Axe and Grind

Name: Axe and Grind
Brand: Penguin Random House
Availability: InStock
Author: Taylor Hutton
ISBN: 9798217163281

Author: Taylor Hutton

Narrator: Stephanie Rose, Angus King

Unabridged: 11 hr 28 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 01/06/2026

Categories: Fiction, Romance, Suspense & Thriller

Synopsis

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…

About The Author

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.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Chris on December 02, 2025

3.5 Stars - The story definitely stood apart from other edgy, darkish romances I’ve read. There were some strong points and a few weaker ones for me. I liked the overall premise and concept, but the male lead felt a bit inconsistent. On one hand, he had this unsettling CIA background—casually torturi......more

Goodreads review by Kirsten | Bookish.kir on January 06, 2026

While this book is not classified as being part of a series it does take place in the same world as the book Strike and Burn. When I first started Axe and Grind I had not read S&B, but decided I wanted a little more backstory on Josie and Axe before continuing so I went back and read Strike and Burn......more

Goodreads review by Alayna on January 05, 2026

2.5 stars Thanks for the free book Berkley! This was sadly not for me. I was into all of the drama in the first half, but it became a bit too predictable and ridiculous. I think there were just too many elements in the book. The romance fell flat for me too. I didn't feel the connection between Axe a......more

Goodreads review by Mostly Bookish Mel on January 19, 2026

Review coming soon! I'm just as feral for Axe as Josie is 🥵......more

Goodreads review by Zoe on January 09, 2026

3.5 Stars! Seductive, edgy, and menacing! Axe and Grind is a tantalizing, provocative tale that plunges readers into the lives of Josie Green, a hardworking, spiritual young woman shaped by hardship and heartbreak, and Axe MacKenzie, a tech CEO who spends his days building an AI-driven dating app and......more

Quotes

Praise for Taylor Hutton

“Readers looking to dip a toe into dark romance and morally grey heroes will find this book the perfect beginning.”—Booklist, on Axe and Grind

"This is a hot, sexy, mysterious novel with lots of twists, hot sex and romance. This is one you do not want to miss out on."—Red Carpet Crash, on Strike and Burn

"Hutton’s burning-hot sex scenes torch the pages, and the hallmark of the best dark romances emerges from the smoke: morally ambiguous characters whom readers will root for despite their deep flaws and violent tendencies. Strike and Burn is a can’t-look-away read."—BookPage

“Hutton’s multilayered characters captivate, particularly Strike, whose drive to deliver justice for Honor will please fans of alpha male heroes...[T]he thrilling plot keeps the pages turning.”--Publishers Weekly, on Strike and Burn