From New York Times bestselling author Lexi Ryan comes a sexy new standalone romance about a woman who’d do anything to have a baby and the man who’d do anything to have her… details.
When I drunkenly confess my plans to my friends, they convince me to ask Jake Jackson for help. Jake, the best friend who’s been there for me through thick and thin. Jake, who also happens to be smart, funny, ridiculously good looking, and the winner of all the genetic lotteries.
So when Jake takes me up on my request—with the stipulation that we get the job done the old-fashioned way—I’d be a fool to decline.
The only problem? I don’t know if I can separate sex from all the things I feel for this amazing man. If I can’t keep my heart under lock and key, I risk losing the relationship I need the most.
Jake has his own reasons for granting my baby wish. But when I discover his secrets, it could mean the end of us. I have to choose—run or stay and fight for love.
Fall for the boys of Jackson Harbor in Lexi Ryan’s sexy new contemporary romance series. These books can all be read as standalones, but you’ll enjoy reading them as a series!
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This being my second book by this author I still think that this woman was the best kept secret.
It was so so good. I read it in one sitting. Her books are addictive, so is her writing and her characters….
This book is about Jake and Ava who we met in The wrong kind of love.
I knew I wanted this book so much and Hoped the author would the Hype I had in me Justice… Lexi definitely delivered.
This book from start to finish will catch your attention. I promise you will be hooked. Between the side characters, the banter between Ava and Jake or them with their friends and family is hilarious at times.
There is no way you that you can, not fall for every one of these characters.
Jake and Ava are best friends that have been inlove with each other since they met. Life had always got into the way but now that path is clear and Jake can give her what she wants he uses that to stake his claim.
And when he does wear down her walls, it’s so beautiful watching. When they do get intimate their chemistry explodes it’s hot, damn hot.
These two are made for each other and I’m so glad they get everything good that they deserve.
In the end there is a bit of a twist… It’s hopefully gonna be book and I can’t freak wait to see how that turns out.
Anonymous Five Star read by Lexi Ryan..
Enjoy!!!!
Lord love a Jackson did I love this book!!! And need to go back and get the first one but make no mistake these are stand-alones, I just need the first one. And I’m gonna need the rest of them too and in paperback Miss. Ryan if you please..lol. Ok so let’s get to my rambling review here that will give no indication as to how good this book is..probably. But I devoured this book in one day!! I started and could not stop reading!! I was ignoring phone calls and getting mad at the ones I couldn’t ignore. I love Jake so hard and I’m calling dibs I mean lord have mercy. When a man can show his vulnerabilities there is nothing stronger to me than that. And Ava lord love her heart she’s just been through so much and has always had Jake there for her. And when she wanted more and didn’t think he would ever see her more than a sister and buried her feelings so deep and for so long when he finally confessing the same she just doesn’t believe it. And who’s to blame her after her x husband done and said all the crap he did. Then there is a whole mess a secrets just waiting to be exposed that is going to blow up in a lot of people’s faces. I love how you can feel the chemistry and get the chills from Jake and Ava together from this book. I love the family unit in this book as well as the friend unit in this book. All the secondary characters which I’m guessing(hoping) will get their own books are absolutely amazing and just tie the perfect book together. I can’t wait to read the next book but until then I highly highly recommend this book!!!!
what an amazing fantastic read. Ava and Jake might have taken years To be together but when you are meant to be together it really doesn’t matter how long it takes. Was it easy, no way but so worth it. Their story will have you glued to each page and unable to put down. A true 5 star read.
Five tenacious stars! A wonderful story with funny moments, brilliant writing and amazing characters.
Sweet, merciful, baby Jesus! Straight up Love by Lexi Ryan was a pleasurable read that has left me wanting more. The plot is refreshing and tempting. The best friends-to-lovers romance of the year! I couldn’t put it down. Once I started reading it I forgot everything and ignored everybody until I finished this magnificent masterpiece. It wrapped me like a cosy blanket. I almost lost my mind. This book is pure perfection.
