Short & Sweet (11)

Mini-reviews of New Adult and Romance novels that I enjoyed

Built by Jay Crownover

pub 1/15/16 by William Morrow

The only reason why I was okay with Marked Men ending was because I knew Jay Crownover would be doing a spin-off series to focus on new characters, while still letting us reunite with the old. The first couple in Saints of Denver are Sayer Cole (aka Rowdy's long-lost sister) and Zeb Fuller who we briefly met in Rowdy as this rough around the edges construction man. There was the tiniest hint of attraction implied back then but even that small glimpse stuck with me. Built satisfied my curiosity and then some! In a lot of ways, I already felt like I knew Sayer. She was smart, resilient, endured neglect from her parents and was extremely kind-hearted. This book showed us how she turned into that person and why she'd become this woman Zeb couldn't get out of his mind. And vice-versa, Zeb became this full-fledged, multi-dimensional person whose personality leapt off the pages. His looks are deceiving and underneath it all is a loyal, honorable and intensely passionate man. And again, I could totally see why Sayer was so attracted to him. They have the quintessential opposites-attract relationship that completely worked and a storyline that was definitely different (but no less engaging) than Crownover's other books.

Do I recommend? Yes! This new series is off to a solid start with Built. So if this is an indication of what's to come, I can't wait for the next book.

Crashed Out (Made in Jersey #1) by Tessa Bailey

pub 12/7/15 by Entangled:Brazen

I had two reasons for buying this book: Tessa Bailey and it takes place in New Jersey. (It also didn't hurt that it was under $3.) When I really want a straightforward, steamy romance, Tessa Bailey is one of my go-tos. Even though the dialogue can be over the top and I sometimes find myself wondering if there are really guys like this out there, that doesn't stop me from caring about the characters and the romance. I seriously have yet to read a book from her where I'm not wishing by page 5 that the couple would just make out (or more) already. And Crashed Out was no exception. Sarge Parcell is a famous rockstar and headed home to Hook, New Jersey for the first time in years. There he's reunited with his sister, his niece and Jasmine Taveras, the beautiful and bright woman who inspired him to pick up a guitar in the first place. When Sarge comes home, Jasmine expects to see her best friend's scrawny little brother and not the gorgeous man he's turned into. Seeing him reignites her passion for music, getting out of Hook and a newfound out-of-control attraction to him. I so enjoyed watching these two get together!

Do I recommend? I recommend pretty much all her romances so, yes! There's going to be another book in this series and I know I'll buy it when it comes out.

The Lie by Karina Halle

pub 2/15/16 by Metal Blonde Books

The Lie is kind of a tough one to put into words. It's a classic Karina Halle book which means it's hot hot hot but, it's not without its faults. In The Lie, we learn of the events that lead to Brigs McGregor losing his wife and child in a car accident. Now he's teaching at the University of London, trying to put it behind him when he sees Natasha Trudeau.  The woman he fell in love with while he was still married. They haven't seen each other since Briggs' tragedy since they both felt their love was the cause. Now they've unexpectedly crossed paths and it's easy to see why they're scared to give it another chance. But obviously they're willing to or there'd be no story! Still, I did feel as though this book glorified infidelity. Halle's other book, Love, in English, tackled a similar topic but I loved it. Every moment was fraught with tension and the ramifications of giving in weighed heavily on the main characters' shoulders. There's very little of that here when we see flashbacks of how Brigs and Natasha fell in love. It happened very quickly, with hardly any resistance. It wasn't until after tragedy struck that they seemed to fully grasp the consequences and I wasn't a fan of that. But I was a fan of the feelings brewing in the present, which I felt the author should've just focused on. (The main "conflict" didn't make sense and a "twist" at the end wrapped up too neatly.)

Do I recommend? I'm a fan of her books so should you read this series. I love that they're companion novels that focus on new characters with each installment. I do admit this is probably least my favorite so far but I still was entertained by it.