Blog Tour: Straight Up Love: Lexi Ryan
Straight Up Love(The Boys of Jackson Harbor #2)
Lexi Ryan
Release Date May 8, 2018
From New York Times bestselling author Lexi Ryan comes a sexy new standalone romance about a woman who’d do anything to have a baby and the man who’d do anything to have her…
For my 30th birthday, I’m giving myself the one thing I want most: a baby. Sure, this would be easier if I had a husband—or even a boyfriend—but I refuse to be thwarted by minor details.
When I drunkenly confess my plans to my friends, they convince me to ask Jake Jackson for help. Jake, the best friend who’s been there for me through thick and thin. Jake, who also happens to be smart, funny, ridiculously good looking, and the winner of all the genetic lotteries.
So when Jake takes me up on my request—with the stipulation that we get the job done the old-fashioned way—I’d be a fool to decline.
The only problem? I don’t know if I can separate sex from all the things I feel for this amazing man. If I can’t keep my heart under lock and key, I risk losing the relationship I need the most.
Jake has his own reasons for granting my baby wish. But when I discover his secrets, it could mean the end of us. I have to choose—run or stay and fight for love.
Fall for the boys of Jackson Harbor in Lexi Ryan’s sexy new contemporary romance series. These books can all be read as standalones, but you’ll enjoy reading them as a series!
She wants a baby. He wants her.
What are they willing to do for their own agendas?
Ava McKinley is sweet, dependable, awkward, and insecure. She's the good girl who always wanted Daddy's approval, but always felt second best. She had a crush on Jake way back then, but buried her feelings. Now she is divorced, and worried her dreams will not come true. She just wants a baby, even if she has to have it alone. But love would be great too, but she is cynical and guarded.
Jake Jackson is her best friend who has always been there for her. He's been in love with her forever, but when she rejected him long ago, he decided it was better to keep her in his life as a friend than lose her. He's handsome, smart, supportive, and sexy as hell. He'll do anything for Ava, even if it sounds crazy and he could get hurt. If he can just get her to see him as more than a brother or a friend, maybe he has a chance.
Jake and Ava...Oh my, these two had so many missed opportunities, hidden feelings, misunderstanding, and confusion. For two longtime best friends that knew each other so well in other ways, they were so clueless and ineffective when it came to communicating about the big stuff at the right time. Their hesitations, insecurities, and secrets led them through years of keeping a "friends only" status. And new propositions are game changers. But it is a gradual build to something more as they chip away at resistance and fear. And it seems like just as they might be getting somewhere that outside influences also start getting in their way.
This is a slow burn, best-friends-to-lovers, wanna-have-a-baby romance told in dual points of view. It brings back all of the characters we met in the first book including their siblings and friends. I love this tight knit group and how they both support and taunt each other. This also sets up the next book that involves more than just two of the side characters with secrets and hidden feelings. It sounds like it is going to be even more angsty. There seems to be a lot that has gone on in Jackson Bay in the past with this group that keeps bleeding into their present relationships. Bring it on!
I was gifted a copy.
Jake and Ava...Oh my, these two had so many missed opportunities, hidden feelings, misunderstanding, and confusion. For two longtime best friends that knew each other so well in other ways, they were so clueless and ineffective when it came to communicating about the big stuff at the right time. Their hesitations, insecurities, and secrets led them through years of keeping a "friends only" status. And new propositions are game changers. But it is a gradual build to something more as they chip away at resistance and fear. And it seems like just as they might be getting somewhere that outside influences also start getting in their way.
This is a slow burn, best-friends-to-lovers, wanna-have-a-baby romance told in dual points of view. It brings back all of the characters we met in the first book including their siblings and friends. I love this tight knit group and how they both support and taunt each other. This also sets up the next book that involves more than just two of the side characters with secrets and hidden feelings. It sounds like it is going to be even more angsty. There seems to be a lot that has gone on in Jackson Bay in the past with this group that keeps bleeding into their present relationships. Bring it on!
I was gifted a copy.
Ava wants a baby badly, but her relationship status is not promising. Deciding she doesn’t need a man to have a baby on her own, she begins concocting plans to use a sperm donor. But a drunken request to her best friend has her plans changing, with the possibility of a known donor.
Jake Jackson’s feelings for Ava are the worst kept secret in the Jackson family. Though his siblings may all know his feelings, he has kept them hidden from Ava herself. Her request that he father her child opens up a window of opportunity for him, especially if he can show her how good they could be together.
