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The Revenge Club #2
The Revenge Mishap
Rule #2 of Revenge Club: Don’t fall for your target’s brother.
LEO
I'm Leo Brennan. Tech consultant. Negotiator of billion-dollar deals. Master of the corporate death stare.
And I’m currently wearing a sparkly pink unicorn onesie with a light-up horn while screaming “I believe in magic!” at a roomful of sugar-crazed six-year-olds.
How did I get here? I tried to get revenge on my nemesis with a syrup-related “accident” at a restaurant. Except, I hit his lookalike brother instead. On his birthday. And broke his ankle.
Now I'm making amends by playing nursemaid to him and helping him out with his jobs, which includes dog walking and becoming Sparkle McHornface, the sidekick to a children's entertainer called Captain Giggles.
The worst part? I'm starting to actually like the guy. And he has no idea the real reason why he’s on crutches.
ARCHIE
Oh, I definitely know.
The handsome stranger who “accidentally” baptized me in maple syrup thinks he's so subtle. But I've figured out his connection to my estranged brother, and I also know something else.
Guilt is a powerful motivator.
And watching this grumpy tech millionaire wrestle with drooling dogs and declare himself a “pretty, pretty unicorn” to a room full of six-year-olds? That's entertainment I can't pass up.
But somewhere between his disastrous balloon animals and surprisingly tender moments, something else is going on. I'm falling for the real Leo behind the corporate armor.
Which is dangerous because I’m currently hiding my own secrets.
And the last thing I need is someone unraveling them.
The Revenge Mishap is what happens when revenge goes sideways, grumpy meets sunshine, and two men discover that sometimes the messiest mistakes lead to the sweetest love.
LEO
I'm Leo Brennan. Tech consultant. Negotiator of billion-dollar deals. Master of the corporate death stare.
And I’m currently wearing a sparkly pink unicorn onesie with a light-up horn while screaming “I believe in magic!” at a roomful of sugar-crazed six-year-olds.
How did I get here? I tried to get revenge on my nemesis with a syrup-related “accident” at a restaurant. Except, I hit his lookalike brother instead. On his birthday. And broke his ankle.
Now I'm making amends by playing nursemaid to him and helping him out with his jobs, which includes dog walking and becoming Sparkle McHornface, the sidekick to a children's entertainer called Captain Giggles.
The worst part? I'm starting to actually like the guy. And he has no idea the real reason why he’s on crutches.
ARCHIE
Oh, I definitely know.
The handsome stranger who “accidentally” baptized me in maple syrup thinks he's so subtle. But I've figured out his connection to my estranged brother, and I also know something else.
Guilt is a powerful motivator.
And watching this grumpy tech millionaire wrestle with drooling dogs and declare himself a “pretty, pretty unicorn” to a room full of six-year-olds? That's entertainment I can't pass up.
But somewhere between his disastrous balloon animals and surprisingly tender moments, something else is going on. I'm falling for the real Leo behind the corporate armor.
Which is dangerous because I’m currently hiding my own secrets.
And the last thing I need is someone unraveling them.
The Revenge Mishap is what happens when revenge goes sideways, grumpy meets sunshine, and two men discover that sometimes the messiest mistakes lead to the sweetest love.
416 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 8, 2026
About the author
Jax Calder
31 books1,218 followersJax's stories are all about light-hearted conversations and deeply-felt connections. She loves exploring exactly why two characters are the only ones who’ll make the other truly happy, and the journey they take to reach their happily-ever-after.
Jax lives in New Zealand and is a rabid sports fan, a hiking enthusiast and has a slightly unhealthy addiction to nature documentaries. As an extrovert who spends way too much time in her own head, she loves to connect with readers. To read her exclusive novella Being Set Up, sign up to her newsletter: https://jaxcalder.com/newsletter-sign.... You can also join her Facebook group Jax's Crew (www.facebook.com/groups/jaxcaldercrew) for bonus stories plus exclusive excerpts from her upcoming books.
Jax lives in New Zealand and is a rabid sports fan, a hiking enthusiast and has a slightly unhealthy addiction to nature documentaries. As an extrovert who spends way too much time in her own head, she loves to connect with readers. To read her exclusive novella Being Set Up, sign up to her newsletter: https://jaxcalder.com/newsletter-sign.... You can also join her Facebook group Jax's Crew (www.facebook.com/groups/jaxcaldercrew) for bonus stories plus exclusive excerpts from her upcoming books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 196 reviews
May 17, 2026
This was a lovely story. It was also silly and too OTT at times, but I had a lot of fun reading it and it even made me tear up. Not once, but three times!
I loved Leo and Archie as characters. Loved the mystery surrounding Archie in the beginning. Their relationship didn't develop in a way I'd prefer, but I think it fit the storyline. I just loved all the banter and sweet moments between them, so the rest didn't bother me too much in the end.
I don't know how the author does it, but she makes me root for romance in situations that I would normally find unforgivable. Book 3 will be another case of me thinking 'there's no way I'd fall for someone who did that to me'. So yeah, can't wait for that one! 😅
I loved Leo and Archie as characters. Loved the mystery surrounding Archie in the beginning. Their relationship didn't develop in a way I'd prefer, but I think it fit the storyline. I just loved all the banter and sweet moments between them, so the rest didn't bother me too much in the end.
I don't know how the author does it, but she makes me root for romance in situations that I would normally find unforgivable. Book 3 will be another case of me thinking 'there's no way I'd fall for someone who did that to me'. So yeah, can't wait for that one! 😅
May 15, 2026
~2.5~
There were at least 100 pages here that could have been deleted. How many times can we read about Captain Giggles, Sparkle McHornface, Snugglesaurus, and their accompanying antics?
I got to 41% before realizing there had been no plot progression beyond the setup of the story: In an attempt to get revenge on Vaughn, a former colleague who stole his tech-genius idea, Leo accidentally hurts Vaughn's younger brother, Archie. It's a whole thing, and Archie ends up on crutches, with Leo as his whipping boy.
The antics at the kids' parties were funny, if juvenile, and I laughed out loud several times. But there was only so much of this I could take before boredom set in.
Fortunately, Archies's godmother, Elizabeth, showed up, which led to the men confronting their feelings, at least temporarily, before they both decided that acting like idiots was the way to go.
Vaughn returned as the supposed hero, but let's be real, nothing justifies stealing other people's ideas and cutting off your baby bro because your itty-bitty feelings were hurt. Vaughn was an immature, jealous asshole and did not deserve the redemption arc he got.
Spoilerish rant about Vaughn:
Oh, and let's not forget that Leo and Archie's entire relationship was built on deceit; they were lying to each other the entire time. They talked it out briefly in the last chapter, but it was too easy by far.
Even though there were some truly adorable moments in the story (the initial restaurant/ER fiasco, Leo's first attempt at dog walking, Leo & Archie's visit to the museum with Elizabeth, Archie rocking trivia night), I couldn't justify fully cheering for these MCs, and my rating reflects that.
There were at least 100 pages here that could have been deleted. How many times can we read about Captain Giggles, Sparkle McHornface, Snugglesaurus, and their accompanying antics?
I got to 41% before realizing there had been no plot progression beyond the setup of the story: In an attempt to get revenge on Vaughn, a former colleague who stole his tech-genius idea, Leo accidentally hurts Vaughn's younger brother, Archie. It's a whole thing, and Archie ends up on crutches, with Leo as his whipping boy.
The antics at the kids' parties were funny, if juvenile, and I laughed out loud several times. But there was only so much of this I could take before boredom set in.
Fortunately, Archies's godmother, Elizabeth, showed up, which led to the men confronting their feelings, at least temporarily, before they both decided that acting like idiots was the way to go.
Vaughn returned as the supposed hero, but let's be real, nothing justifies stealing other people's ideas and cutting off your baby bro because your itty-bitty feelings were hurt. Vaughn was an immature, jealous asshole and did not deserve the redemption arc he got.
Spoilerish rant about Vaughn:
Oh, and let's not forget that Leo and Archie's entire relationship was built on deceit; they were lying to each other the entire time. They talked it out briefly in the last chapter, but it was too easy by far.
Even though there were some truly adorable moments in the story (the initial restaurant/ER fiasco, Leo's first attempt at dog walking, Leo & Archie's visit to the museum with Elizabeth, Archie rocking trivia night), I couldn't justify fully cheering for these MCs, and my rating reflects that.
May 11, 2026
let’s face it, jax calder’s worst is probably some author’s best.
this is not her best work at all. it started off strong (as usual), but as it sometimes happens with her full length novels, the middle dragged.
and it dragged a lot. we should’ve cut at least 100 pages from that middle. there are only so many kids parties that can be entertaining.
so, by that point i was ready to (very painfully) rate this three stars, but jax is the best at the big reunion and make up.
i almost cried and it bumped the entire thing up to 4 stars, sue me.
something that i really don’t understand is why jax only has two modes: novella or too long for a rom-com.
i fear i will live with this question for the rest of my life.
am i excited for the following one?
not really, tbh. i don’t think i could sympathize with a catfisher, but it’s jax, so i’ll give it a chance.
this is not her best work at all. it started off strong (as usual), but as it sometimes happens with her full length novels, the middle dragged.
and it dragged a lot. we should’ve cut at least 100 pages from that middle. there are only so many kids parties that can be entertaining.
so, by that point i was ready to (very painfully) rate this three stars, but jax is the best at the big reunion and make up.
i almost cried and it bumped the entire thing up to 4 stars, sue me.
something that i really don’t understand is why jax only has two modes: novella or too long for a rom-com.
i fear i will live with this question for the rest of my life.
am i excited for the following one?
not really, tbh. i don’t think i could sympathize with a catfisher, but it’s jax, so i’ll give it a chance.
