I have been following this series from the first book (Jacob) and must say that I am enjoying it, with "Joseph" being my favorite thus far. Although I attempted to read “Jared”, I was only able read the first couple of pages before giving up – M/M is unfortunately just not for me, so I decided to skip it (in the hope that I will not miss out on too much where the over-arching plot is concerned). I just finished reading “Jasmine”, and these are my thoughts:
Chad and Jazz met when Jazz was assigned as his personal security following threats he received (but was unaware of). The story started out well, with Jazz taking down an attacker at Chad’s concert. Jazz, unfortunately – with Chad being a celebrity and all – made some assumptions about Chad’s character (some not unwarranted, to be fair). She told herself that she did not like him but could not help feeling attracted to him. Chad, for his part, fell for Jazz almost immediately. What followed was an action-packed journey, from Chad being set up as the fall-guy in an FBI investigation, a stalker closing in on him, to Guardian’s enemies targeting Jazz this time around.
The plot, action and suspense were engaging. I liked both Chad and Jasmine as characters, and there was not too much angst in as far as the romance was concerned and no third act breakup. Characters from previous books joining the fun added to a good story. I did find the paragraphs in the first one or two chapters too long, though, but that was remedied in subsequent chapters.
Jazz’s character started out as this she-man who could do anything a man can do, who did not need anyone to save her; she called the shots in everything. This is fine and well, but I think I am just a teeny bit tired of FMC’s being presented as the female version of Arnold Schwarzenegger – it is not a good look, especially not in a romance. Jazz, however, redeemed herself as the story progressed but, unfortunately, she then swung in the opposite direction, becoming this typical romance book FMC hung up on whether the MMC loves her and will ask her to marry him or not. This is a trend I’ve seen in too many romance books – it’s all about the FMC getting that ring at the end.
At the start of this story, Jazz met Chad and another guy (Maliki?) on the same day. Because of her assumptions about Chad, she gave him the cold shoulder, then proceeded to flirt with this other guy, going as far as giving him her contact number and going out on a date with him. This type of thing in a romance does not sit well with me – once the MMC and FMC meet, there must be no OM or OW involvement for me to enjoy the romance. But here’s the kicker: this other guy was not mentioned again for the remainder of the book. What happened on their date was never revealed, nor was Jazz’s “excitement” over meeting him explained. So, I’m not sure what that was about or what the author intended to do with that line, but it left a bad taste in my mouth.
The story line involving Jazz’s ex was also off. Initially, she was said to have had no real love for him, so when he cheated on her, it hurt her pride more than anything else. In later parts of the book, however, she was then positioned as someone who had her heart broken in a previous relationship. Also, Jazz's angst about her future with Chad was unnecessary: Although Chad told Jazz that he wanted a future with her, she started worrying about him not wanting her in his life. Both cases were contradictory in nature and did not make sense; it was just illogical.
Chad and Jazz’s relationship development was fine but choppy, and the chemistry felt forced at first (with Jazz getting excited over meeting another man and all). The “spice” was good as well, but not overly adventurous. The story was good, though, so I would recommend it to anyone who does not mind the abovementioned “gripes”.