Put on your seat belts and prepare yourself for a wild ride! Jay Crownover’s BETER WHEN HE’S BRAVE , a New Adult Contemporary Romance novel being published by HarperCollins, is the perfect story for Titus and Reeve. It is what I wanted and so much more. I am so excited to be a part of the blog tour. Check out more about the book and the series, Tina’s Thoughts, read an excerpt, and make sure to enter the fabulous giveaway listed below!
Better When He’s Brave
Welcome to the Point #3
Jay Crownover
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Release Date: August 11, 2015
In New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jay Crownover’s third novel in her sexy, thrilling Welcome to the Point series, a woman’s search for repentance leads her to the one man from her past she can’t forget as they join forces to save their city—and the explosive love neither can live without.
Titus King sees the world in black and white. Right and wrong. Which is why as a teenager he left behind the only family he’d ever known to make a better life for himself. Now a police detective in one of the worst cities in the country, he can’t deny his life has turned into a million different shades of gray.
The new criminal element in The Point has brought vengeance and destruction right to Titus’s front door, and the difference between right and wrong is nothing compared to keeping those he loves alive. To add to his already strained moral compass, the beautiful and mysterious Reeve Black has made her way back to town, and she might be as dangerous to Titus as the guy trying to destroy the Point because he needs her—in more ways than one.
Reeve knows all about how ruthless this new threat to destroy The Point can be… and instead of running away, she wants to help. She has a lot to repent for and saving the city, plus the hot cop that she hasn’t been able to forget might just be the only way she can finally find some inner peace.
With an entire city poised on the brink of war, Titus and Reeve stand in the crossfire—and it will take two brave souls to fight for the ultimate love.
You can purchase your copy today at the retailers listed below!
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There is nothing better than a new Crownover book on a sunny day, or a rainy day, or any day really! Jay’s writing has transformed and developed so much over the past few years and it is an adventure to see the world’s she creates and the people she inhabits those worlds with. I loved the Marked Men series; it will always have a special place in my heart. The bad boys of the Point are quickly rising in favor and if you have yet to read this series, stop what you are doing and get these books now. It takes all the thing we love about the Marked Men and adds a new level of grit and grime to the story!
BETTER WHEN HE’S BRAVE is about Titus, a main secondary character that has been pivotal in the first two books of the series. He is the good guy fighting the evil that lurks in the Point. He is a detective who longs to see justice in his world. Naturally he is fighting what seems to be a losing battle, attempting to overcome the demons of the Point and the ones lurking at the edge of who he has made himself to be. It was interesting to watch his world view of black and white and the grey areas he accepted but never truly functioned in. He sought to perform his duty to the people but more often than not, the duty chips away at everything he is. It was heartbreaking to see what he saw on a daily basis, to experience his momentary hopelessness and worry. In this book, we dive deep into who Titus is and it left me reeling. He is so much more than I thought. Sure he is the “good guy” fighting the bad guys but he is more complex. He is a man struggling with his past and hesitant to put much stock into the future.
Reeve has returned to the Point and her presences shakes things up, both for the underground of the Point and Titus’ life. Reeve was someone you originally hated (in some sort of fashion) when she was introduced. {SPOILER ALERT} She betrayed Dovie in the first book and that marked her in my mind. She showed remorse and wanted to make things right but her actions caused me to be cautious when diving into who she is. It was fascinating to meet someone on the other side of the law that was so much like Titus. She wants to do what is right but will use the bad to bring about the good. Her heart is tarnished gold but solid underneath the grime. She wants to see the darkness brought into the light but she uses her own methods to do it. That is where these two differ so much. Titus upholds the law and Reeve wants to make it work on her own terms, not trusting the legal system that failed her.