May 2, 2026
Bought the book in advance off her website over a month ago because I was sure I’d wanted to read this book as early as possible. It was just delivered yesterday evening and I downloaded it instantly. And that was a good decision. I love it!!
I just had to finish it right away and it even made me miss my tram because it had one more chapter than I expected and I guess that made the time disappear faster than it should.
Now I’m in said tram getting motion sickness because I need to share with you how much I loved reading this book (and apparently typing and tramming is something that shouldn’t be combined).
Anyway: Jax Calder is the absolute queen of hilarious mm romcoms. This book is even better than all earlier books. And I already loved all of those.
Leo is perfect! He’s a bit stiff, horrible background, enough reasons to be a mess, but also very much not a mess. And Archie is just the best. A bit evil but so sweet at the same time.
The way they meet and the things that follow them are ridiculous. The whole Elisabeth storyline is only possible in books (because come on, why on earth would you fake a relationship for a visiting godmother in real life?) However it was the perfect way to get the story where it needs to go.
I did not get the connection between Gus and Vaughn, that was a bit weird and didn’t get explained well enough for me. That’s literally the only thing I didn’t like about this book.
What I thought was really amazing was how much I enjoyed the whole mortification aspect of it. Normally I get a lot of vicarious shame when reading things like this (even more on television btw). And here I couldn’t get enough of it. I’d love to see the movie adaptation of this book actually 🤩
Anyway: five stars, will reread and recommend very much!!
I just had to finish it right away and it even made me miss my tram because it had one more chapter than I expected and I guess that made the time disappear faster than it should.
Now I’m in said tram getting motion sickness because I need to share with you how much I loved reading this book (and apparently typing and tramming is something that shouldn’t be combined).
Anyway: Jax Calder is the absolute queen of hilarious mm romcoms. This book is even better than all earlier books. And I already loved all of those.
Leo is perfect! He’s a bit stiff, horrible background, enough reasons to be a mess, but also very much not a mess. And Archie is just the best. A bit evil but so sweet at the same time.
The way they meet and the things that follow them are ridiculous. The whole Elisabeth storyline is only possible in books (because come on, why on earth would you fake a relationship for a visiting godmother in real life?) However it was the perfect way to get the story where it needs to go.
I did not get the connection between Gus and Vaughn, that was a bit weird and didn’t get explained well enough for me. That’s literally the only thing I didn’t like about this book.
What I thought was really amazing was how much I enjoyed the whole mortification aspect of it. Normally I get a lot of vicarious shame when reading things like this (even more on television btw). And here I couldn’t get enough of it. I’d love to see the movie adaptation of this book actually 🤩
Anyway: five stars, will reread and recommend very much!!
May 10, 2026
This book is an astonishingly good escape! Everything is right only when something has gone horribly wrong. I was laughing throughout the book, Jax Calder imbues Archie’s characters with supreme wit and Leo is called to match him leading to a battle of ridiculous dares, pirates, dinosaurs and unicorns, hilarious dog walks, superior acts of kindness and falling into lust and love. The attraction is apparent from their first coherent meeting - before that honestly everything is moving too fast and is too funny.
This book has sweet consideration, gentle almost subliminal touches reaching out and caring for the other - massively swoony z these are layered characters with strong back stories even tho Archie is quite reluctant to reveal his and it’s eas saddening to be shown what they had both been through and still a joy getting to know them and watch them fall in love
Cannot emphasise enough how much you need to read this book.
This book has sweet consideration, gentle almost subliminal touches reaching out and caring for the other - massively swoony z these are layered characters with strong back stories even tho Archie is quite reluctant to reveal his and it’s eas saddening to be shown what they had both been through and still a joy getting to know them and watch them fall in love
Cannot emphasise enough how much you need to read this book.
May 11, 2026
3.75 🦄 Stars ✨
Revenge is a dish best not served with maple syrup 😅
23 yo Child Entertainer, Archie vs. 30 yo Tech Consultant, Leo
Grumpy/Sunshine
7 year age gap
Forced proximity
Fake Dating
Overall, I enjoyed this. Despite some niggles with pacing, it was well written. The MC’s had terrific chemistry and it was ridiculously funny at times, but it didn’t affect me emotionally quite as much as book #1.
Leo Brennan, gets more than he bargained for when an attempt to get revenge on his nemesis, Vaughn Mansley, goes spectacularly awry. Not only is his aim mistakenly directed at Archie (Vaughan’s brother), Archie consequently ends up with a broken ankle and requires alternative accommodation, a live-in nursemaid, personal dog walker and sidekick for his childhood entertainment shows. Consumed with guilt, Leo steps up.
I love how quickly Archie realised it was no accident and turned the tables, ensuring a fair amount of humiliation on Leo’s behalf 😅. The subsequent orchestrations and mutual retaliation pranks had me laughing out loud. Whilst I think JC could have toned it down just a tad, Leo was thankfully a willing participant and a worthy adversary who gave as good as he got. Yet, I will say that Archie’s deflections and subsequent conniving occasionally made me uncomfortable. He’s hard work that’s all I’ll say 😅
However, sparks fly when these two get together. Their banter was top notch. The emotional intimacy in one particular scene was chefs kiss supreme 🫠🫠
I had a few issues with broken bone logistics, and the fake dating that Archie contrived out of the blue, but I ignored the first and warmed up to the latter 😂
Stop looking at me like that,” I say. “Like what?” “Like you’re taking notes.” “I’m always taking notes.” “Well, stop it. This is sex, not a board meeting.” “My board meetings are nothing like this.” “I should hope not.” I sink down on him, and we both groan. “Although it would certainly liven up the quarterly projections.” “Are you going to keep talking?” “Have you met me?”
Not that I’m a glutton for punishment, but the third act separation wasn’t as impactful as anticipated. Possibly down to Vaughn’s insertion back into Archie’s life. Although, Leo’s note and the way they got back together had me misty eyed 🥹
Anyhoo, I had a good time and am intrigued about Gus’ story if there’s another in the series. Not sure how he would exact revenge on someone who romantically catfished him out of a sizeable fortune but knowing, JC, he’ll learn the hard way and it’ll be priceless. I just hope this conman has more of a conscience than Vaughn appeared to have. That guy got off lightly imho.
Revenge is a dish best not served with maple syrup 😅
23 yo Child Entertainer, Archie vs. 30 yo Tech Consultant, Leo
Grumpy/Sunshine
7 year age gap
Forced proximity
Fake Dating
Overall, I enjoyed this. Despite some niggles with pacing, it was well written. The MC’s had terrific chemistry and it was ridiculously funny at times, but it didn’t affect me emotionally quite as much as book #1.
Leo Brennan, gets more than he bargained for when an attempt to get revenge on his nemesis, Vaughn Mansley, goes spectacularly awry. Not only is his aim mistakenly directed at Archie (Vaughan’s brother), Archie consequently ends up with a broken ankle and requires alternative accommodation, a live-in nursemaid, personal dog walker and sidekick for his childhood entertainment shows. Consumed with guilt, Leo steps up.
I love how quickly Archie realised it was no accident and turned the tables, ensuring a fair amount of humiliation on Leo’s behalf 😅. The subsequent orchestrations and mutual retaliation pranks had me laughing out loud. Whilst I think JC could have toned it down just a tad, Leo was thankfully a willing participant and a worthy adversary who gave as good as he got. Yet, I will say that Archie’s deflections and subsequent conniving occasionally made me uncomfortable. He’s hard work that’s all I’ll say 😅
However, sparks fly when these two get together. Their banter was top notch. The emotional intimacy in one particular scene was chefs kiss supreme 🫠🫠
I had a few issues with broken bone logistics, and the fake dating that Archie contrived out of the blue, but I ignored the first and warmed up to the latter 😂
Stop looking at me like that,” I say. “Like what?” “Like you’re taking notes.” “I’m always taking notes.” “Well, stop it. This is sex, not a board meeting.” “My board meetings are nothing like this.” “I should hope not.” I sink down on him, and we both groan. “Although it would certainly liven up the quarterly projections.” “Are you going to keep talking?” “Have you met me?”
Not that I’m a glutton for punishment, but the third act separation wasn’t as impactful as anticipated. Possibly down to Vaughn’s insertion back into Archie’s life. Although, Leo’s note and the way they got back together had me misty eyed 🥹
Anyhoo, I had a good time and am intrigued about Gus’ story if there’s another in the series. Not sure how he would exact revenge on someone who romantically catfished him out of a sizeable fortune but knowing, JC, he’ll learn the hard way and it’ll be priceless. I just hope this conman has more of a conscience than Vaughn appeared to have. That guy got off lightly imho.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2026
A bundle of laughs, giggles and misguided revenge.🎈🥳🎉✨🦄🧜♂️
May 9, 2026
4.5⭐️
Another really funny and entertaining book from Jax Calder.
Archie and Leo’s meet-cute was very funny, and they continue to go down the revenge rabbit hole and end up falling for one another. They’re polar opposites; Archie is as unserious as you can get. Full of jokes and a talented wind-up merchant. Leo is the serious one, and despite him being the reason for the events that unfold, he takes to helping Archie as seriously as one of his meetings.
You do still get the emotional pain of misunderstandings and traumatic childhoods, but it doesn’t feel as deep because you’ve got that humour threaded all the way through the story. Archie’s brother was a bit of a shit; he does start making amends, but I feel like he got off lightly.
I’m looking forward to Gus’ story. I can’t imagine falling for someone who catfished me and took my money 🤦🏽♀️😆
My only negative was I did wish they’d had the conversation a bit sooner in the book because it did make parts of it a little repetitive, but I thoroughly enjoyed it nonetheless.
………………………………………………..
I got an ARC from GRR, and this is my honest review.
Another really funny and entertaining book from Jax Calder.