I haven’t read a book written by Lexy Ryan before and that makes me wonder where in heaven I have been that I haven’t heard of her and her books. I suppose I was quite distracted and I blame myself. M*rde! Her writing is flawlessly smart, sexy and enticing. It is sweet, inviting and highly provocative. This won’t be the last time I read her books. Lexy Ryan is such a talented and powerful writer.
This book is a mind-blowing journey, an all-consuming experience that left me craving more. Jake and Ava gave a new meaning to Friends-to-Lovers-Romance! Strong characters like them are like unicorns. They are hard, even impossible, to find.
Falling in love with your best friend is a complicating thing because it could end in a heartbroken and tarnish your friendship forever. It’s risky and dangerous. Jake and Ava had some amazing chemistry. Their friendship is deep and strong. I love it! They were a couple without acknowledge it. They looked and care for each other.
Jake is sin personified. He is the kind of man that every woman desires. He is loyal, good-looking, intelligent and a keeper. If he was my best friend, I would fall for him. He is sweet and possessive. And he really knows what friendship is. Hiding his true feelings for Ava must be really hard. Love can’t be hidden forever. He is the type of man that can sacrifice his feelings for the happiness of his loved one. He has been waiting too much time to make a move on her. He will give her anything she needs, even a baby.
Ava’s biological clock is ticking fast and her desire to be a mom is bigger than before. Like many women, she dreams with a baby but she has not boyfriend. Asking Jake to be her sperm donor will change everything between them. It will be an opportunity for Jake to win her heart and Ava will have her desired baby. It’s a win-win situation. But love is complicated and humans too. To be friends or to be lovers that’s the question!
I highly recommend you this book. You will spend a wonderful time reading it. This book is perfect for those readers who enjoy a nice and extremely impressive romance! Books like this remind me why I’m a book addict. It is a must read you should not miss. A wonderful story with funny moments, brilliant writing and amazing characters. This is one of my top reads! Straight up Love is going to blow to away and I’m certain that you will fall in love with Ava and Jake just as I, and many others have.
Friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes. And this book definitely didn’t disappoint!
The chemistry between Jake and Ava is scorching, even though they both want to deny it. It finally becomes too much to hold back once, after some drunken courage, Ava asks Jake to help her have a baby. He agrees, but only if they do it the old fashioned way. Both go in thinking they can handle it without it ruining their friendship. And they end up finding out their true feelings for each other. This was a funny, steamy, page turning read!
I know I have found a great book when… family stop in to visit, yet I keep running to the bathroom to read more of the book. Yep, I couldn’t put it down.
This is the 2nd installment of the boys of Jackson Harbor and I must say that this second book was a lot more steamier than the first.
Ava and Jake have been best friends throughout their whole lives and although Jake has accepted that the only women for him is Ava, she refuses to acknowledge her feelings for Jake. All things change on her 30th birthday where she decides that she wants to have a baby. Jake sees this as an opportunity to finally use the excuse of Ava wanted to try to conceive a baby naturally to his advantage and make Ava realize that they are meant to be together.
Ava is full of doubts, she is not sure if she can have a baby with Jake without actually being in a relationship with Jake, but little does she know that Jake is about to seduce the ever loving hell out of her and have Ava admit that she has deeper feeling for him than she is willing to admit.
This book was just one big sexual tease and frustration, Lexi Ryan definitely kept you on the edge of where the relationship of Jake and Ava would go, the “will they or won’t they” was stretched out big in this story. This story was more than a two best friends coming together, it was more about the trials and tribulations that they go through to final make it as a couple.
I would have liked Ava’s character be a little stronger and let go of her past and stick up more for herself, but I am hoping to see where she and Jake’s story goes throughout the rest of this series.
Reviewed by: Glori I.
