Becoming Jace

by Teiran Smith

Sophie’s previous life was a living hell. Despite being neglected and abused, she is just as lovely on the inside as on the outside. The sweetness inside of her is something Rooter craves. She is innocent, despite all the ugliness she has seen. The last thing she needs is the danger a criminal will bring. But for some unfathomable reason, she chooses him.No matter how many times he says she deserves better than what he can give, she disagrees. She isn’t aware of his fear that she’ll be used as leverage against him because of their involvement. His refusal to have her dragged into his dangerous life, which is inevitable if they are to be together, may be what keeps them apart.In spite of his pledge to never allow her to feel pain again, Rooter can’t stay away. It is impossible to tell her no—to turn his back and walk away. Being with her makes him whole in ways he can’t explain.But their passionate love affair is met with danger and conflict at every turn. When an accusation of a brutal crime is made, their relationship is pushed beyond its breaking point. Will they be able to repair the rift… or is it a hurt too deep to ever be healed?Becoming Jace is the second book in the Double H Romance series, but may be read as a standalone novel.

423 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 9, 2017

About the author

Teiran is a bestselling author of contemporary and new adult romance. In addition to her passion for reading and writing she is an abstract artist. When she isn’t writing or reading, you will find her her working in her art shop. A fervent supporter of animal rescue, Teiran donates a portion of her earnings each year to rescues as well as the ASPCA.

Teiran lives in Beavercreek, Ohio with Lada, her four legged furbaby.

Reviews

[Jac K · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 soapy mc Stars
I didn’t love Rooter, so I decided to skip this (I’m cheap) but I found a free copy and after a quick reread was curious about Jace/Rooter’s POV…. And unfortunately, getting his perspective didn’t add anything to the story. Becoming Jace is almost identical to Rooter (My Review) just from his POV.

When I first read Rooter, I was in the mood for a blind hero, manipulating OW, and a second-best h… now, not so much. So, I was hoping his POV would give us something to show that Sophie wasn’t #2. We do get to see his absolute obsession/devotion/whipped-ness for her, but we also get to see his concern for Candace… which I found sort of confusing.

Two things kept me from loving this…

❌ The author oversold Jace’s friendly affection, loyalty, guilt, and stupidity for Candace. He’s supposed to be a badass biker dude- not a dumbass biker dude. The drama should be generated from the OW’s machinations NOT from the H tip-toeing around her feelings. It also needs to be balanced which wasn’t the case. Instead, we have a love-struck Jace continuously thinking about Sophie being the center of his universe while constantly accommodating Candace’s needs… which doesn’t mesh ands puts the readers in a … Kissy lovefest ➡️ indulge Candace ➡️ Sophie pissed ➡️ Jace desperately trying to make up… Over and over and over… which got old.

❌ The ending is too rushed. The black moment occurs around 90% which did not leave enough page-time for all the good stuff. (groveling, skank comeuppance, etc.) There also wasn’t enough time to transition, so their behaviors felt unnatural. Like, Jace’s going from 400 pages of worrying about Candace to “That cunt is dead!” on a dime. Not to mention, that he only goes after Sophie because of the deception. Then having the reconciliation sparked by an event not the characters actions. (like conversations)

Bottom Line- I’m rounding up because I read it with my soapy-WTFery hat on and enjoyed in a Jerry Springer sort of way. From a romance, feels, or seriousness standpoint this would be 1-maybe 2⭐’s tops. I’m not sure if this is listed as a standalone, but I think it’d be hard to follow if you don’t read Rooter… Or at least have a better reading experience. (IMO, the author wrote it like a companion book.) The ending is abrupt, there isn’t an epilogue like the first book. I would only suggest this to readers interested in an OTT, soapy read with BUCKETS of OW drama… and alcohol wouldn’t hurt.

Safety- Although Jace never cheats, I do not recommend this for safety readers. (unless you’re looking for a rage read) He will infuriate you.

[Margo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a solid MC lite romance — lots of OW drama. H is a noble idiot in the first real relationship of his life and he makes a lot of mistakes. Three and a half stars.

[hugsandcookies · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 stars ✨ a good read.

Becoming Jace and reading his POV, brings to light who he is, and who he becomes for Sophie. But what comes of his book is ow drama and it’s not easy. He is torn between trying to make his feelings and his relationship with Sophie work, and not wanting to lose her as well. Yet the more Jace tries to sort out the other ow drama in his life (what comes as a shock to Jace he knew what he had to do and that’ll break both his and Sophie’s hearts and the decisions he was trying to make).

I do have to say this book literally wanted me to slap some sense into Jace and my heart ached for Sophie. So I’ve enjoyed reading the drama of Jace and Sophie, and also amazing supporting characters. I do love to know more of Bear and Miranda.

[Lady Lauren Explorer · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75!

This is just the POV of Rooter. which I definitely love his point of view.

It’s also crazy his thought process when he came to the OW and how harmless he seem to think she was.

And this made me realize there’s literally only one sex scene and I still love the book.

Definitely glad that I got this book and I will be rereading both! Would recommend!!

