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Trigger Happy Ending

“I am your divine intervention. Your salvation. And I fear you are mine.”

Raine Maddox doesn’t believe in happy endings.

Soren Blackwood knows better than to want one.

Raised by the Agency, a covert empire built on secrecy and control, Raine has spent her life becoming exactly what they made her to the perfect assassin. Seduce. Manipulate. Eliminate. She doesn’t ask questions, and she never gets attached.

Soren is ex-black ops. A man forged by war and loyal to no one. He’s lethal and far too good at getting under her skin.

When they’re sent to recover PARM-17, a serum with the power to push human capability beyond its limits, they’re dragged into a brutal world of corruption, betrayal, and buried secrets, where trust is a liability and every moment alone together threatens to snap the line they’ve both sworn not to cross.

But the deeper Raine and Soren go, the more dangerous two things the truth, and each other.

406 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 25, 2026

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About the author

K.J. Orchard

2 books32 followers
K.J. Orchard writes emotionally messy stories for good girls who like to do bad things.

Her debut novel, Wild Thing, was released in March 2025. Her second novel, Trigger Happy Ending was published in June 2026.

Based on the Gold Coast, Australia, she's a PR girl by day, spicy author by night.

www.katorchard.com
IG @kjorchard_author | TikTok @kjorchard

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Community Reviews

5 stars
185 (58%)
4 stars
95 (30%)
3 stars
27 (8%)
2 stars
7 (2%)
1 star
1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
Profile Image for Kenia Coronado.
391 reviews198 followers
September 1, 2026
SHUT UP!!!

I love love love this book! Its had everything i love about dark romance!!! Everything was the perfect balance!!!! I wont shut up until book 2 comes out.
Profile Image for Katie.
174 reviews415 followers
August 19, 2026
5 STARS! *I ran out today to go get more tabs so I can annotate this tonight because I am in love with this story and these characters* This was my first book by K.J. and it will definitely not be my last! I am in love with her writing style, and I truly have never read a dark romance book with a storyline like this. Raine + Soren (two BADASS ASSASINS MIND YOU) are my legendary lovers. I LOVED THE SHIT OUT OF THEIR BANTER!! This man may be an assassin, but he WRITES POETRY ABOUT HER! UGH. He is perfection in my eyes. So suspenseful, emotional, spicy and bingeworthy.

"It's annoying how you make very person in your presence fall to their knees. The way you can shoot me, punch me, throw knives at me. The way you could rip my heart out and I'd still fucking crawl on my knees for you. The way I'd go to hell and back for you" FVCK!!! I love him.

Sooooooo.. K.J.... I'm going to need more now :)
Profile Image for kotah.
194 reviews137 followers
September 4, 2026
Oh my fuck. Yes. This is the dark romance book I’ve searching for it. It has everything I needed and more.

AN SLOW BURN DARK ROMANCE (🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼) that has so much tension leading to it ugh 😩
The banter between Raine and Soren was perfect.
And Raine is such a badass FMC I wanna be her best friend. The plot kept me so entertained and needing to read to find out more.

No notes 👏🏼 I do need book 2 asap tho
Profile Image for Cindy ✩☽♔.
1,520 reviews989 followers
September 9, 2026
This is the kind of compelling, addictive dark romance I like to see. It’s morally grey meets morally grey in the best way. The sexual tension, the slow-burn, the unhinged obsession. Delicious.

The downside is I thought this was a standalone. But the ending tells me this isn’t over yet babes.

Guess I’ll be back for another installment of our deadly assassins duo kicking ass and taking names 👀
Profile Image for Skyllar Branch .
54 reviews6 followers
June 14, 2026
This book was amazing! I fell in love with Angel/Raine she is bad***. I loved how the story unfolded and you were on the edge of your seat waiting for what was next. 100% should read this book.
If you want passion, violence and love this book is for you!
Profile Image for Shilpa✨.
268 reviews4 followers
August 24, 2026
This book is EVERYTHING to me. It has officially joined my all-time favourite reads, with Raine Maddox and Soren Blackwood now among my favourite FMC, MMC, and couple EVER.

The story follows an assassin operative FMC from The Agency, a secret shadow organisation, and an ex-Black Ops MMC who are forced to team up to retrieve PARMA-17, a serum that is definitely not great for humanity. What follows is the most chaotic, addictive, unhinged ride with hilarious monologues and dialogues.

