The first in the new SAINTS OF DENVER series from NYT bestselling author of the MARKED MEN series, Jay Crownover Sometimes you have to tear everything down to build something new… Sayer Cole is frozen inside. At least, that’s what it’s felt like for as long as she can remember. She’s yet to let anyone past her icy exterior – and the one guy she thinks might melt her heart couldn’t possibly be interested in someone so uptight. Rough, hard and hot-as-hell, Zeb Fuller has rebuilt his life and his construction business since protecting his family sent him to jail all those years ago. His elegant client, Sayer, makes him feel like a Neanderthal in denim, but despite the many hints that he’s been dropping to get to know her better, she seems oblivious to his charms. Just as things finally start to heat up, Zeb’s past comes back to haunt him and he needs Sayer’s professional help to right a wrong and to save more than himself. As these opposites dig in for the fight of their lives, fire and ice collide in an unstoppable explosion of steam…
MELISSA'S REVIEW: 3 STARS
The characters really carried the story here in Built, the series opener of The Saints of Denver. Zeb is unwavering and strong with a solid foundation. Even revelations that would throw any 25 year old man into a tailspin, he handles it with determination and believability. Sayer had a bit more work to do but the outcome is a woman that near matches Zeb's strength and confidence. They are both "doers" and providers, two qualities I love in the characters I read. While the characters were new and exciting and the series has that new car smell, I always know when I'm reading a Jay Crownover novel. She stamps all of her stories with her signature storytelling and her skilled and unwavering talent, and Built is no different. However, I was left feeling a little at a loss with the first 25-30%. I missed experiencing the interactions and the build up of tension between Zeb and Sayer as a result of the time they spent together remodeling her old Victorian. Instead all of the sexual attraction between the two was just there, because we were told so. Because of that I felt that much of the inner monologue presented by each character repetitive and uninteresting. There was too little "action" and too much reflection. Overall, I thought that it was a heartwarming and honest story of two people finding family and love where they least expected it. I look forward to continuing this series and getting to know the new men and women of the Saints of Denver.
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