This book was uncharacteristically Lexi Ryan until 79% and it was perfection for Jake and Ava. If you’re a Lexi Ryan fan, then you know the woman loves her triangles hidden inside hexagons that twist into a pretzel. Straight Up Love didn’t do any of that. I would go as far as saying it had little to no drama/angst. It was a beautiful story of two friends trying to get it right 🙂 That’s not to say the story-line was easy breezy, because it was quite the opposite. Jake and Ava have wanted to be more than for over two decades, they’ve just never quite got the timing right. But the feelings have always been there, simmering and growing. Even if one of them didn’t even realize it was happening …. (that’s me trying to not give away the story to you lol) But their personalities and characters weren’t all about the anguish and angst. They were about the growth and the hope.
When I was reading this journey, it felt very much like two ships passing in the night and I don’t know why, but it warmed my heart. The literal definition of that phrase doesn’t quite fit the story, but the picture it paints does. Jack and Ava were two friends sailing past each other over and over again, never quite crashing but always coming so so close. Lexi Ryan has serious skills people. Every book I’ve read of hers has never missed a beat. Her stories are always surrounded by love and this was no different. So much love and hope. I cannot recommend her high enough to everyone. She is meticulous with her plots and always leaves you wanting more from the secondary characters. Always!
I really loved the first book in The Boys of Jackson Harbor Series, so I just had to read this one!! OMG! Lexi Ryan is moving up on my list of one click authors!
This was such a sweet friends to lovers romance. Jake! Oh lord, Jake is such a sweet, sexy, dependable friend….how she remained JUST his friend for so long, I do not know! Except that Ava hasn’t always been treated very nice by the men in her life, her father, her ex-husband….they put her down and made her feel not enough. It was ALWAYS her friendship with Jake that got her through everything. He was always there for her. And when Ava decides she’s gonna have a baby, it’s Jake who is going to be there for her again. Why? Because Jake loves Ava.
Don’t miss this one guys. It’s a beautiful story. It gets very emotional at times, but you will love it! Just look at that cover, aren’t they a gorgeous couple?! And I must say Jake is definitely perfect book boyfriend material!!
4.5 Amazing Stars!
I absolutely love Friends-To-Lovers romance! I think it’s the idea of that one person you’ve grown up with, considered your best friend, and suddenly realizing you’re falling in love with them; or in this case you’ve been in love with each other but were too scared, of letting them know, for fear of losing them.
This is the premise of Straight Up Love, a standalone told in dual POV, an emotional and well written romance that’s at times funny and the next moment, tugging at the heartstring. It had me wanting to shake Ava, the h, and yell at her to wake up and smell the coffee! Her best friend, Jake, would do anything for her; include standing by her when she married another man and years later offer to be her baby’s sperm donor. It’s the second book in The Boys of Jackson Harbor and I can’t wait to see what’s next for the Jackson boys!
After her parent’s divorced when Ava McKinley was ten, she grew up feeling “less than”. When her mother decided to move to Florida, while Ava was still in High School, she went to live with her father and his new family; a family he’d had for seven years that she wasn’t a part of. She felt like an unwanted guest in her dad’s house, comparing herself to her younger stepsister that Ava felt her father doted on. Ava’s saving grace was her childhood best friend, Jake Jackson.
She’s divorced and just turned thirty and the only thing Ava wants is to be a mother. So she’s looking for a sperm donor, and when her best friends suggest Jake, she thinks it might be a great idea. Or maybe it’s the worst idea, ever. The jury’s still out.
“This could change things between us. That terrifies me. You’re my…you’re my rock.”
Jake realized he loved Ava early on, but she made it clear he was like a brother to her. He even went so far as supporting her when she married the jerk that’s now her ex-husband, for fear of losing their friendship. When he finds out Ava is desperate to have a child and she’s looking for a sperm donor, he makes her a counter offer he’s sure she can’t resist.
“This is what my life has come to. This is what happens when you pine for your best friend for years instead of forcing yourself to move on. She wants your sperm. Not you. Just your swimmers.”