Archie and Leo’s meet-cute was very funny, and they continue to go down the revenge rabbit hole and end up falling for one another. They’re polar opposites; Archie is as unserious as you can get. Full of jokes and a talented wind-up merchant. Leo is the serious one, and despite him being the reason for the events that unfold, he takes to helping Archie as seriously as one of his meetings.
You do still get the emotional pain of misunderstandings and traumatic childhoods, but it doesn’t feel as deep because you’ve got that humour threaded all the way through the story. Archie’s brother was a bit of a shit; he does start making amends, but I feel like he got off lightly.
I’m looking forward to Gus’ story. I can’t imagine falling for someone who catfished me and took my money 🤦🏽♀️😆
My only negative was I did wish they’d had the conversation a bit sooner in the book because it did make parts of it a little repetitive, but I thoroughly enjoyed it nonetheless.
………………………………………………..
I got an ARC from GRR, and this is my honest review.
May 9, 2026
This was actually very good. There were a couple times in the first half where I nearly rolled my eyes right out of my head over some of the plotlines, but the second half stole the show. I had leaky eyes for a few moments.
May 10, 2026
I really enjoyed this fun and entertaining romantic comedy that is filled with hilarious moments alongside ridiculous misunderstandings. Archie and Leo have a hilarious meet-cute that ends in one horrible injury that forces both to spend time together, and in that time, they quickly learn so much about one another and how complementary they truly are.
Overall, this is a very heartfelt romance that has its fair share of misunderstandings and hijinks, but underneath all of that is a ton of heart from both Archie and Leo. They both undergo a lot of personal growth from their experiences and past traumas and eventually learn to lean on one another. I love the second chances given throughout this story and cannot wait for the next revenge club adventure.
*** I reviewed a complimentary copy of this story.***
Overall, this is a very heartfelt romance that has its fair share of misunderstandings and hijinks, but underneath all of that is a ton of heart from both Archie and Leo. They both undergo a lot of personal growth from their experiences and past traumas and eventually learn to lean on one another. I love the second chances given throughout this story and cannot wait for the next revenge club adventure.
*** I reviewed a complimentary copy of this story.***
May 15, 2026
Incredibly funny and heartwarming
May 12, 2026
(a note on the cover: I don't understand why we didn't get the unicorn onesie here, that would've made it so much better :)
This one was fun and an easy read, and thankfully more enjoyable than the first volume in the series. The plot is completely unrealistic but it did make me laugh a few times
This one was fun and an easy read, and thankfully more enjoyable than the first volume in the series. The plot is completely unrealistic but it did make me laugh a few times
May 13, 2026
~3.5
The story dragged a bit in the middle, plus I have some niggles with the plot. But both MCs were so likable, and the banter and sweet moments were top-notch, so rounding up.
The story dragged a bit in the middle, plus I have some niggles with the plot. But both MCs were so likable, and the banter and sweet moments were top-notch, so rounding up.
Read
May 11, 20263.75 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A fun read that finally got me out of my reading slump 🙌🏼 Was there plot points that made my eye twitch? Yes. HOWEVER, nothing that was strong enough to derail my overall enjoyment. When Leo tries to enact his (childish) revenge scheme on a former friend/colleague, and mistakenly does so to the younger brother Archie, it creates a series of Mishaps (ha, see what I did there?) that were equally silly, funny, and heartwarming. I’m going to get spoiler-ish so I’d stop reading now if you don’t want to know 😉
⛔️
⚠️
⛔️
⚠️
⛔️
⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️SPOILERS⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️
⛔️
⚠️
⛔️
⚠️
⛔️
So to start off with the good, I really enjoyed both Leo and Archie as characters. I know a large theme is reinforcing that Archie is not too much, but I’m not gonna lie he was in fact a bit much 😆 BUT that is ok because it worked and I enjoyed him all the same. A lot of the tropes used in this are some of my favorites (forced proximity, fake dating, slow burn) and I thought they were executed well. I mean make no mistake it was all a bit ridiculous, but it’s a silly book so it fit. I enjoyed Leo and Archie letting their guards down around each other, and the teasing and banter. Their first time was also 🔥🔥🔥
For the stuff I didn’t love…I really felt like Vaughn got off wayyyy too easy. You’re 25-26, very much not a child, and you steal a colleagues work so Mommy and Daddy will pay attention to you again? And then after stealing said colleagues work, years pass with you enjoying the benefits of what you stole and you still turn on your brother out of jealousy? The timeline didn’t added up and quite frankly Vaughn didn’t seem that sorry. Archie should’ve told him to kick rocks to be honest. I love Jax’s stories but I do think she suffers a continued problem with not always sticking the landing. Leo’s self removal didn’t bug me but I do wish we had gotten to see a fully fleshed heart to heart with him and Archie at some point when they reconcile.
Like I said, overall I had fun. I’m interested in Gus’s story and hope I never have to read about Vaughn again 🫶🏼
A fun read that finally got me out of my reading slump 🙌🏼 Was there plot points that made my eye twitch? Yes. HOWEVER, nothing that was strong enough to derail my overall enjoyment. When Leo tries to enact his (childish) revenge scheme on a former friend/colleague, and mistakenly does so to the younger brother Archie, it creates a series of Mishaps (ha, see what I did there?) that were equally silly, funny, and heartwarming. I’m going to get spoiler-ish so I’d stop reading now if you don’t want to know 😉
⛔️
⚠️
⛔️
⚠️
⛔️
⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️SPOILERS⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️
⛔️
⚠️
⛔️
⚠️
⛔️
So to start off with the good, I really enjoyed both Leo and Archie as characters. I know a large theme is reinforcing that Archie is not too much, but I’m not gonna lie he was in fact a bit much 😆 BUT that is ok because it worked and I enjoyed him all the same. A lot of the tropes used in this are some of my favorites (forced proximity, fake dating, slow burn) and I thought they were executed well. I mean make no mistake it was all a bit ridiculous, but it’s a silly book so it fit. I enjoyed Leo and Archie letting their guards down around each other, and the teasing and banter. Their first time was also 🔥🔥🔥
For the stuff I didn’t love…I really felt like Vaughn got off wayyyy too easy. You’re 25-26, very much not a child, and you steal a colleagues work so Mommy and Daddy will pay attention to you again? And then after stealing said colleagues work, years pass with you enjoying the benefits of what you stole and you still turn on your brother out of jealousy? The timeline didn’t added up and quite frankly Vaughn didn’t seem that sorry. Archie should’ve told him to kick rocks to be honest. I love Jax’s stories but I do think she suffers a continued problem with not always sticking the landing. Leo’s self removal didn’t bug me but I do wish we had gotten to see a fully fleshed heart to heart with him and Archie at some point when they reconcile.
Like I said, overall I had fun. I’m interested in Gus’s story and hope I never have to read about Vaughn again 🫶🏼
Read
May 9, 2026What a breath of rom-com air... love all of the situations that Archie dreams up for Leo... and how their relationship evolves as they get to know more about each other! With a slow burn, grumpy/sunshine story that also puts the past into perspective, this was both a fun and emotional read.
May 11, 2026
Laughed out loud, but also cried a bit 🥹🥹 lovelovelove
May 8, 2026
I loved it, I laughed, I giggled, my heart ached at times, and I read one of the most beautiful and most intimate intimate scenes ..it was beautiful Jax 😍 I felt all the feels ❤️ . Thank you for the arc GRR
May 9, 2026
I really liked this book. The characters felt real, their struggles felt real and the romance between them also felt believable. I loved the silly costumes also and other silly things.
I look forward to the next book, the premise sounds very interesting!
I look forward to the next book, the premise sounds very interesting!
May 9, 2026
DNF @ 77%
I had a LOT of notes while reading this, but only because it felt like it was so close to being good like the first book, but had some fundamental issues that bothered me.
Notes I took while reading:
The novelty and humor of the intro was unfortunately betrayed by how "tell-y" it felt. Both Leo and Archie giving us expo dumps about how they think they knew each other and what led them to the present was so dull. It was alright when Leo did it to explain his history, but I was over it when Archie did it for who he thought Leo was + when he just internally mused about his relationship with his brother. Especially in such a long book, these things could've come out more naturally as the MCs interacted with each other.
The story could've done a better job of making Leo's childhood issues more impactful. Us only hearing about Leo's conversation with his sister where she told him that "throwing money at problems can't solve everything" after Archie had said the same thing made it feel contrived, particularly when Leo had been throwing money around at most of the problems and hadn't thought about the interaction at all (it would've made sense for him to reflect on it when money didn't work a lá the NHS wait time). It would've been nice if we'd actually seen the scene with his sister before all this started and if it had been referenced as something that bothered Leo, since then it could've served as a set up rather than just coming out of nowhere and having little effect outside of an internal monologue.
Again, it happened for when Leo was dancing in the unicorn suit. He gives us his spiel about how growing up poor meant that what little dignity he had, he "fiercely" guarded. He even gives examples of times when his social standing made him feel constantly embarrassed "every single day" and yet he's magically able to move past that trauma because a kid danced in front of him and didn't care about how he looked. You're telling me that something as strong and reinforced as "I was embarrassed every single day because poverty made me feel lesser to all the other kids" was undone by a rando kid dancing. The start of page 79 is when Leo tells us about the constant embarrassment he felt growing up poor, and it's also the end of page 79 where he gets over it and dances without abandon. Even ignoring the fact that dancing in a humiliating costume for a crowd of people is already inherently embarrassing without the added baggage around dignity, that's crazy fast. Why even bring up the dignity thing if it Leo was going to get over it after a single page? If it was going to be addressed that quickly, the author shouldn't have tried to make such a big deal out of it by connecting it to a supposedly core part of Leo's character with lines like "dignity has always been important to me" and connecting it to his unfortunate childhood. It should've just been "omg, I can't believe in doing this" because the situation was already inherently undignifying, and it would've been more believable for Leo to work past that simple indignity because it wouldn't have had such heavy baggage associated with it. The way the story has it lessened the weight of Leo's past because of how easily he was able to shrug it off.
