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If Love Could Kill
Not yet published
Expected 18 Jun 26
All's fair in love and . . . murder?
Mara, Hollywood make-up artist, has always dreamt of finding the kind of love promised by her favourite romantic comedies. But after years of false starts and crushing disappointment, she's given up on her own happily-ever-after to focus on her career.
So when an old director friend enlists her to makeover the celebrities invited to his murder mystery weekend, Mara gladly agrees. Beautiful tropical island, an easy job: win-win.
To Mara's horror, also invited is her ex: Austin. Gorgeous, tattooed, trouble-but-worth-it Austin. After the actor left her heartbroken, she swore to never let him get close again. But when one of the group is found dead, their weekend of fun and games turns deadly serious. Mara is forced to work with Austin if they're going to make it out alive - even if her heart doesn't survive.
Amidst a cloud of suspicion and tropical thunderstorms, can love strike twice?
READERS LOVE KATIE BOHN'S ROMANCE IS DEAD
'A page-turning mystery and a sweet, sexy romance all in one' ALICIA THOMPSON
'Witty and captivating' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW
'[An] incredibly fun combination of spice and chills!' SIENNA SHARPE
'A perfect blend of romance and mystery' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW
'One-hundred percent fun!' CARLIE WALKER
Mara, Hollywood make-up artist, has always dreamt of finding the kind of love promised by her favourite romantic comedies. But after years of false starts and crushing disappointment, she's given up on her own happily-ever-after to focus on her career.
So when an old director friend enlists her to makeover the celebrities invited to his murder mystery weekend, Mara gladly agrees. Beautiful tropical island, an easy job: win-win.
To Mara's horror, also invited is her ex: Austin. Gorgeous, tattooed, trouble-but-worth-it Austin. After the actor left her heartbroken, she swore to never let him get close again. But when one of the group is found dead, their weekend of fun and games turns deadly serious. Mara is forced to work with Austin if they're going to make it out alive - even if her heart doesn't survive.
Amidst a cloud of suspicion and tropical thunderstorms, can love strike twice?
READERS LOVE KATIE BOHN'S ROMANCE IS DEAD
'A page-turning mystery and a sweet, sexy romance all in one' ALICIA THOMPSON
'Witty and captivating' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW
'[An] incredibly fun combination of spice and chills!' SIENNA SHARPE
'A perfect blend of romance and mystery' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW
'One-hundred percent fun!' CARLIE WALKER
- GenresRomance
374 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication June 18, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
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February 23, 2026Glass Onion if the sex and silliness was cranked up to a million x
May 19, 2026
thank you to netgalley for the arc! i’d give this 3 and a half stars if i could.
‘if love could kill’ takes the classic tropes from a murder mystery novel and adds a heavy dose of romance to make a fast-paced, enjoyable and somewhat quirky read. it follows mara, who becomes trapped on an island with her ex-boyfriend and others, when a murder mystery party turns real. the story also focuses a lot on film sets, with all the characters once working together on them, and as a movie lover myself, i liked reading those details and moments. i didn’t love the ending reveal, it seemed to be brushed over and solved pretty quickly and i would probably have liked to have stayed with the characters just a little bit longer in the aftermath.
last year ‘romance is dead’ by katie bohn was one of my favourite reads of the year and though i didn’t enjoy this one as much, i am 100% a fan of katie bohn’s work and am excited to see what she writes next.
‘if love could kill’ takes the classic tropes from a murder mystery novel and adds a heavy dose of romance to make a fast-paced, enjoyable and somewhat quirky read. it follows mara, who becomes trapped on an island with her ex-boyfriend and others, when a murder mystery party turns real. the story also focuses a lot on film sets, with all the characters once working together on them, and as a movie lover myself, i liked reading those details and moments. i didn’t love the ending reveal, it seemed to be brushed over and solved pretty quickly and i would probably have liked to have stayed with the characters just a little bit longer in the aftermath.
last year ‘romance is dead’ by katie bohn was one of my favourite reads of the year and though i didn’t enjoy this one as much, i am 100% a fan of katie bohn’s work and am excited to see what she writes next.
February 27, 2026
Mara Moore is travelling to an island to work as a makeup artist for film director Keith. He’s hosting a murder mystery party with cast members of his recently completed film. A film she was makeup artist on. The only problem is her ex, actor and commitment-phobe, Austin Hayes (who she was told wouldn’t be there) is there too. Add to that a murder and no way to contact anyone or get off the island. The weekend is turning out worse than she could ever imagine. So obviously her plan is to team up with her ex to try and solve the murder!
It’s your typical tale of friends to lovers to exes to trapped on an island with a murderer and realising the feelings are still there a year later. Over the course of the novel we get flashbacks, to how the friendship between Mara and Austin grew and became more. It has a vintage murder mystery feel, you could almost imagine Poirot or Miss Marple being guests at the party too. Overall a good read.
It’s your typical tale of friends to lovers to exes to trapped on an island with a murderer and realising the feelings are still there a year later. Over the course of the novel we get flashbacks, to how the friendship between Mara and Austin grew and became more. It has a vintage murder mystery feel, you could almost imagine Poirot or Miss Marple being guests at the party too. Overall a good read.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you NetGalley and Quercus for this arc.
This was such a fun read. A second chance romance while stuck on a private island in a sort of locked door murder mystery was definitely the entertainment I needed. The flashbacks to the past were also nice to have included to give context to how they all got here without just being told between characters.