Firstly, K.J Orchard’s writing is phenomenal — a perfect balance of monologue and dialogue, with SO much sass. This is my first book by KJ Orchard, definitely not my last and I’m definitely picking up her debut novel soon!

From the hilarious prologue to their instant-hate meet-cute, witty banter, endless action scenes, sweetest love confessions to that ending, I was completely locked in. Not bored or distracted for a second.

THIS is how you write equal character development for both MCs. I absolutely LOVE Raine and Soren, they are the baddest, hottest, most electric couple.

If, like me, you’ve been chasing that high after reading The MindF*ck series by ST Abby, The Painted Sinners by Elena & Blake Lawson or The Bianchi Chronicles by Laura Bennett, PLEASE GIVE THIS A GO! Best to go in blind after checking the trigger/content warnings. If you’re a dark romance reader, this felt pretty light to me, just gory in a fun way.

Just a tiny teaser of an iconic scene:
- 🛥️
- 🙅🏻‍♂️
- 👁️
- 🦈

Okay, KJ Orchard… can I call you Kat? WHAT ABOUT THAT CLIFFHANGER?! Is it too EARLY to ask about Book 2? And if you ever need an ARC or beta reader, SERIOUSLY PLEASE SIGN ME UP!! Also if you ever decide to do a limited edition, I would treasure it for life — 5 FREAKING STARS!!

—
“I'm a mean girl, I guess. I'm Regina fucking George with an AK-47.”

“I wonder what we look like right now. My god of war, tortured and wild, kneeling at my feet like I'm some kind of higher power.”

“Those eyes were on my woman. And I'm not accepting that.
First, I took his voice. Now, I'll take his sight.”
—
Profile Image for Brycee.
93 reviews4 followers
August 29, 2026
6 ⭐️

Fantastic. Give me 14 more. I’m utterly completely obsessed with Raine & Soren 😭 THE BANTER IN THIS BOOK IS TOP FUCKING TIER. Raine is one of the baddest in the game. And SOREN. My ex black ops, 6’5, tatted up , emotionally unavailable daddy. Chefs kiss. Go read this right now.
Profile Image for Nora.
432 reviews11 followers
June 28, 2026
A special thanks to K J Orchard and Love Notes PR for this ARC. While the review copy was gifted, all opinions are my own.

Its been so hard for me to sit down and read lately but trigger happy ending was such a fast and easy read. The pacing was fast and entertaining! I loved the choas and the intricacies of the story. I adored wild thing and I'll be honest- i was expecting something similar but Trigger Happy Ending completely surprised me (in a good way).

Highly recommend giving it a go if you enjoy chaotic and unhinged characters and organized crime with some hot romance 🔥
Profile Image for Joanna.
616 reviews12 followers
July 3, 2026
4.75 ROUNDED TO 5 STARS FOR ME.

Raine and Soren,two assasins work for The Agency.They never work together and now they are forced to be a team.When two ego's clash and the attraction sparks Raine and Soren may get a chance at something both didn't expect.
Will they be risk their hearts once the mission is over?

Wow,wow, wow.What a fantastic read.Both characters think they don't deserve anything better,and the cold way of their lives is already complicated without the feelings gets in the way.At the beginning in the plane part I was not sure if I would like Soren,but when Raine turned tables on him that was the part that was so engrossing I knew it will be great.Raine,as an assasin was cold,calculated and didn't play fair,yet in a way she's so vunerable and sweet.Soren with his poetry really win me over,a badass with a heart.Chemistry between them was so hot,this tension and the hateful banter was so good,a slow burn that was explosive once they finally got together.A dangerous mission,The Agent O who's not a nice man,and compliced relationship betweeen them,Raine and Soren will literally fight for their lives.I suspected and was right that someone from Raine life was a person Raine was looking for about her mother's death,can't wait and really hope there will be next book and she gets revenge she deserves.My first book by this author and she's now on top of my favorites.

fAVORITE LINE-
"I am sin.I am all that is unholy,"he growls as he backs me up against the side of the dresser.I suck in a sharp breath,my body vibrating with attraction and desire and horniness I can't even find a word for.
He drops his lips close to mine,our foreheads are touching.
"But I am your divine intervetion.Your salvation.And I fear you are mine."

Like I said Soren is a killer poet ;)

Full of hate,death,romance and spice,what you waiting for?,grab it and induldge in this fantastic story.

