LEVELED BY JAY CROWNOVER 

Genre: New Adult, Romance, LGBTQIA
“Most things that are easy aren’t worth much. It’s the things you have to work for that matter the most.”
― Jay Crownover, Leveled
Series: Saints of Denver
Built (#1 Saints of Denver)
Synopsis:
Orlando Frederick knows what it is to be leveled by pain. Instead of focusing on his own, he’s made it his mission to help others: sports stars, wounded war vets, survivors of all kinds. But when Dom, a rugged, damaged, sinfully attractive cop, makes his way into Lando’s physical therapy practice, he might be the biggest challenge yet. Lando loved one stubborn man before and barely survived the fallout. He’s not sure he can do it again.
Dominic Voss is a protector. The police badge he wears is not only his job, it’s his identity, so when he’s sidelined because of an injury, the only thing he cares about is getting back on the force. He expects Lando to mend his body, he just doesn’t realize the trainer will also have him working toward a hell of a lot more. As attraction simmers and flares, Dom sees that Lando needs repair of his own…if only the man will let him close enough to mend what’s broken.

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WOW! I absolutely adored this novella and I am not sure I will be able to review it without gushing completely. I was a little nervous about picking this up because I haven’t finished the Marked Men series and did not want to ruin anything. Besides the characters appearing in this and finding out who ends up with who nothing is really mentioned. I also thought it was wonderful that this was a M/M story. I think the book community needs more LGBTQIA!

Dom and Lando are such amazing and complex characters! I absolutely loved the relationship between Dom and Royal. It reminds me of my own friendships. And the family ties and relationship that Lando had was so nice to see. The boys each had amazing qualities that you couldn’t but to swoon over. Dom is so protective and has some wild stubbornness, whereas Lando is so compassionate and a little wounded. The chemistry between the two was full of lust and was super steamy! I enjoyed that they were each dealing with fear and overcoming lose in order to deal with fighting for their love of each other.

They had to work on their relationship and we were able to see that development form. We see them trying to figure out how to fit into each other’s life while still remaining true to themselves. Beyond the blooming relationship we get to see other amazing characters. I absolutely lover the Archer’s and think the relationship they have with Lando is beautiful. I also enjoyed hearing more about Remy and how much he has affected all of those around him.

Overall I thought this was a beautiful, steamy and heart warming story. The relationships were intense and complex, but so worth fighting for. The main characters were struggling and finding the help from each other lead to a great romance. Their banter really had me and made me fall in love with each of them. The family and friendship support was absolutely fantastic! It is always nice to see things like that happen when people are going through such struggles in life. My only problem with this novella is that I wanted more. I wanted more of the playfulness the boys had and the love and compassion that exuded from this story!