neighbors to lovers
🔪 Morally gray vigilante
🍪 Plus-size FMC
🔥 Obsessed MMC
🫶 Found family
☠️ Touch-her-and-die
⏳Age gap (9 years)
🤭 Spanking
⛔ NO third-act breakup

Series Ranking
1. Hans — Book 4 (5⭐️)
2. Nero — Book 1 (4⭐️) My review
3. Dom — Book 3 (4⭐️) My review
4. King — Book 2 (3⭐️) My review

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
✧･ﾟ Pre-Read ･ﾟ✧
I’ve been waiting to get to Hans since book one, so I’m VERY excited ✨

[Intel Chicky Reads Romance (Kara Merideth) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Trope: stalker, vigilante
Angst: 😱😱😱
Smexy: 🔥🔥🔥

Boy oh boy - SJ Tilly just cannot miss with these Alliance men. She completely knocks it out of the park with Hans. Once again we have a hero that screams more read flags than a Chinese PLA parade field, yet somehow he manages to be the sweetest, most thoughtful hero for our beautiful FMC. His backstory is crushing and you will cry tears. I know I did. And while our story is fantastical, his "reasons" for being the way he (a stalker assassin, lol) is comes across as somewhat valid 🤷🏻‍♀️. The story is beautifully written and paces well. The pages totally flew by and I was at the end before I knew it. It was wonderful to see all our Alliance friends and made me that much more sad to see them go. There is a gloriously long epilogue that will make you shed some more tears, but ultimately leave with a smile on your face. Definitely recommend. The whole. fucking. series. ❤️

[Morgann Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO GOOD.

I didn't think anything could beat Dom, and then Hans happened. This. man is a WALKING RED FLAG. A STALKER. AN UNHINGED COLD-BLOODED KILLER. And I fucking loved him. The build-up and tension was so addicting to read and I genuinely couldn't put it down. Even though it's a dark romance book, we also got bits of humour that had me grinning from ear to ear. I loved them

[Noor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was the author on a time crunch bc why was it so rushed and just sex?

[dev · Rating 1 out of 5]

worst experience of 2023. WORST.

[vana ★ · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was so bad that it was funny

[Kristie (read_between.the_wines) · Rating 5 out of 5]

your honor, I love a hitman.

this is the perfect ending to the Alliance series (although I wish it wasn’t over).

Hans is unhinged like Nero, and even more obsessive than king and dom in his own ways.

Start to finish loved it. Will read this entire series again

**arc review**

[Jenn (The Book Refuge) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is my favorite one. I enjoyed it so much. Hans was so sweet, possessive, and a great big teddy bear.

I wish my neighbor was so caring. Haha!

5 stars
3.5 on the spice scale

CW: sex trafficking, kidnapping, violence, slight Daddy kink, breeding kink

[alana ☁️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

i do NOT know why all the girlies on tiktok are eating this up because i again, could not

[sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

was it actually good or did i just picture him as charlie hunnam the whole time

[Izzah ꒰Duchess of Cabria ಇ ⭑✧ ᴏɴ ᴘᴀᴛʀᴇᴏɴ ✧ ⋆꒱ · Rating 2 out of 5]

From sweet to meh

☀️ This book started out sweet. The author immediately makes it clear the hero saw the girl a year and some months ago and that he hasn't slept with anyone since.

↠ Plus points for that
How divided, the magic...

I fear alienating so many of my GR friends with this one, because I didn't like this book as much as seemingly everyone else did...
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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[Марія Маргуліс · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF на 66%
Це було не жахливо, але дуже гротескно і місцями нагадувало скоріше ненавмисну пародію на любовний роман. Перша половина ще якось читалася через трішки схожі вайби з Lights Out, але потім стало надто крінжово і не дуже цікаво.

[Jeeves Reads Romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

** One of my Top 20 of 2023 Picks on www.JeevesReads.com! **

This deliciously addictive romance takes the "boy obsessed" trope to a whole other level while wrapping up the series with a neat little bow - I loved it! We knew very little about either character before diving in, but it only took a few minutes to get a feel for the dynamic. It's easy to see that both characters have been sneaking glances at the other for quite awhile now, and it just took a little push to shift their relationship in a very big way. Like the other books in the series, Hans is a walking red flag, but the kind who is incredibly endearing and kind of a sweetheart at the same time. It's clear that he is absolutely obsessed with his girl (I think that's a compliment, lol), and I loved the brightness that she brought to his otherwise-dark life. There's spice and suspense and so much sexual tension, which cranks up the moment these two starting interacting face-to-face. It was everything I could want from a finale AND a standalone romance, and I cannot even tell you how quickly I flew through the pages.

