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Four Letter Word #1

A Real Kind of Love

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Avelyn Russell didn’t do love. Never did, never wanted to and as far as she was concerned, never would. She lives her life proud to hold the title as the ‘break up queen’ and for never letting love get her caught up in being an advocate of false hope fairytales. But her extreme methods to avoid love are put to the test by the one person able to tap into her cold little heart and Avelyn has no clue how to handle it.

Dasiah Stokes - charming, handsome, and not afraid of love. The complete opposite of Avelyn and the moment he reveals his true feelings for her, she bolts leaving him to fight for their love. He’s willing to do just that - until he’s not, leaving them both to figure out if it is or isn’t the end of their love story.

Follow Avelyn on her journey as she finds the true meaning of love.

142 pages, ebook

First published February 11, 2019

221 people are currently reading
249 people want to read

About the author

Bella Jay

23 books605 followers
Miami bred, Bella Jay (born Precious Rodgers) has had a love for books since she was a little girl. Getting lost in them was a favorite past time but writing them has become a true love. In 2018, with a little push she stepped out on faith and released her first novel to the world allowing her writer alter ego, Bella Jay, to take flight into the writing industry.

She writes spicy & contemporary Black romance books with unapologetically flawed characters who she loves to fix.

When she’s not wrapped up in her characters, she can be found traveling the world, building her empire, sipping on tea or wine while reading a book, and wishing healthy eats were pancakes or cupcakes.

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5 stars
144 (54%)
4 stars
79 (30%)
3 stars
33 (12%)
2 stars
6 (2%)
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1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
Profile Image for Che Moon.
Author 11 books34 followers
March 5, 2021
Whew the emotions.

I’m so glad I finally dived into this series although it took my emotions through the ringer. I’m a sap so there was annoyance, frustration, understanding, and tears. Yes tears! Super cute read I loved every bit of it and I’m excited to see about Waze because I fell in love with his cool persona. On to book two I go!
Profile Image for Kema B..
Author 10 books230 followers
April 5, 2021
This was so good! Man this author did one thing that not many people can do....change my mind about a character. Avelyn was every bit of what my boo Waze and her sister called her multiple times. She deserved it each time they said it too, however when the author broke her all the way down, I got it. I understood her and found myself rooting for her and Sy. Really great read. Now on to her twin to stress me out.
Profile Image for Natalya | TheIslandReader.
283 reviews11 followers
February 16, 2019
2.5 stars
Avelyn Russell was adamant about not falling in love. A good time? Sure. Love? Hell no. When her boyfriend of a few months, Dasiah, declares what that he is in love with her, she does what she knows best; breaks up with him.

Dasiah isn’t like any other person she’s used to and he won’t go away easily. Love doesn’t come when we expect it or present itself in the way we expect. Avelyn finds this out and in A Real Kind of Love finds her match with Dasiah.

It took a little while for me to get into a groove with A Real Kind of Love.

The story had promise but I couldn’t really connect with the characters. Avelyn, in particular, was a character that I found off-putting. It was hard to empathize with her. I understood her hesitation about love and even got why she hardened herself to the possibility of any real emotion, at first.
These were pretty solid characters but there was nothing that really put them over the top for me. This novel was pretty light on the romance. I saw the romance and we were told about their chemistry but never felt it.

While I wasn’t a fan of this particular romance, I’ve heard good things about this author and will be checking out more of her work.
Profile Image for Dahyana.
695 reviews87 followers
February 22, 2022
Avelyn x Dasiah

Oh my goodness. This was such a wild ride of a story. I literally hated Avelyn. I just wanted to shake her and slap her and scream "WAKE TF UP" at her. Even though she redeemed herself, it was still hard to like her. But she did eventually won me over. But when I tell you, she frustrated the life out of me the entire book...though, I get why.
This book had sooo much brokenness in it; it was heartbreaking. What I loved most about this book was the fact that "The Real Kind of Love" the author talked about isn't just about Dasiah and Ave. It was self-love, family love, and lots and lots healing. This was a short, frustratingly good story. Definitely recommend. This is my third story by Bella Jay, and she did not disappointed. Definitely going to add more from her catalog to my TBR list.
383 reviews1 follower
February 11, 2021
Liked the story, Avelyn not so much

