Sunday, April 26, 2015

ASA by Jay Crownover


  ASA

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About ASA:

Jay Crownover’s New York Times and USA Today bestselling Marked Men series continues with the much anticipated story of southern charmer and certified criminal Asa Cross.

Starting over in Denver with a whole new circle of friends and family, Asa Cross struggles with being the man he knows everyone wants him to be and the man he knows he really is. A leopard doesn’t it change its spots and Asa has always been a predator. He doesn’t want to hurt those who love and rely on him, especially one luscious arresting cop who suddenly seems to be interested in him for far more than his penchant for breaking the law. But letting go of old habits is hard, and it’s easy to hit bottom when it’s the place you know best.

Royal Hastings is quickly learning what the bottom looks like after a tragic situation at work threatens not only her career but her partner’s life. As a woman who has only ever had a few real friends she’s trying to muddle through her confusion and devastation all alone. Except she can’t stop thinking about the sexy southern bartender she locked up. Crushing on Asa is the last thing she needs but his allure is too strong to resist. His long criminal record can only hurt her already shaky career and chasing after a guy who has no respect for the law or himself can only end in heartbreak.

A longtime criminal and a cop together just seems so wrong . . . but for Asa and Royal, being wrong together is the only right choice to make.




REVIEW:

Where do I begin. I was not ready to see this series come to an end, I have grown to love all of the Marked Men, including their ladies. It was hard reading ASA knowing that this was the end of this series. But as we know, all good things have to end.  But that isn't always true. Jay would not leave her readers disappointed, we will see some of the characters that have warmed our hearts over the past two years in The Saints of Denver Series.

I thought ending the series with Asa was a fantastic way to go out on top.  We all knew that Asa was going to be a tough character to close this series with. For me, Asa was a tough character to love. He blew into Denver reeking havoc to his sister.  He was the most selfish, unloving character in this series. He ruined people's lives without a second glance. Without an ounce of regret. So when trouble found Asa and left him knocking on heaven's door. We weren't sure sure if GOD was going to open the heavenly gates to Asa. Asa needed time to repent for the sins that he committed. God wasn't ready to take Asa away, so he gave him a second chance at life. A second chance to make things right with his sister. 

So when Royal blows into Asa's life when he was least expecting it, he does his damnedest to keep her at arms length. This knock out with a badge was the last thing Asa needed in his life, but Royal wouldn't take no for an answer. She saw good in him, it was just going to take her some time for Asa to see that he changed. People change. 

Royal is told time and time again by Asa that he is nothing but trouble, he is no good for her. As much as Asa pushes Royal away, it just makes Royal more determined to get him. Asa struggles with the demons of his past. He struggles everyday with the guilt of what he did to people and what he did to his sister. How can Asa love someone else, when he doesn't love himself?  Was Asa capable of loving someone? Could Asa forgive himself in order to move on with his life? Once Royal is aware of all of Asa's past, would she be able to still love him?

Asa was a person that needed a second chance. He needed to forgive himself in order to move on. He needed to see that he changed, that he was worthy of loving. Everyone makes mistakes, some more than others, but in the end, he found himself on the right path... with the right person, Royal.

Jay ended this series beautifully. It was heartwarming to see that Asa finally sees what others see. He is worthy of their friendships, worthy of their love. I hope that we get a little more of this couple in The Saints of Denver Series. I would love to see them again.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 


Asa Teaser 2

EXCERPT: 


I pulled the Nova to a stop in front of a duplex that had clearly seen better days. It wasn’t a rusted-out trailer in Kentucky, but it might as well have been. I turned off the ignition and sat back in the seat so I could turn to look at Ayden. She was watching me carefully and I could see how frustrated she was with the entire conversation in the way her shoulders were tensed up and the way her hands had curled into tight balls on her lap. It was the way she used to look whenever I got into trouble and she had to do something desperate and drastic to get me out of it. I reached out a hand and put it on top of her fists.
“I died in that hospital, Ayd. There were no angels playing harps. There was no redemption and repentance. I died and it was very clear that I was going to get exactly the kind of fate I had been courting with all the messed-up shit I had been doing to other people. All I could see was every wrong I had ever committed and every bad decision I had ever made exploding all around me. For once I could see how all of that affected you. I was dying, and I knew what was waiting for me on the other side, yet I couldn’t go knowing that was all you were going to have to remember me by. I had to come back and give you something else to hold on to, some kind of good memory to go with the endless miles of bad I laid at your feet. I wanted to have the chance to show you I could be the kind of brother you deserved all along, so no, I didn’t save myself—you saved me. Just like you’ve always done for my entire life.”
I saw her bottom lip tremble until she snapped her teeth around it to keep it still. Her fists unclenched below my palm and she curled her shaking fingers around my hand and her already husky voice rasped with even more emotion when she told me what I think I had needed to hear from her all along.
“I have always been proud that you’re my brother, Asa. Yes, there have been times in the past I would have gladly fed you to the wolves, and it’s no secret that I had to leave home because I didn’t know what to do to help you anymore, but we both made it out alive and are better people for it. I know you’re sorry for the way things went down when we were younger, but I need you to open your eyes and take some credit for the way you have turned it around to make things the way they are now. I’ve long since come to terms with the Asa from my childhood. What I want to do is love the Asa that’s here with me now. You need to let go of those boulders weighted with all the bad things from past that are dragging you down before you get crushed under them.”
It was eerily similar to what Royal had been telling me the deeper and deeper I sank in with her. I don’t think I was ready to let any part of those stones go just yet, but a sexy redhead was slowly and surely eroding bits and pieces of the rock the more and more time I spent with her. By the time she was done, maybe she would be able to carve out something that was worthwhile, something that didn’t eviscerate me to look at.
I leaned over enough that I could kiss Ayden right on the center of her forehead between her midnighteyebrows and I felt her let out a shuddering sigh.
“I’m never going to let you down again, Ayd. That is the one and only thing in the entire world that I can promise and know it’s a promise I will keep.”
We stared at each other for a long and silent moment. The seriousness of the words I had said to her and the fact that I could see that she understood that I really, truly meant them finally worked to absolve me of some of the guilt that seemed to suffocate me whenever I thought about the things she had done to keep me safe.


Passionate lovers are having sex in the bathroom  

And don’t miss the previous books in The Marked Men Series!

 
Rule

RULE

 
Jet

JET

 
Rome

ROME

 
Nash

NASH

 
Rowdy

ROWDY


 
Jay Crownover
About Jay Crownover:
Jay Crownover is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men series. She also introduced the dark and sexy world of The Point that started with BETTER WHEN HE's BAD and is currently working on her newest series The Saints of Denver. 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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4 comments:

  1. I haven't had a chance to read any of the marked men, so I don't have a favorite. But oh man, they all sound like incredibly sexy alpha men!

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  2. Haven't read any of them yet but they are on my tbr!!! Thanks!

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  3. I haven't read all of them yet, so I've got to say Rome at this time.

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  4. Love them all but Rule will always be my favorite!

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