The story follows Cassie, a woman who has lived across the street from a handsome stranger for the last year. She's been trying to get closer to Hans ever since their brief introduction, but he's dodged every attempt she's made. Their only interactions have been exchanges of the baked goods Cassie makes for him all the time, and she's close to giving up. But one very unexpected event changes the whole situation, and suddenly Hans is everywhere. He's overwhelming Cassie's senses and making it clear that he wants her, which is a shock to the system. The closer Cassie gets to Hans, the more she sees the dark side of him, but it's easy to see that he's a good man on the inside. Hans is a little bit broken, and finally having all of Cassie's attention seems to bring something back to life in him - which may be the the end of them both.

I've been loving every installment of this series, and this was such a fitting conclusion. It's got the same over-the-top, delicious vibes, while still feeling like its own thing. Hans might actually be the most obsessed of the antiheroes in this series, which is really saying something, lol. But I could not stop my love for him, which developed almost as quickly as his love for Cassandra. These two are absolute FIRE together, heating up the pages with their mutual attraction. I liked that Cassandra was such a sweetheart and a bright spot in Hans' life, though she also clearly had a backbone and knew the trouble she was getting into. I loved watching Hans come alive again under Cassie's care, and he really was a great guy underneath all of his grief and darkness. Be sure to check the CW on this one. The vibes are suspenseful, spicy and playful, with a ton of banter and humor mixed with all the darkness. I didn't even mind the light "Daddy" vibes, because it seemed to fit the dynamic of these two. Also, there isn't a major age gap (30/39), so that was a factor too. All in all, this was a powerhouse of a finale, and such a wild ride. I was lucky enough to receive an early copy, and am voluntarily leaving a review of this extra-spicy romance.

[❥ Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edit: Bumped to 5. Who was this person that rated this gem 4 stars? I don’t know her

I laughed & smiled so much reading this! This series is just bingeable fun. SJ Tilly has a knack for writing these OTT obsessive men and making them seem adorable. They lose all sense when it comes to their women and it’s absolutely hilarious. What I really liked about this one is that Cassie is just as obsessed with Hans and adores his dangerous, obsessive ways. Her narrative had me cracking up when she could be so nonchalant about the dangerous things she witnessed. She is her man’s biggest fangirl

Highlights:
💀Hans eating Cassie’s terrible baking like it’s manna from heaven
💀Hans meeting Cassie’s parents
💀Hans fighting a man with his mouth full of post-its because Cassie wrote them for him
💀Hans assuming Cassie is freaking out about seeing him kill people, but she’s breathing heavily bc she’s turned on
💀Cassie + skittles = Hans 🤯
💀The light daddy & breeding kink

[Vini Warner · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 stars for Hans × Cassie story and +1 for all the Alliance couples wrap up at the end.

Who am I kidding? The one that made me extremely happy and earned that start was Aspen. The only character who was left in this series to get a book. Which I got to know yesterday that she won't be getting any (don't ask about my mental state after learning that) so witnessing her hea moment for that short amount of time filled my heart.

Sorry, talking about everything other than the main couple.

Well... I love all the alliance couples and since I've been binge reading this entire series for the past 2-3 days, I hold every character dear to my heart, so coming to the final book was a high level of anticipation. And it, unfortunately, fell short.

Those 2 stars are solely reserved for Hans' obsession. Not his obsession with Cassie. But her poorly made cookies and everything she bakes then delivers to him which he never ceases to finish. No matter how bad they are, how absolutely disgusting they are, he eats every single one of her baked goods.
Then comes her post-its that she sends along with the cookies. Which Hans preserves very neatly and in order.
And my god, this man.
He literally beheaded a man because he touched and ruined her post-its.

My issue lies with the heroine.
And simply put,
She is a 30 year old going on 15.
Acts like a horny teenager with nothing but sex on her mind.
It was fine initially but then it got so irritating and annoying, it was so hard to take her seriously as a woman instead of a 15 yo teen.

~MILD SPOILERS AHEAD~
•Accidentally killed a guy, went over to H home to tell him, got distracted by his body.

•After H went into his action mode, she forgot all about it and started her horny monologue.

