Showing posts with label #Retreat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #Retreat. Show all posts

Monday, January 29, 2018

Escape by Jay Crownover - Review

   

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jay Crownover returns with the third standalone title in her Getaway series, ESCAPE. 

Check out my review below, and pick up your copy today!

 

 

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AmazonUK ~ Barnes&Noble ~ iBooks ~ Kobo

Author: Jay Crownover
Publication Date:  26 January 2018
Publisher: Jay Crownover, LLC
Series:  The GetAway Series, book 3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Recommendation: 17 and Up
Rating: 4 Stars

~ I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ~ 




Book Description:

Everything inside of him is screaming that he needs to run, he needs to go, he needs to escape.


Lane Warner is used to being overshadowed and overlooked.

After all, he’s the youngest brother and the most laid back one in the family. He’s the one known for going with the flow and not making waves, even when things seem to be at their worst.
Very few things in life have had the ability to rile Lane up and get under his skin. At the top of that list is his childhood friend Brynn Fox…no…Brynn Warner. The fact that they share a last name was the one thing that has the power to light him up and spin him out of control like no other. There was no calm, cool and collected when it comes to all the reasons why Brynn had to become part of his family.
It’s slowly killing him to keep wanting what he can’t have, so Lane sees only one way to stop himself from doing something they’ll both regret…he has to leave. 


Everything inside of her is calling out to find him, to follow, to bring him home.


Brynn Warner is used to being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

After all, she’s the daughter of an unrepentant gold-digger who never once blinked at being the cause of her daughter’s pain and suffering.
Very few things in her life have ever brought happiness and a sense of security. At the very top of that list is Lane Warner. She has unwaveringly loved the youngest Warner since the first minute she laid eyes on him. He was everything Brynn ever wanted and everything she knew she could never have.
Sometimes the right choice is the one that hurts the most and Brynn’s had to make a few that felt like they might be the end of her. When Lane takes off, one thing is clear, the only choice Brynn has is to go after him.

She’s going to bring her wayward cowboy home….whatever it takes. 

Escape is a standalone novel, the third book in the Getaway series, which features the hardheaded and brokenhearted Warner brothers and the women who dare to love them. These boys are very good at putting the wild in wilderness.


       


My Review:

I feel like I have been waiting forever for this story, though in all honestly Jay Crownover put these books out pretty darn quickly and it hasn't been all that long, it is simply that I have wanted to have Lane and Brynn's story in my hands since we met them in book one, (click on title for my review) Retreat.  I knew that in one way or another Escape was going to be a tough read.  I honestly had a little bit of dread about the anxiety that I was expecting to feel with this book.  I never do well with a book full of push and pull drama between the characters.  You know that kind of drama that makes you want to shake someone or toss your book/e-reader?  If you have read the first two books in this series you know that Lane and Brynn's story is not a pretty one.  There is a lot of  'water under the bridge' so to speak, a lot of emotions that they will need to wade through.  That's been building up for two books, two books of anxiety boiling down to one book of 'hopeful' resolution...that's a lot to put on a story and a reader, ha.  

So was there drama, heck yeah...BUT, interestingly it wasn't the drama that I expected and I loved that about this book.  I loved that in the end this couple are pretty straight forward with each other.  Are there misunderstandings, absolutely, but those misunderstandings aren't the drama filled pain that makes the readers heart ache so much that they have to walk away from the book.  In fact, I read this book in one sitting because I was simply invested in each of the characters so much that I couldn't leave them untilI knew they were safe.  I felt like Brynn in that moment, expecting phone calls checking in and letting me know my favorite characters were safe and sound and more importantly happy.   Which brings me to a quick side note.  I LOVED that Jay Crownover gave us the prologue that she did and that it was in 3rd person.  I loved feeling as though I was in the rafters watching the entire scene play out.  I don't there that it could have been done any other way that would have made me feel a part of the scene or that would have made the scene feel truly real.  My heart broke with EVERYONE in that room (though I also have to say, Jack, come on man...poor timing.) especially our main couple and the poor guy who didn't seem to see what was all around him.  

