Release Blitz: Prodigal Son: Jay Crownover
PRODIGAL SON
(The Forever Marked Series Book 2)
Jay Crownover
Jay Crownover
Release Date: January 12, 2022
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When she was a little girl, Remy Archer fell in love with Hyde Fuller at first sight. In fact, he was the only thing she could see for a very long time. For Remy, it never mattered to her that Hyde was always too serious and always seemed so sad. To her, he was the very best, and the center of her entire world. She never dreamed he would let her down when she needed him the most.
Now Remy is a semi-reasonable adult, one with a better understanding of why her intense feelings scared Hyde away when she was at her lowest point. She’s moved on, and if anyone asks she's perfectly happy with the chaotic and hectic life she's built. She’s also really proud that she's still around to experience all the best and worst that surviving something deeply traumatic has to offer. The last thing she needs or wants, is Hyde coming back and taking over her every thought and feeling the way he once did. Unfortunately, they picked the exact same time to come home to search for a little redemption.
When he was a little boy, the instant they met, Hyde Fuller wanted nothing more than to protect Remy Archer from everything, including herself. She gleefully took up every moment of his free time, and every ounce of his patience, as they grew alongside one another. He was so intent on keeping her safe, he didn't realize how deeply Remy had worked her way into his heart.
Now that Hyde’s facing the biggest challenge and biggest change of his entire life, he deeply regrets walking away from Remy. She was always the one person who always had his back, no matter what. The way Remy loved him used to terrify him, but now, it’s the way he loves her that scares him to death.
Hyde knows he needs Remy in his life, so he can finally figure out how to be the man she always believed him to be. History has a bad habit of repeating itself, and Remy has a knack for turning even the most simple of situations end over end. This time Hyde is determined to stay by her side no matter what, even though his love for Remy is going to change more than his life this time around.
I am really enjoying this Forever Marked spin-off series. And this one especially pulled me right in, broke my heart, and put it back together.
Remy Archer was always chaotic, extreme, and the center of attention. It nearly ended her when younger and almost took her best friend and crush Hyde Fuller down with her. It resulted with him leaving town and not moving back until years later.
Remy also wandered around for a bit as she got older but is now home as well, and is much more self-aware and in control. But she is still intense, stubborn, hyperfocused, and bucks expectations. She has learned to keep people more at arm's length and not get too emotionally invested. But she is more aware of her limits and her triggers and Hyde has the potential to be one of them.
Hyde is returning home a different man after a stint in the military and some recent developments that turned his life upside down. He has always been more introspective, indecisive, private, unsure, and afraid of failure. He had a rough start in life and struggled with self-worth and direction. He is overwhelmed by his new life and still regretting his actions of the past. But he realizes pretty quickly that Remy is one important missing piece in his life. She was always his light in the darkness, and right now he is finding a need to be close to her again...even if she is not sure she can handle it. It's his turn to pursue her.
This is a second chance, friends-to-lovers romance about overcoming the past and fears to find the courage to move on. They have to find trust in themselves and each other and discover who they are in the present and shed the pain of the past. They are surrounded by family and close friends but there are dynamics that both help and hurt situations at times. I love seeing the Marked Men as parents and trying to help their troubled offspring.
This story is intense, emotional, and passionate. I feel like the author did a wonderful job describing the challenging mental health aspects of the character's situations and the impact they have on the person and those that love them. But it is also a story about overcoming, being the best they can, and learning to accept and support the other in good and bad situations. I loved seeing the growth of these two, their awareness, and how they balanced each other, and made each other feel worthy of love.
It also sets up the two stories for both Zowen and Daire and I am very interested to see those develop more.
Remy loved Hyde with all she had, in a way he didn’t know how to handle. The way her frenetic energy pulled her under almost cost her everything, and caused Hyde to leave without a word or backward glance (at least from her perspective).
Hyde left his Denver family to figure out what was next for him, choosing to enlist in the Army to give himself some direction. Eight years later, he is returning home with an infant daughter without feeling like he made as much progress away as he would have liked, but he knows he needs the support of his family now more than ever. What he didn’t realize was just how large a part of his life he needed Remy to be. But this time around they both hope to find a way to be together without causing the other’s downfall.
The handling of mental illness in this book was one of the best I can think of. The way it is addressed, handled, and the focus on maintenance without giving a stigma to it had me forgetting at times that it was even an issue - it was just another part of Remy.
They had a lot to figure out, and only part of it was related to the past that sent Hyde away. His daughter has some severe needs due to her premie status and Hyde is nervous to leave her in the care of a sitter or nanny while he returns to work. But the way they face these challenges together help them progress as individuals and build a stronger foundation for a relationship this time around - because even with their past, their chemistry is strong and the attraction is high.
This was a great return to the second generation Marked Men family. I love how even though their parents were all friends, the next generation is out sowing their own oats, building their own lives: sometimes close at hand to their parents and the friends they grew up with but also with the freedom to stretch their wings as needed.
FORTUNATE SON
Forever Marked #1: The Second Generation of the Marked Men
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Our 4.5 to 5 star reviews
Our 4.5 to 5 star reviews
Ry Archer and Bowe Keller are as different as night and day. But that doesn't stop the childhood frenemies from reconnecting whenever one of them needs some help tackling any of life's major puzzles, like figuring out why getting what you always thought you wanted isn't living up to all the hype. They might constantly rub each other the wrong way (except for the times when they rub each other the really-really right way), but there is no denying they've always made one hell of a great team. They manage to balance each other out… when they aren't driving each other crazy.
For Ry, he thought he had the perfect girl, the one who was going to run headfirst into a methodically planned future. He was going to marry young and have the same kind of legendary, life-long romance his parents did… or so he believed. His girl was going to stand by his side as he chased his dream of being a professional football player all the way to the NFL.
He was wrong.
Now, Ry's gotta figure out the difference between a bruised heart and a broken one, and the only person who can teach him the difference is Bowe.
Bowe always felt like she had to run before she learned to walk to keep up with her father's musical legacy. He's her hero, and she wants nothing more than to make him proud. Bowe's about to figure out that maybe she wasn't meant to be in a rock and roll band and that it is possible she let her father's success cloud her idea of what making music should be. Bowe needs to find her own path to fame, and there's a good chance she wouldn't be brave enough or bold enough to start over if Ry Archer hadn't charmed his way back into her life when she least expected it.
Some days they're enemies. Other days they're lovers. For a while, they were strangers. But now, it feels more like they might have always been soulmates.
Eventually, Ry and Bowe realize that letting go of an old dream and creating a new one is much easier to do with the right person by your side.
Jay Crownover
Jay Crownover is the international and multiple New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men Series, The Saints of Denver Series, The Point Series, Breaking Point Series, and the Getaway Series. Her books can be found translated in many different languages all around the world. She is a tattooed, crazy haired Colorado native who lives at the base of the Rockies with her awesome dogs. This is where she can frequently be found enjoying a cold beer and Taco Tuesdays. Jay is a self-declared music snob and outspoken book lover who is always looking for her next adventure, between the pages and on the road.
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