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Jase is home from college and is nervous to tell his family that he's wanting to stay home for good.
Stopping by the shop on his way into town, he meets the new guy; Joker.
Quiet, mysterious and ridiculously gorgeous; he doesn't seem to like Jase, too much.
Or does he?

Fresh out of prison and trying to start his life over as an adult, he finds work at the shop with the Kennedy's
and their fella's. Little brother Jase comes home for the summer and everything Joker is working to rebuild is
threatened... Especially when Jody finds out where he's been and why....

Love em' or hate em'... this is Jase and Joker's story...

No cheating, no cliffhanger, HEA or HFN, more to come :)

130 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 12, 2017

99 people are currently reading
195 people want to read

About the author

Jenny Wood

26 books311 followers
Jenny Wood- Stay at home mom with two amazing kids and the most supportive, ridiculously good looking, husband. :P
My love of writing comes from my love of reading and I count myself incredibly lucky to live in a place where I can do what I love and
hopefully, make some people happy while I do it.

Happy Reading!

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5 stars
241 (35%)
4 stars
264 (38%)
3 stars
145 (21%)
2 stars
28 (4%)
1 star
5 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
Profile Image for Denise H..
3,250 reviews272 followers
November 14, 2023
Re-read Nov. 2023
Re-read April 23, 2020
*** A marvelous addition to this series ! ***
Each can stand alone, but your understanding of the characters is key. I've read them all, loved each one, and I'm a satisfied reader.
This episode is about young Jase, 20,

who Jody helped out when Jase left the foster care system. The Kennedy brothers have each other and their extended family, that keeps getting bigger. Jase went away for classes in Michigan, but has come home for the summer, and wants to stay.
He meets their new employee, tattoo artist Joker, 25,

and each man is interested. Each is a virgin and they move slowly. Joker doesn't want to lose his job at Kennedy Ink, and his past has been rough, including prison time. Jody doesn't like him much. So, we get these nice men, Jase and Joker, coming together to find friendship; a companion and lover. Jody opens his mouth rudely, and nearly screws up their budding romance. But, the guys join ranks and the men have not been abandoned or rejected.

Family and friends are soul deep in this group.

I highly recommend this heartwarming story. ENJOY !

====================
Profile Image for Meags.
2,492 reviews701 followers
May 20, 2017
3 Stars

I smashed this one out in one sitting, which is always good news. Although I felt it was a tad undeveloped in terms of the characters and the romance, it was still plenty sweet and sexy, so I can't complain too much.

I was definitely eager to get Jase's story - who was initially introduced in the third book (Jody) as the teenager Jody and the gang befriend from the youth shelter, and ultimately welcome into the Kennedy family fold.

This story sees Jase return home after a year away at college. He decides he wants to stay and pursue his dreams in social work through different means other than studying at some big wig college far away from home. Luckily, with the help and support from Jody and the other guys, Jase starts to settle into a new schedule revolving around online study and working hard at a local shelter, which is a schedule he much prefers to being away and lonely at college.

Jase also finds romance unexpectedly in the form of Kennedy Ink's newest tattoo artist, Jacob "Joker" Riggs. Joker has a dark past, having spent the past 6 years in prison for killing a man, but is now out and just trying to get by, keeping to himself and staying out of everyone's way as best he can. Developing feelings for Jase proves complicated, especially when Jase's honorary father figure, Jody, disapproves and meddles (aggressively) at every turn.

I found Jase and Joker's romance a sweet and tender coming together of two lonely souls. They've both been through the wringer in their young lives and deserve nothing but happiness. I wish their getting-to-know-you period was lengthier and more detailed, but the insta-love seems to be working for this series in general so I'll try not to be too miffed simply because my greedy guts wanted more romance.

One thing I did decide while reading this instalment of the Kennedy Ink series is that I don't like Jody one bit. He got on my nerves during Kingsley, when he stepped over the line and was hurtful to Morgan, but here he drove me positively nuts with his overbearing attitude and the temper tantrum he threw towards the end of the book which caused a bunch of drama and hurt on Jase and Joker. Basically he was an asshole, and his "protective" reasoning didn't fly with me. Nope, not at all.

