Hook

Neverland in Chaos #2

by J.B. Trepagnier

My story could banish me from Neverland and the two most important women in my life. But they’ve asked for it, and I can’t tell them no.

We’ve settled down to a Peter Pan free Neverland. I’ve even gone back to teaching. I think everyone’s favorite part of the night is our story time. But Jade and Elise have asked for my story. Everything about my past from before I got to Neverland and the full story about what happened between me and Peter Pan. I’m not proud of some of the things that evil boy brought out in me.

The Queen of the Fairies and her entire court as well as all of the mermaids have turned out to hear my story. Queen Mab could send me home and take me away from my daughter and my love if she deems my sins too great.

This is my story. It’s the story of how the youngest son of a Lord became a pirate. It’s the story of how James Barrett Cunningham became the infamous pirate James Hook. It’s the story of how James Hook became simply Jas of Neverland and finally found the place he finally felt he belonged.

But are the crimes of James Barrett Cunningham and James Hook enough for me as simply Jas to have to leave Neverland for good?

Genres: Retellings

334 pages, Paperback

First published May 15, 2019

About the author

USA Today Bestselling Author JB Trepagnier is secretly 30 feral cats in a trench coat and combat boots writing romance with a shared feral cat hive mind.

Reviews

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

At this point, in my journey reading J.B. Trepagnier, I’ve gotten to know her writing style pretty well. If you’ve read her fairytales, the Bit Back series has a similar vibe to Chasing Tail which I read and reviewed this year. It is a historical novel set at the same time as the original J.M. Barrie version or more so the narrative starts at that time.

This follows Jaz aka Captain Hook in his journey Neverland to save his daughter Elise who was kidnapped just like Jade from Book 1. I found Jaz’s characterization to be very interesting and his motivations for becoming a pirate were a great twist to the original narrative that mirrors the Robin William’s movie - Hook which I grew up with. However at times the mirroring of the film was too heavy handed and I couldn’t help but wonder if this was just a reimagined fan fiction version of the movie.

The RH elements were some of Trepagnier’s weakest and I am starting to realize the repetitive nature of her sex scenes. Also to be honest while Hook’s story was a welcomed addition to the series arc, I wish that he wasn’t part of Jade’s group but had a love of his own. Jade having aged to an adult seems still have the mentality of a teen which made me uncomfortable with her having sex with a longterm adult. It had this weird teacher-student vibe that I am not okay with. With the rest of her harem, who also had just expierenced sudden adult aging, it was less weird as they read as teens learning about their sexuality.

Back to some positives because you might be wondering why I didn’t DNF but gave it 2.5 stars which is a decent score based on my critisms. The plot was multilayered and threw me for a few loops so was not too predictable. The info about Tink and all the fairies in general has me intrigued enough that I will probably finish the story. As far as backlist Trepagnier goes this is better than Book 1 but there are definitely better options when reading from her.

[David Belisle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where Are My Peter Pan Getaway Shoes?

Playwright J.M. Barrie penned his classic tale Peter Pan in 1904, on the cusp of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Funny things happen “on the cusp.” Enter J.B. Trepagnier. His adult adaptation “Hook” peels back the layers of the prim and proper and, ahem … it’s never say never in Neverland. Fantasies beget fantasies, pirates chase treasure and this may be the only reverse harem on Kindle Unlimited.

Jaz, the main character, strives to do the right thing while battling inner demons and wondering if he’s more lost than the Lost Boys. Don’t forget the croc with the ticking clock. It all adds up to a deep, multi-layered plot with ample fairy dust for the reader to fly through this satisfying, swash-buckling tale.

[Gypsy Madden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the idea of getting to see the life of Captain Hook, and this did a good job at giving him an origin story. I was expecting it just to pick up from when Elise, his daughter in the previous book was kidnapped, but it actually starts earlier from his childhood. It also does a good job at leading into the classic Peter Pan tale without changing it or tossing out details to throw the character into a better light. The beginning was a recap of the first book and the second chapter was just fluff of how wonderful Jade, the main character from the first book, is and how innovative and important her “harem” is (which it really isn’t since harems are a dime-a-dozen these days with this one standing out oddly because the author actually labels it as a harem and calls it that within dialogue during the book. Why give it a label?) So, admittedly, I just skimmed the first couple of chapters looking for new stuff. It’s like the author has ADHD, ideas ping pong around randomly within paragraphs, a lot of times ending on sex even though the original topic/thought had nothing to do with sex. Thoughts, ideas, and even dialogue get repeated a lot. Like it needed a heavier hand at editing. At 68% we hit the events of the previous book. From there on out till about 88% it’s a direct copy of all of the scenes from the previous book that had Hook in them, but from his perspective. All of the dialogue is the same and the author didn’t trim it in any way, and there is little to change it, and little insight, from the previous time through. So, if you’ve read the previous book, all this can be skipped. Considering the previous book was predominantly dialogue, it’s like only a sentence or two different here and there. I get the feeling the author did that to lengthen the book and as an excuse to revisit all of the sex scenes since as it stood, it only had a couple of sex scenes by this point. There was a weird obsession on women’s rights too. It’s nice and all to be progressive for the time period, but weird to spend so much time obsessing about it as the dialogue and thoughts kept getting repeated over and over. The swear words still don’t fit with the time period and definitely don’t make any sense coming out of the mouths of Neverland mermaids (why/how would they know modern swear words?) And more obsessing on what is and isn’t proper sexual relations and stressing how harems aren’t proper. (Why obsess on how improper it is and yet encourage it?) It still feels like a double-standard and controlling that Jade wants all the guys to have sex with her, but then goes insanely jealous to even think of them being with other women, as in she can have multiple partners, but they can’t. So not fair! In all, I wouldn’t read this book without the reading the first book, but on the flip side, if you have read the first book, a lot of this is repeat. In all, I thought it was a creative take on Hook’s life and rounded him out nicely, rather than just the villain from the Peter Pan story, and more than just a romantic scoundrel from the previous book.