Lane and Brynn have a long history of, I wouldn't even call it miscommunication, but no communication.  They have both fought against what their hearts have been telling them for over a decade.  Brynn because she needed love but was afraid that the one she wanted to love her couldn't give i,t and Lane, well some of his problem was just cluelessness, but also because he never felt like he could measure up.  Lane has some serious youngest sibling syndrome going on.  If it wasn't bad enough that the Warner brothers had such a wretched mother, Lane's attempts to step out of his brother's (and father's) shadows has eluded him.  He's was never going to be the golden boy or the all star, never the brains of the family or the one forging a new path...Lane was always just Lane.  Sadly for him what he doesn't realize, and I am not sure even in the end that he fully comprehends, is that he IS the Warner family.  He is the backbone. He is more the future of Warner Ranch than either of his brothers and they know it, Brynn thankfully knows it, I just hope that Lane too begins to realize it too.  

I loved Brynn as well, I loved that she never gave up, that she never gives up.  I love that she did what she needed to do to keep herself and her sister safe; that she chose the harder right over the easier wrong.  I love that in the end it is she who goes after Lane; I think that particular moment will stick with me for a long time.  It isn't often in a book that we get a heroine, especially one like Brynn (strong but quiet and a bit meek) who has gone through so much, that steps out of her comfort zone and goes after what she wants.  She is a fierce warrior who will do what she needs to in protection of those she loves and calls family.

Oh, and before I forget to mention it because it is actually pretty unforgettable...the two of them together, Lane and Brynn...SWOON!    

I really enjoyed how this couple ultimately were very grown up about their relationship.  They used their words..go figure, and set things on the right track pretty quickly.  That means our book basically has two stories going on, it is the story of Lane and Brynn, but there is also a secondary story that will touch your heart. A story about failure and faith.  This secondary story is where the drama really comes in and it is both heartbreaking and beautiful.

  I adored that through this story Jay was able to weave both Marked Men and The Point into this series.  It was really fun having some favorites show up when I least expected it.  There is also a wonderful set up for a hopeful spin off involving Ten and Webb, so I am going to need you all to go out and buy this book because I need their story, and I need Jack's story, and I need Wyatt's story, and I need.....I need ALL THE STORIES!  



~ HAPPY READING ~ 




     

And don’t miss the first two standalone novels in the Getaway series, RETREAT and SHELTER. RETREAT is on sale for just $.99! Grab your copy today! ✦ RETREAT on Amazon ➜http://amzn.to/2iOD0DB ✦ RETREAT on Other Retailers ➜https://www.jaycrownover.com/thegetawayseries ✦SHELTER on Amazon ➜http://amzn.to/2zGQh98 ✦SHELTER on Other Retailers ➜https://www.jaycrownover.com/thegetawayseries

   

GiveAway:
( Signed Copy of RETREAT and SHELTER for 1 winner)

   


   




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 Series, the Breaking Point Series, and the Getaway 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.
       

Website ~ Facebook ~ 

Twitter ~ Goodreads


   





Jay Crownover’s ESCAPE Review Blitz:
 January 29th
January 31st
 February 1st
 
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Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Shelter by Jay Crownover - Release Day Review and Excerpt!

   

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jay Crownover returns with the second standalone title in her Getaway series, SHELTER. Check out the excerpt below and pick up your copy today!

And that’s not all! RETREAT, the first standalone title in the Getaway series, is on sale! You can grab your copy for just $.99 for a limited time only.

     


Author: Jay Crownover
Publication Date:  26 December 2017
Publisher: Self-Published
Series:  Getaway Series, Book 2
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Age Recommendation: 18 and Up
Rating: 5 Stars


~ I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ~



Book Description:

His life is chaos and confusion. It’s a storm of uncertainty and raging emotion.

Sutton Warner is a mess. Everything in his life feels like it’s unraveling.

He’s let a lot of people down lately, including his daughter. Sutton always promised his little girl he would never disappoint her and that he would always be there when she needed him. Until he wasn’t.

The truth is, he’s used to disappointing the women in his life. First was his mother who couldn’t find a reason to stick around when he was growing up. Then there’s his ex. The woman who takes unbridled delight in making his life incredibly complicated. Luckily, his daughter is still young enough to believe her old man is some kind of hero. But, he knows the day is coming when she realizes the truth, that he’s just a man with some serious flaws and a list of ever-growing weaknesses.

