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Ingrained
Mark
Three years, endless women, and still, I can't break free from this hold she has on me.
Then she walks into the party, with another man on her arm.
She knows the trouble her return will bring, yet here she is standing in this room. My one goal, make her mine forever and never let her go.
Emmy
Pain drove me from my beloved city. I had no choice but to start over. Now I'm forced back into the lion's den, and the girl they knew no longer exists.
He, however, is the same man I left: blue eyes, a magnetic presence, and a sinful mouth.
This time I'm determined to remain strong.
This time, I will not let him pull into his sphere.
A steamy second chance romance.
Three years, endless women, and still, I can't break free from this hold she has on me.
Then she walks into the party, with another man on her arm.
She knows the trouble her return will bring, yet here she is standing in this room. My one goal, make her mine forever and never let her go.
Emmy
Pain drove me from my beloved city. I had no choice but to start over. Now I'm forced back into the lion's den, and the girl they knew no longer exists.
He, however, is the same man I left: blue eyes, a magnetic presence, and a sinful mouth.
This time I'm determined to remain strong.
This time, I will not let him pull into his sphere.
A steamy second chance romance.
- GenresSecond ChanceBDSMRomance
374 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 9, 2023
4 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
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July 2, 2023SAFETY INFO WITH SPOILERS
⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️
No safe:
This is a second chance and during the present he was with someone after the book starts. One of the explicit, he was thinking of h while doing it. Even tho it was just a moment he was inside ow. Not condom mention. The other time was before this one and is the h seeing them getting out of a bathroom.
This is mention about their relationship the first time:
"Wake my son, get yourself dressed, and get out of here. Fucking slut!" My whole body was trembling at his words. Darting as fast as my legs could take me to Mark, I shook him awake. I explained the issue and dressed quickly. Mark didn’t want me to leave. He was apologetic, and I offered to face his father together, explaining that we could be together and I wouldn’t get in the way of his work. He refused, Frank was his problem to deal with. I don’t know what happened that day. I didn’t see Mark for a week, and when I finally saw him again, he looked right through me, like I was nobody. The fog cleared a few weeks later, and he was begging for me again. This turned into a toxic and frightening pattern. Sneak around, at some point get caught, or close to it, Mark would back away, fuck every blonde he could get his hands on, I’d forgive him, and so the cycle resumed. We are deep in that pattern tonight, surrounded by blonde women, and one of them is his.
Definitely not my type of hero. He also left his father slapped the h. And h had an abortion bc of fear of his father.
⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️
No safe:
This is a second chance and during the present he was with someone after the book starts. One of the explicit, he was thinking of h while doing it. Even tho it was just a moment he was inside ow. Not condom mention. The other time was before this one and is the h seeing them getting out of a bathroom.
This is mention about their relationship the first time:
"Wake my son, get yourself dressed, and get out of here. Fucking slut!" My whole body was trembling at his words. Darting as fast as my legs could take me to Mark, I shook him awake. I explained the issue and dressed quickly. Mark didn’t want me to leave. He was apologetic, and I offered to face his father together, explaining that we could be together and I wouldn’t get in the way of his work. He refused, Frank was his problem to deal with. I don’t know what happened that day. I didn’t see Mark for a week, and when I finally saw him again, he looked right through me, like I was nobody. The fog cleared a few weeks later, and he was begging for me again. This turned into a toxic and frightening pattern. Sneak around, at some point get caught, or close to it, Mark would back away, fuck every blonde he could get his hands on, I’d forgive him, and so the cycle resumed. We are deep in that pattern tonight, surrounded by blonde women, and one of them is his.
Definitely not my type of hero. He also left his father slapped the h. And h had an abortion bc of fear of his father.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2023
Beta Reading for this book was a DREAM! Jenni has such an amazing way of getting feelings onto paper. Emmy has been head over heals for Mark for quite some time and all she wants are those feelings to be returned to her. Mark has known that Emmy was his dream girl but to admit that would mean tainting the one thing he’s kept pure his entire life. Mark has special needs he doesn’t want Emmy feeling obligated to participate in but when she is on her knees begging for it there is no way he can tell her no.
Ingrained will stay with me forever. Thank you Jenni for writing such an incredible story!
Ingrained will stay with me forever. Thank you Jenni for writing such an incredible story!
May 9, 2025
★★★★¾
4.75/5🌶️
Tropes:
Second-Chance Romance
Dom/Sub Relationship
Millionaire Alpha Lawyer
Secret Romance
Praise Kink
Groveling
Warnings:
Parental Abuse
Mental Health
Toxic Dynamic
Grief
Manipulation
Abo*tion
All right, I have to start off by saying my tier on how much I hate a character. So the normal range is from 1-10, right? Well, not for me it’s not. Mine is from 1 to Umbridge. Yeah, that’s right. Dolores Umbridge. She is my most hated character, I seriously cannot stand her for the life of me.
But, why am I bringing this up? Well, in Ingrained, I found two characters to be in the Umbridge tier. And to me, that’s a compliment. How? Because Jenni Brady managed to write I hate so perfectly. I’m not comparing her to JKR. I’m just saying that she managed to hate a character so much that the only time it has ever happened was with her character.
