This is a spoiler-free review! Please read trigger warnings - reader discretion is advised. A list of trigger warnings is available in the beginning of the book.
Stuff Your Kindle Day strikes again and sucked me down a rabbit hole resulting in about thirty new books in my Kindle library. After reading the first chapter, I was already drawn in, and Jersey reminded me so much of Josh from Lights Out by Navessa Allen and Rowan from Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver. This is exactly what I needed to round out my 2024 reads - I had such a fun time reading this book, and there were countless times where I was actually laughing out loud at how funny Jersey and Trista were together and on their own.
The comedic elements of this book perfectly balanced out the action and spice - I never felt as though there was too much of one or got bored and was waiting for more of the other. The pacing felt natural and draws the reader in - as we switch between Jersey and Trista's perspectives, it mimics the back and forth understanding of how the story is progressing without leaving the reader in the dark. The chapters are short enough that the reader does not become anxious for the next development, but still long enough that we learn something with each chapter or are along for the ride during the more spicy scenes.
Trista's development of learning to open up to Jersey the more she is with him and interacts with him was so nice to see - she is such a guarded character with a complicated past, and her being able to be vulnerable with someone with the first time in a long time was significant to her characterization. Jersey's ability to expand on his training and become receptive to hearing Trista out rather than just performing the job assigned to him was incredibly important to his growth as well. We see his relationship with Memphis, and while it is full of banter than rivals Garcia and Morgan's from Criminal Minds, at the end of the day, that working relationship only goes so far.
The spicy scenes were well done and balanced well with the more serious aspects of this book, and actually played an important role in the story. Seeing how they were incorporated into the plot and not just thrown into the book made the story even more enjoyable. Trista and Jersey's relationship as the story goes on was such a blast to see develop, and with both of them being complex characters, it made their developments and actions have purpose that propelled the story further. Learning more about Trista and Jersey's respective backgrounds gives the reader even more understanding of their actions, and you truly get a feel of who the characters are at their core.
There is not much need for side characters, apart from Memphis, for this story until we approach the last third or so - we have so much to learn and see with Trista and Jersey, that additional characters are actually not as pertinent to the main story as they would have been in other books. I honestly loved the intense focus that was put on Trista and Jersey as individual characters, as it gives the reader their full attention. Even Trista's relationship with Memphis - though limited - added to her development and increased the comedic factor of the book. I absolutely cannot wait to see what the second book has in store for us, and am so glad that I came across this book.
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