The Year of the Crocodile is a novella/short story in the Cyclone series by Courtney Milan.
Finished on: 21.12.2020
[Here are my reviews of the rest of the series.]

Plot:
Tina and Blake have been dating for almost a year and Tina is excited to bring Blake home for Chinese New Year. Blake has been suggesting that Tina’s parents should also meet Blake’s father Adam, but Tina is afraid of that encounter. Her parents Hong Mei and Jian had to flee China for political reasons and don’t let anybody push them around. And Adam Reynolds, CEO of Cyclone Industries, is a pusher if ever there was one. But when Adam gets wind of it all, he decides to take matters in his own hands – as per usual. It will be an explosive New Year indeed.

The Year of the Crocodile is an absolute blast (no pun intended) (okay, pun slightly intended). It is funny and emotional and a sweet intermediate course in the series.

The Year of the Crocodile takes place during Hold Me and the as of yet unpublished next (or rather the one after the next) novel in the series, so there were a couple of hints dropped during Hold Me that were a tantalizing glimpse that something is going on with Blake and Tina. And it was absolutely satisfying, not only to find out what is going on, but also what it is.

Adam and Hong Mei are simply *chef’s kiss* together. Their banter had me laughing and it drove the entire story. Adam is gearing up to be the next central character in the series (I guess it is his nature to take up every available space that he can take up) and the story certainly made me curious to spend more time with him.

But that doesn’t mean that the story is all about Adam – no, we do get to spend time with Blake and Tina as well and it was really nice to see how much they have grown together since Trade Me.

Unfortunately, The Year of the Crocodile is the last published thing in the series so far, so that means that I’m reduced to waiting now. And to pondering whether I shouldn’t give Milan’s historical romance a try. Not my thing, usually. But if she wrote it, what really can go wrong?

Summarizing: fun.