And the characters are Josh Miller and Frank Wesley. Oh my God, I hated these two so much. More Frank and Josh because I hated them for two different reasons, and the reasons for Frank are just… No words. No flipping words.
Okay, I need to stop talking about those two before I go on a rant about how much I hate them.
Mark “Twain” Wesley. Now, his nickname being Twain is just beyond cute. The story of how he got the nickname is just heartwarming. I love it. A lot. Now, I’m going to split these characters into two. One is the “Past Mark” and the other is the “Present Mark”. I’m going to start with “Young Mark”. The same thing will be done for Emmy-May “Mimi” Stone. And seriously though, how they get their nicknames is just, again, heartwarming.
Past Mark just makes me want to hug him, comfort him, and help him. His father is the absolute worst person in the world. He was mentally abused and manipulated his entire mindset of his. This would reflect in Mark’s other relationship, especially with Emmy. They, unfortunately, end up in a Toxic relationship because of how Frank literally has both Mark and Emmy wrapped around his finger when he was young. It’s just so sad and I feel for Past Mark. And I feel that because his father, Mark, wasn't able to fully understand what he felt while he was in the unfortunate situation with Emmy. He is very much represented as a victim of the psyche of a victim of parental abuse. (Of course, this is my opinion) And I enjoyed reading that character representation.
Present Mark is very different from his past. He has come to fully realize his feelings and regrets every single action he took when his father had him wrapped around his finger. He starts to take the necessary precautions to protect himself and Emmy, from Frank. And it’s genuinely a good thing. Present Mark does everything to win Emmy back. He goes out of his comfort zone and does what she always wanted or does the little things that he would have kept secret. Yes, there is that notion of his father being still as abusive as ever, but he isn’t going to let it go between him and Emmy. I swear Mark is just 😮💨😮💨.
Past Emmy was in desperate need of a hug from someone. I want to protect her from what she was about to experience. Cause OH MY GOD! And the one to blame for everything is freaking Frank. She didn’t need the unfortunate things that happened to her. Emmy is shown to be a bright person but a shy person. And her character evolves, it’s both fun and sad. She found herself on constant thin ice with Frank. Which also affected her views on the relationship that she and Mark started when they were young. She didn’t deserve anything that she had gone through. I literally hate Frank. I hate him. And it does help that she was deeply in love with Mark. Her character to me was a portrayal of how people that see too much goodness are truly the easiest thing to break.
Present Emmy is broken from the past. Frank broke her more than Mark could ever. It also doesn’t help that she is dating that piece of crap Josh Miller. Oh God, I wished he got something worse than what he truly got in the book. Emmy holds this giant secret from her past that is eating away at her and she doesn’t even realize it until it almost explodes in her face. I was on the edge of my seat every time something would insinuate what it was about. The last thing I wanted for Emmy was for her to suffer more. And, honestly? I was genuinely surprised that she was the one that said the secret. That didn't explode in her face. Cause that was what I was expecting to happen. Though, this time she manages to stand up for herself in many ways that I felt were necessary and shows to me that she’s not a victim of her past. She does why many thought she couldn’t do it and it’s just amazing. I love her a lot. 💗💗
Okay, the spice of their relationship, 🤌🤌. I’m sorry, but the Dom/Sun dynamic is just too good. It is beyond great. Like no joke. If you felt that you were missing something in 50 shades, this will scratch every itch. Like, I’ve read that book, and I did feel like I was missing something, and this book hit everything. From the plot, character's dynamics, and spice. Don’t believe me, go and read it to find out. This book is beyond balanced with the smut and plot and I ate it up.
I swear this book was a whirlwind. My emotions were everywhere. Especially chapters 21 and 22. And if you want to know why I say that “Frank has his own special place in hell” then you should read the book in its entirety. And chapter 22 is what it does to me. I think that he is just as bad as Umbridge. I know I’m sounding like a broken record, but I’m not lying when I say he is the worst of the worst. There is nothing that Frank can do that won’t make me feel any more frustrated. I despise him and he is definitely my most hated character to have ever existed. Don’t ever mention this character to me, because I will be going on a rant for hours straight about how much I hate him. Jenni Brady did an amazing job at really making the guy be hated.
(The chapters that were listed are also the ones that talk about the Abo*tion that Emmy had to through. And please understand that YOU matter MORE than a review. Don’t read a book going blind completely. Know the Trigger Warnings before you go into a book.)
Now, this book isn’t a 5/5 all because of one thing. My small frustration with Emmy and Mark’s characters. There were some things that Emmy didn’t do that got me to really lean away from 5/5. Then Mark does something that solidifies my opinion.
Overall, this book… It’s beyond amazing and I definitely recommend it. Like, ignore my review and go read it, then look at my review and talk to me about it. Jenni Brady is very much knowing what she is doing with her character dynamics and how the plot works with the spice. Her writing is generally very detailed making you feel more connected with her characters and it’s something that I loved. And I’m letting you know now, I’m a hundred percent am buying the paperback. Her book needs to be on my bookshelf. <3
This review is long because I had to talk in-depth about this emotional roller coaster of a Book.
(Old Review)
So I’m going to attempt on giving this review without any spoilers… for now that is.
