Series Love | Marked Men | Jay Crownover

New feature time!! WAHOO! I hope that you guys will enjoy it as much as I will (do)!

So basically, I am an unapologetic lover of series books. I know that standalones are becoming increasingly sought after for their inherent singularness, and I love those books too. Lots and lots and lots. But when I hear about a new series starting, or find out how many books a beloved series will be, and I get this comforting feeling of hunkering down and getting ready to dive in and get utterly lost. I crave it, that feeling of prolonged escape.

In an effort to share some of my love for series books–especially ones that I haven’t had a chance to review on the blog–I’m starting Series Love. It’s basically going to be my way of highlighting the books that are out, what ones are to come (if any), what they’re about generally, and why I love them so much. YAY!

For my inaugural Series Love post, I’m shouting out a new obsession of mine: the Marked Men series by Jay Crownover. Tattoos! Seksi times! Intense feelings! Three cheers!

In which I outline the basics, the 411, the cold, hard facts, etc.

Series Name: Marked Men

Author Name: Jay Crownover (web | twitter)

Publisher: William Morrow

Number of Books: 6 (3 published with the fourth coming out April 29, and the fifth coming out this October)

Titles: RULE | JET | ROME | NASH (April 29, 2014) | ROWDY (October 2014) | ASA (2015)

The Marked Men series follows a group of young guys–in their twenties–who all work for, or are related to people who work for, a tattoo shop in Denver called The Marked. There are two brothers, Rule and Rome Archer; Rule’s high school friends, Jet (a musician) and Nash (the nephew of the shop’s owner, Phil); Rowdy, a Texas transplant; and Asa, a big ole’ trouble maker. This series follows each of these guys as they try to deal with the demons in their own lives while finding twu wuv. They are all–with the exception of Rome (and possibly Asa because I just don’t know yet)–tattooed and pierced. All over. Alllllll over. And also very hot.

Most importantly, though, they all have dark pasts, troubles, family issues, professional quandries, and of course, LOVE PROBLEMS. The girls in these books–Shaw, Aiden, and Cora are the main ladies for Rule, Jet, and Rome, respectively–are strong, complex, and unique. The relationships are what drive these books.

So, why do I love Jay Crownover’s Marked Men series so much? They are amazingly gripping. It’s so easy to pick up the first book, RULE, and want to devour all of the rest that you could possibly get your hands on. The stories are full of really deep issues, as well as strong friendships, complicated loves, and legit steamy sex scenes. (Seriously. Don’t read these without a fan or some ice water or something.) Nothing is easy for these characters, but it’s incredibly satisfying to see them overcome their issues as best as they can with the help of their friends and their significant others.

I read the first three books in this series in about two days. Not even kidding. It’s book crack in its best, most potent form. Even when some of the characters are acting like douches, you want to root for them and their happiness. I couldn’t put them down, and now that I’ve read the first four (thanks to borrowing an ARC of NASH from Bethany!), I keep thinking about them all. Each book has it’s own main pair, but there is an ongoing story as well, and you get to keep yourself acquainted with each character even after their own books are over. Jay Crownover ties everything together really well.

One of the things that I love the most about these books is the way the characters are really just a big, loving, loud, supportive family. As much as I adore the individual relationships themselves, it’s the big-picture relationships that leave just as big an impression. Some of the characters have known each other for a long time, still others are newer friends. But they are all 100% in with this family they’ve built despite their own troubles and dramas.

Plus, I have a huge soft spot for military stories and veterans, and Rome is just such a man. He’s probably my favorite so far. But I loooooove them all! FOREVERRRRRRRR. They make me want to get all tattooed up and move to Denver and muscle my way in there. They might even accept me, and once they did, it would be like having my own army behind me no matter what happens to me, ever. They really do love each other without question.

I CANNOT WAIT to read about Rowdy and Asa! Like, my longing for their stories is intense. I have the paperbacks of books 1-3 just staring at me all the time (OH HAI TATTOOED GUYS), and my mind keeps wandering to them as if they were real people, and THAT is pretty much the highest compliment I can pay. Are these books high literature? No. Will you enjoy the ever-loving crap out of them? Very likely, yes.