[BM · Rating 3 out of 5]

he story is well written with lots of things happening. Have not read Rooter book 1. My *rating reflects this
The plot was very obvious...R in love with S and finally makes move. C previous girlfriend refuses to accept it is over and plans to do everything to get R back.
How R behaves and how S accepts is frustrating because he jumps to C bidding and S being frustrated and annoyed and C winning every time. Too predictable from beginning to ending as it was clear throughout what was going to happen. The ending was weak because it all comes together HEA in a few pages obliterating all the issues which led to the relationship breaking up.

[Kathleen Lemke (Kathy Page) · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating: 4 stars.

What I liked: I really liked read Rooter/Jace(H) point of view. I also loved reading how he kicked ow out when he found out she was lying (the details was missing in the first book and this is why I bought this book).

What I didn’t like: I didn’t like how dumb he really was about Candace(ow). He knew some of the things he was doing was wrong but did it anyway(like going to the club party and not telling Sophie(h) that the ow would be there)

How hot was it: 2 out 5

Triggers: Ow drama. A fwb causes problems between the H and h. She fakes a pregnancy and miscarriage blaming the h

Final thoughts: I really liked Jace’s point of view. I just wished we got more at the end. I would have loved to see more into their future.

[Elsie Pitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the first story in this series. This one started ok I found that the Jace did not have any really good things about him and it was oh woe is me but I can not let her go type of feeling that if he just was better and deserving of Sophie he would be better.....type of attitude with really no way to redeem his self or what he was getting her into. Sophie had made a choice and she was the light behind the dark so to say and it made no sense to me that after everything she still was not enough for him to solidify that she was EVERYTHING! It got to the point it was almost predictable. I wanted to like Jace so much so that I actually started to feel a bit sorry for him but that did not last. I wanted him to first like himself then I wanted him to believe that he was worth it, then I wanted him to feel what Sophie felt for him and to believe that what she saw was the real him. At the end well it is a book and I am sure there will be more.

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

[Hailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was deeply disappointed after reading rooter. The author could’ve covered so much and really given us a look inside his head and instead it read almost a bit like from the third person.

[Shell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, this is a repeat of the first book. Just in Jace’s (Rooter’s) POV. I read it right after reading book 1 (same day). I wasn’t sure if I should but I did end up appreciating that the other book was still so fresh I could see both sides of each scene clearly. I will be honest and say I did skim a bit in certain chapters where they were both fully present and both were dialoguing. Since that dialogue was also in book 1. Other than that there is some new information that isn’t shared in the first book that makes it enjoyable and it flows just as well.

Would I say you should read them right in a row? I’m unsure. I think some would get bored doing it that way. I’m a quick reader so if I need to I just read faster. I like his POV especially when he finds out the truth. Still wanted even more comeuppance for the OW - what can I say? I’m evil that way. But at least we got to see how extremely angry he was.

[Vinessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading about the intense feelings in this book the push and pull. I welcomed the trials of broken souls, the emotional drama and thr building and repairing and the unexpected passion. The chemistry between the H and h is undeniable and unexpected. The  misunderstandings lead to a bit of wasted time. Connecting with the characters may come easy in this story, following the plot might not be

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

[Jeanne Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 1st book I've read written by Teiran Smith; she has done a great job at writing a good book; I can’t wait to read more of her books.

The story line caught my attention at the very beginning and kept me interested throughout the entire book.

I received a free copy of this book via booksprout and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a good romance read. The story has a good story line. The characters are good, and they have good chemistry.

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

[J. Ockenhouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an unexpected surprise. Reading the blurb didn't prepare me for the ride these characters would take me on.

I read it in one sitting and missed it when I was done. Good book and will definitely read more from Teiran. I received an ARC for an honest and voluntary review.

[Shannon Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this adaptation of Rooter. Jaces perspective of the exact same story, Rooter. I only wished i had realized this before purchasing the book. 4 out of 5 stars. Basically reading the same story 2 times, and paying for it. I really love Teirans writing.

[Amber Reis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the book felt like a copy/paste of the first one as this is in the males perspective. Again felt like stuff was rushed over or not talked about at all. I did enjoy the male perspective but felt like there were many missed opportunities to go more in-depth. Again… the recording.

[Teresa Daugherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good

I liked this better than the first one. Don't get me wrong they are both really good its just in this one we get Jace's side and we can understand why he did the things he did.

[Dre · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this in hopes it would make me feel better about certain parts of the first book seeing his POV. I was hoping he wouldn't be an even bigger moron once we got to see his actual thoughts, but nope, he pretty much made everything worse. Guess I shouldn't be surprised.

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Should have stopped at first book.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was nice to learn the story from his side but I was secretly hoping this book would continue the story of Sophie and Jace.

[VoraciousReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually love dual POV but seeing it in this book, Jace/Rooter's double standard pissed me off. He said, "Sophie's always throwing hypothetical questions in my face. The answer is, if the shoe was on the other foot, I'd hate it. I probably wouldn't handle it well at all. Even so, as guilty as I feel over what I'm putting both girls through, I can't hurt one to satisfy the other. Candace is already hurting because of me. I don't want to deepen the wound." Jace could try to fool himself all he wanted but the truth is, over and over again, he had a choice between hurting Candace and hurting Sophie and he chose to hurt Sophie.