What happens when a snarky hitman and a by-the-book PI cross paths? Leland Being a hitman has its perks, but I never thought getting an accidental mooning by an attractive PI while he’s caught on a fence would be one of them. While it’s not exactly love at first sight, he’s captured my interest and won’t let go.Suddenly, I find myself caught in a game of cat and mouse, determined to attract the … and mouse, determined to attract the attention of Jackson, the PI who should be my enemy. He pretends like he’s not flattered by my flowers and the mentions of my totally-not-fictitious blow-up doll Randy (or was it Dandy?), but I know better. Why else would he be teaming up with me to bring down Hardek, one of the city’s most ruthless criminals?
Jackson
Even though the cops are telling me that the hitman is a notorious contract killer, I can’t help but admit that I’m drawn to him. He’s funny, charismatic, and attractive. There’s no way this ridiculous man can be the person the cops are after.
But when Leland ends up at my doorstep injured, I’m faced with a tough choice. It’s my duty to hand him over to law enforcement, but my heart has other plans. I want to keep him. To protect him. To be with him.
Though one question remains: why in the world does the man have so many d*mn guns?
Contains: shenanigans on a swing that you would NOT find at a playground, a car chase that sadly doesn’t have flips or explosions, a horsey ride sans horse, cuddles, an exuberant mutt, a suspicious chief of police, and lots and lots of laughs.
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Very surprising…
Hitman’s Guide
WOW – I have NEVER laughed so much while reading a book before…
Leland – a lethal marksman, was such a breath of fresh air – not because of his profession but because of how hilarious he was.
I TOTALLY LOVED HIM …he unabashedly speaks the words that we mostly squash away in our minds for fear of being judged…
My heart broke for Leland every time Jackson did something good for him and he looked at Jackson strangely cos he didn’t expect anyone to shower him with such kind gestures…
Leland and Jackson fit each other perfectly and I really liked how Jackson was ready to throw everything in the wind for Leland.
The sidesplittingly hilarious banter doesn’t even take you away from the action of the story.
I would totally recommend this to anyone…
This book is what happens when Hollywood action and glam meets MM romcom gold. The Hitman’s guide to Making Friends and Finding Love is a fantastic and hilarious book full of shenanigans and zany actions. The humor is the main focus of the book mixed with an action-packed plot that moves fast and takes the reader on a wild ride. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the audiobook.
**********Contains Spoilers**********
I loved this book. What can I say Leland is completely ridiculous and it was very funny how annoying he is and how much enjoyment he gets out of it and I’m surprised how Jackson can deal with him most the time but it makes things interesting wondering what the h*ll is going to come out of his mouth next and how can he be the ass*ssin Sandman. I found myself laughing throughout most the book. I thought Leland and Jackson are great together and I’m glad that they both have each other, Jackson because his parents don’t accept that he’s gay so he has to put if with their views, well mainly his mum and the worst was after they’d met Leland multiple times and him and Jackson had been together about 6 months and even a stranger could tell how happy Jackson has been. They had lunch at Jackson’s parents house but Leland told Jackson her was sick but he was lying as his old handler Tucker basically guilted him into doing one more job as his teenage daughter has been abd*cted by a r*pist, even though he’d promised Jackson that he would stop being an ass*ssin so he didn’t go to lunch and Jackson’s mum told him that he better check on Leland and that he’s actually sick as guys like him are very promiscuous so maybe he’s lying and he’s actually out cheating on Jackson with multiple men all because he’s younger and gay. I’m glad Jackson’s sister Ella stuck up for him saying that she’s known that he’s been gay since he was 15 years old and that it’s no wonder that he didn’t come out to them until his 30’s with the way they think but really his mum was onto something and that he wasn’t sick and he was lying just so he could take one last job as the Sandman against Jackson’s wishes. I’m really looking forward to seeing what antics Leland and Jackson get up to in the next book and there’s completely no doubt that Leland will rope Henry into his schemes as well. I’d definitely recommend this book, series and author to everyone.
Leland may be my favourite character, ever.
*WARNING* intended for mature audiences
Leland is an outrageous character. The story had a lot of humor and it throws in a twist at the end in finding new info on the bad guy. The things is, Leland supposedly had a scrappy childhood, he’s a very successful hit man and he’s 27 years old….yet he has the maturity of a 13 year old. The story was entertaining, but totally not believable. I don’t think I’ll be reading book 2.
Do yourself a favor and read this book. It is absolutely hilarious and you will never see fences the same way again!!! Leland and Jackson are perfect for each other, if you can ignore that one is a hitman and the other is a PI. These books are full of dark humor. I mean one guy is a hitman after! I couldn’t stop laughing and the relationship these two build is also amazing. The audio book is even better!