Thank you Love Notes PR and author for arc,my review is honest and my own.
Profile Image for tay.
61 reviews5 followers
September 13, 2026
WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE END FOR NOW?? The way I was 94% in and I was like no NO there’s no way this is ending like this.. I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS. AAAHHHHHHHH.

As bestie Katie says it, this was my first KJ book and it WILL NOT be my last. Because what do you MEAN??

“But I am your divine intervention. Your salvation. And I fear you are mine.” OH MY GODDDDDDDD.

This was a SOLID 5 star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ fucking read holy FUCK. I am in LOVE with Raine and Soren and I need to know what happens next, their story is intoxicating and I’m invested. You have bad bitch FMC and broody moody MMC and they’re both ASSASSINS, like touch HER and die and touch HIM and die vibes 😭😭😭✋🏻✋🏻✋🏻

Also the writing style of this book? Amazing. I LOVED the writing of the characters and getting to see the inner monologue, it sent me.
Profile Image for Ingrid Iglesias.
13 reviews3 followers
September 6, 2026
I absolutely loved Trigger Happy Ending. 100% recommended.

Kat is, without a doubt, one of the best authors I’ve ever read. This entire book is a ride from beginning to end, intense, addictive, completely unhinged in the best possible way, and deliciously packed with violence, revenge, tension, and heat.

Raine and Soren are pure dynamite together, and some of the scenes in this book are going to live rent-free in my head for a VERY long time. Seriously… 🔥

What I love most about Kat is her incredible ability to pull me in with every single line. She already did it with her first novel, and somehow she managed to do it all over again with this one. There’s just something about the way she writes, the intensity, the characters, the darkness, the references, the sexual tension, that makes it impossible for me to put her books down.

I honestly cannot wait to see what she writes next.
Profile Image for Jen Wilson.
44 reviews
September 10, 2026
Raine and Soren were literally made for each other. Two half’s of a coin. The tension, trying to understand their feelings, their banter, their POVs, the hate for each other at the start, the “fuck it” moment was top tier🫶🏽

Two assassins, both fucked up, their pasts and trauma shaped them and hang heavy on their minds. Yet they’re both such badasses. Raine brought Soren to his knees, need I say more!!!🤪 don’t get me started on Soren’s gift in the shape of eyeballs, that chapter was the best, alongside all the others✨

One of my favourite reads of the year, I don’t think I could fault this book. Cannot wait for the next book.


218 reviews1 follower
September 5, 2026
5 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Okay this book had me LOCKED IN.

Two badass assassins, forced proximity, insane chemistry, revenge, plot twists, a bioweapon, and 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ spice??? YES PLEASE.

Raine is such a badass FMC and her inner dialogue had me CACKLING. Soren is 6’5, an assassin, emotionally damaged, and basically exactly what I needed 😂

Their chemistry was SO good, and I absolutely ate up the whole “I hate you” while internally thinking “I want you” dynamic.

And that ending??? I NEED THE NEXT BOOK. IMMEDIATELY.
Profile Image for Erica.
37 reviews
September 4, 2026
Wow, I did not expect to love this book as much as I did. Def a 5 star read and I’m so happy I picked it up. From the beginning I loved the MMC and FMCs dynamic. Hated each other because of how attracted they were to each other 😂 the banter was top tier and the tension 🔥 the tension was definitely there as well as some good spice.. they both came from fucked up backgrounds, bad ass assassins, feel like life is bleak.. yet found something that made them feel alive in each other. I didn’t realize this was going to be a book 1 and now I can’t wait for book 2 😭
Profile Image for Nicole Swinehart.
17 reviews3 followers
June 19, 2026
*Thank you to K.J. Orchard and Love Notes PR for this ARC*

Two assassins with insane chemistry? Count me in. I was hooked from the very first page. Raine and Soren’s banter had me grinning, but their heartbreaking backstories had me completely emotional. The tension, the action, and the slow-burn romance were perfectly balanced. I flew through this book and already need the next one!
Profile Image for Paige.
107 reviews11 followers
September 3, 2026
I have no notes.

The characters insanely good (they were unhinged as fuck) but KJ wrote them sooooooo well!

Never thought I'd want a pair of eyes gifted to me before but here we are. Soren is swoooooon material and Raine? Ugh I just want to be her.

I finished this bar from 5% of the start in one sitting, I was absolutely SAT with this book.

