Built by Jay Crownover

Title: Built (Saints of Denver #1)

Author: Jay Crownover

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Release Date: January 5, 2016

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

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…

I am a huge Jay Crownover books. Every book of hers I get my hands on I absolutely devour. When I first heard about her new Saints of Denver series I was extremely excited. And Built, the first book, absolutely did not disappoint me. 

Sayer Cole has always been told that she’s cold. That’s how she’s been taught to be. She doesn’t let anyone in and doesn’t show anyone any weakness. But Sayer is tired of always being closed off, of never letting anyone get close to her. But she just doesn’t understand how anyone could be interested in someone as upright as she is. Zeb Fuller wants to get past Sayer’s defences, if only she would let him. But as much as he wants to get close to her, Zeb isn’t sure he’s the right person for someone as elegant and sophisticated as Sayer. Just when he thinks he might be making progress with Sayer, something from Zeb’s past comes back to haunt him and Sayer is the one person who can help him. Even though they’ve put their personal feelings aside while handling everything else happening in their lives, Zeb and Sayer can’t deny that there’s something so much bigger happening between them.

Even though I haven’t reviewed it, I absolutely love Jay Crownover’s MARKED MEN series. (If you’re curious, I haven’t reviewed them because I binge read the entire thing in a week and didn’t really know what to do with myself after I finished.) But the moment I finished Asa, the last book, I immediately needed more and I couldn’t wait to jump in to the SAINTS OF DENVER series. Too bad for me, that wasn’t going to be happening for another four months. But the moment my copy of Built showed up in my mailbox I dropped everything to read it ( and this is where I would like to take a moment to apologize to my family who was visiting me and who I proceeded to ignore that evening in favor of reading Built). And guys, this book. I could go on for days about my love for Built. I loved it so much it might even be my new favourite Jay Crownover book. I don’t even know how to explain why I loved this book so much or what it was about Built that got to me so much. Well that’s not entirely true. There is one particular aspect of the story that gets me every single time it pops up in a book and I guess that totally had a lot to do with my love for Built. But also Sayer and Zeb because you just can’t not love them.

I had been curious about Sayer since I first found out about her while reading Rowdy. Though that books was definitely Rowdy and Salem’s story, Sayer was pretty prominent and I just wanted to find out more about her. But then I started reading Built, and the more I read about her, the more frustrated I got with her and how she constantly kept trying to push Zeb away. Because why in the world would anyone want to push Zeb away. Like, WHY? But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the reason I was getting so frustrated with Sayer was because I could relate to her so much and I understood why she was doing what she was doing. Once I figured that out, I loved her. And as I’ve already hinted at, I’m basically in love with Zeb. And I didn’t really expect that, to be completely honest. I mean, I love all of Jay Crownover’s boys. In fact they’re some of my favourites when it comes to boys in books. But Zeb was gruff and rough around the edges and completely unexpected in the best way possible. By the end of Built, he had completely stolen my heart. And I feel like I should say something about Hyde but I don’t want to reveal too much and risk spoiling some of the best moments in this book. But I will say this: prepare to have him completely melt your heart.

I love Jay Crownover’s stories, there’s just no way I could ever deny that. And Built? It might just be my favourite one. And if nothing else, it has got me more than excited about what’s to come in the rest of the Saints of Denver series.