Finally, there’s the woman he’s desperately trying to forget with every shot tossed back and each pill popped.

He more than disappointed Emrys…he almost got her killed.

Her love is steady and sure. It’s a shelter shaped by conviction and silent assurance.

Emrys Santos is lost. Everything in her life feels pointless and futile.

She’s been busy running away from her feelings and all the people who love her the most—including her best friend, the one person who knows exactly what she’s been through. They promised to always stick together and to lean on one another. It was a promise Em had to break so she could lick her wounds and figure out her next move. For once, there is no easy way out of the tangled web of emotions she’s caught up in, and right now, she recognizes that all roads lead back to Wyoming…and back to Sutton.

The man she nearly got killed.

Shelter is a standalone novel, the second book in the Getaway series, which features the hardheaded and brokenhearted Warner brothers and the women who dare to love them. These boys are very good at putting the wild in wilderness.

 

         


My Review:

The second book in Jay Crownovers GetAway series is a great addition to this series.  I have to say that while I throughout enjoyed the first book, Retreat, it wasn't one of my favorite Jay Crownover books and I worried that I would never fall head over heels for this series like I have for others of hers but Shelter proved my worry to be unfounded.  I am totally head over heels now, maybe even have done a few back flips in the process of getting there.

Sutton Warner's life is out of control and he has no chance of staying a step or even a mile ahead of the downward spiral he is in.  After almost dying in the back country of Wyoming and failing to protect the best friend, a woman he could have fallen for, of his brother's girlfriend Sutton is on the run from his emotions and failures, both actual and perceived.  He knows, HE KNOWS, that he is letting down his family, especially his little girl but he just can't let the physical and emotional pain remain and the only way he's found to dull it is through alcohol.  He's spending his days in a drunken haze and his nights passed out.  The one thing the alcohol isn't taking away is his thoughts of her.  His thoughts of the girl that he couldn't help out there in the wilds, the girl he couldn't save, the girl he sent away.

Emrys (Em), changed on the outside and inside forever by that terrible idea of hers to getaway, leaves Wyoming and somehow even in that short time, her heart behind and runs when Sutton pushes her away.  Em is a fixer, she makes everything better for the people around her while forgetting herself but she knows that Sutton, in those days after those terrifying hours in the mountains of Wyoming, neither can nor wants to be fixed and her feelings for him are too real for her to stay anyway.  She runs and works on heeling herself but in all that time away she knows she can't leave Sutton unfixed, she knows that she could be the one to mend his broken heart and body if he would let her.  What she doesn't realize is how bad his state has become since she ran.

I adored Em in this book, I was worried because she felt a bit whiney to me in Retreat and I didn't think I would like her, but Em is such a strong heroine.  You don't realize how strong she is until really meeting her in Shelter.  She is a character where the saying 'more than meets the eye' truly applies.  I honestly want to be her.  Em is very much her own person, even when she puts so much of herself aside to help others, she always stay true to herself.   The way she handles everyone she comes in contact with, I don't know how she isn't a caregiver in some way, (nurse, psychologist, social worker...) with everyone she interacts with she gives them her whole self and that is exactly what Sutton and his baby girl need after years of feeling left behind or forgotten about.

Sutton is just a great guy, even when he is troubled and when it seems like he is failing everyone around him.  His heart is always on the line for the people he loves.  He could be four sheets to the wind and still feel the pain of hurting those around him, the fear of their disappointment, the want to prove himself even when he is hurt so deeply inside that he fears he will never be able to dig himself out or be the man he wants to be or the one they expect him to be.  His little girl, he knows he's hurting her, he knows he's failing her, but he doesn't know how to stop hurting himself long enough to see the road ahead.  Once a little light comes back into his life he is that amazing father, brother, and more that we expect.  He is a man who has middle child syndrome and has felt all his life that he never had a place to really fit in so it is so wonderful to see that when he rights his world with the help of some amazing people he comes into his own and finds his path.  It takes him a long time to get there and a whole heck of a lot of physical and emotional pain but it is truly beautiful when they all get their HEA.

