eARC Book Review- Rome (Marked Men #3) by Jay Crownover

Title:  Rome (Marked Men #3)
Author:  Jay Crownover
Publication Date: January 7th 2014 by William Morrow Paperbacks
Goodreads URL: HERE
Book/Copy Source:  Publisher
Plot:  Cora Lewis is a whole lot of fun, and she knows how to keep her tattooed bad boy friends in line. But all that flash and sass hide the fact that she’s never gotten over the way her first love broke her heart. Now she has a plan to make sure that never happens again: She’s only going to fall in love with someone perfect.
Rome Archer is as far from perfect as a man can be. He’s stubborn and rigid, he’s bossy and has come back from his final tour of duty fundamentally broken. Rome’s used to filling a role: big brother, doting son, super soldier; and now none of these fit anymore. Now he’s just a man trying to figure out what to do with the rest of his life while keeping the demons of war and loss at bay. He would have been glad to suffer it alone, until Cora comes sweeping into his life and becomes the only color on his bleak horizon.
Perfect isn’t in the cards for these two, but imperfect might just last forever . . .

MY REVIEW:

The good: Decent plot and story line. Loved the sizzling chemistry between the two main characters in and out of the bedroom! Their characterizations were very catchy, honest, and real. I now wish Cora was my bestie! <3

The bad: If anything, it was the pacing. The beginning started off fairly slow but by 20 percent in I finally got into the flow of the book.

 The characters:

 Rome: tall, broad shouldered, short, dark hair cropped close to his head, azure eyes; has scars on his body from his service in the military.

 

Cora: very small and petite; has short, spiky blond hair and eyes are two different colors (turquoise and hazel brown); also has tattoos and piercings.

My thoughts:

 I really liked “Rome.” Maybe not as much as I had loved “Rule” but it definitely held its own. The two main characters, Rome and Cora, are portrayed to be tough as nails on the outside but fragile as glass on the inside. It was amazing at how alike yet how different they were. Cora was like a rock for Rome. She held him in place and helped him get his act together. Rome, on the other hand, was not the same man he was when he left and returned home. He feels broken, scarred, disconnected, and out of place from this world that he grew up in. Rome struggles with “civilian” life but with the aid of Cora, he learns to pick up the pieces while rediscovering himself and re-connecting with those around him.

  “I just wanted to bury my head in the sand and go back to a point in time that felt comfortable and familiar. I hated feeling like a visitor in my own life, and no matter what I told myself when I woke up in the morning each day, I couldn’t shake feeling like everything I had come back to after my contract with the army was up was a life that belonged to someone else. My family didn’t feel right. The new dynamic in my relationship with Rule didn’t feel right. Trying to get used to Shaw being taken care of by my wayward and reckless little brother didn’t feel right. Crashing with Nash while I tried to get my shit straight didn’t feel right. Not having a job lined up or any clear direction of how to support myself doing something other than fighting a war quite possibly felt the most wrong out of it all.”

 I’m not saying that Cora doesn't exude any vulnerability like Rome because she does and also gets called out on it from time to time. I just appreciated that even with personal issues aside (as in a cheating ex-fiancée!), that she doesn't wallow in her own self-misery but still carries hope for a better future. After all, she knows what she wants and will tell things like it is!

 ex. 1: -“That’s too much for one person to try and carry around all the time, Rome. You can’t be responsible for everyone or feel guilty all the time for being one of lucky ones.” 

 ex. 2: -“That’s not what I mean. You’re not happy and you’re not even trying to get there. Jeez, Rome we have more military in this state than we do normal people. Go get help, go find someone to talk to. Let someone save you for once. I know your brother and the other people that love you would appreciate it.”

My verdict :

A great addition to the “Marked Men” series!! I recommend if you liked “Rule”’s story since Rome is his older brother. I can’t say that I’d ever suggest Jet’s story, which is the second installment in the series, but I do recommend “Rome”’s to all of you who have been waiting for it. I see that Nash’s story is up next and I couldn’t be more excited. It seems that he’s going to be paired off with that nurse (whom we later find out is named “Saint”) that was in charge of Rome in the hospital. Apparently, they have history together. I wonder how that’s going to pan out?!



My Rating:

-Overall : 8.5
-Plot : 8
-Writing : 8
-Characters : 8
-Cover : 8.5


Where to get your copy!:
(Links to be added when available!)