Review + Excerpt: Better When He's Brave (#3, Welcome to the Point) by Jay Crownover - Vilma Iris | Lifestyle Blogger

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Review + Excerpt: Better When He's Brave (#3, Welcome to the Point) by Jay Crownover

My Thoughts

Intense, action-packed, thrilling and sexy as hell. I love this series, and each book gets more exciting!

5stars
Synopsis
In New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jay Crownover’s third novel in her sexy, thrilling Welcome to the Point series, a woman’s search for repentance leads her to the one man from her past she can’t forget as they join forces to save their city—and the explosive love neither can live without. Titus King has always seen his world in black and white. There is a firm right and wrong in his mind, which is why as a teenager he left behind the only family he’d ever known to make a better life for himself. Now a police detective in one of the worst cities in the country, he can’t deny his life has turned into a million different shades of gray. The new criminal element in The Point has brought vengeance and destruction right to Titus’s front door, and walking the straight and narrow seems far less important now. The difference between right and wrong is nothing compared to keeping those he loves alive. To add to his already strained moral compass, the beautiful and mysterious Reeve Black has made her way back to town. This girl might be as dangerous to Titus as the guy trying to destroy the Point but he can’t walk away because he needs her—in more ways than one. Reeve knows all about the threat trying to destroy The Point. She knows how ruthless, how vicious, and how cruel this new danger can be… and instead of running away, she wants to help. Reeve knows that she has a lot to repent for and saving the city, plus the hot cop that she hasn’t been able to forget might just be the only way she can finally find some inner peace. With an entire city poised on the brink of war, Titus and Reeve stand in the crossfire—and it will take two brave souls to fight for the ultimate love.
My Review
Since our first intro into the deadly streets of The Point, when we met Shane Baxter, we also came across Titus King. He’s a cop, a protector… a man whose black and white view of the world was constantly threatened with a criminal brother and ever-escalating situations in his city. You got a sense of how hard he worked to stay on the straight and narrow… to make something of himself. But when The Point viciously comes under attack, rules are thrown asunder as his determination toughens. He’s determined to figure out who is behind the strikes in order to put a final stop to it. Jumping right in, the prologue is intense, intense, intense. It sets the tone for the consuming tension in the novel. There’s so much intrigue and suspense to keep you entrenched.

“I would die in this shithole at the hands of these murders and miscreants, and no matter how much they threw at me, how much they tried to destroy the vessel it was housed in, my bravery, my calling to keep the world safe from people like this, would never be extinguished. I would never cave, never bow down and never let a guy like [him] win.”

But when Reeve Black and Titus King collide, the heat is turned way up. The criminal and the cop. The bad girl and the good guy. There’s a fiery connection between them both, but Reeve has made many mistakes… mistakes that have affected Titus, Bax and Dovie.

“She was beautiful but she was also deadly. She was just as hard as this place we came from, and I had enough of the city hammering against my foundation, as it was.”

But antagonism burns into a desire that sets the pages ablaze, as Titus begins to understand Reeve and the reasons for what she’s done. Before too long, love finds a way to bind this improbable pair together. And yes, as much as Reeve and Titus were an unlikely match, they were also, perfect for each other. The Point is their home, they’ve grown up knowing the ins and out of it, and they must work side by side to free themselves of their attacker, but also from their pasts.

“She was going to be my downfall. She was going to be my corruption and my vice. She was going to be my addiction and my compulsion and I was still going to fall headlong into her knowing the landing was going to be rough for both of us.”

I fell in love with The Point series immediately. There’s something about exploring anti-heroes and criminals, and all the shades of grey that color the worlds of these people. Titus is particularly fascinating as he wars with himself, always trying to do the right thing and protect those he loves. Jay Crownover always does an amazing job of mixing it up with sexiness, suspense, emotion and romance. You get a little bit of everything in a story that keeps you captive from beginning to end.

“There is no regret, Reeve, and there is no choice. Right or wrong you are it for me. You get all the parts of me. You make me feel like I can just be me, not a cop, not a big brother, not a hero, not a savior… just a man. A man that has his good and bad parts.”

Next up is Nassir’s book, and you best be ready for the emotional volatility and edge of the baddest of them all.
Excerpt
The car finally skidded to a stop in a shower of gravel and dust. The headlights illuminated the drop-off in front of us. The moon was high in the sky, forcing its way through smog and clouds to shine silver. It was the same color as Titus’s eyes when he was turned on, when he was buried deep inside of me. “I haven’t had my parents in my life for a long time, so I shouldn’t feel like I lost them. But I do.” “I felt that way when I locked Bax up. I knew he wouldn’t understand that I had to do my job, and when he got out, the first time I saw him he punched me in the face. He hated me.” He turned off the car and reached out a finger to twist a piece of my long hair around it. “Don’t let Roark win. Once everything is settled, go back to them and make them understand.” I turned to look at him. He was fierce in the shadowy light. He was what heroes were supposed to look like no matter the path he had taken to become one. “I don’t even know if I understand. At the time it felt like my only choice. Now I’m not so sure.” I leaned across the space separating us and brushed my knuckles across his still-bristly cheek. He was almost in full beard mode and it looked so good on him. “Lately the only thing I understand is you, Titus.” He lifted one of his dark eyebrows at me and asked, “What is it that you understand about me, Reeve?” “That you make everything better. You make me better, and I might never be good enough for you, but you make me feel like I can get close.” One of his hands slid down to my wrist and the next thing I knew he was guiding me over the console and the emergency brake so that I was straddled across him with my back to the steering wheel. I hadn’t been in a car like this with a boy since I was a teenager. I kind of liked it. More than kind of. “You make everything better too, Reeve, and there is no good enough because this with you is the best there has ever been.” And then his mouth was on mine and I didn’t get a chance to tell him we had left this behind and were now firmly venturing into more. Knowing that Titus was flawed, that he had made some questionable choices on his road to becoming the man he was today, made me love him even more. Where he was from was even uglier than where I was from, and that was beautiful to me. So was the way he was pulling on my clothes and kissing me along my throat.