There’s so much more to Ava wanting a baby. With a controlling father, possible loss of employment, her ex-husband and unresolved feelings from her childhood (including Jake), the last thing Ava possibly needs is to have a baby. There are also a lot of secrets, HUGE, that have been hiding and are revealed, this story is amazing and complex, it’ll keep you reading non-stop to the very end!
“Do not compare me to the two worst men in your life. You’ve never been second to me, and you never will be.”
“I can’t be second, and I can’t be the reason you don’t do what you know is right.”
“I would never hurt you like they did.”
“You already did.”
4.5 Straight Up Stars!
How far would you go for your best friend? Jake Jackson and Ava McKinley have been best friends since they were kids. They had a connection that could never be broken. But they were never on the same page with their feelings that went way beyond friends. Now Ava is feeling the need to have a baby. One drunken night, turkey baster in hand, she asks Jake to donate to the cause. Jake has been in love with Ava since high school. Now that she is single again, he is determined to do whatever it takes to convince her that she, and the baby she wants, was always been meant to be his. But with all the complications friends and family can bring, it will not be easy. Jake is so sweet and swoony! I loved how loyal he was to Ava through all the directions their lives took. Ava is kind, tenacious, and only wanted to be part of a loving family. She was shot down so many times, it will take the patient, loving, and dirty talking Jake to break down all her defenses. I also loved all their family and friends who are all essential in making this situation complicated, and suspenseful, but also fun. I thought I knew where this story was going, but was surprised several times with the fascinating direction it went. This friends to lovers romance is filled with all the fun banter, plot twists, steamy passion, and angsty emotions that Ms. Ryan does so well. I love this wonderful series and can’t wait for more from the McKinley clan!
Gahhhh! This is the second book in the The Boys of Jackson Harbor and can totally be read as a stand alone. But let me just say, when I read The Wrong Kind of Love, the first book, I knew I was gonna be rocking in a corner waiting for the next book to come and it’s here!!
Straight Up Love is the story of Jake and Ava, we get a small intro to them with the first book and when I read it I knew I wanted more. Lexi did not disappoint with the MORE!
Life long friends is what Jake and Ava are. They have stuck by each other through thick and thin. Everybody with eyes can see that they belong together, but time, fate and just bad luck have kept them in the “friends” category.
When Ava turn’s the big 3-0, she decides she wants a baby and will do just about anything to get it.
Ava is such a beautiful character! I totally feel her self-esteem issues (I too had dad issues, the same as her). Over the years, her self-esteem has been battered and bruised by the people she should be able to trust. Jake has ALWAYS been by her side, even if it killed him to do so.
Jake, oh what a beautiful mess he is! He has always put Ava’s happiness first, even if it hurt him to do so. That’s what true love is! He is just wowza! His undying love for Ava shines through and his proposal for “Operation Pregnancy” is spot on! His dirty talk is just white hot (I was blushing and fanning myself at certain points!). His loyalty to family is remarkable, he is just a good guy! Enough said!
This story flows beautifully and I loved the twists! I loved that Lexi left a huge question unanswered! I am not gonna spoil it, but trust me, read this book and you will be dying to know the answer too!
I already want the next book in this series! And the next, and the next! Don’t ever stop writing Lexi!
Sexual tension at maximum extreme!!!
Straight Up Love was a straight up knockout! I didn’t think the author could possibly manage to surpass the excellence that was The Wrong King of Love, but she did. Oh boy, did she ever! This friends-to-lovers romance puts itself in its own new category of unrequited love, unbearable longing, and unrelenting affection…this book is so sweet and savory, you won’t be able to put it down!
Jake and Ava were extraordinary! Their entire relationship was a sizzling mix of desire, love, and loyalty. And the emotional push/pull dynamic of the storyline was a revolving door of unexpected challenges and situations. The dual POV story gives so much from both characters, it makes you feel as if you’re in their heads and in their hearts, feeling every single emotion running through them. And the little snippets into the lives of the extended cast of characters were the perfect teases to tide the reader over, and just enough to pique the curiosity for whose love story is next.