Archie worries that he's being "too much" and "exhausting" after an innocuous conversation about TV shows and crime dramas, so what does he do? He asks Leo to grab his sex toys for him. Yes! Surely that isn't "too much" to ask from an acquaintance that he's already forced to move in with him, walk dogs, and dress up as a unicorn + perform at a kids party. That's also ignoring the fact that he still hadn't been sure about Leo's sexuality (but even if he was aware, asking someone to grab your big ass dildo was still supremely inappropriate).
The only way I could even see a justification for that scene was if Archie was only worried about being seen as "too much" in a very specific way, aka, being too observant. It's kinda implied to be the case, but WHY hadn't we seen more evidence of this supposed shame prior? We'd seen Archie being more knowledgeable and observant than what was expected with his knowledge around dog and kid behaviors, but nowhere was it ever hinted at that he ever felt self conscious about any of it. And it definitely wasn't like he was overly attentive to an unreasonable degree either, since you can reasonably assume a dog walker would know certain dog patterns and a performer would be aware of child psychology. Those pieces of info definitely weren't required, but also not so out of the way to be considered problematic. We do see his tendency to be overly verbose appear a lot more later on (something I also take issue with for reasons) and it's also clarified way later in the book that Archie is talking about his specifically being exhausting, but that first scene makes it sound like it was a more generally exhausting personality rather than a specific quirk causing him to be "too much". This idea that it was a general personality thing gets reinforced later when we get the which then made it even more confusing since Archie seemed to have narrowed down that general accusation to his eidetic memory all on his own.
Was I missing something fundamental with my understanding of Leo and Archie as characters? Leo's childhood hardships just felt tacked on since they only seemed to come up and be resolved in one scene. Archie's supposedly deep seeded trauma around people telling him he was exhausting to the point where he constantly self-edited and curated his actions, but it only showed up after he already made Leo do things that toed the line of being unreasonable WITHOUT any hint that he was conflicted about any of it like he should've been if he truly was vigilant about being "too much". And if he was only concerned about being "too much" in context of being overly observant/knowledgeable, that isn't shown at all before we're told it's suddenly apparently a fundamental shame he held.
Page 118: Leo draws comparisons between Archie and Vaughn saying that Archie follows the same pattern that Vaughn did with regards to the manipulative way they interact, except Leo sees more behind Archie's deception that makes him not attribute it all to malice. Still though, it should be noted that Leo still drew comparisons between the two brothers at this point.
Page 143: Leo to Andrew: "He's nothing like Vaughn." Uhh, false? Regardless of whether Leo perceived Vaughn and Andrew's respective deceptions as malicious or benign, him saying they were nothing alike was objectively incorrect for his character BECAUSE HE SPECIFICALLY POINTED OUT THEIR SIMILARITIES in a significantly important scene. (Leo later points out that he sees similarities between Vaughn and Archie again in page 169, so idk why he tells Andrew that they were nothing alike here)
Archie uses his real last name on business cards then shows extreme distress when someone almost recognizes him based on it. Why did he even use his real last name of he was? It's a business card, presumably you can put literally anything on there, so he wasn't required to use his legal last name AND he already used his nickname for his first name soooo why couldn't he do the same for the rest? I suppose you can argue it's because parents would look him up before hiring him to see if he had a record, but then wouldn't he have needed to use his real first name too if it that was the case? He could've put literally any pseudonym and have all of his reputation under that instead since clearly having official first names and last names didn't matter.
After a bit, I guess Archie just drops the whole "I constantly self-edit" thing because he actually just spews out all of his observations and knowledge he gained from his eidetic memory without any hint that he was self conscious of it. I guess you can take that to mean that he felt comfortable enough around Leo to let his guard down, but it would've been nice to book be more explicit about that considering how big of a deal that should've been for Archie. As it is, it just seemed like yet another "worry" that doesn't actually affect the character after the scene where it was introduced. Archie later explicitly makes a point to mention that he wasn't going to self-censor (at the museum where he explains on of the paintings to Leo and his godmother) but that was so long after he stopped actually doing so in the first place.
Things beyond the start of the felt a bit too fluffy imo. I mean, not only did that feel so very out of nowhere for Archie to suggest doing, the overall conflict just felt too weak. More on that at the end.
Ok, yeah. I called it quits when . Because of course Leo cares so much about Archie that he's willing to force his brother to get back on good terms with him. Why in the world was Leo ok with forcing Vaughn to reconcile on false pretenses when he himself was feeling guilty about their relationship which started on false pretenses?
Maybe I'd this book wasn't so long, I'd have been able to finish, but the amount of characterization issues and my general feelings towards the main conflict just got in the way.
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Overall issues I had:
Leo's past literally doesn't matter here because him coming from poverty and the trauma that came from that stopped showing up when this became the "Archie's too much" show, so idk why there was so much set up on that part (like what happened with his rocky relationship with his brother who was being sent to rehab for the 12+ time?). Like if you'd cut out all that "boohoo I was poor" stuff and just kept the Vaughn betrayal thing, Leo would literally be the same character, just with fewer lines.
Archie never acted like someone who self-edited or someone who was concerned with being "too much" in my eyes. The story tries to sell this idea that Archie thought he could only ever be either overly knowledgeable OR overly humorous, but never both, and him choosing to be one or the other was self-editing. To me though, he was already bordering on too much when he was supposedly toning it down (particularly when he asked Leo to grab his sex toys) so it just seemed like he wasn't actually concerned at all with that fear. I'd have expected a character who was scared about being exhausting to always question their actions with "is this 'too much'?" (to which most of Archie's actions would probably land closer to yes than no).
And my biggest issue is the fact that I just didn't find the main conflict to be as dramatic as the book was trying to make it out to be. The concept of starting a relationship on a lie (or lies in this case) and having that deception later shake the MCs belief in one another can work (look at how the first book succeeded in it) but I had issues with how it's executed here.
In the first book, Andrew's lie was: "I'm not going to tell you that we already know each other because I started doing this to make you feel bad". That worked as the main conflict because if he had revealed his secret, there was reasonable justification for Justin to re-contextualize ALL their romantic scenes together to be malicious. The worst outcome there was Justin going, "I can't believe you intentionally didn't tell me your real identity and faked all your feelings to get back at me for making your life hell in high school" and that's believable. Deepening the relationship worked as a double edged sword there because the deeper Andrew and Justin's relationship got, the stronger the potential hurt to Justin, and if Justin had re-contextualized their entire relationship as a revenge plot to hurt him, then it made sense for him to think that Andrew was trying to maximize the pain by making him fall in love. Love was a believable weapon in their story.
That's not the case at all for Leo and Archie.
While Leo's lie isn't the main conflict, it's still presented as one from his POV so here's my problems with it. Leo's lie is: "I thought you were Vaughn when I sprayed syrup on you". Ok? Ignoring that Andrew already knew that, what would've been the worst case scenario here? Was it believable that Andrew would've broken up with Leo just because Leo wanted to spray Vaughn with maple syrup at the restaurant? Did Leo seriously think their relationship was so fragile? Remember that Andrew breaking his leg was genuinely an accident too, so it's not like Leo meant Vaughn physical harm. What if we add the foundation of the relationship into that lie? "I started this relationship with you because I wanted to get back at your brother." Sure, that would've been a good conflict, to make Archie feel like he was just being used as a pawn in revenge, but literally nothing Leo did could even be re-contextualized under that premise. The worst outcome would've been Archie going: "I can't believe you got me a ground floor apartment, picked up dog poop, dressed up as a unicorn/dinosaur/mermaid/etc, endured children's birthdays, grabbed my dildo, genuinely listened to my rambling, and made me fall in love with you just to get back at Vaughn!" 🙄 Does that make any sense? Unlike Andrew and Justin, deepening the relationship between Leo and Archie did nothing to to conceivably make Leo's revenge against Vaughn any more or less vicious. If the author wanted to play that angle, then Leo should've done things that could be reinterpreted as manipulative/only done to use Archie to get back at Vaughn. But he didn't because Leo only ever did things Archie asked him to do/things to make Archie's life easier/genuinely thoughtful things.
The real main conflict here is though is Archie's lie, of which I also have big issues with. Archie's lie is: "I know you know who my brother is, and I know you thought I was him when you accidentally broke my leg." Ok, there's more meat in this one because it's the real conflict that's being presented as the relationship nuclear bomb, but again, this has problems. If Leo had found out that Archie knew, what was the worst outcome? "I can't believe you made me take care of you, pick up dog poop, dress up as a unicorn/dinosaur/mermaid/etc, endure children's birthdays, grab your dildo just to get back at me for trying to get back at Vaughn!" Ignoring that "get back at Vaughn" meant spraying him with maple syrup, it sounds like a reasonable thing to be angry about if you ignore the fact that Leo recognized that Archie was explicitly fucking with him about dogs, outfits, parties, and dildo thing AND was willing to engage with him back on all of it. What changes about their back and forth with the knowledge that Archie knew? Does any of that make sense to be mad about if Leo thought the motivation was payback for his revenge attempt? What becomes weaponized? It's not like Archie was recording any of the embarrassing moments as potential blackmail material. At worst, Leo thinks Andrew is a manipulative dick. Yeah, the relationship probably ends, but would it be salvagable? Probably. More importantly though, is "I can't believe you were a dick to me" satisfying enough to serve as the reason for a third act breakup of a 400+ page book? It isn't for me. Let's extend it to the foundation of the relationship then. "I started this relationship with you to get back at you for trying to embarrass my brother." This is the truly nuclear option because the worst case scenario here is that Leo thinks Archie is a psycho for going that far to get him back for the attempted maple syruping. Going to this extreme is definitely too OTT to even consider because of the sheer difference between the effort in the action (embarrassing Vaughn) and the reaction to that (gaslighting Leo into thinking Archie was in love with him).
