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The Assassin's Guide #2
The Assassin's Guide to Dating
Tru and Lila confront shadowy new enemies, dangerous powers and maybe even their first date in this high-octane sequel
At the secretive Underhill agency for those with superhuman abilities, Tru and Lila—a virtually indestructible bastion and an explosive bombshell, respectively—are trying to navigate their talents, careers, and budding relationship. But the perception of bombshells like Lila has soured—their actions, and even their heart rates, are now heavily monitored, and no one trusts a bombshell not to go off. All this scrutiny is hindering not just Lila’s missions but also her attempts to finally go on a real date with Tru. After all, romance can quicken a pulse just as much as danger! As Lila’s bitterness escalates, she meets Ryan, a talented young man from an organization with a lawless reputation who tells her to call him if she gets tired of following the rules. But who is Lila, if not someone who follows all the rules? Is she the person feared by the community stifling her, or the person seen by the ruthless stranger promising freedom and power? This is a fast-paced thriller with high romantic stakes and unforgettable characters.
At the secretive Underhill agency for those with superhuman abilities, Tru and Lila—a virtually indestructible bastion and an explosive bombshell, respectively—are trying to navigate their talents, careers, and budding relationship. But the perception of bombshells like Lila has soured—their actions, and even their heart rates, are now heavily monitored, and no one trusts a bombshell not to go off. All this scrutiny is hindering not just Lila’s missions but also her attempts to finally go on a real date with Tru. After all, romance can quicken a pulse just as much as danger! As Lila’s bitterness escalates, she meets Ryan, a talented young man from an organization with a lawless reputation who tells her to call him if she gets tired of following the rules. But who is Lila, if not someone who follows all the rules? Is she the person feared by the community stifling her, or the person seen by the ruthless stranger promising freedom and power? This is a fast-paced thriller with high romantic stakes and unforgettable characters.
256 pages, Paperback
First published July 14, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
This second installment (and I hope not final?) of The Assassin's Guide series leaves me with conflicting feelings. I enjoyed some parts more than others, while I felt that certain elements were notably missing altogether. I gave book one 4.5/5 stars, so this was a bit disappointing, obviously. I think my discontent with the way things unraveled can be summed up in one statement: I missed Tru's POV!
The author's note in the acknowledgements at the end of the book stated that the first draft was in fact entirely from Tru's POV, but then Lila slowly took over the narrative until she became the main focus. Honestly, I think this book would've worked better with dual POVs. At around 240 pages, this "novel" is hardly more than a novella. It's quite short, and so incorporating Tru's POV throughout the story wouldn't have made it an unreasonable length.
I just missed seeing things from Tru's perspective, especially since the first book was told exclusively from her POV. How was life post-reveal, now that the world knows she's a bastion? How did it feel seeing Logan after believing him dead for so long, and how was their reunion? One of the most important missing factors, in my mind, was Tru's slow onset of strongarm, wingtip, and bullseye powers that we started to see at the end of book one. Will there be a third book that explores her experience with those talents?
Lila's story was interesting simply because we learned more about bombshells, the less common and decidedly more dangerous talent. I liked reading about her background, like her relationship with Ms. Jones and how that started and the relationship with her father, whom Underhill basically labeled a domestic terrorist and who became the poster child for unstable bombshells (though according to Underhill saying that is kind of redundant since "unstable" and "bombshell" go hand-in-hand). I didn't particularly care or enjoy the chapters with Ryan, who just seemed like an opportunistic prick for the most part.
This was an okay read - not bad, but not especially captivating like the first installment. Not as much action, for starters, and the focus on previous "side" characters took away from Tru and Logan's story, in my opinion. Great writing, though, and I did love the short chapters!
Here's hoping we get more Tru and Logan in book 3 (if there is, in fact, a book 3)!
This second installment (and I hope not final?) of The Assassin's Guide series leaves me with conflicting feelings. I enjoyed some parts more than others, while I felt that certain elements were notably missing altogether. I gave book one 4.5/5 stars, so this was a bit disappointing, obviously. I think my discontent with the way things unraveled can be summed up in one statement: I missed Tru's POV!
The author's note in the acknowledgements at the end of the book stated that the first draft was in fact entirely from Tru's POV, but then Lila slowly took over the narrative until she became the main focus. Honestly, I think this book would've worked better with dual POVs. At around 240 pages, this "novel" is hardly more than a novella. It's quite short, and so incorporating Tru's POV throughout the story wouldn't have made it an unreasonable length.
