Stripped

by C. Smith

JaxI’m a twenty-four year old man who takes his clothes off for a living, although I always felt destined for something more. I’m a product of two addict parents, from a rough neighbourhood outside Meadowside. My dream is to buy my own pub, help people with a listening ear but I need money to get there. So I take my clothes off and I love it! Until her ... Piper. A thirty-five year old mother with sinful curves and a sweet nature. Can I give up my stripper ways for her?PiperI’m a thirty-five year old mother with major self-confidence issues. I stumble into a strip club on a boozy girls' night out and come face to face with a gorgeous twenty-something with a mischievous glint in his eye, and a sexy invitation on his lips. My husband left me for a younger, fitter woman. Can I let go of my insecurities and let Jax love me, stretch marks and all?This novella can be read as a standalone, however if you want to learn a little more about our friendly pub landlord Jax in 'Lost And Found' then this is the novella for you.

121 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2025

Reviews

[Annie✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this novella! Jax is a sweet boy, who is earning money by stripping and Piper is a divorcee mum who doesn’t have a great self esteem. Thanks to Jax, she starts loving her body and feels more confident after being in a marriage with a man who kept cheating on her.

Their relationship is full of passion and love.

Absolutely amazing quick read!

[monika_is_booked · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jax is working hard to make his dream of owning a bar come true. Dancing in a strip club almost every night, has been lucrative and fun.
Until one evening a beautiful blonde catches his eye. But she runs out on him before they can get anything started.

Thankfully, Piper lives in the small town of Meadowside, exactly where Jax's brother lives and Jax strives to finally make his dream a reality.

When they meet again on a blind date, their friends have organised, things begin to heat up really fast and both of them are totally fine with that.

Oh boy l, this is NOT a slow burn. Piper and Jax hit it off right away and their chemistry is 🔥🔥🔥. Both are really sweet, Jax showing Piper how attracted he is to her even though she's older and a single mum with lots of insecurities. Piper is such a sweetheart, loving unconditionally and seeing Jax for the good guy he is.

This novella is short and scorching hot with a lot of heart. If you want to get to know Jax and Piper, put "Stripped" on your TBR. It'll be out on May 6th.

[Shauna's Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this!!
Jax and Piper are 10/10!

The photo booth scene???! Helloooo!! 🥵🥵🔥🔥

I loved getting a bit of background on Ace and seeing snapshots of the other characters.

I'm really hoping Jax & Piper will feature more in the other books as they're two very likeable characters and I need more!!

LOVED the little epilogue at the end. Absolutely love it when an author does this.

Fantastic writing again. Really pulled me in straight away. Love it!

[Lea Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jax is such a beautiful guy and I was pulled into the story from the first chapter. I love a boy obsessed and I also really loved the way Piper was honest about her insecurities in her post baby body and how it was handled.
Read this in a day and couldn’t put it down

[reads_by_paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️• 3.75🌶️

A R C ~ R E V I E W
Stripped : @c.smith
Release Date : May 6, 2024

“Sometimes a broken person just needs to be heard, be the person that listens.” - Stripped Dedication

This short, sweet and spicy novella made me wanting more! I loved Jax. I loved his confidence, loved how he was a softie at heart and how he talked to Piper in the sweetest way!! He was always lifting her up and I absolutely adored it. Part of me just wishes there was a little more. They went from having a very very hot scene in a Photo Booth 🥵 to texting for a few months and no in between. It sounded like they met a few times in those few months of texting though. I just wish there was a little more of how like where together and not just sexy scenes, don’t give me wrong I love those! Jax’s and his tight jeans, white shirt, and navy blue backwards hat did me in 🥵🥵 I want more of Jax and Piper mainly cause I ABSOLUTELY loved Jax and I loved Jax’s brother Ace from Lost and Found so I was SO happy to learn more about him and I can’t wait for his book!!!


