2.5 Stars (partly outliner) 

Apollo agents, aka immortal cupids, are responsible for pre-destined couples to meet in real life at the right place and time to keep the world running. They are tasked to fulfill their daily quota of targets. Casey Hart and Erron Grover (a cynic) are two such agents working in London. However, it seems that their recent activities have led to a series of bizarre deaths instead of HEAs. 

Now, they have to figure out who’s tinkering with Fate and causing the collapse of the civilization, all the while, trying to handle the budding love between them. Can these two men figure out and resolve the problem before Fate unravels? 

The story comes in the third-person POV of Casey, Erron, Nikita, and a few others. 

With a premise like that, I knew I had to read the book. The world-building is pretty good. The whole concept is creative. No denying that! 

The beginning is strong, despite the dialogue that seems odd. I put it down to the fact that the characters aren’t humans as such and come from different centuries. 

The intrigue also started well alongside the subtle friction of what might be called ‘love’. Never mind that this is the slowest of slow burns, so you have to wait for a long time. 

However, things spiraled soon. 

Firstly, the main characters don’t grow beyond their grumpy vs. sunshine roles. Though there’s some tension, it doesn’t make the right impact. Instead, it makes them appear immature and childish. Not what you want from the main leads! 

Secondly, a side character does more about the mystery than the MCs. These two do very little to save themselves/ clear their names. In fact, it takes them a long time to even accept that something is wrong, and they should maybe think about it seriously. Given what happens, I find it strange that they are so unbothered and happy to let others (their boss, management, etc.) find the truth. Throughout the book, their lack of self-preservation is surprising. 

Then we have a side romance, which does not fit the storyline. I can’t even tell you how much all those scenes annoyed me. Maybe it will have something to do with the contents of the next book, but still, it could have been trimmed. There’s a lot that could be cut. The book should have been 50 pages smaller, if not more. 

I’d have still rounded it up if the mystery/ the villain(s) identity is strong. The whole thing is apparent from the beginning. Also, the blurb has a big clue (don’t do that!), which makes it easy to figure out things. 

The ending is nice, though by then, I was more than ready for it. 

To summarize, Acts of Cupidity has a creative premise and a good atmosphere, but sadly, the execution falls flat on many levels. So far, I’m an outliner, so please check other reviews before you decide. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK (Zaffre), for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. 

#NetGalley #ActsOfCupidity