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A review by thebritishbibliophile
This Woman by Jodi Ellen Malpas
5.0
'3...2...1...Zero, baby. Jesse Ward, Lord of the Manor, is back and trampling his way into Ava's life & kickstarting his dead (ish) heart, seducing her--and us--until the last page' -The British Bibliophile
This Woman (This Man - The Story from Jesse, #1) by Jodi Ellen Malpas, is the long-awaited novel from the POV of Lord of the Manor, Jesse Ward. Ten years after we first met him, he's still got the same swagger and prowess, and packs even more of a literary punch now that we're inside his deeply troubled--and brilliant-- mind.
Jesse's POV has been highly requested by readers across the world and here in its--and Jodi's--home country, ever since This Man hit readers a decade ago. If you've had the pleasure of reading the rest of the books in Ava's POV, ( Beneath This Man & This Man Confessed ) you will already have had a taste of what it would've been like to read from Jesse's POV. This is thanks to an extract in the back of both books. With This Man is dual POV from both Jesse & Ava. These tastes, however, only touched the surface that is This Woman . Those were the entrees, this was the main course!
A main course I didn't have long to wait for, thankfully. Jodi has been an author I've had in my sights for the past decade, though I didn't until February 2021, actually grab a copy of This Man to meet Jesse and Ava. Having seen her and her work everywhere and recommended by fellow readers, Jesse Ward was where I knew I wanted to go first and since that moment, I've never looked back. Over the next weeks, I devoured the series and from the moment I closed the last page of With This Man I knew what I wanted most of all next, was a whole book from Jesse's POV.
This Woman answered my prayers. The moment the news broke on us, dearly beloved JEM readers that we were getting the original trilogy from Jesse's POV, I flew back to Central Jesse Cloud Nine level of happiness, contentment and of course, pleasure.
Jodi showed here in this book, that it doesn't matter how long you spend from first writing a book (especially one in a series), or how many have been written since then, that she's still got what it takes to dive back into that book's world and give us everything and more. Granted, this time around was from Jesse's POV--and having only done it twice before as previously mentioned--, that has not impeded Jodi's ability to still tell the story not only all over again but from quite literally a whole new perspective. If you thought This Man was a hot, steamy, hot-as-hell book then dear readers, Jodi truly has outdone herself by cranking every dial up to the max. Jesse Ward does not do things by halves and neither does the woman who created him. Fans of Jodi will love and appreciate just how much steam, spice and everything nice (ish) that has gone into create this one-of-a-kind novel that you won't be able to put down, not for anything. It might have only taken me two days to finish off the Lord, but I'll be back several times for more. That's a promise.
Jesse and Ava fast became two of my favourite literary couples--and characters--after finally getting to know them and their story in the original This Man books, but I've fallen all over again for them in this POV. I personally, have reached a whole new level of understanding and appreciation for Jesse. The insight into both his past and his mind...wow. I can't put it into words just how powerful and gut-punching it was to really know what had happened to him, what he thinks, how he feels, his struggles and his inner turmoil just to name a few things...woah. That scene towards the end of the book, which I cannot and will not spoil for those who have yet to read it, I.Was.In.Tears. Full-on crocodile tears. Normally I'm not the type to enjoy a book once it makes me cry, but just as this book also made me fan my cheeks, smirk and laugh, that scene made me cry and certainly made me want to leap into the pages and wrap my arms around Jesse and hold him close. As for Ava? It was lovely to see her again this time through Jesse's eyes. Ava is all of us who both want something and are afraid of it at the same time, wanting so much to reach out and eat the forbidden fruit but are nervous about the consequences. Ava has bitten the fruit, and both she and Jesse will journey through the trials and consequences of their star-crossed love.
What Jesse and Ava have goes beyond the simple constrains of what a 'relationship' is, this is love in its not so purest form. It's raw and it's real. It's not polished and perfect, it has its flaws and scars. And that's why I love them so much. They're two people you can root for and if they were real, could see them lasting the tests and indeed, the test of time.
I made a claim many months ago when Jodi first announced This Woman (plus its blurb) was happening, that in my gut I felt like that this would be the novel that would claim the top spot as my top read of 2022. A bold claim, as at that point there was about eight months until its release, but a claim that I am very proud to announce here and now, is very much true. Discovering the inner workings of Jesse's mind and soul quickly catapulted this novel straight to my number one spot of 2022, and I'm incredibly proud of Jodi of creating such a novel which will not only bring Jodi/This Man readers back into the fold, but will also bring hoards of new readers into the magnificent world of Jesse Ward and Ava O'Shea.
What you are looking at here, dear readers, is not simply a five-star book. This is a book that is worth an infinite amount of stars. Because like its author, it is priceless and precious both.
Thank you, Jodi, for taking the decision to gift us with Jesse and Ava both ten years ago, and today. I'll carry these characters with me for the rest of my life, where they truly belong. In my heart.
