Kelly Gendron | March 17, 2015 | Contemporary Romance
Breaking the Declan Brothers, book 1
★★★★1/2
SOURCE: NETGALLEY
“Some boys can get rough, some don’t always listen when you tell them to stop, and some boys, they’re just monsters. You gotta be careful who you play with…” ~ Jax Declan
I’m a tease, always have been. In my teens, Jax Declan tried to warn me about staying away from the bad boys. The only boy I ever wanted was Jax. But, no matter how much I tried to play with him, he rejected me.
I haven’t seen Jax Declan in years. A couple friends and I are going back to the Bayou for the summer. A little older now, and a bit wiser, I’ve decided that I’m going to find my teenage crush and I’m going to break him. This summer Jax Declan will play with me.
But the closer I get and the more I learn about the reserved, discreet, and sexy Jax Declan. Well, I’m starting to think that Jax Declan might just be one of those bad boys he tried to warn me about all those years ago.
Sometimes I go to read a book, and it manages to get lost in the shuffle.
One such time would be with JAX. I liked the synopsis, but I didn't like it enough to push it to the front of my to-read list.
Kind of regretting it now.
Girlfriends Rayna, Emmie, and Lurlene are heading down to the Bayou to stay at Rayna's sister's house for the summer. Rayna is between mentoring jobs, Lurlene is a teacher and on summer break, and Emmie? Emmie can do her job anywhere.
Rayna and Emmie grew up in Bayou; when Rayna left, Emmie followed. Now, the girls are heading back and are on a mission:
To break the Declan brothers.
Rayna wants to break Slate -- he broke her, after all.
Rayna and Emmie figure Lurlene is the best candidate to break the youngest Declan brother, Zeke. The boy is full of rules and Lurlene? Well, she's the best challenge for him.
That leaves big brother Jax -- the one Emmie wished for from afar but he never noticed her.
Or did he?
I truly enjoyed the 'breaking' of Jax Declan. Growing up, Jax knew better than to look at little Emmie Rue... but when she turned 16, all bets were off. Problem was, though, he had some demons that he didn't want to touch her. Now she's back and all grown up -- and he's ready to play her game. She was a tease when they were younger; now he's going to string her along, too. Oh, he wants her, but he's going to make her beg for him. After all, he's waited this long -- he wants more than just her body.
"You need to learn that your body is meant for more than just looking pretty or to tease me. Among other things, it's mean to feel, too."
I loved that while her name truly was Emmie Rue, first name last name, the way Jax always said it was almost like a caress, like an endearment.
Also, these brothers? I love them. Just. Love. Them.
Jax is a great big brother -- he gets frustrated with Slate and Zeke, sure, but he has this need to protect them and be sure they stay ok. It stems from their past but even without, I have no doubt that Jax would be the model brother.
Whenever I see him like this, I want to go over and hold my little brother, and then I want to beat the shit out of the man he's become.
The biggest thing, I think, with this trilogy is that it is one large inter-connected story. Book one belongs to Emmie and Jax, yes, but it segues into book two. So while I don't necessarily think you need to read one to read the other, the huge cliffhanger at the end certainly makes you want to read the following story.
One such time would be with JAX. I liked the synopsis, but I didn't like it enough to push it to the front of my to-read list.
Kind of regretting it now.
Girlfriends Rayna, Emmie, and Lurlene are heading down to the Bayou to stay at Rayna's sister's house for the summer. Rayna is between mentoring jobs, Lurlene is a teacher and on summer break, and Emmie? Emmie can do her job anywhere.
Rayna and Emmie grew up in Bayou; when Rayna left, Emmie followed. Now, the girls are heading back and are on a mission:
To break the Declan brothers.
Rayna wants to break Slate -- he broke her, after all.
Rayna and Emmie figure Lurlene is the best candidate to break the youngest Declan brother, Zeke. The boy is full of rules and Lurlene? Well, she's the best challenge for him.
That leaves big brother Jax -- the one Emmie wished for from afar but he never noticed her.
Or did he?
I truly enjoyed the 'breaking' of Jax Declan. Growing up, Jax knew better than to look at little Emmie Rue... but when she turned 16, all bets were off. Problem was, though, he had some demons that he didn't want to touch her. Now she's back and all grown up -- and he's ready to play her game. She was a tease when they were younger; now he's going to string her along, too. Oh, he wants her, but he's going to make her beg for him. After all, he's waited this long -- he wants more than just her body.
"You need to learn that your body is meant for more than just looking pretty or to tease me. Among other things, it's mean to feel, too."
I loved that while her name truly was Emmie Rue, first name last name, the way Jax always said it was almost like a caress, like an endearment.
Also, these brothers? I love them. Just. Love. Them.
Jax is a great big brother -- he gets frustrated with Slate and Zeke, sure, but he has this need to protect them and be sure they stay ok. It stems from their past but even without, I have no doubt that Jax would be the model brother.
Whenever I see him like this, I want to go over and hold my little brother, and then I want to beat the shit out of the man he's become.
The biggest thing, I think, with this trilogy is that it is one large inter-connected story. Book one belongs to Emmie and Jax, yes, but it segues into book two. So while I don't necessarily think you need to read one to read the other, the huge cliffhanger at the end certainly makes you want to read the following story.
{ other reviews in series } .
SLATE 5★ { review }
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