Happy Reading Friends 🫶🏻

Instagram: @reads_by_paige

[Kindle And A Cuppa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stripped is a short, sweet and spicy read set in the small town of Meadowside (in the same world as the finding forever series)
Dancing in a strip club, 24 year old Jax is often seen as the fun time stripper but he is so much more and whilst the money has been good he dreams of opening a pub and settling in Meadowside.
Piper is a single mum in her mid 30’s to Posie and recently divorced, she is such a relatable character of a mum, having insecurities not knowing herself or her body anymore.
A missed opportunity and a blind date later the sparks fly between Jax and Piper, both of them have got baggage and Jax’s past is heartbreaking, their journey to healing themselves and each other is beautiful.
The steamy scenes are 🥵 the Photo Booth (IYKYK)
We also got a few cameos from side characters we met in Lost and Found, the leaving party thrown for Jax was hilarious!
Cannot wait for Ace’s book to see how Jax’s big bro gets his girl.

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Burn: 🔥 🔥 🔥
Spice: 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️
Kinks: 🫦 🫦

[Debslovesbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book and gave it 4.5 stars! A sexy stripper falls for an older woman who totally lacks confidence and who happens to be a divorced, single parent. I wasn't sure if their relationship would be believable, but it totally was! There were some scenes that had me sweating under the collar a tad - look out for the photo booth scene! I only dropped half a star because this storyline absolutely deserved to be a full-length novel instead of a novella. I would have enjoyed seeing the relationship between Jax and the daughter grow in more depth, and it just didn't last long enough! It would have been fun to have Piper performing a strip tease for Jax at the end - in private, of course, and just for fun! 🤣

[Natalie’s_world_in_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

C.smith is a fantastic author! She knows how to make you feel many emotions. This book pulled on my heart strings. The perfect amount of spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️
A brilliant read! I’d definitely recommend reading this♥️
Can’t wait to read more from this author!

I love this book. I love Jax. The thing I like most about this book is the story line and how you get to know Jax.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Stripped" by C. Smith is a captivating novella that introduces a relatable female main character and a very desirable male main character. The plot of the story is fantastic, although due to the novella format, things happen quite quickly. I would have loved to see more development in the storyline, especially in the scenes leading up to the point where they were comfortable enough to involve her daughter. It's always enjoyable to have each scene play out and explore the depth of the story. Overall, "Stripped" is an engaging read that leaves you wanting more. 📚😊

[Carla Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve never read a stripper romance with an age gap but it was amazing and was absolutely perfect! I love Jax and piper, everything was perfect I’m so excited for future books! Thank you for the ARC❤️

[Abbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just brilliant!!

How can a novella have me feeling all the emotions, love, lust, hate and at the end I may have shed a tear.

Can't wait to read the rest of this series.

[Lolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this, such a fun quick read and so heartfelt and funny at the same time.
Jax and Pipers relationship was so beautiful, and I love that he’s become a brilliant step dad to Posie.
Posie, you sweet, sweet girl, please never grow up, you’re not allowed to learn why Ace calls his car that!
Jax’s send off at the club had me in stitches, after reading Lost And Found first I never would’ve imagined Hugh getting involved like he did, it was brilliant.
My heart broke when I found out everything Jax and Ace went through as kids, no body deserves that, and it hurt hearing about what happened to their mother.
And as a mother myself, I relate to Piper a lot with her insecurities about her body, and it was so helpful watching her grow more confident, it’s such a difficult thing to feel like yourself after your body changes so much from pregnancy so it was refreshing to see that included in a book.

[Roz Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars... phew, is it hot in here or what? This book is steamy, spicy, and hot, and that's from the very first page! It was great to go back to Meadowside and learn more about the characters we got to know in Lost and Found.

I can't wait for Ace's story... what a brother and generally lovely human! The back story of Ace and Jax featured some horrifying abuse, but this was handled really well and done sensitively. I did not feel it was triggering to read, but the author advises what section to avoid if this is triggering for you.

This was a fun novella, and for those who love a spicy romance, you will love this book.

