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Bad Boy Inc. #1
Assassin Next Door
A killer with a white picket fence. Suburbia, a great place for a man with secrets to hide--while investing in some solid real estate. The biggest drawback? Neighbors. In this case, a neighbor with sexy curves and a bright smile. Good thing she's not his type. Single moms with annoying exes are on the do-not-date list. Stay away. Calvin wants to; it's just not happening. He can't help but find himself drawn to the chaos next door. And when danger threatens his suburban lifestyle, this assassin doesn't hesitate to act. Killing people is easy. Domestication, on the other hand, terrifies him.
328 pages, Paperback
First published July 18, 2017
731 people are currently reading
1253 people want to read
About the author
Eve Langlais
364 books5,415 followers~ New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
Hello, my name is Eve Langlais and I am an International Bestselling author who loves to write hot romance, usually with werewolves, cyborgs or aliens .
I should warn you, I have a twisted imagination and a sarcastic sense of humor something I like to let loose in my writing. While well known for my shifter stories, I am also extremely partial to aliens, the kind who like to abduct humans and then drive them insane...with pleasure. Or do you like something a little darker, more serious? Then check out my cyborgs whose battle with humanity have captivated readers worldwide.
If you'd like to know more, read some excerpts or find out what I’m working on, then please visit me at http://www.EveLanglais.com or sign up for my newsletter at http://www.evelanglais.com/newrelease .
I am also extremely active on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eve.langlais.98
Hello, my name is Eve Langlais and I am an International Bestselling author who loves to write hot romance, usually with werewolves, cyborgs or aliens .
I should warn you, I have a twisted imagination and a sarcastic sense of humor something I like to let loose in my writing. While well known for my shifter stories, I am also extremely partial to aliens, the kind who like to abduct humans and then drive them insane...with pleasure. Or do you like something a little darker, more serious? Then check out my cyborgs whose battle with humanity have captivated readers worldwide.
If you'd like to know more, read some excerpts or find out what I’m working on, then please visit me at http://www.EveLanglais.com or sign up for my newsletter at http://www.evelanglais.com/newrelease .
I am also extremely active on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eve.langlais.98
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 272 reviews
January 15, 2018
It was okay, entertaining mindless reading. Kept me busy while running errands.
July 19, 2017
Not worth the $5 if you ask me but it was ok..
Well at least I didn't have to read anything about the hero sex life. He was celibate for quite a while.(comfirmed).
Heroine was one as well but she was a tad bit weak for my liking.
Cute kid, I love single parent trope.
Stalkerish hero, it was funny how his feelings were hurt when he tried to share his pizza with the heroine and she rejected him. You know how the heroine is always having her feelings hurt because of hero's rejection? well it was a nice change for once.
What's the point of an epilogue if it's only a week out?
The teaser for second book sounds really good. Can't wait to read that one.
Well at least I didn't have to read anything about the hero sex life. He was celibate for quite a while.(comfirmed).
Heroine was one as well but she was a tad bit weak for my liking.
Cute kid, I love single parent trope.
Stalkerish hero, it was funny how his feelings were hurt when he tried to share his pizza with the heroine and she rejected him. You know how the heroine is always having her feelings hurt because of hero's rejection? well it was a nice change for once.
What's the point of an epilogue if it's only a week out?
The teaser for second book sounds really good. Can't wait to read that one.
July 20, 2017
Calvin Jones, single male, lives the stereotypical mainstream suburbia lifestyle. Nothing special about Calvin with his white picket fence and perfect landscaped yard who is employed as a successful international realtor. Little do his neighbors know that in reality Calvin is a contract mercenary/assassin who is more than happy to kill for the right price.
Lily Fitzpatrick, recently divorced and parent to a precocious little girl by the name of Zoe, is trying to make a new life for herself but is hampered by her ex who refuses to let her go. His stand is they married til death do us part and no divorce will change that. Lily has found a place far enough away from her ex to avoid 'chance' interaction opportunities but the joint custody clause makes it difficult to totally avoid him. No help from law enforcement either as until her ex does something concrete their hands are tied. If only Lily could hire a hitman....
Calvin resists the blatant advances of his next door neighbor though her repeated trespassing on his property makes it difficult to avoid. If only it wasn't a kid. Well, what better excuse to scope out his very attractive sexy new neighbor than to play white knight for little Zoe.
* * * *
New series by a fav author whose writing style I've come to love and admire. A blending of creative story line content, hot smexy characters, and toe curling adult content romance. I was therefore excited to get my grubby little hands on this new series that included a personal guilty pleasure of assassins/mercenaries.
The premise for this story was off the scale alluring to me. Successful hitman living in plain site though of course his home was literally Fort Knox if anyone actually tried to enter his premises. Enter Zoe. I do follow the No Matter How Bad Ass You Are, A Kid Hands You A Ringing Toy Phone .... Answer It philosophy so this story played right into too. win/win situation.
Romance between Lily & Calvin was complicated for me. On the surface I was doing the fist bump high five in how Lily reacted to Calvin's advances as it was so on track on how I'd picture a female in those circumstances to behave. I am female hear me roar..... meow.
Calvin on the other hand.... was totally awesome as his initial commitment issue mentality evolved into an alpha possessive "mine" mentality, ready, willing, and able to take care of Lily's needs and secondary irritating ex problem. The back and forth relationship dynamics is the sort I'd pop a chair and grab some popcorn to watch on the sidelines for the entertainment value if this had been in my neighborhood.
Secondary characters. No lie. The cast and crew of Calvin's assassin organization Bad Boys Inc.: Specialists In International Realty (BBISIIR) are killer. Literally. An organization of private mercenary assassins. I'm totally girl crushing on Kacy (luckily her story is next in the series) who is an alpha bad ass female mercenary. I'm reluctant (ok, not gonna) to comment on other secondary characters as this story is a mystery-suspense-thriller that requires readers to sleuth their way into discovering who and what is the core evil element revealed in a climatic action packed ending. That I leave for potential readers to discover on their own.
