Name: Rowdy
Rating: 4.366666666666666 (30 reviews)
ISBN: 9788324153367

Jay Crovnover

Rowdy

Jay Crownover

After the only girl he ever loved told him that he would never be enough, Rowdy St. James knocked the Texas dust off his boots and set out to live up to his nickname. A good ol' boy looking for good times and good friends, Rowdy refuses to take anything too seriously, especially when it comes to the opposite sex. Burned by love once, he isn't going to let himself trust a woman again. But that's before his new coworker arrives, a ghost from the past who's suddenly making him question every lesson he's ever learned. Salem Cruz grew up in a house with too many rules and too little fun—a world of unhappiness she couldn't wait to forget. But one nice thing from childhood has stayed with her: the memory of the sweet, blue-eyed boy next door who'd been head over heels in love with her little sister. Now fate and an old friend have brought her and Rowdy together, and Salem is determined to show him that once upon a time he picked the wrong sister. A mission that is working perfectly—until the one person that ties them together appears, threatening to tear them apart for good.

A Marked Men Novel

Aldara Kamey

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️

Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂😂

Rowdy is the fifth book in the Marked Men series and what a fun story this turned out to be. I absolutely had a blast with this second chance romance and having a heroine do the grovel and redemption with the hero??? TOP TIER experience. We just don't see this aspect very often in books these days but I just had a fun time seeing how Jay Crownover developed this story. Even though it does start out slow at times, it turned out to be such a win of a read. No surprise with Jay Crownover at the helm. I just loved everything about this one and it really added so much more to Rowdy's character. I just wanted so much more with these two.

I don't have a lot of great memories from my childhood.

Rowdy and Salem were best of friends when they were growing up, and right when Rowdy had started to fall for Salem, she abandoned him with no word and disappeared. Even though he thought he found a love with her sister, he was never able to forget her or the pain that she caused him as kids. Now they are adults, she is back in his life, and he is feeling bitter towards her. Salem knows that she hurt Rowdy. But she had to have freedom away from her controlling father and needed to forge her own path. But she never forgot the love she held for Rowdy, and has now come to Colorado to win over his heart. But her man is hardened and a bit of a playboy now, and she will have to be patient to win his full heart...

Rowdy was a blast of a good time. Jay Crownover writes some of the best gritty contemporary romances. Its always such a refreshing experience to pick up one of her books. I really found Rowdy to be so interesting to me. And having a groveling/pining heroine who has to work her butt off to win off her man....YES PLEASE! It can be so nice to have the heroine fight for the relationship. Both Rowdy and Salem are just endearing characters. They have such likeable personalities and you can feel their journey and struggle with each page. We really see both their perspectives and seeing how much pain is on both sides but both of them struggling in different ways. We also have a bit of a suspense side plot that I found very interesting. We also see hints for Asa's book. He is the character I have been so wanting the story for the most and I can't wait for the finale as I hear its EPIC.

The pacing was my struggle with this book. It starts out slow and ends slow. But the middle portion of the book was SUPERB! Also why is the KINDLE BOOK so expensive? Like these are new editions so shouldn't they have a reasonable price? Good thing I was able to read this through the Hoopla app but still. $13 is such ridiculous for a ebook cost especially in this economy.

This narration duo was superb. I only listened to about half of this book (and read the ebook in the second half) and they really brought the connection between the character so well focused.

Rowdy is a fantastic read that embraced some powerful emotion, captivates your attention and digs deep into your heart!

Themes: Small Town, Tear Jerker, Kids/Teens, Danger/Suspense, Heart/Touching, Pining Heroine.

Tropes:Unrequited Lovers, Slow Burn, Grumpy Sunshine, Friends to Lovers, Rags to Riches

Lover of Romance 

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖
Narration:🎧🎧🎧🎧
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨


First Impressions
Rowdy is the fifth book in the Marked Men series and what a fun story this turned out to be. I absolutely had a blast with this second chance romance and having a heroine do the grovel and redemption with the hero??? TOP TIER experience. We just don't see this aspect very often in books these days but I just had a fun time seeing how Jay Crownover developed this story. Even though it does start out slow at times, it turned out to be such a win of a read. No surprise with Jay Crownover at the helm. I just loved everything about this one and it really added so much more to Rowdy's character. I just wanted so much more with these two.

First Line
I don't have a lot of great memories from my childhood.

The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Rowdy
Bad Boy
Artist
Heart closed to Love
Playboy/Manwhore

The Heroine: Salem
Latino descent
Independent

Summary
Rowdy and Salem were best of friends when they were growing up, and right when Rowdy had started to fall for Salem, she abandoned him with no word and disappeared. Even though he thought he found a love with her sister, he was never able to forget her or the pain that she caused him as kids. Now they are adults, she is back in his life, and he is feeling bitter towards her. Salem knows that she hurt Rowdy. But she had to have freedom away from her controlling father and needed to forge her own path. But she never forgot the love she held for Rowdy, and has now come to Colorado to win over his heart. But her man is hardened and a bit of a playboy now, and she will have to be patient to win his full heart...

What I Loved
Rowdy was a blast of a good time. Jay Crownover writes some of the best gritty contemporary romances. Its always such a refreshing experience to pick up one of her books. I really found Rowdy to be so interesting to me. And having a groveling/pining heroine who has to work her butt off to win off her man....YES PLEASE! It can be so nice to have the heroine fight for the relationship. Both Rowdy and Salem are just endearing characters. They have such likeable personalities and you can feel their journey and struggle with each page. We really see both their perspectives and seeing how much pain is on both sides but both of them struggling in different ways. We also have a bit of a suspense side plot that I found very interesting. We also see hints for Asa's book. He is the character I have been so wanting the story for the most and I can't wait for the finale as I hear its EPIC.