I loved the whole book, especially the little twist that I hadn't seen coming until a good 3/4ths into the book.   Once hints started to get laid out it was a little easy to see what was going on but for the majority of the book I had no idea and I loved the bit of suspense that it added to this emotional story.


I am so ready for Lane and Brynn's story as well.  There has been so much build up for the two of them and even though I know they will have an HEA because that's what Jay gives us, I am worried about the struggle that will occur to get them there.  It is going to be a pretty powerful story with a lot of mountains to climb but I know like Sutton and like Cy Jay Crownover will get us there.  It might not be pretty but it will be well worth the 'ride' and I can't wait to take it.  

This is a wonderful story about love, redemption,  and character growth and development. If you love Kristen Ashley books, like her Colorado Mountain series, you will love the Getaway series.  I know that thais is slated as a Standalone and I think that it is feasible because Jay does a wonderful job in going back in time and telling us the story of how Sutton and Em met but I really feel like to get the most out of their story and history you should start at the beginning and although this is a bit of future telling I think it will be even more important when it comes to Lane and Brynn's story, Escape.  But don't let that stop you.  If you haven't read book 1 don't be afraid to dive right in with book two, just be ready to head right out when you are done to grab up a copy of Retreat, haha


~ HAPPY READING AND
 HAPPY NEW YEAR! ~







EXCERPT: 


I’d been fooled once by the promise of quiet nights and serene days in the sunshine. I believed the brochure when it said I could leave my worries at home and escape to a simpler, quieter kind of life. I let myself be lured in by the picturesque landscape and stunning mountains. I foolishly fell prey to the temptation of leaving my current set of troubles behind in San Francisco while I hid away in the middle-of-nowhere Wyoming. I now knew firsthand the glossy brochure that brought me to Wyoming the first time was nothing more than a bunch of pretty, packaged lies. I knew the bar brawl erupting in front of me was hardly the worst thing that could happen here. In fact, the level of bloodshed and violence was child’s play compared to what I’d witnessed the last time I’d stepped foot in this small, quaint town. Well, I hadn’t really been in Sheridan last time I was here. I’d spent most of my time in the backwoods that surrounded the Warner brothers’ ranch, which was still a good forty-five minutes outside of this tiny town. The ranch was where I was currently trying to get to so I could see my best friend. When I left Wyoming, I told myself I would never come back. Ever. I told myself there was nothing here for me but bad memories and heartache. I was a pro at lying to myself, at telling myself exactly what I needed to hear to justify my actions. I could convince myself of anything, like it was okay that my last boyfriend stole my grandmother’s silver when I kicked him out because he needed it more than I did. I had no problem believing that pulling Leo out of the city was the only way to heal her broken heart even though she didn’t want to go. It was easier to distract her than it was to watch her wallow. I persuaded myself into believing what I needed to heal was space and solitude. I held onto that until time passed and I was still a mess. I was sick of my own company and of hiding from everything I was feeling. I was the one who always went out of my way to fix everyone else around me, it wasn’t exactly a shock to learn I didn’t have the skills to repair myself. I spent my days helping others focus on their goals, on doing better and achieving more, so I didn’t have to think about the lack of any ambition of my own. I turned thirty at the end of the year and I was still trying to figure out what and who I wanted to be when I grew up. I’d been aimless for a long time; the only direction in my life come from the fact I knew all the way down to my bones that I had to go back to Wyoming and face off with Sutton Warner.    




And don’t miss the first standalone novel in the Getaway series, RETREAT, on sale for just $.99! 

Grab your copy today!

 ✦ RETREAT on Amazon

 ✦RETREAT on Other Retailers


         

And preorder you copy of the third standalone novel in the Getaway series, ESCAPE, releasing January 30, 2018! 

✦ ESCAPE on Amazon 

✦ ESCAPE on Other Retailers 

✦ Goodreads


            

GiveAway:
(Signed copy of RETREAT for 1 winner)




     


  

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 Series, the Breaking Point Series, and the Getaway 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.        

