Book Review: Rook & Rebel by Kate Crew

Rook & Rebel (The Mavericks #1) by Kate Crew
Genre: Adult Fiction (Dark Contemporary Romance)
Date Published: October 1, 2024
Publisher: Avon 

A dark revenge romance filled with tattooed bikers, hilarious banter, heat, and high speeds.

Regan Fletcher

I used to have big dreams: finish college, make beautiful art, all while taking over my dad’s business. He wanted a legacy, and I wanted to give it to him. But his illness wasn’t part of the plan. Neither was his sudden need to keep me locked up in our mansion, safe and isolated. I want more from life, but could only spend my days waiting. Until one night, I came face-to-face with a street biker from a world far different from mine. What starts as him stalking me, quickly spirals into something deeper, and more deadly. I’m falling for a man who’s everything I should fear, yet he’s the only one who’s ever made me feel truly alive. But loving him means risking everything—my heart, my future, and my father.

Rook Emberson

Revenge has been my driving force for as long as I can remember. Cameron Fletcher stole everything from me, and I’ve spent years plotting the perfect way to take it all back. When fate puts his daughter in my sights, I know I’ve found the key to his destruction. But from the moment I meet her, my plans begin to unravel. Regan is everything I didn’t expect and I can’t help but be drawn to her. What starts as a twisted game of vengeance turns into an obsession. I need her, but I also need to destroy her father.

The lines between love and vengeance blur, and I’m not sure where one ends and the other begins.

Rook + Rebel is the first book in the Mavericks series by Kate Crew. I liked the premise. It could go in a few interesting directions. It started off promising, but it's really hard for me to get into a story where I'm not a big fan of the main characters. Rebel didn't seem like much of a rebel to me for the most part, and she has no self preservation. In my opinion, stupid doesn't equal rebel. And Rook? I didn't like his personality, and he was sooo flipping wishy washy with his emotions for Rebel... to the point of being too repetitious. Yet, he typically has no remorse over just killing someone. So, it didn't match his personality at all. They are completely oblivious to each other’s intentions and emotions, and it drove me a lil crazy, but at the same time.. it's so them. I liked a lot of the tropes in this story. I feel like I could like it more if maybe these characters were a little more believable. It wasn't for me, but it seems to have some fans, so don't take my word for it.

Rook & Rebel by Kate Crew was kindly provided to me by the publisher through NetGalley for review. The opinions are my own.

Hey, I’m Kate! I write dark, humor-filled romances packed with tension, suspense, and lovable, morally grey characters. I live near the mountains with my husband and two dogs, drawing inspiration from the wild beauty around me, that and my obsession with fast cars and motorcycles. When I’m not writing, you’ll find me on the road, lost in a book, or spending way too much time in antique stores and bookstores. I’ve always been drawn to all things gothic and a little rebellious, and that passion fuels every story I write. My books are filled with broody antiheroes, sharp-witted heroines, and chemistry that crackles. If you love tension, banter, and just the right amount of chaos, you’re in the right place.

To learn more about Kate Crew and her books, visit her website. You can also find her on Goodreads & Facebook.

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Book Review: Boy in Luv by Jay Crownover & Rebecca Yarros

Boyin Luv (In Luv Duet #1) by Jay Crownover & Rebecca Yarros
Genre: New Adult Fiction (Contemporary Romance)
Date Published: October 19, 2019
Publisher: Jay Crownover LLC

Distance sure as hell made his heart grow fonder… But it shattered hers into a million pieces.

Langley Vaughn knows she's never going to make the same mistake again.

Who falls head over heels in love in a week? Langley did, and she's regretted it every day since she handed her heart to a boy with too many secrets and too much baggage. Iker doesn't fit into Langley's world, and he made it clear he doesn't want to. He left before she even got a chance to try and change his mind or to prove to him how good they could be together. Langley's spent the last nine months healing her heart and making big plans for the future. Plans that absolutely don't include Iker… even though he's back, looking better than ever, and saying all the right things.