My issues. I'm a fan girl of this author. Heck, I probably embarrassed myself at a recent convention bowing down in homage to her. Author who is a rock stars in my literary world. The problem is that there was something off about this story and I was mystified in what that was until finally came to the realization the characters/story content didn't compliment each other in a ying and yang sort of way. For all practical purposes this was an antihero assassin themed story so I knew there would be bloodshed, violence, sadistic torture, and killing. To offset that side of things I expect a measure of humanity that makes sense to support love is possible for even an assassin. Calvin didn't fit that persona. He was too nice, too likeable, too open to emotion and influence. I'm struggling to come up with more concrete criteria to support my opinion but can't. It is what it is.
I was on the fence feeling this was a 3.5 star rating story but as Goodreads has no half stars I'm going with four stars. Those who look for action-suspense-mystery-romance in their adult content stories would benefit from checking out this new series. I stayed up way past my bedtime to read it in one sitting and can't wait for Oct 12, 2017 when Pint-Sized Protector (Bad Boy Inc. #2) will be released and in my grubby little hands. GO KACY !!!!!
Lily Fitzpatrick, recently divorced and parent to a precocious little girl by the name of Zoe, is trying to make a new life for herself but is hampered by her ex who refuses to let her go. His stand is they married til death do us part and no divorce will change that. Lily has found a place far enough away from her ex to avoid 'chance' interaction opportunities but the joint custody clause makes it difficult to totally avoid him. No help from law enforcement either as until her ex does something concrete their hands are tied. If only Lily could hire a hitman....
Calvin resists the blatant advances of his next door neighbor though her repeated trespassing on his property makes it difficult to avoid. If only it wasn't a kid. Well, what better excuse to scope out his very attractive sexy new neighbor than to play white knight for little Zoe.
* * * *
New series by a fav author whose writing style I've come to love and admire. A blending of creative story line content, hot smexy characters, and toe curling adult content romance. I was therefore excited to get my grubby little hands on this new series that included a personal guilty pleasure of assassins/mercenaries.
The premise for this story was off the scale alluring to me. Successful hitman living in plain site though of course his home was literally Fort Knox if anyone actually tried to enter his premises. Enter Zoe. I do follow the No Matter How Bad Ass You Are, A Kid Hands You A Ringing Toy Phone .... Answer It philosophy so this story played right into too. win/win situation.
Romance between Lily & Calvin was complicated for me. On the surface I was doing the fist bump high five in how Lily reacted to Calvin's advances as it was so on track on how I'd picture a female in those circumstances to behave. I am female hear me roar..... meow.
Calvin on the other hand.... was totally awesome as his initial commitment issue mentality evolved into an alpha possessive "mine" mentality, ready, willing, and able to take care of Lily's needs and secondary irritating ex problem. The back and forth relationship dynamics is the sort I'd pop a chair and grab some popcorn to watch on the sidelines for the entertainment value if this had been in my neighborhood.
Secondary characters. No lie. The cast and crew of Calvin's assassin organization Bad Boys Inc.: Specialists In International Realty (BBISIIR) are killer. Literally. An organization of private mercenary assassins. I'm totally girl crushing on Kacy (luckily her story is next in the series) who is an alpha bad ass female mercenary. I'm reluctant (ok, not gonna) to comment on other secondary characters as this story is a mystery-suspense-thriller that requires readers to sleuth their way into discovering who and what is the core evil element revealed in a climatic action packed ending. That I leave for potential readers to discover on their own.
My issues. I'm a fan girl of this author. Heck, I probably embarrassed myself at a recent convention bowing down in homage to her. Author who is a rock stars in my literary world. The problem is that there was something off about this story and I was mystified in what that was until finally came to the realization the characters/story content didn't compliment each other in a ying and yang sort of way. For all practical purposes this was an antihero assassin themed story so I knew there would be bloodshed, violence, sadistic torture, and killing. To offset that side of things I expect a measure of humanity that makes sense to support love is possible for even an assassin. Calvin didn't fit that persona. He was too nice, too likeable, too open to emotion and influence. I'm struggling to come up with more concrete criteria to support my opinion but can't. It is what it is.
I was on the fence feeling this was a 3.5 star rating story but as Goodreads has no half stars I'm going with four stars. Those who look for action-suspense-mystery-romance in their adult content stories would benefit from checking out this new series. I stayed up way past my bedtime to read it in one sitting and can't wait for Oct 12, 2017 when Pint-Sized Protector (Bad Boy Inc. #2) will be released and in my grubby little hands. GO KACY !!!!!
August 12, 2018
I usually love all things Eve Langlais...but this one was just OK. I didn't connect with the Hero or the Heroine. The sex was lackluster, and the "BadAss" hero kept allowing the bad guy to escape his wrath. I have a serious problem with that!
July 25, 2017
I usually like Eve Langlais’ off the wall paranormal romances so I was excited when I won an ARC of Assassin Next Door. Generally, I’d be all over a snarky assassin trying to help his neighbor deal with an abusive ex, however, although an okay read, it just didn’t melt my butter.
Part of my problem was that at first, Calvin was almost too sure of himself and cocky which was a bit of a turnoff. Thankfully he recovered from that and I ended up liking him but the book itself never jelled completely for me. I can’t believe I’m saying this—it was almost too tongue in cheek plus it was predictable. It was especially disappointing when I pegged who was part of the drug ring right from the start.
That’s not to say there weren’t a couple surprises along with some good secondary characters. I also adored the idea of Bad Boys Inc. Forget security guys, these guys are assassins who all went to an academy together. Talk about potential. Not sure about the name Bad Boys Inc. as a good name to hide behind (an example of the tongue in cheek stuff that went overboard for me).
Lily and Calvin, when they finally got together, were hot with lots of chemistry. Like I said, he redeemed himself from his shaky start. I can’t say I ever warmed up to her, but I didn’t actively dislike her either.
Again, this was an okay read, especially if you are in the mood for an OTT snarky, way too sure of himself alpha male. Just not really what I expected.