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Make sure to stop by USA Today’s HEA blog, where I have another exclusive excerpt for you to read!!!

Reading Order and Links
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About Jay
Jay Crownover is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men and The Point series. 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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47 Comments:


  1. Sue G. said:

    Asa!

    Reply

  2. jjohnson09 said:

    I Love Titus King, I think he is very HOT!!

    Reply

  3. Jessica Mobbs said:

    I love Titus! And Bax! Not that there’s anything wrong with Race, but the brothers are just yummy!!! Can’t wait to get my hands on Titus’s book!!!!

    Reply

  4. Christine LaCombe said:

    I have to be honest, I haven’t had a chance to buy or read any of this series yet. They sound great though!! Thanks for the giveaway.

    Reply

  5. KellyMae said:

    I would have to say ‘Better When He’s Bad’

    Reply

  6. Jennifer said:

    I haven’t had the opportunity to read any of Jay’s books yet, but they sound amazing, and I have added them to my ever-growing wishlist. 🙂 Thanks so much for the opportunity!

    Reply

  7. Jacqueline said:

    So far, my favourite bad-boy alpha from Welcome to the Point is Race. Tough on the outside, but with a squishy center for Brysen.

    Reply

  8. Rachel Elliott said:

    So far, my fav bad boy is Shane. But we will see if he still stands once I have Titus in my grubby paws!!!

    Reply

  9. Bella S. said:

    I have read the first two books in the series and they’re both great. But Bax is still my favorite.. so far.. it may change after reading Better When He’s Brave?

    Reply

  10. Kristie said:

    Haven’t read this series yet but would use the giftcard to buy it!!!

    Reply

  11. Theresa Fischer said:

    Shane is my favorite.

    Reply

  12. brittney said:

    I am so excited for this!!! Race is my favorite but I can’t wait to get to know titus

    Reply

  13. Maria Malaveci said:

    I haven’t yet read the series yet, but I can’t wait to find out!

    Reply

  14. grandmatina said:

    Give me Race no wait I want Shane.. 🙂

    Reply

  15. Rohina said:

    Ahhh. I have them on my Kindle but haven’t gotten around to reading them yet. :/

    Reply

  16. crystal s said:

    Love all of Jay’s books so far fav on her point series is Shane Baxter

    Reply

  17. Betul E. said:

    Shane Baxter!! <3

    Reply

  18. empressdj said:

    Don’t have a favorite, I am a virgin to these works

    Reply

  19. exbuffalo2001 said:

    I’d have to go with Bax since he’s the only one I’ve read so far!!!

    Reply

  20. Marcy Meyer said:

    I haven’t yet read this series. It is on my TBR list though. Sounds great!

    Reply

  21. sistahgurl50 said:

    Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten to these books yet. I am looking forward to reading them.

    Reply

  22. Lori Moore said:

    Titus!!

    Reply

  23. Nicola Kate said:

    Bax love him 🙂

    Reply

  24. Jeanine D said:

    Bax! Though I’m sure after meeting Titus, it will be Titus! 🙂

    Reply

  25. Victoria said:

    Definitely Bax *sigh* 😉

    Reply

  26. tlrosado said:

    I just started reading all of Jay Crownover’s books. I’m on a serious bad boy (good boy) bender. I’ve had a couple of sleepless nights in the last week. I can’t say who’s my favorite love interest yet, since I’ve just begun Better When He’s Bad. 🙂

    Reply

  27. Katie said:

    I haven;t read any of the books in this series yet.

    Reply

  28. Ashley Graham said:

    Shane Baxter is my favorite!!!

    Reply

  29. Jenny Dauksa Schaber said:

    I’ve only read book 1 of this series, so I’m not sure if I like him best.

    Reply

  30. Rhonda nash said:

    Race for now, but looking forward to reading about Titus…

    Reply

  31. Megan Linyard said:

    I have not read any yet.

    Reply

  32. Joseph Hawkshaw said:

    Titus is cool

    Reply

  33. Tabitha said:

    Bax is the only one ive read so far so by default hes my favorite! lol

    Reply

  34. lasvegasnan said:

    I haven’t read this series, however, it is on my list now.

    Reply

  35. kpsimmon said:

    Thank you!! <3

    Reply

  36. glam009 said:

    Shane!!!!!!!!! thanks for the chance

    Reply

  37. Jen said:

    I finished the Marked Men series and now I need to meet all of the men at the Point!

    Reply

  38. Barrie Mac said:

    So far Shane Baxter, aka Bax, is my favorite!

    Reply

  39. Amanda B-R said:

    TItus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I haven’t even read his book yet, but from all the interactions in the other books I am already in love

    Reply

  40. Bethany Elaine Macielag said:

    I do not have a favorite Welcome to the Point love interest, yet.. I have not read the books, but they have definitely moved up on my TBR list 🙂

    Reply

  41. Erika said:

    I don’t have one yet but excited to read this series! Thank you!

    Reply

  42. Shelby Leah said:

    BAX!!!! Swoon!

    Reply

  43. L.A. Remenicky said:

    I haven’t read the series yet – it’s going on my TBR!!

    Reply

  44. Carolyn Lassig said:

    Titus is definitely my favourite 🙂

    Reply

  45. Louise Larsen said:

    Jay Crownover is a new author to me, so don’t have a favorite love interest just yet, but are def looking forward to reading this series – sounds amazing!

    Reply

  46. Viviana Varona said:

    I have loved all the character so far.

    Reply

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