The first in Gadziala’s next generation Henchman series was a delight to read. Whether you are a long term Henchman fan or jumping in for the first time, there is a lot to enjoy in Niro and Andi’s HEA.
Niro (Pagan and Kennedy’s son) has loved Andi (Reeve and Rey’s daughter) since childhood. He has known for nearly as long that her sensitivity, goodness, big heart, joy and softness is not a fit for Niro’s world of 1%ers, fights, danger and darkness. Until she leaves for college and Niro patches in he’s remained her best friend and ignored both his feelings for her and the reality of needing to let her go, holding on instead to the sunshine and light she brings to his darkness. Once she leaves town he knows he needs to let go of even her friendship so she can find a life with someone good for her and he does not have to be a bystander watching it happen and wishing it was him. When she's gone from his life, all the light leaves with her, leaving Niro to fighting, drinking and women as the only outlet for his pain as he gives into the cold, hard, darkness inside.
For Andi, Niro was her best friend, her rock, the person she always turned to. For her, he was always kind, warm, smiled and laughed even if he was only like that with her. She does not understand what happened over the course of college and veterinary school to their friendship. When she returns home to Navesink Bank hoping to have her best friend again in her life, she instead finds a different, harder, colder Niro, one that seems to want nothing to do with Andi.
With several of the younger gen Henchman family conniving to get these two to realize what everyone’s always known, that they are fated to be together, and when Andi gets caught up with the new criminal crew in town, Niro can’t continue to ignore Andi or how much he loves her.
There is a lot to adore about this novel:
• Andi and Niro are a wonderful opposites attract happily ever after,
• A dark H who is more than the cold SOB he appears
• A warm, kind h who wears her emotions on her sleeve but is more than just the naïve girl everyone seems to think she is,
• The introduction of the next gen Henchman crew,
• New rivals and agitators who may or may not be good guys and gals,
• Jax Ward (Ross Ward’s son),
• And as always an epic epilogue.
I did wish there was more to Niro’s and Andi’s story, a little more insight into all the secondary characters, a lot more depth and time and just more development in the story. But overall leaving me wanting more is not a bad problem for a book to have.
And I cannot wait to see what happens next and for more of the Henchmen next generation to find their HEA.
I was given an ARC; this is my unbiased review of the novel.