3 Tongue In Cheek Stars
Part of my problem was that at first, Calvin was almost too sure of himself and cocky which was a bit of a turnoff. Thankfully he recovered from that and I ended up liking him but the book itself never jelled completely for me. I can’t believe I’m saying this—it was almost too tongue in cheek plus it was predictable. It was especially disappointing when I pegged who was part of the drug ring right from the start.
That’s not to say there weren’t a couple surprises along with some good secondary characters. I also adored the idea of Bad Boys Inc. Forget security guys, these guys are assassins who all went to an academy together. Talk about potential. Not sure about the name Bad Boys Inc. as a good name to hide behind (an example of the tongue in cheek stuff that went overboard for me).
Lily and Calvin, when they finally got together, were hot with lots of chemistry. Like I said, he redeemed himself from his shaky start. I can’t say I ever warmed up to her, but I didn’t actively dislike her either.
Again, this was an okay read, especially if you are in the mood for an OTT snarky, way too sure of himself alpha male. Just not really what I expected.
3 Tongue In Cheek Stars
February 18, 2021
Not the fun/entertaining read I was hoping for, there was something missing big time. The danger didn't grip me, and the connection between the MCs - meh.
99p on amazon.
99p on amazon.
March 20, 2018
Assassin Next Door by Eve Langlais
Romance and suspense. Hugely entertaining.
When the hero is introduced with "I like shadows", you may expect dark and moody. Not this assassin. He loves his job. He is not a good guy. He's an assassin! And you can't help but like him. He's cheerful and quickly enamored with the little girl.
The heroine is struggling to stand alone and support herself. She is smart and determined. And she certainly doesn't believe Calvin when he tells her truthfully that he is an assassin.
It's a fast, compelling read with humor and grit.
And in the last third, some spicy love-making. Wink.
Excerpt:
“You have to be firm with them. “Go back to your place.” He’d shooed the little girl. It seemed the most understandable gesture, and yet she blinked at him. “You can’t stand there.” He’d pointed at her house. “Go find your parents and insist they watch you more closely.”
The little tyke then smiled. A gap-toothed brilliant thing that could have blinded a weaker man. She blinked long lashes and lisped, “Will you take me to my mommy?”
“Uh…”
She dipped her chin, and her eyelids fluttered. Little freckles across her nose crinkled. “Please.”
Good God. The child was possessed by a dark force. Surely, she possessed some kind of insidious evil because Calvin had held out his hand and didn’t flinch when her sticky palm slid into his. Still under her dark spell, Calvin had said, “Come with me. I’ll take you home.”
Call a f**ing priest!
And that was how he’d ended up on a concrete porch, looming over a tiny woman as she cried.”
Excerpt From: Langlais, Eve. “Assassin Next Door.”
Romance and suspense. Hugely entertaining.
When the hero is introduced with "I like shadows", you may expect dark and moody. Not this assassin. He loves his job. He is not a good guy. He's an assassin! And you can't help but like him. He's cheerful and quickly enamored with the little girl.
The heroine is struggling to stand alone and support herself. She is smart and determined. And she certainly doesn't believe Calvin when he tells her truthfully that he is an assassin.
It's a fast, compelling read with humor and grit.
And in the last third, some spicy love-making. Wink.
Excerpt:
“You have to be firm with them. “Go back to your place.” He’d shooed the little girl. It seemed the most understandable gesture, and yet she blinked at him. “You can’t stand there.” He’d pointed at her house. “Go find your parents and insist they watch you more closely.”
The little tyke then smiled. A gap-toothed brilliant thing that could have blinded a weaker man. She blinked long lashes and lisped, “Will you take me to my mommy?”
“Uh…”
She dipped her chin, and her eyelids fluttered. Little freckles across her nose crinkled. “Please.”
Good God. The child was possessed by a dark force. Surely, she possessed some kind of insidious evil because Calvin had held out his hand and didn’t flinch when her sticky palm slid into his. Still under her dark spell, Calvin had said, “Come with me. I’ll take you home.”
Call a f**ing priest!
And that was how he’d ended up on a concrete porch, looming over a tiny woman as she cried.”
Excerpt From: Langlais, Eve. “Assassin Next Door.”
January 6, 2018
This was fun. And that was totally unexpected. I found so much humor in the hero. The little girl was adorable. Overall this was a fun read that made me want to read the next book in the series. I liked how the author took a typical suspense type romance and threw in funny scenarios and thoughts. The hero is totally socially awkward and that made it more fun.
March 1, 2019
This was a fairly straight-up romance/thriller with good guys and bad guys. It moved along smoothly, with one twist near the end (which was unsupported), and a solid finish.
I have higher expectations for the second book in the series.
I have higher expectations for the second book in the series.
April 8, 2022
A career assassin living in the 'burbs finds the new neighbor irresistible though she, a newly divorced abuse survivor with a child has no trouble slamming the door in his face. Or does she?
I've enjoyed many of Ms. Langlais' paranormals and sci-fi romances so I was eager to pick up this first in a romantic suspense series featuring a secret firm, Bad Boy Inc, who solve problems of the nastier, dangerous sort that government agencies and regular mercs can't handle.
Calvin is content in his job and enjoys his work taking care of the real evil in the world, but he doesn't realize something is missing until Lily and her precocious daughter Zoe move in next door. She's wholesome and wounded after her ex's treatment of her and he should stay out of her restart on life, but he can't. Meanwhile, he takes the assignment to weed out the new organization that infiltrates high up in the city's power people and are selling drugs that are killing people. The drugs are labeled with the a very familiar crest- his dark ops training school. He needs to get to the bottom of this and especially when the danger follows him home.
Lily just went through a nightmare marriage with a possessive abuser who has status and power and has no plans to let Lily get away from him permanently. She has to be careful because they still share custody of Zoe and she has no way to fight the level of power he can wield. If only she knew an assassin for hire and not gorgeous Calvin next door who she believes is pretending to be one to amuse her. She's done with men, right?
