It’s time to travel with James and Malcolm through their twenty year history as they battle each other and struggle to hold on to a lifetime of secrets. James Never good enough. Not the real son. I will prove him wrong—prove everyone wrong. I am someone. I will succeed. I don’t need my brother to help me. I don’t need anyone. My enemy holds my secret. He teases me. Taunts me. Follows me with his … teases me.
Taunts me.
Follows me with his eyes.
Our hot, angry kisses keep me up at night.
I don’t want him.
I hate him.
But I can’t stop thinking about him.
That there’s more to him
I want to discover him.
The truth is unexpected.
My enemy might not only be my friend but the love I never thought to have.
Malcolm
Live, love, laugh.
Life is too short to worry when you don’t know how long you’ve got.
I want every day to be my best.
Like it’s my last.
My friends see what I let them.
Not the real me.
Only one man has ever crawled beneath my skin.
He drives me crazy.
Makes me wild.
Makes me care.
A night of bad decisions changes the course of my life.
Everything I’ve known no longer makes sense.
My enemy now stands by my side.
I’m no longer running.
I want to stay.
I want a future.
Hate has changed to something new and wonderful.
Something terrifying.
Uncontrollable.
Love.
more
OMG!! I absolutely loved, loved, loved James!!! I wish I could give this book 10 stars!! I thought it was Cort, but James is by far, the best of the Uncontrollable, Man Up series. My goodness did Felice Stevens outdo herself with this one!! James is an unbelievably powerful story about loss, forgiveness, love, family, and acceptance of not only those around you, but of yourself. I have to say that James held me in its emotionally gripping vice from the moment I opened the book until I closed it, and even after I closed it I was still caught up in its powerful message of acceptance and love. Felice Stevens true talent as a writer shown brightly in James. She was able to make me feel every single emotion that not only James felt, but Malcolm, and all of the other important characters in this one. I must say that one of the best things about James is that Felice Stevens wrote it like a play in 3 acts…the beginning, which lays the foundation for the middle act; the middle act, which provides us with more depth and sourcing for the secrets that will be laid bare in the final act; and the powerful end, which brings the closure that we, the readers, have been wanting for James and Malcolm throughout the entire story, esp. for James, the lost little boy who met in the beginning. And yes, there was also intermission in this story, which provided the reader the time to truly assess and think about all that had occurred beforehand.
James is the story of James Rutledge, Rhoades’ half brother, and Malcolm McHabe, Rhoades’ best friend since childhood, and the story of them finding their way to their HEA. It is a story of enemies to friends to lovers. During the course of the story, we find out that both James and Malcolm have secrets that they have been hiding from the people that they love and from each other. Each man has a secret that drives him to do the things that he does and makes him the person that he is. Although we first met James in Austin, and we have come to know him as the beautiful, no nonsense, has it together boss of Man Up who looks out for his employees, friends, and those they love, we learn that James has a deeply personal pain that has been with him since he was a little boy, and that who he projects himself to be just may not be who James truly is. And the same goes for Malcolm, the fun-filled, loving life, leave ’em as you found them, try anything, but stay away from relationships, rich boy, best friend of Rhoades. Malcolm is harboring a seriously deep secret that he does not want shared at all. And yet, Malcolm sees James for who is he, and for who he could and should be to him. Malcolm and James are absolutely swoon-worthy together. I loved the way Malcolm was willing to fight for James, and to help James see that he is not who he thinks he is,but that he is so much more.
I honestly cannot say it enough…I absolutely loved this book and this story, and these two men. James is such a beautifully written story. I cannot wait for what Felice Stevens has in store next for us readers. Bravo, Felice Stevens!! Bravo!!
5+++ Stars!
All the Stars and all my heart for James and Mal! This book is the last in the Man Up series and my favorite by far. I don’t think it can be read as a standalone since we get bits and pieces of James and Mal throughout the books and trust me, you don’t want to miss a second of their story.