Anyway, this was another lovely addition to the Kennedy Ink series and I look forward to seeing what comes next.
Profile Image for Claude.
250 reviews23 followers
January 20, 2018
Jody....really? In one sentence I hate you so much 😐. Bref i hope Jase forgives you one day. I’m not ready myself 🙈. Jase and Joker are amazing together. Joker had such a life. Really happy he found the one!
Profile Image for Bluebelle-the-Inquisitive (Catherine).
1,196 reviews34 followers
February 20, 2021
“Tell me what you’re thinking.” [...]
“I’m thinking, that I think you’re gorgeous. I think that I want to go to lunch with you again and I want to sit on this lake and spend the day, fishing and getting to know you. I’m thinkin’ that when I saw you over there earlier with your pissed off look, and your jaw set real hard, that I wanted to slide my tongue in your mouth and loosen you up.”[...] “I’m also thinkin’ that I don’t even know if you’re gay and it would just be my luck that you aren’t and you’re about to punch me on my birthday.” [...]
“Jase.” [...] “You’re killing me.”
— Jacob “Joker” Riggs & Jason "Jase" Davis

Can we all admit that Jase is just outright adorable? He deserves this protective family. And the love of a man who will treat him like the treasure he is, and worship the ground her walks on. Seeing him even a year on he is so much more than he was in Jody. More outspoken and sure of himself. Comfortable in his wonderfully tatted-up skin.  Jase has the thing for bad boys, and don't we all just a little. That combined with his inability to veil his expressions is an amusing combination "Yeah, well... sometimes I'm not nice." He smiles, and I believe that. I think if he wanted to, he could be downright bad. The thought made me shiver, in the best way. In some ways Jase reminds me of Cameron he can see the good in people, sometimes when others can't. They also share an insecurity that binds them. All Jase wants in life is to help people also much like as actually most of the partners in this series. But particularly Cam.

Most of my thoughts for this were really just I love Jase. I found this is the first book in the Kennedy Ink series I got truly emotionally invested in. To the point where tears almost happened. I really didn't matter what Jenny Wood did as long as he was happy I was good. Do you know how long it has been since I got that invested in a character to the detriment of everything else about the story? Years, Kiera Andrews and the Unbreakable Bonds Ladies (Rinda Elliott and Jocelynn Drake) are the only ones who have managed to do it. Actually, with much of the same style characters, men needing a home and a place to be themselves.

Jase's man is Jacob “Joker” Riggs the latest hire at the Kennedy's tattoo parlour. Joker has a past one he doesn't hide from, isn't particularly ashamed of but that will be heavily judged by people. At 18 Joker killed a man and served 6 and a half years for it, the reason for the killing is what messed me up. The Kennedy's know about his past and accept him, providing him a second chance and an opportunity to move on with his life. Joker is the right kind of man for Jase. More than able to be his knight in black armour, family orientated and they both just want someone to belong. Joker is from Colorado he's not used to being in an LGBTQ friendly environment, he is struggling a little to adjust to his new surroundings, with the three loved up couples around him.

Note dump for this because most of my thoughts were seriously, Jase, Jase, Jase. (I'm not kidding about that)
• Jase's tattoos such as they are noted are well suited, one is the one he mentioned in Jody, one is the daisy drawn by Kady and a beautiful ship.
• Papa Bear is the most appropriate name for Jody when it comes to Jase.
• King and Kayse are just a lot of fun. They give their permission for Jase to love who he wants without saying as much quite early.
• "Do you wanna have lunch with me?" — Maybe one of the cutest repeated lines.
• Did anyone else assume that Kennedy Ink was owned by Kayson, Kingsley and Jody? Yeah, it's not. But it has been a few years since I read Kayson and Kingsley, I'm wondering if it is outlined in that.
• I want to punch Jody.... again. Seriously man think first, then speak. Do you realise what you just did?
• Bless you Cameron. Cam just wants his pseudo son happy and if that means him being with Joker so be it. But thank you Cam my for having your priorities straight.

I'm trying to limit my pointing out of editing of errors by Jenny Wood and Kennedy Ink has definitely improved markedly since they were first published. But at least twice in this book, the wrong name is used. Both times it is Jase instead of Jody, contextually the reader is likely to easily understand who is meant but it is still a simple error that should be picked up. Once is in the highest stakes part of the book. As a brief conclusion, there are discussions of homophobia and domestic violence that some readers may find triggering. Not as much or as in-depth as in Jody but they are still there. This is a book that plays well with the concepts of innocence and adulthood. If you liked what you was of Jase in Jody you will likely love this. This builds on what we knew of him already. I really did enjoy it but was mostly swimming in thoughts of I really like Jase.

