The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men books continues her delightfully sexy Saints of Denver series.Hudson Wheeler is a nice guy. Everyone knows it, including his fiancée who left him with a canceled wedding and a baby on the way. He’s tired of finishing last and is ready to start living in the moment with nights soaked in whiskey, fast cars, and even faster girls. … cars, and even faster girls. He’s set to start living on the edge, but when he meets Poppy Cruz, her sad eyes in the most gorgeous face he’s ever seen hook him in right away. Wheeler can see Poppy’s pain and all he wants to do is take care of her and make her smile, whatever it takes.
Poppy can’t remember a time when she didn’t see strangers as the enemy. After a lifetime of being hurt from the men who swore to protect her, Poppy’s determined to keep herself safe by keeping everyone else at arm’s length. Wheeler’s sexy grin and rough hands from hours restoring classic cars shouldn’t captivate her, but every time she’s with him, she can’t help being pulled closer to him. Though she’s terrified to trust again, Poppy soon realizes it might hurt even more to shut Wheeler out—and the intense feelings pulsing through her are making it near impossible to resist him.
The only thing Poppy is sure of is that her heart is in need of some serious repair, and the more time she spends with Wheeler, the more she’s convinced he’s the only man with the tools to fix it.
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FIVE SALVAGED STARS
I have been waiting for this book since the very first book from this series! The nice tattooed man who likes classic cars….yeah I was definitely excited for this story.
Poppy and Hudson were soo adorable!!!! Omg I couldn’t deal!! The things both off them went through was so sad and Poppy’s past was truly heartbreaking!! I loved how much she grew throughout the story, she evolved and I loved seeing her personality shine through!
Hudson was so amazing and I loved his protective nature towards Poppy. He took his sweet time with her and it paid off! That scene when Poppy told Hudson she wanted to sleep with him was so cute!
There was so many scenes where I just thought Awww!!! This sweet love story will break your heart and put you back together again.
Jay Crownover did a brilliant job with this story and I LOVED the bonus epilogue
Another great book in the series. This story was softer then normal but I really enjoyed it.
“Tomorrow it is.”
“Sometimes it takes a nudge to get the knight in shining armor to drop his shield.”
I had read the Saints of Denver novels by Jay Crownover several years ago, and somehow I miss Salvaged. I loved it! Hudson Wheels and Poppy Cruz are unforgettable. The reader first met them in the Marked Men Series. Another fantastic series by Ms. Crownover.
Per the author’s form, the characters, setting, and plot are excellently developed! As I said, I had read the other novels several years ago and remembered all the characters. That is a testament to excellent writing! I will admit, I was a bit surprised Kallie and Hudson broke up.
Salvaged is an emotional rollercoaster ride. I shed more than one tear for Poppy and Hudson. Hudson’s hurt over Kallie’s betrayal and his anxiety over the pregnancy was tangible. The scene with Poppy’s mother was heartbreaking. I’ll admit that I was enraged at Poppy’s father and was happy that Hudson got his licks in before he went to prison. Five stars!
it was stupid
I love the way Jay Crownover digs deep into emotion and makes you care so much for her characters. This book is tender and sexy and emotional and filled with real life trauma and two people trying to overcome their past so they can be the best for each other. I couldn’t put it down.
LOVED this book! So happy with the entire story and where both of them end up. Shows that you can always overcome, no matter what life hands you.
Oh all the feels for two people who deserve it!
Nash has always been mine but I swear Hudson Wheeler just took Nash’s place forever. It’s so nice to see a truly good guy finish first and find the love of his life. And Poppy my oh my she was so silently strong even when she thought she wasn’t. By far my favorite out of the Marked Men and Saints of Denver series. Please keep writing anything you want Jay Crownover because you are amazing!
I must admit that I am extremely sad to see this series come to an end because I’ve spent the last five years with these characters between both the Marked Men & Saints of Denver series. But as they say…all good things must come to an end and what a perfectly perfect ending it was!
