Better When He's Bad by Jay Crownover
Series: Welcome to the Point #1
Published by William Morrow on June 17, 2014
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Edelweiss, Publisher
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Welcome to the Point

There’s a difference between a bad boy and a boy who’s bad . . . meet Shane Baxter.

Sexy, dark, and dangerous, Bax isn’t just from the wrong side of the tracks, he is the wrong side of the tracks. A criminal, a thug, and a brawler, he’s the master of bad choices, until one such choice landed him in prison for five years. Now Bax is out and looking for answers, and he doesn’t care what he has to do or who he has to hurt to get them. But there’s a new player in the game, and she’s much too innocent, much too soft…and standing directly in his way.

Dovie Pryce knows all about living a hard life and the tough choices that come with it. She’s always tried to be good, tried to help others, and tried not to let the darkness pull her down. But the streets are fighting back, things have gone from bad to worse, and the only person who can help her is the scariest, sexiest, most complicated ex-con The Point has ever produced.

Bax terrifies her, but it doesn’t take Dovie long to realize that some boys are just better when they’re bad.

Better When He’s Bad is the first book I’ve read by Jay Crownover but it will not be my last.  I’m eager to continue the Welcome to the Point series if the rest of the books are anywhere close to as awesome as this one.

Shane Baxter (Bax) is not only a bad boy, he’s a boy that does bad things.  He’s a player, a criminal, a fighter, and more.  He’s everything Dovie should avoid but he’s also the only person who can help her.  She needs to find her brother, the guy who betrayed Bax and landed him behind bars.  He also used to be Bax’s best friend.  Needless to say, Bax and Dovie’s relationship is complicated from the start.  Neither of them really want anything to do with each other but they both quickly realize that they need each other.  They are both willing to do whatever it takes to find Dovie’s brother and the more time they spend together, the more attracted to each other they get.  There’s chemistry between them from the time they meet but once they start to spend more time together things really heat up.  They may not want to want each other but some things are just unavoidable.

Dovie is the good girl with crappy circumstances.  Her brother has always been her protector and ever since he went missing, she’s been on her own and struggling.  She needs to find him and she knows that she is going to have to team up with Bax to do that.  She’s immediately attracted to Bax even though his reputation precedes him and there is very little about it that’s good.  Bax is a boy who does bad things and he doesn’t have a problem with that.  He figures that Dovie can’t handle the stuff he does and so he doesn’t want to team up with her.  However, they both know things that will help them find her brother and so he resigns himself to teaming up with her.  He never expects to actually have feelings for her.  Seeing Bax thrown for a loop was pretty entertaining.

The chemistry between Bax and Dovie was crazy hot.  They may not like each other but their bodies do.  Dovie is pretty innocent but her thoughts are never innocent around Bax.  This book really deserves the new adult label.  There are some steamy times that definitely do not fall under the YA range.  Jay Crownover is right up there with Jennifer L. Armentrout when it comes to the sexytimes.  I was impressed!

The story reminded me a lot of the Pushing The Limit series from Katie McGarry; Crash Into You, to be precise.  It really came across as a more mature version of that book with a lot higher stakes.  Things are life and death for Bax, Dovie, and Dovie’s brother.  There is a serious mystery involved and I never figured out how things were going to play out.  Also, while Dovie’s brother may have betrayed Bax, they truly were friends and you could easily see it.

Overall, Better When He’s Bad is a steamy new adult novel featuring a wonderful romance, suspenseful mystery, and characters that I couldn’t help but love.  I look forward to continuing this series.

What others are saying about Better When He’s Bad:

Literati Literature Lovers’ review: “As Crownover left her mark with Rule, Jet, Rome, and Nash, readers and reviewers will find out how far down the rabbit hole she has gone as she has written a riveting, complete, and raw novel.”

Smokin Hot Book Blog’s review: “If you are looking for fast paced plot full of unexpected twists and turns, spicy romance, with panty dropping bad boy and sweet heroine, you will definitely love this one as much as me!”

Girls With Books’ review: “I didn’t think I could love Jay Crownover anymore than what I already do but I was wrong.”