Better When He's Bad By Jay Crownover

So, to answer that question that most of you want to know, is he better when he's bad? I don't know. The man is only about the bad so it requires good to distinguish the bad and he taints everything, but it works. I wouldn't trade Bax for Shane any day and his relationship with Dovie, however chaotic and fast, is the perfect pairing.

Bax is a criminal and his ties to The Point is so many that I can't see him leaving, even in a hearse. One thing the man knows how to do is bad and he does it well. He was straight forward, honest and can get quite the reaction when he chooses to use words instead of grunts. He's not hard to understand and I like that. He is what he is and he isn't looking to change it. It's never complicated with him and it's more about what your moral compass is asking you to do.

Dovie is the contradiction. I am not a fan of her name but it fits her also. She is kinda like a dove because she is soft on the outside but a riot on the inside. I love her loyalty and the fact that she doesn't need to rationalize her feelings for Bax. She knows him and what she signed up for and that only works perfectly for them as a couple. I'm even a fan of her style because I at times like to just kick back in some jeans and a hoodie. Tight clothes are hot :)

I don't know the amount of time spent between the conception and publishing of this story but I felt like the work invested showed and it allowed us to individualize each character and their roles. Long before I had any contact with Race, I felt like I used to run the streets with him and Bax and making all the connections didn't happen for me until the moments they were revealed. A few of the questions popped in my head occasionally but something is always happening that makes me forget my initial thoughts until they are answered further along. Believe me when I say there is never a dull moment in The Point and every single thing and person is connected. One such character that piqued my interest and I hope he gets a novel is Nassier; There is something about the Middle East "entrepreneur" that I want to unravel ;)

Another thing I adored about this novel is that it's more than just Bax and Dovie's story. It's a little bit of every body. Everyone's story is told and their parts are clear, concise and pertinent to the progression. There is no character just filling a space and I love that the petty women squabbles were nil. There wasn't time for the usual romance novel issues between all the lies and work needed on the jumbo puzzle that was their life plus I don't think Bax would have it :)

I felt like I was in The Point and I could see myself watching this novel on the big screen.

Though you would expect it to be fast paced and action packed with it's themes, it was actually calculated and held a comfortable and steady pace which I didn't mind. I love that we got time to work through the issues and there was no last minute save or fairy tale. A lot of the ending was hinted but I got the gist. The fact that this series continues is only a bonus and I hope that it might answer even more questions.

The sex in this novel is what I expected from Bax and actually what I prefer in a man. Let's skip all the talk and get to it already. I was never one for the theatrics.

I can safely say that I think this is the first novel I have enjoyed this immensely from Jay Crownover since 'Rule' and even this knocked that out of the water! To see her change her style and writing is welcomed and I love that she gave us so much without making it cluttered, cliched or overwhelming. There wasn't any ideas of a HEA and everything felt real. The druggie remained the druggie, the kingpin cared about no one but himself and even the good cop got dirty when necessary. There is so many other characters that kept their identities and fate all the way to the end and I love that it felt more like a romance themed mission in 'Grand Theft Auto'.

There is so much I want to say about this novel but i'll just stick with ... read it! It's not a sappy romance, people will die and I don't think there isn't a day that Bax doesn't get a knife wound or hit in the face but every one gets a piece of the pie and no one is looking for a silver lining, just trying to make it to the next day.

It wasn't all out gritty but it wasn't soft either as it balanced that line between raw, real and fluff. Every one is looking out for themselves and it makes for an even more interesting story line. The fact that no one, not even her best friend, thinks the heroine is drop dead gorgeous is another testament to the difference this novel brings.

It's quite the ride and you don't even have to hold on tight but believe me when I say you aren't gonna wanna leave The Point!

- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20685718-better-when-he-s-bad

Nash By Jay Crownover

So, I'm still battling my sinusitis from hell this week but I had to power through a novel and I am glad it was Nash. I find that I never really took stock of his character before and at the end of this novel I wasn't ready to move on. I wanted more of Nash and Saint, especially Royal. I don't know how she will fit in yet, but I am desperate to see if this is all we will be getting from the fierce redhead!

This was a calm and sweet novel about loving yourself before anything else. It focused more on the events in both main characters lives than it did the romance. Which was fine, because these two were made for each other and I like that the struggle was more with her past life than the man she chose to love presently. Though the same, they are different. The story line and main characters were different and not as angry or lost as the novels and characters before. Yes, they had to walk their own paths to absolution but their journey was more secure than before. Even when they were on separate pages, they were close. 

There wasn't the attitude of Rule, absence and struggles of Jet and the constant anger and lost that plagued Rome. It was sweet Nashville, yes, that's his full name, and his love for Saint and his uncle turned dad.

Once again, it was the disease from hell but I liked how it was represented and it progressed so as to give us all the answers and leave us with a sense of completion. If every one could leave the world with that comfort, minus the pain, it'd definitely be a better world.

Saint was insecure, which a lot of women struggle with, even the pretty ones and it showed in her lifestyle and ideologies. I like though that it didn't make her shy away completely. She was fierce and I had a hard time seeing her as fat and shy. She seemed to dominate when she blew through and I loved her rational and interactions with her mom. If anything, I would want to see her have some of the similar conversations with her father.