James was such an integral part of Austin, Rhoades, Frankie and Cort’s lives. He seemed grumpy and reserved, even if it’s clear he’s there for the guys working at Man Up whenever they need him. I knew his story was going to be heartbreaking, but I had no clue at all how much it would impact me, especially when he finally sat down with Rhoades and told him what he’d gone through before and after they met. If I could’ve revived his father and kill him again, I would’ve. Not that I was all that happy with Rhoades and how selfish he was with James’ feelings. Needless to say that James is one of my all-time favorite Felice Stevens’ characters now, he might have even displaced Ash from the first spot, too, that’s how much I love him. (Just shhhh, don’t tell Ash. 😉 )
I liked Malcolm very much. I loved that he was able to push James’ buttons and make him feel again. He frustrated me, though, with how stubborn he was about keeping his secret from Rhoades and James.
I loved seeing the progression of their relationship, from the moment they met until they finally get together and seeing how their animosity started. I adored the small signs that showed that there was more than just anger between them. The sparks that flew every time they crossed paths and how they seemed to see through their respective masks. The intensity of their passion, of their feelings, was nearly overwhelming, and that translated in some of the hottest kisses and sex scenes that I’ve read and a love story that I will surely read again and again.
James—Uncontrollable was a rollercoaster of emotions and a fantastic read. I laughed and cried and haven’t been able to stop thinking about James and Mal since I finished the book. And even if I’m sad that this was the last book in the series, I was happy to see it end on such a high note and getting to catch up with all the guys from the previous stories. Definitely a must read!
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn’t a requirement. ***
I have read this book so many times it’s hard for me to write a review that is not a blubbering mess of me gushing about how much I love Mal and Jamie. But I will try to at least be coherent.
This is an enemies-to-lovers story; everyone is always saying that Mal and Jamie hate each other. Only, it isn’t strictly true… Malcom and James have a very complicated relationship, they have known each other for most of their lives and Mal has tried to be there for James when they were kids. But hurt, resentment and secrets have forged a chasm between them and after twenty years it seems the only way they can interact is snapping at each other.
I won’t delve further into what changes between them because I don’t want to spoil the fun of reading this wonderful book.
The audio version is absolutely amazing, Kale Williams did such an amazing job with the different, distinctive voices and accents.
James Uncontrollable by Felice Stevens Story 5 Stars
Audio 5 Stars
Story line
Author: Ms. Felice Stevens
The book has a very dark edge to it but if you continue you will start to see lightness emerging. Spanning over 20 years we see the at times volatile relationship between James and Malcolm. Mal is best friends with Rhoades, James older half brother.
James and Mal have serious issues to contend with. In the previous books you see there is strong resentment between the two. Sometimes hate and love can be very close and difficult to differentiate between. James had a very poor view of himself and acted out quite recklessly as a young man. Mal is aware of James past mistakes and this has caused an even greater divide on how they treat each other. Time doesn’t necessarily heal all wounds as the men continued to bait and snark at each other over all these years. But as I stated earlier emotions as complicated as hate can change and I was completely absorbed at their transformation. I don’t want to give away any spoilers so you will have to pick up the book to understand what caused this great discord between these compelling men and see if they can heal past wounds. An amazing story chocked full of realistic angst that I highly recommend.
Audio
Narrator: Mr. Kale Williams
Kale is one of my favorite narrators. His voice is quite distinctive and I love his interpretation of all the various characters. His tone is always soothing and as usual you always know who is speaking as each person is developed and distinct. Kale nailed the voice of young James and you could feel his intense anxiety when he is shipped to live with his cold and uncaring father. All in all this presentation is a wonderful audio that lives up to its expectations. I highly recommend this wonderful listening experience and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Wow! I knew James’s book was going to be a good one but this one blew me away.
James was Rhoades half-brother (he and Austin have had their story already told) who he met for the first time when he was fourteen years old.
James had lived sort of a tough life as a kid, having a mom who loved him very much but worked late hours as a cocktail waitress. He depended on the kindness of his neighbors Lola and Samuel to watch over him. He also had a very wealthy but very absent father. Why? Because James and his mom were his father’s dirty little secret.
After James’s mom had died, he went to New York in hopes of meeting the brother his mom had told him about. Unfortunately, to his father and Rhoades, the Black Plague would have been better received than his arrival. In Rhoades defense, he was never told that he had a half-brother.