Like assassins that are unhinged, murderous, and absolutely hot as fuck? Look no further this dark romance will have you guessing everything! 👏🏻👏🏻
Profile Image for JurgitaK.
1 review
September 23, 2026
I loved the book! The perfect plot and the love!! I am so waiting for the second books 🥹
Profile Image for CJ.
93 reviews1 follower
August 31, 2026
6 ⭐️
ABSOFKNLUTELY OBSESSED with this book and these characters! Raine and Soren are fucking PERFECT!
I genuinely cannot fault either of them.

The banter, The hate, The flirting, The FAAAWKINGGG!
I was SAT 🥵 Raine is officially one of my favourite FMCs,i loved her so much!
This is easily one of my top reads of the year and I’m gona need Book 2 like right now please & thank you 😫
7 reviews
August 24, 2026
The ending!!! I literally said “ What the F” and flipped my kindle over seeing if there is anything else. Because wtfff. I need the next book😭 and to Soren, my Gentle psycho Soren, has had my heart from the very first poem.
Profile Image for Alaina Kay.
194 reviews5 followers
August 3, 2026
Absolutely worth the loss of sleep. This was so heartbreaking and soul crushing for the MCs. I felt all of Raine's pain and just wanted to be her friend 😭 She is sooo badass and that scene at the Raptors club?? Badass af. Total Mr and Mrs Smith vibes I loved it. Soren is perfection and the banter was amazinggg. Had me giggling and kicking my feet for sure. Pure enemies to lovers perfection I swearrrr. I did not expect that little plot twist at the end at all. This book is definitely left open for more and I neeeeeeed it *insert spongebob voice*. Seriously, the first 5 ⭐️ book I've read in a long time.
Profile Image for Julie Mood.
42 reviews1 follower
September 9, 2026
Okay, what did I just read?! I absolutely LOVED this.

The humor, the banter, the plot, the characters… everything just worked for me. Such an easy 5 stars. I was completely invested and genuinely didn’t want it to end.

This felt so refreshing and was exactly the kind of book I’ve been looking for. I loved these characters and already want more books with this same vibe, please and thank you!

Now I just need book two immediately because I am NOT ready to be done with them yet. 😂
Profile Image for Ava Ly.
193 reviews108 followers
June 26, 2026
Morally grey and so much fun

Loss can drive a person to do unspeakable things… when you have nothing in this world to ground you- an immeasurable void consumes you… you’ll do anything to find balance. And what creates balance to loss? Revenge.

Raine is the most ruthless assassin. Known as a black widow, she has a perfect record of eliminating targets for The Agency- all on her own. No partners. Ever.

Soren is a wraith. He only exists in hushed conversations where people fear their words could summon him from the underworld itself. He seeks missions out for sport and basks in the glory- and blood- of the marks he takes out. A true employee of the month for The Agency…And he isn’t a babysitter. He doesn’t need anyone.

But when the most critical mission in the agency’s history requires these two to work together all bets are off. This is his way out and her way to find answers and nothing will stop either of them… did I mention he’s a tank of man.. tattooed and gorgeous and she’s the literal femme fatale of his dreams?? Yeah… buckle up. 😏

This was so fun with great banter and so witty. The story was engaging and has so much going on. A world was created that I need to know SO much more about. And the spice was *chefs kiss* well done, Ms Orchard. Well done.

Profile Image for Amanda’s Novel Nook.
60 reviews
July 4, 2026
“𝒮𝒽𝑒’𝓈 𝒶 𝓅𝒶𝓇𝒶𝒹𝑜𝓍. 𝐹𝒾𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒾𝒸𝑒, 𝓈𝓊𝑔𝒶𝓇-𝓁𝒶𝒸𝑒𝒹 𝒸𝓎𝒶𝓃𝒾𝒹𝑒”

“𝐵𝓊𝓇𝓎 𝓂𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒻𝒶𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓂𝓈 𝒹𝑒𝑒𝓅, 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝐼’𝓁𝓁 𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓅𝒾𝓁𝓎 𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝒶 𝓈𝒶𝒾𝓁𝑜𝓇’𝓈 𝑔𝓇𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒾𝒻 𝒾𝓉 𝓂𝑒𝒶𝓃𝓈 𝓀𝑒𝑒𝓅𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓂𝑒”

what did I just read? this book.. INFINITE STARS. can I be Raine Maddox when I grow up? pretty please? what a fricken badass!! and Soren, oh Soren.. the man that you are.

these two were a match made in morally black heaven, and the dynamic was explosive and utterly addictive. I honestly could not get enough! as mentioned in the book, they really are two vicious halves of the same violent whole.

the dedication and first line? they were what made me pick up this book, and I have only one word—ICONIC. I don’t think i’ve ever annotated a book so much!

