Make Me: The Fox Family Crime Syndicate, Book 1

Okay, honestly I had to come back and write this review 48 hours later because I finished this book and INSTANTLY bought and began reading Book 2 (and just finished it haha). It didn’t feel right to not leave a review for Book 1, when it really blew me away.Right off the bat, I was nervous to read this story because it revolves around the death of a stripper, who is the MC’s childhood friend. As a sex worker of over a decade, I am hesitant to read stories written about SW deaths because of how often they are tokenized caricatures and ‘easy characters to kill’ for many authors. My anxiety was quelled very early on in the story, as it is abundantly clear how humanized, loved, and real she is, though passed on. The MC’s grief at the loss of her friend and reminiscing on memories of them together was extremely humanizing, especially when recounting the stories of how the best friend touched lives through her work as a dancer. I felt very seen as someone working in this industry, and feel extremely grateful for Summer O’Tooles awareness, consciousness, and compassion in telling this story, while maintaining the realities and dangers of the ‘underground’.I also loved the way in which police corruption was acknowledged very early on in the book, the footnotes about the impact of solitary confinement as punishment, and awareness of race that is written into this book- all without it reading like an educational book or hinging on just one concept. I think this is an excellently written piece of evolved fiction that takes time to consider and honor the lived realities of many. The story feels very current, modern, and conscious to me in this way.This story made me laugh out loud, tense up in suspense, gasp and shudder, and run very hot haha. I love the creativity of this story.What stood out to me most, was how enjoyable the writing is and the concept of falling in love with a killer, and what that actually looks like to someone who may have jumped in over her head. I find the MC incredibly endearing and loved the chemistry between her and Cash, especially so for the first half of the book. I love how we see Harlow grow and change as she is exposed to this life, and how she chooses to assert her power wildly (multiple times) at the end of the book because it really shows me how she ‘belongs there’ by the end of it all. It felt like a natural transition as she finds herself through losing herself to the world of Cash and feel like they fit well together.There are a LOT of spicy scenes in this book, and I actually loved the plot so much that I wish we could have had a little more plot lol! I also wish I knew a little more about Harlow outside of just her friendship with Beth and a few one liners about her family. I feel like I needed just a little more about her as a person without Cash to better understand her with Cash. That being said, this in no way prevented me from ravenously reading and enjoying this book to its fullest.I especially love how immersive the book is with the footnotes for songs to play as your read, as that was so much fun to do and made the reading experience so 3-dimensional! I also commend Summer O’Toole for an exceptional taste in music… and that’s coming from a very picky musician who usually skips book playlists altogether!Thank you Summer O’Toole, for such an incredible book. My eyes need a break before I jump into Book 3, but I am sooooo excited to continue on this journey with the Fox family and so happy I found this series!

“Without you, my heart wouldn’t beat, a chuisle mo chroí” 🦊This book made me realize that I don’t like degrading which is totally okay and I really didn’t like how wildly obsessed Cash was about Harlow from the very beginning. It was a little creepy and when I read I like to somehow put myself in their position and that was a position I did not want to be in at all. But with that being said and being able to look past that…The dedication and loyalty Cash gave her is top tier and Harlow is a chaotic bad-ass! Having gone through what she went through and still continued to fight for what she thought was right was awesome and the things that woman did 🤣 I loved it!The plot was thought out well and I absolutely loved the ending, it took me by surprise, I didn’t see it coming! 🤯

So I think the story line isn't horrible but the FMC It's not my favorite. She makes really rash decisions without thinking through.Spoilers ahead. For instance she does not see pretty much anything During the murderBut she does realize a tattoo on their hand and then when she sees cash at the restaurant she automatically assumes that it's him but she doesn't take into consideration that other people might also have the tattoo. Or in this case the detective who was actually the killer used a fake tattoo. They also mention when he hits the table and she thought he bruised his hand but it was really just the ink from washing off the fake tattoo. But afterwards afterwards she does a whole steak out situation where she's following cash but she Is doing a whole bunch of stuff that doesn't make sense. The detective already stim already said that they had no physical evidence but then she talks about taking a cigarette butt of Cashs which still made no sense.