It took me a bit to get into this one, but at some point after the first third, I bought in and was eagerly flipping pages to see what came next. Lily fighting trying to restart her life and get back the strong woman inside her, Calvin figuring out what love looked like for a man like him, and of course the escalating suspense and sizzling sexy romance had me well-satisfied.
The Bad Boys Inc group were all full of fun camaraderie and dangerously skilled so I was glad there was a worthy villain facing off against them. I'm definitely going to keep going with the series and can recommend it for those who enjoy light humor and spicy romance in their romantic suspenses.
I've enjoyed many of Ms. Langlais' paranormals and sci-fi romances so I was eager to pick up this first in a romantic suspense series featuring a secret firm, Bad Boy Inc, who solve problems of the nastier, dangerous sort that government agencies and regular mercs can't handle.
Calvin is content in his job and enjoys his work taking care of the real evil in the world, but he doesn't realize something is missing until Lily and her precocious daughter Zoe move in next door. She's wholesome and wounded after her ex's treatment of her and he should stay out of her restart on life, but he can't. Meanwhile, he takes the assignment to weed out the new organization that infiltrates high up in the city's power people and are selling drugs that are killing people. The drugs are labeled with the a very familiar crest- his dark ops training school. He needs to get to the bottom of this and especially when the danger follows him home.
Lily just went through a nightmare marriage with a possessive abuser who has status and power and has no plans to let Lily get away from him permanently. She has to be careful because they still share custody of Zoe and she has no way to fight the level of power he can wield. If only she knew an assassin for hire and not gorgeous Calvin next door who she believes is pretending to be one to amuse her. She's done with men, right?
It took me a bit to get into this one, but at some point after the first third, I bought in and was eagerly flipping pages to see what came next. Lily fighting trying to restart her life and get back the strong woman inside her, Calvin figuring out what love looked like for a man like him, and of course the escalating suspense and sizzling sexy romance had me well-satisfied.
The Bad Boys Inc group were all full of fun camaraderie and dangerously skilled so I was glad there was a worthy villain facing off against them. I'm definitely going to keep going with the series and can recommend it for those who enjoy light humor and spicy romance in their romantic suspenses.
June 25, 2025
This was so much fun! I'm actually surprised I liked this one so much 🤭 but definitely can't wait to read more from the series.
March 29, 2020
I'm kinda pissed off about reading this book. The fact of the matter is that I paid for this book and I'm quite disappointed because this should have been for free with Kindle Unlimited due to it wasn't all of that. I really hate wasting my hard earn money on a dud of a book. Don't get me wrong it was kinda cute but I just feel so put out that I wasted money and time for nothing. UGH!!!!!!
Anyway, no need to cry over spilled milk. I just hope the next book I find is a gem that I can add to my book treasure.
Overall rating:
2* ~ It Was Okay
Anyway, no need to cry over spilled milk. I just hope the next book I find is a gem that I can add to my book treasure.
Overall rating:
2* ~ It Was Okay
July 22, 2017
Not worth the $5 price & I wouldn't recommend the audible either. 😑 The narrator was annoying. lackluster story.. I'm starting to think this author is simply not for me.
November 9, 2017
Eve turned a hitman into a hero I quickly fell in love with. That takes talent!
June 16, 2020
Lily se muda a los suburbios intentando alejarse lo más posible con su hija de su ex marido. Pero él nunca se ha tomado bien que no le obedezca así que intentará intimidarla de cualquier forma. Pero cuando su extraño vecino, Calvin aparece para rescatarla cada vez ella empieza a pesar que tendrá que salvarlo a él también de su ex... Si solo supiese ella que el único que necesita salvación es su ex, porque Calvin es de todo menos un santo.
La verdad es que me ha sorprendido mucho esta historia. La he disfrutado mucho, me ha resultado original y divertida por momentos, no puedo entender por qué la gente le daba notas tan bajas.
La actitud de Calvin me hacía reír mucho porque era frío como un tempano por su entrenamiento pero sus acciones eran cariñosas y protectoras y me lo quería comer a besos ❤️.
En cuanto a Lily, sentí pena por ella por todo lo que tuvo que pasar. Me hubiera gustado que le hubiese echado más pelotas para enfrentarse a su ex? Por supuesto pero tampoco le puedo echar en cara el miedo, es un sentimiento difícil de olvidar. También me mataba de la risa que no creyese a Calvin cuando le decía en lo que trabajaba de verdad 🤣.
Así que si, recomiendo la historia sin duda, me apetece mucho leer algo más de la saga o de la autora, hacía tiempo que no cogía un libro de ella. Me encantan este tipo de historias con gente con este tipo de trabajos y que aún así no puedas horrorizarte por ello aunque quieras jajajaja.
La verdad es que me ha sorprendido mucho esta historia. La he disfrutado mucho, me ha resultado original y divertida por momentos, no puedo entender por qué la gente le daba notas tan bajas.
La actitud de Calvin me hacía reír mucho porque era frío como un tempano por su entrenamiento pero sus acciones eran cariñosas y protectoras y me lo quería comer a besos ❤️.
En cuanto a Lily, sentí pena por ella por todo lo que tuvo que pasar. Me hubiera gustado que le hubiese echado más pelotas para enfrentarse a su ex? Por supuesto pero tampoco le puedo echar en cara el miedo, es un sentimiento difícil de olvidar. También me mataba de la risa que no creyese a Calvin cuando le decía en lo que trabajaba de verdad 🤣.
Así que si, recomiendo la historia sin duda, me apetece mucho leer algo más de la saga o de la autora, hacía tiempo que no cogía un libro de ella. Me encantan este tipo de historias con gente con este tipo de trabajos y que aún así no puedas horrorizarte por ello aunque quieras jajajaja.
