Release Blitz + Excerpt + Review: "Side Hustle" by Marika Ray

Congratulations to author Marika Ray on today's release of her latest rom-com, "Side Hustle," the fourth and final book of the Jobs from Hell series. This story mostly works as a standalone, but my recommendation is to read the series in order. There are several secrets and mysteries that have been unfolding over the course of the entire series, and the answers are revealed here in the final book. Besides that, each of the books is just so darn funny, and I loved them all!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story's well-crafted enemies-to-lovers romance between complete opposites Rip Bennett and Hazel Redding. Rip and Hazel were best friends and nearly became more as juniors in high school, but they had a mysterious falling out and ended up becoming enemies instead. Hazel and Rip did their best to avoid each other over the years in spite of having mutual friends, but when they accidentally stumbled onto a vein of gold, they decided to work together for the benefit of their small town, Auburn Hill (aka Hell). 

 

As Rip and Hazel worked together, the old romantic feelings between them sparked back to life, and I loved their witty banter and the way they brought out the best in each other. For many reasons, Rip had always tried to remain in the background, while Hazel always wanted to be the life of the party. As they grew closer, ray of sunshine Hazel helped taciturn Rip gain the confidence he needed to finally confront his father, the evil town mayor, and fight for what he believed in. In return, Rip helped Hazel address her complex relationship with her mother, who had abandoned her as a child.

This story is laugh-out-loud funny in a lot of places, but also tugged at my heartstrings as it dealt with serious issues such as parental abuse and abandonment. Overall, the humor far outweighed the angst, and I loved this funny, sweet story. I highly recommend "Side Hustle" and look forward to Marika Ray's next release. 

 

*Review copy provided by the author. All opinions expressed are my own. 

 

 

About "Side Hustle"

The side-hustling small-town girl finds herself the main obsession when it comes to the mayor’s rich son. Too bad she’s hated him since he humiliated her in high school.

Hazel Redding
I’m so poor my side hustle has a side hustle, but what I lack in dollars, I make up for in enthusiasm. My latest gig might be a little embarrassing as a deodorant sniffer, but my mantra is that life is one big party. Especially when I discover gold one day in the hills of my small town. The only downside? The brooding rich boy who broke my heart in high school is the owner of that land, and we’ve had a strict policy of hating each other ever since.

Rip Bennett
I have a need to right some wrongs, but that requires coming out of the shadows of my father, the town mayor. Hazel seems like just what I need to bring some sunshine to my life, but will the lure of riches and criminal family members pull us apart? I might have to get my own hustle on to fight for her heart. 

 

 

Read an Excerpt from "Side Hustle"

 

“Don’t make that face.”

 

“What face?”

 

I pointed at Rip, my finger almost poking that tanned skin. “That one. The one that makes you look really mean.”

 

He grabbed my finger and pulled me so close the edges of our boards clanked together. My heart skipped a beat, probably from the fear of falling into the water, not because at this close of range I could sniff Rip again.

 

“It’s not nice to point your finger in someone’s face, Hazel.”

 

Rip’s growl flowed over me like hot lava, leaving me shivering and burning up at the same time. What the hell was that? How could a simple sentence sound like a dirty innuendo from the guy who never flirted? If I didn’t drown out here on the ocean, I might drown in those intense brown eyes.

 

I tugged my hand back, tucking it back under my thigh where it wasn’t in danger of reaching back out for him once the withdrawals set in. Rip sighed and looked away. My spine sagged once his gaze swung away, no longer under the laser beam of his intense scrutiny.