Twain and Mimi are possibly the cutest nicknames I’ve read by far. Like, I’m obsessed with the backstory of how the nicknames came to be. It’s just cute and funny.
Boy this was an emotional roller coaster. I cried, I blushed, and I screamed at some point.
I felt for both Emmy and Mark while reading this and their character developments were my favorite part.
I love reading both the past and present of both of there POVs.
The spice was very much unpredictable lol. I loved it. 🖤
Totally recommend and I’ll be coming back to add to this review. (Specifically I’ll be adding my my real review with spoilers 😉)
4.75/5🌶️
Tropes:
Second-Chance Romance
Dom/Sub Relationship
Millionaire Alpha Lawyer
Secret Romance
Praise Kink
Groveling
Warnings:
Parental Abuse
Mental Health
Toxic Dynamic
Grief
Manipulation
Abo*tion
All right, I have to start off by saying my tier on how much I hate a character. So the normal range is from 1-10, right? Well, not for me it’s not. Mine is from 1 to Umbridge. Yeah, that’s right. Dolores Umbridge. She is my most hated character, I seriously cannot stand her for the life of me.
But, why am I bringing this up? Well, in Ingrained, I found two characters to be in the Umbridge tier. And to me, that’s a compliment. How? Because Jenni Brady managed to write I hate so perfectly. I’m not comparing her to JKR. I’m just saying that she managed to hate a character so much that the only time it has ever happened was with her character.
And the characters are Josh Miller and Frank Wesley. Oh my God, I hated these two so much. More Frank and Josh because I hated them for two different reasons, and the reasons for Frank are just… No words. No flipping words.
Okay, I need to stop talking about those two before I go on a rant about how much I hate them.
Mark “Twain” Wesley. Now, his nickname being Twain is just beyond cute. The story of how he got the nickname is just heartwarming. I love it. A lot. Now, I’m going to split these characters into two. One is the “Past Mark” and the other is the “Present Mark”. I’m going to start with “Young Mark”. The same thing will be done for Emmy-May “Mimi” Stone. And seriously though, how they get their nicknames is just, again, heartwarming.
Past Mark just makes me want to hug him, comfort him, and help him. His father is the absolute worst person in the world. He was mentally abused and manipulated his entire mindset of his. This would reflect in Mark’s other relationship, especially with Emmy. They, unfortunately, end up in a Toxic relationship because of how Frank literally has both Mark and Emmy wrapped around his finger when he was young. It’s just so sad and I feel for Past Mark. And I feel that because his father, Mark, wasn't able to fully understand what he felt while he was in the unfortunate situation with Emmy. He is very much represented as a victim of the psyche of a victim of parental abuse. (Of course, this is my opinion) And I enjoyed reading that character representation.
Present Mark is very different from his past. He has come to fully realize his feelings and regrets every single action he took when his father had him wrapped around his finger. He starts to take the necessary precautions to protect himself and Emmy, from Frank. And it’s genuinely a good thing. Present Mark does everything to win Emmy back. He goes out of his comfort zone and does what she always wanted or does the little things that he would have kept secret. Yes, there is that notion of his father being still as abusive as ever, but he isn’t going to let it go between him and Emmy. I swear Mark is just 😮💨😮💨.
Past Emmy was in desperate need of a hug from someone. I want to protect her from what she was about to experience. Cause OH MY GOD! And the one to blame for everything is freaking Frank. She didn’t need the unfortunate things that happened to her. Emmy is shown to be a bright person but a shy person. And her character evolves, it’s both fun and sad. She found herself on constant thin ice with Frank. Which also affected her views on the relationship that she and Mark started when they were young. She didn’t deserve anything that she had gone through. I literally hate Frank. I hate him. And it does help that she was deeply in love with Mark. Her character to me was a portrayal of how people that see too much goodness are truly the easiest thing to break.
Present Emmy is broken from the past. Frank broke her more than Mark could ever. It also doesn’t help that she is dating that piece of crap Josh Miller. Oh God, I wished he got something worse than what he truly got in the book. Emmy holds this giant secret from her past that is eating away at her and she doesn’t even realize it until it almost explodes in her face. I was on the edge of my seat every time something would insinuate what it was about. The last thing I wanted for Emmy was for her to suffer more. And, honestly? I was genuinely surprised that she was the one that said the secret. That didn't explode in her face. Cause that was what I was expecting to happen. Though, this time she manages to stand up for herself in many ways that I felt were necessary and shows to me that she’s not a victim of her past. She does why many thought she couldn’t do it and it’s just amazing. I love her a lot. 💗💗
Okay, the spice of their relationship, 🤌🤌. I’m sorry, but the Dom/Sun dynamic is just too good. It is beyond great. Like no joke. If you felt that you were missing something in 50 shades, this will scratch every itch. Like, I’ve read that book, and I did feel like I was missing something, and this book hit everything. From the plot, character's dynamics, and spice. Don’t believe me, go and read it to find out. This book is beyond balanced with the smut and plot and I ate it up.