Definitely liked the premise of this story but I did not like Avelyn. At all. I felt like we got so much of her ugly without any redeeming qualities to balance it out that even once the “why” of her stance on love was revealed, she was still unlikeable to me. She didn’t seem to be a good girlfriend, friend, sister even once she was owning her stuff and being accountable (the self-centeredness never improved). I couldn’t identify one selfless or genuinely kind act from her the entire book and it seemed like everyone more or less tolerated her behavior. I get that hurt people hurt people but some folks are also just plain ole a$$holes and that’s how she came across to me.
1,081 reviews8 followers
August 27, 2024
A real kind of love

This book was written very well and I enjoyed it and the prequel from beginning to end. In this book you will find young love and see them grow and learn about true love and dealing with their past traumas. This book is filled with angst and will have you looking at the main characters sideways at times, but I feel it is a journey that is very relatable, whether it be something you’ve been through or something you’re going through.

Now to what I loved about this book… I loved the connection between Avelyn and Dasiah. Their chemistry and their genuine friendship were so cute. I loved that Dasiah fought for his love until he realized it was a losing battle and chose himself over the toxicity. I loved that Avelyn finally got the help she needed to deal with her past traumas that caused her to run from love. I loved that her friends and aunt told her when she was wrong and didn’t placate her get by telling her what she wanted to hear. I loved that the sisters made up because it was clear that their response to their grief and their trauma caused them to have a rift. Most of all, I loved that Avelyn accepted that love was not a death sentence and that it is not a bad thing and that she made amends for the hurt she caused. I also loved that Avelyn and Dasiah were able to get it together and find their happily ever after.
Profile Image for Qiana.
350 reviews63 followers
January 23, 2021
This was a cute new adult book. Avelyn has trouble with the four letter word, love, but when life throws her a few unexpected curve balls, she has a change of heart. Dasiah loves Avelyn, but he isn't sure if he can wait until she figures out if she wants to be loved. Loved the originality of the storyline and loved the ending even more. Moving on to the next installment. I can't wait to see what these characters do next.
5 reviews
February 8, 2019
This book was EVERYTHING! It captured and held my attention from beginning to end. Bella Jay did a phenomenal job putting her all into these characters. Avi and Sy have a love story that is relatable to so many real life relationships. Their love will take you on a rollercoaster ride that you will not want to get off! I cant wait to find out what the future has in store for all the characters in this series. I don't want to give anything away, download it for yourself! This book is a must read, you definitely will not be disappointed!
Profile Image for martha fountain.
838 reviews18 followers
March 10, 2021
Avelyn took me through it!

I read the prequel to this series and wanted to understand Avelyn more even as she stressed me out. This author held nothing back in this story giving us an authentic intimate experience filled with anxiety and stress. I loved how every chapter began with a quote that provided the context. This story tapped into every emotion and when it was done, the ending made sense. It worked. This author put her heart and soul into this work and I look forward to continuing the series.
Profile Image for ReadnliftwithShar.
1,864 reviews
April 22, 2019
Love!

I really enjoyed reading this book. Avelyn stressed me out so much but I loved her! Dasiah was such a good man and he went above and beyond for Avelyn. I actually thought the two of them were through. I loved Waze’s character; he was a true friend to Avelyn. He was honest with her and thank goodness he was there for her that night!! I love how this book touched on suicide and suicidal attempts. I love the mention of counseling because so many people shy away from reaching out to someone in their time of need. Avelyn had a strong support system, also! I’m glad that she and Adalyn were able to work past their differences. I’m so happy that Avelyn gave in to love and admitted her feelings. Love is such a beautiful thing! Good read!! ❤️❤️
Profile Image for 'The Book Queen'.
6,025 reviews115 followers
March 21, 2019
Waze up!!!!

