BLOG TOUR STOP: REVIEW AND TEASERS: Jake and Jax by Jennifer Foor

Jake Mitchell has spent his whole life tied at the hip with his best friend and twin brother Jax. They’ve shared everything, except for women, which was easy since their tastes were so different.From the moment she walked into the room Jake knew she was special, with her flowing brown locks, supple body, and a smile that could brighten any day. An accident leaves her vulnerable and in the arms of his brother. From that moment she’s in awe of Jax. Jake tries his best to keep away from Reese Miller. He disrespects her and tells everyone how much she annoys him to make sure she stays at a distance.

Reese can’t stand that Jake hates her. She’s determined to change his mind, not knowing he’s desperately trying to protect his relationship with his brother, and his family.

When the two find themselves alone during a winter storm all bets are off, and what happens next could change everything, including the bond between two brothers.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23529153-jake

Jake Review

I always know when I pick up a Jennifer Foor book that I’m in for an angst filled and steamy ride that will leave me quite frustrated in more ways than one. That’s the exact reaction I had while reading Jake, Foor’s newest release in her Mitchell/Healy Family series. I have to admit, though, I’m not a big fan of love triangles and cheating; it’s always hard for me to wrap my head around why people choose to do things behind someone else’s back instead of just coming clean and facing the repercussions early on instead of the hell that will be had after the fact. But I love Foor’s books, and she writes the situation in a way that shows the internal musings of the characters to be front and center, which allows me as a reader to try and understand the position they find themselves in and why they make the choices that they do.

I have to say, though, after finishing Jake, I’m torn on this one…Reece has a lot of redeeming to do in my eyes, and I’m not completely sure how I feel about Jake. I understand the idea of all consuming love and you can’t help who you love, but the duplicity on both Reece and Jake’s parts was hard to stomach…they crossed more than a few lines and there were parts that made me cringe with what they “had to do” to keep up appearances with Jax.

Jax isn’t completely portrayed in a positive light in the text as well; he’s a bit of a douche whose views on women are mind boggling at times, so it will be interesting to see where Foor takes his character after everything he had to deal with at the end of Jake. I’m eagerly anticipating starting Jax – he’s the victim in all of this, and I can’t help but feel for the guy who finally gave himself/his heart to someone only to be betrayed by those he loved most. Jax needs to heal and get over the hurt, but, to me, his relationship with his brother isn’t something he should give up on, so I’m anxious to see how/if they can mend their connection and get back to being the Mitchell package deal because readers can definitely tell based on their interactions and the way Jake describes their relationship that the brothers mean everything to each other, and it would be a travesty to allow a woman to come between that type of bond.

A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 poison apples

JAX Synopsis

Jax Mitchell isn’t the only one with his handsome face, though he wishes that were different. Everything’s changed in a short amount of time, after his twin brother came between him and his girlfriend, Reese.

With the hurt still lingering in every direction he turns, Jax picks up and moves to Kentucky to work on his uncle’s cattle ranch. It isn’t long until he meets someone that not only helps him get over Reese, but also encourages him to forgive his brother.

Can the twins make amends or has the damage that’s been done too much to forget?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23529165-jax

Jax Review

After dealing with the fallout of his brother and girlfriend’s betrayal, Jax Mitchell finds himself in Kentucky trying to get over a broken heart and a whole lot of fury. His decision to leave North Carolina and regroup was definitely in everyone’s best interest…distance from the situation was the only way that Jax was going to start to heal and hopefully mend his relationship with his brother, Jake. What he didn’t expect and what I think most readers won’t see coming is the person who will help heal is blackened heart and show him how human people really are.

I love the fact that an author can take a character and show him in one light in one text and then transform him and allow readers to watch how and why he evolves into a completely different person due to a number of variables. That’s exactly what Jennifer Foor does with Jax. He’s definitely licking his wounds at the beginning of the story, and Jake’s visit doesn’t seem to help the situation at all, but it does force Jax to face some things, and it is the catalyst for the start of his friendship/relationship with Amber. Their first interaction illustrates the Jax of Jake’s book – the cocky, filthy minded man who thinks with his dick more so than anything else, but as Jax and Amber spend more time together and he starts to realize that Amber is his perfect match; he starts to change into a different person. He understands just by Amber’s reaction to a few things and her views on relationships that she’s been through situations that have scarred her, and Jax works his hardest to handle her with care and heed her friend zoned wishes, even though he wants her more than his next breath.

What starts off as a friendship – one where Amber works to heal the fracture between Jax and his brother, Jake, turns into so much more. But both Jax and Amber are broken and the depth of their baggage is enough to sink most relationships right from the start. They have their work cut out for them if they want to make it work and they definitely have quite a few hurdles to overcome, but when someone finds his/her perfect match, it’s easy to adjust and battle when what you’re fighting for is everything you’ve wanted but never thought you could have.

Amber is the driving force for Jax’s healing; she’s a heroine who has faced a series of horrendous situations that have brought her to the depth of despair, but she keeps going, which is a great testament to the type of person she is. Amber and Jax allow each other to live again…to feel consumed by love and even if it scares them, as long as they’re open and honest with each other, the risks are worth it.

I’m so glad that Jennifer Foor release Jake and Jax’s books at the same time. It’s fitting given the nature of their bond and how intricately woven they are in each other’s lives and stories. I do have to say that I still can’t stand Reese. She doesn’t seem to grow or learn from what happened between her and the twins, and maybe it’s because readers don’t get her point of view, but her actions in Jax’s books don’t show her in a positive way at all.

At the end of Jax, they’re all healing and moving on but I don’t feel like I received the closure I needed to have in order to understand how it all ended up okay. I wanted those conversations between the brothers and the couples to be explored further, so when the epilogue arrives, I’m excited to see what happened after everything was settled. I didn’t feel like that happened, and while I’m happy everything worked out, to me, Jake and Jax’s bond is the most important one out of all of them and I wanted to see how that mended and grew.

Overall, though, I loved Jax and Amber’s story; it’s exactly the kind of story I’ve come to expect from Jennifer Foor, and I can’t wait for the next one.

A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

4 poison apples