by JEWEL E ANN
He's a morally gray rebel with no clue what love means, who falls hard for the wholesome "girl next door," until a romantic night out unearths their pasts.
A chance-encounter love story from USA Today bestselling author Jewel E. Ann.
Flynn Morley has spent his life getting by with as little as possible. No girlfriend. No real home. No money to speak of. Raised in the system, he learned early not to trust people who seemed to have everything. So when he takes a job as a "muse" for a wealthy Minneapolis couple, it feels like crossing a line he never thought he would.
Then he meets June.
June is a bike tour guide with a quick smile, a calm confidence, and a way of making Flynn feel seen without being judged. Their connection is immediate and playful, built on shared humor, quiet moments, and a mutual longing for a simple life.
As Flynn adjusts to his bizarre new job, he starts encountering something he never planned for: kindness without strings attached. It challenges everything he believes about money, power, and who gets to be comfortable in the world. And falling for June only complicates things, especially when it turns out she's carrying secrets of her own.
When June's past surfaces, Flynn has to decide what scares him more: becoming someone he's always sworn he'd never be or letting her see his darkest secrets. If he can't let go of his fears, will he lose the one person who finally feels like home?
REVIEW: 3 STARS
"How is it possible to shiver while on fire?"
ANOTHER JEA BOOK to bring me back to my kindle!!! I absolutely loved The Homemaker - the first book in her The Chain of Lakes series. It's a standalone - no worries, but I was excited for another book in that vein. And to be fair - my little admission: it's no secret I've been reading much less because I've been playing with my sourdough much more - life takes us all on a journey, right? Having said that, there are only a few authors I am dropping the 'dough for and JEA is the top of the list of them. This book also came at just the right time for me to escape reality and settle into another world's problems because mine was watching my youngest graduate and I was not emotionally ready for the real world to be involved with my heart. So, thank you, Jewel.
You guys...the EASTER EGGS in this one filled my basket! (tee hee - pun intended!) I loved who June was. I loved who Flynn was. And I loved the players in the game of life these two had. It definitely made me smile once I saw who we were dealing with and it just added to the characters' back story. I was able to escape into this story once I finally settled into it, but I will admit it took a few pages for me to settle in. Not uncommon after not reading for a bit.
Interestingly enough, as IN LOVE as these two were - it was a very laid back, easy read. One thing stuck out - which I can attest is not normal in a JEA book - NO actual angst, which she is very well known for and loved by me for. But also....less on the spice aspect. Not that she writes a lot of in-depth sex or anything like that, but there is more of a swooney vibe to all her books that can make an honest girl squirm. Please don't take this as a complaint, but more of an observation. She always gives me a story that makes me smile in the end - there is no denying that. She absolutely did that. But this one seemed to lack the spine-gripping, page turning angst that I seek from her. But alas, the sweet side of Flynn was always ever present.
There were secrets on both sides, and that - I'm sure, was to cause some sort of push and pull. June's story, we already knew some of it from a previous book even though this is a complete standalone, what her background was. And Flynn's was your typical mistake-making young man that keeps getting caught up in some drama whether it's truly his fault or not. But the cause for their strife was a little forced because of life experience, even though I completely understood June's stance on where Flynn sat. If that makes any sense. Flynn wasn't very deep in life experiences, for all that he has experienced because he was very uncomplex. Making up words here....sorry. But he was a very lovable guy for who he was. He was very street smart doing what he had to do to survive and I loved that side of him, because within that roughened exterior was a vulnerable young man that had a heart that needed to love June. It had NO OTHER options. June was a very guarded young lady for who she was and what she went through - so her inhibited side was pulled apart by his loving side. They were supposed to find each other and I'm glad JEA was the one to write their HEA.
And with my opinion comes honesty. I am very confused about the reason behind this story, because - like Flynn, I don't understand why Rupert would have given him this chance to redeem himself and using his wife as his gateway to freedom, and why this was part of the story. I don't know why a "muse" was needed even though we know what Callie was going through - so outside looking in from the first book, this gave a more personable side to Rupert, but I still don't understand why. I do know from reading The Homemaker that this falls in line with that whole scene, but still don't quite understand the why of it all. So again, easy story to read but not a lot of depth or growth from what I normally read from JEA. Because if anyone can spin a story with some serious backstory, it's JEA and that wasn't really imparted on this storyline. So I think, for as easy as this story was to read - maybe that's why. It was a simple storyline without a lot of push/pull, angst, depth. Just....easygoing.
I am pretty sure, by now, I know I can pick up a JEA book and know a few things for certain. I know for a fact I'm going to get an unbeatable love story that will give me what I am constantly and consistently seeking in my reads - with as little as I am reading right now. I also know that she is going to take me on a journey that isn't always typical and I'm going to blindly follow her down the path she is readily leading me down. But every now and then, I am blessed to get a pretty easy read with two people that may not be an outward appearance instant match, but their souls are already aligned long before they even meet. JEA is soooo good at soul-aligning. That is the strength in her writing for me. This is why I keep coming back to her books...I just know.
This isn't a bad review - but more of an even-keeled one. No big emotions. No angst. No spice. Just an easy-going, chill love story that just flowed for what it was. All in all, over and above all else - she is still a guaranteed pick up for me. Easy read without all the normal JEA offerings - but still a very good read for me. I hope you LOVE Flynn and June as much as I did. Because they had a worthy love.
Love isn't easy, baby girl. If you do it correctly, it will destroy you in the best and worst ways possible.
~BEE
Jewel is a free-spirited romance junkie with a quirky sense of humor.
With 10 years of flossing lectures under belt, she took early retirement from her dental hygiene career to stay home with her three awesome boys and manage the family business.
After her best friend of nearly 30 years suggested a few books from the contemporary Romance genre, Jewel was hooked. Devouring two and three books a week but still craving more, she decided to practice sustainable reading, AKA writing.
When she’s not donning her cape and saving the planet one tree a a time, she enjoys yoga with friends, good food with family, rock climbing with her kids, watching How I Met Your Mother reruns, and of course . . .heart-wrenching, tear-jerking, panty-scorching novels.
~CONNECT WITH JEWEL~
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