Jessica Hawkins

I am going to pretend that I didn't finish this book, that I'm somewhere in the middle, in the midst of the drama between Lake and Manning as they sort out being adults TOGETHER. My favorite couple, finally with a complete story, and I should be super happy, but I'm more sad. I've loved these two, so so much, so this book, this final ending to their story, is overwhelming. I could read books about these two forever. This won't be my normal style of review, because I'm just far too show more emotionally invested in this story. Broken into several parts and spanning many years, we get to see Lake and Manning as grown ups; we get to see that all the angst and pain and heartbreak was worth the fight to be together. Like the rest of the Something in the Way series, Lake Manning follows the journey of the loving couple who fought against all odds to be together. As the fourth book in a series, it finally centers around the two as a couple after they have overcome so much. They are each other's family, they are each other's world, but they also want more and this book is the story of that something more. The Something in the Way series is an epic saga, a journey filled with emotions that will make you fall in love and cry as you read and Lake Manning is the perfect ending. (even if I am not ready for it just yet.)

"He and I were solid - we'd moved the stars on our own."

Told from Lake's perspective, Lake Manning takes us into adulthood, our main characters finding themselves sharing a home and a dog together as they go about their dream careers. We revisit the pain of the past, the family ties once severed, the friends who stuck by them, and the natural flow of the relationship they moved the stars for. There's always been a serious tone to the series, but it was even more apparent in this final book. The book reads like an adults story, our young, impressionable Lake and strong, determined Manning finally embracing that they must accept their flaws and their great things in order to be great together. There's some angst, because it wouldn't be a Jessica Hawkins book without it, but it definitely is more of a love story, an easy, natural, realistic story. It's about a happy couple and some of their setbacks, but it's mostly a novel that will bring joy to every readers heart that ever fell for Lake and Manning in the series.

" 'Has it always been him?'
'Always' "

Yes, Something in the Way could have been complete as a trilogy, as it was first planned, but Lake Manning is the sort of ending that readers, and Jessica Hawkins, needed. It's a book that comforts, that makes you feel joy, that gives you faith in a relationship that took so much work. It is such a passionate book, one that clearly took time to tell, and I am so appreciative for this little final bit of Birdy and her Bear. It's unforgettable, the best sort of book with the best sort of characters. I'll miss them and if you haven't met them yet, you should. I'm going to go cry now.

ARC provided.

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This was recommended because I love The Hating Game. It's not exactly the same, but has the same vibes and is excellently written. I think the difference is that I disliked Sebastian a lot at first unlike Joshua in THG. But it didn't take long for his real personality to show up and he really is a marshmallow inside.
Georgina, or George as she's known in her consulting work, is hired to revamp Modern Man magazine. This puts her right in the sights of Sebastian Quinn, the player guy with BDE show more who revitalized the magazine several years ago. They have to work together despite the burning attraction and no fraternization rule in the office.
I appreciated that Ms. Hawkins walks a fine line in the Me Too era with a situation like this, but she did a good job of treating everyone fairly. George has issues because her ex demeaned her constantly, and Sebastian has a facade from growing up from a poor background. It's because of the other that each is able to overcome their situations; well, each other and a lovable Great Dane.
I'm honestly surprised at how much I liked this book. Office romances often are unequal, but this was a great story of two people who honestly deserve each other. show less

“Just remember- No monster thinks of himself that way. He's just living by a different code than yours".”
― Jessica Hawkins, Violent Delights

My review:

I'm sorry author.

I almost did a DNF of your book. Yes, I was a silly girl. But the first chapter was a bit much for me.

OK..Gonna scream this from the roof tops....Turn away now if you don't like curse words:

THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD!

So this is the story of a Mexican Drug Cartel. Just your average sweet whole some book! Not!

It is also the story show more Natalia, the pampered and very innocent daughter of the head of said cartel.

Natalia's life has been tragic. Her mom was murdered when she was a child and she has never got over it. Now she is in college and dreams of marrying Diego, who has been her best friend all her life and is also a cartel member.

Her dad does not approve of the match. He thinks this life is not for his daughter. (He is sure right about THAT one!)

Then there is Diego's brother Christiano. He is the one who was accused of murdering Natalia's mother. He escaped all these years ago but there are questions about whether he really did do it. He claims not to have. But this family's home was a fortress and both boys were raised in the household. Also Christiano was caught by Natalia in the room with her mom right after it happened. She believes he did it even if others like her dad may now have doubt.

And she is afraid of Christiano, even now. Especially now as he has returned to the family after clearing his name although Natalia does not believe he is innocent.

Even though she feels a deep almost primal pull toward him. Nothing like the sweet love she has for Diego.

And Diego has made a deal with the wrong cartel. He needs help.

So much going on....