Also, Archie's relationship with his brother isn't even really developed until 60%ish where his godmother tells Leo about how much Vaughn meant to him (SUPER late for a dynamic that's supposed to be important to a character)
Idk, maybe I'm strawmanning too hard here and boiling down Leo and Archie's conflicts too much, but that was the narrative framing I used to understand their motivations, and a lot of the time, they didn't really make sense. Starting a relationship on a lie is bad, but unless there are specific actions that actually give the MCs plausible deniability about the foundation of their relationship, it doesn't end up working or being satisfying enough to write a plot around. The first book makes the very strength of the relationship the smoking gun for Justin to use as evidence for Andrew's maliciousness. This book doesn't have Leo doing anything to believably convince me that Archie would've thought he was being used to hurt Vaughn, and Archie didn't do anything questionable enough to make a third act breakup/reconciliation feel at all cathartic.
This gets 2 stars for me because the writing itself was OK (showed a good amount of things, made Leo and Archie feel like ok characters, was amusing at points), it was just the conflict I took issue with and how it didn't particularly make sense to me.
I had a LOT of notes while reading this, but only because it felt like it was so close to being good like the first book, but had some fundamental issues that bothered me.
Notes I took while reading:
The novelty and humor of the intro was unfortunately betrayed by how "tell-y" it felt. Both Leo and Archie giving us expo dumps about how they think they knew each other and what led them to the present was so dull. It was alright when Leo did it to explain his history, but I was over it when Archie did it for who he thought Leo was + when he just internally mused about his relationship with his brother. Especially in such a long book, these things could've come out more naturally as the MCs interacted with each other.
The story could've done a better job of making Leo's childhood issues more impactful. Us only hearing about Leo's conversation with his sister where she told him that "throwing money at problems can't solve everything" after Archie had said the same thing made it feel contrived, particularly when Leo had been throwing money around at most of the problems and hadn't thought about the interaction at all (it would've made sense for him to reflect on it when money didn't work a lá the NHS wait time). It would've been nice if we'd actually seen the scene with his sister before all this started and if it had been referenced as something that bothered Leo, since then it could've served as a set up rather than just coming out of nowhere and having little effect outside of an internal monologue.
Again, it happened for when Leo was dancing in the unicorn suit. He gives us his spiel about how growing up poor meant that what little dignity he had, he "fiercely" guarded. He even gives examples of times when his social standing made him feel constantly embarrassed "every single day" and yet he's magically able to move past that trauma because a kid danced in front of him and didn't care about how he looked. You're telling me that something as strong and reinforced as "I was embarrassed every single day because poverty made me feel lesser to all the other kids" was undone by a rando kid dancing. The start of page 79 is when Leo tells us about the constant embarrassment he felt growing up poor, and it's also the end of page 79 where he gets over it and dances without abandon. Even ignoring the fact that dancing in a humiliating costume for a crowd of people is already inherently embarrassing without the added baggage around dignity, that's crazy fast. Why even bring up the dignity thing if it Leo was going to get over it after a single page? If it was going to be addressed that quickly, the author shouldn't have tried to make such a big deal out of it by connecting it to a supposedly core part of Leo's character with lines like "dignity has always been important to me" and connecting it to his unfortunate childhood. It should've just been "omg, I can't believe in doing this" because the situation was already inherently undignifying, and it would've been more believable for Leo to work past that simple indignity because it wouldn't have had such heavy baggage associated with it. The way the story has it lessened the weight of Leo's past because of how easily he was able to shrug it off.
Archie worries that he's being "too much" and "exhausting" after an innocuous conversation about TV shows and crime dramas, so what does he do? He asks Leo to grab his sex toys for him. Yes! Surely that isn't "too much" to ask from an acquaintance that he's already forced to move in with him, walk dogs, and dress up as a unicorn + perform at a kids party. That's also ignoring the fact that he still hadn't been sure about Leo's sexuality (but even if he was aware, asking someone to grab your big ass dildo was still supremely inappropriate).
The only way I could even see a justification for that scene was if Archie was only worried about being seen as "too much" in a very specific way, aka, being too observant. It's kinda implied to be the case, but WHY hadn't we seen more evidence of this supposed shame prior? We'd seen Archie being more knowledgeable and observant than what was expected with his knowledge around dog and kid behaviors, but nowhere was it ever hinted at that he ever felt self conscious about any of it. And it definitely wasn't like he was overly attentive to an unreasonable degree either, since you can reasonably assume a dog walker would know certain dog patterns and a performer would be aware of child psychology. Those pieces of info definitely weren't required, but also not so out of the way to be considered problematic. We do see his tendency to be overly verbose appear a lot more later on (something I also take issue with for reasons) and it's also clarified way later in the book that Archie is talking about his specifically being exhausting, but that first scene makes it sound like it was a more generally exhausting personality rather than a specific quirk causing him to be "too much". This idea that it was a general personality thing gets reinforced later when we get the which then made it even more confusing since Archie seemed to have narrowed down that general accusation to his eidetic memory all on his own.
Was I missing something fundamental with my understanding of Leo and Archie as characters? Leo's childhood hardships just felt tacked on since they only seemed to come up and be resolved in one scene. Archie's supposedly deep seeded trauma around people telling him he was exhausting to the point where he constantly self-edited and curated his actions, but it only showed up after he already made Leo do things that toed the line of being unreasonable WITHOUT any hint that he was conflicted about any of it like he should've been if he truly was vigilant about being "too much". And if he was only concerned about being "too much" in context of being overly observant/knowledgeable, that isn't shown at all before we're told it's suddenly apparently a fundamental shame he held.
Page 118: Leo draws comparisons between Archie and Vaughn saying that Archie follows the same pattern that Vaughn did with regards to the manipulative way they interact, except Leo sees more behind Archie's deception that makes him not attribute it all to malice. Still though, it should be noted that Leo still drew comparisons between the two brothers at this point.
Page 143: Leo to Andrew: "He's nothing like Vaughn." Uhh, false? Regardless of whether Leo perceived Vaughn and Andrew's respective deceptions as malicious or benign, him saying they were nothing alike was objectively incorrect for his character BECAUSE HE SPECIFICALLY POINTED OUT THEIR SIMILARITIES in a significantly important scene. (Leo later points out that he sees similarities between Vaughn and Archie again in page 169, so idk why he tells Andrew that they were nothing alike here)
Archie uses his real last name on business cards then shows extreme distress when someone almost recognizes him based on it. Why did he even use his real last name of he was? It's a business card, presumably you can put literally anything on there, so he wasn't required to use his legal last name AND he already used his nickname for his first name soooo why couldn't he do the same for the rest? I suppose you can argue it's because parents would look him up before hiring him to see if he had a record, but then wouldn't he have needed to use his real first name too if it that was the case? He could've put literally any pseudonym and have all of his reputation under that instead since clearly having official first names and last names didn't matter.
After a bit, I guess Archie just drops the whole "I constantly self-edit" thing because he actually just spews out all of his observations and knowledge he gained from his eidetic memory without any hint that he was self conscious of it. I guess you can take that to mean that he felt comfortable enough around Leo to let his guard down, but it would've been nice to book be more explicit about that considering how big of a deal that should've been for Archie. As it is, it just seemed like yet another "worry" that doesn't actually affect the character after the scene where it was introduced. Archie later explicitly makes a point to mention that he wasn't going to self-censor (at the museum where he explains on of the paintings to Leo and his godmother) but that was so long after he stopped actually doing so in the first place.
Things beyond the start of the felt a bit too fluffy imo. I mean, not only did that feel so very out of nowhere for Archie to suggest doing, the overall conflict just felt too weak. More on that at the end.
Ok, yeah. I called it quits when . Because of course Leo cares so much about Archie that he's willing to force his brother to get back on good terms with him. Why in the world was Leo ok with forcing Vaughn to reconcile on false pretenses when he himself was feeling guilty about their relationship which started on false pretenses?
Maybe I'd this book wasn't so long, I'd have been able to finish, but the amount of characterization issues and my general feelings towards the main conflict just got in the way.
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Overall issues I had:
Leo's past literally doesn't matter here because him coming from poverty and the trauma that came from that stopped showing up when this became the "Archie's too much" show, so idk why there was so much set up on that part (like what happened with his rocky relationship with his brother who was being sent to rehab for the 12+ time?). Like if you'd cut out all that "boohoo I was poor" stuff and just kept the Vaughn betrayal thing, Leo would literally be the same character, just with fewer lines.
Archie never acted like someone who self-edited or someone who was concerned with being "too much" in my eyes. The story tries to sell this idea that Archie thought he could only ever be either overly knowledgeable OR overly humorous, but never both, and him choosing to be one or the other was self-editing. To me though, he was already bordering on too much when he was supposedly toning it down (particularly when he asked Leo to grab his sex toys) so it just seemed like he wasn't actually concerned at all with that fear. I'd have expected a character who was scared about being exhausting to always question their actions with "is this 'too much'?" (to which most of Archie's actions would probably land closer to yes than no).
And my biggest issue is the fact that I just didn't find the main conflict to be as dramatic as the book was trying to make it out to be. The concept of starting a relationship on a lie (or lies in this case) and having that deception later shake the MCs belief in one another can work (look at how the first book succeeded in it) but I had issues with how it's executed here.
In the first book, Andrew's lie was: "I'm not going to tell you that we already know each other because I started doing this to make you feel bad". That worked as the main conflict because if he had revealed his secret, there was reasonable justification for Justin to re-contextualize ALL their romantic scenes together to be malicious. The worst outcome there was Justin going, "I can't believe you intentionally didn't tell me your real identity and faked all your feelings to get back at me for making your life hell in high school" and that's believable. Deepening the relationship worked as a double edged sword there because the deeper Andrew and Justin's relationship got, the stronger the potential hurt to Justin, and if Justin had re-contextualized their entire relationship as a revenge plot to hurt him, then it made sense for him to think that Andrew was trying to maximize the pain by making him fall in love. Love was a believable weapon in their story.