•Witnessed the H beheading a guy and murdering people (for the very first time) — doesn't question anything, doesn't even need to think twice about the fact that your next door neighbour plus boyfriend is committing murders, gets turned on instead.

•H blew up her house? Time to blow him now.

•Gets kidnapped, rescued and injured, H wanting to tend to her wounds, she chooses now to be the best time for anal sex.
~SPOILERS OVER~

The lack of resistance in anything the H did from the h, and her immature jealousy tantrums made me not appreciate her at times that she was actually fine in.
And instances like those, made this story a joke for me.

The previous 3 heroines share similarities with this one but nobody got on my nerves this unrealistically as Cassie did. Idk why but Payton, Val and Savannah were written so well in comparison. And Hans was supposed to be the most dark among Nero, King and Dom but he proved to be a lot more soft than he should've been. Which was entertaining for a while but then it was an overkill.

I think the way we got to see Aspen's HEA in little moments in every book, that should've happened with Hans and Cassie and it would've been fine. But Aspen should've gotten her whole book. Instead of "cute girls on their way to become badass" pattern, would've been unique if it was the other way around for once.

But anyways, Alliance series is a series to cherish and remember. Book 3 even made it to my "all-time-fav" shelf. Others are in my "to-buy" list. Will never forget these heroines and their OTT unhinged men.

________________________

Book 1 - Nero : My Review
Book 2 - King : My Review
Book 3 - Dom : My Review
_________________________

[THE PETITE LIBR☆RY · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️⭐️✨ but rounded up for Goodreads

I love S.J. Tilly with my heart and soul, but ya’ll this book was not it.

Cassandra is a ditzy, bimbo, moron and that will never be the vibe. I will never stop pleading with indie authors everywhere to stop giving us 30 year old women who act like teenagers. As a 20-something woman myself, I find it frustrating to read women characterized like this. Why do we constantly dumb down women? For the sake of the plot? For who? For what?

The terrible baking... it drove me nuts to the point I’m talking about it now. Cass kept making these terrible desserts (described as inedible) and taking it all over to Hans. Girl, huh? Do you not taste your own cooking? Was that supposed to be cute? I didn’t get it. It served no purpose but to perpetuate her only personality trait, “Hi! I’m absentminded and quirky, but I’m curvy and cute so it’s ok.”

Ugh. This just missed the mark. It felt rushed and a little half-baked. The previous three Alliance books felt so much more developed compared to this, with considerably more depth and build up between FMC and MMC, and Hans just didn’t have that. I was searching for that deeper connection between the characters from page to page and never saw it.

Is this a bad book? Absolutely not. It’s very on the nose for S.J. Tilly, as her books are definitely too cute. I will never stop reading and recommending her books. I can only assume (and hope) Tilly will do her thing and pop out some spinoff series and close some of the gaps left here.

[Darlene I read WAY to many books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is goodbye to this batch of charas in this series, and I did shed a tear for many reasons.

Let's start. I loved Hans. He was a perfect grump with a growly side. He has been obessed with Cassie since she moved in, but thinking he wasn't worth it, they only spoke once. And he's been ignoring her for almost a year, but sweet loveable Cassie loves bring him baked goods that are.. well not good, but our man still eats them and saves the post-it note. Which was so freaking cute!!! Like every dish, he kept the note and returned her bowl and hid lol.
He thought he was slick, but when a package that was miss mailed, he saw a side of Cassie he never thought he'll seen even if he watched her on camera, lol.

That green jealousy eye is the reason he finally made a move to finally talk to her and boy it was good. The banter and spice started it was good they started hanging out more him being more protective.

We had drama in Mexico, drama with Hans past!! And I love that he never pushed her away even when it was dangerous he deserved alllll!! They happiness. We got to see my boys and the ladies it was so good seeing them boys bond.


Low angst, no ow/om drama, no cheating, secondary charas, drama, Sexy times, no virgins

Recommend-yes
Cover-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Heat level-🌶🌶🌶🌶

Slowishburn
Age gap
30h/39H
Pinning
Stalking
Human trafficking
Death of family
Anal play
Praise kink
No condom
Murder
Violence
Hea
Epilogue

[Jen ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

MCs:
- Hans, 39
- Cassandra/ Cassie, 30

Book info
- Violence, gore, death
- Loss of loved one
- Mention of rape
- Drinks spiking
- Kidnapping
- Human trafficking
- Stalking
- No cheating, opd, breakup
- Non-virgin MCs
- Curvy h
- Celibate H (since they met)
- HEA (married and pregnant)


Side note:
Not gonna lie, the cover was hot, but it doesn't make sense. Hans was described as a Viking god and is a blonde with shoulder-length hair, so why doesn't the cover match his description?? 🤔🤨



Hans and Cassie met one year ago when she moved into her house. He was caught off guard by her when she introduced herself as his new neighbor. This is the only meeting and conversation they had over the course of a year as neighbors. But Cassie always left Hans all of her baked goods, trying to coax him out of his house, but he never did. He only opens his door once he's sure she's no longer around.
 
