10,000 Hours With A Rich Menace by Jahquel J | I Love it Here

Yes, I’m still on my Jahquel J kick and to be honest, idk if I’m reading these books in order or what at this point lol but I am thoroughly entertained. For me, it started with the Delgato Family.

I have now entered the world of the Caselli Family and baby I love it here.

10,000 Hours with a Rich Menace is a suspenseful, dark romance story featuring neurodivergent character arcs.

Stevie Ray has always been different from everyone around her and is legit oblivious to those that mean her no good. She tends to see the best in people and loves with her whole being. She has ADHD which causes her to be extremely talkative and unorganized. She literally moves through life like she doesn’t have a care in the world. Stevie has had a rough life including sexual assault, an absent father and losing the only person she felt truly loved by, her mother. While she has her cousin Skyler and her daughter Stella, she often feels like she’s alone in the world.

Her only friend Priscilla, who knows her life story, loans her money to help her make ends meet and promises to take her on an all expense paid trip to the Bahamas. While there, Stevie is abducted and taken to Staten Island where she discovers that Priscilla has stolen a significant amount of money from a powerful crime family led by Maverick “Menace” Caselli. To make matters worse, her father and Priscilla were in on it together, with Priscilla offering Menace Stevie’s virginity to settle the debt and keep them alive. Menace is disturbed by this but his right hand Jessie convinces him it’s a good idea since he needs a wife and an heir to maintain his position. Stevie, while hurt and devastated that Priscilla would do this knowing what happened to her, agrees to do anything to save them.

Menace lives a life defined by extreme control. After losing both of his parents and avenging their deaths, he develops a reputation for being dangerous, calculated and unhinged when his boundaries are crossed. He has OCD and ADHD and has to maintain a strict routine and clean, clutter free environment. He dislikes physical touch and requires quiet time. His siblings mostly see him as robotic but as the eldest, he has carried all the weight of their past trauma and responsibility for their care since their parents died.

Enter Stevie, who moves into his mansion and is total chaos. Despite being kidnapped and handed over to settle a debt, she doesn’t break. She stands up to Maverick, which is what ultimately earns his respect and fascination. She forces him out of his comfort zone and his strict routines, providing the emotional warmth he lacked growing up.

What I thought would be some strange captive story turns into a focus on the year they spend together. The chemistry is driven by high tension, sarcastic and often hilarious dialogue. The entire book is a masterclass in character study showcasing the uniqueness of each. You wouldn’t expect this to work given they are literal polar opposites, but they are drawn to and complete one another. The back and forth between “Wonder/Wanda” and “Mitchell/Mavy” is top tier. She calms his soul and he is fiercely protective of every part of her. So much so that he seeks out anyone and everyone who has ever hurt her and makes them regret it. The way Maverick and Menace are two different people occupying the same body LOL. Those closest to them are shocked at every turn seeing how “Maverick” only exists for Stevie, no one else brings out that side of him. Him being willing to give in to her demands just to see her smile and her allowing him to just be without trying to change him is truly the sweetest thing.

I got all the feels when Mitchell/Mavy showed all the way out. He loved her out loud and I love that for her. But I seriously laughed out loud so much listening to this one. Menace was funny AF! The way their families seamlessly blended and it sets up what’s to come was also well done.