I swear this book was a whirlwind. My emotions were everywhere. Especially chapters 21 and 22. And if you want to know why I say that “Frank has his own special place in hell” then you should read the book in its entirety. And chapter 22 is what it does to me. I think that he is just as bad as Umbridge. I know I’m sounding like a broken record, but I’m not lying when I say he is the worst of the worst. There is nothing that Frank can do that won’t make me feel any more frustrated. I despise him and he is definitely my most hated character to have ever existed. Don’t ever mention this character to me, because I will be going on a rant for hours straight about how much I hate him. Jenni Brady did an amazing job at really making the guy be hated.
(The chapters that were listed are also the ones that talk about the Abo*tion that Emmy had to through. And please understand that YOU matter MORE than a review. Don’t read a book going blind completely. Know the Trigger Warnings before you go into a book.)
Now, this book isn’t a 5/5 all because of one thing. My small frustration with Emmy and Mark’s characters. There were some things that Emmy didn’t do that got me to really lean away from 5/5. Then Mark does something that solidifies my opinion.
Overall, this book… It’s beyond amazing and I definitely recommend it. Like, ignore my review and go read it, then look at my review and talk to me about it. Jenni Brady is very much knowing what she is doing with her character dynamics and how the plot works with the spice. Her writing is generally very detailed making you feel more connected with her characters and it’s something that I loved. And I’m letting you know now, I’m a hundred percent am buying the paperback. Her book needs to be on my bookshelf. <3
This review is long because I had to talk in-depth about this emotional roller coaster of a Book.
(Old Review)
So I’m going to attempt on giving this review without any spoilers… for now that is.
Twain and Mimi are possibly the cutest nicknames I’ve read by far. Like, I’m obsessed with the backstory of how the nicknames came to be. It’s just cute and funny.
Boy this was an emotional roller coaster. I cried, I blushed, and I screamed at some point.
I felt for both Emmy and Mark while reading this and their character developments were my favorite part.
I love reading both the past and present of both of there POVs.
The spice was very much unpredictable lol. I loved it. 🖤
Totally recommend and I’ll be coming back to add to this review. (Specifically I’ll be adding my my real review with spoilers 😉)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 stars
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 spice
Twain and Mimi 🥹🫶🏼
Thank you Jenni for giving me this ARC to read and review — I loved this so much! This story had all of the feels. Flashbacks, spicy scenes, plot twists, angst, etc. Each character had their own voice and distinct personality, and it was refreshing to read about characters who were obviously flawed and weren’t the definition of perfect. It just made it feel that much more real and the emotions felt more raw. It was very fleshed out, detailed, and thorough from beginning to end.
If you like:
— second chance romance
— praise kink (yum)
— millionaire lawyer MMC
— good spice 🌶️
Make sure to read this when it comes out on February 9th!
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 spice
Twain and Mimi 🥹🫶🏼
Thank you Jenni for giving me this ARC to read and review — I loved this so much! This story had all of the feels. Flashbacks, spicy scenes, plot twists, angst, etc. Each character had their own voice and distinct personality, and it was refreshing to read about characters who were obviously flawed and weren’t the definition of perfect. It just made it feel that much more real and the emotions felt more raw. It was very fleshed out, detailed, and thorough from beginning to end.
If you like:
— second chance romance
— praise kink (yum)
— millionaire lawyer MMC
— good spice 🌶️
Make sure to read this when it comes out on February 9th!
May 14, 2023
This was a fun read. It was so refreshing to see a book with imperfect characters.
You fall in love with so many characters and DEEPLY hate others which show how good the writing can be. This is a very realistic/real world point of view on relationships, it’s not every relationship but odds are most people have been in one like this, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t but in Mark and Emmy’s case it works.
This is a great debut! I can’t believe it took me so long to read it! Cant wait to read future books by Jenni!
Do check content warnings as it covers some very heavy topics!
You fall in love with so many characters and DEEPLY hate others which show how good the writing can be. This is a very realistic/real world point of view on relationships, it’s not every relationship but odds are most people have been in one like this, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t but in Mark and Emmy’s case it works.
This is a great debut! I can’t believe it took me so long to read it! Cant wait to read future books by Jenni!
Do check content warnings as it covers some very heavy topics!
February 9, 2023
Emotionally Devestating, in all the right ways
Holy cow. Such a roller coaster of emotions. My heart bled for Mark and Emmy - these two take you on an incredible ride between the past and the present. The secret Emmy harbours kept me guessing until the end, and I gasped out loud when I read it.
When I like a book, I read it over a few weeks, when I love a book, I consume it within a day or two - which is exactly what happened with Ingrained.
The spice is top notch, and will not leave you disappointed.
Jenni's writing is so fantastic - I dream of writing with so much emotion poured into the words.
Holy cow. Such a roller coaster of emotions. My heart bled for Mark and Emmy - these two take you on an incredible ride between the past and the present. The secret Emmy harbours kept me guessing until the end, and I gasped out loud when I read it.
When I like a book, I read it over a few weeks, when I love a book, I consume it within a day or two - which is exactly what happened with Ingrained.
The spice is top notch, and will not leave you disappointed.
Jenni's writing is so fantastic - I dream of writing with so much emotion poured into the words.
January 25, 2023
I absolutely loved this book! Mark and Emmy have my heart. I couldn’t stop reading! So good, and a wonderful story from Jenni Brady.
Five stars.
Five stars.
