Titled: Built
Series: Saints of Denver book 1
Author: Jay Crownover
From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men books comes an electrifying new spin-off series,Saints of Denver, featuring all the characters fans have been dying to read about.
Sayer Cole and Zeb Fuller couldn’t be more different. She’s country club and fine-dining, he’s cell-block and sawdust. Sayer spends her days in litigation, while Zeb spends his working with his hands. She’s French silk, he’s all denim and flannel.
Zeb’s wanted the stunning blonde since the moment he laid eyes on her. It doesn’t matter how many smooth moves he makes, the reserved lawyer seems determinedly oblivious to his interest—either that or she doesn’t return it. Sayer is certain the rough, hard, hot-as-hell Zeb could never want someone as closed off and restrained as she is, which is a shame because something tells her he might be the guy to finally melt her icy exterior.
But just as things start to heat up, Zeb is blindsided by a life altering moment from his past. He needs Sayer’s professional help to right a wrong and to save more than himself. He can’t risk what’s at stake just because his attraction to Sayer feels all consuming. But as these opposites dig in for the fight of their lives, battling together to save a family, the steam created when fire and ice collide can no longer be ignored.Sayer Cole and Zeb Fuller are as different as two people can be. She’s country club and fine-dining, he’s cell-block and kill it and grill it. Sayer spends her days in litigation, while Zeb spends his working with his hands. She’s French silk while he’s denim and flannel.
The differences between the two of them don’t stop Zeb from dropping every hint he can think of that he would like to get to know her on a more personal level, but Sayer seems oblivious to his interest or is just too nice to tell him to take a hike. To Sayer, a guy like Zeb could never be interested in someone as reserved and boring as she is. She’s never been with anyone that was hot enough to melt the icy exterior she’s had wrapped around hera since her awful childhood. But what if Zeb is the one who might finally thaw her out…?
My Thoughts:
This may be my fave Jay book to date! So much of the character of Sayer spoke to me… not because of any abuse that I have ever suffered but the feeling of self doubt that can sometimes be all consuming… But our heroine Sayer fought for herself and for Zeb and Hyde and I loved that about her and her ‘not so “warm and fuzzy” character’.
Jay includes this epigraph at the beginning of Built:
Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weakness. – Ann Landers
This book gives us all of this! Quiet understanding from Zeb as he waits for Sayer to find herself. He shares and forgives and helps her, along with a lot of hard work from her end, build her confidence. The bad times contain heart wrenching struggles as we watch her internal fight against her fathers words. This story was not only about finding love, it was about finding and accepting yourself and seeing all the greatness that others see in you.
“A little wear and tear, even when it was on someone’s heart and soul, wasn’t worth walking away from what I knew could be the most important restoration of my life.”
We see glimpses of our Marked Men favorites as well as newbies and in typical Jay Crownover form the set-up for additional books is definitely there! I love a great series and getting in at the beginning of this one is as great as it will be frustrating as we wait for the next story to come out!
Finally, man oh man can Jay write a scene… I literally got shivers on a few of the intense scenes between Sayer and Zeb! As I was fidgeting in my seat and fighting the need to fan myself, I had to stop and look around and make sure no one was reading over my shoulder! 😉
Grade A