Iker Alvarez knows he made the biggest mistake of his life.

At first, the pretty blonde in the red dress was nothing more than a means to an end. But, she quickly became so much more. As soon as Iker walked away from Langley, claiming it was for her own good, he knew he screwed up. He left her so she wouldn't worry about him when he deployed, so she wouldn't waste her time waiting around for a guy who was never going to be good enough for her. Only, nine months and a deployment later, Iker still can't get Langley out of his head… and he totally underestimated the hold she has on his hardened heart. He's a guy who's not sure how love should work, or how to go about winning his girl back…he's about to get a crash course in both.

Boy in Love is the second book in the In Love Duet by Jay Crownover & Rebecca Yarros.I was looking forward to this book, but once I got into it, I just couldn't get into it. And, what really bothers me, is I can't really put a finger on what I didn't mesh with. I just couldn't connect with them this time around. I like the characters a lot, and I'm glad the story went about things the way they did. I don't know. I kinda wish they could have wrapped things up in the first book. You know? Just made that one a bit longer.  

Read the second book yet?

Jay Crownover is the International and multiple New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men Series, The Saints of Denver Series, The Point and Breaking Point Series, and the Loveless, Texas series. Her books can be found translated in many different languages all around the world. She is a tattooed, crazy haired Colorado native who lives at the base of the Rockies with her awesome dogs. This is where she can frequently be found enjoying a cold beer and Taco Tuesdays. Jay is a self-declared music snob and outspoken book lover who is always looking for her next adventure, between the pages and on the road.

To learn more about Jay Crownover and her books, visit her website. You can also find her on Goodreads and Twitter.

Rebecca Yarros is a hopeless romantic and coffee addict. She is the New York Times bestselling author of over twenty novels, including Fourth Wing, The Last Letter and The Things We Leave Unfinished. She’s also the recipient of the Colorado Romance Writer’s Award of Excellence for Eyes Turned Skyward. Rebecca loves military heroes and has been blissfully married to hers for over twenty years. A mother of six, she is currently surviving the teenage years with all four of her hockey-playing sons.

To learn more about Rebecca Yarros and her books, visit her website. You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram,  Pinterest, and Twitter.

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Review: Game Changer by Abbi Glines

Game Changer (The Field Party #6) by Abbi Glines
Genre: Young/New Adult (Contemporary Romance)
Date Published: March 22, 2022
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Ezmita Ramos has always had big plans for her future, ones that would take her far outside the Lawton city limits. But with overprotective parents who control every part of her life, she’s worried that these dreams will never become reality.

There’s nothing Asa Griffith wants more than to leave Lawton. It’s his senior year and he’s all set to attend Ole Miss in the fall, but a part of him also worries about what will happen if he leaves his mom living alone with his abusive father. After a huge fight with his father that escalates to violence, Asa is forced out of the house in the middle of the night with nowhere to go.

When Asa and Ezmita cross paths that night, neither of them is in the mood to socialize. But they also feel this undeniable chemistry, one that gives them each hope that better days lie ahead. Then Asa is sent away to live with his grandmother for four months, only to return to Lawton and find out Ezmita has moved on. Still, the sparks between Asa and Ezmita linger. Neither of them has forgotten the way they felt seen by the other at their lowest points.

Can Asa and Ezmita find their way back to each other?

Game Changer is the sixth book in The Field Party series by Abbi Glines. This is Asa and Ezmita's story. This story was published in 2022, but takes place in 2020, and I have to say I'm really glad I didn't read it when it came out. If I'd read it then, I probably wouldn't have finished it. This went so overboard on the whole COVID situation. I'm usually a big fan of this author's books, so this is a hard review to write. I know the characters in this series always have some kind of hardship in their lives that they have to work through, and they usually do that successfully, and end with a happy ending. This time around, we got a senseless murder & racism in the beginning which never played any part nor was it touched on in the rest of the book. So, Why? Was it for some random shock factor? I don't know. Then COVID happens.. All things COVID were drowning the pages, and it really took away from the characters and their story. Plus, guess what? No happy ending! Actually it wasn't really an ending at all. There's a fine line between fictional worlds and real life sometimes. I like to read to escape, and while I like the story to be believable, I also don't want reality smacking me in the face. This one definitely smacks you with all the reality, plus the ridiculous, of what went on during that time, and not in a good "make you think" kind of way. 