February 10, 2023
I received this book as a ARC read. I’m leaving my honest review:
I really enjoyed Emmy & Marks love story. Their story is very relatable which is another factor why it’s good. It doesn’t have any parts that are slow. There is trigger warnings to this story so beware (child abuse, abuse, sexual content, profanity, mental health).
Emmy has come from old money growing up. Her father has been very wealthily. So meets Mark and falls for him. He’s scared to let her in because his dad is jealous of her and her fathers old money. His father was dirt poor growing up, til he made his own money “dirty money”. (He’s a lawyer with his own firm) Emmy & Mark over the years hid their relationship, in public their friends and he parades around blondes to keep his father off his tail.
Dad finds out & he does something that makes Emmy run & doesn’t come back for years. She comes back night of her dad’s retirement party. Mark sees Emmy again, he has one of his blonde dates. But he notices she’s got a man with her, he thinks she’s still his…
Read and find out how Mark & Emmy relationship goes and see if they find their way back to each other. Read to see what happens between Mark & his dad. Read about Laila her best friend and Mattie (Marks brother).
Definitely a book that won’t leave you disappointed.
I really enjoyed Emmy & Marks love story. Their story is very relatable which is another factor why it’s good. It doesn’t have any parts that are slow. There is trigger warnings to this story so beware (child abuse, abuse, sexual content, profanity, mental health).
Emmy has come from old money growing up. Her father has been very wealthily. So meets Mark and falls for him. He’s scared to let her in because his dad is jealous of her and her fathers old money. His father was dirt poor growing up, til he made his own money “dirty money”. (He’s a lawyer with his own firm) Emmy & Mark over the years hid their relationship, in public their friends and he parades around blondes to keep his father off his tail.
Dad finds out & he does something that makes Emmy run & doesn’t come back for years. She comes back night of her dad’s retirement party. Mark sees Emmy again, he has one of his blonde dates. But he notices she’s got a man with her, he thinks she’s still his…
Read and find out how Mark & Emmy relationship goes and see if they find their way back to each other. Read to see what happens between Mark & his dad. Read about Laila her best friend and Mattie (Marks brother).
Definitely a book that won’t leave you disappointed.
April 2, 2023
5/5 ⭐️
5/5🌶️
First of all... #Twaimi.
This debut by Jenni Brady was incredible. I'll share the highlights publicly because there were so many times I laughed, cried, and swooned over the characters. There is a lot of development between the characters, Mimi and Twain, and I loved reading every second of it!
With dual POV, I was able to not only get insight to each of the MC's lives but also their thoughts in first person which is my favorite. The timeline was dual as well but in alternating chapters throughout the book which made sense with the topics that were explored. We were able to know the past and present thoughts/reasons within the same section of the book instead of trying to remember it all if she wrote the past first and then dived into the present at the end of the book.
With the tropes, warnings, and synopsis available publicly I was able to understand what kind of book I'd be getting into. Yes, they were back and forth with their declaration of love throughout the book but Jenni had a great way in showing us WHY. She never said they were the perfect couple and her fantastic storytelling allows us to understand it.
If you're looking for these following tropes then this debut is perfect for you!
- second chance
- dual POV and dual timeline of past and present
- open door romance with sub/dom + bdsm aspects
- mutual pining, but he grovels heavily
- secret romance
- great side characters
- millionaire romance
- NYC VIBES!!! (my favorite city!!!)
5/5🌶️
First of all... #Twaimi.
This debut by Jenni Brady was incredible. I'll share the highlights publicly because there were so many times I laughed, cried, and swooned over the characters. There is a lot of development between the characters, Mimi and Twain, and I loved reading every second of it!
With dual POV, I was able to not only get insight to each of the MC's lives but also their thoughts in first person which is my favorite. The timeline was dual as well but in alternating chapters throughout the book which made sense with the topics that were explored. We were able to know the past and present thoughts/reasons within the same section of the book instead of trying to remember it all if she wrote the past first and then dived into the present at the end of the book.
With the tropes, warnings, and synopsis available publicly I was able to understand what kind of book I'd be getting into. Yes, they were back and forth with their declaration of love throughout the book but Jenni had a great way in showing us WHY. She never said they were the perfect couple and her fantastic storytelling allows us to understand it.
If you're looking for these following tropes then this debut is perfect for you!
- second chance
- dual POV and dual timeline of past and present
- open door romance with sub/dom + bdsm aspects
- mutual pining, but he grovels heavily
- secret romance
- great side characters
- millionaire romance
- NYC VIBES!!! (my favorite city!!!)
February 10, 2023
✨Ingrained by Jenni Brady✨
Rating : 4⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Read if you like:
🌸Soulmates
🌸Touch her and you die
🌸Billionaire
🌸Spicy scenes
🌸Dominant
Really enjoyed this booked. The way the chapters went back to when Mark & Emmy first met and built up to present day was just chefs kiss !!
The character development was on point. I didn’t much care for Laila tbh found her rather annoying. Matt, although… loved…. ❤️
Mark was such a hypocrite when he said that Emmy was a coward! It’s not like he ever stood up to his dad!!! His dad was such an arsehole someone should have given that guy a beating a long time ago- I mean Mark should have smacked him😡.
Emmy could have done more to tell Mark what happened before leaving but I understand why she didn’t.