That's not the case at all for Leo and Archie.
While Leo's lie isn't the main conflict, it's still presented as one from his POV so here's my problems with it. Leo's lie is: "I thought you were Vaughn when I sprayed syrup on you". Ok? Ignoring that Andrew already knew that, what would've been the worst case scenario here? Was it believable that Andrew would've broken up with Leo just because Leo wanted to spray Vaughn with maple syrup at the restaurant? Did Leo seriously think their relationship was so fragile? Remember that Andrew breaking his leg was genuinely an accident too, so it's not like Leo meant Vaughn physical harm. What if we add the foundation of the relationship into that lie? "I started this relationship with you because I wanted to get back at your brother." Sure, that would've been a good conflict, to make Archie feel like he was just being used as a pawn in revenge, but literally nothing Leo did could even be re-contextualized under that premise. The worst outcome would've been Archie going: "I can't believe you got me a ground floor apartment, picked up dog poop, dressed up as a unicorn/dinosaur/mermaid/etc, endured children's birthdays, grabbed my dildo, genuinely listened to my rambling, and made me fall in love with you just to get back at Vaughn!" 🙄 Does that make any sense? Unlike Andrew and Justin, deepening the relationship between Leo and Archie did nothing to to conceivably make Leo's revenge against Vaughn any more or less vicious. If the author wanted to play that angle, then Leo should've done things that could be reinterpreted as manipulative/only done to use Archie to get back at Vaughn. But he didn't because Leo only ever did things Archie asked him to do/things to make Archie's life easier/genuinely thoughtful things.
The real main conflict here is though is Archie's lie, of which I also have big issues with. Archie's lie is: "I know you know who my brother is, and I know you thought I was him when you accidentally broke my leg." Ok, there's more meat in this one because it's the real conflict that's being presented as the relationship nuclear bomb, but again, this has problems. If Leo had found out that Archie knew, what was the worst outcome? "I can't believe you made me take care of you, pick up dog poop, dress up as a unicorn/dinosaur/mermaid/etc, endure children's birthdays, grab your dildo just to get back at me for trying to get back at Vaughn!" Ignoring that "get back at Vaughn" meant spraying him with maple syrup, it sounds like a reasonable thing to be angry about if you ignore the fact that Leo recognized that Archie was explicitly fucking with him about dogs, outfits, parties, and dildo thing AND was willing to engage with him back on all of it. What changes about their back and forth with the knowledge that Archie knew? Does any of that make sense to be mad about if Leo thought the motivation was payback for his revenge attempt? What becomes weaponized? It's not like Archie was recording any of the embarrassing moments as potential blackmail material. At worst, Leo thinks Andrew is a manipulative dick. Yeah, the relationship probably ends, but would it be salvagable? Probably. More importantly though, is "I can't believe you were a dick to me" satisfying enough to serve as the reason for a third act breakup of a 400+ page book? It isn't for me. Let's extend it to the foundation of the relationship then. "I started this relationship with you to get back at you for trying to embarrass my brother." This is the truly nuclear option because the worst case scenario here is that Leo thinks Archie is a psycho for going that far to get him back for the attempted maple syruping. Going to this extreme is definitely too OTT to even consider because of the sheer difference between the effort in the action (embarrassing Vaughn) and the reaction to that (gaslighting Leo into thinking Archie was in love with him).
Also, Archie's relationship with his brother isn't even really developed until 60%ish where his godmother tells Leo about how much Vaughn meant to him (SUPER late for a dynamic that's supposed to be important to a character)
Idk, maybe I'm strawmanning too hard here and boiling down Leo and Archie's conflicts too much, but that was the narrative framing I used to understand their motivations, and a lot of the time, they didn't really make sense. Starting a relationship on a lie is bad, but unless there are specific actions that actually give the MCs plausible deniability about the foundation of their relationship, it doesn't end up working or being satisfying enough to write a plot around. The first book makes the very strength of the relationship the smoking gun for Justin to use as evidence for Andrew's maliciousness. This book doesn't have Leo doing anything to believably convince me that Archie would've thought he was being used to hurt Vaughn, and Archie didn't do anything questionable enough to make a third act breakup/reconciliation feel at all cathartic.
This gets 2 stars for me because the writing itself was OK (showed a good amount of things, made Leo and Archie feel like ok characters, was amusing at points), it was just the conflict I took issue with and how it didn't particularly make sense to me.
May 11, 2026
Unfortunately this fell flat for me and I DNF’d at 27%. The prose wasn’t up to Jax’s usual standard, which is a shame because I usually love Jax Calder’s books and I’ve been looking forward to this one for awhile.
There were numerous lazy shortcuts where, instead of a direct description where the reader is shown what’s happening in the author’s typical style (using adjectives to describe actions, body language, facial expressions, etc), I was repeatedly “told” in phrases with this off-putting, repetitive syntax, like this:
“… he heads for the door with the focused determination of a man who …”
“… with the enthusiasm of a man being asked to do overtime on a Friday.”
“… with the carefree joy of a creature who …”
“… with the clinical detachment of someone who …”
“… the relief of someone who’d been …”
“… plodding along with the resigned air of a philosopher who …”
(these are all direct quotes)
Instead of describing how a character is doing something, they’re described as a man/as someone who’s doing it. Describing how a person would do x instead of just describing the character doing x added a filter/extra layer to every action, essentially putting me in the back seat of the action rather than the front seat.
This syntax is used in place of descriptive adjectives even when describing the tone of voice in which something is said:
“… he says in the tone of a man negotiating …”
“… his voice was patient. The voice of someone explaining something obvious …”
Or things are done with a “particular” or “specific” nature, like:
“… with the particular neatness of someone who …”
“… with the particular blankness of somewhere …”
“… his eyes are sparkling with the particular malice of someone who …”
“… the particular quality of silence …”
It’s so lifeless and repetitive; I’ve never experienced this with Jax Calder’s books before. I even went back and checked some of her recent books to make sure I wasn’t imagining things. I searched the following phrases in three of her recent books: “of a man”, “of someone who”, and “the particular”.
There were 0 results.
However, in this book:
“of a man”: 19 results
“the particular”: 6 results
“of someone who”: 20 results
Jax’s books are usually more descriptive, immersive, and emotional; this was such a deviation from her usual style. The repetition really took me out of the story and honestly felt kind of lifeless.
Or, in other words, I read this with the particular boredom of someone who felt like they weren’t reading a Jax Calder book at all.
There were numerous lazy shortcuts where, instead of a direct description where the reader is shown what’s happening in the author’s typical style (using adjectives to describe actions, body language, facial expressions, etc), I was repeatedly “told” in phrases with this off-putting, repetitive syntax, like this:
“… he heads for the door with the focused determination of a man who …”
“… with the enthusiasm of a man being asked to do overtime on a Friday.”
“… with the carefree joy of a creature who …”
“… with the clinical detachment of someone who …”
“… the relief of someone who’d been …”
“… plodding along with the resigned air of a philosopher who …”
(these are all direct quotes)
Instead of describing how a character is doing something, they’re described as a man/as someone who’s doing it. Describing how a person would do x instead of just describing the character doing x added a filter/extra layer to every action, essentially putting me in the back seat of the action rather than the front seat.
This syntax is used in place of descriptive adjectives even when describing the tone of voice in which something is said:
“… he says in the tone of a man negotiating …”
“… his voice was patient. The voice of someone explaining something obvious …”
Or things are done with a “particular” or “specific” nature, like:
“… with the particular neatness of someone who …”
“… with the particular blankness of somewhere …”
“… his eyes are sparkling with the particular malice of someone who …”
“… the particular quality of silence …”
It’s so lifeless and repetitive; I’ve never experienced this with Jax Calder’s books before. I even went back and checked some of her recent books to make sure I wasn’t imagining things. I searched the following phrases in three of her recent books: “of a man”, “of someone who”, and “the particular”.
There were 0 results.
However, in this book:
“of a man”: 19 results
“the particular”: 6 results
“of someone who”: 20 results
Jax’s books are usually more descriptive, immersive, and emotional; this was such a deviation from her usual style. The repetition really took me out of the story and honestly felt kind of lifeless.
Or, in other words, I read this with the particular boredom of someone who felt like they weren’t reading a Jax Calder book at all.
May 9, 2026
“Revenge has a way of creating consequences you don’t see coming. You go in thinking you’re the one in control, and you end up somewhere you never planned to be.”
The Revenge Mishap by Jax Calder is the second book in the Revenge Club series. I’ve just finished it and I truly enjoyed it. If you thought the The Revenge Game was good, this one is even better, both chaotic and sweet.
Leo and Archie were absolute perfection. Leo is the stiff and guarded, but also soft kind of guy, with a heavy background that could have made him a total disaster, but he is a successful IT consultant. And Archie is just the chaotic little evil (in a playful way) but deeply sweet. Their whole “mishap” and the ridiculous fake relationship setup for Elizabeth was unbelievable, but it worked. Fake dating for a visiting godmother? It’s totally ridiculous and would never happen in the real world, but Jax makes it work so well. I lived for every second of their fake relationship.
I was relieved that the initial “mishap” didn’t turn into a messy miscommunication trope. They actually dealt with it like adults (mostly), which is such a breath of fresh air.
Seeing Andrew and Justin from the first book again was wonderful. I liked the plot with Vaughn. I’d like for him to have his own book in the future. I’m already waiting for Gus’s book. Hope to see Archie and Leo in it.
