It is bittersweet to be saying a final goodbye (again) to the Marked Men/Saints of Denver/Forever Marked world. I read Rule nearly eight years ago now and it was a book I read very early on in my romance discovery era so I am forever grateful for it being one of the books that made me the reader I am today. So I have adored these second-generation stories, rich with nuance for both old and new characters alike.

I am a Jay Crownover review team member, but I remain honest and genuine in my reviews.

She’s the only girl he’s ever loved.

Zowen Archer has been in love with Aston Wheeler for as long as he can remember.

She’s perfect, except for the glaring fact that she fell in love with his best friend instead of him. For years, he loved her from afar with zero expectation. He told himself that as long as Aston was happy, his feelings for her didn’t matter.

However, Aston isn’t nearly as happy as she seems. And by the time Zowen figures things out, his life takes a drastic turn for the worse.

Now that Aston is single and laser-focused on making up for the lost time between the two of them, Zowen is doing everything in his power to avoid her. He’s convinced that if she never wanted him when he was at his very best, there is no chance in hell she could care about him now that he’s at his absolute worst.

He’s the only boy she’s willing to wait for.

Time has never been on Aston Wheeler’s side.

She spent too long pretending to be someone she was not. She lost herself in a first love that everyone, except her, thought was perfect. She wasted a lot of time trying to convince herself that she should be happy when she was anything but. She watched for years as the one person who made her feel like her true self drifted further and further away.

Finally, when she’s ready to reach out and grab the one-of-a-kind love that Zowen Archer has always silently promised her, it’s too late. Zowen is taken away, and when he reappears in her life, he makes it clear there’s no going back to whatever they might have been.

Good thing for Zowen that Aston is patient and doesn’t mind waiting for him to have a change of heart. It’s the least she can do after all the time he spent waiting for her.

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…

• Characters: Wayward Son’s leads are Zowen and Aston. Zowen is the son of Rome and Cora Archer, while Zowen’s parents are Poppy and Hudson Wheeler. I have been anticipating this story for a while as these characters have been on the sidelines of the other stories. Aston was Ry’s ex-girlfriend in Fortunate Son, so I only viewed her through his lens. Getting in her head is so rewarding, as you get to read the journey of a girl struggling to be her own person and get out from under the thumb of her mother. This is the perfect time to mention how much I commend Jay for how she has written the parents in this second-generation story. The characters we originally fell in love with all those years ago are flawed and so those flaws do not magically go away once they have children. They are not always the best parents, in many cases, they are not always aware of how they pass on their traumas to their children. It was so real to see this though and a risk of Jay’s that makes these stories shine. Zowen is what brings the heaviness to the start of the story, within the first chapter you see his prison sentence delivered after a tragic night of street racing. I also adored two side characters in particular and really hope Jay delivers on something for them!
• Setting: The story is predominately set in Los Angeles, California rather than the Denver we know and love. The space is really good though and we get to go on a very special journey with the couple while they are away from the prying eyes of family and friends. With Daire and Campbell out in California too it started to feel like a second home in the Marked Men universe. But do not worry there is some lovely quality time in Denver and it is there where Jay’s skill of balancing the nostalgia we readers have for the parent characters with their less-than-stellar parental sides.
• Pacing: I flew through this in about a night as from the prologue I was just hooked! It is hard to not devour this as I wanted happiness for both Zowen and Aston and I needed it as fast as humanly possible. I did find that the ending did not enthral me as much, but I was still very happy to have lots of time in the books with the wider cast of characters too.
• Romance: What can I say besides another epic romance from Jay! I loved Zowen and Aston, and as I alluded to before I got really attached to them rather quickly. Their chemistry was electric from the first chapter and I loved all their romantic scenes. This story does fall under a trope I find hit or miss and I was overall happy with how Jay executed it. What a beautiful second chance for Zowen and Aston, and a beautiful ending to the eight-year journey I have been on with the Marked Men characters.

Wayward Son receives 4.5/5 stars.

You can pick up the story here.

Follow Jay on all her social channels…

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Reader Group

Thank you again to Jay and her team for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!

The post Jay Crownover’s Wayward Son ARC Review appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.

This book is a celebration of all things Jay Crownover! It feels almost like a love letter to her fans, to all of us who see the Marked Men as a family and The Point as a home. If you love Jay’s books you will adore this and all the easter eggs it holds for her wider universe. Plus there is an emotionally charged love story between Daire and Campbell that will hook any new reader in.