It looks like we'll see this couple in the next book, as it seems like it'll be playing catch up with updates on all the couples of the previous books, but I'm not sure if I'm going to read it or not. I like how those stories all ended. I want them to keep the happily ever afters they got. I don't want to be disappointed. And well, this couple? I'm just not that interested at this point. 

Have you read the other books in this series?

Check out  more of my reviews of other books by Abbi Glines!

Abbi Glines is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Rosemary Beach, Sea Breeze, Vincent Boys, and Existence series. She has a new YA series coming out in the fall of 2015 titled The Field Party Series . She never cooks unless baking during the Christmas holiday counts. She believes in ghosts and has a habit of asking people if their house is haunted before she goes in it. She drinks afternoon tea because she wants to be British but alas she was born in Alabama. When asked how many books she has written she has to stop and count on her fingers. When she’s not locked away writing, she is reading, shopping (major shoe and purse addiction), sneaking off to the movies alone, and listening to the drama in her teenagers lives while making mental notes on the good stuff to use later. Don’t judge.

You can connect with Abbi online in several different ways. She uses social media to procrastinate.

To learn more about Abbi Glines and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter.

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Book Review: My Life with the Walter Boys by Ali Novak

My Life with the Walter Boys (My Life with the Walter Boys #1) by Ali Novak
Genre: Young Adult Fiction (Contemporary Romance)
Date Published: May 14, 2012
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

From a fresh new voice on the contemporary YA scene, My Life with the Walter Boys centers on the prim, proper, and always perfect Jackie Howard. When her world is turned upside down by tragedy, Jackie must learn to cut loose and be part of a family again.

Jackie does not like surprises. Chaos is the enemy! The best way to get her successful, busy parents to notice her is to be perfect. The perfect look, the perfect grades-the perfect daughter. And then...

Surprise #1: Jackie's family dies in a freak car accident.

Surprise #2: Jackie has to move cross-country to live with the Walters-her new guardians.

Surprise #3: The Walters have twelve sons. (Well, eleven, but Parker acts like a boy anyway)

Now Jackie must trade in her Type A personality and New York City apartment for a Colorado ranch and all the wild Walter boys who come with it. Jackie is surrounded by the enemy-loud, dirty, annoying boys who have no concept of personal space. Okay, several of the oldest guys are flat-out gorgeous. But still annoying. She's not stuck-up or boring-no matter what they say. But proving it is another matter. How can she fit in and move on when she needs to keep her parents' memory alive by living up to the promise of perfect?

Ali Novak wrote My Life with the Walter Boys when she was just 15 years old. First a hit on the online community Wattpad, this debut novel has already been read over 33 million times and is loved by readers around the world.

My Life with the Walter Boys is the first book in the series by the same name by Ali Novak. This was a pretty good read. I found out about it through the TV series. I liked the show, but the book is much better… as they usually are. The characters were very believable, and there are a lot of them. I do get some of the younger boys confused with one another, but I don’t feel like it detracts from the story at this point. The epilogue from Cole’s point of view was nice too. It let’s you know where his head is at in the beginning. It also makes me wonder if that’s who Jackie ultimately ends up with since none of the other boys had their perspective shared. The TV show actually drags things out more and makes issues out of non-issues. There's already so much going on. Why add more? Anyway, yes, the book is the way to go. 

Ali Novak writes contemporary young adult romance and is a recent graduate of the University of Madison Wisconsin's creative writing program. She wrote her first full length novel, My Life with the Walter Boys, at the age of fifteen. Since posting the story online, it has received more than 33 million reads and is now published by Sourcebooks Fire.

To learn more about Ali Novak and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, Wattpad, YouTube, and Twitter.

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