I went in expecting not to enjoy Charged as much as the rest in the series. I have very limited patience for characters such as Avett. Firstly, our girl is pure trouble with a capital T; a whirlwind of angst and chaos. Secondly, I had no memory of Quaid. I figured he must not have been too captivating if I couldn’t bring him to the forefront of my mind, even after asking a friend.

I should have known not to entertain my doubts. There is nothing better than when a story sneaks up, taking me by surprise. Charged was not what I expected, and in the end I adored the ever-loving hell out of it. I couldn’t devour the pages fast enough, which speaks volumes, considering I was apprehensive about reading this story.

With a huge, goofy grin plastered on my face, I tumbled head over heels in love with both Avett and Quaid. These two so very different on the outside, were not so different deep down. They just meshed perfectly together.

Avett—a sassy, spitfire who always managed to find trouble—never made apologies for who she was, only for her behavior. She found trouble because she felt she deserved the pain and resulting backlash. But underneath, she was a lost soul who couldn’t find her way back to solid ground. Avett grew through this story, and showed us she had a heart so big, she would sacrifice herself for those she loved.

Quaid was her opposite, but only on the outside. Having been abandoned by his family, and cheated on by an ex-wife, Quaid shut down and dedicated himself to his job, focusing on materialistic achievements. As a lawyer, he didn’t care if he let the guilty walk free. He only cared about winning, and the resulting success and accolades. Until Avett. He found a way to put all that aside for her.

Their chemistry was explosive, their connection intense. These two grew as individuals, and they grew together. Some readers felt they weren’t as richly developed as her other characters on the basis of too much sex and a rushed story, but I disagree. The pacing was perfect, and each sex scene had a purpose.

With each character getting hotter and hotter, I feel as though Jay Crownover can’t top her last book, and every time, she proves me wrong. I have a serious lady boner for this author. All I got to say is thank the Promised Land for Ms. Crownover and her merry little band of “saints and sinners!”

Thank you, William Morrow, for the complimentary copy of Charged.

Avett Walker has hit rock bottom. Her life is in shambles and she has hurt people she cares about. her new lawyer, Quad Jackson is intimidating, professional, polished, and seems perfect. She is full of self blame, guilt, and regrets over her bad choices and actions. Her self worth is shot. She has little faith in herself or her future. 

They react strongly to each other. She is honest, real, spirited, flawed, and impulsive. She is full of self hatred and feels like a failure. Her relationships have been damaged by her choices. And this time she even faces jail time.

Avett is a whirlwind. Impulsive and reckless, she has made bad choice after bad choice until she hits rock bottom. Even as she begins to work towards fixing her mistakes, she still maintains her need to keep things on the edge, that’s just her.

Quaid is straightlaced, methodical, and calculating. His drive to make partner has influenced every decision he has made in his career and in his life. He has fought for everything he has, wearing his polish and image like a second skin.

Though Avett and Quaid initially keep themselves professional, Avett quickly comes to rely on Quaid’s steady nature in some tough situations. I loved the way they each challenged each other as Avett worked to find herself, and Quaid took the time to remember who he was. I was expecting Avett to have things to figure out, but was pleasantly surprised at the direction Quaid’s characterization took.

There were a handful of moments where I felt like the narration took over the storytelling rather than the story coming from the characters themselves. But there were other times I valued the speed at which things moved because of that writing style. It was something I haven’t noticed before in Jay’s books, so don’t know if it was just my mood at the time of reading or something different for this book.

I have always loved Jay’s stories. She has a way of writing characters who find exactly what they need in someone they wouldn’t have expected to find a connection with and this was no exception. I loved the unexpected pairings and they way these characters’ opposite natures compliment each other. 

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Jay Crownover

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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.