What I Struggled With
The pacing was my struggle with this book. It starts out slow and ends slow. But the middle portion of the book was SUPERB! Also why is the KINDLE BOOK so expensive? Like these are new editions so shouldn't they have a reasonable price? Good thing I was able to read this through the Hoopla app but still. $13 is such ridiculous for a ebook cost especially in this economy.

Narration
This narration duo was superb. I only listened to about half of this book (and read the ebook in the second half) and they really brought the connection between the character so well focused.

Overall View
Rowdy is a fantastic read that embraced some powerful emotion, captivates your attention and digs deep into your heart!

Favorite Quote(s)

Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Contemporary Romance
Character Types:
Themes: Small Town, Tear Jerker, Kids/Teens, Danger/Suspense, Heart/Touching, Pining Heroine.
Tropes:Unrequited Lovers, Slow Burn, Grumpy Sunshine, Friends to Lovers, Rags to Riches
Character Types: Tortured Hero, Single Parent

Book Perspective
“I always thought it was the firsts that matter, but now I know that it’s the lasts that stay with you.”

“You are the last person I want to kiss. The last woman I want in my bed. I want you to be the last girl that touches any and all parts of me, Salem, and that means so much more than a first.”

Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
Relationship Conflict

Song This Book Inspires
Need You Now by Lady A

Recommendation For Reading Order
You can do either. Rowdy can easily be read as a standalone though

Steam/Spice Explanations

Steamin' up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.

Nicole Goldstein

Allison Garrett

anderson elizabeth

I finished this book on the 8th and have just been behind on writing reviews so this one’s going to be shorter. Rowdy is fifth out of six books in the Marked Men series by Jay Crownover. I loved the easy banter between Rowdy and Salem. This book fits the childhood best friends to enemies to lovers trope. As per usual it was comforting to get to see familiar characters.

The main thing that I disliked about this book was SW shaming. There was outright dissing of strippers which is janky. Not everyone does it because they're in a pinch and "need to"/ feel shame for it.
likes
childhood friends to enemies to lovers trope
spoiler: Shaw and Rule are having a baby !!!



dislike
SW shaming. like outright dissing strippers which is janky. not everyone does it bc they're in a pinch and "need to"/ feel shame for it

Find this review and more at 
  kimberlyfaye reads
.

I feel like I’ve been waiting for Rowdy’s story forever, and now that I’ve read it, I’m even more in love with him than I was before. I seriously loved this book so freaking hard. It gave me all the feels, sexy times and swooniness I expect from Jay’s tatted and pierced men.

I’m a sucker for a good second chance love story, and Rowdy and Salem’s just might be my new favorite. It started out a little differently than the second chance stories I’ve read before, as Salem thought Rowdy was in love with her sister… and so did Rowdy. They were all friends while they were growing up and knew they shared a special bond. It just took a few years and a lot of perspective for them to come together the way they should have.

I loved both of these characters. I can’t pick favorites from Jay’s amazing men, but I adored this guy. Sure, he had his issues and his baggage, but there was something really special about Rowdy. The guy had been through a lot when he was younger and it definitely shaped the man he is today. He’s fiercely loyal to those he loves and has a great network of friends in the other characters we’ve met earlier in this series. After being burned by Salem’s sister when he was younger, he decided to stop looking for love and just have a good time instead. Salem was strong and sassy and everything I love about Jay’s heroines. Though she was the newest in the bunch, she fit in perfectly with the gang and I loved her interactions with all of them nearly as much as I loved those with Rowdy.

What Rowdy and Salem had was real and raw. It wasn’t easy, but it was right. I loved watching them come back together and fall in love. Of course, the sexy scenes were smoking hot and the emotions were many. I definitely shed a few tears right along with the characters in this book. Feels galore!

One of my other favorite things about this book was that, in addition to getting some fantastic scenes with Rowdy and Salem, we were treated to some very special moments with the characters I love from earlier in this series. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I absolutely love these characters and this series. These days, when it seems like true friendships are hard to find in books, Jay has given us an amazing cast of characters with friendships that are enviable. There are so many great little moments between the characters during Rowdy. I won’t spoil them for you, but just know to expect some additional feels from Rule and Shaw, Jet and Asa, Rome and Cora and Nash and Saint. And I can’t forget Asa. His story is next and I, for one, can’t wait!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

Cath

The story focuses mainly on two characters, Salem and Rowdy. Salem is a girl who does not follow orders and does whatever she likes unlike her oh so perfect little sister, Poppy.
Rowdy was the sweet blue-eyed neighbor until the girl whom he thought loved him back left him with a broken heart. With no family or friends to look out to, Rowdy set off to embark to a new life where people will accept him for who he is and where he'll never look out for love ever again.
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WOW THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING! The characters weren't the least bit annoying, they handled each problem like the mateur adults they are and not by running away sobbing over them. Rowdy was a possessive character but not dominant either, most guys would forbid having their girl running around alone without any company, but not Rowdy. This character was strong, fierce and sweet all at the same time. 
-
Despite this book being in a series, I jumped straight to Rowdy. I believe you should go through this in order but it wasn't a problem for me, though there were lots of names you'd have to catch up on. That's another thing, the story does shine on mainly two people, but it also includes all of Rowdy's and Salem's friends and family, there was an extra connection between the people around them which proves that family doesn't always run by blood, but the ones who were always there for you and would never leave you.
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All in all, this is a hot and steamy NA book you wouldn't want to miss! It's different from the rest, and this is definitely not the last book I'd be reading from this author. I recommend this 100% 
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5/5 stars

Rowdy

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