“You shouldn’t feel like that at all! You’ve been our family for a year and a half. Work that shit out, right now!” He yelled. He’s fierce when he wants to be, and I loved that about him. — Jason "Jase" Davis about Cameron Rydell

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Profile Image for Aղցela W..
4,539 reviews325 followers
December 9, 2020
This was book 4 in the "Kennedy Ink" series. Jody and the guys took Jase "Jason" in when he was 18 when he aged out of the foster care system. When he comes home from college he meets the new guy in the shop. Joker "Jacob" recently moved to Georgia to work for the Kennedy Ink after being released from prison he wants to keep his head down and do his job. These two hit it off although Joker tries to stay away from Jase. Jody acted like an overbearing jerk he didn't like the fact that Joker was spending time with Joker and when they spent the night together he lost it without knowing all the facts about why Joker did what he did. This book also had some formatting issues in it and a few errors and normally I would have given up on this series but these guys keep me coming back for more.
Profile Image for Elena.
1,081 reviews83 followers
August 16, 2019
A nice addition to the Kennedy's big chosen family. Their "adopted" little brother/son, Jace, is back in town and this time for good. As soon as he enters his brothers' tattoo shop he sees Joker and that's it - he's taken with the silent, withdrawn man...

Both Jace and Joker have gone through a lot, their pasts are dark and bleak and they are both so afraid of having something good in their lives.

I didn't feel as invested in J&J's love story as I was with the previous "Kennedy boys" - the relationship part of the book was actually minimal - but I felt strongly for Jace's and Joker's separate life stories, they were both so sad, they broke my heart a bit.

My 3 stars rating? Well, as with the other Jenny Wood's books, the editing wasn't great, fellas. Again. I mean the writing style gets better and better the further I get into Kennedy Ink. series. But this time even the names were mistaken and it really spoilt my joy of reading :( Otherwise, it would've been an easy 4-star read.
Profile Image for Mimi.
2,470 reviews
August 22, 2017
3.5 stars

This is the fourth book in the Kennedy Ink series. Jase (Jason) and Joker (Jacob) story. Jase has come home for the summer both realized that on-campus college isn't for him so he stay's home.

Joker is new to the Kennedy Ink crew and is trying his best to stay to himself but in walks Jase and good intentions go out the window.

Some grammatical phrasing and errors acquire but aren't that bad. This is a good addition to the series but book 1 was better. On to the wedding. And yes, some of my questions have been answered from the previous books.
Profile Image for Tina.
492 reviews7 followers
July 29, 2025
RE-READ

I’ve said this before. Like, a lot. In Book One, Book Two, Book Whatever-We’re-On-Now. This is NOT the series to read if you're hoping for perfect grammar or pristine editing - This is why: Book 1 - review

That said - Jase and Joker. Straight-up couple goals. I’m not saying I’m obsessed, but like… I’ve mentally adopted them and I’m emotionally invested in their love story like it’s my job. The Kennedy family is basically my new fave dysfunctional clan, and their vibe is everything.

The writing still totally delivering. I was hooked from page one and barely blinked until the end. Buuut let’s be real: there are a few hiccups. Little gremlins of the typo/name-mix-up variety that pop up just often enough to yank me out of the story like, “Wait… wasn’t that guy named something else three pages ago?” It’s not rage-quit territory, but it does test my patience like a toddler who’s just discovered the word “no.”

Jase and Joker. So good. Their chemistry is chef’s kiss - the kind that makes you want to re-read scenes just to soak it in again. They go together like peanut butter and jelly, or memes and avoiding responsibilities. I love them!

BUT Jody. Whew. That man. He’s giving major “I cause problems on purpose” energy and not in the fun way. At this point, I am not vibing with him, and unless he gets a serious reality check, he’s staying firmly in my “boy, bye” category.

All said, I had an absolute blast. Jase and Joker made every moment worth it, and I’m already buckled in for the next installment. Just please - someone give the manuscript a spellcheck bath and throw Jody a redemption bone before I roll my eyes so hard they get stuck.
368 reviews13 followers
July 28, 2020
3.5 stars

It was such a fun read. Honestly I shipped Jase and Joker from the first interaction. Joker was broody silent badass type and Jase is friendly beaming character who had a sad past in foster homes.

