Giveaway & Review: Better When He's Bad by Jay Crownover

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jay Crownover returns with a heart-stopping new series… Welcome to the Point.

There’s a difference between a bad boy and a boy who’s bad . . . meet Shane Baxter.

Sexy, dark, and dangerous, Bax isn’t just from the wrong side of the tracks, he is the wrong side of the tracks. A criminal, a thug, and a brawler, he’s the master of bad choices, until one such choice landed him in prison for five years. Now Bax is out and looking for answers, and he doesn’t care what he has to do or who he has to hurt to get them. But there’s a new player in the game, and she’s much too innocent, much too soft…and standing directly in his way.

Dovie Pryce knows all about living a hard life and the tough choices that come with it. She’s always tried to be good, tried to help others, and tried not to let the darkness pull her down. But the streets are fighting back, things have gone from bad to worse, and the only person who can help her is the scariest, sexiest, most complicated ex-con The Point has ever produced.

Bax terrifies her, awakening feelings she never thought she’d have for a guy like him. But it doesn’t take Dovie long to realize . . . some boys are just better when they’re bad.

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What I thought about Better When He's Bad

I'm so very excited to be part of this blog tour! It's no secret I'm crazy about Jay Crownover's Marked Men series, so when she started talking about writing a truly bad boy, I was all in. Ms. Crownover knows how to write strong, straight-shooting men who accept themselves as they are, which in itself is pretty sexy.  Shane "Bax" Baxter has all that in spades, along with a criminal record and a dark past.

The story begins with Bax just released from prison. He's tracking down his best friend, Race, while he re-acquaints himself with the bad element in "The Point". It doesn't take long for him to hear about the redhead Race has been staying with, and it doesn't take Bax long to find her.

Dovie Pryce lives and works in The Point and one look at Bax and she knows he's bad news. And that's before just about every character in the book warns her off Bax, which became a tad repetitious, especially since we all know no girl ever listens to that anyway. But in spite of her resolve not to get involved with him, Dovie isn't immune to the Bax's alpha hotness, especially when all that attitude is turned up full blast.  


In spite of everyone's warnings, she takes up with Bax, telling herself it's just to help him, and it isn't long before Bax has her right where he wants her -- in a super steamy scene on a kitchen counter.

It took me a little time to warm up to Dovie. At first, she seems naive and single-minded in her devotion to her family.  But as the inevitable and unlikely romance between Bax and Dovie develops and she see the deepest, hidden  parts of Shane Baxter, I fell for her just like Bax does. She's got heart, street smarts and a strong will.

As the hunt for Race goes on, details about the night Bax was arrested start coming out. It isn't clear how all the pieces fit together, and the reader doesn't know the whole story until everything blows up. I loved  the suspenseful way the pieces are revealed to eventually show the entire picture of what went down that night. Well maybe, because just when I thought I knew what had happened, new secrets get exposed in a brutal scene that had me a little teary-eyed for Bax and Dovie.

I had a book hangover for a few days after reading this.  For me, Bax and Dovie's love story was perfectly balanced with the suspense plot. Even though there were some repetitious parts, I was willing to overlook those because overall, I really enjoyed this read. If you like a gritty love story with a heaping dash of suspense, this book could be for you.

Can't wait for more of this series.  Nicely done, Ms. Crownover!   



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About Jay Crownover:

Jay Crownover is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men series. She will also be introducing the dark and sexy world of The Point in a new series this summer starting with Better When He’s Bad. 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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