As with every Crownover book, the chemistry between these two is fierce. It is raw, hot, and has the potential to leave such destruction in their wake. These two understand one another on a level that is unique which allows their connection and passion to be so powerful. It is a gritty romance that turns to something deeper in the end. I loved how it is a love story but it doesn’t feel that way. All the romances in the Point series are based on protection, desire, and power, among other things, which puts a twist on other contemporary romance stories. It is not flowers and chocolates or romantic getaways. It is a love of survival and that makes this series and this story so robust.
This story circles around the growing themes of who will take over the dark underbelly of the Point. There is a new danger lurking and it is quite terrifying. Seeing that danger and better understanding who he is, that is chill inducing in this story. It begins with a clear picture of black and white but as the story unfolds there are shades of grey that both the reader and the characters fall into. As the danger increases and lives are lost, the areas of grey solidify into something that is justified and real. At times I wondered who would land where. Jay takes such an incredible story and develops it into something that is fervent in the race to justice.
“Are you speaking from experience?” If she ever took her clothes off for money, entire countries would end up broke.
“No. Just from what I heard when they were in my chair and then from watching how quickly my sister got sucked into it all. There is no escape once the Point has you.”
She leaned her head back on the couch and shifted her eyes up to the ceiling. I thought I saw a sheen of moisture dance across the navy-colored surface but then she blinked and it was gone.
“It sucks,” I said. She tilted her head to look at me. “The way everything went down with your sister, that sucks. But you tried to help her, tried to save her, and that’s what you should focus on.”
She made a noise low in her throat and shoved up off the couch. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked down at me with eyes that went flinty hard. “It wasn’t enough. What time do you want to head out tomorrow?”
The quick change in conversation forced me to switch gears. “I have to work in the morning, so when I get back.”
“Are you actually going to come back after your shift tomorrow?”
So my avoidance tactics hadn’t gone unnoticed. “Yes. I’ll try and be here before five. You really do need some clothes that fit.” Brysen had run a few things up after we had been camped out for a few days and they fit slightly better, but no girl alive seemed to have those ridiculously long legs or the same kind of curves Reeve was working on up top. Brysen’s stuff covered her up more than my teenaged neighbor’s, but not enough that I didn’t get an eyeful when I looked at her.
She linked her fingers together and lifted her arms up over her head in a way that pulled the hem of her tank top up over the indent of her belly button and lifted the edge of her tiny shorts so high I didn’t have to use much imagination to envision what all the secret, soft parts of her looked like. Like I needed any more incentive to keep thinking about her and sex when my mind and attention should be anywhere else.
“I can cover it all up, it’s not going to change the fact that you want me and are angry about it.”
She twirled on her foot and flounced back up the stairs. If there had been a single door in the loft I knew she would have slammed it to make her point.
And don’t miss the previous books in The Welcome to the Point Series!
BETTER WHEN HE’S BAD
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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.
BETTER WHEN HE’S BOLD
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Some men are just better when they’re bold.
Welcome to the Point…
In a dark and broken kingdom, a ruler has to be fearless to control the streets and the ruthless people who run them.
Race Hartman is just bold enough, just smart enough, and just lost enough to wear the crown. Places like the Point will always have bad things and bad people, but the man in control of all that badness can minimize the devastation. Race has a plan, but can he prevent total annihilation without destroying himself?
Brysen Carter has always seen her best friend’s brother for what he is–too pretty, too smooth, and way too dangerous to touch. Basking in Race’s golden glow is very tempting, but Brysen knows she’d eventually get burned.
When she starts receiving threatening texts and someone tries to take her out in parking lot, the only person interested in keeping her safe is the one man she can’t allow herself to have.
Sometimes being bold is the only way to stay alive. But can she let Race save her life . . . if it means losing herself to him?
To celebrate the new release and blog tour of BETTER WHEN HE’S BRAVE, Jay Crownover is hosting an awesome giveaway! Enter this Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win a $100 Gift Card to Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) for 1 winner. How insane is that?! This is one you will not want to miss. Just follow the instructions listed and you will be entered for your chance to win. Don’t miss out!
Jay Crownover is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men and The Point series. 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.
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