My heart broke into a million pieces as James lived a lonely life. He hated his father with everything he had—it’d caused him to make some dangerously poor choices, but that very hatred also drove him to be a successful businessman, owning several nightclubs including Man Up, where Austin, Frankie, and Cort had worked. With each new mark of success, James had become colder and detached in his drive to best his dead father.
Mal was Rhoades best friend and had been in James’s life more or less ever since he’d moved to NY. Mal lived a wild, carefree life, jet-setting around the world. He’d constantly goaded and teased James, which made James truly despise him. There wasn’t a person who didn’t know how much animosity James held towards Mal.
But you know what they say is on the other side of so much hatred—
There was so much going on in this book. Secrets and differences never worked out had really taken their toll between either Mal and James, Mal and Rhoades, or James and Rhoades.
As the unthinkable happened, and Mal and James fell hard, a newfound sense of light and levity had slowly started to thaw James’s cold heart. Of course, as secrets were revealed, understanding, pain, and regret followed—but c’mon, Felice Stevens wouldn’t leave her readers without a HEA. James and Mal just had to work extra hard for it.
The pure goodness in Felice’s flawed characters are what made them so lovable. Along with all his success, James’s passion was to help young homeless gay men find a safe place to live and work. Mal worked hard to raise money for neurological and brain disorders.
I positively loved this book. The hate/love between James and Mal was tumultuous and palpable. The personalities of the Man Up cast, as always, added plenty of depth. The layered storyline was so well-written and flowed perfectly from one chapter to the next. The world that Felice Stevens has built always leaves me wanting more! Five stars aren’t enough.
This is hands-down my favorite story of this series along with Austin, Rhoades, Frankie, Cort 🙂
Um, to think again, I loved all the book in the series and cannot recommend you enough to read the whole series (in order).
Side note : this book cannot read as a stand alone.
I used to be curious about Malcolm, Rhoades best friend that James hated so much from the beginning of this series. I know that there’s something between them, their own story that no one, not even Rhoades knew.
Knowing James, and his heartbreaking story was hard, Felice took us back in time, to twenty years before today, to get to know what happened back then that made James he is now.
I cried for little James, for he’s the one who had to suffered from adult selfishness, and then when his hope slowly faded after he met Rhoades from the first time.
I wanted to hold him and said it’s okay, you have me 🙁
Rhoades, as a half brother didn’t make it better, and I cannot blamed him as well, for the shocked he received that day.
Mal was there too, from day one James came into his father and Rhoades life. But he’s Rhoades best friend, and he never felt more alone in his his life that day.
James was a broken boy.
” I’ll never love them. I don’t need them, I don’t need anybody”
But then slowly Mal came into his life more often and (like Felice said), annoying like a mosquito. James hated that.
But James never knew, that all this time, Mal has always took his side, but didn’t know how to make James believed in him.
“Finding james tonight so lost and vulnerable yet pretending to have a hard, invicible cell broke my heart”
But the slowly, Mal peeled that shell once at the time, and the real James he’s dying to see, came to his sight and he intended to stay this time, and make James his. For good.
“I’ve been watching you forever. From a heartbroken kid who showed up out of nowhere to the man who stops my heart whenever he walks into the room. No matter how we fought and hated and tormented each other, there was always this inevitable, uncontrollable force between us.”
I had so many feeling while reading this book, one most anticipated book this year, and Felice surely never failed to amazed me with her writing, and I can’t hate Mal or James for their annoyingly stubborn act, but to love them unconditionally.
Another winner from Felice Stevens that you don’t want to miss!
Highly recommended!
James, the mysterious, generous owner of Man Up gets his story at last! We’ve been teased with his dislike of Rhoades’ jet-setting, best-friend Malcolm, and their simmering sexual tension, since the start of the series. There was nothing to dislike so far about James – he cares for his employees and is building a relationship with his previously estranged half-brother, but Malcolm? His constant riling up of James had me side-eyeing him, but there were also glimpses of goodness and really, if Rhoades loves him so there must be a reason.
