Monday, October 17, 2016

Review, Excerpt & Giveaway: BLUEPRINT by RJ Jones (Out of the Blue #4)


Blurb

If only building the foundation for a lasting relationship was as easy as drafting the blueprint.

Jet Black doesn’t date. Even if he wanted a man beyond sex, his ever-watchful identical twin scares potential suitors away. Jet lives with his brother, but since Gray fell in love with Kris, Jet feels like a third wheel. Despite their bond, Jet knows he needs to move out and experience life for himself, whether Gray likes it or not.

After his father dies in a boating accident, Ethan Nichols is devastated. As the last survivor of his family, he realizes the need to put down roots. He leaves Australia and returns home to San Francisco and his old architectural firm. But there’s more to building a new life than simply moving house.

Jet and Ethan’s first encounter is brash and anonymous, but when Ethan moves across the hall, their lives become irrevocably linked. Jet is quirky and fun loving, while Ethan is rock steady and dependable. There’s no denying the passionate spark between them.

But Ethan is looking for a more solid foundation than Jet is ready to offer. Until Jet learns to spread his wings and trust Ethan with his darkest secrets, building a life together will be impossible.

**This can be read as a standalone, however it is best enjoyed reading the series in order as side characters play a major role.**


Book Links




Excerpt

Being a drama teacher by day, I knew some tricks of the trade when it came to applying makeup. Not that I wore any normally, but every now and then I’d apply a little mascara to highlight my almost black eyes, making them that little bit more seductive and alluring. Tonight was one of those nights. 

While I applied some of the thick black stuff to my lashes, my mouth hanging open like a starving hyena as I leaned closer to the bathroom mirror, Gray passed the open door.

“You planning on getting laid tonight, huh?” he asked, leaning against the doorframe.

“Sure am. Been a while, and I’m in a mood.”

“Okay, let me get changed and I’ll come with you.”

I almost poked myself in the eye with the wand in a desperate need to stop him. “Ahh, f*ck! That was your fault. And you’re not coming tonight. No way.”

Gray frowned. “Why not?”

I rubbed my eye, smearing black stuff all over the damn place. “Because I don’t need you personally inspecting every guy that hits on me, that’s why. God, Gray. Just let me get f*cked for once, would you?”

Gray bristled, and I could sense the rehashing of an old argument was imminent. “Hey. I’ve never stopped you from having sex before.”

“No. You just stand there looking all bitchy and intimidating. Just your aura scares off anyone who’s potentially interested, to the point that they don’t bother trying to hook up with me.” I waved my finger in his face like the drama teacher I was. “Nuh-uh. Not tonight. Andy is driving me home at closing time, so there is no need for you to come at all.”

“But—”

“No buts, Gray. You have to stop this. I need my own life, and if you show up at any time tonight, I’m calling Kris.”

Gray’s face went ashen and he slumped in the doorway. I could tell he was arguing with himself internally. “Will you text me, at least?”

I straightened my shoulders, folding my arms across my bare chest. The glitter body lotion I’d recently applied probably didn’t make me look as intimidating as I was going for, but oh well. “I’ll text you when Andy and I are in the car on the way home. No other time. Got it?”

“Fine. Just… be careful, okay? I love you.”

Gray’s need to protect me came from love. And guilt, but mostly love. Sometimes my heart ached so much for him, it physically hurt to breathe. I stepped forward and embraced him tightly. “I love you too,” I whispered against his hair. “I know it’s hard, but I need you to allow yourself to let me go.”



Carra's Review

I have been SO looking forward to Jet’s story, he’s my favorite character from this series and I really wanted to see him get his happily ever after.  RJ Jones gave me that and so much more with Blueprint, and I’m already wanting to re-read this book.  While I suppose you could read this as a standalone, I strongly advise reading the other books in the series first-it will greatly enhance your enjoyment of this book since you get a lot of backstory between Jet and Gray, and get to know the other characters that appear in this story.

Jet has a difficult past, and if you’ve read the other books in this series you already know about it (but if you haven’t I’m not going to spoil it here).  Because of what happened, his twin brother Gray is very overprotective of him, and the two of them have an unbreakable, extremely deep bond-deeper than you normally see with twins.  This is both heartbreaking and heartwarming to see-heartbreaking because of the reason this bond became so strong, and heartwarming because you know they will both do anything for each other.

Ethan recently lost his father, prompting changes in his life that bring him into Jet’s path.  The two have an immediate spark, but Jet’s quick-and-dirty hookup style doesn’t seem to leave room for anything more between them…until Ethan moves across the hall.  I absolutely loved Ethan, he is an amazingly well-rounded character and is everything Jet needs.

The development of Ethan and Jet’s relationship is a constant work in progress, particularly due to Jet never having had a lasting relationship in the first place.  He is used to everything being fast and not sticking around-until Ethan.  Watching as Ethan shows Jet how to slow down and appreciate one another turns into a sensuous dance that is scorchingly hot, romantic and downright sexy.  Ethan is incredibly patient with Jet, and gives so much of himself in their relationship to help make Jet see that there’s so much more than sex between them.

We also get to see plenty of Kris and Gray.  This story is not just a journey for Jet, but for Gray as well as he learns how to let Jet live his own life.  It is hard for him since he’s been Jet’s protector from very early on, and doesn’t want to let go.


This series has become one of my all-time favorites in the M/M romance genre.  The storytelling is fantastic, the characters true-to-life with excellent depth, and the stories are emotional and leave you feeling thoroughly satisfied once you’re done.  Blueprint ticked every one of my boxes, and was an outstanding, 5-star read for me.  This book and series has a permanent place on my Top Recommendations list, and I highly recommend it to any fan of the M/M romance genre.  It is intended for readers 18+ due to adult language and M/M sexual content that will leave you breathless.  Many thanks to the author for giving Jet the HEA he truly deserves, I can’t wait to do a series re-read again soon!




About the Author



RJ started as a reader and eventually made the progression to reviewing. It wasn't until two men popped into her thoughts, insisting on telling her their story that she started to write. It started with one scene. A hot and dirty one in the shower.
RJ's initial thought was if she could write their scene then they'd shut up and allow her to concentrate on other aspects of the day. That shower scene was 3000 words long and three hours of work.  But they didn't shut up.  They told her their entire story and she didn't sleep for days.  Sometimes she couldn't keep up with what they were telling her and she had to keep a notebook by the bed.

Whilst RJ was writing their story a side character decided he needed his story told too. Then other characters followed suit.

You see the problem? If RJ ever wants to sleep again then she needs to write.

RJ is a wife and a mother to two boys. Even her dog is a boy.
She is surrounded by males.

RJ writes emotionally charged, character driven romances. Her guys will always get their HEA, but it will never be easy.


Where to find me



GIVEAWAY!





No comments:

Post a Comment