My Killer Vacation

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this was some insta love bullshit i tell you. myles was ready to rip her panties 0.0000000000001 seconds into meeting her. they talked about sex 0.00001 seconds into meeting. there's the possibility that i am too asexual to get it but... you all really look at someone who you have known for one millisecond and imagine being on all fours for them?? that's wild? or there was a scene where taylor was on the hot pavement and her feet was burning so myles pulled her on top of his boots but a few cute scenes didn’t made the book good for me bc i was annoyed by him in like 60% of the book. why was he so unsettling from the start?? he was stealing her panties on DAY ONE?? and not like oh she left them at his place. he STOLE HER UNDIES and then left his business card. how can insta-love not exist when myles cums before taylor because she admitted she could ‘love him so easily’. i was freaking out because i expected him to do the cliché 'pulling away from her because he scared of feelings blah blah' but then he thinks this— Taylor is cringy, but Myles is even worse. And together? They're the cringiest couple that has ever dared to cringe.

I don't mind it, I do think Tessa Bailey is great at writing erotica, but it's so obvious that it's the plot of the book. Not Taylor and Jude’s little holiday, not the mystery murder… the plot is these two having sex.This man meets her, and immediately thinks about her in sexual scenarios, but it's not even that, it's that it's not sexy, and it's supposed to be sexy, since this is a romance novel.

While I do find Myles and Taylor delightful, I only come around to it at the end of the book. The murder mystery at hand was supposed to allow readers to see them outside of a completely romantic context but it was so hard to hit it off with them at the first start with Myles' lewd thoughts and alpha male behavior that always come off as demanding. Like, I know we are doing grumpy-sunshine here but thanks, I've met better Tessa Bailey's hero. And Taylor? is sweet, but also as scatterbrained. Her sudden objective of self-discovery by deciding to investigate a murder case did not sit well with what was supposed to be and what was conveyed.I really wanted to finish this book so I could write a proper rant-view for it, but I don't hate myself enough to force myself to go through another 70% of it, so...DNF, meet My Killer Vacation. myles’s characters growth is so amazing. i love the way taylor made him a better person, but also made him realize that he’s better than one mistake he made while he was a detective. myles summer (H) meets taylor (h) when she discovers the body of her temporary landlord in the vacation home she was renting. myles was hired by the victims brother-in-law (also myles’s friend) to investigate the murder.

I've read enough books written by her so far to know that there are only two reasons someone could like her stories: they didn't have their Wattpad phase - and/or they never got behind it - or someone really needs to get laid. One thing about Tessa’s books is that the heroes are always very (VERY) over the top - just growly, broody, very tall humans who become completely obsessed with the heroines within seconds of meeting them. And, sometimes, that works really well (hello, It Happened One Summer) and sometimes it’s very annoying (this, unfortunately). The mystery aspect of this book is absurd. I mean, for me, autenticity is not a requirement when a thriller is paired up with romance, but I expect my mystery romance novels to at least be believable. I know she's just fictional and the sole product of a writer who cleary didn't bother doing many research about the thriller aspect of their story, but it seems to me the romance part could have used some additional work, as well. She goes on a totally out of character oversharing mode and tells him all about her sexual fantasies out of nowhere and for no reason in particular other than the author obviously wanted us to feel the tension building.I really liked Taylor; she was so funny and corageous and awesome. Plus, she sang Kelly Clarkson in the shower, which brought us closer. 🤷🏻‍♀️ When I heard that one of my favorite romance authors was going to write a steamy romance and murder mystery combo, I admit I about drooled in anticipation. I imagined sparks and sizzle and detecting galore. But alas, it wasn't that. And maybe this was just a case where my expectations were too high, so reality had nowhere to go but down. After reading seven Tessa Bailey books, I guess coming across my first dud was only a matter of time. And all things considered, that's not a bad record. I'll certainly continue to read Tessa Bailey in the future, but this book is going in the donation pile posthaste. If you enjoy the sunshine/grump trope--which is probably my all-time favourite trope--then you'll enjoy My Killer Vacation. Taylor is a vibrant elementary schoolteacher by day and true crime podcast listener by night. She exudes sunshine and hope for a wonderful summer holiday that she's planned for brother and herself. Then there is Myles. He is the giant, gruff, rough-around-the-edges bounty hunter investigating the murder as a favour to a friend. He may not initially believe in love at first sight, but he certainly falls victim to lust at first sight the moment he sets eyes on Taylor.