Dealing With the Devil

Genre: Adult Romantic Suspense

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Pages: 368

Publication Date: October 18th, 2016

Source: ARC provided by publisher

Previous Books in Series: Better When He's Bad & Better When He's Bold & Better When He's Brave 
Find on: Goodreads | Amazon

My Thoughts

The Belle
As a massive Jay Crownover fan, I cannot even tell you the excitement I got when this guy came in my mailbox. Excited is an understatement. I love me some Marked Men, don't get me wrong, but the Point boys have a huge part of my heart. I love the dark and gritty setting and life of the Point. If you've been here before you know my heart is dark and twisty and this series feeds that in the best way.

Itinerary Update {2} & Words Have the Power to Change Us // Honor by Jay Crownover

Hey again. Quick (ish) update on what's been going on. The blog has been a bit quiet lately as I've been finishing up my final few shifts on my contract 2 weeks ago (FINALLY!), moving back home with a road trip and stop in Nashville on the way, and then settling back home. Phew. It's been a busy few weeks! Negative out of the way first, some of you might know from Twitter I absolutely hated my last job. Hated. Hated with the fire of a thousand suns. I use that word so infrequently that when I say it, I mean it. I dreaded every day I had to walk in there because I feel like I got dumped on with the worst patients every single shift. Add to that the complete ignorance and lack of professionalism in management I have ever seen that after the first few weeks the quote I feature above was my thinking months before I actually read the words.

Think Pink {Charged Blog Tour and Giveaway}

"That's why you find something or someone that guides you,
someone that won't lose you,
and someone that you don't mind getting lost with when that inevitably happens."

--Jay Crownover, Charged

Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Pages: 361

Publication Date: May 24th, 2016

Source: ARC provided by Ink Slinger 

Previous Books in Series: Built
Find on: Goodreads | Amazon

My Thoughts
The Belle
 What I love most about Jay Crownover's books are her ability to take two people who should not fit together but do. And in spectacular fashion. Charged is no exception to this rule. A defense lawyer and an arrested criminal, this story could not have been easy to write but Avett and Quaid, without a doubt, had a story to tell.

Book BFF Roulette

A few months ago Alexa, Rachel, Hannah, and myself did what we called Book Boyfriend Roulette where we discussed some of our favorite book series and which book boyfriend we liked best. It was so fun and interesting to see how each of us connect different to characters and who we would want warming our bookish bed at night. Well we are back! But this time we're not talking about book boyfriends, we're talking about Book BFFs and which heroine is our fav from some of our favorite series. Welcome to Book BFF Roulette! 

For my post, I'm highlighting some of my absolute favorite heroines and book series. Those being The Black Dagger Brotherhood by JR Ward, The Marked Men by Jay Crownover, and The Love, in English series byKarina Halle.

Look, it is absolutely no secret my love for The Black Dagger Brotherhood is on another level. They are my people. They are my family. They are MINE. I was so happy I didn't have to fight Rachel and Alexa who are also avid BDB lovers to feature them on my post. I think they also know me very well and I'm fucking crazy and would turn lesser on their ass if they tried to take it from me. But I digress. It's only part coincidence that my favorite shellan is Bella. She is Zsadist's mate and we all know how I feel about him but it's more than that she's paired off with him. It's that I found I could connect with her. She's extremely independent, self-sufficient, and strong. She takes no shit and gives zero fucks. Her push and pull with Zsadist is my absolute favorite love story of all time and I cannot say enough about how my heart beats erratically when thinking about how she is with him. If I was a lesbian or a man, I would also want to be mating Bella. It just is what it is. We also use the same shampoo weirdly enough so I like to tell myself Bella is me, heh hehe. 

Speaking of family and book characters who I really connect with and I think are me, Saint from the Marked Men is my homegirl. Her insecurities, her past, her job, with the exception of her shyness she is me in literary character. I seriously adore ALL the Marked Men women but Saint is somebody very special to my heart. Although Shaw who Alexa and Rachel both love is probably my second favorite..wait, no probably Salem...or Cora...FUCK don't make me choose, Saint is number one that's all I need to choose!