September 22, 2017
3.5 stars
Rtc
Rtc
Read
February 3, 2018DNF. The blurb was cool. The cover is hot. But I couldn't connect to the characters, didn't feel the spark. The hero was all right. Heroine was a little weak. I stopped reading when there was a drive by and shooting at her house and she tells him to leave and acts like this was an every day occurrence. And Hero goes back home next door and does his assassin things without caring if the heroine is safe. I found it very odd. No protective instinct? No flight or fight response or scared feelings for the heroine? Huh, well that's ok. But I'm out.
November 7, 2017
3.5 - 4 ***
Calvin Jones is an assassin with Bad Boy, Inc. He's just settled in suburban life and his cover of a high end real estate agent when Lily and her daughter Zoe move in next door. Conrad is smitten. Lily comes with a bullying ex husband and enough insecurities to fill a shopping cart. Conrad has his own job to do. He's got to find out who has been peddling lethal drugs.
I liked Conrad. He was fun and tough. Lily drove me nuts with her inner debates and indecisiveness.
Calvin Jones is an assassin with Bad Boy, Inc. He's just settled in suburban life and his cover of a high end real estate agent when Lily and her daughter Zoe move in next door. Conrad is smitten. Lily comes with a bullying ex husband and enough insecurities to fill a shopping cart. Conrad has his own job to do. He's got to find out who has been peddling lethal drugs.
I liked Conrad. He was fun and tough. Lily drove me nuts with her inner debates and indecisiveness.
September 5, 2017
Great start to series ... 4.5
Calvin & lily were a great couple. I loved the banter between them, funny & sexy. Looking forward to more from this series. I loved Eva's writing. This way first book by her
Calvin & lily were a great couple. I loved the banter between them, funny & sexy. Looking forward to more from this series. I loved Eva's writing. This way first book by her
April 11, 2022
Assassin Next Door by Eve Langlais delivered an entertaining story filled with action and heat. It tells the story of a professional assassin living in the suburbs who can’t help but fall for his new neighbour; the recently divorced single mom. This was my first experience with the author and it will definitely not be my last.
Calvin is an assassin working for Bad Boys Inc. He has no problem ridding the world of evil scum. For that matter he loses no sleep over any if his jobs. He does have one rule though, never kill women or children. Comfortable with his life and the pleasure his job gave him, he didn't think he needed anything or anyone else in life. But then Lily and her precocious four-year-old moved in next door. Soon Calvin began yearning for more, love and a family. He knows he should stay away, but the pull of love and the prospect of a family kept him close.
Lily is looking to start her life anew after leaving an abusive marriage. Her ex-husband, however, has no intention of letting her go. Unfortunately, Lily has not fully escaped his clutches as they share joint custody of their daughter. She needs to tread lightly, as she does not have the capacity to fight the power he wields. If only she could hire someone to kill him.
I had so much fun with the Assassin Next Door. It had a slow start, but my curiosity to see how the story would play out kept me going. I am so glad I did. In no time suspense, action and a sizzling romance had me flipping the pages.
Getting to know the protagonists proved a delightful experience. Lily is trying to get her life back not only for herself but also for her daughter. Falling in love may not have been on her agenda, but it came knocking anyway. She grew throughout the story, slowly com. . Can’t blame her for her unbelief. Her reaction when she learnt he was indeed being truthful all along was quite interesting.
Calvin and Lily both ended up in a dangerous situation and her ex-husband’s involvement came as no surprise. Lily, believing Calvin to be in danger, took steps to protect him, which escalated the situation. Not that a trained killing machine needed protection.
The members of the Bad Boys Inc are all skilled and deadly, but so is the master villain. He is always one step ahead, making him a worthy opponent. The tidbits of information Langlais provided about each of them left me wanting to learn more about them. The camaraderie between members of the group made for some laugh out loud moments.
Assassin Next Door was a fun and delightful read and I recommend it to readers who enjoy a light, fun and spicy romance.
Narration
Rebecca Mitchell narrated. My first time listening to her and she did a wonderful job. Her voices for each of the characters were distinct. Her narration combined with the storytelling made for a pleasant listen.This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading
Calvin is an assassin working for Bad Boys Inc. He has no problem ridding the world of evil scum. For that matter he loses no sleep over any if his jobs. He does have one rule though, never kill women or children. Comfortable with his life and the pleasure his job gave him, he didn't think he needed anything or anyone else in life. But then Lily and her precocious four-year-old moved in next door. Soon Calvin began yearning for more, love and a family. He knows he should stay away, but the pull of love and the prospect of a family kept him close.
Lily is looking to start her life anew after leaving an abusive marriage. Her ex-husband, however, has no intention of letting her go. Unfortunately, Lily has not fully escaped his clutches as they share joint custody of their daughter. She needs to tread lightly, as she does not have the capacity to fight the power he wields. If only she could hire someone to kill him.
I had so much fun with the Assassin Next Door. It had a slow start, but my curiosity to see how the story would play out kept me going. I am so glad I did. In no time suspense, action and a sizzling romance had me flipping the pages.
Getting to know the protagonists proved a delightful experience. Lily is trying to get her life back not only for herself but also for her daughter. Falling in love may not have been on her agenda, but it came knocking anyway. She grew throughout the story, slowly com. . Can’t blame her for her unbelief. Her reaction when she learnt he was indeed being truthful all along was quite interesting.
Calvin and Lily both ended up in a dangerous situation and her ex-husband’s involvement came as no surprise. Lily, believing Calvin to be in danger, took steps to protect him, which escalated the situation. Not that a trained killing machine needed protection.
The members of the Bad Boys Inc are all skilled and deadly, but so is the master villain. He is always one step ahead, making him a worthy opponent. The tidbits of information Langlais provided about each of them left me wanting to learn more about them. The camaraderie between members of the group made for some laugh out loud moments.
Assassin Next Door was a fun and delightful read and I recommend it to readers who enjoy a light, fun and spicy romance.
Narration
Rebecca Mitchell narrated. My first time listening to her and she did a wonderful job. Her voices for each of the characters were distinct. Her narration combined with the storytelling made for a pleasant listen.This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading
April 14, 2022
An enjoyable read! I loved everything I’m Calvin’s POV, especially him figuring out his feelings for Lily. I also adored his interactions with Zoe, wish we were given more honestly. An overall good read.