This friends to lovers has a lot going on. I loved Jake. He is a perfect gentleman and such a great friend to Ava. His selflessness when it comes to their friendship runs deeper than anyone would expect him to go, especially because he loves her. Watching her marry another man and then watching that marriage crumble hurt Jake because it hurt Ava. He just wanted her happy.
I had a hard time believing that Ava really didn’t see Jake’s feelings for her as long as she did. Everyone around them knew, so her complete ignorance was surprising. There is a lot of angst surrounding this couple, particularly because Jake wants out of the friend zone so badly, but Ava doesn’t see it.
There are some deeply kept secrets between them as well. I found that while I enjoyed watching the friends to lovers aspects unfolding, I also really enjoyed watching what was going on with the side characters and the secrets that had been hiding in the background.
This was a drama filled story that perfectly encompasses what I’ve come to expect from Lexi Ryan. The setup for a few different couples has me anticipating the continuation of this series.
I was gifted a copy.
Ava’s crawling back down the bed and pulling the covers over her head.
“Can we talk about this?” I ask.
“No,” she says, her voice muffled.
I cross the room and pull the blanket off her head. I know she’s hungover, but I can’t just walk away from this conversation. I barely slept last night, freaking torn up about her pregnancy and all its implications, and now she’s telling me she’s not pregnant. She just wants to be, and she wants my help.
What the fuck does that mean?
“Talk.” I fold my arms across my chest.
“I want a family, and I’m sick of waiting for Mr. Right to come along, so I’m going to do it on my own.”
“And you want my help?” Hell. I’m trying really hard not to jump to conclusions here. Emphasis on hard.
“Yeah. I mean, no. I mean . . .” She takes a deep breath. “It sounded like a good idea last night.”
Doing baby-making things with Ava sounds like a good idea to me every minute of every hour of every damn day, but I’m quite aware that doing that with me doesn’t cross her mind nearly as often. Okay, or ever. “Last night, when you asked for my help, you meant you wanted me to get you pregnant?”
She scowls. “Are you being dense on purpose?”
“I promise I’m not.” But if ever there was a conversation where I’m going to need things spelled out for me, this is it. “I just want to make sure I understand.”
She presses her palm to her forehead. “I just wanted you to jack off in a cup and hand it to me. Not the weird way.”
Right. Because that wouldn’t be weird. “I’m sorry.” I hold up a finger. “Give me a sec.” I walk around the room, scanning the ceiling and the corners. I check behind the lamp and crack the closet to look in there.
“What are you doing, Jake?”
I spin on her. “I’m looking for the camera—the one you planted before you Punk’d me. Is that show even still a thing? Because I’m sure I’m being Punk’d right now.”
The Wrong Kind Of Love(The Boys of Jackson Harbor #1)
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From New York Times bestseller Lexi Ryan comes a sexy new romance novel about a runaway bride, a single dad who’s sworn off love, and the kind of family secrets that can threaten to break even the deepest bonds.
You never forget your wedding day. Or the moment your twin sister pukes on your bouquet and confesses she’s pregnant . . . with your fiancé’s baby.
I wanted to get away, to hide until my heart mended. I found myself in a strange town with a mysterious stranger whose talented mouth and hands almost made me forget it was supposed to be my wedding night.
Afraid to go home to face my broken life, I pretend to be my twin so I can take her job in Jackson Harbor caring for a six-year-old girl. Imagine my surprise when I find out my new boss is my mysterious stranger—Dr. Ethan Jackson.
I never meant for Ethan to discover my secrets. I never meant for them to matter. But the longer I work with him and his sweet daughter, the harder I fall, and the clearer it becomes that I’m not the only one carrying a secret that could tear us apart.
Get ready to fall for the boys of Jackson Harbor in Lexi Ryan’s sexy new contemporary romance series. These books can all be read as standalones, but you’ll enjoy reading them as a series!
Lexi Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of emotional romance that sizzles. A former academic and English professor, Lexi considers herself the luckiest girl around to make a living through storytelling. She loves spending time with her crazy kids, weightlifting, ice cream, swoony heroes, and vodka martinis.
Lexi lives in Indiana with her husband, two children, and a spoiled dog. You can find her at her website: www.lexiryan.com
Dirty, Reckless Love (#3) August 2018 (Levi)
Wrapped in Love (#4) (Brayden)
Lexi lives in Indiana with her husband, two children, and a spoiled dog. You can find her at her website: www.lexiryan.com
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