Just in time for the holidays comes this steamy and suspenseful tale of a long-time love and the man waiting to claim the woman he's been waiting years for. When a snowstorm and a holiday decorating contest bring two people together, readers will find themselves charmed and their heart's warmed courtesy of this final installment in the Content Advisory series. Keep reading to get a tempting taste of He’s A Mean One by Lani Lynn Vale, along with getting my impressions of this age-gap romance, then add it to your bookshelf too!
For a solid five years, Jasper Madden has done nothing but look the other way when it comes to Calliope Hodges. At first, she was way too young for him, barely eighteen the first time he laid eyes on her. It also didn’t help that he’d witnessed her at the lowest of lows, practically making peace with rock bottom.
But as time goes by, he realizes that Calliope is different. She’s a brave, stunning young woman that has slowly captured his heart while he was watching from the shadows.
He knows that it’ll take time for her to realize that he’s not the enemy, but instead her saving grace.
So he decides to play the long game.
For years, he’s waited in the periphery for her to be ready. He stands right there, knowing that one day she’ll look up and finally see him as the man that is desperately in love with her.
But that chip on her shoulder keeps her from looking everywhere but his direction.
Luck finally leans his way when she moves in next door, and a battle of the neighbors ensues.
Where she sees war in the form of a friendly holiday decorating competition, he sees the opportunity of a lifetime.
All it takes is one bed, a freak snowstorm, and a Christmas miracle for her to realize that he’s been there all along. A silent knight in shining armor willing to take on the world just to make sure she never has to feel unworthy ever again.
MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
Ms. Vale never lets me down when it comes to her romantic pairings and her depiction of found families in the MC world! And this book is no exception! This book brings readers back to the men and women of the Truth Tellers MC to wrap up their series, while giving us hints of what's to come next in a story that pulled at my heartstrings…while leaving me satisfied with a smile on my face.
Calliope was young when we first saw her, a young girl struggling to keep her family together through working many jobs and trusting only herself. It made her hard to like at first, but with this book readers see a more mature lady. She actually opens up about herself, and her desperate life choices, and it endeared her to me. She's grown into a survivor, someone who tells it like it is, and I found her the perfect other half to Jasper to make him whole.
Jasper's a dark and brooding part of the MC, weighed down by a past that left him scarred inside and out. He embraces his loneliness, but when it comes to Callie, he's captivated. Her young age at their first meeting unfortunately kept him holding back, watching over her from afar. When they become neighbors though, everything changes in a journey of funny and heartfelt banter, along with playful exchanges that were flirty and teeming with sexual tension. Jasper saw past Callie's grumpiness to bring out her softer side in a discovery that warmed my heart. She too saw past his obvious scars, accepting him wholeheartedly despite his own inferiority issues.
Together they're a perfectly imperfect couple. They appeared to be opposites but they ultimately fit together beautifully in a tale full of fun and flirty banter, steamy encounters, and moments of festivities and frivolities. The feeling of the holiday adds a bit of extra warmth to this fast-paced story that kept me eagerly turning the pages, wrapping things up with a big bow of love and HEA! From start to finish this was a well-crafted series, with unforgettable characters that left a lasting impression, and I'm left greatly anticipating what Ms. Vale has planned for readers next.
My rating for this is an A.
*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
AUTHOR INFO:
Lani Lynn Vale is an American author of humorous romantic suspense novels. Born in the Great State of Texas, she has lived the majority of her adult life in East Texas where most of her novels are based. She’s married to her high school sweetheart whom her readers refer to as “LLV’s Bearded Half.” She published her first novel, Boomtown, in the summer of 2013 after the birth of her third child. She’s gone on to publish over 100 novels, with most of them going on to become USA Today Bestsellers.
