Charged A Saints of Denver Novel

Charged by Jay Crownover is one of those books which completely changes the expected romantic story and turns it into a story of redemption and finding oneself in the most unlikely ways. I really loved how the romance of the novel was balanced by this theme of self-discovery and how Jay managed to create characters that were opposite yet because of the opposition, they fit well together and discovered more about each other through this opposition. Jay Crownover is a genius when it comes to creating complex characters who have a history and unique personalities. Each time I read a book of hers, I am always faced with a new story with new emotions and an adventure completely different from anything in her series or even other authors. In Charged, Avett Walker is the girl who has nothing in her life going right and finds herself in a heap of trouble which seems to follow her around constantly. I wasn't sure if I liked her character at first because she seemed almost immature and oblivious to her destructive path and the trouble she actively seemed to seek out. How can I like a character who relies on her parents to get her out of trouble and constantly finds herself in the worst positions because of bad decisions? Then on the other hand, Quaid is the complete opposite of Avett in almost every way. At first he comes off as someone who kind of has a stick up his butt and walks around with the flashiest clothing in order to show off his success in the most obnoxious way. While Quaid has everything in his life perfectly lined up and in the correct order, Avett is the exact opposite and the meeting of these two definitely causes an explosion in both of their lives. While these two are world apart, their meeting offsets a romance which definitely changes the way they see themselves and their pasts. I loved the idea of an almost role reversal from Rule where Avett is the one who has to grow up and mature and does so with the help and knowledge of Quaid who also gets the support he needs to face his past. Overall, this book was amazing and I definitely fell in love with the characters and their relationship. It was also great to get a look into Jay's other series (The Marked Men) and the lives of those characters. This was definitely the perfect HEA read and I can't wait to see who to see who the next book is about!

Find this review and more at kimberlyfaye reads. I was equally parts excited and worried when it came time to read Charged. Excited because I love Jay's writing and this series, but nervous because I wasn't familiar with either of the characters when I read the blurb. It's been awhile since I read the other books and I had a tough time remembering if we'd previously met Avett and, if so, who she was. Jay's amazing letter to readers at the beginning of the novel also made me a little nervous because, while I like flawed characters, I need to connect with them in some way to be able to enjoy a book. I didn't doubt her, however, because I've read enough of her books to know that she always gives the reader a great story, the right story for the characters and, more often than not, the exact story we (I) need, even if I wasn't sure what it was I wanted to begin with. I didn't have to be nervous for all that long though. The book got off to a little bit of a slow start for me as I pieced together the connections from the past, but it didn't take that long before I remembered and found myself appreciating both Avett and Quaid for the characters they were – and, more importantly, who they were becoming. It was then I found myself completely sucked into the story. Both Avett and Quaid were flawed characters. This gave me great hope for growth for them over the course of this book. I hoped they could be a catalyst for change in each other – and they were. If I'm honest, they weren't the most likable characters in the beginning either. But I tried not to get totally wrapped up in who they were, but to focus more on the potential they each had. I suspected before it was all over that Jay would make me love them. (I wasn't wrong.) Avett repeatedly made bad decisions. REALLY bad decisions. Primarily where men are involved. Of course, the fallout from her latest decision – and from her trusting the wrong person – was huge. It led to Rome and Royal being injured. She hurt family and family friends. She could've gotten herself killed. She was totally in over her head and I hated that for her, but she was the one who put herself in the situation... not that it was cut and dry. It was complicated, as things often are, and things got out of hand. It was all this that led her to sexy lawyer Quaid. On the outside, Quaid was fairly buttoned up and reserved. He was an excellent lawyer, which is exactly what Avett needed. He'd been through some tough times in the past and it had turned him fairly cold. Meeting Avett, however, started to thaw him. He wanted to do more than get her free of the charges against her. He wanted to save her. He wanted to devour her. She was sweet and wild and our Legal Eagle couldn't get enough of her. Quaid started off the book as someone who valued possessions over people, but after his experiences with his ex-wife, it made sense. And, as someone who grew up with no possessions, you couldn't really blame him for placing a high value on them now that he could afford them. Seeing Avett unimpressed with the things he valued most – making it obvious she wanted HIM not the things he had – made him start to think differently. But, I digress. I could go on forever, but I won't. I loved Avett and Quaid together. I appreciated how she helped him grow as he helped her navigate the tricky – and dangerous! – waters she found herself in. We knew going in that her ex was a bad person, but the depth of that wasn't really apparent until later in the novel when we learned just how far he would go to save himself... at the expense of Avett and those closest to her. Because of that threat, this book wound up being part romance and part suspense, which I found I really enjoyed. It could probably go without saying, but I'm going to say it anyhow... the sexy times between Avett and Quaid were hot AF. There was more than just passion between these two, but there's no denying the importance of that part of them. I loved seeing some of my old Marked Men favorites (Rome!!! <3) and, even if they were off-camera so to speak, how several of those characters embraced Avett in her time of need. I definitely enjoyed this book. I thought it made for a great addition to the Saints of Denver series and I just can't wait to see what Jay will give us next. I hope it's Church's book. I'm intrigued by him and what his story could bring to this universe. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review. FAVORITE QUOTES Bad decisions make for good stories, Sprite. Falling meant I had to land eventually. The falling was scary and endless, but the landing... that was where things really got rough. That was what left a mark. I wanted to eat her up. I wanted her wild to consume me, to burn and purge all the things that had long since turned sour and stale inside of me. I ached for her sweet to soothe me after we scorched through each other and were left in a heap in our own wreckage, covered in ash and satisfaction. "I don't want to be chaos. I want to be something and someone that doesn't destroy everything that it cares about without even trying." Wild was fun. Sweet was addicting, and I wondered if I could live inside chaos forever if this was what it looked like.