Blog Tour: Better When He's Bad (Welcome to the Point #1) by Jay Crownover

Better When He's Bad
Welcome to the Point #1
By: Jay Crownover
Release Date: June 17, 2014
Publisher: William Morrow
Mature Content
Source: Publisher
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GR's Summary:

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, but it doesn’t take Dovie long to realize that some boys are just better when they’re bad.

My Thoughts:

Jay Crownover writes the sexiest bad boys.  I am a huge fan of her Marked Men Series, and the moment I heard about her new series, Welcome to the Point, I was very excited.  She promised us a real bad boy, and let me tell you, she delivered!  Shane Baxter grew up in a dangerous and poverty stricken neighborhood called, "The Point."  He grew up with a single mother suffering from a severe alcohol problem, and his older half-brother, Titus.  His older brother got out of the point as soon as he was old enough, became a police officer, and left Bax with their mother.  Bax learned how to steal to survive as a child, and as he grew older he began stealing anything his heart desired.  He had resentment towards his brother and felt abandoned by him when he left.  The only friend that Bax had was, Race.  When Bax gets put away in prison for five years, it appears that he may have been set up by his best friend.

When Bax gets released, he is looking for Race, so that he can get the answers that he needs.  Along the way, he discovers that Race had a half-sister named Dovie, that he never knew about.  Dovie is also looking for her brother, along with Bax's number one enemies, a dangerous mobster, Novak, and his top goon, Benny.  Bax ends up keeping Dovie by his side as they both search for Race, and try to get to the bottom of the reasons behind Race being in hiding. 

I loved how fleshed out Bax and Dovie's characters were.  They were very complex and felt real to me.  I could visualize Bax's swagger, and piercing dark and dangerous eyes.  I could hear the sounds of the tough neighborhood that both he and Dovie lived in.  Bax had his own set of rules and a code that he lived by.  He was loyal to those that he cared about, and after those two people, his mother and best friend, Race, he was only out for himself.  I loved seeing such a character transformation in Bax.  While, at the beginning of the story, he took care of Dovie, because she was an extension of Race, by the end of the story, she became the most important person in his world.  

Dovie had come from horrible circumstances, and a tough childhood.  Yet, she had a heart of gold, and instead of being bitter by the life she had been dealt, she just wanted to help others.  She worked long hours as a waitress, in a group home, and going to school to become a social worker.  She truly cared about others, and wanted to make the world a better place.

I loved Bax and Dovie together.  She saw the good in him, that he didn't see in himself.  She brought out the protective side of him.  He wantred to be a better person for her, but didn't think it was possible.  When these two got together, they had a lot of passion, and brought each other a little piece of happiness.  They gave each other something to look forward to, and want to come home to.  The plot of the story was action-packed, and things never got dull.  These two had a lot working against them, and as a reader, I found myself holding my breath a lot, as certain scenes played out.            

My Rating:

Better When He's Bad, by Jay Crownover, was an excellent beginning to the, Welcome to the Point Series!  There was action, suspense and danger that kept me glued to the story from beginning to end.  The setting came to life for me, and I could easily visualize "The Point," as well as the key players in the story.  I loved Bax and Dovie, and can't wait to read the sequel, Better When He's Bold, which is going to be Race, and Dovie's best friend, Brysen's story.  I'm really hoping that, Titus, Bax's brother, gets his own story too.  I give, Better When He's Bad, by Jay Crownover 4 Dangerous, Bold, and Addictive, New Beginning Filled Stars!     

My Favorite Quotes:

"Oh, honey, if you look close enough, everything is in those eyes.  That's why they're so dark.  They are full of every secret, every promise, and every temptation that can make a good girl do really bad things and enjoy every second of it."  (eARC, Loc. 551)

~Carmen

"That was what undid me about him.  He was unpredictable, he was a criminal, he was hazardous to my sanity, but then he held me when I couldn't sleep and he touched me like I would break.  It was an intoxicating combination that I was having no luck in fighting."  (eARC, Loc. 1641)

~Dovie    

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About Jay Crownover:

I’m supposed to share interesting details about myself so that my readers get to know me so here we go in no particular order: I’m an natural redhead even though I haven’t seen my real hair color in years, I’m a big fan of tattoos and have a half sleeve on either arm and various other pieces all over the place, I’ve been in the bar industry since I was in college and it has always offered interesting insight into how men and women interact with each other, I have 3 dogs that are all crazy, I live in Colorado and love the snow, I love music and in all reality wish I could be a rock star not a writer or a bartender but I have zero talent so there is that. I love to write, love to read and all I’m interested in is a good story with interesting characters that make the reader feel something.

Connect with Jay: 

  Facebook | Twitter | Website | Goodreads

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