Series: Marked Men #4
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication Date: 4/29/14
Format: eARC
Pages: 400
Source: Publisher
Rating: 3.5 stars
Format: eARC
Pages: 400
Source: Publisher
Rating: 3.5 stars
Will their past determine their future?
Saint Ford has worked hard to achieve her childhood dream of becoming of nurse. Focused on her work and devoted to her patients, there’s no room for love. She doesn’t need a guy making waves in her calm, serene life—especially when he’s the unforgettable hottie who nearly destroyed her in high school. Dark, brooding Nash Donovan might not remember her or the terrible pain he caused. But he turned her world upside down . . . and now he’s trying to do it again.
Saint has no idea that Nash isn’t the cocky player he once was. Uncovering a devastating family secret has rocked his world, and now he’s struggling to figure out his future. He can’t be distracted by the pretty nurse he seems to meet everywhere. Still, he can’t ignore the sparks that fly between them —or how she seems so desperate to get away from him. But the funny, sweet, and drop-dead gorgeous Saint is far too amazing to give up on—especially since she’s the only thing in his life that seems to make sense.
When Nash discovers the truth about their past, he realizes he may have lost her heart before he could even fight for it. Now, Saint has to decide: is Nash worth risking herself for all over again?
After devouring the first three Marked Men novels, I was anxious to have more. My love for those books were such an unexpected surprise, setting me up with high expectations moving forward. I began Nash with a huge amount of anticipation.
There's a lot about Nash that I enjoyed. Nash is misunderstood non-bad boy who totally looks badass. He has tattoos everywhere, a ring through the bottom of his nose, multiple piercings elsewhere, and his head is shaved on the sides. All those might indicate to some he's trouble. I don't like that people think that way, have been personally treated that way myself, but there you have it. Beneath the badass facade is a guy who was treated horribly by his mom, was lied to about his father, and is held at arms length by the woman he wants.
In Saint, we get a heroine who is easy to identify with in that she doesn't have great self-esteem. Saint has a good job that she loves, but not a lot of friends. A past in which Nash badly hurt her feelings and other men have broken her trust has left her with huge trust issues. When Nash comes back into her life, those issues play a huge part in their story. Though her reluctance was frustrating, I got her justification. As someone who doesn't easily give trust and openness in matters of the heart. I could relate to her a lot.
The two go through a large amount of push-and-pull, the "will they or won't they", not so much physically as emotionally. Surprisingly, it's not Nash who's reluctant, but Saint. Crownover does a great job of "selling" her couples. They all have individual issues, are put to the test, and come out strong. I had no problems buying Saint and Nash as a couple who could go the distance.
I loved getting more of the previous couples, especially Rule and Shaw. If you like those two, you'll love seeing them in Nash too. Rome and Cora also. I did like getting some Ayden, but Jet off being a star meant he wasn't really around and I missed him.
I'm not sure if I was just irritable or that I'm on point with this with particular tic, but...honestly? The talk of Nash's purple/lilac/indigo/periwinkle/Violet eyes in many, many scenes got a little old. I mean, I get that his eyes are spectacular and tell a lot about his moods, but I don't need it for every scene. Give me something else. I would also like one, just one, character with a common name. I mean, you don't have to go with "Roy" or "Debbie" (no offense to the Roys and Debbies out there!), but we can't all be Shaws and Aydens or Saint.
Okay.
Something about Nash didn't grab me quite as hard as the other installments, but I'm not quite sure what it is. It is a good story with a couple of great messages. This is a group of men who in some way, didn't fit in. With their parents, with "mainstream" society. In Marked, they found a place to belong. With Nash, we get the message of love. Deserving it, and accepting it. It was a beautiful message. I look forward to more of this great series.
Favorite
Quote
Nash Donovan was a beautiful, wicked, and hot flame that burned me when I got too close. He was just the first stop in a journey dotted by disappointment, but somewhere along the way I found my footing. My purpose. I just didn't know that as soon as I did, Nash would manage to turn my world upside down all over again, and only a fool gets burned twice by the same fire.
"All I can see is you. Why can't you understand that? No one shines as bright as you in the sky I'm looking at. To me there is no sun, no moon, and no stars in the sky, just endless miles of storm clouds and pretty, pretty gray."
The Marked Men Series
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