I am a Jay Crownover review team member, but I remain honest and genuine in my reviews.

Heavy is the head that inherits the crown. The only thing on Daire Archer’s mind when she pulled a disappearing act on Christmas was proving she was worthy of being her father’s daughter. She was born an Archer, which was a blessing and a curse, and Daire was determined to show everyone she deserved to carry the legacy that came with her name. There is power in a name, and being an Archer meant Daire needed to do better, to be better. At least, that’s what she thought she needed, until a boy from nowhere—with a name that meant nothing—showed her that she was already pretty great just the way she was. Campbell has always rejected everything concerning his maniacal father and his troubled past. When he left Nowhere, he was certain he wanted a nice, quiet life free from the only things he’d ever violence and bloodshed. He thought he needed to be a better man. He wondered if there was a kinder, gentler version of himself under his thick armor of scars and tattoos. It wasn’t until he started chasing Daire Archer all over hell and back that Campbell realized he needed to be a man who was better at being bad than everyone else in his troubled world. Because now, he had a problematic princess to protect. One with an uncanny ability for finding trouble. Where Daire is concerned, being a good guy isn’t necessary.

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…

• Characters: I have been so excited to get into Daire Archer’s head since she waltzed on the page in Fortunate Son. The Archers are an infamous bunch and Daire is struggling with that family legacy on her shoulders. It was interesting to read a character in her position, where she carries so much guilt that it almost seems inescapable. That’s why Campbell was so good for her, but she was also the perfect salve of goodness in his world full of darkness. For fans of Jay’s books set in The Point, I recommended re-reading the epilogue of Respect as it was the first time Campbell was introduced on the page. His character is deliciously complex, the kind of guy who has not been given the ability to be the good guy in his life. He has constantly been too busy saving everyone around him to give anything to himself, until Daire challenges that. I feel the need here to say if you have read countless of Jay’s books you will love all the cameos throughout this book that extend beyond characters from Marked Men and The Point.
• Setting: This story starts in Denver where the majority of the Marked Men, Saints of Denver, and Forever Marked have taken place. But Daire is running away from home and Campbell is after her. When she refuses to return home he is forced to take her on a road trip to where he grew up the infamous Jay setting of Nowhere. The scenes in Nowhere were some of my favourites because I loved Karsen back when I read Respect and I loved seeing her grown up, in her element. This book had so many great forced proximity moments brought about by cramped hotel rooms and long car rides.
• Pacing: I engulfed this story, and I truly mean that. I read this in close to one sitting and in just a few hours. It is a testament to how Jay just draws you into the story, that I put up blinders to the rest of the world and let her whisk me away on Daire and Campbell’s journey.
• Romance: If Jay is good at anything she takes the reader from an emotional high that gets you teary-eyed to a sultry scene that gets you hot and bothered. Daire and Campbell delivered both, a romance your heart-ached for between characters who both so desperately deserved the other. Along with tension and chemistry that was undeniably steamy.

Son of a Gun receives five out of five stars.

You can pick up the story here.

Follow Jay on all her social channels…

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Reader Group

Thank you again to Jay and her team for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!

The post Jay Crownover’s Son of a Gun ARC Review appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.

There is only one thing better than a surprise release from Jay Crownover! It is a surprise release set in the Point!

I am a member of Jay Crownover’s review team, but I stand by my reviews remaining honest and true.

“Vesper Bell is a good girl. At least, that’s what everyone keeps telling her.
She was the perfect daughter. A straight-A student. The very best friend. And an adoring potential girlfriend.
However, when her life took an unexpected detour into darkness, suffering, and betrayal, Vesper realized being good hadn’t gotten her anywhere. An enthralled audience watched her dramatic fall from grace and clearly wanted her to crash and burn. Those she once trusted the most made it no secret that they wanted her to lose everything…and she did.
But all those years of being such a goodie-two-shoes built Vesper some powerful cosmic karma. On her birthday, she begged for a second chance, an opportunity to right all the wrongs and undo all the bad things she was forced to endure. She made a wish, not knowing that sometimes they really do come true.
Now, right before her fall, she’s back at the beginning, and she has no plans to be a good girl anymore.
Lucky for her, she has the perfect person to teach her how to embrace her rebellious and daring side: a boy with candy-colored hair and eyes as dark as the night sky. They were born on the same day, but that is about all the two of them have in common. Everything about him screams that he is a very bad boy, but Vesper sees the good in him.
He doesn’t seem to care if she’s perfect or pitiful. He keeps stepping in to save her, and he always makes her feel safe even when everything else feels uncertain. He feels real and honest when the rest of her life seems to be built on lies on top of more lies.
One thing Vesper knows to be absolutely true: the surprisingly sweet delinquent is the very best bad thing to ever happen to her.”

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…

• Characters: Our heroine is Vesper, who was sure an interesting lead character. You could never trust her, just as Jay intended. We see her go through so much character development as we start with her in her early twenties and then she wakes up as eighteen but with a more mature mindset. So because of her past and present, she is simultaneously a prim and proper rich girl and street smart girl of the point. Our hero is Oscar, an incredibly loyal and caring boy from the Point. Raised there, by his family who own the main motel of the Point. He has seen some tragedy but does not let him weigh him down, or keep him from love. I loved how Oscar was a constant in Vesper’s lives.
• Setting: We are finally heading back to the Point, an iconic setting of Jay Crownover’s! You should recognize the rough side of town made iconic in her Welcome to the Point and The Breaking Point series. I’ve always loved the dichotomy that Jay strikes between the Point and the rich area of the city. It was cool to have a character who was really part of both worlds. It made for a good commentary on how the poor live versus the rich who ignore them. Something most of us see in the major cities around us and around the world.
• Pacing: The shining star of this book is the pacing! It is a time travel romance, something I have not really seen at the indie level, let alone a romance like Jay writes. This story is such an interesting concept. A concept that had our characters being sent back to a pivotal moment in their life to maybe fix what went wrong.
• Romance: This was an interesting romance because of the time travel concept. This romance literally transcended time and space. The two of them were very hot of course. Jay always delivers the steam and tension. I just found I have connected more to other couples from Jay.

The Best Bad Things receives five out of five stars.

You can pick up the story here.

Follow Jay on all her social channels…

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Reader Group

Thank you again to Jay and Mel for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!

The post Jay Crownover’s The Best Bad Things ARC Review appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.

I very much enjoyed the first foray into the next generation of Marked Men. If you have not read Fortunate Son, I highly recommend it.

“When she was a little girl, Remy Archer fell in love with Hyde Fuller at first sight. In fact, he was the only thing she could see for a very long time. For Remy, it never mattered to her that Hyde was always too serious and always seemed so sad. To her, he was the very best, and the center of her entire world. She never dreamed he would let her down when she needed him the most.

Now Remy is a semi-reasonable adult, one with a better understanding of why her intense feelings scared Hyde away when she was at her lowest point. She’s moved on, and if anyone asks she’s perfectly happy with the chaotic and hectic life she’s built. She’s also really proud that she’s still around to experience all the best and worst that surviving something deeply traumatic has to offer. The last thing she needs or wants, is Hyde coming back and taking over her every thought and feeling the way he once did. Unfortunately, they picked the exact same time to come home to search for a little redemption.

When he was a little boy, the instant they met, Hyde Fuller wanted nothing more than to protect Remy Archer from everything, including herself. She gleefully took up every moment of his free time, and every ounce of his patience, as they grew alongside one another. He was so intent on keeping her safe, he didn’t realize how deeply Remy had worked her way into his heart.”

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…

• I want to be upfront that Remy has borderline personality disorder and there is an off-the-page suicide attempt discussed in the prologue. Jay did use a sensitivity reader, but this book could still be triggering for some readers so please keep your mental health in mind before diving in.
• Characters: This story is about the second generation of characters born from those in the Marked Men and Saints of Denver series. Our heroine is Remy, she is Rome and Cora’s daughter, you’ll remember them from the third Marked Men book, Rome. Our hero is Hyde, he is Zeb and Sawyer’s son, they were the leads of Built, the first story in the Saints of Denver series. Built also happens to be one of my favourite books Jay has ever written. This story is set up with the premise that Remy has always loved Hyde even when it was detrimental to her. She was such an interesting character. Jay did a great job at building a character who was bubbly and bold, yet was going through some intense struggles. She did the same with Hyde, giving him quite a few barriers to overcome in his life. From enlisting in the army to being cheated on, having paternity issues, and ultimately leaving him as a single father.
• Setting: The story is set in Denver. Which brought with it a lot of the characters from Jay’s Denver-based books. The setting allowed for great interactions with all of the other characters. Getting to spend time with their parents, characters I have loved for a very long time. I loved how you could see bits of the parents in each kid, especially the aspects of Cora in Remy, that informed how hard she could love someone. Remy had such a great relationship with her brother Zowen, yet with her mother Cora, she had a strained relationship. Jay did a wonderful job of depicting family and friend dynamics. These books are even better if you have all of the context including the previous book Fortunate Son, as Daire’s story begins there and continues in this. This instalment has left me begging for more and I cannot even decide who’s story I want more, Daire’s or Zowen’s.
• Pacing: This story kicks off with a very engaging start. There is not much hiding of the traumas of our characters. Jay is very upfront in the prologue and the first few chapters. The prologue does a phenomenal job setting up the unhealthy footing Remy and Hyde were on, why he had to leave and why we find ourselves flashing forward eight years. From then on the book had a breakneck pace and I loved every second of it.
• Romance: Prodigal Son flips the narrative on its head when it comes to romance. Our story begins with Remy always being the one who chases after Hyde, she would try to kiss him and express her love for him. She had an unhealthy obsession with the boy. Eight years later the narrative is reversed. I loved how Hyde was now the one chasing after Remy. The one who thought about her constantly and could not deny how much he needed her to make his life complete. Hyde is a single father to Hollyn and one of my favourite parts about a single parent romance is watching the love interest fall hard for the child along with their parent. So naturally, I adored who Remy fell for Hollyn and that caring for the little baby brought a more mature Remy and Hyde together. This story is the perfect example that some people are always meant to be together but the right place and the right time really do matter. Not only did the romance deliver on the emotional front, but these two also had hot chemistry. Once they gave in to their whims it was hard for them to stop. Jay did an A+ job of striking the balance between sexy, swoony and sad scenes.

Prodigal Son receives five out of five stars.

You can pick up the story below…

Amazon US | Universal

Follow Jay on all her social channels…

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Reader Group

Thank you again to Jay and her team for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!

The post Jay Crownover’s Prodigal Son ARC Review appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.

I could not be more excited to be reviewing Fortunate Son, a book that I never expected to happen. I read Rule back in 2016 and now five years later I don’t just get to read about Rule’s son, I get to review his book with Jet’s daughter. It feels surreal almost.

Check out the Goodreads synopsis…

“Ry Archer and Bowe Keller are as different as night and day. But that doesn’t stop the childhood frenemies from reconnecting whenever one of them needs some help tackling any of life’s major puzzles, like figuring out why getting what you always thought you wanted isn’t living up to all the hype. They might constantly rub each other the wrong way (except for the times when they rub each other the really-really right way), but there is no denying they’ve always made one hell of a great team. They manage to balance each other out… when they aren’t driving each other crazy.

For Ry, he thought he had the perfect girl, the one who was going to run headfirst into a methodically planned future. He was going to marry young and have the same kind of legendary, life-long romance his parents did… or so he believed. His girl was going to stand by his side as he chased his dream of being a professional football player all the way to the NFL.

He was wrong.

Now, Ry’s gotta figure out the difference between a bruised heart and a broken one, and the only person who can teach him the difference is Bowe.

Bowe always felt like she had to run before she learned to walk to keep up with her father’s musical legacy. He’s her hero, and she wants nothing more than to make him proud. Bowe’s about to figure out that maybe she wasn’t meant to be in a rock and roll band, and that it is entirely possible she let her father’s success cloud her idea of what making music should be. Bowe needs to find her own path to fame, and there’s a good chance she wouldn’t be brave enough or bold enough to start over if Ry Archer hadn’t pushed his way back into her life when she least expected it.

Some days they’re enemies. Other days they’re lovers. For a while, they were strangers. But now, it feels more like they might’ve always been soulmates.
Eventually, Ry and Bowe realize that letting go of an old dream and creating a new one is much easier to do with the right person by your side.”

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…

• Characters: Ry Archer is Rule and Shaw’s (Rule) son and his story opens with a fresh heartbreak. He just had his heartbroken by Aston Wheeler, the daughter of Hudson and Poppy (Salvaged). Ry is equal parts smart and athletic. He is one of those people who have their whole life planned out from playing pro football to scoring his dream girl. But maybe it was the wrong girl. Enter Bowe Keller, the daughter of Jet and Ayden (Jet). Bowe is following in her father’s footsteps and pursuing a career in music. Unlike Ry, she lacks direction and carefully curated plans. Both kids were the perfect blend of their parents. I enjoyed this aspect so much. It was also so incredibly wonderful to see the original characters as parents. I am so excited about future books as we have met more of the kids and I need to know their stories too.
• Setting: Ry flees Denver, Colorado to meet up with Bowe in Austin, Texas. Denver is riddled with all the pressure Ry feels and running off to Austin is quite healing for him. Away from prying eyes and their heavy history, Bowe and Ry are able to deal with their pasts and begin to build a future.
• Pacing: This story was paced really well. It did not feel too short or too long. I really enjoyed that I savoured it rather than devouring it. Jay’s writing almost makes you take your time so you are forced to digest it slowly and impactfully.
• Romance: Bowe and Ry are proof that opposites don’t just attract but flourish together. They had a chance to be together earlier in life, and that was lost to them. Now they are getting a second chance and I loved how they took it and ran with it. Bowe pushes Ry in a way that no other character does, she makes him reassess the life he has planned out. While Ry fights for Bowe and her dreams. They made me so emotional as I went from being happy to weepy. Then I also got to laugh and enjoy some very steamy scenes. I loved these two and everyone else around them. I am over the moon that Jay has taken the risk to publish second generation stories!

Fortunate Son receives five out of five stars.

You can pick up the story below…

► Amazon: https://amzn.to/3gLX0G9

► Apple: https://apple.co/3unSVwb

► Kobo: https://bit.ly/3aZsd5e

► Nook: https://bit.ly/3vJK6Nk

Follow Jay on all her social channels…

Website: http://www.jaycrownover.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJayCrownover?ref=hl
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/JayCrownover
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Crownover
Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crownoverscrowd/

Thank you again to Jay and her team for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!

The post Jay Crownover’s Fortunate Son ARC Review appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.

If you are not a Jay Crownover fan you won’t know about her newsletter books. Goldilocks started like that, a few chapters were released every month. I read about half the story that way and then fell off from reading it. I jumped at the chance to finish it after I found the first half super compelling and the rest of the book did not disappoint.

Check out the Goodreads synopsis…

“For Olivia Adams, the world has always been too big or too small.

Forced to live her life caught between what she wanted for herself and the unfair choices and crazy obsession of those around her for as long as she could remember, Ollie has always felt confined and trapped. It was hard for her to imagine a future beyond the crushing control of those who wanted to make sure she paid the price for her role in a tragic accident that ruined several young lives. However, having no hope and living in a constant state of fear never stopped Ollie from dreaming of different ways to break free and how to reunite with the one person who always made her feel safe. Huck is the only one who ever made her feel like there was a place in his world, right by his side, that would fit her just right.

The world has always forced Huck Snyder to be a guy who runs either too hot or too cold.

Unwanted and barely tolerated, his temper burned hot and bright, often leading him into trouble. After the accident, he was tossed out, disowned, and forced to fend for himself. Struggling to survive, Huck quickly realized the only way he would make it was to freeze out every single memory and moment from his past. Especially those surrounding Ollie. He allowed his heart to harden into a block of ice and refused to let anyone close enough to melt it. Years have passed, and Huck has adjusted to the constant cold that permeates through his new life. He was in no way prepared for the only girl who could ever control his inner fire to show back up. Ollie is on the run and doesn’t seem to mind the chilly reception she receives when she shows up unannounced on Huck’s doorstep.

Fire and ice no longer define Huck because when he’s with Ollie, it’s easy to remember that the temperature between the two of them has always been just right.”

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…

• Characters: Olivia or Ollie is a fighter, a survivor, a girl trying to find her own voice in this world. I loved how incredibly smart and resourceful she was. Yet she is a flawed character, carrying a lot of childhood trauma. Huck is her love interest, he has an amazing amount of self-worth for someone with a traumatic childhood. Huck would literally give you the shirt off his back and I found him so endearing for it. I have always loved Jay’s characters and these two were no exception.
• Setting: The story is set in a college town as all the characters are attending school. The novel is set mainly at the house, the house that Huck rents with his friends. The house is how Ollie can find her way back into Huck’s life and the source of them realizing their feelings once again. The house feeds the sense of paranoia in the story, this was something I enjoyed. It had been quite a while since I read a romance with a heavy dose of mystery, so it was super cool to get more than just a steamy romance out of this book.
• Pacing: This book is riddled with secrets and Jay navigated the delegate balance of when to reveal and when to conceal perfectly. There is so much history and a past that is slowly revealed. It was so satisfying the way the story trucked along.
• Romance: They have a romance that started with a friendship. They were honestly the only people in the world who were there for each other. What I loved about this romance is that it checked every possible box. They started with a more teenage relationship of cuddles and kisses. But now they are in their twenties and so they are hot and heavy with each other.

Goldilocks receives five out of five stars.

You can pick up the story below…

https://books2read.com/u/ml2BvP

Follow Jay on all her social channels…

Website: http://www.jaycrownover.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJayCrownover?ref=hl
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/JayCrownover
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Crownover
Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crownoverscrowd/

Thank you again to Jay and her team for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!

The post Jay Crownover’s Goldilocks ARC Review appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.

Who wouldn’t love a surprise release, let alone a surprise from Jay Crownover! I have absolutely loved Jay for years now so I was super excited she decided to release a surprise book. I was also incredibly happy that her team was able to send out review copies and that I am a small part of the group hyping up this awesome story.

Check out the Goodreads synopsis…

“Salinger Dolan.
You know his name.
You’ve seen his face.
You’ve spent money on the endless amount of useless crap he endorses.
Of course, you’ve heard the stories.
You know the ones…The one that claimed he was hard to work with and totally unprofessional on set.
The one where he got caught doing drugs on the set of the most popular, family-friendly show in America.The one where he ruined the reputation—and career—of America’s sweetheart.
There’s more truth to those stories than his fans want to believe because Salinger is the kind of thoughtless, careless, dangerous Hollywood bad boy the paparazzi and fame-hungry starlets can’t get enough of.
Eventually, the shine of his flashy lifestyle started to fade, and Salinger realized the only thing he’s famous for nowadays is his bad behavior and well-documented struggle with addiction.
The former golden boy is beyond tarnished, and the only person who can help him get his glow back is the one woman who wants absolutely nothing to do with him.

Maren Copeland.
You might recall her name.
It’s possible you vaguely remember her face.
You’re probably wondering where she went. After all, you’ve heard the stories…The one where she exposed Salinger Dolan’s drug use all those years ago.
The one that said she tried to ruin his career because she was envious of his popularity.
The one about how she went from being everyone’s favorite to a pariah overnight.
Maren Copeland is now known as the comeback queen. After years of hard work and purposely avoiding entanglements with problematic heartthrobs like her first co-star, she’s on track to revitalize her career and rearrange her priorities after a very messy and very public divorce.
For the first time in both her professional and personal life, she’s the one calling all the shots.
Unfortunately, the path to get her where she wants to be leads directly to none other than Salinger Dolan.
He’s the one and the only person she swore she would never work with again.
Once upon a time, he cost her everything. He’s back to make amends and promised to give her anything she wants if she’ll just give him a chance to prove he’s grown up.
She doesn’t trust him.
She knows she’d be a fool to believe he’s changed.
After all, what are the odds that a spoiled, entitled brat like Salinger Dolan could become a righteous man?”

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…

• Characters: Maren Copeland has had her ups and downs in Hollywood from being fired, to bad agents, to a miscarriage and a dick of an ex-husband. The story opens with Maren being let go from the show she works on with Salinger, she was let go after she told the showrunners that Salinger had a drug problem. Flash forward years later and Maren has turned her career around. She’s got an agent that supports her, an assistant who is devoted to her wellbeing, and she is so close to shaking off the vestiges of her failed marriage. This is when Salinger walks back into her life. Since they last worked together Salinger, through the help of his brother has picked himself up and dug himself out of the hole he was in. He has gone to rehab and fought to be sober. Now he has his own production company, and it’s first film he wrote the script for and he wants Maren to play the lead. Maren is reluctant at first, the last time she worked with Salinger it ruined her career but after some pivotal moments in the story she signs on to the project and it changes both their lives forever.
• Pacing: It’s a story from Jay so of course, the pacing is great. I found the ending to be slightly rushed if I were to complain about anything. I liked the nature of these two having history that is explored at the beginning and then flashing forward to a time that they could really be together.
• Setting: The story is set predominately in California, the LA area. You see glimpses of other places like when Maren visits her father in another state and when they go up to Vancouver to shoot the movie. I have not read much about famous actors falling in love and dealing with the paparazzi but that is exactly the beauty of an LA setting.
• Romance: I loved Maren and Salinger’s love story. Jay speaks a lot in the author’s note of how she was inspired by Kate Beckinsale and Pete Davidson’s whirlwind romance. It was super interesting to see Jay depict being the people in a relationship with an age gap that is being perceived and subsequently misconstrued by the media and fans. No aspect was rushed, Jay paced it really well. I also thought Salinger would be the one to rely on Maren more, but really this story was more about Maren realizing it was safe to put her trust in him after she had been burned before.

