Title: Asa
Author: Jay Crownover
Series: Marked Men #6
Genre: New Adult Romance
Published: April 21st, 2015
Source: Digital audiobook downloaded from public library
So, this was a bit of a bittersweet listen. It was the last in the Marked Men series, although fortunately the author has a new series she's in the middle of, Saints of Denver, that includes people we met in the Marked Men series, and also includes the characters, like Asa, that we now know and love. This book was interesting for me because in the books previous to this one, it was often hit or miss on whether the narrators would pronounce this character's name correctly. I knew how I said it in my head, but I had to make sure and tweeted to the author asking. And I was right. It is "A-sa" not "Ah-sa." But anyway, here's my summary of the story.
As with all the books, we get the viewpoints of both of the main characters, this time it is Asa, who is Avery's brother - from the book Jet. The female is Royal, a cop, who lives across the hall from Nash and Saint. What we know of Asa is all the horrible things he did to his sister, or let his sister do for him in the past. Since she went to him when he was in the coma and then brought him back to Denver to live with her, he has been working as a bartender at Rome's bar. He's trying to be a better man, but just knows that he will always be that bad guy, and that he doesn't deserve anything more than one night stands. He definitely doesn't think he deserves a good girl like Royal.
At the end of the last book, Rowdy, Royal and her partner were part of a very dangerous situation that left her partner, Dom, out of commission and recovering from gunshots and a fall from the side of a building. Royal feels guilty, and it is affecting her job. She is afraid that she choked, that what happened to her partner is her fault. That if their roles had been reversed, he wouldn't have let the same thing happen to her. So when we begin the book, she is on a bit of a self-destructive path. She's definitely attracted to Asa, even though in the past she was the one who had to arrest him for a crime that he turned out to be innocent of committing. But she keeps trying to get him to give her a chance. And he keeps trying to show her just how bad he is so that she won't keep trying.
The story had some very emotional parts, and definitely some steamy parts, especially when Asa finds his creative uses for scotch. I really enjoyed this book, as I have with all the others. The reason it got a 4 instead of a 5 star rating on Goodreads for me was because I hated the way Asa dealt with the issue at the end. I know, I know, it was probably needed for the drama and the story. But still. I can't imagine anyone not telling right away when they figured out what he did. Other complaints I had were at first the narrators just talked so slow! Yes, Asa's southern drawl made sense, but the narrator for Royal was too slow as well. I also hated that the author would kind of stop the scene right in the middle of a sexy scene. It was so frustrating the couple of times it happened. And the scenes in the book were very steamy. There's one at the beginning that is steamy and was embarrassing to read! Especially when you know that Asa did it on purpose! If I'd been Royal at that part, I'd have been pissed, but really embarrassed as well!
A fun thing now from reading all of her books, at least the ones set in Denver, is that I pay attention to every character wondering if they might get their own story in the future. And I can't wait for at least two more in the Saints of Denver series. I don't know what I'll do when that series is over.
And I can't wait until the first weekend in October when I get to meet the author!