Jesse & Ava, I'll see you both next year. Until then, it's back to the beginning of this novel once more!
This Woman (This Man - The Story from Jesse, #1) by Jodi Ellen Malpas, is the long-awaited novel from the POV of Lord of the Manor, Jesse Ward. Ten years after we first met him, he's still got the same swagger and prowess, and packs even more of a literary punch now that we're inside his deeply troubled--and brilliant-- mind.
Jesse's POV has been highly requested by readers across the world and here in its--and Jodi's--home country, ever since This Man hit readers a decade ago. If you've had the pleasure of reading the rest of the books in Ava's POV, ( Beneath This Man & This Man Confessed ) you will already have had a taste of what it would've been like to read from Jesse's POV. This is thanks to an extract in the back of both books. With This Man is dual POV from both Jesse & Ava. These tastes, however, only touched the surface that is This Woman . Those were the entrees, this was the main course!
A main course I didn't have long to wait for, thankfully. Jodi has been an author I've had in my sights for the past decade, though I didn't until February 2021, actually grab a copy of This Man to meet Jesse and Ava. Having seen her and her work everywhere and recommended by fellow readers, Jesse Ward was where I knew I wanted to go first and since that moment, I've never looked back. Over the next weeks, I devoured the series and from the moment I closed the last page of With This Man I knew what I wanted most of all next, was a whole book from Jesse's POV.
This Woman answered my prayers. The moment the news broke on us, dearly beloved JEM readers that we were getting the original trilogy from Jesse's POV, I flew back to Central Jesse Cloud Nine level of happiness, contentment and of course, pleasure.
Jodi showed here in this book, that it doesn't matter how long you spend from first writing a book (especially one in a series), or how many have been written since then, that she's still got what it takes to dive back into that book's world and give us everything and more. Granted, this time around was from Jesse's POV--and having only done it twice before as previously mentioned--, that has not impeded Jodi's ability to still tell the story not only all over again but from quite literally a whole new perspective. If you thought This Man was a hot, steamy, hot-as-hell book then dear readers, Jodi truly has outdone herself by cranking every dial up to the max. Jesse Ward does not do things by halves and neither does the woman who created him. Fans of Jodi will love and appreciate just how much steam, spice and everything nice (ish) that has gone into create this one-of-a-kind novel that you won't be able to put down, not for anything. It might have only taken me two days to finish off the Lord, but I'll be back several times for more. That's a promise.
Jesse and Ava fast became two of my favourite literary couples--and characters--after finally getting to know them and their story in the original This Man books, but I've fallen all over again for them in this POV. I personally, have reached a whole new level of understanding and appreciation for Jesse. The insight into both his past and his mind...wow. I can't put it into words just how powerful and gut-punching it was to really know what had happened to him, what he thinks, how he feels, his struggles and his inner turmoil just to name a few things...woah. That scene towards the end of the book, which I cannot and will not spoil for those who have yet to read it, I.Was.In.Tears. Full-on crocodile tears. Normally I'm not the type to enjoy a book once it makes me cry, but just as this book also made me fan my cheeks, smirk and laugh, that scene made me cry and certainly made me want to leap into the pages and wrap my arms around Jesse and hold him close. As for Ava? It was lovely to see her again this time through Jesse's eyes. Ava is all of us who both want something and are afraid of it at the same time, wanting so much to reach out and eat the forbidden fruit but are nervous about the consequences. Ava has bitten the fruit, and both she and Jesse will journey through the trials and consequences of their star-crossed love.
What Jesse and Ava have goes beyond the simple constrains of what a 'relationship' is, this is love in its not so purest form. It's raw and it's real. It's not polished and perfect, it has its flaws and scars. And that's why I love them so much. They're two people you can root for and if they were real, could see them lasting the tests and indeed, the test of time.
I made a claim many months ago when Jodi first announced This Woman (plus its blurb) was happening, that in my gut I felt like that this would be the novel that would claim the top spot as my top read of 2022. A bold claim, as at that point there was about eight months until its release, but a claim that I am very proud to announce here and now, is very much true. Discovering the inner workings of Jesse's mind and soul quickly catapulted this novel straight to my number one spot of 2022, and I'm incredibly proud of Jodi of creating such a novel which will not only bring Jodi/This Man readers back into the fold, but will also bring hoards of new readers into the magnificent world of Jesse Ward and Ava O'Shea.
What you are looking at here, dear readers, is not simply a five-star book. This is a book that is worth an infinite amount of stars. Because like its author, it is priceless and precious both.
Thank you, Jodi, for taking the decision to gift us with Jesse and Ava both ten years ago, and today. I'll carry these characters with me for the rest of my life, where they truly belong. In my heart.
Jesse & Ava, I'll see you both next year. Until then, it's back to the beginning of this novel once more!