I laughed so much my head hurt and my sides will ache for days. I didn’t know I needed this book in my life right now until I found myself crying with joy! A soul-cleansing was mandatory and so necessary as I was feeling weighed down by some challenges. Alice Winter’s ‘The Hitman’s Guide’ featured Leland, one gunman who is absolutely hilarious, and the man private investigator (Jackson) who values his special brand of insanity. Together they make one of the most darling couples ever. There are several exciting and tense moments in the book that will stop all laughter at times. One of them happened when Leland is shot and makes his way back to Jackson–he just didn’t want to die alone. It helped me to understand the unique isolation that can be the life of an assassin. How glad I am that Leland finds someone to love and that someone loves him, too! This book made me feel all kinds of good. Can’t wait to listen to the next audiobook of the series. Speaking of the audio format, the book is narrated by Michael Ferraiuolo–one of the very best in the business. He IS the very voice of the character Leland! To my absolute delight, the author thinks so, too!
Laugh out loud funny. Prepare yourself for weird looks from others if you’re out in public. Wonderful characters and story you can really sink your teeth into. You’ll definitely buy the next two books in the series.
Freaking HILARIOUS! Absolutely love these characters.
This is a well written funny book, lots of snark. If you can imagine the main character Leland as a Gay Deadpool then you will be very close.
I need to recommend this book to everyone who needs to actually laugh out loud when listening to this.
The narrator is wonderful with his character, I seriously smiled right the way through the book.
4.5*
I don’t even know where to start…
If you’ve read the In Darkness series by Alice Winters you know she can write some fun and crazy characters. Well, Leland is Felix, but to the nth degree. Was he over the top? Uh, yeah. Did I want him to rein himself in at certain points? No doubt. Did I wonder how Jackson managed not to do bodily harm to him? For sure. He really is quite ridiculous.
But OMG, Leland was just so fun and sweet and endearing, and my heart hurt for him a little, that I couldn’t help falling in love with him, craziness and all. He’s such a contradiction- this calm, collected hitman on one hand, this wacky and outlandish guy on the other. Leland’s definitely one of those characters you’ll either love or hate, and I’m firmly in the love camp. I want more.
The Hitman’s Guide was such an engaging story. I don’t think there was a minute that I wasn’t completely entertained. Except maybe the few scenes with Jackson’s mother- yeah, I was more irritated than entertained during those moments. But other than that, this story kept me turning the pages.
And seriously, Jackson deserves to be sainted for the way he handled and put up with Leland and all his antics. But I loved how he cared about Leland, and how much Leland wanted to belong. Even with all the silliness and absurd goings-on, you could just tell these two were meant to be.
This will definitely be on reread rotation, and I really can’t wait to hear it in audio!
OMG, I’m without words!!!! The book is funny, hilarious, witty, sexy, and much more. The plot is interesting and full of action, but that it is not the best part, because the cherry on top is Leland. Really, you’d love Jackson good enough, you can even like Henry and Mason a lot but Leland…. WOW. Leland as a character, is in my opinion one of the best I’d ever read. Seriously, I spent a big part of the story laughing, but Leland’s life is not one to be happy about because you immediately understand that he has a lot of internal baggage, that his emotions are so deep that he hid them to avoid looking vulnerable. Wonderful characters, amazing plot, a story worth to read and re read many times. Loved it!!!
KU. Part of me wants to give this a 4 because the parts that worked for me really worked for me. This is OTT and much like Hidden In Darkness with a contrasting “obnoxious young guy” & “older straight man”. (Straight meaning serious ~ these guys are both openly gay). I laughed a lot and enjoyed the suspense/mystery as well as the comedic aspects.
But something was off, because I would put it down and then have to remind myself that it was waiting to be finished. I’m not sure if it just felt like reading a “repackaged” version of the “In Darkness” series or what. There were also some lulls in the story, abrupt changes of pace that felt off.
I enjoyed it, but I know it’s not something I’d read again, so it lands in my 3 star pile.
Funny, irreverent, and so sappy sweet I felt like I died from sugar overload, but was revived by hilarity and general ridiculousness. I think this was definitely an awesome book. There were some moments that had me skimming, others that were disappointing, a few that were frustrating, but the majority of what I felt was happy.
Jackson’s reluctance to positively reinforce Leland’s utter ridiculousness was all kinds of funny to me. His dry humor snagged my attention and the utter silliness of Leland grabbed me just as hard. The camp and the evasive use of the humor can definitely be a lot for some readers, but for me it was just this side of good because of Leland’s general bad-A persona when Sandman came out to play.
I won’t say I’m all for the idea of a hero hitman in real life, but the ideas of justice are well-argued because I think most people will agree that the legal sense of the word doesn’t always serve the moral sense of it. This point was made repeatedly and became something of a “point to ponder” moment quite a few times when the “victims'” actions became known. What made Leland redeemable for me was that once he freed himself of the harsh manipulator of his formative years, his focus became research and proof before he made the shot. His sense of morality was a bit skewed in the eyes of the law, but he never again went blindly after money or orders.