Then a photo book of Cassie's boudoir shots was delivered incorrectly to Hans address. And being the invasive stalker that he is, he opened the package and got turned on, but he was also furious because of her photos. He came knocking on her door to ask her who took those and who she made them for. Mind you, this is the second time that they talked, and Hans acted like a jealous boyfriend, and he kissed the crap out of her. After this, they became close, and Hans no longer stayed away from her.
 
Hans promised not to get close to Cassie, seeing as he has a lot of enemies and he doesn't want her to get hurt. So the first time they met, he got hooked immediately and started obsessing and stalking her for the whole year. But he did avoid her by making sure their paths would never cross outside of their houses. He memorizes her schedule, and once she's out of her house, he always goes there to check things out and touch some of her stuff (creepy and invasive, but whatever) He has surveillance cameras around her house because he's so obsessed with security.
 
Cassie's probably the best FMC for me in this series. I liked her character, and I had so much fun reading her inner thoughts. It had me laughing so much when her baked goods turned out to be bad, yet Hans kept eating them because she made them for him. I also liked the fact that she's jealous, obsessed, and possessive, just as Hans is with her. I thought he was unhinged, but when they're together, you'll see they're both on the same level of craziness, and I'm here for all of it. 🤣
 
Then the kidnapping came, but, idk, I feel like this was anticlimactic. It was resolved so quickly, and the death of the villain was swift. I mean, Hans has been looking for him for the last 20 years, and this is the only ending or revenge he would get??? Where's the torture and all? 😂 I was a bit disappointed because I had it in my mind that the villain would suffer the way Hans's sister did. And then we were given this kind of revenge, and disappointment is a freaking understatement.

Anyway, I loved the cameos of the other characters. I enjoyed reading this, and it is definitely my favorite in this series.

[Zahra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg why is he soo perfect 😍🤤 I was swooning over him the entire timeee. He forcibly eats the horrible burnt disgusting food she makes just cuz how much he likes and is obsessed with her, he collects post it notes she's written and goes ballistic when someone tears them....myy heartttt 😫😫❤️❤️ and the way he fights, i think assasins>mafia men, just soooo hot🔥🔥🔥

Overall he is such a pookie and his backstory and self talk just broke my heart :( i just want to protect this man and love him (and his 💰💰🤑🤑) forever

Cassandra is absolutely unhinged lollll i love her. she has such a big heart and she feels so much. Good for her to get that bag. I'd be all over him too 😝

Plus i liked the details to character...if he's an assasin he's fighting like one, she's a blogger, she has a job which she is concerned abt, everything wasn't just centered around fmc and mmc newly found connection. It was a well written book. That only think i wanted was for her to have a life. She has no friends no social life and that is just unrealistic while maintaining a food blog.
Also how does she not know her food is disgusting? has she never eaten those zuchini cookies my man has to literally force down his throat? And how does she maintain a FOOD BLOG if she makes such horrible tasting food? It doesnt make sense!! 😭

[The Love Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars - I've been intrigued by Hans' character since the beginning of the series, and he didn't disappoint. His motivation for taking down human trafficking rings stems from not being able to save his sister, and subsequently watching his parents pass away from their grief.

Years later, he's a vigilante that no one likes to hear or see coming, but to Cass across the street, he is simply the recluse who eats all the baked goods she leaves on his steps. I'll be honest, I wasn't completely into them as a couple, but I could see why they worked for each other. Unlike the other couples in the series, Hans needed someone to tell him he was worthy of love and a second chance, which is what Cass gave him.

The best part about this book though were the epilogues. I loved getting all the characters' POVs and seeing how they've progressed as families. I did feel a bit of nostalgia because found family vibes always hit me in the chest so I really enjoyed that.

HOWEVER - I still don't know what the Alliance does, and I still think the author doesn't either.