Swallow

by Jenika Snow

I thought I'd reached my breaking point.

Escaping my violent ex had left me drained—emotionally, physically, and financially. But I refused to be defeated. I ran, determined to reclaim my life.

One stormy night, I stumbled into a small-town bar, soaked to the bone, with desperation clinging to me like a second skin. The last thing I expected was for Ash, the rugged, brooding owner, to give me a safe haven and a free, warm meal.

Ash didn't know me, but he recognized the shadows in my eyes. His possessiveness toward me was startling, but it felt right.

For reasons I couldn’t fathom, he wanted to keep me safe.

Trust didn’t come easy these days. But Ash was determined to keep me safe, no matter what.

And as my past caught up with me—as it always did—Ash made one thing clear…

I was his, and he’d make sure no one touched me.

Genres: Romance

69 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 10, 2025

About the author

Jenika Snow is a USA Today Bestselling Author, and has been a published writer since 2009.

She can be found at:

www.jenikasnow.com
FB: www.facebook.com/jenikasnow
Twitter: twitter.com/jenikasnow
Email: Jenika_Snow@yahoo.com

Reviews

[Sonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 smuuuuuuutttttyyy stars

Ufff. If you’re looking for a book that has a plot when you squint and blink fast but has mostly smuuuuutt, then this is the perfect book for you 🤣.

Evie left her ex, a man who’s taken advantage of her vulnerable state, and she decided she’s finally had enough. She stumbles into a bar and encounters the owner, one who feeds her and gets her out of her wet clothes 🫶.

As they get to know each other (VERY quickly 🤣) tension rises 👀 and he declares that Evie is his 😉

And he’s gonna show her just how much 🫠.

This is a short read.
i loved:
—the 🔥. If you’ve ever read Jenika Snow before, then you know that she has loooong 🔥 scenes. We get two of them here 🥵. Of course, Ash is all about her pleasure, something her ex never thought about 😒. But no worries, because Ash ensures she’s 💦 ready for him 😮‍💨

—how protective he is ❤️. He’s gonna make sure that all her ghosts are out of the picture 🤷🏻‍♀️

—did I mentioned the spice? LAAAAAWD 🥵🫠💦

—the epilogue ❤️

What I wanted more of:
—this is insta, so I wish there was more buildup, especially considering she’s gone through a lot

—I wish it was longer 😭

Overall, this is a cute and smuuuutty read 🔥

⚠️ safety squad ⚠️
-no cheating/sharing/owd
-the h has been abused in many ways by OM
-the H makes sure the OM that was abusive knows the h is his
-HEA/epilogue/1 year later

[Kursed Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the run, tires and hungry, Evie Harper finds herself in Ash Castor’s bar.

As soon as the owner sets eyes on the downtrodden woman, he knows he’ll stop at nothing to keep her safe and return the spark to her eyes.

This was a one-sitting, sweet, steamy read that hit the spot.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Burn: 🔥🔥🔥
Darkness: 🩶
Heat: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Range of Emotions: 🥺😊🥰🥵😍
Ending: 💗 {HEA}

POV: 👫🏻 {Dual | Present}

🗄️ Genre: Contemporary Romance
🗂️ Subgenre(s): Erotic, New Adult

✨ Tropes: Heroine in Danger, Instalove, Small Town
 
💫 Microtropes: Caretaker, Cinnamon Roll, Forehead Kisses, MINE!, Touch-Her-and-Wish-You-Hadn’t, Tragic Past, Who Hurt You?

💋 Kinks: n/a

🤰🏻 Pregnancy: n/a

⚠️ Warning: This sweet and steamy read will leave your panties damp and your cheeks flushed.

🚩 Safety Squad: Mild Violence

📣 Type: Swallow is a standalone.

🛑 Be Advised: My Goodreads shelves are … explicit in both senses. As such, they could be considered spoiler-y.

[Jessie (thatchickwithabook) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very sweet but SO tame for a Jenika Snow novella lol

[Kate V · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 - 3.5 smut-scale stars!

This felt like a departure from what I’m used to reading from Jenika. It was softer and not as filthy. However, still smutty and sweet if you’re looking for something quick and palate cleansing.

[Leoni · Rating 2 out of 5]

TWs:

- Mental Health Rep
- Domestic Emotional and Mental Abuse toward Heroine by Secondary Character(Not Described in Detail)
- High Heat and Spice
- Praise King
- Dominant Hero
- Graphic Violence Toward Secondary Character by Hero
- Rimming
- Oral

[Selena Spiropoulos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Swallow was a short story about abuse and finding your safe place after.
It gives hope that there are good men and women out there that can help us heal after a toxic relationship.
Spice 3/5

[Agatha Su]

Ok I’m just gonna say it. But this felt a bit….. boring? I just didn’t feel the connection in this and it felt like it wasn’t as good as another book of hers is.