That is one critique I have got the book is the big secret that she was keeping dragged on too much tbh.
The epilogue was just😍😍😍😍😍😍 YESSSSSS
Thank you to @jennibradyauthor for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
It’s OUT TODAY! So go check out this book, let me know what you think
Rating : 4⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Read if you like:
🌸Soulmates
🌸Touch her and you die
🌸Billionaire
🌸Spicy scenes
🌸Dominant
Really enjoyed this booked. The way the chapters went back to when Mark & Emmy first met and built up to present day was just chefs kiss !!
The character development was on point. I didn’t much care for Laila tbh found her rather annoying. Matt, although… loved…. ❤️
Mark was such a hypocrite when he said that Emmy was a coward! It’s not like he ever stood up to his dad!!! His dad was such an arsehole someone should have given that guy a beating a long time ago- I mean Mark should have smacked him😡.
Emmy could have done more to tell Mark what happened before leaving but I understand why she didn’t.
That is one critique I have got the book is the big secret that she was keeping dragged on too much tbh.
The epilogue was just😍😍😍😍😍😍 YESSSSSS
Thank you to @jennibradyauthor for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
It’s OUT TODAY! So go check out this book, let me know what you think
February 11, 2023
First of all, huge thank you to Jenni Brady for allowing me to have an ARC copy in return for an honest review!
WHERE DO I START WITH THIS BOOK. It’s my first second chance romance read and I loved it! It switches between FMC and MMC POVs. It also does timeline jumps throughout the book. I wasn’t too crazy about the timeline jumps, BUT it helps give background on the two main characters relationship which I loved and appreciated. LETS NOT FORGET TO MENTION the GASP that left my mouth with the third act plot twist! By the end of the book I was in tears in the best kind of way 🥰
Tropes:
Second chance romance
Praise kink
Millionaire Lawyer
TW/CW:
Mental health issues- anxiety
Grief/loss of parent
Physical/emotional abuse
Spice rating : 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Overall rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
WHERE DO I START WITH THIS BOOK. It’s my first second chance romance read and I loved it! It switches between FMC and MMC POVs. It also does timeline jumps throughout the book. I wasn’t too crazy about the timeline jumps, BUT it helps give background on the two main characters relationship which I loved and appreciated. LETS NOT FORGET TO MENTION the GASP that left my mouth with the third act plot twist! By the end of the book I was in tears in the best kind of way 🥰
Tropes:
Second chance romance
Praise kink
Millionaire Lawyer
TW/CW:
Mental health issues- anxiety
Grief/loss of parent
Physical/emotional abuse
Spice rating : 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Overall rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
February 9, 2023
I was not prepared for this book! Mark and Emmy had a toxic relationship that I can't believe it lasted as long as it did and I was so happy to see how much it changed by the end of the book. Emmy really did deserve better and it made my heart happy to see Mark work to become who Emmy deserved even if it took him a while to get there. I was worried this book would be a cliff hanger with a major conflict just hitting with 1 chapter left but Jenni Brady did a great job putting everything together without it feeling rushed. Definitely a good read even if second chance isn't one of your favorite tropes.
February 13, 2023
I really did enjoy this book but I did struggle a little with the writing as being told from both sides some of the chapters overlapped a tad to me. I really did like the character and the story line and there are a few trigger warnings. I did really enjoy that over many years that Mark and Emmy found their way back to each other. I am definitely looking forward to reading more by Jenni Brady in the future.
February 9, 2023
The storyline was great! I struggled a little bit with the writing style, the chapters where told from a different point of view so it was basically reading the same scene twice but from the others perspective and then you also had the back and forth from when they were younger till now. I think it could have been written a little differently and still got both POV in but overall good storyline.
February 21, 2023
Jenni has created some emotional and relatable characters. Love and heartache are the centre of the story with loads of R rated action sprinkled throughout. Looking forward to her next book.
December 25, 2024
“Ingrained” by Jenni Brady
⭐️: 3/5
🌶️: 4/5
Disclaimer: Was given to me via author this month as an “ARC” but the novel itself was published already in 2023. REVIEW CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS!
I had a hard time with the writing in this book. There were a lot of grammatical errors along with an abundance of unnecessary exclamation points. The storyline itself was okay, in the sense that there were 2 main characters in different points in their lives so you had to be paying close attention to names, ages, and what was happening in the book so that you didn’t get confused. Character development, I thought, was also very minimal. The female main character (FMC) cheats on her partner, with the entire FMC relationship being extremely toxic with the main male character (MMC). The spicy scenes were VERY spicy, so much so that the author wrote how spicy certain chapters were in the beginning of the book. I would definitely not read/listen to this book in public. However, with all of this being said, I enjoyed a lot of the side characters and liked that they had some character development as well; it can be difficult to develop side characters, but I feel as though Jenni did well. There were also mental illness portrayals in the book which can also be difficult to get across, which Jenni did a wonderful job, albeit I would have wanted to see a bit more of earlier in the novel. There are trigger/content warnings in the beginning of the book, so read at your own risk!
All in all, I am honored to have been chosen by Jenni herself to read her novel. She was a pleasure to chat with and was very kind! I would read another novel of hers again if given the chance.