Nash was sweet, sensitive an everything contradictory to the other members of this series. I thought Asa was my favorite, even though I have yet to read his story, but Nash is surely giving him a run now that I have gotten to known the broody artiste away from the Marked and all it's other band of misfits.

We got to experience Rule and Shaw's wedding and I am grateful for that. They started it all and I love that while we go, we continue to get updates on all the stories passed. I'm normally not a fan of this, but Nash's take is done to not make it seem like a revisit to the past, but a present discussion. I also liked his one on one with Asa because I love a redeemed, struggling lunatic of a bad boy and Asa confirmed and holds that spot for me.

I never paid much attention to Rowdy before but I think my interest is peaked more because of Salem than Rowdy himself. Royal has me pairing her with Asa also but who knows! Jay Crownover has a way to just insert a character out of the blue and they fit. It really is a band of castaways that make for the most well rounded group of friends.

Nash in the eyes of a young Saint was good. I actually wanted to spend time in the past with them to see them interact. I am also grateful that we could get Nash's POV and that he didn't have super memory of that incident like Saint did, because it made for a more realistic angle and gave justification for her erratic behaviour.

This was a match made in heaven and a love and crush lasting the span of years. Nash is the glue of this group and he's also the most secure and sure in his endeavours. He tackles his problems head on and I just wish we got more time with Phil so we could see him understand and appreciate the love he was searching for.

You are guaranteed to fall in love with all the characters of this novel as the drama was less and life's choices were highlighted. We get a real romance without the endless drama and heartbreaking separation. 

I enjoyed every page of this novel and no one was left in the wind. It was more laid back than previous novels but I have to say that I really enjoyed this mellow mood while the pills kept me calm and half awake. Even so, I was never bored and while the sex wasn't Rule and Shaw's kinda rowdy play, it was good and I love when a man is willing to make a woman in charge in the bedroom. Sometimes we need to dominate too ;)

Coming from a chick with a few piercings of her own, I always enjoy the many different piercings in this series and the ideas they bring. I will say that this was another great novel by Jay Crownover, whose real name I finally got, by reading more than just the story :)

Love, lost, trust and change is prevalent. There is a handle for every one and I absolutely love the beginning quotes of the epigraph. My favorite quote was among them and that alone had me ready and rearing to go.

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent" - Eleanor Roosevelt

Truer words have never been spoken!

- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21081345-nash

Rome By Jay Crownover

Rome. It's an up hill battle. There are good, bad and memorable moments. I wouldn't call their story line bad or boring, but it felt weak, when it came to the execution as a couple. I found myself fascinated with everything else going on around Cora and Rome, than I did with the main characters themselves. I was therefore equal parts surprised and not so much, when I saw how and when their story ended. It's a cliffhanger that has nothing to do with them as a couple o.O

At the end of this book, Rome and Cora's story is incomplete, but hold a really great line up for Nash. I know that his book is next, but I don't know what to make of the fact that their story isn't finished, while another is about to start.

I developed a strong interest in Asa. So strong, that part way through this book, I stopped to check Goodreads to find out when we would be getting his story. In case your interested, there's two more to go before his turn :)

Could be  the interlocking system of this series, or the personality traits of Rome and Cora, but I found that we got more of every one's story of past, present and future in this novel as much as we did the lead characters. I like Rome and Cora together as a couple. They just make sense. I did however, favour Rome's POV over Cora's. She had her moments, but I preferred a day in Rome's life. I think I expected much more depth into both their world's that I got, so I chose the better of the lot and that was Rome's. He had more of a struggle than Cora's childhood fantasies. The guy also made the ultimate sacrifice for his woman, nothing says hot than that!

We reconnected with the Archer's and Margot was a lot more melted than before. I just hoped for more time with Joe. Then again, this being an incomplete story and all, might help shed some light on him in Nash's book.

What puzzles me, is that this story stops at 90%. While I never mind the refresher course from 'Rule' and 'Jet', it could have been used to complete Cora and Rome's story. I like complete novels. Even though this wasn't a cliffhanger of Cora and Rome's story directly, it was a cliffhanger nonetheless and not something I noticed much from the novels before. We have always had those what's next ending from this series, but this one was glaringly obvious. It leaves a big what now? o.O

The fact that the next book is entitled 'Nash' I doubt they will be the stars of this show.

This installment held the prefect blend of characters and their issues. Cora and Rome came off so perfect, as a couple, that you just had to pay more attention to the people around them. They were the protectors and as such, they figured out their problems long before the others, even though they had a catalyst or two.

There is a lot of change in this novel and some reminders that I still can't remember witnessing. Guess that's why some series deserve re-reads before you start a new installment. -_-

I wanted more of Rome and Cora issues, but it was good to interact more with Rule again and to witness as him and Shaw try to make a life together. It was also nice that Cora at least, got along with her parent. Their dynamic seemed solid. I initially thought this would be a book strongly focused on PTSD, but I was wrong. I did however like the angle it was taken from.

As always, Remy's memory was kept alive and I really hope that one day Jay Crownover might be crazy enough to give us a book before 'Rule' when Remy was still alive.I love his character without ever meeting him and getting a chance to interact with Lando makes me feel like it would make for a great read! Honestly, I too miss him and wish he was alive.

- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17798233-rome