[angie_bookrecs · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sorry, but this was incredibly boring. Especially for a Jenika Snow novella. This didn't even feel like it was written by the same author.

[Amanda B · Rating 2 out of 5]

I admit that I only made it the first 10% of the way through this book because it was so creepy. Both of these people need a lot of therapy. They meet, they don’t even have a conversation and he just decides to take care of her? Really? He lets her stay in an apartment over his bar, with access to his bar. A complete stranger. He gives her three meals a day on his own dime and he even objects when she tries to help out a little. He obviously feels the need to be someone’s savior to a point that he ignores common sense and safety, and that means that he’s using her (of course he is, he doesn’t even know her). And on her part, she just ran away from an abusive, controlling relationship and then this guy decides to take over taking care of her and she’s dependent on him in every way. She doesn’t even really argue with him or try to find a job in the first few days. If I were her, I would tell her to run the hell away from this guy. But, for reasons, they just decides to take to be in this relationship with each other. Too creepy, could not read.

[TAMRON · Rating 3 out of 5]

it just didn’t work for me

The fmc just rubbed me the wrong way especially after finding out she wasn’t physically abused it just seemed like she was over the top. Her ex seemed controlling because he wanted her all to himself. But he never hit her or forced himself on her but she takes off in the middle of the night because she feared for her life. She’d been with him for years and I’m not saying emotional abuse isn’t real but there was never any indication that her ex was intending to physically harm her or even come after her once she left. I kinda feel it was unjust for the mmc to hurt him like he did

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evie lost herself. Her ex mentally broke her. She was alone till she walked it this one bar. Ash could tell just by the look of her, she needed a warm meal and a safe place. He gave her that and so much more. You have to love a story that isn’t too violent and just gets to the heart. Ash brought Evie back from the brink. She found safety and love. She was shown true happiness.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Olivia Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely love this authors books & this one was another great read! Evie escapes a toxic situation, luckily she finds herself in the bar of Ash because he will do anything to protect her. Their chemistry is off the charts plus Ash knows how to really give praise in the bedroom! I loved these characters so much though especially Ash because he knows how to protect what’s his. It was the perfect ending for these two, definitely recommend reading anything from the author but especially this one.

[littleM · Rating 4 out of 5]

What's this? A Green Flag? By Jenika Snow??? Thank you.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freedom in Safety

One look at the woman who.just entered his bar and Adh.knew she was in trouble and he needed tp.help. Evie managed to escape her ex but with no place to go and no.money she is lost until Ash offers a helping hand and the safety ahe has been sorely missing. Soon they become more in this sexy tale and Eve takes a chance on love again.

[Cat Nunez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Evie was running from her ex when she stumbled into Ash’s bar and he was determined to help her and keep her safe. She shared her history with Ash and eventually they started to get comfortable around each other, so they spent their time together and became close.

It was a short and steamy read with insta-love and spicy scenes.

[booking _with_romancegirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is super sweet and spicy

The spice is sensual and so intense . the plot is strong and the female character is a strong girl who gets out of a ruff situation and finds a man who is Mr right and he is so amazing and caring plus he can talk dirty

[Tori Bulmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

a quick smut read

Typical damsel in distress, the perfect alpha male ‘who touched you’ with great smex scenes. I liked the altercation between the two men cu THAT was more realistic than most.

[Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ash and Evie

These two have a very fast paced romance with plenty of smut and very little plot. Ash was already ready to give his everything for Evie the moment she came to his bar. It's a nice, quick story.

[Taylor · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have got to stop reading this author.

[emma | emmabeereads · Rating 3 out of 5]

quick fun and swoony read. insta love which jenika can do no wrong in my book with that.

love a good jenika ott hero

[Simone · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[Michelle Vandal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her life changed

Sweet & sexy insta love story. Evie ran from a horrible life. She ventured into Ash’s bar and was safe from that moment on. Quick read.

[Zeynep · Rating 4 out of 5]

kısacık bir hikayede bu adama aşık oldum…çok iyiydi🥺

[Rosie Bovell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love

I love the way he took care of her and her feel safe without overwhelming her . Show her what love can be like

[Ashema · Rating 2 out of 5]

A+ for spice

The spice was good as usual, but this story wasn’t as good as I expect from Jenika. Still a fan, just not of this particular book.

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

steamy

This book was steamy and intense. Evie and Ash had amazing chemistry from the first moment they met and it made for a sizzling story. Enjoyed it.

[Lisa Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was short and sweet. I loved Ash, what a sweetheart, just what Evie needed.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short. Sweet. Hot sex. What else can I say… I loved it!

[Djg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great old-school-style Jenika Snow book. Girl running from ex & quiet with hints of dark bar owner.
Nothing not to like here. They're sweet and swoony and sext together.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 stars

This was a short, quick read. Sweet but still steamy as well. We love instalove and over the top MMCs