The Marked Men by Jay Crownover Mini Reviews

I've never done mini reviews before, but it's also been awhile since I binge-read an entire series in a weekend. So, here's my reviews of the 3 first Marked Men books by the amazing Jay Crownover:

Title: Rule

Author: Jay Crownover

Publisher: Jay Crownover Books

Publication Date: 12.30.2012

Pages: 327

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Series: Marked Men #1

Source: Purchased ebook

Rating: B

Summary (from Goodreads):

Opposites in every way . . . except the one that matters 

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.

Review:

I started reading this book for the first time when it came out. I was immediately annoyed as crap with Rule. After some gentle shoving from another blogger friend who assured me it got better, I decided to give it another go. I was totally stunned by how quickly and hard I fell in love with this story.

Yes, Rule is very antagonistic, but his loyalty and passion is what pulled me--and Shaw--in. And Shaw? She's just all sorts of sweet and awesome. These two balanced one another perfectly! This is a fantastic start to Jay Crownover's Marked Men series. She gives you a great glimpse into these guys and how tight their bond is as friends and family. I can't wait for each to get his story and time in the spotlight.

Buy: Amazon

Title: Jet

Author: Jay Crownover

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Publication Date: 5.28.2013

Pages: 416

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Series: Marked Men #2

Source: eARC from publisher

Rating: B+

Summary (from Goodreads):

With his tight leather pants and a sharp edge that makes him dangerous, Jet Keller is every girl’s rock and roll fantasy. But Ayden Cross is done walking on the wild side with bad boys. She doesn’t want to give in to the heat she sees in Jet’s dark, haunted eyes. She’s afraid of getting burned from the sparks of their spontaneous combustion, even as his touch sets her on fire.

Jet can’t resist the Southern Belle with mile-long legs in cowboy boots who defies his every expectation. Yet the closer he feels to Ayden, the less he seems to know her. While he’s tempted to get under her skin and undo her in every way, he knows firsthand what happens to two people with very different ideas about relationships.

Will the blaze burn into an enduring love. . . or will it consume their dreams and turn them to ashes?

Review:

I think this is my favorite of the three Marked Men books so far. I just love Jet. And Ayden. They have this combustible relationship that simply leaps off the page. It gave me shivers in all the right ways as a reader. Tight pants on a guy aren't usually my thing, but Jet totally sold them. I loved his rocker with a heart of gold mentality, and Ayden is this beautifully broken girl who is trying to build a better life for herself.

While some of the drama does get a little over the top at times, Jay Crownover has this fantastic voice that will make me follow her anywhere. This is the definition of a new adult book to me - two people taking on adult responsibilities and relationships for the first time.

Buy: Amazon

Title: Rome

Author: Jay Crownover

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Publication Date: 1.7.2013

Pages: 384

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Series: Marked Men #3

Source: eARC from publisher

Rating: B-

Summary (from Goodreads):

Sometimes the wrong choice can be just right . . .

Fun and fearless, Cora Lewis knows how to keep her tattooed "bad boy" friends at the Marked in line. But beneath all that flash and sass is a broken heart. Cora won't let herself get burned again. She's waiting to fall in love with the perfect man—a baggage-free, drama-free guy ready for commitment. Then she meets Rome Archer.

Rome Archer is as far from perfect as a man can be. He's stubborn, rigid, and bossy. And he's returned from his final tour of duty more than a little broken. Rome's used to filling many roles: big brother, doting son, supersoldier—but none of those fit anymore. Now he's just a man trying to figure out what to do with the rest of his life while keeping the dark demons of war and loss at bay. He would have been glad to suffer through it alone, until Cora comes sweeping into his life and becomes a blinding flash of color in a sea of gray.Perfect may not be in the cards, but perfectly imperfect could just last forever . . .

Review:

This felt like a little bit of a pull-away from the other books in the series. Don't get me wrong--Rome and Cora definitely have a swoony, hot romance, but I just didn't feel the same chemistry between them that I felt in the past books. Maybe I burned myself out by binging on all this hotness at once?

Cora is definitely harder to get a handle on than other leading ladies in this series. She's rough, brassy, and argumentative, and I wanted to slap her with all her "perfect guy" talk, but Rome and his amazingness made up for it. I still don't think Cora deserves Rome, but maybe that's because I want Rome?

Rome is a trouble war hero that dug his way under my skin and firmly into my heart. I hope I get a chance to see how his relationship with Cora keeps moving in flashes during other books.

Buy: Amazon