Nash

Quickie Review-May contain spoilers, fair warning upon reading this review

So Nash is a book that I have been curious about ever since we saw the ending of the previous book where we saw the drama that was unfurling between the hero's family and coming face to face with a woman who hates him and he doesn't know why. I was really intrigued to see the true connection between our main characters and why our heroine would hate the hero so much. Nash is a hero who is far from perfect. He was wild as a teenager and really clueless. From the flashbacks we see, he wasn't intentionally harmful, just like most young teenagers. But for our heroine, who had a crush on him, and he crushed her feelings for him even though he didn't know. So we have show more this setup of forced proximity as Nash's dad is dying, he has had some family reveals and he is trying to figure out what a relationship with Saint can be. I really enjoyed seeing these two coming together but they definitely have some issues that make sense and I had a fun time seeing these two figuring it all out and trying to find some balance in their relationship. Had a blast with it and I am so excited for Asa's book (because that one will be wild). show less

Nash is my favorite of all the Marked Men books! Obviously, Nash is wonderful, caring, and fun like the others, but Saint is really the one who stole the show, for me.
She is just relatable to so many more people because she was bullied in high school for a few different reasons. Weight, acne, and smarts always seem to be the biggest reasons for a bully to strike. As a result of bullying, Saint has become insecure of herself through adulthood. Now, Saint can't fully put her trust in Nash because of her past in general and her past with him. Which, of course, is understandable, but starts to become a problem for their relationship. Nash is remarkable because he himself is intimate with trust issues and understands that being insecure with show more oneself is difficult to get through, but he is patient and tries his hardest to make sure that she is comfortable with anything they do.
Eventually, an amazing realization comes to light that one has to love one's self before they can fully love another. I think this is both accurate and beautiful. And seems to be a key theme and reason that I fell in love with this book even more. Nash also helps Saint realize she deserves to be loved as much as she loves others. I think that's another beautiful theme because many people are underappreciated and seem to love more than be loved. So the fact that Nash brings this to light gives the rest of us hope that there are more men out there who understand these themes as much as Nash does, haha. One can dream. show less

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: This was a beautiful heartfelt story that covers some very tender issues perfectly. Honestly, if you have not started this series yet you really should, it is one of my all time favorites!

Opening Sentence: THERE’S A MOMENT IN every person’s life, a point in time that will alter the course they are on, the path they are traveling, forever.

The Review:

Saint Ford has made sure that she will never feel the pain that she felt as a teenager ever again. She made the mistake of falling for a bad boy in high school and she got really burned by it. Time and time again all the male figures in her life have let her down, her first love, her boyfriends, even her father. Now she has closed off her show more heart completely because she has come to realize that there is no such thing as a trustworthy man. She is not the girl she was in high school and she has worked very hard to get her nursing degree so she can make a difference in people’s lives. She is currently working at hospital in Denver and she feels like her life is finally on track. But then the beautiful boy that shattered her heart all those years ago comes waltzing back into her life and she realizes that even though she has closed of her heart, it can still be hurt.

Nash Donovan has always been a pretty easy going guy. Growing up he had a really hard time with his crazy mom, but he always had his uncle to take care of him. But he just recently discovered that the people that cared about him most have been lying to him his whole life. His life has turned upside down and there is no way he has time to figure out the gorgeous nurse that he keeps running into. But no matter how hard he tries he just can’t seem to stay away from Saint and all her goodness. She brings a light to his darkening world that he desperately needs. But can he convince her that he isn’t the same boy he was all those years ago or will he lose the only girl he could ever truly love?

Saint was a very unique character. She had some serious self confidence issues which made her very different from your standard protagonist. As a teenager she was slightly overweight and had really bad acne so she was made fun of a lot. She really took to heart some of the things that people said and even though she is beautiful now she doesn’t think that she is. Because of everything she went through it was really easy to sympathize with her and understand why she had so many confidence issues. Watching her come out of her shell and finally start to trust others was beautiful and very heart warming. Her journey was a tough one to read about, but it is one you can really learn from. Personally, I loved Saint and I am so glad I got to read her story.

Ever since I was introduced to Nash in the first book of this series I instantly loved him. He is so laid back and just one of those people that you can’t help but like. Of course he is gorgeous on the outside but he is someone that is truly beautiful on the inside as well. Yes, he has some serious flaws but for the most part I thought he was pretty near perfect. His relationship with Saint was very hot and cold, but the patience he has with her is beyond adorable. Their chemistry was undeniable but they also had a lot of issues they had to work through. Personally, I loved Nash and he is one of my favorite book boys!

This was a heartfelt story that had steamy romance, wonderful characters, and covered some really tender issues. I will be honest, I have never really had to deal with bullying personally, but I know that it happens on a regular basis to a lot of people. Crownover was able to address this issue with the tenderness and emotion it deserved, but she did a wonderful job making it realistic and something you could learn from. This entire story was an emotional roller coaster ride, but it was one I completely enjoyed. Another thing I have to mention is while I love all the characters in this series my two favorite are Shaw and Rule. Their story was so epic and still to this day remains one of my all time favorites. The reason I am bringing this up is because there are a few moments with them in Nash’s story that just made me so happy. I love that Crownover was able to show us tidbits of all the characters we have grown to love throughout this series, but she also added more characters for us to love. I loved everything about this book and I can honestly tell you that this series is my favorite new adult romance to date. While you can read each book as a standalone, I would personally recommend that you start at the beginning because it just makes the experience that much better. All romance fans this series is a must read!!!