Website ~ Facebook ~ 

Twitter ~ Goodreads

 



     


 
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Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Retreat by Jay Crownover - Review




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Author: Jay Crownover
Publication Date:  27 December, 2016
Publisher: Self-Published
Series:  The Getaway series, book 1
Genre:  Contemporary Romance, Suspense
Age Recommendation: 18 and up
Rating: 4 Stars


 Book Description:
Retreat is a standalone novel, the first in the Getaway series which centers on the hardheaded and brokenhearted Warner brothers and the women that dare to love them.

These boys are very good at putting the wild in wilderness.

Every once in a while, you need to get away from it all.

I was a woman on the edge, shaken and shattered after a breakup that felt like it tore my entire world apart.

My best friend, sick of watching me drown in misery and melancholy, harassed me until I agreed to go with her on a week-long wilderness retreat.

She promised days spent bonding and getting in touch with our inner bad-asses.
It was supposed to be all about the two of us roughing it and making do with the bare minimum. She assured me we were going to be pushed to our limits in ways that were unimaginable. Neither one of us could have ever guessed just how right she was.

Nowhere in the glossy brochure did it say anything about the fact I was going to have to battle the insufferable but deliciously rugged and sexy trail guide instead of the elements. The brochure also forgot to mention the part that warned when you left civilization behind, there was no place to pack your inhibitions and fears.

I was told that I would be facing a week where the only thing I should expect was the unexpected. However, no one mentioned that I was going to have to fight for my life…and my heart as soon as I ventured into the unknown.

I was a pro at hiding from my feelings but when it came time to face a real threat, one that could change everything, I learned I was more of a no surrender, no retreat kind of girl.


My Review:
 *** This is one of my 'Fast and Furious, Just Finished Reading' reviews that I put up on Goodreads right when I...well, finish the book I am reading.  I usually don't put them here because they are my thoughts gone rogue but I want to get this book out there to more people because I totally think it's worth the read even if as you will see below it leaves me in a bit of a strange place with my feelings, haha. *** 


I'm in a strange place with this one, it's not a bad place, just a strange one. It's a limbo between love and meh. It's a cross between a book hangover and a book funk. It's an 'OMG get this book in your hands now' and a 'add this to your TBR pile'.

There is truly SO much to love.
I love that it is a departure from what we've come to know as a 'Jay Crownover' book. 
I love that she took the chance to write a story that called to her, that she gave us a gift that might be outside of our 'Crownover comfort zone' but is exactly the story she needed to tell. 
I love the concept.
I love the characters.
I love the steamy moments. 
I love the friendship.

I'm not keen on the insta-love, although by the end I loved the love so it no longer mattered, but that only came in at the last 10% of the book. 
I wasn't keen on the pure insanity of the plot at times or the seemingly random addition of a family. I mean it's okay that they were there, but the story would have gone on just as easily without them. 

I love the number of characters we're introduced to, but not keen on the fact that I don't think all the characters I've fallen in love with will get their own books...unless I am a very lucky girl! 


I loved the strength of the characters, even when they are breaking. 
I love their growth and their courage. 

I wasn't keen that certain people didn't get their comeuppance in a more 'learn from this moment' kind of way, but I'm a bit vindictive like that, haha. 

I loved the vividness of the scenery Jay paints. I want to go out on my own, much less angsty and dangerous, wilderness retreat and I want to live on a ranch in the middle of Wyoming and force my husband to wear a black Stetson now, seriously the black Stetson is a MUST.  If this had come out before Christmas he would have gotten one for his Christmas present, luckily his birthday is not too far away. ;-)

 Most importantly, I definitely want more!

Retreat is a departure from what you expect from Jay Crownover but it's a breath of fresh air when you need it most.  I was tying to come up with a good comparison of if you like this author then you will like this book and honestly I can't really pin point down one author.  Jay has really taken hold and given us something new here, it's a contemporary romance, with a thriller/suspense twist, verging one the edge of dark.  I think the only person I can safely say if you than you...is Kristen Ashley, but that comes down to the 'world' building and the angsty-ness of the Hero, other than that Jay has really forged her own path here and she's barreling down it, luckily for us!  Contemporary Romance fans get your hands on this one and definitely let me know what you think when you are done.  I need to talk about this and get my feelings straight, haha.

~ HAPPY READING ~ 



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, and The Point and Breaking Point 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.
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