July 10, 2020
I love the idea behind this book, an assassin living next door to a single mom and falling in love with her is an adorable premise. Unfortunately, it's the only likable thing about The Assassin Next Door.
During the course of this book our "hero":
- Tries to convince himself Lily might be a lesbian because she's not interested in him inviting himself over.
- Calls a woman escaping a violent marriage "silly" for having objections to dating.
- Gets drunk and incredibly hungover multiple times.
- Points a loaded rifle at her house so he can watch her.
- Intentionally antagonizes her violent ex-husband with no regard for the fact that this will have blow back on her.
-Breaks into her house to plant cameras and microphones.
- Breaks into her house to install locks.
- Chides himself for allowing her o walk to the bathroom unescorted in a FIVE STAR private dining room "like a gazelle amongst a herd of lions".
- Is proud of her for sitting prim and proper after she's been accosted and threatened in an alleyway.
- Breaks into her house and hides a gun under the mattress in a house with a toddler.
- Tells his date he's an Assassin! Goes out of his way to convince her it's true.
- Tricks her into confronting her ex under the guise of a "date"
- Bullies her into intimacy "Don't make me prove you wrong... showing you what we both want"
- Never faces the consequences of ANY of these awful actions
- Furthermore he's bad at his job and never actually solves the mystery instead Lily actually "solves" this part of the story.
The author withholding information from the reader that LITERALLY every character knows (Brock is a cop) in order to create suspense that would have been better spent as character development was a waste. Lily is so willfully stupid multiple times that I gave myself a headache rolling my eyes. The fact that Lily/the author acknowledges this stupidity doesn't excuse it.
I was so uninterested in these characters that by the time they had sex 230 pages into the book I honestly didn't care.
The characters are completely inconsistent. None of them are believable. Even the kid is poorly written.
The Inspector Gadget "I'll get you next time" ending is SO LAME
I've literally never written a bad review of a book ever, but this book was a total turd!
During the course of this book our "hero":
- Tries to convince himself Lily might be a lesbian because she's not interested in him inviting himself over.
- Calls a woman escaping a violent marriage "silly" for having objections to dating.
- Gets drunk and incredibly hungover multiple times.
- Points a loaded rifle at her house so he can watch her.
- Intentionally antagonizes her violent ex-husband with no regard for the fact that this will have blow back on her.
-Breaks into her house to plant cameras and microphones.
- Breaks into her house to install locks.
- Chides himself for allowing her o walk to the bathroom unescorted in a FIVE STAR private dining room "like a gazelle amongst a herd of lions".
- Is proud of her for sitting prim and proper after she's been accosted and threatened in an alleyway.
- Breaks into her house and hides a gun under the mattress in a house with a toddler.
- Tells his date he's an Assassin! Goes out of his way to convince her it's true.
- Tricks her into confronting her ex under the guise of a "date"
- Bullies her into intimacy "Don't make me prove you wrong... showing you what we both want"
- Never faces the consequences of ANY of these awful actions
- Furthermore he's bad at his job and never actually solves the mystery instead Lily actually "solves" this part of the story.
The author withholding information from the reader that LITERALLY every character knows (Brock is a cop) in order to create suspense that would have been better spent as character development was a waste. Lily is so willfully stupid multiple times that I gave myself a headache rolling my eyes. The fact that Lily/the author acknowledges this stupidity doesn't excuse it.
I was so uninterested in these characters that by the time they had sex 230 pages into the book I honestly didn't care.
The characters are completely inconsistent. None of them are believable. Even the kid is poorly written.
The Inspector Gadget "I'll get you next time" ending is SO LAME
I've literally never written a bad review of a book ever, but this book was a total turd!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 12, 2025
Assassin Next Door by Eve Langlais
Genres; Adult, Contemporary, Crime, Humor & Comedy, Mystery, Romance, Suspense.
3.75 Stars
I did find 2 typos & there were a couple of areas that slowed down the flow. Overall the flow was fast paced.
From the very beginning this one had me chuckling then flat out laughing out loud. There is plenty of humor and comedic relief throughout the story.
Calvin and Lily are great main characters and Lily's daughter, Zoe is absolutely adorable. She also adds to the humor in this story.
There is plenty of mystery (who is behind the drugs & deaths) and suspense.
The romance is adult. A bit of a slow burn, but then there are fireworks aplenty!
What this one lacked was depth. There could have been more tension and angst. I would have also liked to see a bit more character build in the other players.
But, it was light and funny despite the criminal element and I most definitely enjoyed it.
Genres; Adult, Contemporary, Crime, Humor & Comedy, Mystery, Romance, Suspense.
3.75 Stars
I did find 2 typos & there were a couple of areas that slowed down the flow. Overall the flow was fast paced.
From the very beginning this one had me chuckling then flat out laughing out loud. There is plenty of humor and comedic relief throughout the story.
Calvin and Lily are great main characters and Lily's daughter, Zoe is absolutely adorable. She also adds to the humor in this story.
There is plenty of mystery (who is behind the drugs & deaths) and suspense.
The romance is adult. A bit of a slow burn, but then there are fireworks aplenty!
What this one lacked was depth. There could have been more tension and angst. I would have also liked to see a bit more character build in the other players.
But, it was light and funny despite the criminal element and I most definitely enjoyed it.
August 13, 2017
It was ok. I want a Cal of my own.
August 15, 2017
3.5**
December 24, 2017
I ALWAYS get a kick out of Eve Langlais books. You get sass and spunk and (quite often) a little growling from our hero. Frankly, Calvin does the growling thing well. Especially if Lily's in danger. Heck, Lily or Zoe. Both of them elicit more than a few protective growls from the big guy.
Now, in theory, an assassin might not be the typical hero one looks for. But Lily's issues demand someone who isn't afraid to step in and get his hands dirty if he needs to. In other words, Calvin is perfect for Lily. And the guys (and ladies) he works with aren't without their own code of honor.