Totally recommend this book. Although it can be read as a standalone, better read it after The Revenge Game which is awesome. I’m definitely going to reread both of them.
“I was looking for revenge and found something better than I ever imagined.”
Thank you, Jax Calder for this free eARC. This is my honest review and recommendation.
May 6, 2026
The Revenge Mishap is an MM romantic comedy about a revenge plot gone wrong. When tech consultant Leo Brennan encounters his old nemesis, he decides on a petty syrup-related prank. Unfortunately, it’s not actually him, but the guy’s lookalike brother who ends up with a broken ankle. So Leo volunteers to help Archie while he recovers, including becoming a dog walker and becoming his sidekick as a children’s entertainer. Archie isn’t stupid (he’s the opposite in fact), and he knows that was no accident, so he decides to milk Leo’s guilt for all it’s worth. But when both men start falling, will the secrets they hide get in the way?
This was a pretty entertaining romcom, but it does not come close to the first book. While I liked the emotional core of it, I don’t think it was quite as deep as The Revenge Game which was such a meaningful story of forgiveness and love. Because Leo and Archie were never enemies in the first place, it does not have that enemies-to-lovers element. Their issues (ie, the secrets) are just non-issues and there would have been no conflict or drama if they had the one conversation they were intentionally avoiding.
That said, I liked Leo a lot as he allowed himself to be less serious and learned to stop throwing money at problems and that sometimes his presence is enough. Meanwhile, I had a bit of a personality clash with Archie as his whole vibe just felt too silly and unserious for me. The romance was sweet with some great spice, but I kept wishing they just finally have that conversation because everything would have been so easy especially since they keep putting these massive meanings on some fairly insignificant gestures.
The Revenge Mishap is a fun romantic comedy that is more silly than I typically prefer.
*I was given an early copy of the ebook to review.
This was a pretty entertaining romcom, but it does not come close to the first book. While I liked the emotional core of it, I don’t think it was quite as deep as The Revenge Game which was such a meaningful story of forgiveness and love. Because Leo and Archie were never enemies in the first place, it does not have that enemies-to-lovers element. Their issues (ie, the secrets) are just non-issues and there would have been no conflict or drama if they had the one conversation they were intentionally avoiding.
That said, I liked Leo a lot as he allowed himself to be less serious and learned to stop throwing money at problems and that sometimes his presence is enough. Meanwhile, I had a bit of a personality clash with Archie as his whole vibe just felt too silly and unserious for me. The romance was sweet with some great spice, but I kept wishing they just finally have that conversation because everything would have been so easy especially since they keep putting these massive meanings on some fairly insignificant gestures.
The Revenge Mishap is a fun romantic comedy that is more silly than I typically prefer.
*I was given an early copy of the ebook to review.
May 9, 2026
THE REVENGE MISHAP is the second in Jax Calder's The Revenge Club series. Tech consultant Leo Brennan seizes his chance to take a spot of revenge on a man who wronged him professionally when he was just beginning his career. Unfortunately he has mistakenly gotten Archie Mansley, brother of nemesis Vaughn, who in the ensuing debacle ends up with a broken ankle. Guilt being an effective motivator, Leo steps up to help Archie out, which between his dogwalking and party business, means he spends more time than he ever imagined entangled in leashes and covered in glitter and frosting.
Jax Calder's hit the sweet spot with The Revenge Mishap, balancing humor with poignant moments that reveal the very understandable and genuine motivations behind Leo and Archie and even Vaughn's actions. Ms Calder kept me laughing and sighing as I eagerly turned the pages, reluctant to set it down. Like the first in the series, this was as insightful as it was entertaining, and I cannot wait for the next story!
Jax Calder's hit the sweet spot with The Revenge Mishap, balancing humor with poignant moments that reveal the very understandable and genuine motivations behind Leo and Archie and even Vaughn's actions. Ms Calder kept me laughing and sighing as I eagerly turned the pages, reluctant to set it down. Like the first in the series, this was as insightful as it was entertaining, and I cannot wait for the next story!
May 14, 2026
Tropes: opposites attract, prank war, grumpy/sunshine, mistaken identity, forced proximity, miscommunication, small age gap, fake dating
Feels: 2/5
Steam*: 1.5/5
Kinks: mild toys
Angst: low
HEA: HEA
Pairing: MM
Triggers/potential icks/content warnings/representation: emotional damage, neglectful parents, bad relationships with family, addiction, third act break up
Cheating between MCs: No
Any cheating: No
Other person drama: once they meet, neither is interested in anyone else.
3.5 stars
Leo is 30, and he is a rich it consultant. 8 years ago when he was just getting started, his colleague Vaughn Mansley stole one of his ideas and took credit for it, and he is still salty about it. Leo is bi, from a poor family that has struggled with alcohol, addiction, and teen pregnancy. He's learning money can't solve everything. One night at a restaurant he thinks he runs into Vaughn, and he wants to get some revenge, he throws maple syrup at him. But turns out it wasn't Vaughn, it was Archie, his 23-year-old little brother. Archie falls and breaks his ankle, and that's bad because Archie is estranged from his rich family and struggling to make ends meet. Leo volunteers to help, and Archie realizes the maple syrup wasn't an accident and wants to push this as far as he can, and see how far Leo's guilt will take him.
As they spend more time together, they really start to like each other and understand each other. Then Archie's godmother comes to visit and they have to pretend to be dating so that she doesn't get worried, and that turns into real dating. But they've got a lot of miscommunications and emotional damage between them.
This was a funny story, and it was sweet. Enjoyable. I did find it unrealistic at times. Archie was supposed to be poor, yet he kept buying all these embarrassing costumes for Leo. And it's implied that they are not ones that he owned before, they are new ones that he is buying just to torture Archie, so how can he afford that? Also, some of the sexual high jinks that they get up to are unrealistic given Archie's broken ankle. I wish there had been a bit more romantic or sexual tension earlier - the first moment of tension was at 39%, and that felt a little long into the book.
Some notable moments:
"“You have a PhD? What the fuck? Why didn’t you tell me?” I hiss. He shrugs. “I didn’t think it was relevant.” “Not relevant? Of course it’s relevant. What subject is your PhD in?” “Which one?” I open my mouth. Close it. Open it again. “What do you mean, which one?”"
"“Leo originally hurt your ankle because he thought you were me,” he says. “Yeah, I know that,” I say impatiently. Vaughn’s mouth opens. Closes. Opens again. “Wait, what?” “I figured it out right after it happened. It wasn’t that hard. A random man attacks me with syrup, and he happened to have worked at QuantumTech at the same time as you.” I wave my hand. “Anyway, let’s circle back to the love part.” “Seriously, you don’t care that Leo hurt you because he was trying to get back at me?” “Well, I guess I’m slightly curious about what you did to make him so angry, but I’m more interested in the fact that you claim the man I love loves me back. So if we could just focus on that bit for now, I’d appreciate it.”"
*FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink.
**Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers.
Feels: 2/5
Steam*: 1.5/5
Kinks: mild toys
Angst: low
HEA: HEA
Pairing: MM
Triggers/potential icks/content warnings/representation: emotional damage, neglectful parents, bad relationships with family, addiction, third act break up
Cheating between MCs: No
Any cheating: No
Other person drama: once they meet, neither is interested in anyone else.
3.5 stars
Leo is 30, and he is a rich it consultant. 8 years ago when he was just getting started, his colleague Vaughn Mansley stole one of his ideas and took credit for it, and he is still salty about it. Leo is bi, from a poor family that has struggled with alcohol, addiction, and teen pregnancy. He's learning money can't solve everything. One night at a restaurant he thinks he runs into Vaughn, and he wants to get some revenge, he throws maple syrup at him. But turns out it wasn't Vaughn, it was Archie, his 23-year-old little brother. Archie falls and breaks his ankle, and that's bad because Archie is estranged from his rich family and struggling to make ends meet. Leo volunteers to help, and Archie realizes the maple syrup wasn't an accident and wants to push this as far as he can, and see how far Leo's guilt will take him.
As they spend more time together, they really start to like each other and understand each other. Then Archie's godmother comes to visit and they have to pretend to be dating so that she doesn't get worried, and that turns into real dating. But they've got a lot of miscommunications and emotional damage between them.
This was a funny story, and it was sweet. Enjoyable. I did find it unrealistic at times. Archie was supposed to be poor, yet he kept buying all these embarrassing costumes for Leo. And it's implied that they are not ones that he owned before, they are new ones that he is buying just to torture Archie, so how can he afford that? Also, some of the sexual high jinks that they get up to are unrealistic given Archie's broken ankle. I wish there had been a bit more romantic or sexual tension earlier - the first moment of tension was at 39%, and that felt a little long into the book.
Some notable moments:
"“You have a PhD? What the fuck? Why didn’t you tell me?” I hiss. He shrugs. “I didn’t think it was relevant.” “Not relevant? Of course it’s relevant. What subject is your PhD in?” “Which one?” I open my mouth. Close it. Open it again. “What do you mean, which one?”"
"“Leo originally hurt your ankle because he thought you were me,” he says. “Yeah, I know that,” I say impatiently. Vaughn’s mouth opens. Closes. Opens again. “Wait, what?” “I figured it out right after it happened. It wasn’t that hard. A random man attacks me with syrup, and he happened to have worked at QuantumTech at the same time as you.” I wave my hand. “Anyway, let’s circle back to the love part.” “Seriously, you don’t care that Leo hurt you because he was trying to get back at me?” “Well, I guess I’m slightly curious about what you did to make him so angry, but I’m more interested in the fact that you claim the man I love loves me back. So if we could just focus on that bit for now, I’d appreciate it.”"
*FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink.
**Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 12, 2026
4 stars
Another great story in the Revenge Club series.
This time it's Leo's turn to try to get his revenge, but to find his forever love instead.
