Built

Harper Collins

Built
Jay Crownover
2016

The Summary
"Sayer Cole and Zeb Fuller couldn't be more different.  She's country club and fine-dining, he's cell-block and sawdust.  Sayer spends her days in litigation, while Zeb spends his working with his hands.  But none of that has stopped Zeb from wanting the stunning blonde since the moment he laid eyes on her--even if the reserved lawyer seems determinedly oblivious to his interest.

"Sayer is certain the rough, hard, hot-as-hell Zeb could never want someone as closed off and restrained as she is, which is a shame because something tells her he might be the guy to finally melt her icy exterior.  When he shows up at Sayer's door needing her professional help, she's both disappointed and relieved that she won't get the chance to find out just how good he could be.

"But as they team up to right a wrong and save a family, the steam created when fire and ice collide cannot be ignored."

The Good
It's time for some honesty:  I picked this book solely for the cover.  I'm not even going to lie, because I simply couldn't help myself.  Admittedly, it probably helped when I read the cover synopsis and discovered Zeb was a "hot-as-hell" construction worker covered with tattoos.  Why that seemed so scintillating and swoon-worthy, I cannot say, but it was and it's the whole reason I decided to start on the Saints of Denver series.

Granted, I'm not sure if I'll continue with the series, but I will say I did enjoy it.  This book was a guilty pleasure.  I picked it purely for the cover, and I was mostly pleased with it.  I mean, Zeb and Sayer are forced to confront some pretty significant emotional conflicts and, personally, I think they do a fair job developing as characters as they surmount each challenge.

It isn't an immediate classic, but that's okay.  It's light, fun reading.  Of course, if you don't like steamy, explicit romance, I certainly wouldn't recommend it; however, if you aren't bothered by it, it's not a bad novel to read within a day or two for some down time.  Plus, it has the added bonus of the lovely fellow on the cover.

The Bad
Like I said, Built isn't a bad novel, but it's not absolutely, world-rocking fantastic.  I wasn't always captivated by having to switch between characters.  I've realized that I only like first-person point of view when I'm reading through one character's perspective; otherwise, I only like a limited third-person point of view if I'm dealing with multiple characters.  That's a personal choice, than any wrongdoing on the part of the book.

However, I will note I was a little disappointed with the language.  That is, I wasn't always enchanted with the flow of the story, the tone of the characters, the overall feeling of the novel.  It wasn't like the author butchered the language or anything, it just didn't feel spectacular.  It was easy to understand, a definite plus, but it was lacking some critical element that would keep me riveted.

It just wasn't quite right.

The Ugly
I said earlier that I really liked the cover and, as a character, I really liked Zeb.  He's a reliable fellow trying to make a living and trying to make a difference in the world.  He's big, he's strong, he's handsome, and he's always good to women; however, he does not deal well with rejection.  Not that Sayer's any better, considering she breaks his heart because, despite him proving that he's a good man time and again, she can't get over her own insecurities.

I know it's presumptuous for me to pass judgement on another couple's relationship--I mean, who am I to cast stones, right?--but I was just bothered by the way they could hurt each other.  Admittedly, it was really only one moment in the entire book that bothered me:  the moment when Sayer breaks things off with Zeb, because she doesn't know how to handle a relationship--and then things get ugly.

Zeb is not violent with her, let me say that first and foremost; however, this event changes the whole tenor of the intimacy between them.  It's painful, because, in some way, Zeb wants to hurt her like she has hurt him and Sayer believes that she should be hurt for her complicity in breaking his heart.  They have this strange, harmful--toxic, maybe?--dynamic going on and it's all just so....ugly.

It's pretty much the only scene in the entire book that really bothered me.  I mean, their relationship is really not that bad otherwise.  Granted, Sayer is coming to terms with her father's emotional abuse and she's grappling with her own inability to always express emotion, so I know they are struggling.

For the most part, Zeb is understanding.  He's willing to let her work things out; heck, even after things fall apart, he's still willing to let her work things out on her own and figure out her own worth.  They work well together, they seem to have a genuine affection for one another (and uninhibited lust, of course), but this one moment between them just makes me wince.  It's difficult to witness, and I was just really, really bothered by it.