Mmmml, I swear it's more than a little ironic that I not only get to highlight some of my favorite books but ALL of these heroines I get to talk about I see myself in most. More than any other characters I've read and Vera is also one of them. Vera...Vera is my heart. When I read Love, in English for the first time there is something she says that felt like it came from the very depth of my soul and was spoken for me. I cannot explain the sense of comfort that brought me. Love, in English will forever be one of my favorite books and 90% of that reason is Vera. She is strong, independent, but vulnerable and sensitive. She is BAE. The context of the book is a little hard for people to get past but it is done SO WELL and I cannot recommend this book enough or this series. ALL THE SERIES!

Thanks for stopping by my post for Book BFF Roulette but that's not all! Don't forget to check out Alexa and Rachel's posts! Alexa is talking Travis family, Sevenwaters, and Wallflowers. Rachel is breaking down Off-Campus, Pushing the Limits, and the Lunar Chronicles! You don't want to miss our favorite ladies over there!

Built Strong To Last Long

"I loved to give something no one else wanted or believed in a second chance."

--Jay Crownover, Built

Genre: Adult Contemporary, Romance

Publisher: William Morrow 

Pages: 400

Publication Date: January 5th, 2016

Source: ARC provided by author--Thanks, Jay!

Find On: Amazon | Goodreads

Previous Books in Series: First in series of companion novels and spin off of Marked Men

Goodreads Description 

From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men books comes an electrifying new spin-off series,Saints of Denver, featuring all the characters fans have been dying to read about.

Sayer Cole and Zeb Fuller couldn’t be more different. She’s country club and fine-dining, he’s cell-block and sawdust. Sayer spends her days in litigation, while Zeb spends his working with his hands. She’s French silk, he’s all denim and flannel.

Zeb’s wanted the stunning blonde since the moment he laid eyes on her. It doesn't matter how many smooth moves he makes, the reserved lawyer seems determinedly oblivious to his interest—either that or she doesn't return it. Sayer is certain the rough, hard, hot-as-hell Zeb could never want someone as closed off and restrained as she is, which is a shame because something tells her he might be the guy to finally melt her icy exterior.

But just as things start to heat up, Zeb is blindsided by a life altering moment from his past. He needs Sayer’s professional help to right a wrong and to save more than himself. He can’t risk what’s at stake just because his attraction to Sayer feels all consuming. But as these opposites dig in for the fight of their lives, battling together to save a family, the steam created when fire and ice collide can no longer be ignored.

The Plot
To be honest, I had no idea or expectation as to what direction the plot was going to take. Let's just say I was BEYOND pleasantly surprised! I will give zero spoilers but know that if you know me and once you read it you will know exactly what I'm talking about. With that said, every moment of this portion of the plot melted.my.fucking.heart. I love love loved it and I would have given up almost anything else in the plot--including sexy times, yes I said it--to have more moments of this plot point. Kills me I can't tell you but really, I don't wanna be that person. I also LOVED every second we got of Zeb and his job. I find construction and house repairs fascinating. It's also completely sexy. I loved reading about how Zeb was flipping a house and what he was doing. I'm a total dork but I love that shit. I also LOVED that he is a MAN'S man. Whooeee. Bring the hose, he's too hot for words.

The Romance
I knew going into the book Sayer was going to be a stone cold fox in all senses of the word. What I didn't expect was for her to be so self-aware about her emotional shortcomings. I loved her internal thoughts and how much she struggled with how she is and how much she wanted to be different. It broke my heart to watch her want so badly to be able to let go but ultimately lived up in her head. Zeb was amazing. He was so present and there and knew Sayer's heart better than she did. He was so patient and understanding of her emotional stunting...is that a word?...whatever. Their dynamic together is super hot because with Sayer being wound so tight when the sexual tension snaps it's like the snap heard round the world. And hot damn, is it something. But more than that, I loved all of Zeb's examples of how Sayer actually does lead with her heart. Ooooh, it was so swoony and heart-warming! I wanted to fist pump and yell 'Yeah! You go, Sayer!'

The Magic
While this is in the same world as the Marked Men, this is a brand new series that will stand on it's own. I loved that we got a glimpse at the old crew but I felt invested in Zeb and Sayer and would have loved this even if it had been set in a completely different setting. These characters and the ones we are going to get in the future will stand on their own and I love them. I have an idea of who the next couple is and color me shocked as to who the girl is paired up with...shit...didn't see that coming...but that's the beauty of it. I love that Jay takes two people who from an outsider's eye shouldn't work...but they do and it's beautiful. I love that opposites attract vibe more than anything and I cannot wait to see where this series goes!

Backstage Pass
If you love men's men, harder to get to know women, and construction...this book is for you.