Ever since Jay first introduced her readers to the shy and timid Poppy Cruz in ROWDY I knew that I wanted to get to know this broken soul on a much deeper level because she truly deserved a happily ever after, especially following the events of her past two abusive relationships. This beautiful broken girl never thought that she deserved better then the previous men she had been with at least until she falls into the arms of Hudson Wheeler, a young man with his own demons. These two couldn’t be more perfect for each other and I was so happy when I learned that they were getting to tell their story.
In ROWDY – Rowdy and Salem’s story – we meet Poppy (Salem’s sister) after she runs away from her abusive husband. She finally decided to escape and ran to the two people who have always had her best interest at heart. After being kidnapped and watching her husband blow his brains out in front of her she finds herself more lost then ever. As the series moves into the Saints of Denver we get to know Poppy even more as Sayer’s roommate as she fights to step outside her comfort zone. Throughout BUILT we watch as she blossoms and even more in RIVETED when she’s Dixie’s neighbor. I loved watching her grow and when we finally got to this story I was more then ready to watch her fully repair her broken soul.
Over the past few years readers have witness brief encounters between Poppy and Wheeler, but it isn’t until SALVAGED that we finally get to see the full story! A story that was full of twist and turns. A story that will stay with my heart for years to come. Truthfully as sad as I am to see these characters go, I know it was time and I know without a doubt that Poppy and Wheeler’s story needed to be the final one!
This book may very well be my favorite of Jay’s so far. I love how wheeler is so painstakingly careful with Poppy. He knows she’s worth it though and doesn’t let her retreat into herself, or away from what they have. Poppy has to overcome her demons and with wheeler there by her side, she knows she is able to. It’s truly an amazing story. I was all in! Loved this hearted wrenching story from the very beginning.
I’ve been waiting to read Wheeler and Poppy’s book since I met them in Jay’s previous stories. Both characters were completely eviscerated by the people who were supposed to love them the most, and while the damage done to them was strikingly different, their scars and demons threaten to destroy their futures because being a survivor is a difficult uphill battle that sometimes feels too much to manage on their own.
Hudson Wheeler is the quintessential good guy, but that’s not simply who he’s always been…it was a conscious decision in order to have what he’s always wanted – a family. Based on his hellacious childhood and the fact that there was no one to look out for him besides himself, he vowed to obtain the life he always longed for, even if it meant over pleasing the girl he thought he’d have forever.
Wheeler’s life definitely didn’t work out the way he thought it would, but in Salvaged, he learns to take the broken and tattered pieces of his life and rebuild them in an effort to juggle all of the changes life threw at him and also to help heal the girl he always saw, even when he wasn’t supposed to truly see her.
Poppy Cruz’s life has never been her own; since her childhood, there’s always been a man dictating what her life is supposed to be like, controlling her in every way and making her feel like she’s nothing but a toy for him to play with and abuse. The amount of trauma and pain Poppy has endured would leave most people incapable of moving forward, but she refused to completely break, and she’s slowly found ways to heal and work through her fears, her nightmares, and her constant inferior feelings. But when Poppy truly comes alive is when Wheeler helps her to slay her dragons and gives her the support she needs to free herself from the chains of her past and recover the woman she was always meant to be.
Wheeler and Poppy’s path to happiness is absolutely a work-in-progress, but it’s easy to see that by being each other’s right person, all things are possible. Through every kind word and comforting touch, Wheeler proves to Poppy that there are men in the world she doesn’t need to be afraid of…men who would do right by her regardless of the struggles she bares to them, and through every gentle movement and careful step that Wheeler makes towards Poppy, she learns to takes steps towards him, cherishing the fact that he can take her bent and broken pieces and put them back together in a way that heals her fractures and binds them together.
Wheeler and Poppy are amazing characters who grow as individuals and as a solid couple throughout the duration of their story. Jay Crownover absolutely stays true to who these two people are at their core and tells their story in the most beautiful way possible. Wheeler and Poppy rebuild themselves as the story progresses, but they also provide the tools to help one another keep their head above water. Their journey is not easy, but it’s made clear from the beginning that they are survivors in every sense of the word and they’re exactly what the other one needs to blossom from something that was considered worthless to something that is beyond priceless and amazing.