[Tammy Northington · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the back story of Jas, aka Captain Hook. It takes you back to when he was a teenager when he lost his twin sister & wasn't able to be with her when she died. Immediately, her parents removed all traces of her & wouldn't acknowledge her existence. Jas, at the time went by James, vowed revenge & left to be a part of the Royal Navy. He proves his worth the first day on the ship. Fast forward several years to when he meets Sara who becomes the love of his life & makes her his wife. He has to leave for 6 months & when he comes back he finds her pregnant. Once the child is born, a girl he names Elise, Sara wants nothing to do with her because she wasn't a son. He raises her to be the type of woman he believes she should be.

Elise dreams of Neverland & Peter Pan & she tells him about her dreams. He thinks they are just dreams, but when she goes missing in the middle of the night from behind a locked door he begins to wonder. Several of his students tell him that they have had the same dreams, and he knows that both are real. He starts trying to find a way to get there to bring her home & gets lucky in a pub when Smee comes in trying to buy ale with fairy dust.

He spends the next few centuries trying to find her. This goes in to part of the story from The Lost Girl of Neverland where he meets Jade & the Wildlings. If you haven't read it, make sure you do or you might be somewhat lost in parts of the latter part of his story.

I thought this was a unique twist on Captain Hook's story since we all know he dies when he's eaten by the crocodile in the original fairy tale. I really liked this story. I think you will enjoy it as well.

[Anne Dwyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hook, known as Jas, has settled into Neverland with Jade and her harem, close to his daughter Elise and her harem. He is being a teacher again - none of them have had lessons since being brought to Neverland as children. And now, he must tell them all, including Queen Mab of the fairies his story - how he got to Neverland, and what he had done before they found him. Will they make him leave because of his past?

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

[Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hook has finally found love but will his untold story the one that Jade and Elise had asked to hear be to unforgivable for the Queen to accept?
Hook/Jas aka James Barrett Cunningham tells everyone his story from the beginning going back to his childhood, telling them all about his dreams, his regrets and so forth.
You get a real feel for who Hook is, though he isn't perfect some people can change... it's a matter if others will accept them.

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

[Kathleen Bradbury (Bulfon) · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started reading this story, I could not put it down. I read the book in one day. This author is an awesome writer. I can not wait to read more of their books. Keep up the great work. You should definitely read this book.

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

[Debbie Eyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fab second book in this awesome fairytale retelling! First book was Peter Pan, this book is all about Hook and it is just awesome! I loved this version of Hook as it is so different from the version we all grew up with and found this tale to be as gripping and addictive as the first!

[MotherOfEly · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far my favorite story of Hook thus far!!!! Every single piece of the story was sooooo necessary by the end! I loved it!

[Jordan Leger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hooked on Hook!

I'm gonna confess again here and now! I'm a huge fan of Hook. I really loved this book. And I hope to see more of Hook throughout this series. And since it's his daughter's POV up next, I just know he'll be in it.

In this book we got to see how Hook landed himself in Neverland and there was also a backstory with his daughter Elise's and her mother Sarah. It was all touching and a little emotional for a tad there. And I enjoyed every moment of it.

Side note: If you're a fan of Once Upon a Time, and enjoy some reverse harem sexy romance, then add those two together and grab this series.

I can't wait until Elise's story is out!

[Jacqueline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hook: A Reverse Harem Romance (Neverland in Chaos)
JB Trepagnier

“The crimes of James Barret Cunningham and James Hook…”

I really enjoyed learning Jas’ story which was endearing but desperately sad.

I have to admit from around 80% I skipped to the end as it felt like we were going over stuff we knew already

I won’t be reading the next in the series though.