Straight Up Love was everything I was hoping for, and more! I am completely IN LOVE with the boys of Jackson Harbor! Each book has been absolutely amazing, and I cannot wait for the next story in this to-die-for series!
5 Stars!
With everyday that passes Ava can feel every single tick of her biological clock, and with each tick the more nervous she becomes about losing her opportunity to have a child of her own. She’s a single, divorced, thirty year old woman with no man in her life, or even on the horizon, so she is going to do something for herself for a change and handle this baby making thing on her own, the unconventional way. But after reading many donors bio’s she can’t seem to find the right one, it’s so hard to pick the father of your child when everything you know about them fits on a single piece of paper. So after a few celebratory birthday drinks, and some encouragement from her friends she decides the best option for a baby daddy is her best friend Jake Jackson. So she waltzes up to him and lays it all on the line, and at the time it seemed like the perfect plan, but once the morning rolls around, and she has to face him she begins to wonder how she is supposed to go through with it. He has been her best friend for so long, and making a baby with him may just change everything, and she can’t lose him, he is the only constant in her life. Not to mention the fact that she has harbored a serious crush on him for years, and this baby making stuff might lead to a lot of hurt feelings and confusion, and she isn’t so sure her heart can take it, she know Jake doesn’t feel the same way, so she’d be setting herself and her heart up for failure… or would she?
Straight Up Love is a deliciously satisfying friends to lovers tale that is sure to squeeze your heart, give you a serious case of the feels, and leave you harboring a major book boyfriend crush… Mr. Jackson will steal your heart the moment he waltzes onto the page! There was so much to love about this one, the characters were exquisitely crafted, had amazing chemistry that kept things consistently hot, and the story line was heartfelt and engaging! These two wonderful characters had me feeling the words, feeling the steam, and loving every single second of it… definitely my favorite read from this author to date!! Highly recommend you get your hands on this one, you will not be disappointed with what you find!!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this title.
5 Straight Up Stars!
Ya know that feeling you get when you finish a book that was oh so good!!! The one you just couldn’t put down all day, the one that had you all twisted up trying to guess the outcome, the one where you wanted to reach into your iPad and shake sense into the characters? So ya this is that book! Jake and Ava had my attention for the better part of a Sunday lol and I loved every minute of it!
These two have been best friends for most of their lives, each harboring feelings that go above and beyond friendship, but both too afraid to say anything. Their love even survived a marriage for Christ’s sake!
Jake puts the S in Swoon, the H in Hott, the L in Loving, he is a girl’s fantasy come true. He has waited long enough to make Ava his and he has finally made up his mind to bite the bullet and no one is going to get in his way, including himself.
I loved Ava as a person, she was my kinda girl, I would love to throw back a few beers with her and the girls at Jackson’s Brew for sure. But if I’m being honest, there were a few times, I just might have walked away from her, if I was Jake. She took a little longer than I would have if I had a man like Jake coming at me, but in the end, in the end they were better than perfect together and I was so very happy!
I am so in love with this new series and I can’t wait to see what comes next!!!!
Jake Jackson and Ava McKinley have been friends since childhood. It’s a sweet relationship with funny banter and unfaltering support. Right from the start you can feel the connection. But that doesn’t mean they acknowledge it. As a matter of fact, Jake suppresses his and Ava doesn’t even mention it. Its frustrating. You just want to shake them. A plan, a proposition and the slowburn of the intense attraction, when it finally all comes together it’s super hot. But what’s held back could be their ruin. This is only my second read by Lexi Ryan, but she has captured me with her writing. I really like the way she writes her characters- hot and real, sweet and sexy, smart and sassy. They are mature and communicate. I like that family plays an important role. Her stories are real life romances that you can get lost in. I can’t wait for the next installment in the series of the Jackson brothers and the women they love.