Book Review: Crimes of Passion
Author: Jack Harbon
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Kindle
Publish Date: May 30, 2023 (Originally published as an Audible Original on May 26, 2022)
Format: eBook
★★★★★
This book is perfect for those that like: Enemies-to-Lovers, Defending Said Enemy, and a bit of Black History Weaved Into the Story
You might not like this book if you aren’t into: True Crime Podcasts or Descriptions of Murders
Favorite Line: “This is why I tell people to swallow more. Am I allowed to say that on here?” ~ Emery Thompson
The Book
Press play on this funny, sexy short story about rival true-crime podcast hosts forced to play nice and work together when, in reality, all they want to do is kill each other.
Emery Thompson hates Calvin Chamberlain. From the way he acts like he’s better than everyone to the way he moves through the world thinking his podcast is the cream of the crop, every little thing about the man gets to him. Even that dashing, oh-so-confident smile. He’d rather be caught dead than be around the man any longer than necessary—or admit that last part out loud.
Calvin Chamberlain hates admitting defeat. It’s hard enough losing sponsors for his historical crime podcast while obnoxious pop culture ones like Emery’s only gain more, so it’s a particularly cruel twist of fate when a late fan’s request for a collaboration with Emery lands in his lap. He’s in no position to turn down the plea, and with no way out, Calvin reluctantly agrees.
But keeping things purely professional turns out to be a challenge when these two make it to the studio. Their chemistry crackles through their microphones, and soon, their numbers begin to skyrocket. Can these two make a killing off what they once thought was a death sentence—and more importantly, will Calvin and Emery give into the heat of passion?
my thoughts
Reading novellas in one sitting on a weekend morning before the rest of the house is awake is my most favorite thing to do. And y’all, when I saw this was a little over 100 pages, AND it was a romance about two true crime podcasters?? I hit that READ NOW so fast.
Calvin and Emery, two rival true crime podcasters with very different styles (and who love to hate the other) find themselves paired up for a short series and things do not start off well. Over time though, they start to find some common ground and eventually a reluctant respect for one another, leading them to wonder if there could be more to their relationship.
SPOILER ALERT - THERE IS and y’all, the way they react to each other in both good AND bad ways is seriously electric.
I mean, on its surface, Crimes of Passion would be easy to label as just an enemies-to-lovers story, but it is so much more than that. It’s a story of these two find a way to stay true to themselves but also learning to not be so rigid - to open themselves up to how others see things. Throw in hilarious banter that starts out super mean and eventually becomes the best kind of flirty (truly one of my favorite parts of this story) and a bit of real-world commentary about how Black people are treated by police in this country and my friends, you have a book that I couldn’t put down.
more about the Author
From Jack Harbon’s website:
Jack is your typical eccentric twenty-something, writing stories much more interesting than their real life. If they're not writing, they're either reading books about magic girls, watching shows about blackmail and murder, or baking coconut macaroons. Follow them on Twitter @JackHarbon!