⭐️: 3/5
🌶️: 4/5
Disclaimer: Was given to me via author this month as an “ARC” but the novel itself was published already in 2023. REVIEW CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS!
I had a hard time with the writing in this book. There were a lot of grammatical errors along with an abundance of unnecessary exclamation points. The storyline itself was okay, in the sense that there were 2 main characters in different points in their lives so you had to be paying close attention to names, ages, and what was happening in the book so that you didn’t get confused. Character development, I thought, was also very minimal. The female main character (FMC) cheats on her partner, with the entire FMC relationship being extremely toxic with the main male character (MMC). The spicy scenes were VERY spicy, so much so that the author wrote how spicy certain chapters were in the beginning of the book. I would definitely not read/listen to this book in public. However, with all of this being said, I enjoyed a lot of the side characters and liked that they had some character development as well; it can be difficult to develop side characters, but I feel as though Jenni did well. There were also mental illness portrayals in the book which can also be difficult to get across, which Jenni did a wonderful job, albeit I would have wanted to see a bit more of earlier in the novel. There are trigger/content warnings in the beginning of the book, so read at your own risk!
All in all, I am honored to have been chosen by Jenni herself to read her novel. She was a pleasure to chat with and was very kind! I would read another novel of hers again if given the chance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2023
good but frustrating
The author is talented and I would defo read her books again, but this book? As brilliant as the writing is or the plot , I genuinely feel concern over my blood pressure !! Why oh why oh why did Emmy not grow a back bone !!
Possible spoilers below ….
So yeah they were made for each other … but cheating or not even cheating but to contact ditch her and sleep with other females - I just hate this it’s triggering - I’m fortunate never to have experience this is real life BUT she could have at grown a back bone and stood up for herself , it killed me every time she just forgave him ! Have herself to him so easily - if be devastated if my daughters were like this, so as lovely as Emmy was she’s 100% my least fave fmc , author this book was wrote great and for me that storyline with frank the awful father - it didn’t work it wasn’t strong enough for any female to allow her “ true love” to be so damn nasty and sleep with other girls to get back at her , am going to leave it at that because I could legit rant and rave all day and night about this!!
If you like toxic behaviour in relationships and a female with no backbone … then this is your book but I’ll be more wary about future books from jenni Brady - fingers crossed this was a one off !
The author is talented and I would defo read her books again, but this book? As brilliant as the writing is or the plot , I genuinely feel concern over my blood pressure !! Why oh why oh why did Emmy not grow a back bone !!
Possible spoilers below ….
So yeah they were made for each other … but cheating or not even cheating but to contact ditch her and sleep with other females - I just hate this it’s triggering - I’m fortunate never to have experience this is real life BUT she could have at grown a back bone and stood up for herself , it killed me every time she just forgave him ! Have herself to him so easily - if be devastated if my daughters were like this, so as lovely as Emmy was she’s 100% my least fave fmc , author this book was wrote great and for me that storyline with frank the awful father - it didn’t work it wasn’t strong enough for any female to allow her “ true love” to be so damn nasty and sleep with other girls to get back at her , am going to leave it at that because I could legit rant and rave all day and night about this!!
If you like toxic behaviour in relationships and a female with no backbone … then this is your book but I’ll be more wary about future books from jenni Brady - fingers crossed this was a one off !
February 7, 2023
This is a second chance romance that sucked me in completely. The relationship between Mark and Emmy is intense, but it’s also beautifully explored through both characters POVs. I really loved the the character development over the course of the book, and the spice is great.
The characters are explored well with a lot of care and depth. They have very obvious flaws, which I love to see in a book. I loved that those flaws were clearly laid out and explored throughout the book. The characterizations were strong, each person had their own unique voice. I could tell that Jenni really loved these two and that love was evident in the writing, the details, and the care that she took. Jenni did an amazing job. I also really appreciated the positive kink representation that was in this. AND I DON'T WANT TO SPOIL ANYTHING, BUT THE HALLOWEEN PARTY? 🥵
If you love:
- Praise kink
- Second chance romance
- Lots of spice
- A dominant CEO
- Flawed characters with good backstories
This book is for you!
Thank you so much to Jenni for giving me this as an ARC to review. It was a pleasure to read your work, and I'm so excited to read your next book!
The characters are explored well with a lot of care and depth. They have very obvious flaws, which I love to see in a book. I loved that those flaws were clearly laid out and explored throughout the book. The characterizations were strong, each person had their own unique voice. I could tell that Jenni really loved these two and that love was evident in the writing, the details, and the care that she took. Jenni did an amazing job. I also really appreciated the positive kink representation that was in this. AND I DON'T WANT TO SPOIL ANYTHING, BUT THE HALLOWEEN PARTY? 🥵
If you love:
- Praise kink
- Second chance romance
- Lots of spice
- A dominant CEO
- Flawed characters with good backstories
This book is for you!
