BitsyI might be only nineteen, but I know what I want. It’s Leka Moore. I don’t care that he took me in when he was barely more than a kid himself. I don’t care that he raised me. I don’t care everyone thinks being with him is wrong. I know we belong together, and the only person I need to convince is him. LekaI found her in the corner of a dark alley. If I hadn’t taken her with me, she would’ve … her with me, she would’ve died that night—or maybe worse. Before I knew it, she became the light in my dark life, the haven from the madness. I watched her grow up. I tried to teach her right from wrong. Now that she’s an adult, I’m feeling things that no good man should ever feel. But then…I’ve never been a good man. I have a chance at redemption by saving her from the greatest danger of all—me.
more
Loved it!
As soon as I read the blurb, I knew I wanted to read this book. Taboo, potentially dark, redemption? All good things. Want You starts when Bitsy and Leka are children, and continues as you watch them grow up together. Leka finds Bitsy and takes her in…becomes her caretaker or guardian of sorts. Their relationship never felt sibling-like to me. Leka was Bitsy’s safe haven, her home and Bitsy was Leka’s reason for surviving and his goodness and light. Even though Leka essentially raised Bitsy, I never saw him as her parent so the forbidden didn’t feel so taboo to me.
Want You was a story full of suspense and I couldn’t put it down. In order to survive, Leka ends up in a dangerous role. Let’s call it what it is; he’s a criminal. If this book had a weakness, it was this part of the story. So much of it felt so unbelievable. But did it affect my enjoyment or my judgment of the story? No. Thus, we’ll move on.
Overall, I felt like this book was a story of two soulmates finding each other and working towards each other. The rest of the storyline felt insignificant to the emotions Leka and Bitsy harbored. A great story from Jen Frederick and I can’t wait for more.
I liked this book A LOT! Two kids raise themselves in the underbelly of crime and passion of a city, the side that is forgotten and unlooked, where many others are also lost and abused. Leka found little Bitsy next to a dumpster, scared, undernourished, and abused, took her in and raised her, and she became his home. Leka was twelve years old and Bitsy was five.
In the wrong side of the city, there was only one thing to do to survive, belong to a gang. Leka, far older than this twelve years, knew there was no other way out of here, but to belong to a group of criminals and make his way up the ladder of command. He was good at surviving, and scrounging food, living in abandoned apartments, and the like. When he found this little girl, something in her eyes spoke to him and he decided to protect her and feed her. When he first asked her name, she said “Noosance”…. So he named her Bitsy because she was such a little bitty girl.
I thought Leka was an extraordinary character. There was innate goodness in him, that allowed him to raise a little girl, protect her and feed her and give her a normal life. He sent her to school, clothed her, promoted her art hobbies, watched videos with her, and even hired a baby sitter to take care of her when he was out. In order to give her this life, he sold his soul to the devil and got mired into a life of crime and murder. He never harmed innocent people, and he felt the crimes he committed as he showered with extra hot water and many times, to clean his hands of blood before coming home to Bitsy. Bitsy became his home, his anchor, his reason for living. I loved his devotion and selflessness!
Little Bitsy has already lived a harrowing life with her mother. She knew to hide under the bed as her mother sold her body for drugs. This worthless mother let men do things to her daughter for drugs. Bitsy was on the run from the harm of men when she found Leka. When he took her in, she was this submissive and obedient child, because she didn’t want to be a nuisance to this boy who treated her so well. In time, she became a normal child in extraordinary circumstances, yet from the beginning she fixed on Leka and knew she was his forever.
We get to read their life as they grow up, Leka rises up the command ladder in the gang, and Bitsy turns into quite the scholar. Leka provides Bitsy with a good life and a good home, but he’s very protective. When she’s fourteen, she’s such a beautiful child in his eyes, that he sends her away to protect her from the predators in his gang. Woman are a commodity that is sold and used in this group and Leka would give his life to keep Bitsy away from this. The thing is, he sent his heart away and the loss left him bereft. What he doesn’t know is that Bitsy is determined to be by his side and is not taking a no for answer. She is as determined to be by his side as Leka is determined to keep her away to protect her.