What I have enjoyed so far about Chrissie Smith's writing is that she hasn't relied on using the miscommunication trope that you get with most books of this genre, and I'm here for that. The characters are able to say what they think and feel and, in turn, get what they want. Yes!

Thanks to Chrissie Smith for providing an ARC copy for an honest review.

[Emilie Wardell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book might be short and sweet, but boy, does it pack a punch!

The spice is amazing! (The photo booth 🔥🔥🔥) But the best part is the love story between Piper and Jax. They really are soulmates! Piper brings stability to Jax that he hasn't had before, and Jax builds Piper's self-esteem up amazingly.

The flow of this book was perfect. Nothing was rushed, like some novellas can feel. And I love how we got a peak of Hugh and Grace! I can't wait to see how the rest of this series unfolds!

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

What another fab book!! , it was certainly a nice and spicy 🌶️ story just how I like it. 🍆 🥵

I certainly would enjoy having my photo taken with Jax anytime and if you read the book you will know!! 😍

And a great storyline to go with the spice

[ChelsMarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic little novella. I think Piper shows so much of what a lot of women feel about themselves and it was great to see the love Jax had for her, and he helped heal her in a way.
Was great to see the characters from Lost and Found (minus Sophie of course) and look forward to the other stories in the series

[Jemma Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very spicy quick read that helped to introduce some more characters from previous book. Loved learning more about Jax and Ace and their story.

[Rhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed my time reading this book! I liked the characters, they really complimented each other. They were adorable. I also love that they had an emotional connection rather than just a physical one. I definitely need to read the other book in this series while I wait for the rest of them. I have a feeling this small town is going to be a new favourite!

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute story

Sad at times, Jax and his brother Ace had very bad childhoods. Both parents were addicts and their father's favorite times were when he was beating and abusing his two sons. Thank goodness as bad as their dad was, he didn't sexually abuse them. He saved that for their mom. She got him his drugs with other men. She finally had enough and od'. Ace was three years older than Jax who used his job as a male stripper, saving his money to buy a pub, his dream. He had met the woman of his dreams, Piper when she and friends were out one night. Piper is a vet with her own practice. She had recently taken on another vet with her business. Maisie was married to a good friend of Jax and Ace. Piper was telling Maisie about the much younger guy she couldn't get out of her head while Jax had told Maisie and Mack about Piper. So they were matchmakers and that's how Jax and Piper got together. Piper was divorced with a ten year old daughter. Jax was twenty-four while Piper, was thiry-five and had very low opinion of her body thanks to her ex who put her down and cheated on her constantly throughout their marriage. Jax helped her to see she actually was a knockout. Poisie, Piper's daughter was happy for her mother and Jax bc they were happy and in love. The story does have a HEA. I would say go ahead and read this book. Its more then the name of the title, Stripped.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short, sweet and spicy story set in the little town of Meadowside, which appears in the finding forever series of books).
 
Jax is a 24-year-old professional stripper just working his way up to his perfect life, owning his very own pub. There is definitely more to him than meets the eye! He is a complete golden retriever MMC with a sinful body and dirty mouth! Every reader will be swooning.
 
Piper is a 35-year-old single mum who has recently gone through a divorce. After years in an unloving relationship, she has body issues and insecurities, which initial pull her back from Jax. She is such a relatable character.
 
A chance encounter, a missed opportunity and a blind date later and these two set off on their journey to build a relationship together and to help each other mend from past trauma and heartbreak. Jax’s backstory is heart-breaking and it is truly wonderful to see who he has become through the love of his brother, close friends and then Piper.
 
The spiced was perfect! Jax definitely knows what he is doing and that photo booth scene *chefs kiss*. Spice aside the connection between these two was beautiful and you just wanted nothing but a hea for them both. They brought out the best in one another and were truly a perfect couple.
 
Loved the inclusion of other side characters from the finding forever series, it was nice to get a glimpse of them before the events of Lost and Found. Can’t wait to see more of this whole group in up and coming books.