Trigger Happy Ending is all of my favourite tropes wrapped up with a dark and dangerous little bow, and I just loved it so much!! I cannot wait to see what book two has in store!
Profile Image for &#x1f5a4; alyssa &#x1fa76;.
133 reviews4 followers
July 7, 2026
Trigger Happy Ending was an amazing, suspenseful, spicy, and super interesting read that I consumed in one sitting ❤️ I absolutely loved the storyline and was fully invested, start to finish. Raine and Soren had an electric connection that couldn’t be ignored, and their bickering banter was hilarious, tense, and once their control broke, everything got real heated, really fast 😏 The pacing and build up are nonstop, but in the best, eagerly flipping the pages sort of way, and that ending!!! I didn’t want to say goodbye to them, and have such excitement and a need for book two now—I am dying to read more of Raine and Soren 🤍

Raine is confident, sexy, bold, unapologetically herself, and I loved every bit of her personality ❤️ She has so many layers to her character, and seeing them slowly revealed added so much depth to the story. She’s very good at her job, which ends up leading to a friendship with Cherry, who is such a sweetheart, and their relationship was heartwarming and gut wrenching 🥺 It showed a different, vulnerable, and softer side to Raine too. Not like with Soren, who she is majorly all fire with! Every interaction between them is loaded with sooo much chemistry, and her different thoughts about him (and in general) had me giggling a bunch; I found her really funny 😂 Seeing her open herself up to Soren slowly and be vulnerable with him was sweet, but their standoff breaking was beyond spicy and it couldn’t be contained once released 🥵 And she can’t be contained either, certainly not when it keeps her away from Soren! The lengths she went to for him show how much she cares about him, and I loved the way book one ended for her 🤍

Soren is all cold with hard, rigid edges on the outside (😍😍), but is someone who cares so deeply and has a sensitive side to him ❤️ I liked getting to learn more about his character and why he is the way he is, and also thought he changed in such a warm and fuzzy way! Just like Raine, I thought his character and inner thoughts were hilarious, especially when it came to him navigating his growing feelings for Raine and keeping within the lines of their job! From the beginning she had him hooked though, and I really enjoyed their banter and how charged it was, with them meeting each other’s feistiness 🔥 Their back and forth was aggressive and head on in a way at times, but that worked perfectly and just felt like it was naturally them. The tender and intimate moments between them felt really special because of that too 🤍 As his feelings for Raine grew, his perspective shifted in a way that made it clear just how deeply he cared for her and how far he’d go, how much he’ll do, all for her ❤️

This book had lots of suspense, spice, and a very interesting plot that keeps you on your toes! 🤍 Raine and Soren are some of my favorite characters that I’ve read, and I loved watching their journey and seeing them getting together. They each have so much fire and personality to them, and it made for banter that kept me laughing throughout the story! Raine is the perfect match for Soren, and she’ll certainly keep him in line 😌 The reveal near the ending was surprising, as well as their plan at the end, and I wasn’t ready to let them go at all by the last line… but thank goodness I won’t have to!! Book two cannot come soon enough after this amazing read! ❤️
Profile Image for Lisa.
173 reviews25 followers
June 16, 2026
I DEVOURED THIS IN LESS THAN EIGHT HOURS. Did I stay up until 3am to finish it—yes. Do I regret it? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Could I have read it slower—well no, it was that good. So why would I have wanted to do that. What’s the Gen Z slang the kids use these days? THIS BOOK SLAPS. IT ATE. LEFT NO CRUMBS.

Immediately from the prologue I was OBSESSED. How can you not be when it starts out with an assassin FMC POV. From there, the intensity just gets better. Raine (The Angel of Death) isn’t someone to be messed with. That’s not exactly by choice, she was raised in a secret society as a weapon, and she’s deeply terrifying (but, she does know how to crack jokes and her internal monologue is hilarious). She works alone, refusing to be responsible for anyone. Until she’s told she has to work alongside the “Bodysnatcher”. Someone as ruthless (and dead inside) as her it seems—real name, Soren—tall, tattooed, man of few words (but secretly, writes down his thoughts, observations—and it’s adorable; there’s a golden retriever of a man hidden in there somewhere). When they meet you can cut that thick tension with one of Raine’s knives. I can’t help but be captivated by both on them. They’re ruthless, calculated, and merciless. Absolutely daunting. But together—their chemistry is electric. You could feel through the pages the push and pull between them and everything leading up to the long awaited “fuck it” moment. And it was WORTH THE WAIT. Not only was their banter and hate for each other top tier—but the moment they both gave in—CHEFS MOTHERFUCKING KISS. I think they’ve become a top favorite in everything.