I just missed seeing things from Tru's perspective, especially since the first book was told exclusively from her POV. How was life post-reveal, now that the world knows she's a bastion? How did it feel seeing Logan after believing him dead for so long, and how was their reunion? One of the most important missing factors, in my mind, was Tru's slow onset of strongarm, wingtip, and bullseye powers that we started to see at the end of book one. Will there be a third book that explores her experience with those talents?
Lila's story was interesting simply because we learned more about bombshells, the less common and decidedly more dangerous talent. I liked reading about her background, like her relationship with Ms. Jones and how that started and the relationship with her father, whom Underhill basically labeled a domestic terrorist and who became the poster child for unstable bombshells (though according to Underhill saying that is kind of redundant since "unstable" and "bombshell" go hand-in-hand). I didn't particularly care or enjoy the chapters with Ryan, who just seemed like an opportunistic prick for the most part.
This was an okay read - not bad, but not especially captivating like the first installment. Not as much action, for starters, and the focus on previous "side" characters took away from Tru and Logan's story, in my opinion. Great writing, though, and I did love the short chapters!
Here's hoping we get more Tru and Logan in book 3 (if there is, in fact, a book 3)!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 14, 2026
“The smaller I make myself, the smaller they want to make me.”
Just like the first book (The Assassin’s Guide to Baby-sitting), The Assassin’s Guide to Dating was a short and very fun read, perfect to spend a couple of hours. This is a follow-up of the first book (not an independent standalone), but this time we change POV, as the story focuses more on Lila.
Her interrupted dates with Tru become a (humorous) pattern in the story, putting the romance at the center —even though it’s not the main focus. The main theme, indeed, is for me how Lila is forced to mask her talent. She has to conform to what the Society asks —at the price of being destructed from the inside— or to choose to be herself —at the risk of being ostracised. It’s a great metaphor about all ND folks and it made me feel seen as much as when I saw the first X-Men movie, which makes me believe I would have adored that action-packed story as a teenager.
Thank you Candelwick for the free access to the eARC on Edelweiss. All opinions are my own.
Just like the first book (The Assassin’s Guide to Baby-sitting), The Assassin’s Guide to Dating was a short and very fun read, perfect to spend a couple of hours. This is a follow-up of the first book (not an independent standalone), but this time we change POV, as the story focuses more on Lila.
Her interrupted dates with Tru become a (humorous) pattern in the story, putting the romance at the center —even though it’s not the main focus. The main theme, indeed, is for me how Lila is forced to mask her talent. She has to conform to what the Society asks —at the price of being destructed from the inside— or to choose to be herself —at the risk of being ostracised. It’s a great metaphor about all ND folks and it made me feel seen as much as when I saw the first X-Men movie, which makes me believe I would have adored that action-packed story as a teenager.
Thank you Candelwick for the free access to the eARC on Edelweiss. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Assassin's Guide to Dating picks up after the first book, The Assassin's Guide to Babysitting and has a POV swap so that the story is told by Lila. Lila really just wants to go on a date with Tru and live her life the way she wants, but she's still dealing with fallout from being a bombshell and what went down during the first book. While different from the first book, I did enjoy getting to learn more about Lila and her story - and I enjoyed that many of our friends from the first book made an appearance in this story as well.
I truly enjoyed the first book in the series (rated it 5 stars without hesitation) and while I found the second to be a fun read, it didn't quite grab my attention like the first one did. I loved Tru as a narrator, which may have clouded by judgement on accepting Lila as the narrator in this one. A fun read overall, I'm rounding it up to 4 stars and I hope there is more to come.
I truly enjoyed the first book in the series (rated it 5 stars without hesitation) and while I found the second to be a fun read, it didn't quite grab my attention like the first one did. I loved Tru as a narrator, which may have clouded by judgement on accepting Lila as the narrator in this one. A fun read overall, I'm rounding it up to 4 stars and I hope there is more to come.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I loved this one even more than book one! I was so excited to return to Underhill and be back with these characters and it did not disappoint. I did not read the synopsis before going in so was surprised to see it was from Lila's POV instead of Tru's - and while at first I was hesitant about that, it was the perfect voice to tell the story! This felt like being reunited with friends, and being set in the city I live in makes this series even more fun and home-y.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to advance read and review this one.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to advance read and review this one.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Not as engaging as the first book but still enjoyable and fun.
I missed Tru's POV but I also loved Lila's flashbacks. Wish we'd gotten to see more of the friends from the first book. This felt a little light.
I hope the series is continued though. I do enjoy the worldbuilding a lot and I'd love to get to Tru's POV for another book.
Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC!
I missed Tru's POV but I also loved Lila's flashbacks. Wish we'd gotten to see more of the friends from the first book. This felt a little light.
I hope the series is continued though. I do enjoy the worldbuilding a lot and I'd love to get to Tru's POV for another book.
Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews