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A review by booksandmeforevermore13
Just Between Us by Lena Hendrix
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Lena does it again. This has been a 5-star series for me so far, and I'm loving it so much that I never want it to end. That first chapter had me cackling. Oh God, Royal owned me right from page one.
When a prank Royal King intended for the Sullivans goes wrong, the unassuming recipient of it happens to be the new consultant his brother JP has hired, Veda Bauer.
Veda was already wary of her new job and Ottertowner but starts reconsidering her choices after the welcome she received. Seeing Outtertowner through her eyes was hilarious, and I was just here thinking, "Oh, just you wait. You're going to fall in love with this town.".
Royal finds Veda intriguing and realizes that she reminds him of someone else. Someone he is used to bantering with on an app he uses to create content for a specific group of people, teaching them what to want from a man.
Things get more tangled when they realize that they've been conversing with each other on the app for months with Veda lusting after Mr.Right.Now and Royal finding MsBlackCat to be the one who has consumed his thoughts completely ever since they first started talking. But no one can know about this, and they decide to keep this secret just between them.
Royal had me intrigued right from his first interaction with Lark in One Look, and I'd patiently waited for his book, and he is so worth the wait. He was a giant covered in tattoos but a total softie at his core. The literal embodiment of a golden retriever in human form and made me laugh so damn hard and was just so sweet, funny, and kindhearted. There's so much more to him than meets the eye, though. He used his humor as a shield to hide or distract people from seeing his pain and vulnerability, and that really tugs at your heartstrings. The way he grew up after his mother left at such a young age, and with a spiteful father, he couldn't help but feel like he wasn't enough as he was. Being the weird artistic kid growing up also led to being bullied until he fought back to take control of his life. But deep down, he is still the little boy who questioned why his mother left, and that broke my heart for him.
Veda was such a badass, and she totally owned everyone in this book. She was smart, fierce, confident, independent, determined, and relentless when it came to figuring out the mystery that is Russell King. She worked with everyone to piece together all the information she needed to figure out what he was hiding, and she was truly the star of the show with how she took charge to get things done. Being focused on her career, she didn't have a lot of friends back in the city. But when MJ and others from town start easily including her like she is part of their community, she slowly starts warming up to them and feeling a sense of belonging. There were some situations where she was just so hilarious. She thrived on her need for control and planning, and it was hard for her to break that habit of hers, which was so ingrained in her very being.
I enjoyed watching Royal and Veda's relationship develop, and they so perfectly balanced each other. Royal helped Veda let go of her need for control, and she started trusting him, which allowed her to relax and make space for more personal relations in her life, allowing herself to explore new things and be a little more reckless with Royal's influence. I loved how protective she was of Royal and would totally get into fights for him. For Royal, Veda was his anchor, the one who grounded him. The calm to the chaos in his mind. I also loved how openly he communicated about everything, leaving no room for any doubts. He always expressed exactly how proud he was of Veda, how awed he was by her beauty and mind, and always hyped her up.
The spice... good LORDDD!!! It was so freaking HOT!! I literally choked on my own saliva and blushed hard when it came to his dirty talking and dominance. I'd happily submit to Royal King and be on my knees for him. Slowly letting go of the control Veda held on to so tightly was refreshing for her, and that showed how much she trusted Royal to take care of her. And I liked that Royal eased her into it, slowly gaining her trust, communicating what to expect, getting her consent, and watching her reaction closely for any sign of panic or discomfort. And the aftercare. URGHH!!! He was honestly just so brilliant when it came to taking care of Veda that I want to weep that he isn't real.
What I also loved is how Lena managed to tie in the little nuggets of information that she had scattered throughout all the books, starting right from One Look, and tied it all together when it came to Russell King and the mystery about their family they were trying to uncover. If I thought Just My Luck had some shocking revelations, this book takes it 10 steps further, and we dive deeper into the past; more secrets are uncovered, some more shocking twists, plans are set in motion, and in all this, the Sullivans and Kings worked as a team to bring everything to light.
Watching the Sullivans and the Kings team up, acting like they are so put out by the fact that the feud is all but over, but secretly being so loving and supportive of each other was just so goddamn cute. I loved how Lena took this generational old feud from book one of the Sullivan Family series to where it is today. It makes you feel like you were present in Outtertowner and watched these opposite sides slowly let go of the rivalry and meet each other in the middle. They still haven't stopped pranking each other, and I'm here for it. The found family in this series is one of my favorites, and it only gets better.
The Bluebirds literally run Outtertowner, and there's no other way around it. They get shit done and always stand together no matter what. I also loved how the Bluebirds welcomed Veda into the fold and how she slowly became just as invested in the bookclub as everyone else in Outtertowner.
I'm already so excited for JP's book, and I have so many questions because what???
Thank you, Lena, for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest reviewđź’—
When a prank Royal King intended for the Sullivans goes wrong, the unassuming recipient of it happens to be the new consultant his brother JP has hired, Veda Bauer.
Veda was already wary of her new job and Ottertowner but starts reconsidering her choices after the welcome she received. Seeing Outtertowner through her eyes was hilarious, and I was just here thinking, "Oh, just you wait. You're going to fall in love with this town.".
Royal finds Veda intriguing and realizes that she reminds him of someone else. Someone he is used to bantering with on an app he uses to create content for a specific group of people, teaching them what to want from a man.
Things get more tangled when they realize that they've been conversing with each other on the app for months with Veda lusting after Mr.Right.Now and Royal finding MsBlackCat to be the one who has consumed his thoughts completely ever since they first started talking. But no one can know about this, and they decide to keep this secret just between them.
Royal had me intrigued right from his first interaction with Lark in One Look, and I'd patiently waited for his book, and he is so worth the wait. He was a giant covered in tattoos but a total softie at his core. The literal embodiment of a golden retriever in human form and made me laugh so damn hard and was just so sweet, funny, and kindhearted. There's so much more to him than meets the eye, though. He used his humor as a shield to hide or distract people from seeing his pain and vulnerability, and that really tugs at your heartstrings. The way he grew up after his mother left at such a young age, and with a spiteful father, he couldn't help but feel like he wasn't enough as he was. Being the weird artistic kid growing up also led to being bullied until he fought back to take control of his life. But deep down, he is still the little boy who questioned why his mother left, and that broke my heart for him.
Veda was such a badass, and she totally owned everyone in this book. She was smart, fierce, confident, independent, determined, and relentless when it came to figuring out the mystery that is Russell King. She worked with everyone to piece together all the information she needed to figure out what he was hiding, and she was truly the star of the show with how she took charge to get things done. Being focused on her career, she didn't have a lot of friends back in the city. But when MJ and others from town start easily including her like she is part of their community, she slowly starts warming up to them and feeling a sense of belonging. There were some situations where she was just so hilarious. She thrived on her need for control and planning, and it was hard for her to break that habit of hers, which was so ingrained in her very being.
I enjoyed watching Royal and Veda's relationship develop, and they so perfectly balanced each other. Royal helped Veda let go of her need for control, and she started trusting him, which allowed her to relax and make space for more personal relations in her life, allowing herself to explore new things and be a little more reckless with Royal's influence. I loved how protective she was of Royal and would totally get into fights for him. For Royal, Veda was his anchor, the one who grounded him. The calm to the chaos in his mind. I also loved how openly he communicated about everything, leaving no room for any doubts. He always expressed exactly how proud he was of Veda, how awed he was by her beauty and mind, and always hyped her up.
The spice... good LORDDD!!! It was so freaking HOT!! I literally choked on my own saliva and blushed hard when it came to his dirty talking and dominance. I'd happily submit to Royal King and be on my knees for him. Slowly letting go of the control Veda held on to so tightly was refreshing for her, and that showed how much she trusted Royal to take care of her. And I liked that Royal eased her into it, slowly gaining her trust, communicating what to expect, getting her consent, and watching her reaction closely for any sign of panic or discomfort. And the aftercare. URGHH!!! He was honestly just so brilliant when it came to taking care of Veda that I want to weep that he isn't real.
What I also loved is how Lena managed to tie in the little nuggets of information that she had scattered throughout all the books, starting right from One Look, and tied it all together when it came to Russell King and the mystery about their family they were trying to uncover. If I thought Just My Luck had some shocking revelations, this book takes it 10 steps further, and we dive deeper into the past; more secrets are uncovered, some more shocking twists, plans are set in motion, and in all this, the Sullivans and Kings worked as a team to bring everything to light.
Watching the Sullivans and the Kings team up, acting like they are so put out by the fact that the feud is all but over, but secretly being so loving and supportive of each other was just so goddamn cute. I loved how Lena took this generational old feud from book one of the Sullivan Family series to where it is today. It makes you feel like you were present in Outtertowner and watched these opposite sides slowly let go of the rivalry and meet each other in the middle. They still haven't stopped pranking each other, and I'm here for it. The found family in this series is one of my favorites, and it only gets better.
The Bluebirds literally run Outtertowner, and there's no other way around it. They get shit done and always stand together no matter what. I also loved how the Bluebirds welcomed Veda into the fold and how she slowly became just as invested in the bookclub as everyone else in Outtertowner.
I'm already so excited for JP's book, and I have so many questions because what???
Thank you, Lena, for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest reviewđź’—