The book was good and it lacked depth. They loved each other in span of...a week? Idk? It was too quick, yet it didn’t bother me as much as it should’ve which is why I was able to throughly enjoy it. The writing was lacking, but It was sufficient for the plot.
Profile Image for Janie.
873 reviews82 followers
May 14, 2017
I loved Jase. He was sweet, funny, and just made me want to hug him. I also really liked Joker and understood where he was coming from being hesitant to start something with Jase. I seriously wanted to junk punch Jody. WTF is wrong with him. He needs to learn to take a step back before he speaks sometimes. It was great catching up with the rest of the gang. I needed more from this book and I'm glad to see we'll get another that will tie some things up. The ending was a bit abrupt. I need more for Jase and Joker than what we got. Although I will say that I believe they have something that will last.
Profile Image for Allison.
24 reviews
May 13, 2017
We all know how I feel about Mrs. Wood's stories. I felt like I been waiting on this one forever!
Luckily, I got an ARC, probably because I harass her too damn much lol
Anyway, in this one, we have Jase, (obviously), he comes home for the summer and wants to stay, he's homesick. That means he keeps running into Joker... the new guy at the shop since Jinx went had a baby last book and we don't see him much anymore.

Joker is just out of prison. My heart broke for him... I totally understood what happened and why, I didn't blame him for it at all. I actually liked that he was unrepentant about it. Like, he knew it was wrong, he knew he done something bad about it, but given the chance to do it over, he'd probably do it all over again just to get justice for someone he loved.

This one was a bit shorter than the others in the series, and it felt a bit fast, but it didn't take anything away from the story. I enjoyed it a lot. Of course, I love Kingsley so much and he was front and center a lot in this one, so a story is always good with Kingsley in it.
There was also a lot of banter that I thought was cute between the brothers...
Jody... sigh... he's a work in progress, but he means well... like Mrs. Wood says, his execution just needs some work lol

Overall, awesome book!
Profile Image for Lora.
1,330 reviews10 followers
May 30, 2017
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Jody, Jody, Jody. OK…well let me first start out by saying I loved this book. I loved the innocence of both Jase & Joker. Now I know, I know…How can Joker be innocent since he was in prison. Well, he was a kid when he went in. He let his grief and temper get the best of him and he lost what should have been a time of finding himself, and learning who he really was. I fell in love with the innocence of finding love and people who accept him & love him. And Jase…ohhhh cutie Jase. He was just as sweet as pie and I adored him. Ok…now let’s get back to Jody. He was on my shit list for a couple books now. He slightly…SLIGHTLY redeemed himself in his book…but now is right back at the top…
Shit List
1. Jody.
He has such a short temper and a short trigger to lash out at the people he loves the most. I thought he learned his lesson in his book but I guess he did not. I know the author is going to do a novella to see Jody get back into the good graces of his family and his man all while the wedding of another couple happens. BUT…I think Jody needs a novella by himself. I think to truly fall in love with him and accept him again as a great character, I really need to see him work on himself and prove that he has changed. Anyway…great book….but DAMMIT Jody.
23 reviews
May 13, 2017
I'm in love with this series.
I'm kind of in gay/straight love with this author.
I love this family and their hilarious and hot boys!
This one was no different. I loved Joker!
I love the lost and broken type, silent and broody until
the right guy comes along and BAM... and Jase was
younger and I liked that he was taken seriously, even though
his age was barely an adult. He was mature for his age, I guess
you had to be, given the life he lived before he got unofficially adopted
by the Kennedy's.

I loved how the guys (except Jody) accepted Joker, they trusted him and gave
him a chance. I liked that Joker explained...he didn't hide it and wasn't ashamed of it
It just was what it was. You live and you learn, right?
I can't ever say anything terrible about this series because I just
love them all so much!
Jase teasing Kayson about the water cooler guy, had me rolling lol
I love the humor and the steaminess. I love the family bond and
fast friendships.... I just love it all!
Fantastic read, for me!
Profile Image for Morgan  Skye.
2,775 reviews28 followers
June 9, 2017
This is another excellent series! I love the hurt/comfort we get in Jenny Woods’ stories. Jase, we met earlier, is back from college, but still feeling at loose ends and like he still doesn’t quite trust that he has family or a home. Joker has a very, very sad story to tell and his life has shaped him, as well.

Unlike some of the others in this series, this wasn’t quite as tear-jerking, though it does have it’s moments.

I also didn’t feel as connected to Joker and Jase as I did previous couples – but I get the sense there’s more of these two to come – and maybe that will help.