I CANNOT begin to tell readers how amazing Wheeler and Poppy’s story is! I’ve adored Jay’s writing since I read Rule all those years ago, but there’s something even more spectacular and beautiful about SALVAGED…maybe it’s Jay’s openness about writing a story about two characters who aren’t her typical definition of broken. But Wheeler and Poppy’s story will stay with me for a long time because it illustrates the idea of what it means to be a true survivor and how the past doesn’t have to define one’s future…it’s all about fighting for oneself and finding the right place to land and the right people to stay by one’s side even when past demons want to claim what they consider theirs time and time again.
5 Poison Apples
Wheeler wears his heart on his sleeve. Kallie was his girl for so many years and he gave her everything. But that’s over. She’s cheated on him and is pregnant. His life is in so much turmoil. He’s lost the only family he’d ever known. And his best friend moved away. Somewhere in the chaos he calls his life, he sees her. Poppy.
She gentle. She’s visibly afraid. She trusts no man. She’s endured hell. Hiding is how she lives. And despite her fears, she sees Wheeler.
He’ll wait. Friendship. Tenderness. Patience. Support. And Happy, an abandoned pit bull. Shared custody of said pup draws these two lost souls closer.
Wheeler could melt my heart. He’s goodness through and through. He loves hard. He gives freely. He protects what’s his. The truth is, they heal each other. And yet, they heal themselves. Trust doesn’t come easily, but when it does, it’s absolutely unwavering.
This story made me hurt. Abuse. Abandonment. Fear. Loneliness. A tree with no leaves…the tree is still growing. Poppy and Wheeler got their story and it’s beautiful. A HEA and a family. Family you are born into. Family with the one you choose to spend your life with and have children with. And, more importantly, the close knit group of friends that are family by choice. That’s the Saints of Denver.
“This was healing.
This was starting over.
This was reinvention.”
I’ve read a lot of books. Like, a whole lot of them. And yet, I can’t remember any of the other book characters that were as good, as broken and yet as strong and beautiful as Poppy and Wheeler. I can’t remember if there were any other characters for whom I wished Happily-Ever-After more than for these two!
In some ways this was the story I expected. The story about healing, finding and reclaiming your strength, your sense of all you can do, of letting yourself hope and wish and believe. In other ways, Jay surprised me. I mean, for me this was one of her sexiest books so far! And then, it was also super emotional, intense and heart-breaking. It was all I expected, and then some more!
You know that quote of Thomas Helm’s: “My test of a good novel is dreading to begin the last chapter” ? Well, I’ve known it for a long time and it had NEVER, ever before been so true as for Salvaged. Thank you Jay, for giving us these amazing worlds of Denver’s Marked Men and Saints! Thank you for writing beautiful stories of misunderstood, sometimes broken, but always strong and amazing people and letting us share them with you! These books have been such a significant part of my life, and for all that you taught me, thank you.
“(…) but I was done hiding.”
And Poppy and Wheeler… you’ve got to love them. And it’s amazing seeing them heal, grow, SURVIVE, LOVE and make their FAMILY together. That family, so diverse, so weird… Not connected through blood, but through caring, through LOVE. True, endless, unconditional love.
“Instead of taking, they gave me what I needed to heal and to make myself whole. They also left marks, but theirs were ones that I didn’t want to hide in the dark. They made me smile. They made me brave. They made me bold.”
Do not miss this amazing and beautiful story of Happily-Ever-After for two of the people most deserving of it. A classical story of love being enough. Huge, enormous recommendation. Contemporary romance at its best!
This gritty, sexy, and touching little page turner captivated my attention from the very first page, and held me at it’s mercy until the very last… It was SO good! This was my first read from this author, and I have to say she completely blew me away, I will definitely be back for more!! This is a beautifully written story, that will leave you breathless at times, have you laughing at times, in tears at times, and keep you on the edge of your seat the whole way through! I highly recommend you read this book, it is hands down one of the best first books I have ever read!