Book Review — Four Letter Word by J. Daniels

“That’s ours, Wild. What we have, how we build on it, and I don’t give a fuck if it makes sense or not. It was fast but I don’t care. People might not get it like we do but again” — he dipped closer — “I do not fuckin’ care. What I do care about is you.”

Holy freaking hotness, I have WILD LOVE for this book!! If you’re a fan of sexy, tortured Alpha heroes who will make you combust with their hotness, break your heart with their pain, and then melt you with their sweetness, this is the book for you! I laughed out loud, teared up, swooned, and could not stop reading! This was exactly the kind of book I love to read — a UNIQUE, ADDICTIVE, SWOON-FILLED ROMANCE!! Easily one of my 2016 Top Favorites!

First things first, here’s what the story is about…

Sydney Paige was never so mortified to hear the words “wrong number” in her life. She meant to tell off the guy who broke her best friend’s heart, but unleashed her anger on a perfect stranger instead. And now her world is turned upside down by the captivating man who wants to keep her on the line.

Brian Savage is living a life he’s quickly come to hate — until her wild rant has him hooked and hungry for more. Soon the sexy woman on the phone becomes the lover in his bed. But Brian has secrets, and the closer he lets her get, the harder it is to shield her from the devastating mistakes of his past…

Intriguing, right?? 😀

I totally loved the thrill of them connecting only over the phone in the beginning of the story. There was something so intimate and intriguingly mysterious about completely opening up to a stranger you’d never met and yet somehow knowing that you could trust them. And it led to a rather unusual situation where the hero and heroine fell in love practically before they’d even met. And you know what? I totally believed it. I think if someone had just told me about their situation, I might have been skeptical, but having read it, what they had made complete sense to me.

“Told you I was gone for you,” he started. “Think you know what that meant. Think you might be feeling me the same way and that’s what you were wanting to tell me.” He ran his thumb along my jaw… “Am I right?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Good,” he said, smiling. “That’s ours, Wild. What we have, how we build on it, and I don’t give a fuck if it makes sense or not. It was fast but I don’t care. People might not get it like we do but again” — he dipped closer — “I do not fuckin’ care. What I do care about is you.”

Now, let me tell you — I did not see Brian’s secret coming. Or rather, I thought it would be something that affected him — but not them, so it was completely unexpected! But I loved the twist it put on the story. And the more we found out about the backstory behind what was driving him to do the things he did, the more my heart broke for this man. I actually completely understood why he wanted to keep this side of himself a secret from her — it’s just not the kind of thing that comes up easily in conversation — especially not at the beginning of a relationship, and even more so given that their relationship had such an odd manner of development. But I was worried about it because as soon as he realized that he had real feelings for her, the way he chose to handle his “situation” would literally determine whether I loved or hated his character. And I have to say that I am so pleased to say that I loved the way he handled it. I’m not an overly judgy person so I wasn’t bothered by what he was doing in principle — especially given his motivation behind it. But I was concerned about what it meant for their relationship. But the way he handled it made me respect his character SO much. Even the mistake he made was understandable and the way he went about fixing it absolutely MELTED MY HEART!!! Gah. Seriously. What an amazing guy. You guys have to meet him!

I would never fucking hurt her. I’d die first.
That’s how far past gone I was.
And her knowing what I’d been doing before we had whatever the fuck it was we had could hurt her, in some way or another, so… I just held on to the one piece she didn’t need to feel. I did it to protect her. She didn’t need to know that ugly, and I was done with it.
All of it.
I’d make good of that as soon as I could. Maybe one day I could tell her everything, but I needed this to be solid first. I needed to make sure I had her in a place where, when I didn’t tell her, she’d understand why I did it. Getting there might take a while, but I wouldn’t keep this from her forever.
She was my girl.

Everything about this book just worked for me. I loved their characters both individually and together as a couple, I understood their mistakes, but respected the way they fixed things, and I was really rooting for them to be able to make their relationship work and wished for nothing more than to see them find their well-deserved happiness.

AHHHHHH this book was seriously just amazing!

SEXY. CONSUMING. PASSIONATE.
HEART-BREAKING. EROTIC. SWEET.

I couldn’t get enough of it!

This book wasn’t just an addictive story, it was also very well structured. I don’t know the author personally, but just from reading it alone, I can tell that a lot of work went into making this book and polishing it. The story had strong pacing, well-developed and complex characters, a great balance between humor and emotions, the hotness was incorporated in the story in a way that made it quite erotic but also never overtook the heart of the story, the dialogue was on point, the characters made believable choices, there was no stupidity, and it had an extremely satisfying and full-filling ending (yes, with an epilogue). From beginning to end, this book really impressed me.

“I don’t understand what it was about you, but since that first day, that first text you sent me, it was perfect and everything I needed and you knew.” I lifted my head to look at him. “You just knew the right things to say and the right times to call. You healed me. You didn’t know it but you did.”

All the side characters also stole my heart. I know that several of the other couples will be getting their own standalone books next and I’m very eager to read them all. It’s been a long time since I’ve cared about a group of characters so much from just the first book alone that I already know I want to read all their stories but I can honestly say I’m looking forward to each coming book. Also, the story is told in first person and alternating POVs.

“Knew you two were serious, but shit, not gonna lie, I didn’t think you were talking about moving in together yet. Not sure this is normal.”
“Normal for us.” I shrugged. “Don’t give a fuck what anyone else thinks.”

And finally I want to mention that if you’re a fan of Kristen Ashley, then you should definitely read this book. One of the most common questions I get asked as a blogger is for recommendations of what to read after KA and to be honest, it’s hard to name books that stand up to that quality. But THIS BOOK DOES. In all my years of blogging, this would the #1 book that I would recommend to KA fans. It’s unique in its own right, but this author has definitely captured that same “possessive protective Alpha male” romance spark. I absolutely adored the writing style!

“Why are you calling me babe?”
I inhaled through my nose quickly, priming to respond when she filled in our silence.
“I like it,” she added softly, nearly a whisper, as if she was afraid to admit her honestly out loud. “I like Wild, too. I understand Wild, but babe? That’s a sweet name, and… really, I was terrible to you.”
“Got another suggestion?”
“Besides Wild? Satan.”
This time I didn’t keep my laughter quiet.
“You aren’t Satan, babe. You got sweet in you. A lot of it. Heard it in your voice even when you were laying into me, showing me your wild.”
“What?” she snapped. “I was not sweet when I was laying into you. I was feisty and a total badass. My best friend told me so.”
“You were a badass,” I agreed, doing it smiling. “But you were sweet, too.”

If you’re a fan of sexy Alpha male romance and you want a unique, addictive, all-consuming story to fall in love with, then READ THIS BOOK!! It is officially one of my top favorites of the year!! I can’t recommend it highly enough!

Rating: 4.5+ stars. First standalone in series of standalones. Adult romance.

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Series of standalones.