Regardless, not only was their connection perfect, the plot was impeccable. Working together to retrieve a highly secretive serum from high powered men—by any means necessary. Going undercover, befriending the enemy, lies and deception, lots of knives, schmurder. This story was built so flawlessly—action, secrets, betrayal, spice, connections, depth. I had all kinds of emotions getting lost in these pages. Laughing, crying, flustered, frustrated, angry, back to flustered—a damn sky high rollercoaster’s worth. And I regret none of them. I’ll happily put myself through them again to read this for the first time. Ending on a “soft” cliffhanger, this was truly a phenomenal book and I can’t wait to get more of Raine and Soren. I have so many questions and I’m desperate for those answers. Loved. Loved. Loved.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Christy.
85 reviews1 follower
June 27, 2026
🔎📚 ARC Review: Trigger Happy Ending by K.J. Orchard 📚🔎

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.5/5)

First, a huge thank you to K.J. Orchard and Love Notes PR for the opportunity to read and review this ARC! I'm so grateful for the chance to experience this story before release—and it's officially out now! 🎉📖

"I am your divine intervention. Your salvation. And I fear you are mine."

This book was fascinating, dark, full of slow-building tension (in more ways than one 😉), and definitely brought the spice.

Raine Maddox is the Agency's perfect assassin—trained to seduce, manipulate, and eliminate without question. Soren Blackwood, an ex-black ops operative, is just as dangerous, and when the two are forced to work together to recover a powerful experimental serum, they're pulled into a deadly web of corruption, betrayal, and secrets where trusting anyone could be fatal.

The entire time I was reading, I kept getting John Wick meets Red Sparrow vibes, and I absolutely loved that combination. The action, suspense, and chemistry between Raine and Soren made it hard to put down.

There were two things I think would really elevate this book:
• Some scene transitions felt a bit abrupt, and I would've loved smoother flow between chapters and scenes.
• The grammar could use another editing pass, and I'm hopeful that with additional editing, it will make an already enjoyable story even stronger.

Overall, I had a great time with this one, and now I'm stuck waiting to see if revenge is actually served in the next book. Seriously... K.J. Orchard, I hate you for ending it there. 😂

If you enjoy dark romantic suspense, deadly assassins, morally gray characters, and plenty of tension with your action, this one is worth checking out!

Have you picked this one up yet? If not, it's available now! And tell me—which book cliffhanger has left you desperately waiting for the sequel? 👇📚

#BookReview #darkromamce #Bookstagram #morallygrey #BookCommunity
Profile Image for Euphonious Times.
92 reviews4 followers
July 2, 2026
Review of advanced copy received from Love Notes PR

Trigger Happy Ending is an enemies to lovers dark romance, with plenty of tension and spice ! There’s suspense, morally grey characters, touch her and die vibes, secret societies and deadly assassins and plenty of action.

Raine has trained her whole life to be an assassin and doesn’t even dare to consider a normal life could be possible for her. She’s focused on finding out the truth about her mother’s passing and getting revenge on those responsible and is singular in her focus. She gets paired with Soren, an ex black-ops operative, for a dangerous mission involving retrieving an experimental serum that is more connected to her than she initially could have assumed. This mission is a deadly mix of betrayal and corruption, making it almost impossible for either one to risk trusting each other.

There’s so much potential with the characters and the plot and I will definitely pick up the next book in the series. Having said that, I was definitely put off by some aspects of the writing and editing. There is absolutely no need for an extra internal monologue for the FMC, it was extremely distracting and it can be easily integrated in the first person POV writing. Similarly, some aspects can be shown through the character’s actions and thoughts rather than spelling it out - for example, we kept getting explicitly told that they have tension or that they find each other hot with every occasion when this could have just been shown through their interactions and thoughts instead of it being a recurring mention. At times, I found that the writing was almost like narrating a TV show, where you see the character go through the motions but also narrate them at the same time, not sure if that makes sense to anyone else but that’s how I perceived it.