I didn’t love this as much as the others in this series, but I still enjoyed it a lot. I still think the author needs a good editor as there are still a distracting amount of grammatical errors.

While you can probably read this as a standalone, I really think this story needs the background from previous books to really give it substance, so I don’t recommend you read this without having read the other Kennedy Ink books.

4 of 5 stars
Profile Image for Samantha Foster.
513 reviews3 followers
May 13, 2017
Loved it!

Holy crap! I've loved all the Kennedy series. Just like the others Jase and Joker were adorable, sweet, funny, heartwarming, heartbreaking, and perfect together. I've had tears a few times in this series but seriously Jase had me crying and putting it down for few before finishing it. This family once again made me laugh, cry, and fall in love with them. I've loved all of them but Jase and Joker are my favorite. This can be read by itself but the others are all so fabulous I recommend reading them all especially for context and background so you really get the emotional impact from Jase's story. Fantastic read.
Profile Image for Candice.
2,955 reviews134 followers
May 16, 2017
I didn't think I was going to cry in this one. I made it pretty far and then BAM! Forkin' Jase killed me! We met Jase in Jody's book and this takes place a year later.

Holy hot damn did Jody piss me off. To the point where I want to go back to his book and remove a star. He's an asshole.

Joker and Jase were so good together. I loved them. I do wish we learned just a little bit more about Joker though.
Profile Image for Julie.
1,146 reviews4 followers
May 22, 2017
Either this was a short book or I read it pretty quickly. I enjoyed seeing all the boys from the previous book in the series. I thought Joker and Jase were good together but it all happened so fast and the it was the end. I would have liked a bit more in the book. I was also surprised at the grammar errors in the book which is a recurring theme in this series. I'd even offer to be a checker for mistakes in future novels because it really does affect the reading of the book and that is why I gave it 3*.
58 reviews1 follower
May 26, 2017
So, So heart warming

I just started this series and I love it. I loved jace and joker, I can't believe it actually made me cry, I really got sucked into their story. I started reading this book first so now I have to go back and read the others in this great series, Kinsley kayson, and jodys stories so I'll get back to you again .
Such a wonderful author o write stories that can just ma llama e you feel like you are part of the story and going through what the characters do and feel.
Loved it.
Profile Image for Karen.
2,682 reviews
August 3, 2017
This book at least only had a few errors compared to the last two books. The author starts the book talking about deep south accents and as someone who has lived in Georgia for quite a few years I understand it but that does not excuse the fact that it still had plenty of spelling and wording errors. Names wrong and plenty of words that sound the same but each spelling means something different. OK enough complaining. I loved this story. I am still loving these guys and the story itself is great. Well written storyline and well developed characters. Totally worth reading.
Profile Image for Becky.
927 reviews22 followers
May 14, 2017
This was a lovely charming read despite the MCs history. The interactions were endearing and whilst moving quite quickly they were believable (although it got a bit instalovey at the end). I absolutely loved the sense of family and protection screaming from all characters and it really epitomised what the preceding books were building up to.

4.5 overall and looking forward to the 'wrapping up' novella coming next.
3 reviews
May 22, 2017
,Not yours.

No way you wrote this book. It's so badly written, the spelling and grammar are horrible, and whoever wrote it mixes tense in a single paragraph. Ugh. I have read your other books and they were wonderful. This doesn't compare at all, unless you've had recent brain damage. Please, can we get back to the real Jenny Woods?
Profile Image for Stacey.
627 reviews11 followers
May 24, 2017
Angsty

This one just breaks your heart. These two guys have not had an easy go at life, the insta-love that seems to be a theme in this series, skins over some major issues that most people would not be able to just get over. Also, the editing issues continue through the whole series. Too many commas, words that just dont make sense. It needs work.
1 review
May 13, 2017
Short, but no less amazing than the others.
I love this series and this whole family.
Jody, again, I wanted to knock him out a time or two.
The man needs to work on his anger lol I could most
definitely see where he was coming from though.

Great series!
5 stars!
493 reviews
May 21, 2017
same as the others- insta love but still good. would have preferred something with more character development, instead of just relying on lots of back story to make interesting characters
Book candy-Sweet but not particularly filling : )
Profile Image for Lindsay Crook.
1,076 reviews38 followers
May 22, 2017
Awwww Jase!!!

I enjoyed this and Jase and Joker are really cute but it felt a little unfinished and there's a quite a few editing mistakes but other then that I loved having all the Kennedy Ink guys back..
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