Audio Review:I was sucked into this book from the very beginning and it kept me in a chokehold until the end. I really like Harlow and enjoyed how brave she was…but I will say that she was a little too brave and got in over her head. Granted that also had me cackling when she was trying to spy on Cash and I loved that he absolutely knew what she was doing. I also loved, loved, loved that he was all in on her from the beginning and he set about to make her his.The twists and turns in the plot absolutely blew my mind. I never would have guessed who the real bad guy was in this book, so kudos to Summer O’Toole for surprising me. I really need to go read this rest of this series as soon as possible.Now, I had already read this book and thoroughly enjoyed it so I jumped at the chance to listen to the audiobook and it was totally worth it! Addison Barnes did a fantastic job bringing Harlow to life. She totally captured the pain and grief that Harlow went through, as well showcasing her strength. And Gregory Salinas as Cash Fox??? He was everything I could have wanted in a narrator for this character and totally embodied Cash in a way that made me fall for the character even more. The narration took this book from a 4 star to a 5 star for me and I couldn’t be happier with it!

This book is a work of art. We’re following the story of Harlow, a freelance writer who’s put everything in her life on hold to bring justice to her best friend Beth who was morbidly slain right in front of her. Assuming the police useless, Harlow takes matters into her own hands on bringing the killer to light, doing everything she can to do just that. Enter, Cash Fox. This man had me completely swooned. He is nothing short of a man filled with rage, compassion, patience, passion, and his heart is that of gold. In all the romances I’ve read in the last year, dark or not, this man overthrows them all. And Harlow - I *love* the power this woman holds. She is such a strong character & it feels very refreshing to have not one but both MC’s have a strong & well rounded personality. This was a super quick read for me but everything flowed at a beautiful pace & way this story unfolds is definitely one worth making it to the end for. This would be an easy 5 stars for me if the author included better character descriptions rather than opting for “white/black man/woman” all throughout the story.Overall, I’m glad I put my judgement to the side which would have had me close the book at Ch 2 because this has become one of my favourite reads this year.Absolutely beautiful read & I cannot wait to grab the rest of the Fox Crime Family series.

Ay este libro es simplemente maravilloso! Tenía mucho de no leer un dark romance tan bien escrito! El desarrollo de los personajes principales, la intriga, el suspenso, el calor! Todo maravillo! Sinceramente me quedé con ganas de más. Algo que también ame fue la forma de narrar el libro y los puntos de vista de cada prota! Mucha veces solo escriben el punto de vista de la protagonista y,el que escribiera el punto de vista de el, uff! Por eso le doy 5 estrellas. Super recomendado este libro

Harlow’s best friend was murdered by a serial killer that she believes is Cash Fox, the leader of a crime organization. I understand Harlow, she needs to believe in what her eyes could see and her brain remembered, right? Cash is not a good man. That doesn’t mean that he killed Beth whatsoever.Cash is exactly my size of mafia book boyfriend! 🥵🔥And like every possessive man in the books… what he wants he gets so Harlow is already his (on his mind). Insta love YES, and extremely obsessed!The chemistry between Cash and Harlow is PERFECTION. 🗣️ She doesn’t want to want him obviously but Cash is irresistible. Their dynamic can make some of you uncomfortable so check the triggers before reading.If you truly appreciate a dark romance with crime as background, morally gray characters and a couple that is totally FIRE 🔥 this book is for you! I’m curious already to know more about the other Foxies 🦊

The plot: exciting. The pacing: exquisite. The spice: delicious. I absolutely ate this book up, and immediately downloaded book 2. A+ excellent writing, no notes. Do yourself a favour and read.

I must say this : - At the start the book was a bit confusing but I read the pages and got hook to the book...It was so interesting and thrilling..Murder mystery and romance is now my favourite..