The “big reveal” part was pretty over the top and I have to say it was not my favorite. Leland’s panic put him in a difficult situation with Henry and while Leland’s actions were surprising in their manic overreaction, it was Henry’s relentless harping on one circumstantial fact that annoyed me much worse. Surely Henry’s sense of honor, justice, and empathy would keep him from using the same cruel yet empty rebuttal to all of Leland and Jackson’s pleas and explanations, but no, he couldn’t see beyond the one descriptor. And honestly, I personally find parallels more convincing than pleading over and over while reiterating the same remorse. Like, what about Jackson taking orders to take out targets without confirmation of proof during his military service? Doesn’t that seem awfully similar to Leland’s situation prior to his hard-won emancipation? And what about Henry having to have likely seen innocent people put in prison or killed in the line of duty? There were quite a few things that could have been said differently to make the scene more powerful, convincing, and, dare I say it, shorter.
And shorter is another thing I’ll say that I’m on the fence about. The overall story length wasn’t too much of a problem for me because I really loved getting to know everyone (except Jackson’s mom…she should just really be cut off, I feel. I’m hoping she gets it together in the future because if not, she deserves every moment of Leland-style torture she gets). There were moments though, that could definitely have been truncated or more concise and to-the-point to improve their efficacy and overall flow. The biggest issue for me with this was the overkill with the confessions of feelings about Leland’s mistake and Jackson’s heart during the safe-house moment. It was just that…overkill. While the sentiments were wonderful, they just took ‘beating a dead horse’ to a new level. Saying the same things again and again while not really changing the actual words being said or the motivations behind them, just restating the same stuff just isn’t effective.
But what remains for me is how the humor style of both Leland and Jackson just fit me. They’re fantastic together and I love that it took them quite a while to give in to the sexual tension so they were truly based on something solid and honest…well, as honest as Leland could be. Jackson was intelligent, but his brain and investigative talents took a serious backseat to Leland’s own prowess in that regard allowing him to become a multi-faceted character worthy of a second, third, and fourth look. Jackson’s heart was so sweet, so effusive, so full of everything for every part of Leland. There was so much to love about this book that it gave me reasons to overlook the things that were less impressive. I’m in love with these men and can’t wait for their next crazy adventure.
Leland and Jackson get all the stars! This hilarious book had suspense, action, laughter, comedy and a very hyper dog. Leland was the funniest hitman ever who needed straight-laced Jackson to keep him balanced. This was refreshing and light and I highly recommend this book to anyone who needs a break from reality and to get lost with two men.
Lot of humour and thoroughly engaging!
Another perfectly, amazing book! Leland is so over the top crazy but just can’t help liking him. Jackson is staid and stoic but he starts to loosen up farther into the book. This book had me smiling and giggling the whole time!! Hope there’s more coming from these guys.
Once again, Ms. Winters has created a wonderful romantic action novel that will make you laugh out loud. The characters are wonderful, and the writing style is smooth and flows nicely.
Jackson is ex-military and a P.I. He has a special relationship with the chief of police, Henry, who shares inside information on cases on a regular basis. He’s never been in a relationship, and his family doesn’t truly accept him for who he is…or at least his evil mom doesn’t.
Leland had it rough growing up. When he ran away from his last foster home, he found himself in a bad situation, but a man stepped in to help make it all better. Unfortunately, he was a manipulative man wanting an apprentice to train, so Leland became his pawn. It wasn’t until Leland learned a hard lesson that he decided to put an end to the destructive relationship. However, he decided to put the skills he had been taught to rid the world of evil, one bad guy at a time.
When a shared case brings the two men in contact, things get interesting fast. Leland is loud and obnoxiously flirty, while Jackson is full of sarcasm, dry humor, and an extreme desire to not fall for this hitman’s whacky ways. Against his better judgment, Jackson decides to give Leland a chance when he is hurt. The rule is simple: don’t hurt or kill anyone anymore, and Leland can stay with Jackson while he heals.
During this time, Jackson begins to trust Leland, but Leland has to get out of the house. He’s broken their agreement, and he does a bad/good thing. When he realizes that he misses Jackson, he convinces him to give him another chance. Only this time, it’s Jackson who asks Leland to break his promise. Things get exciting from there.
Family drama, more sitting around the house for Leland, and a relationship that is growing, all lead to a really big screwup on Leland’s part. Eventually, knowing it could cost him everything, he comes clean. At this point, Jackson has already learned the type of person Leland is, but Henry is another matter altogether. Especially with his history with Leland, and now his current situation.
However, when the case has a new breakthrough, Henry brings the two men in as consultants, and everything takes off again. When Leland realizes who their latest lead is, he allows himself to play the victim, knowing Jackson and Henry will come through and catch their quarry.
With witty and outrageous banter throughout the story, there is never a dull moment. The romance does not take away from the plot of this action story, but it is touching in its own warped kind of way. And, lo and behold, Leland, with his crazy ideas, has to adopt the most energetic dog at the pound! This book just reinforces my author crush. Lol!
Happy reading!
The Hitman’s Guide to Making Friends and Finding Love by Alice Winters is the first book in The Hitman’s Guide series. This book is a hilarious and fun action read… with a m/m romance aspect. Jackson is a PI that tries to stay on the right side of the law but Leland is the zany and snarky hitman that is about to send his life into chaos. These are amazing characters who I can’t get enough of and am so excited that their story will continue with the series. This book is a perfect mix of being hilarious and sexy. I highly recommend it.