[Victoria S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a hot and steamy read. Well done C.Smith! I was so invested in this story, and I couldn’t stop reading, I had to find out how long it would take for him to see the blonde woman with blue eyes again from his audience.

I loved all the side characters and learning more history about them (I read Lost and Found first). It was nice having some back story for Jax and Ace and their terrible upbringing, I love it when characters/people manage to climb out to the other side from their childhood, and make something of themselves.

I loved how Jax helped Piper see how amazing she was, and that she was as amazing without him, and how much he loved her for just being her. Piper was also wonderful, loving him despite their age gap and letting him into her and Posie’s life.

Jax was a stripper, he earned good money to save up for his dream of owning a pub to help people, to be an ear, a shoulder to cry on, listen and to help them in their hour of need. Piper is a surgical vet and works with Maisie, who is married to Mack, who works with Ace, Hugh and Ryan at the fire station.

[Crystal Sunday · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶
This was quite possibly the cutest, most wholesome, little spice filled novella I've ever read. It was an emotionally charged, fast paced, story of a beautiful woman's rediscovery of her confidence and worth and finding her HEA. Jax is just the sexiest Golden Retriever MMC who is immediately drawn to Piper who just doesn't know how much of a "total smoke show" she is. This novella is a great addition to the Finding Forever Series and just makes you fall in love with everyone in Meadowside even more.

[Nikita Botting · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this little novella and the background story it gave us to one of the characters from the finding forever series.

It was spicy and funny and also very heartwarming and heartbreaking! So many emotions for just over 100 pages 😂 definitely reminded me of a magic mike movie but was also very interesting storyline and insight to Jax and Piper.

I’ve said it and I’ll say it again what is it with men and the name Jax? They are all so sexy and spicy and love a backwards hat 😉🥵
C.Smith knew what she was doing when she wrote this and I’m fully here for it and the rest of the finding forever series I can’t wait to read Found and Flirty book 2 🎉

[Kaylene Ledger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jax and Piper… I’m obsessed 😍 These characters are so real and relatable and you can’t help but fall in love with them! I’m so proud of Jax and everything he overcame and how he never gave up on his goals. And the way he loves Piper unconditionally! They are couple goals for sure 🥰🥰

The worst part about this book is that it’s not longer 🤣 I couldn’t stop reading, but I also didn’t want it to end. And the last chapter is the most perfect ending to a book 🫶

‼️ Please consider the trigger warnings before reading as this book does discuss some heavy topics

[Maria Street · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this from start to finish.
As an older women never been interested in a strip joint. But !! If Jax was appearing for one night I would go 😜
I would say Don’t judge a book by its cover. ! This shows it’s not about what we do or look like in life. We own our own bodies embrace it. Abuse is mentioned I felt it wasn’t to much and approached well with sensitivity and thought. It made sence of the story. And the brothers.
Love the characters. I laughed out load in some chapters.
Highly recommended
Can’t wait for more. X

[Téa Arney · Rating 4 out of 5]

super fast novella

I’d say a 3.5. Definitely a little novella for a backstory for Jax. But even for a novella I felt it was very very fast and I wish it had been a whole novel. I would have love to see both characters a little more and gotten to know them a bit deeper. I would have love to see how Jax was with Posie. All in all a good book but I am BEYOND excited for Found and Flirty! I knew I needed to read this one before that so I went ahead and did it.

[the endless tbr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so good! The right amount of spice and is very well written, and I wish it was longer. Jax was so sweet and the perfect book boyfriend. I can't wait to read more books from this author.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️
I loved this story about Jax and that he finally got his happy ending, he went from a broken man who did stripping for a job to a loveable guy who changed his job for the women he loved!
I would definitely love to see more of Jax & Piper and see what their future holds

[Morgan Biggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really great novella

Did Jaxs story make me want to throw up? Yes. That poor baby.

But the love and light from his brother and found family is joyous 🫶🏻

[fullyb00ked👻📚 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, sweet and spicy!