3⭐️



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[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a bittersweet story of how Captain Hook came to Neverland. How James Barrett Cunningham turned into Captain Hook from his Navy Days to Neverland. This book portrays him with humanity and less one dimensional than the original Captain Hook character in the JM Barrie Peter Pan. I hadnt read the first book (the lost girl of Neverland) so im only reviewing this series from this one book. Its a lovely story about sacrifice & love. An enjoyable read or at least i thought so. Ill definitely be reading the first book to see what ive missed

[Ashley Shvetsova · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found it to be an interesting take on the childhood “villain”. I enjoyed the plot of the book for the most part. I found a few spots in the book that seemed to be rather relative but if you can overlook that you are in the clear. I enjoyed getting to know Hook and seeing a different perspective for him. I found it to be a quick and easy read once I got into it. I much preferred this to the first book in the series. I felt there was a hint less sex and more story to this book versus the first. I personally preferred the lessened sex scenes in this book. Overall it was a great read.

[Mysty Sinclair · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the characters from the first book of this series and the second book just gives even more reason to love the characters. We finally get to see the reason as to why Jas became a pirate the journey he had to get where he is now. It was a fun and hot read. The characters are given actual substance and the problems they go through is relatable so it feels real instead of just filler with only hot characters and raunchy sex scenes. I'm looking forward to the next book.

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

[Lucretia · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite character in the first part of this series was Hook, so I was delighted to see the next part was his! In this part we get his full backstory, which is rich with history as well setting the stage for his journey to Neverland. I loved the deepening of who he was and how he came to be Hook. The action parts were fantastic and the naughty bits as always were smoking hot. While so many questions were answered, it also injection a few new ones and sparked my curiosity about Queen Mab - more. I can't wait to read her backstory and her dalliances with those sexy faeries.

[Matt Gianni · Rating 4 out of 5]

HOOK is J.B. Trepagnier's second book in the NEVERLAND IN CHAOS series, the first being THE LOST GIRL OF NEVERLAND. HOOK centers on a young Lord James Barrett Cunningham long before he becomes the Captain James Hook we all know from J.M. Barrie's PETER PAN. Young James is sickened by his parents treatment of his sick sister Elise, and is motivated to run away. By the time his service in the Royal Navy ends and he makes it to Neverland, his puritan English upbringing is left far behind. Graphic group sex scenes are interspersed between the major plot points.

[Agata Jędrzejewska · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story really a lot. It was great to know Jas story from the beginning. With all his dreams, regrets and fights (those in and out). His road to Neverland wasn’t the easiest. His life after wasn’t either. Knowing his story make me like him even more and really happy that he found Jade. It was quick read (or more exactly I didn’t see time to pass. I preferred it much better than first part of this series.

[Bo0kSLoth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really excited about the grown up version of Peter Pan. I enjoyed the first book with it's darker themes and was excited about the story of Hook. I don't think it really brought anything to fledgling series. It was interesting to see the author's take on Hook's background, but I found the first half slow and the second half expected I hope the next is the first

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

[Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who would have guessed that the dashing, swashbuckling Captain James Hook was actually a women’s, children’s, and animal rights champion? Swoon! This was a wonderful ”memoir” about his pre-Neverland days as well as a recap of his exploits in Neverland. It is full of thrilling adventures, a little heartbreak, and a lot of steam.

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

[S.E. Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never say never.....

Especially when you add a reverse harem romance to a classic 20th century tale, and peel back the layers to reveal a whole lot of sexy encounters.
A clever twist by JB - the story delves into all aspects of Hook’s past, including his many adventures, in and out of the sheets. A unique characterisation of one our favourite characters, I look forward to the next in the series.

[Reena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second installment in the "Neverland in Chaos" series and I loved it as much as I loved the first one. Another well written story by JB Trepagnier, that kept me Hook-ed from start to finish ;) Can't wait to see what the author has in store for the next installment!

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

[Ritu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in this series. This is James's (Jas aka Hook) story. It details his childhood, Sarah, Elise, Jade, and Neverland. Good book, well written!

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

[liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gives you a very detailed history of Jas’s (captain hooks) past and different POV for scenes from book one it’s a well written story. It’s a great series so far and I look forward to reading more :)

[Samantha Shaffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a great backstory for the famous captain Hook of Never Land. This book isn't very steamy but it has sweet parts and shows how love comes in many forms. It was a great read and I can't wait for the next installment in the series.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

JB Trepagnier is a great author and is doing an amazing job on this series. Now I have to read more from her I recommend this book series.

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

[Elizabeth McDaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an interesting story with the view from Captain Hook. I really enjoyed the fun characters and the unique and exciting story about how James became Hook and how he came to Neverland.

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

[Lorraine Harvey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the first book in this series so much, however this one just didn’t hit the spot.
I did enjoy reading it as I’ve always loved everything to do with hook and Neverland. It was refreshing to see it all from his point of view but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a crazy good book. Amazing characters with intense chemistry and a connection to each other that was beautiful to read about. Action filled storyline. Twists and turns to keep it exciting. Five stars!!

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

[Lucinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book! I loved the characters and the story was really well written. I could not put it down and I would recommend it to all!

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

[Megan Youmans · Rating 5 out of 5]

So flipping good

I love the background to such a complex character! The depth and detail is phenomenal. Jas makes me wanna sing what a man what a man whatta mighty good man!!