Thank you so much to Jenni for giving me this as an ARC to review. It was a pleasure to read your work, and I'm so excited to read your next book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2023
Mental Illness is REAL and we should always take care of our Mental Health. In my opinion Mark and Emmy were toxic. Mark was too busy following his father's orders instead of standing up for himself and Emmy was always running away from her problems. I simply couldn't relate to Emmy at all. In addition to having anxiety attacks she refused counseling, would never communicate about what's bothering her, always ran away and accepted whatever bs was given to her just so that she could feel worthy and not alone. Translation: Toxic. Mark was no better; after losing Emmy he turned into a manwh*re and even went as far as trying to hook up with her BFF 2 years after she left him. He was willing to take that secret to the grave u til it came out. Mark and Emmy had a ton of secrets, lies, deception you name it; which all translate to them BOTH being TOXIC.
Lets not forget how Emmy was cheating on her current manipulative boyfriend with Mark instead of telling said boyfriend who Mark was to her. Lies......TOXIC!!! Eventually these two hot messes found their dysfunctional HEA.
Lets not forget how Emmy was cheating on her current manipulative boyfriend with Mark instead of telling said boyfriend who Mark was to her. Lies......TOXIC!!! Eventually these two hot messes found their dysfunctional HEA.
February 7, 2023
I really enjoyed this book but there were portions that were hard for me to get through. The beginning didn’t move as fast as I normally like which might just be a me problem. The pov chapter switch backs of telling the same thing was some filler that wasn’t necessary in certain areas but others it was great! Overall I still enjoyed this book and I absolutely loved her novella she wrote previously so I am so excited to see what else this author writes! ❤️
February 8, 2023
This book is definitely one that will have you on an emotional rollercoaster as you go through this journey with Emmy and Mark. Typically when we see romance books we always assume it's gonna be sunshine and rainbows most the book. This book takes you through the journey of a toxic relationship and dealing with the mental toll it takes especially in their given dynamic.
LOVED it and dealing with some tougher topics to read about.
LOVED it and dealing with some tougher topics to read about.
February 10, 2023
Stars ⭐️- 4/5
Spice🌶️-4/5
For a first book, this was amazing! Mark and Emmys story had me sucked in from the beginning and kept me in until the end. They had crazy chemistry and I loved that for them. Even fictional you can feel the love between them. Mark and Emmy both had mental health issues and trauma and I think it was portrayed well, they seemed like real people just trying to get through life and love/be loved.
I wanted to give it 5 stars but I’m just not a fan of cheating tropes :( no matter how sh*tty and money hungry the other man is
Spice🌶️-4/5
For a first book, this was amazing! Mark and Emmys story had me sucked in from the beginning and kept me in until the end. They had crazy chemistry and I loved that for them. Even fictional you can feel the love between them. Mark and Emmy both had mental health issues and trauma and I think it was portrayed well, they seemed like real people just trying to get through life and love/be loved.
I wanted to give it 5 stars but I’m just not a fan of cheating tropes :( no matter how sh*tty and money hungry the other man is
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2023
Mark does not deserve Emmy. I know it, he knows it and when you read this book you will know it.
But he bloody loves her and we know that too.
Emmy says it best with ‘Sure, there were red flags along the way, but red is my favorite color and I refused to see them.’
I really got attached to this book quiet fast. I was hooked early on and couldnt put it down.
But he bloody loves her and we know that too.
Emmy says it best with ‘Sure, there were red flags along the way, but red is my favorite color and I refused to see them.’
I really got attached to this book quiet fast. I was hooked early on and couldnt put it down.
October 19, 2024
I guess I'm the exception here 🥴
I was curious with the story and the characters but this ended up being a mess. . .
▬ 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬: second chance, childhood friends, forced proximity, BDSM
▬ 𝐭𝐰: suicide, cheating, abortion
I was curious with the story and the characters but this ended up being a mess. . .
▬ 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬: second chance, childhood friends, forced proximity, BDSM
▬ 𝐭𝐰: suicide, cheating, abortion
February 6, 2023
Cute romance novel with a great storyline! My only complaint is some of the nicknames are a little cringey but if you like second- chance romance novels with moderate spice then this book is for you!
Want to read
July 4, 2023🎁 FREE on Amazon today (7/4/2023)! 🎁
February 10, 2023
I got sent this arc by the author herself. This is Jenni's solo debut and it was nothing short of amazing. Mark and Emmy crawled their way under my skin and into my heart. And it was super spicy which I loved. The dom/sub undertone in their relationship was done exquisitely and I absolutely enjoyed it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2023
This book is a total rollercoaster ride! It starts off slow and sweet, but as it gets going, it’s sucks you in and it’s hard to keep up with the revelations!
Emmy was so strong despite all she has to deal with. I really wanted to hug her! I would not be able to do what she had to, hats off to you, Emmy!
The spice… wow! On another level! Not expecting that for those cuties!
Mark and Emmy were so sweet in the beginning, and I really thought “what could happen to these cuties? But the first few pages hinted at something sad, but they are so adorable!!
They may have a wild journey, but in the end, the epilogue was such an antidote!
Thank you Jenni Brady for an eARC!
Emmy was so strong despite all she has to deal with. I really wanted to hug her! I would not be able to do what she had to, hats off to you, Emmy!
The spice… wow! On another level! Not expecting that for those cuties!
Mark and Emmy were so sweet in the beginning, and I really thought “what could happen to these cuties? But the first few pages hinted at something sad, but they are so adorable!!
They may have a wild journey, but in the end, the epilogue was such an antidote!
Thank you Jenni Brady for an eARC!
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