Basically, Bad Boy Inc might take on contract killings, but they're also exploring a few new avenues that are broadening their reach as a company.
The bad guys won't know what hit 'em.
Fun, sexy, and a little bloody. Just the way I like my books.
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
Now, in theory, an assassin might not be the typical hero one looks for. But Lily's issues demand someone who isn't afraid to step in and get his hands dirty if he needs to. In other words, Calvin is perfect for Lily. And the guys (and ladies) he works with aren't without their own code of honor.
Basically, Bad Boy Inc might take on contract killings, but they're also exploring a few new avenues that are broadening their reach as a company.
The bad guys won't know what hit 'em.
Fun, sexy, and a little bloody. Just the way I like my books.
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
June 25, 2018
This book is sort of "James Bond Lite" if you will. For an assassin needing a low profile I have to say that Calvin certainly racked up the body count. Even if Calvin is in the "fix it" business he likes living in the suburbs. He also likes looking at his new neighbor Lily. She's newly divorced from a local cop who spends his time harassing her to come back to him and using their daughter for extra manipulation. This book never takes itself seriously and you shouldn't either. There's a truth serum for goodness sake. Calvin is trying to get to the bottom of a drug ring selling bad dope in town so he menaces every dealer caught with (marked) drugs. This unsubtle approach pretty much warns the ultimate bad guy someones on to him pronto. This results in threats to Lily for which Calvin must act the protector. Basic, silly fun in other words.
July 22, 2017
Calvin is an assassin that lives in suburbia. He lives a charmed life in his mind until a cutie with an ex and a kid moves in next door. Lily has had it hard for a while until she got the guts up to leave her ex. With her daughter she's trying to start fresh and hope her ex slips up and lets his evil show to the wrong person.
I really enjoyed this book. Calvin was adamant he wasn't going to fall for the cutie next door. He was an assassin laying low and had no time for kids or women with baggage and he has to tell himself this over and over. Lily has a strong backbone underneath her justifiable fear of the ex that bullied and abused her. The underlying current of suspense and the dry humour of the story had me enthralled. I giggled, gasped and generally just loved this story.
I really enjoyed this book. Calvin was adamant he wasn't going to fall for the cutie next door. He was an assassin laying low and had no time for kids or women with baggage and he has to tell himself this over and over. Lily has a strong backbone underneath her justifiable fear of the ex that bullied and abused her. The underlying current of suspense and the dry humour of the story had me enthralled. I giggled, gasped and generally just loved this story.
July 27, 2020
This book was atrocious and Eve Langlais should be ashamed of herself.
Story-wise, this book is simple enough. Assassin lives in suburbs, gets new neighbor, falls in lust, there is danger, they live happily ever after. In a vacuum, that's all well and good. In fact, that's what the teaser synopsis of this book promises me and that's why I picked it up in the first place.
Thematically, this book is beyond problematic. In a nutshell? It's a story that paints women as stupid and justifies the cruel things that men do to them by telling the reader that this is what "love" is. It's misogynistic crap written for women by a woman.
Our female lead, Lily, is a survivor of domestic abuse and she's just left a bad marriage. Our male lead is a man named Calvin, who is an assassin by trade who happens to live in the house next door. I strongly question pairing a survivor of domestic abuse with a love interest who leads an incredibly violent lifestyle-a lifestyle that he is actually very open to her about and she somehow accepts despite the abuse-related PTSD I'm told she suffers.
I have so few things to say about our female lead, primarily because there is so little character development there. We spend an awful lot of time talking about Lily, the mom. We spend very little time learning about anything else. If Lily has other parts of her identify independent of "mom" and "abuse victim," I wouldn't know it. We don't really talk about that. And what little information I am given about her is incredibly inconsistent. One moment, she's shuttering all of the blinds out of fear of her ex-husband, but in the next she's opening the door to complete strangers. She's not twitchy at all about taking her daughter to school, despite her ex-husband's continued threats that he would take their child away, but then is concerned greatly about handing her child off for her ex-husband's scheduled parenting time. She waits impatiently by the phone while her young daughter spends the weekend with the abusive ex-husband, genuinely concerned for her child, but then Calvin asks her out to dinner and Lily doesn't check her phone one time. She's supposedly not interested in having sex with Calvin, making sure to wear unsexy undergarments, but makes sure to shave her legs (for the first time in a long time) despite plans to wear long pants.
Calvin is a dangerous man, a psychopath, and not at any point in this story does he ever take "no" for an answer. He stalks Lily by putting up multiple cameras in her home. Knowing that Lily has recently escaped an abusive situation, he brings more violence into her life by picking fist fights fights in front of her and making multiple offers to murder Lily's ex-husband. He pretty much just forces himself on Lily, both emotionally and physically throughout the entire novel. Lily is prize for Calvin. A conquest. His inner monologue talks about how he needs to have sex with Lily to "show her what they both want" and during their first sexual encounter he seeks to "claim her like a man claims a woman"-meaning he is going to have sex with her. He's creepy, he's rapey, he's gross. I am at a complete loss as to how, as a reader, I am supposed to find this man attractive. Someone please explain it to me like I'm in kindergarten.
I admittedly only read one of the sex scenes. It was the first one and after that experience, I skipped the other 2-3 sex scenes that followed. I actually almost just stopped reading at that point, that's how gross it was. The author barely refers to Lily's body as if it is human. Instead of talking about nipples, they are "berries" and "buds." Instead of having a vagina, Lily has a "mound" or a "sex" or a "channel." Lily has zero dialogue. Readers are not given any of her thoughts or feelings.
I learn in that scene that Calvin's dick is capable of feeling jealousy, but not one word on how Lily felt about any of this encounter. Calvin just "slams" it in and Lily just "thrashes" around. That's not sexy. That's gross and arguably violent.
The most egregious part of this book is at the end. By then we've learned that not only is Lily's ex-husband a violent man with a history of beating his wife, he's a police officer and has been abusing the power of his position in order to escape any repercussions for his acts of domestic abuse. He threatens Lily throughout the entire novel. Lily recounts a couple of instances of violence from their marriage. This is not a good man. Lily is genuinely afraid of him, and for good reason.