The story was hella good with a lot of back and forth for the hero and the heroine. I'll admit, there's a good bit of vacillating emotionally for both characters. But it was a good read.
Profile Image for Evie.
86 reviews2 followers
June 10, 2022
Avelyn stressed me out so much, but the author did such a good job in making me root for her. Dasiah, as well as all the other characters introduced did a great job of surrounding Avelyn with love but also calling her on her bs. I can't wait to get into Adalyn & Landon
Profile Image for KayBee's Bookshelf.
1,823 reviews58 followers
April 11, 2019
I'm a little on the fence with my rating for this book. On the one hand, I love a good love story. I love when love wins. I love seeing the promise, the struggle and the ending to love. This book gave us a woman, Avelyn, who was not interested in love. It was unwanted in her life. She was bitter. Enter, love in the form of Dasiah. In their journey to love there was disrespect, a lot of angst, self-discovery, anger and yet there was very little in the way of romance. I didn't necessarily feel the chemistry between the couple. I'm not sure if that is why I was not convinced this was necessarily about love, but maybe another four-letter word-feel. Learning to feel, communicate and accept love. Both characters needed to grow, but Avelyn's character was the most difficult. I am not certain if that character's reactions -that sometimes made little sense- is what kept me at bay. I like the Author and I will be reading part two.
Profile Image for Kesha Bee.
205 reviews
November 29, 2020
I grew to love her

As someone who is an old-fashioned romantic, I truly did not like Avelyn and her approach to relationships. She felt cold and nonchalant and I just didn’t understand her, at all. Having things change for her revealed the evolution for this character and I slowly found myself wanting to understand her more and rooting for her to grab her happily ever after.
I love when authors are able to portray complexities in their characters. It gives them more depth and they appear to be more real. As a result, this makes their stories more believable. I believe Ms. Jay did that with this book and I can’t wait to read the next one!
1 review
Read
February 17, 2019
Bella Jaye offers the readers the insight to a young woman who has all of the good things happening for her. She's in school and she has someone that loves her and this is where the problems begin. Evelyn, the 21 year old star of the story is a "commitment-phobe" and has some things to work through in all areas of her life. While the book is focused on love, the author does a really good job of spotlighting the importance of seeking the services of mental health professional. Being one myself, this was an added bonus and pleasant surprise.

The book is an easy read but not short on intertwining storylines.

Kudos to Bella Jaye on this book.
Profile Image for Alvina.
747 reviews23 followers
January 21, 2021
Hard Love

I was deadass ready to give Avelyn the whole business with the shenanigans she was pulling, yet I knew there was something deep rooted there, so I let her make it. I have to say, Dasiah is way better than most bc any other dude, in love or not, would've let that go. Yet, I enjoyed this story. I like Waze & Adalynns' vibes, so I'm anxious to see where that goes, if it gets a chance to go anywhere. I enjoyed the authors writing style, yet wanted more details of things, but I'm sure it's Hella hard to be so detail oriented in such a short story. Good read. On to book 2 in this series.
Profile Image for Yoneidis.
2,149 reviews12 followers
April 1, 2021
3.5⭐️
The book begins by showing us the 🔥relationship between Avelyn and Dasiah.
Everything is going well between them until he pronounces the 4-letter-word:love.
Avelyn then decides that the time has come to break up with him, but he doesn’t give up easily.
And they keep sleeping together, he thinks that Avelyn will finally realize that there is something more between them. But when she denies it over and over again, he finally decides to move on with his life.
And that’s when Avelyn’s journey to hell begins. She falls into a spiral of alcohol until she hits rock bottom, and following the advice of her loved ones, she decides to go to a therapist.
And that’s my favorite part of the book, seeing Avelyn’s evolution, how she gets to the root of her problem and faces her fears.
The end of the book is very romantic.😍
Profile Image for 3queensread.
60 reviews2 followers
February 21, 2022
Avelyn and Dasiah. What shall I say. After a traumatic event in Avelyn’s childhood causes her to loose both of her parents, she vows to never fall in love. She has fun for a few months and when she thinks the guy starts catching feelings, she drops them. While something by feels a little different with her new boo Dasiah, as soon as he expresses his love for she runs. We watch as Avelyn maneuvers through her emotions and come to terms with everything that happened in her childhood. While I wanted to strangle Avelyn in the beginning, as we learn about her backstory I came to love her. I was happy to see her growth. This is one of the first times I have seen an author show a positive relationship with black character going to therapy and I love that it continues throughout the rest of the series.
Profile Image for BellaJae.
100 reviews
March 17, 2019
PAGE TURNER!

I can't say Avelyn was my favorite person . She treated Dasiah with too much disrespect. At first I was like please dont let them get together. I didn't want it to happen . It was not goals for me. I felt like he could find someone else. Then my mind change after the ups and downs that Avelyn took me on. I was so dizzy dealing with her. She needed help and she got it. We all fall and I understood that. It took me a minute. I almost gave up on her. She was about to lose a good dude.

I really enjoyed this book. I like that I was introduced to each character. So what's up with Waze and Adelyn? Can't wait for them. BRING IT MS. BELLAJAY❣
Profile Image for Keisha Janee.
162 reviews
February 12, 2021
Deep

An insightful look at love. I shed tears throughout this book. My heart broke for Dasiah and Avelyn. Past experiences can truly mess up one's perception. Waze is a true friend and I can't wait for him to find love. Make sure you read the characters interviews at the end. Great read!
Profile Image for Tiffany.
5 reviews3 followers
February 13, 2019
This was a great read. Avelyn had me on a rollercoaster with all her emotions. I couldn't wait to see if her and Dashia would get it together. Evelyn had me all in my feelings.
This was definitely a great read.
Profile Image for Meek.
198 reviews
August 8, 2019
Girlllllllllll This Book!

You did the damn thing! Whew the emotions through this book didn’t let me nerves settle at all. Lmao! Now I’m trying to figure out what’s going to happen next in book 2!
2,080 reviews14 followers
January 17, 2021
Enjoyed it

This was the first book that I’ve read by Bella Jay and I’ll definitely be reading more of her work. Adelyn was quite annoying in the beginning, but she eventually got it together. Looking forward to reading book two.
Profile Image for Lisette.
614 reviews43 followers
November 30, 2021
Wow!

Each book I read by this author just gets better and better. I did not like Miss Thang at the beginning of this book. Whew she was a lot. But the more I read, the more I saw so much of myself in her. I can't wait to devour the rest of this series.
Profile Image for Jay.
143 reviews3 followers
September 13, 2023
Loved the growth of the characters throughout the book 🥹
Profile Image for Kwastina Jackson.
651 reviews6 followers
December 29, 2020
Girllll!!!

I feel like a proud big sister watching Avelyn get herself together. Sis had me clutching my invisible pearls and fussing like she could hear me. The was a NTMA and I must say I enjoyed my first read!
Profile Image for Jae Joseph.
1 review
February 26, 2019
This YA novel was a quick read. It was nice to read a book that was current and appeals to the daily struggles of early 20-somethings in regards to accepting and embracing love. There’s enough drama to keep you interested but not so much where it’s overwhelming. The story sort of starts slow but once you’re into it, things pick up well. The best part of the book to me is how Bella Jay presents therapy as a tool for assistance further destigmatizing it.
Profile Image for J..
Author 16 books103 followers
February 26, 2019
Book 2 Me Please ASAP

YYYYYAAAASSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK! I am all her for Avelyn's growth and her owning her ish. She mutted me when she was a dogging Sy. I wanted to shoot her a fade frfr lol
She bottled up all lol her feelings smdh that wasn't healthy. I am glad Dasiah was there tho because wheeew I ain't know if he was coming or going at one point lol
He was EVERYTHING she needed even when she couldn't see it or deserved it.
He loved the hurt up outta her with the help of Jakei.

SN: Waze is a real one because I would've had Ave handled after their first couple of interactions lol
Now Adalyn booooooo you gotta know you deserve more that what... Nvm
Hurry up with book 2
Profile Image for BetweentheCoversLiterary .
1,511 reviews33 followers
February 17, 2019
Super Duper Amazing

This book was truly amazing and I loved it...absolutely loved it from beginning to end and yes I was all in my feelings and emotions because Avelyn had me shedding tears on how she was hurting Dasiah #bookbae...but like the saying goes love conquers all which I know will be deemed true for all the characters especially Avelyn and Dasiah...they are perfect together. Definitely can't wait for Adelyn and Waze I know it's going to be good. Once again Bella Jay has reigned me into an amazing romance that I can't get enough of and definitely deserved more than 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟read.
Profile Image for Camisha Crisp.
746 reviews18 followers
October 3, 2021
real love worth facing your fear

I knew Ave and Siah’s story would have me in my feelings , but damn. Ave’s fear and her actions had me all over the place. The fear of loving someone is something we all deal with. To let the fear take over where we can miss out on the happiness due to us. Avelyn and Siah’s love really was pushed to the limits and tested. A realistic look at when we push away the things that are meant for us out of fear. Loved it!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews

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