While the issues with their romance previously did seem to be due to miscommunication that wasn't really the case in this book and so definitely wouldn't be a reason to not read this book.
The mystery was good, there were points throughout the book where I could picture all of the characters being the murderer but there was enough throughout the book that you could solve it if you wanted to.
Overall, a lot of fun and would be especially good to read by a pool or the ocean over the summer. I'm definitely becoming a fan of Katie Bohn's books.
This was such a fun read. A second chance romance while stuck on a private island in a sort of locked door murder mystery was definitely the entertainment I needed. The flashbacks to the past were also nice to have included to give context to how they all got here without just being told between characters.
While the issues with their romance previously did seem to be due to miscommunication that wasn't really the case in this book and so definitely wouldn't be a reason to not read this book.
The mystery was good, there were points throughout the book where I could picture all of the characters being the murderer but there was enough throughout the book that you could solve it if you wanted to.
Overall, a lot of fun and would be especially good to read by a pool or the ocean over the summer. I'm definitely becoming a fan of Katie Bohn's books.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Netgalley ARC Review
I loved this! And after posting this review, I’ll be off to get Katie’s other book - Romance is Dead.
Romance books are my bag, but I also love a murder mystery (I grew up devouring Murder She Wrote and Diagnosis Murder) so this combo of romance and suspense is perfect for me!
Mara is a Hollywood makeup artist. An old director she worked with, has invited her and the cast of a previous project, to a murder mystery weekend on an island. She’s all ready to refuse the invitation, fearing that her ex-boyfriend, the gorgeous actor Austin, will be there. She accepts when she’s told he can’t make it. Cue her arriving on the island to find Austin there.
But things get infinitely worse when people start dying, and Austin and Maya have to work together to to stay alive. Sparks are firing, but will they make it off the island in one piece?
I loved this! And after posting this review, I’ll be off to get Katie’s other book - Romance is Dead.
Romance books are my bag, but I also love a murder mystery (I grew up devouring Murder She Wrote and Diagnosis Murder) so this combo of romance and suspense is perfect for me!
Mara is a Hollywood makeup artist. An old director she worked with, has invited her and the cast of a previous project, to a murder mystery weekend on an island. She’s all ready to refuse the invitation, fearing that her ex-boyfriend, the gorgeous actor Austin, will be there. She accepts when she’s told he can’t make it. Cue her arriving on the island to find Austin there.
But things get infinitely worse when people start dying, and Austin and Maya have to work together to to stay alive. Sparks are firing, but will they make it off the island in one piece?
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April 4, 2026Mara solo iba a una fiesta temática a maquillar a los artistas y pasarla bien y olvidarse de todo por un rato. Pero lo que empieza con música, alcohol y gente atractiva se arruina cuando alguien aparece muerto y la noche se vuelve un desastre.
De pronto ya no se trata de divertirse, sino de entender qué pasó y sobre todo, en quién se puede confiar. Porque todos vieron o esconden algo y nadie parece completamente inocente.
Mara intentara mantenerse al margen, pero es imposible cuando cada cosa que descubre la mete más en el problema. Y lo peor es darse cuenta de que el peligro no terminó con esa primera muerte, apenas estaba comenzando.
Gracias netgalley por el ARC.
De pronto ya no se trata de divertirse, sino de entender qué pasó y sobre todo, en quién se puede confiar. Porque todos vieron o esconden algo y nadie parece completamente inocente.
Mara intentara mantenerse al margen, pero es imposible cuando cada cosa que descubre la mete más en el problema. Y lo peor es darse cuenta de que el peligro no terminó con esa primera muerte, apenas estaba comenzando.
Gracias netgalley por el ARC.
February 27, 2026
Did I pick this up at 7pm and not stop reading till I had finished by 10pm yes yes I did have I already ordered Kate Bohn other book yes yes I have!
I really enjoyed this one it’s a book you literally just fall straight into and can’t put down!
It had everything I love murder a mystery, second chances a little romance. Such a good read.
I adored Mara and Austin so much as well as Gianna I liked how much guessing I did with the who done it I was completely wrong. I truly enjoyed this and can’t wait to read the next one
I really enjoyed this one it’s a book you literally just fall straight into and can’t put down!
It had everything I love murder a mystery, second chances a little romance. Such a good read.
I adored Mara and Austin so much as well as Gianna I liked how much guessing I did with the who done it I was completely wrong. I truly enjoyed this and can’t wait to read the next one
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
La premisa me parecía fantástica, algo tipo novela de Agatha Christie pero con historia de amor por medio. El problema es que el desarrollo, para mí, no ha estado a la altura. Ni la parte de suspense ni la amorosa mantienen la intriga y, además, tampoco están bien integradas. Y el sexo, viendo el resto de la trama se ve un poco fuera de lugar. También reconozco que no he conectado nada con la protagonista, con lo que era difícil disfrutar más la lectura.
Como con todo, no hay nada como leer y opinar por uno mismo, esta es solo mi opinión.
Como con todo, no hay nada como leer y opinar por uno mismo, esta es solo mi opinión.
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April 4, 2026Es el segundo libro que leo de Katie y la verdad no creo que su estilo de escritura sea para mi.
Lo de los asesinatos fue muy meh, se supone que la trama se centra en este tema, pero en realidad todo gira en torno al romance. La relación no me gusto, al final no entendí que le vio a Austin.
Lo de los asesinatos fue muy meh, se supone que la trama se centra en este tema, pero en realidad todo gira en torno al romance. La relación no me gusto, al final no entendí que le vio a Austin.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews