Waiting on Wednesday: Asa

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine and is a fun way to see what books other bloggers just can't wait to get their hands on!

ASA

Jay Crownover

Contemporary New Adult

Releases from William Morrow/ HarperCollins on April 21st, 2015

Starting over in Denver with a whole new circle of friends and family, Asa Cross struggles with being the man he knows everyone wants him to be and the man he knows he really is. A leopard doesn’t it change its spots and Asa has always been a predator. He doesn’t want to hurt those who love and rely on him, especially one stunning arresting cop who suddenly seems to be interested in him for far more than his penchant for breaking the law. But letting go of old habits is hard, and it’s easy to hit bottom when it’s the place you know best.

Royal Hastings is quickly learning what the bottom looks like after a tragic situation at work threatens not only her career but her partner’s life. As a woman who has only ever had a few real friends she’s trying to muddle through her confusion and devastation all alone. Except she can’t stop thinking about the sexy southern bartender she locked up. Crushing on Asa is the last thing she needs but his allure is too strong to resist. His long criminal record can only hurt her already shaky career and chasing after a guy who has no respect for the law or himself can only end in heartbreak.

A longtime criminal and a cop together just seems so wrong . . . but for Asa and Royal, being wrong together is the only right choice to make.

Amazon US • iBooks • Barnes & Noble • Kobo

Whew. Asa is looking GOOD! I think this is my favorite cover yet:) I absolutely adore this series, Jay Crownover writes such great characters and her romances have just the right amount of tension and drama to keep me on the edge of my seat without making me want to tear my hair out in frustration. I've been waiting for Asa's story for a long time, so April can't come fast enough!

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JAY CROWNOVER

Jay Crownover is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men series. She also introduced the dark and sexy world of The Point that started with BETTER WHEN HE's BAD and is currently working on her newest series The Saint of Denver. Like her characters, she is a big fan of tattoos. She loves music and wishes she could be a rock star, but since she has no aptitude for singing or instrument playing, she'll settle for writing stories with interesting characters that make the reader feel something. She lives in Colorado with her three dogs.

Website • Blog • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads

Review: Better When He's Bad

BETTER WHEN HE'S BAD
Welcome to the Point #1
Jay Crownover
Contemporary New Adult
384 pages
William Morrow
Available Now
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Welcome to the Point

There’s a difference between a bad boy and a boy who’s bad . . . meet Shane Baxter.

Sexy, dark, and dangerous, Bax isn’t just from the wrong side of the tracks, he is the wrong side of the tracks. A criminal, a thug, and a brawler, he’s the master of bad choices, until one such choice landed him in prison for five years. Now Bax is out and looking for answers, and he doesn’t care what he has to do or who he has to hurt to get them. But there’s a new player in the game, and she’s much too innocent, much too soft…and standing directly in his way.

Dovie Pryce knows all about living a hard life and the tough choices that come with it. She’s always tried to be good, tried to help others, and tried not to let the darkness pull her down. But the streets are fighting back, things have gone from bad to worse, and the only person who can help her is the scariest, sexiest, most complicated ex-con The Point has ever produced.

Bax terrifies her, but it doesn’t take Dovie long to realize that some boys are just better when they’re bad.

MY THOUGHTS
Better When He’s Bad is the first in a new series from Ms. Crownover, one where her oh-so sexy bad boys move from bad in appearance and attitude to bad in the eyes of the law, and the darker line we walk right along with them couldn’t be more enjoyable. While the stakes for our main couple in this story are much higher and their day to day lives rougher than those of her previous characters, the drama remains at that perfect level we’ve come to expect from Ms. Crownover, giving us just enough intensity to push all our emotional buttons without shoving us over the edge of frustration and letting us hit every bump on the way down.

Dovie is a highlight from beginning to end, the exact opposite of Bax in so many ways despite the similarities in their upbringings, and she is therefore a beautifully interesting foil for his character. She chooses to see the potential in what life has to offer rather than the stark reality of it, but she doesn’t come across as someone with her head in her the clouds or blinders strapped to her face, instead she’s someone who acknowledges the dark but chooses to walk in the light as best she can. She’s a key reason why the relationship issues that unfold between her and Bax never reach the infuriating levels so common in the NA genre, refusing to allow outside opinions of Bax to influence her own feelings and choosing honesty with him above all else.

Bax, for his part, oozes every bit the amount of sex appeal we expect after reading the synopsis, and he has little trouble heating the pages with Dovie as their relationship progresses. Unlike Dovie however, he’s convinced his future is limited to only two possibilities–jail or death–and he’s stubborn enough to reject any outcomes above and beyond those. Despite his conviction when it comes to the direction his life is headed, he doesn’t fight his feelings for Dovie overly hard and, with one exception, doesn’t try to scare her with the black brush his life and reputation have painted him with. He’s tender when he wants to be, but he’s also completely unapologetic for the fact that he has always–and will always–consider the law flexible, and there’s just something undeniably attractive about a man who bends in some ways yet remains unyielding in others.

Overall, Better When He’s Bad is the type of New Adult romance we can’t help but want more of, the main conflicts between the two of them an ideal blend of internal and external so that our sole focus isn’t strictly the relationship itself. As a result, our nerves are on edge for reasons other than worrying over the moment when the romance between the two of them is going to implode, and the maturity with which both Bax and Dovie handle themselves serves as a reminder throughout that the typical NA angst has no place in their story. Dovie’s brother Race’s story is up next, and I for one cannot wait!

Rating: 4/5

Find Jay:

Website • Blog • Facebook • Twitter • Amazon • Goodreads

 

This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Rome Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

ROME
Marked Men #3
Jay Crownover
Contemporary New Adult
384 pages
William Morrow Paperbacks
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Cora Lewis is a whole lot of fun, and she knows how to keep her tattooed bad boy friends in line. But all that flash and sass hide the fact that she’s never gotten over the way her first love broke her heart. Now she has a plan to make sure that never happens again: She’s only going to fall in love with someone perfect.

Rome Archer is as far from perfect as a man can be. He’s stubborn and rigid, he’s bossy and has come back from his final tour of duty fundamentally broken. Rome’s used to filling a role: big brother, doting son, super soldier; and now none of these fit anymore. Now he’s just a man trying to figure out what to do with the rest of his life while keeping the demons of war and loss at bay. He would have been glad to suffer it alone, until Cora comes sweeping into his life and becomes the only color on his bleak horizon.

Perfect isn’t in the cards for these two, but imperfect might just last forever . . .

MY THOUGHTS
Rome is perhaps the most highly anticipated installment of the Marked Men series to date, his status as a military veteran struggling to claw his way free from the phantoms of blood, sand, and death that weigh him down causing an instant connection to form, protective instincts flaring and the desire to see happiness find its way to him at an all-time high. There is of course some wariness as well given the fact that huge drama and dark, broken characters tend to be staples of the new adult genre, but Ms. Crownover has a talent for ensuring her books pack an emotional punch without yanking our hearts from our chests and crushing them beneath the heel of her boot. We're invested in the outcome of Rome and Cora's relationship without dreading the turn of every page–wondering if what's awaiting us next is the moment we'll be made to bleed–and we're beyond grateful for the strong focus on communication in all her stories.

Cora is a young woman we certainly like well enough in the beginning, though her determination to hold out for a non-existent “Mr. Perfect” thanks to a painful romantic history is cause for some concern as we look ahead to what it could mean for her relationship with Rome. If she were paired with any guy other than Rome in this story, her lingering hurt after being cheated on by a man she thought was her endgame would create in us no shortage of sympathy, but in the first third of this book her heartbreak, while neither easily dismissed nor negligible by any means, just doesn't quite stand up against the pain and darkness Rome faces on a daily basis courtesy of his time in the military. As a result we find ourselves more firmly attached to Rome from the onset, a little unsure of Cora since the reasons behind her hesitancy to start something with Rome seem to carry less weight when pitted against all that Rome is dealing with, but luckily it doesn't take too long before Cora wins us over.

After spending just a little time with Rome, Cora quickly comes to see how impractical her campaign to wait for the perfect man–a man with no assembly and no effort required to fit snugly into her life–truly is, and the moment she decides to own up to her misguided way of thinking and take a chance on Rome we can't help but root for her. She's the type of person who's always upfront, not one to mince words or play games, and just as she often gets Rome to admit when he's made a mistake or taken a misstep, she's quick to admit her own missteps as they slowly start down the path of a serious relationship. When her past and the fear it tattooed across her heart and mind rear up on occasion and threaten to make a hypocrite out of her after everything she's said to Rome about needing someone who's as invested in a shared future as she is, there's only the briefest of moments for us to get frustrated before she recognizes the damage she's caused and sets out to do everything she can to fix it. The two of them have significant baggage that trips them up now and again as they try to move forward, but luckily for us both of them are fighters at their cores, willing and able to do battle for what they want with very little collateral damage.

Overall, Rome is another strong addition to the Marked Men series, Rome and Cora a beautifully flawed pair who make us both laugh and cry, and leave us with hearts light and happy as we turn our eyes to Nash in eager anticipation.

Rating: 4/5
 

Buy Rome:

  

Amazon • Amazon UK • Amazon CA • B&N • iTunes • IndieBound 

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JAY CROWNOVER

I’m supposed to share interesting details about myself so that my readers get to know me so here we go in no particular order: I’m an natural redhead even though I haven’t seen my real hair color in years, I’m a big fan of tattoos and have a half sleeve on either arm and various other pieces all over the place, I’ve been in the bar industry since I was in college and it has always offered interesting insight into how men and women interact with each other, I have 3 dogs that are all crazy, I live in Colorado and love the snow, I love music and in all reality wish I could be a rock star not a writer or a bartender but I have zero talent so there is that.

I love to write, love to read and all I’m interested in is a good story with interesting characters that make the reader feel something.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads

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TOUR + GIVEAWAY

The fabulous team at Literati Author Services has put together an amazing tour for Rome, so be sure and check out the full list of participating blogs so you don't miss out on all the Rome and Cora fun. There's also an epic tour-wide giveaway including prizes like an iPod, Amazon gift cards and of course, the Marked Men books. Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter!

A Rafflecopter Giveaway

Review: Rule

RULE
Marked Men #1
Jay Crownover
Contemporary New Adult
339 pages
William Morrow
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Shaw Landon loved Rule Archer from the moment she laid eyes on him. Rule is everything a straight-A pre-med student like Shaw shouldn’t want—and the only person she’s never tried to please. She isn’t afraid of his scary piercings and tattoos or his wild attitude. Though she knows that Rule is wrong for her, her heart just won’t listen.

To a rebel like Rule Archer, Shaw Landon is a stuck-up, perfect princess—and his dead twin brother’s girl. She lives by other people’s rules; he makes his own. He doesn’t have time for a good girl like Shaw—even if she’s the only one who can see the person he truly is.

But a short skirt, too many birthday cocktails, and spilled secrets lead to a night neither can forget. Now, Shaw and Rule have to figure out how a girl like her and a guy like him are supposed to be together without destroying their love . . . or each other.

MY THOUGHTS
Rule gives us a romantic setup that never fails to pull on our heartstrings from the very beginning, Shaw's unrequited love for her late best friend's brother making us ache from the moment she bursts into his room on the very first page and is forced to bear witness–as she has so many times before–to just how alone she is in her feelings. What's so beautiful about this particular pairing is the lack of angst in their relationship, rather than brooding and pining on one or both sides we get a more raw, visceral type of pain, one that extends deep beneath the skin to leave wounds that aren't always visible. There's no shortage of drama or tension, but instead of our fingers winding through our hair to tug in frustration we find an uncomfortable twist in our guts, our desire to see Shaw get the one and only thing she's ever truly wanted for herself matched only by her own, and we read on with breath held, hoping Rule doesn't destroy the heart he doesn't even know belongs to him.

Shaw is a young woman we react to immediately despite starting our time off with Rule's perspective, knowing from the synopsis she's loved him for years and, as a result, flinching on her behalf when she finds him yet again with a naked girl whose name he can't remember. She handles everything miraculously well, shoving her hurt so far down he can't possibly see it even if he opened his eyes laughably wide, and when her moment comes to have Rule just one time, she pounces on it with a clear head despite the alcohol lowering her inhibitions. She doesn't expect anything more from their encounter–doesn't harbor any delusions that he'll suddenly develop feelings for her–and we can only admire her for taking the risk but being honest enough with herself to keep the fallout from cutting so deeply she can't stanch the bleeding.

Rule plays a role we've seen before, oblivious as can be to how Shaw feels and only taking notice of her physically once he sees her dressed in a skimpy work uniform, but for all that he seems cliché, there's an addictive quality to him that extends beyond the fictional women drawn to him like moths to a flame and into reality to snare us as well. Luckily, he has a core group of friends who don't hesitate to mock him for his previous obtuseness and the shallowness of the situation that finally forces his eyes open, allowing us to find humor instead of irritation in the circumstances. His relationship with Shaw is in no way easy, but their struggles feel perfectly genuine and realistic, combining with some rather impressive family dysfunction to have us tied up in knots from which we have no desire to escape. He makes mistakes, pushes when he should pull, and falls back on old habits when his fight or flight reaction kicks in and sends him running, but through it all he never moves beyond forgiveness, and we can't help but root for the two of them with every fiber of our being.

Overall, Rule is a new adult romance at its best, full of sharp edges that find our soft spots and leave bruises, but with repeated contact those edges finally begin to soften, leaving us with a warmth and happiness worth all the discomfort along the way. The secondary characters are deeply intriguing, the kind that have us sprinting to the computer upon finishing to see when we can expect their stories to find their way into our hands, and sparking in us a renewed sense of anticipation even as we glory in the replete feeling we have thanks to Shaw and Rule.

Rating: 4/5
 

Find Jay:

Website • Blog • Facebook • Twitter • Amazon • B&N • Goodreads

 

I had the pleasure of interviewing Jay last week, if you didn't get a chance to check that out, you can do so here!

This book was sent to me by the publisher  free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Interview: Jay Crownover + Rule

I'm so pleased today to welcome new adult author Jay Crownover to the blog to answer a few questions about the first book in her Marked Men series, Rule. I finished Rule a little while back (my full review will be posted next week) and couldn't email Jay fast enough to express my love and request an interview. I want to thank her for taking the time to answer all my questions, and if you haven't had a chance to read this one, I hope you add it to your lists!

Let’s say you decide to make an appointment with Rule for a new tattoo. What would the tattoo he created for you look like?

Lol…I don’t really have room for any more and I just filled up the bottom of one arm with my book inspired tattoo so that’s out. I dunno something that reflected change and taking risks. That’s what Rule was for me…a big ole scary risk! Hmm maybe an eagle head or something that represents freedom. He gave me freedom to just do what a I wanted and not be scared to be reliant on someone else for anything ever again…so yeah maybe that, plus it would fit with all my other traditional style work :-)

If, as a surprise for Shaw, Rule were to ask Jet and his band to play a dedication song to her, what song would he choose?

You’ll have to keep reading the series…I just finished a scene where this exact thing comes up so I’m not gonna give it away. Let’s just say the song is for a very special day in Rule and Shaw’s life.

What’s one quirk or habit of Rule’s that he’s unaware Shaw knows about and might be embarrassed by if he knew?

That his hair color choices aren’t random. It changes a lot because it matches his mood or his mindset. At the end of Jet we see him with green hair, that’s because green is happiness and he’s stoked he just moved in with Shaw.

If Remy had the chance to see how Rule and Shaw are together at the end of the book, what would the first words out of his mouth be?

“Finally”. Or maybe “Make each other happy.”

They are his 2 favorite people in the world he would just want them to take care of each other and finally be together.

You write very appealing and absurdly attractive "bad boys". Who is your all-time favorite bad boy character (book, TV, or film)?

Well I love Jax Teller and Opie from Sons of Anarchy, Ryan Gosling in Drive was amazing, and I like all the guys in the Black Ice series Anne Stuart wrote years ago.

Being a bad boy is subjective to me, I never look at Rule or Jet and see a “bad boy”, I see young men comfortable in their skin, okay with what life has handed them and living life on their own terms. I think the outer trappings get them lumped into that bad-boy category but it really isn’t the case.

We are treated to the alternating point of views of both Rule and Shaw in their story. What’s one challenge each of their perspectives presented for you as a writer?

Well I’m not a boy so getting the male thought pattern and reactions to sound authentic and true to a 20-something year old man can be difficult. Making him sound like Rule and not just some generic young guy can also be hard.

With Shaw it was making her sound, and feel like her own person, not me. Her thought patterns and her reactions are her own, but I caught myself making her talk more like me than I meant which I had to go in and adjust.

It’s a girl’s night for you, Shaw, Ayden and Cora. What are a few of the activities your night will consist of?

Prolly drinks some Bud Light for me…shots and silliness for them. They use girls night to commiserate about the hard-headed, hard to handle men in their lives so I’m sure that would be on the agenda.

Looking forward to Jet, what’s a song title or lyric that gives us a little taste of what’s to come for our next couple?

You can’t always get what you want by The Rolling Stones.

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RULE

Shaw Landon loved Rule Archer from the moment she laid eyes on him. Rule is everything a straight-A pre-med student like Shaw shouldn’t want—and the only person she’s never tried to please. She isn’t afraid of his scary piercings and tattoos or his wild attitude. Though she knows that Rule is wrong for her, her heart just won’t listen.

To a rebel like Rule Archer, Shaw Landon is a stuck-up, perfect princess—and his dead twin brother’s girl. She lives by other people’s rules; he makes his own. He doesn’t have time for a good girl like Shaw—even if she’s the only one who can see the person he truly is.

But a short skirt, too many birthday cocktails, and spilled secrets lead to a night neither can forget. Now, Shaw and Rule have to figure out how a girl like her and a guy like him are supposed to be together without destroying their love . . . or each other.

Amazon • B&N • Goodreads

• • • • • • • • • • 

JAY CROWNOVER

I’m a native Coloradoan and if you live here you know why that is a source of pride.  I love all the things Colorado has to offer and that is why I choose to set my books in this familiar setting.  I try to write about things I know and am familiar with which is why my stories feature plenty of rock and roll and body modification.

I’ve been in the bar industry since I was in college and I spend over forty hours a week watching the interaction between men and women in a unique way.  I think my 9 to 5 job offers me valuable insights into how relationships start and evolve in a social setting.  I love it.

I like to write New Adult novels because I remember being in my early twenties and thinking I had it all figured out only to be proven wrong time and time again.  When I look back those were the years that defined who I am today, and good or bad those decisions untimely set me on my current path, so that’s what I like to explore in my writing.

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