Publication Date: January 6, 2026
In this decadently dark romance, a virtual dating experiment spins into a deadly web of obsession, greed, love, and passion.
Josie Greene has always been a glass half-full kind of girl. But after a messy breakup, she’s broke, betrayed, and barely getting by. Even her trusted tarot cards point to chaos in her future. And they’re right: Axe MacKenzie needs her help.
As part of the tech CEO’s latest covert mission, Axe has been developing a simulator to create any user’s “Perfect Match,” and bubbly Josie is the ideal woman to test his product. When the gorgeous, reclusive billionaire makes her an offer—fake date him so he can launch his groundbreaking AI dating app—Josie’s in no position to refuse.
But Axe’s two worlds collide as the criminal underworld corrupts their experimental fling. What started as steamy role-play quickly spirals into a very real threat, leaving both Josie and Axe no choice but to uncover their well-buried pasts. With her life on the line, Josie will have to trust the man who has created the ultimate virtual illusion—and who might be hiding the most sinister truths of all…
Axe and Grind by Taylor Hutton is a dark romance thriller with many layers. A fast-paced read with a lot of detail, multiple storylines, a steamy slow-burn romance, and an edginess throughout, it kept me on the edge of my seat.
Axe and Josie don’t initially get along, but somehow they overcome it since Axe always seems to come to Josie’s rescue. I’m not a fan of AI, and the amount of it shown in the product being developed by Axe’s tech company didn’t sit well with me. It actually gave me the creeps.
Some of the story lacked caring and love from those who were supposed to always be there for you. Josie‘s mother had her own agenda throughout her childhood and even now that Josie’s an adult. Axe’s father was a master criminal who didn’t like that Axe was so weak and wouldn’t be part of the family’s illegal activities. Axe and Josie grew up in different worlds, where her mother could barely make ends meet, and neither Axe nor Josie lived a more privileged life on a Scottish island, even if the reason for the wealth and riches was criminal.
The story had a lot of twists and turns, along with some with evil intent, some criminal, and others actually sweet and caring. There were a slew of surprises as well. Many of the characters were not who they seemed, and both Axe and Josie had depth to them. It was interesting getting to know them and their best friends, whose story I need to read.
The faces they showed the outside world weren’t really a reflection of who they are. There was a lot of drama throughout, and the bad guys get their comeuppance, but even that was with a twist. There was closure and a hint of a happily ever after, but I would have liked the book to go on just a little longer. The discussion questions at the back of the book made me think.
Axe and Grind has both darkness and light, along with unexpected romance.
Taylor Hutton is the pseudonym of a pair of writer friends, one of whom has twice been a finalist for the National Book Award and the other who is a New York Times bestselling author and Edgar Award finalist. Between the two of them, they have written over forty books, including, together, Strike and Burn. When they are not passing their latest sexy thriller back and forth on Google Doc, they are browsing bookstores, sending each other ridiculous memes, walking their dogs Trudy and Potato around their Los Angeles neighborhood, and making their children cringe with their TikTok videos.