Notable Scene:

His eyes got even darker, and it was like watching midnight fall over the sky. I was balanced on my toes, and he had a firm grip on my face, so when he suddenly pulled me forward I was both startled and off balance. I had to let go of his wrists to catch myself as I fell forward, and I swore the heat coming off his bare skin when my palms landed on the smoothness of his naked chest was enough to meld me to him forever.

I was going to ask him what in the hell he thought he was doing. I was going to tell him that I had stopped by more for his father’s sake than his. I was going to snap at him that he was the last man on earth I would let put his hands on me after the lasting damage his unnecessarily cruel actions and thoughtless words a lifetime ago had done. I never got the chance.

One of his hands snatched up the end of my long braid and wrapped it around his fingers like a rope. His other slid across the nape of my neck and unceremoniously jerked me forward until we were chest to chest, mouth to mouth, and I was plastered all along the very much undressed front of him. I pushed ineffectually at his rock-hard shoulders, tried to wiggle my way free, but he was too strong, had too good of a grip on my hair— and if I was going to be entirely honest, even drunk and sloppy he was one hell of a good kisser, so my effort to get away may have been halfhearted at best.

FTC Advisory: I purchased my own copy of Nash. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. show less

A reading assignment from Victoria. This was my first Marked Men book. Jay Crownover starts Nash with an introduction that end with the sentence "Revel in the quirks that simply make you you, and do it with pride. ". This book is all about accepting yourself, loving yourself first and allowing others to love you, as you love them in return. There are some awkward sentences, some cliches but the message is a good one overall.

Saint Ford is a successful nurse, working in a high pressure environment, and thrives in the Emergency Room. Imagine her surprise when her arch nemesis and former high school crush arrives in the ER needing her help. Having broken her heart without even realizing it, Nash is thrown into a situation not of his choosing but finds himself needing her comfort intensely.
Dealing with a sudden revelation about his father, Nash is thrown for a loop. Add to that the stress of realizing his newly found Father is fighting for his life, Nash is unable to deal with life’s new stresses. Saint can’t help herself and helps bring Nash out of his booze induced depression but her own low self-esteem continues to suffer.
Nash’s story may be the show more most emotional for me. Nash grows up quite a bit and you follow his emotional journey towards becoming an actual responsible adult. His moments of realizing how much he truly cares about the people in life is both enlightening and heartbreaking.
On the other hand, Saint drove me up the freaking wall. Her insecurities at times seemed so overwhelming and I found them a bit hard to believe at times. I’m a little chubby and her comments about her weight drove me crazy, so I had a hard time connecting. Yet once I got over those aspects, I really enjoyed her caring nature and the connections she made with these rough and tumble tattooed men so outside of her normal life.
Another fun addition to the Marked Men series, this book more than the others show how much the main characters have adjusted and how circumstances have truly changed in their world. The world Crownover has created is full and well rounded with lots of different people from a wide array of backgrounds but it all works in a strangely wonderful way. As always, Crownover can write a heck of a naughty scene and let me tell you, Nash may be the naughtiest of all. Incredibly excited to read Rowdy’s book coming out in October 2014, then hopefully Asa will get his own story! show less

Full Review on my blog!

Jay Crownover has a huge fan of her Marked Men series, I can’t get enough! Her writing is brilliant, the characters are AMAZING, I seriously want to crawl inside the book and become a part of their world. I figured that Rome would be my favorite…but nope. Nash has stolen my heart!! His story is breathtaking and beautiful. Each story Jay Crownover has written gets better and better. She reaches out of that book and grabs your heart with these characters; you can’t help but fall in love with each and every one of them.

Nash and Saint’s story was really emotional. They have a past and it’s not the best one. Nash hurt Saint and she has trouble getting past it despite the feelings she has had for him since show more high school. Nash has met his match in Saint. He never wanted to settle down. Sure, he is happy for all his friends, but that doesn’t mean he will ever be willing to be with someone the way his mother is with her husband. That is until he meets Saint. Saint is extremely shy and very unsure of herself in every way but her work. At the hospital she thrives. So when Nash comes rushing in with a family emergency, she doesn’t understand why now of all times she feels the need to comfort someone. Saint drove me crazy throughout the book. Nash is right there! Right there for the taking, but what is a good romance without a little chase, a little give and tug I suppose.

This book is another amazing addition to this amazing series brought to life by a motley crew of bold individuals. The level of angst was alluringly high in this one and it was interesting to see that it was the girl, in this case, that had to work harder at fixing her issues to make the relationship work. There were also some moments that completely gutted me and made me tear up. Overall I just felt it was a solid, addictive, wonderfully paced book about really seeing the person you love and being smart enough to grab a hold of that goodness before we lose it all to the stuff that doesn’t really matter in the end. I highly recommend it!

Check out my reviews of the rest of the series:
Rule | Jet | Rome | Nash |Rowdy | Asa

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This one just did not work for me. I didn't like Saint. I felt her previous reasons were shallow and completely blow out of proportion and I thought her "grown up" self was equally dramatic.

but I didn't really like Nash either. It's not that he was bad, he just felt cardboard - never fully fleshed out as his own person.

I wasn't pulled in to this one or the drama.

I did love the neighbor
and the intro at the end that hints at the next one. I'll keep reading