However, and for reasons I do not understand, he is offered an opportunity for redemption at the end of the novel. By sacrificing himself, he is allowed to die a hero. None of that abuse matters, because he dies a good man.
This book COULD have been a damsel in distress-meets-hero story. But it's not. Instead it's just woman-hating propaganda. He only beats you because he loves you. He only stalks you to keep you safe. He knows better about what you need and desire sexually that you ever could. Am I right, ladies?
To the author, I say this. You do us no favors in writing this garbage. You write books for women about women. Give us female characters who are strong, who are capable of taking the lead and know what they want. Give us male characters who respect those women and who fall in love with them for who they are, not for the curves of her body. Give us actual romance, not sex scenes where the consent is questionable and where we act like we can't talk about the female body as if it's human. Do better.
Story-wise, this book is simple enough. Assassin lives in suburbs, gets new neighbor, falls in lust, there is danger, they live happily ever after. In a vacuum, that's all well and good. In fact, that's what the teaser synopsis of this book promises me and that's why I picked it up in the first place.
Thematically, this book is beyond problematic. In a nutshell? It's a story that paints women as stupid and justifies the cruel things that men do to them by telling the reader that this is what "love" is. It's misogynistic crap written for women by a woman.
Our female lead, Lily, is a survivor of domestic abuse and she's just left a bad marriage. Our male lead is a man named Calvin, who is an assassin by trade who happens to live in the house next door. I strongly question pairing a survivor of domestic abuse with a love interest who leads an incredibly violent lifestyle-a lifestyle that he is actually very open to her about and she somehow accepts despite the abuse-related PTSD I'm told she suffers.
I have so few things to say about our female lead, primarily because there is so little character development there. We spend an awful lot of time talking about Lily, the mom. We spend very little time learning about anything else. If Lily has other parts of her identify independent of "mom" and "abuse victim," I wouldn't know it. We don't really talk about that. And what little information I am given about her is incredibly inconsistent. One moment, she's shuttering all of the blinds out of fear of her ex-husband, but in the next she's opening the door to complete strangers. She's not twitchy at all about taking her daughter to school, despite her ex-husband's continued threats that he would take their child away, but then is concerned greatly about handing her child off for her ex-husband's scheduled parenting time. She waits impatiently by the phone while her young daughter spends the weekend with the abusive ex-husband, genuinely concerned for her child, but then Calvin asks her out to dinner and Lily doesn't check her phone one time. She's supposedly not interested in having sex with Calvin, making sure to wear unsexy undergarments, but makes sure to shave her legs (for the first time in a long time) despite plans to wear long pants.
Calvin is a dangerous man, a psychopath, and not at any point in this story does he ever take "no" for an answer. He stalks Lily by putting up multiple cameras in her home. Knowing that Lily has recently escaped an abusive situation, he brings more violence into her life by picking fist fights fights in front of her and making multiple offers to murder Lily's ex-husband. He pretty much just forces himself on Lily, both emotionally and physically throughout the entire novel. Lily is prize for Calvin. A conquest. His inner monologue talks about how he needs to have sex with Lily to "show her what they both want" and during their first sexual encounter he seeks to "claim her like a man claims a woman"-meaning he is going to have sex with her. He's creepy, he's rapey, he's gross. I am at a complete loss as to how, as a reader, I am supposed to find this man attractive. Someone please explain it to me like I'm in kindergarten.
I admittedly only read one of the sex scenes. It was the first one and after that experience, I skipped the other 2-3 sex scenes that followed. I actually almost just stopped reading at that point, that's how gross it was. The author barely refers to Lily's body as if it is human. Instead of talking about nipples, they are "berries" and "buds." Instead of having a vagina, Lily has a "mound" or a "sex" or a "channel." Lily has zero dialogue. Readers are not given any of her thoughts or feelings.
I learn in that scene that Calvin's dick is capable of feeling jealousy, but not one word on how Lily felt about any of this encounter. Calvin just "slams" it in and Lily just "thrashes" around. That's not sexy. That's gross and arguably violent.
The most egregious part of this book is at the end. By then we've learned that not only is Lily's ex-husband a violent man with a history of beating his wife, he's a police officer and has been abusing the power of his position in order to escape any repercussions for his acts of domestic abuse. He threatens Lily throughout the entire novel. Lily recounts a couple of instances of violence from their marriage. This is not a good man. Lily is genuinely afraid of him, and for good reason.
However, and for reasons I do not understand, he is offered an opportunity for redemption at the end of the novel. By sacrificing himself, he is allowed to die a hero. None of that abuse matters, because he dies a good man.
This book COULD have been a damsel in distress-meets-hero story. But it's not. Instead it's just woman-hating propaganda. He only beats you because he loves you. He only stalks you to keep you safe. He knows better about what you need and desire sexually that you ever could. Am I right, ladies?
To the author, I say this. You do us no favors in writing this garbage. You write books for women about women. Give us female characters who are strong, who are capable of taking the lead and know what they want. Give us male characters who respect those women and who fall in love with them for who they are, not for the curves of her body. Give us actual romance, not sex scenes where the consent is questionable and where we act like we can't talk about the female body as if it's human. Do better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 10, 2019
This was just ok. It felt like there was a better book trying to get out.
The plot was fine (if a little over the top) and is what kept the book moving. The romance was not convincing. I didn't really feel a connection b/t the hero & heroine. There wasn't a lot of build up or even opportunity for them to really get to know each other since everything seemed to be about heroine-in-jeopardy.
Probably won't go on the to rest of the books in the series.
The plot was fine (if a little over the top) and is what kept the book moving. The romance was not convincing. I didn't really feel a connection b/t the hero & heroine. There wasn't a lot of build up or even opportunity for them to really get to know each other since everything seemed to be about heroine-in-jeopardy.
Probably won't go on the to rest of the books in the series.
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