A Righteous Man receives five out of five stars.

You can pick up the story below…

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2WQ641M
Amazon Paperback:https://amzn.to/3hnHwa5
Amazon CA: http://bit.ly/Armca
Amazon FR: http://bit.ly/ARMzonFR
Amazon UK: http://bit.ly/ArmZonUK
Amazon AU: http://bit.ly/ArmzonAU

Follow Jay on all her social channels…

Website: http://www.jaycrownover.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJayCrownover?ref=hl
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/JayCrownover
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Crownover
Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crownoverscrowd/

Thank you again to Jay’s team for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!

The post Jay Crownover’s A Righteous Man Review appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.

I was over the moon to receive this book nearly two months early. I finished it the day Jay Crownover announced she got a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly for this story, the first book of her’s to ever do so. Maybe that’s why reading this release felt so special, I devoured it. No surprise here Jay killed this book.

Check out the Goodreads synopsis…

“From the New York Times bestselling author of the Marked Men series comes an irresistible and suspenseful romance between a doctor who plays by the rules and the outlaw who breaks them in order to protect her.

Dr. Presley Baskin has always lived a quiet, calm life. Unfortunately, nothing about her life in Loveless, Texas—especially not the wild, rowdy, and impossibly close-knit Lawton family who’ve claimed her—is quiet or calm. Which is how loner Presley finds herself roped into patching up local bad boy Shot Caldwell against her better judgment. Presley wants nothing to do with the dangerous, brooding leader of the local outlaw motorcycle club. But when someone starts stalking her, Shot is the only person she trusts to help. Plus he owes her one…

Palmer ‘Shot’ Caldwell has always known his life isn’t made for relationships. At least until shy, secretive, Presley reluctantly pulled a bullet out of him. He’s oddly protective of the pretty doctor, so when she comes to him for help, hard-hearted Shot suddenly realizes there’s nothing he wouldn’t do to keep her safe.” 

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…

• Characters: Blacklisted is Presley and Shot’s story. Presley is a character who has been in the Loveless, Texas universe for a while now, one I was so excited to finally be in her head. Presley is such a strong protagonist for this story, a young woman who has struggled, who has been forced to be independent. In the face of all of that, she has half-brothers, a half-sister, half-sister in-laws and now a love interest who want to show her she does not have to go about life all on her own.
• Setting: The story is set in Loveless a town in Texas that is the complete opposite of its name. A town that is so full of love that for Presely and Shot people in dire need of it, it is the perfect place to be.
• Romance: Shot and Presley have all-encompassing chemistry. It was electrifying to read them fall in love for the first time in their lives. The romantic scenes were so incredibly hot.

Blacklisted receives five out of five stars.

You can pick up the story below…

➜ UNIVERSAL LINK: https://books2read.com/u/bW11V7
➜ Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2OHo0rY

Follow Jay at the links below…

Website: http://www.jaycrownover.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJayCrownover?ref=hl
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/JayCrownover
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Crownover
Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crownoverscrowd/

Thank you so much to Jay Crownover and her team for this opportunity. Thank you so much for reading this review and supporting my blog.

The post Jay Crownover’s Blacklisted ARC Review appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.

Having the opportunity to review for Jay Crownover again sparks so much joy in my life. She was one of my first favourite NA authors and she always consistently puts out amazing stories every year.