The story spans 20 years. It starts before James ever meets Rhoades or Mal, when Rhoades was just the hope of a future with a brother James could love and would love him back. When James’ life goes to hell at 13 it’s the one thing he is holding on to. Reality slaps him back in the face pretty quickly and he spends most of his life lonely, feeling unwanted and unloved. Mal is always there in the background. James sees him having Rhoades’ back, but that doesn’t help him. It just adds to his desire to make it on his own. Unfortunately, it also leads to some bad choices. James carries his anger and hate for a long time, believing that it’s the only thing that can keep him on the road to success. One thing that hangs over his head, regardless of his success, is that the man he hates knows his biggest secret.
Mal has always seen James. The first day they met he was on James’ side. He saw the situation and tried to help in his own way. Mal had his own life though and James made it clear he didn’t want anything from Mal. That never stopped Mal from thinking about James as he traveled the world living his life to the fullest. Mal knows James’ secret, but Mal has secrets of his own.
Step onto the rollercoaster, fasten your lap belt and enjoy the ride! The wait was worth it as James and Mal battle it out. Any irritation I had at Mal dissolved quickly. He is nothing like I thought he would be and everything James wants and needs. As generous and caring as James with the guys at Man Up, inside he is wound so tightly and filled with anger he can’t let go of, few see the pain and insecurity beneath it. My heart broke for James as a child and an angry teenager and then it broke again as he tries to build a relationship with Rhoades.
James and Mal have scorching heat between them. Whether they’re fighting or falling for each other, the passion runs high. Thank goodness Mal is tenacious. There are so many ups and downs for these two as James constantly pushes Mal away, not trusting any act of kindness or support. I guarantee you’ll love it just as much as I do when James finally lets go of his stubborn need for control and gives in to what he wants with Mal. Even then it won’t be easy, James can’t change things overnight, but when these two finally talk and bare themselves to each other I was sighing with happiness.
“No matter how we fought and hated and tormented each other, there was always this inevitable, uncontrollable force between us.”
James and Mal are right up there with my other favorite Felice Stevens couples. I loved everything about them. There’s a great blend of angst, drama, romance, sex, and humor. James may be the most stubborn character she’s written, but it all works out with a very happy ending.
Great fan of the author usually, but this one was just unreadable
When James is forced to live with the father who never wanted him, it shapes him into the man he eventually becomes, it shapes a future that could have gone such a different way if only his father had been the man his mother had always hoped he was. From the time young James walks into the cold home of William, his father, and Rhoades, his half-brother, he’s quite aware that he’s not wanted or loved. And God did I hurt for that little boy because it damaged him almost irreparably. And he would have gone on living his life, living each day holding tight onto control, never trusting, never loving, if his brother’s best friend, Malcolm, hadn’t been in his life.
From their very first meeting, there was something about Malcolm that drew James to him. But, Malcolm always chose Rhoades over James, and it haunted James. Even as they grew older, and Malcolm’s flirtatious charm worked on all the other men that flitted in and out of his life, it only served to enrage James. And Malcolm wanted to do something about that. He’d always been drawn to the hurt boy he had seen in James from the very first meeting. But, he didn’t know how to reach him, so he taunted him, and picked and picked to get a reaction until finally James snapped and the only reaction James had was to banish him from James’ club, from James’ life. It would have been a shame if it had ended there, but fate had other plans for our two soul mates, and placed them in other’s lives again, and finally, finally, there was a breakthrough, and it was pretty beautiful to read. From there it was a quick, but kind of painful trip to an HEA. I was cringing at first, though, because I had a bad feeling, but thankfully Felice Stevens took it easy on the reader, and allowed James and Malcolm something beautiful. Of course it wasn’t easy, but it was worth it because by the end I was all smiles!
I adored James—Uncontrollable. It’s heartfelt and beautiful, and pretty steamy too. James and Malcolm are really layered, fascinating characters, especially James. I loved seeing him grow, seeing him open himself up to love and to finally learn to let go and trust Malcolm. These two so deserved their HEA. And now that I’ve read their story, I am definitely going back to read the previous books in this series, and am looking forward to more.