You name it—I'm fascinated by it. My mom always blamed my overly curious and highly suspicious mind on my dad.
My incredibly overbearing dad.
Mr. No One Is Good Enough For My Daughter has been terrifying my dates since I turned fifteen.
College is my chance to be free from his control and date any guy I want.
I'm absolutely certain he would hate Slade Wylder—almost as certain as I am that I do too.
Since when have I shied away from trouble?
Slade fascinates me. He lives in a house I'm certain is haunted. His dog is trained as well as any guard I've ever seen. Rumor on campus is that he deals drugs. It would explain a lot.
But it doesn't explain why he saves me from my darkest moment.
It doesn't explain why I can't stop thinking about him.
And the explanation I finally discover is far more dangerous than any rumor.
Kiss the fingers. Throw the kiss. Blah blah blah. Magnifique.
I am in LOVE!!!! I know...I say this every time I read a Jewel E Ann book, but I'm to the point that I honestly have to blame her. Can you blame me?? I mean, she should either stop writing these amazingly flawed characters, or she should come with a warning on every book. Just saying. Wylder was everything I needed in a broody, focused guy that had one goal, one job, one task with a coat of armor - and yet, for some reason, Livy got under his skin still. And let me tell ya, it was brilliant! HAHAHA!! If I thought I already had a favorite female character of JEA's, it's since changed. Livy was strength personified. She was Jackson Knight's daughter, so she was obviously strong and witty, and very smart. But there was a certain shoulder-shrug of 'yeah, whatever' that ran through her. She was easy and laid back, but curious and determined - if that makes any sense. Kind of like an enigma - but not really, but kinda sorta. I know I'm not making sense, but she really kept me on my toes and I loved who she was deep down. She was amazing.
When being a smartass is second nature, and it’s written well and not forced, it makes the characters that much more relatable and lovable. Wylder and Livy epitomized smartassery. There really is no other way to put it. They had an easy and yet quite erratic relationship, and I loved that dynamic because I feel like they are the only ones able to pull it off.
I realize that I am sharing the funny side of their love story, but there is a much more emotional side to it that is almost impossible to put into to words. Not only do I want you to discover the amazing love these two shared, but I don't want you to miss out on that journey. They had an angering love, but an all consuming love. It outlined a push-pull mentality, but one where the give and take was equally matched. I loved the heaviness of the meaning behind everything Wylder said to Livy, but I loved how she took it all in and shared herself with him with equal abandon. Their emotions varied wildly, and with that adding another layer to dig through, knowing the strength of Wylder's love was heart-melting perfection. Literal weak in the knees moment for me.
"My love for him ran to the center of the earth and infinitely into space; it never failed to bring tears to my eyes. My lover. My protector. My world. My monster."
I love that JEA hides little tidbits in her stories only to then find out they’re part of the realization of the entire story. Something seemingly inconsequential ends up being important to the emotional aspect of it all. I love finding those!! She ties everything in so well. I'm always enamored with her writing.
It’s crazy to think that JEA could write this book after the original trilogy being written so long ago - with many books in between. But to turn around and write another book in that vein, and it all flows the same? Sounds different. Feels different. Packaged different. But feels the same. Amazing.
I haven't ever hidden my love for Jewel E Ann - and it's not likely to subside anytime soon. To put her amazing brain into perspective, she wrote the Jack & Jill Series starting back in August of 2015. So five years after she started that series, she added yet another spinoff to it and it flowed marvelously. Now, I will be the first to admit I met Jewel in a roundabout way. I started with ONE as my first book, which was also a spinoff of her Jack & Jill Series and while some of it was spoilerish, it wasn't too terribly bad because I recently went back to read J&J and enjoyed it immensely. Of course, I had to read J&J before I read Out of Love because I didn't want to ruin the original story....silly me! While this was a spinoff, it does stand alone. Having said that, I will say that if you haven't read J&J, you are going to miss out on the significance of the connections between the characters and the meaning behind those connections. But, if you're brave like me, you can read it because it does stand alone with slight spoilers.
It’s always so fun to sit down and write a review when I’m amped up after an amazing read. Jewel is a regular in that arena for me....but it's also daunting because I never feel like my review will accurately capture my feelings. She's so good and always a one-click author for me, and one I will happily share anytime. This one, again, was no different.
ONE is Lake Jones' story. She is Luke Jones' sister. You can grab it from AMAZON HERE.
~ My review is HERE
OUT OF LOVE is Livy Knight's story. She is Jackson's daughter. You can grab it from AMAZON HERE.
Love this review, i can feel your excitement through these words!😍
ReplyDeleteFABULOUS Review!!!!! Love this book
ReplyDeleteWow I love your review Bee! I wanted to read this ever since I heard about it. I love Jewel!! But was also hesitant because it's kinda part of a series that I haven't read yet. But I'm brave enough to dive in like you.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the Jack and Jill series and I've been meaning to. Maybe I shoild start now.
ReplyDeleteI've been in a funk. Thanks to COVID. I'm so over it. -April
Great review!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to read this!