So..I loved this. TRIGGERS: Lots of violence. Lots of sex. Rinse and repeat. But an actual plot with depth and so well written.

I am not the type who generally reads gory thrillers. . Nor do I usually read romance. To be honest neither gory thrillers nor romance are among my favorite genres and I do not read either one that much.

But I do like stories that pack a wallop. And Savages is among my top 50 books ever and that too is about a drug cartel.

This one doesn't make it into my favorites of all time but is indeed a favorite of the year so far. It's got so much to offer. Great characters, depth, sizzling dialogue, riveting plot, never a dull moment.

I also LOVED the stunning and lush descriptions of Mexico. I was there as a kid on vacation and I remember how vivid and alive it wad.

Unlike Donald Trump, I have nothing but respect for Mexico and the atmosphere here is so powerful. Mexico is just brought alive and you can see it before you, drenched in color and the homes, the nightclub (where a GREAT scene takes place!), the music but most of all the unforgettable Masquerade party at the home of Natalia. I'm telling you both that scene and the nightclub scene stand out. I love a sumptious atmosphere and you get that here. I wanted to go to the masquerade...before all the dark stuff happens though!!!!!!!

So no spoilers...I will say this is a three part series but this book does still have ending. Both brothers want Natalia. Who gets her? Can the family be saved? Who killed Natalia's mother? Why was one brother always kept at arm's length? You wont find all the answers in book one but it does have an interesting ending. However you do have to go on for all the answers.

That is my dilemma. I am not a series person. However I do think...no I KNOW..I am at least going on to part two, most likely by this weekend...which just shows how good the book is.

So to sum up...5. stars. Love it and can't wait to read more!
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ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

Lake is 16, smart, and unaware of the world around her outside of her father's reading list and her college goals of USC. While she is quiet and unassuming, her older sister is brash, beautiful, and too willing to test her boundaries. Lake doesn't understand it, she just wants her fun sister, until she sees the man working construction across the way from their house. He takes an interest in her, he defends her. The feelings she has for him are show more new, but even though she saw Manning first, Tiffany saw him second. Lake's summer is marked with sunshine and those first moments of desire to be an adult. With summer camp as the backdrop, Lake and Tiffany push the boundaries and Manning's feelings for one are just a little too tied to the other.

"I wanted it. The smoke, the girl. My vices."

My feelings are raw, my thoughts are jumbled, and my heart aches for Lake, for Manning, and even for Tiffany. Jessica Hawkins is my go-to for angst, she brings truth and reality to a sub-genre that's been so overplayed. Not only did I connect with Lake from the very start, but I was transported into her, seeing life through her 16 year old eyes as she had her first crush, her first moment of desire to grow up, her first moment of questioning everything she'd been told about right and wrong. She's smart and ambitious, but also far more innocent than others her age. She's unaware of her youthful beauty, only just realizing that she mustn't do everything her father has laid out for her in his grand plans of success. Manning is the older man, an adult but still so much a child himself. His life hasn't been easy, but he tries so hard to do the right thing. Tiffany broke my heart a little, despite being that A-grade student in high school I felt like she was me the entirety of my college career. Every character felt like someone I knew, someone I either saw pieces of myself in or pieces of others. The setting was even more so realistic for me, as I grew up in the 90's and 00's on the coast of Orange County.

"Some invisible tether existed between us. Nobody could see it, not even us, but I felt it. I was sure Manning did, too. As long as we both knew it, that was enough for me. For now, at least."

Something in the Way is a bit of what I expected, but a lot more of what I didn't expect. It's a slow burn romance that truly feels like I remember it being when I was 16. That first crush, the blurred lines of right and wrong, and the truth of how image really can change everything, especially in the eyes of the law. Told from the dual POV's of Lake and Manning, we see the story from all sides. It's a coming-of-age story with well developed characters and the full gamut of emotions. Jessica Hawkins perfectly captured that moment in every teens life where they teeter between youthful, childhood fun and the realities of adulthood and the maturity that is slowly developing with each significant interaction in life. There's so many questions at that time, confusing feelings, and excitement that overwhelms it all. From start to finish, Something in the Way is that perfect glimpse at youth, summer, and first love. That cliffhanger? It just made me desperate for more, for answers, to see how life will turn out for all three.

"My world had been so dark before her. It worried me how far I'd go to keep that light in my life."

I've been listening to Jessica's Something in the Way playlist for about a month now, turns out she and I share very similar music tastes. Then I listened to it again while I read this book and it changed everything, transporting me back into the 90's and into the mindset I had at sixteen years old. There's nothing like that tightrope between being a child and being an adult, and all the feelings that come with it. Jessica Hawkin's brings it all to life with her beautiful prose and her delicate handling of emotions as she weaves this story together. Something in the Way is the first in a trilogy and it promises to be the kind of story that changes you, leaving a mark in your mind and in your heart. show less