Hopefully these are things that will be addressed for further instalments as I am

Thank you KJ Orchard and Love Notes PR for this advanced copy.
Profile Image for Bri.
95 reviews33 followers
July 1, 2026
ARC Review

"What did you do?"
"I cut out his eyes and fed him to the sharks"
"Why?"
"Cause he looked at you"


This was so chaotic but in a good way!

Raine (aka Angel) and Soren (aka Lukas) both are assassins that currently work for the Agency were they are reluctantly paired together for a missions to acquire a new bioweapon, and let me tell you, neither one is anywhere close to being okay with that. It's hate from the first meeting.... and attraction.... definitely a lot of attraction and tension between them.

This book has moments that made me laugh out loud and moments where I was tearing up. Both Raine and Soren have gone through their shared amount of trauma and we get to learn more about them and their pasts even through they both clearly have trust issues.

Rain was exactly the person who I wanted my fmc assassin (who takes absolutely no shit from anyone) to be when we first meet her. She's strong, independent, and resilient. And Soren....... he's sexy af and a dick.... Okay no but he has his own issues for why he is the way he is and the second we get his POV I loved him.
Both characters have depth and they grow throughout the story, progressing from enemies, to hate, to tolerate, to possible friends, to more.

Trigger Happy Ending has banter, it has tension, it has spice, it has violence and a way of keeping you hooked and guessing what will happen next.

Be warned though, you're gonna want book 2 after that ending!


What you can expect from this wild ride:
🖤 enemies to lovers
💋 assassin romance (assassin x ex black ops)
🖤 two broken souls
💋 morally grey characters
🖤 forced proximity
💋 touch her and die
🖤 secret society
💋 suspense + violence
🖤 a "fuck it" moment
💋 and banter.... so much banter
6 reviews2 followers
July 2, 2026
ARC Review for LoveNotes PR

I had such a fun time with this book. From the first chapter, I was pulled into this dark, action-packed world of assassins, secret agencies, and high-stakes missions, and I didn't want to put it down.

Raine and Soren are both incredibly skilled assassins with heartbreaking pasts, but they're complete opposites when it comes to how they work. Raine is fiercely independent and refuses to rely on anyone, while Soren is just as dangerous but has zero interest in babysitting a partner. Watching these two be forced to work together on a mission to stop a dangerous super-soldier serum from falling into the wrong hands made for some fantastic tension.

Their chemistry was one of my favorite parts of the book. The banter was witty, the slow burn felt earned, and I loved seeing their walls slowly come down as the story progressed. They were equally capable, stubborn, and morally gray, which made their relationship even more entertaining.

The action kept the story moving, but there was also enough character development to make me care about both Raine and Soren beyond their assassin reputations. I also found myself wanting to know so much more about The Agency and the world K.J. Orchard has created.

And yes... the spice delivered. 🌶️ It fit the characters and their relationship perfectly without taking away from the plot.

If you enjoy romantic thrillers with assassins, forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers vibes, plenty of action, and a satisfying slow burn, I'd definitely recommend giving Trigger Happy Ending a try. I'm already looking forward to seeing more from this world.
Profile Image for Lani Bausewein.
152 reviews1 follower
June 14, 2026
**ARC REVIEW**

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
Reading Method: 📚
Length: 401 pages
Genre: Dark Romance / Thriller

Thank you K.J. Orchard and Love Notes PR for an ARC of Trigger Happy Ending. It was unhinged and incredible!

Raine (aka Angel) and Soren (aka Lukas) both had dark childhoods, no friends or family, and are assassins by trade. One born into it, and one the only viable patch for survival. Neither wants to be paired together, they are lone wolves, however The Academy needs them both to hit their target.

Their mission? A DNA changing vialed solution that gives the people injected super human strength is being sold on the black market - infiltrate the sellers inner circle, but the vials, and don't let anyone or anything get in your way.

This was thrilling and murderous and sexy and so, so good. The 🌶️ was well done.


I can't say much more other than it was a fantastic book - the story, the writing, the character development, the execution - and I highly recommend this if you enjoy thrillers with some slow burn, forced proximity, enemy-to-lovers, spice.

The way the book ends leads me to believe there will be at least a Book 2, and I CANNOT WAIT!

*My only negative is that the author included an inner monologue (hi!) for the FMC (that's me) far too often. It was distracting (annoying) and could have just been built into the actual writing (instead of side thoughts like this).It was bothersome enough (for me) to remove 1/2 star for it.*

IG @lit.fic.lani
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