Here is the Goodreads synopsis…

“The New York Times bestselling author of the Marked Men series delivers a romance about a rugged Texas sheriff who must protect the woman who was once his sworn enemy…

Case Lawton comes from a family of criminals. So as the sheriff of Loveless, Texas, he’s determined to do everything by the book–until he’s called to Aspen Barlow’s office after a so-called break-in. The last thing he wants to do is help the woman who cost him custody of his son. But Aspen isn’t the heartless lawyer Case remembers, and he starts to question his long-held grudge…

Aspen is scared for her life, and Case is her last hope for protection. But to get him on her side, she’ll have to reveal the painful truth from all those years ago. Now, as they work together to track down a dangerous criminal, Case and Aspen learn to trust each other. And as the threats escalate, it becomes clear there’s a thin line between love and hate… because there’s nothing Case wouldn’t do to keep her safe.”

Here are my more detailed thoughts…

• Characters: Case and Aspen are the protagonists of Jay’s latest story. Aspen is a tough-willed, lawyer who went into the profession as a means to help families through fighting divorce and child custody cases. Case carries the baggage of his initial life plans being turned around, the star athlete in high school who was supposed to leave his small town instead settles down young and takes on his dad’s job as the town sheriff. Case struggles with the need to constantly do better, be better, be better than his corrupt father at the sheriff job and be a better father for his son.
• Setting: Loveless a small town in Texas is its own character in this story. The small town where a city girl like Aspen is chastised as the weird girl. The small town where gossip spreads like wildfire throughout this book.
• Pacing: What makes the pacing of this story exceptional is the pace in which the mystery element unfolds.
• Romance: Case and Aspen have a tumultuous past, from their beginning that saw Case being the only person in town who was nice to Aspen when she moved to Loveless to the events that see Aspen as the lawyer who separates Case from his son for many years. The events of Justified force them together in a way that makes them conqueror their feelings for each other head first. Both Case and Aspen had first relationships that failed miserably, and are both so deserving of the love they ultimately fight for.

Justified receives five out of five stars.

You can follow Jay Crownover on all of her social media accounts…

Website: http://www.jaycrownover.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJayCrownover?ref=hl
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/JayCrownover
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Crownover

Thank you so much to Jay Crownover and her team for this opportunity. Thank you so much for reading this review and supporting my blog.

The post Jay Crownover’s Justified ARC Review appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.

I am so excited to be apart of the team revealing the cover for Downfall. If you are not a fan of Jay you probably will not be aware of the fact that Downfall has been her newsletter books. Meaning a few chapters were released each month in her newsletter and I have been reading since Chapter 1. The story is amazing and I cannot wait to see how it wraps up.

Now here is the cover reveal…

Here is the synopsis…

“Solomon Sanders doesn’t have time to fall in love. Until a stunning, skittish, single mother forces him to pause and recognize just how empty and hollow his busy life has become.

From the start, it’s been ingrained in Solo’s DNA to fight. 

Fight for what he believes is right. 

Fight for the people he loves.

Fight for the traces of good in a place which tends to be filled with a variety of bad.

Fight for survival, so at some point, his life will quiet down and find a normal pace.

He wasn’t ready for the impact his secretive, shy, obviously out of place new neighbor was going to have on him. And never in a million years was he prepared to fall head over heels for her and her young daughter.

Now, he’s facing the most important, and the hardest fight he’s ever fought… the battle to win Orley’s damaged heart.

Orley Vincent’s heart is full of fear, leaving no space for love. Until a big, brash, brawler of a man forces his way in and makes her realize facing her fears is the only way she can ever be free.

From the start, Orley was groomed to believe she wasn’t good enough.

She wasn’t the perfect daughter. Or student. Or girlfriend.

But, she has always been the best mother she could be to her daughter, Noble.

Keeping Noble safe has always been the one thing she was determined to do, which ironically, is how she ended up on the wrong side of the tracks, living next door to an unlikely hero. Orley’s a woman on the run. She had no idea her frantic sprint was going to land her in the tattooed arms of a man ready to teach her how to fight for herself… and for love.”

You can pre-order your copy today…

Amazon Live Alert: https://amzn.to/2tWo63W
Kobo: http://bit.ly/DownfallKOBO
iBooks:http://bit.ly/iDownfall
B&N: http://bit.ly/DownfallBN

You can follow Jay here…

Website: http://www.jaycrownover.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJayCrownover?ref=hl
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/JayCrownover
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Crownover

Thank you to InkSlingerPR and Jay Crownover for the opportunity to reveal the cover. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog.

The post Jay Crownover’s Downfall Cover Reveal appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.