Leo is Andrew's friend and former colleague, he flew to London to meet a client when, in a restaurant, he sees his old enemy, Vaughn, celebrating his birthday with his friends. It appears that Leo is finally able to get his revenge, but when he's about to drown his enemy in maple syrup, he realises he's not Vaughn at all. Too late, though, because the man will end up with a broken ankle.
Out of guilt, Leo decides to help Archie (who's Vaughn's little brother) with his businesses as children entertainer and dog walker and he also moves in with him.
The banter between Leo and Archie is excellent: I had so much fun reading their dialogues, their constant tease and witty remarks.
I also loved a lot how they established a strong connection that made them be very much in tune: all the parts with the children's parties were not only hilarious but they also showed how well Leo and Archie worked together.
I appreciated the slow burn and the fact that they didn't jump into bed together, but that they grow close day by day.
What prevented me from giving a higher rate:
I think that the story was too long and that we got to see them together too close to the end.
I also struggled with the lack of communication, especially with Archie always shutting down Leo's every attempt to talk.
I liked how things progressed with Vaughn and the epilogue was lovely.
Gus will be next and the premises of his revenge seem already very much interesting!
I received an ARC of this book from Neon Rainbow and this is my honest review.
Another great story in the Revenge Club series.
This time it's Leo's turn to try to get his revenge, but to find his forever love instead.
Leo is Andrew's friend and former colleague, he flew to London to meet a client when, in a restaurant, he sees his old enemy, Vaughn, celebrating his birthday with his friends. It appears that Leo is finally able to get his revenge, but when he's about to drown his enemy in maple syrup, he realises he's not Vaughn at all. Too late, though, because the man will end up with a broken ankle.
Out of guilt, Leo decides to help Archie (who's Vaughn's little brother) with his businesses as children entertainer and dog walker and he also moves in with him.
The banter between Leo and Archie is excellent: I had so much fun reading their dialogues, their constant tease and witty remarks.
I also loved a lot how they established a strong connection that made them be very much in tune: all the parts with the children's parties were not only hilarious but they also showed how well Leo and Archie worked together.
I appreciated the slow burn and the fact that they didn't jump into bed together, but that they grow close day by day.
What prevented me from giving a higher rate:
I think that the story was too long and that we got to see them together too close to the end.
I also struggled with the lack of communication, especially with Archie always shutting down Leo's every attempt to talk.
I liked how things progressed with Vaughn and the epilogue was lovely.
Gus will be next and the premises of his revenge seem already very much interesting!
I received an ARC of this book from Neon Rainbow and this is my honest review.
May 10, 2026
Charming and absolutely laugh-out-loud hilarious.
Having read the previous revenge club novel, I went into this one expecting a charming, relatively lightweight MM romance, and undoubtedly, this book delivers on those fronts. HOWEVER, what I did not expect to find was one of the funniest books I've read in ages - I'm talking laugh out loud, on my own, in a quiet room, hilarious.
Strait-laced and slightly dull Leo aims to take revenge on Vaughan, a fellow tech-bro who stole his idea and used it to boost his career. Instead, in a case of mistaken identity, he ends up taking revenge on Vaughan's unsuspecting younger brother, Archie- with Archie breaking his ankle in the process. Wracked with guilt, Leo vows to help Archie recover from his injury, which, unfortunately for Leo, includes helping Archie carry out his employment as both a dog walker and a children's entertainer (Captain Giggles).
Absolute chaos ensues - with Leo being forced to take on the challenge of taking three very different dogs on a walk around Hyde Park (the description of Douglas, the Bassett Hound is a work of genius!), before becoming Captain Giggles' sidekick - which involves taking on a starring role as the rainbow unicorn, Sparkles McHornface, and an inflatable dinosaur, Snugglesaurus. Archie thoroughly enjoys stretching Leo's goodwill to the max - and the increasingly unhinged things he gets Leo to do are comedy gold.
As the story goes on, Leo comes to realise that there's a lot more to Archie than there seems - and when Archie asks Leo to act as his fake boyfriend while his aunt is in town, feelings start to develop on both sides....
Absolutely loved this read - it's lightweight, romantic, funny, with a lot of yearning and a few obstacles to be overcome along the way. Enjoy!
Having read the previous revenge club novel, I went into this one expecting a charming, relatively lightweight MM romance, and undoubtedly, this book delivers on those fronts. HOWEVER, what I did not expect to find was one of the funniest books I've read in ages - I'm talking laugh out loud, on my own, in a quiet room, hilarious.
Strait-laced and slightly dull Leo aims to take revenge on Vaughan, a fellow tech-bro who stole his idea and used it to boost his career. Instead, in a case of mistaken identity, he ends up taking revenge on Vaughan's unsuspecting younger brother, Archie- with Archie breaking his ankle in the process. Wracked with guilt, Leo vows to help Archie recover from his injury, which, unfortunately for Leo, includes helping Archie carry out his employment as both a dog walker and a children's entertainer (Captain Giggles).
Absolute chaos ensues - with Leo being forced to take on the challenge of taking three very different dogs on a walk around Hyde Park (the description of Douglas, the Bassett Hound is a work of genius!), before becoming Captain Giggles' sidekick - which involves taking on a starring role as the rainbow unicorn, Sparkles McHornface, and an inflatable dinosaur, Snugglesaurus. Archie thoroughly enjoys stretching Leo's goodwill to the max - and the increasingly unhinged things he gets Leo to do are comedy gold.
As the story goes on, Leo comes to realise that there's a lot more to Archie than there seems - and when Archie asks Leo to act as his fake boyfriend while his aunt is in town, feelings start to develop on both sides....
Absolutely loved this read - it's lightweight, romantic, funny, with a lot of yearning and a few obstacles to be overcome along the way. Enjoy!
May 13, 2026
A Joyfully Jay review.
3.75 stars
This is the second book in The Revenge Club series and can be read as a standalone. Leo is Andrew’s business partner from the first book, but the storylines do not overlap. The beginning part of the book had details that were a lot for me to just go with. First, there is the coincidence that Leo would randomly see Vaughn in another country after about 8 years. The second is that Archie is there celebrating his 23rd birthday. He is significantly younger than Vaughn, and it was a big ask for me to believe that Leo thought Archie was Vaughn and then to randomly attack him with maple syrup. It’s then a whole comedy of errors that ties Leo and Archie together.
Read Michelle's review in its entirety here.
3.75 stars
This is the second book in The Revenge Club series and can be read as a standalone. Leo is Andrew’s business partner from the first book, but the storylines do not overlap. The beginning part of the book had details that were a lot for me to just go with. First, there is the coincidence that Leo would randomly see Vaughn in another country after about 8 years. The second is that Archie is there celebrating his 23rd birthday. He is significantly younger than Vaughn, and it was a big ask for me to believe that Leo thought Archie was Vaughn and then to randomly attack him with maple syrup. It’s then a whole comedy of errors that ties Leo and Archie together.
Read Michelle's review in its entirety here.
May 13, 2026
I yearned for this book, and somehow it loved me back.
The book was amazing, exactly what I expected from Jax. From the characters to the plot to the character backstories, everything checked all my boxes.
Archibald, my sweet little genius chaos gremlin, completely won my heart. He was mischievous in the most entertaining way possible, and every scene with him felt alive.
Vaughn , I understood him. His reactions were wrong and definitely not justified, yet they still felt painfully human.
And Leo… where do I even begin? Smart, kind, dependable, and just so genuinely good. Dude, I love you.
"Sparkle says get on your knees."
Honestly? If Archie told me to kneel, I probably would too. ✨
The book was amazing, exactly what I expected from Jax. From the characters to the plot to the character backstories, everything checked all my boxes.
Archibald, my sweet little genius chaos gremlin, completely won my heart. He was mischievous in the most entertaining way possible, and every scene with him felt alive.
Vaughn , I understood him. His reactions were wrong and definitely not justified, yet they still felt painfully human.
And Leo… where do I even begin? Smart, kind, dependable, and just so genuinely good. Dude, I love you.
"Sparkle says get on your knees."
Honestly? If Archie told me to kneel, I probably would too. ✨
May 14, 2026
I wanted to enjoy this. Really really wanted to enjoy this.
But this book lost the moment Archie went from realising that his brother might’ve hurt Leo and that must be the reason Leo mistook him for Vaughn, then saying he hasn’t talked to his brother for a year and hinting on them having a bad relationship, to suddenly going “mess with my family you mess with me.” In support of his brother? 🙄🙄🙄
The same brother you haven’t spoken to in a year. The brother you have an inkling might’ve done something to hurt this guy because you know your brother is an arsehole, suddenly you wanna do something in defence of that brother? Please be for real.
I knew all he did was mostly harmless, still his reasoning made no sense.
But this book lost the moment Archie went from realising that his brother might’ve hurt Leo and that must be the reason Leo mistook him for Vaughn, then saying he hasn’t talked to his brother for a year and hinting on them having a bad relationship, to suddenly going “mess with my family you mess with me.” In support of his brother? 🙄🙄🙄
The same brother you haven’t spoken to in a year. The brother you have an inkling might’ve done something to hurt this guy because you know your brother is an arsehole, suddenly you wanna do something in defence of that brother? Please be for real.
I knew all he did was mostly harmless, still his reasoning made no sense.
Did Not Finish
May 15, 2026what is with my 2026 anticipated releases turning into dnfs!!! dnf @49% because i could just NOT feel the chemistry in the fucking slightest the banter was there i guess but like overall i was sooo whatever about it. i dropped it to see if i even felt the urge to pick it back up and it just rotted in my google play library forever. some of this shit is honestly just so contrived for the sake of "laugh out loud humor" and unfortunately i didn't laugh once. archie's whole deal is interesting but not interesting enough for me to pursue this and i cannot even begin to imagine how excruciating it would be to read their sex. disappointing because i was so excited about this read :/
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