What I loved best about this book was the author’s writing style. She writes about the characters and their lives in a direct and forward manner with no excessive embellishments. We don’t get an exaggeration of descriptions of the characters feelings and their surroundings. The plot moves forward with a great pace, and we learn about the characters as we read their dialogues, thoughts, and alternative POW’s. I was enthralled by this love story and the wonderful characters.
Steamy great read.
I am not a big fan of the gangster/ mafia stories, but I did enjoy this. Everything Leka did was from his heart to protect Bitsy. He knew that he was never going to get out of that life so he did nothing to buck the system so he would always be around to take care of her. LOVED that epilogue!!!
ATTENTION! THIS IS A CASE OF DON’T JUDGE A BOOK BY IT’S COVER & BLURB. IN MY OPINION THE BLURB DOES NOT FIT AT ALL. THE BOOK HAS TWO PARTS: THE FIRST 50% IS A HEARTBREAKING CHILDREN SURVIVAL STORY AND THE SECOND PART IS THIS THRILLERISH DARK ROMANCE PART. DON’T BE MAD AT THE BOOK WITH A BAD RATING ONLY BECAUE OF THE WEIRD BLURB OR COVER – THE STORY WITH ITS HERO & HEROINE IS AMAZING!!!!
Leka is twelve years old. He’s living on the streets – or in abandoned buildings – trying to make a living by doing odd (and very illegal) jobs for the city’s big criminals. And he does okay for a kid. But then suddenly he’s not only responsible for himself anymore. He kind of finds a little five year old girl. She doesn’t know her name. She thinks it’s Noosence. Her mom was a drug-addict prostitute and things happened back home, but we don’t know what or how the girl ended up on the streets. But as soon as she meets Leka she feels safe again. She just knows that he will always protect her. And Leka now has something to live for. To survive for. To take care of.
Before her, I didn’t have a purpose beyond surviving. I do now.
He never had anyone depend on him or love him.
But his life is very dangerous …
Fast forward 14 years and the little girl Bitsy is now all grown up and in love with the boy/man who once saved her…. But that’s weird right? He raised her. But he’s only 7 years older than her. But still …
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO BITSY & LEKA???
READ THE BOOK TO FIND OUT!
OY!
That was such a heartbreaking story. I loved the beginning so much. I cried almost all through the first half of the book. Those poor kids trying to survive! Ugh!
The first 50% of the story is about the past. About finding each other and surviving. About how Leka needs to come up with ideas how to enroll Bitsy in school and how they can rent an apartment.
And then we make a few time jumps. Three years later – a year later – another year later.
And then the second half of the book. Present time. Bitsy is done with highschool and she wants nothing more than to move back in with Leka and live happily ever after with the love of her life. But Leka is not happy about it. He’s over the moon happy that she’s back, but his life is more dangerous than ever. He can’t have Bitsy home – he wouldn’t survive if anything happened to her. And yes, he too has feelings. But he’s trying verrrry hard to not act on them. But Bitsy is NOT making it easy on the poor guy!
Leka is such an amazing hero. *MegaSwoon* Yes, he does bad things, but he only does it to survive and to protect his girl.
I just loved this book. The first half is this mega moving story about two kids forming a new family and trying to survive and then we get this new adult dark romance thriller thingy. It was so exciting and sad and frustrating. I just wanted them to pack up their stuff and leave for Alaska or something. But it’s not going to be easy for Leka to get out of his job. And now he has Bitsy back home to worry about.
The reader definitely has an amazing time reading about how those two fight for their happy end. Let’s hope they’ll make it! I need them to be alive and happy when Netflix comes calling! Which I really hope it does!!!!
Some readers might find the step-brother-guardian-thing a bit taboo, but it wasn’t taboo for me at all. He’s only 7 or 8 years older than her.
WANT YOU was such a beautiful and heartbreakingly moving story – or rather two stories – about two kids who finally found their forever home with each other. Now they just have to fight for that happy end. Run to your nearest amazon asap for your own Leka – he’ll be sold out in NO TIME!
And P.S. We might get another story about connected to this one!! Very interesting epilogue! Can’t wait!
The only tiny little things I didn’t love about the book. The cover, blurb and title … In my opinion those do not fit at all. The blurb only talks about the second half of the book. And the cover? First of all it’s very unrecognizable and then when you see what it’s supposed to be, that’s not really the story either. BUT – I still LOVED the book so much!!!!
“We were both dealt terrible hands in life, but fate made up for it by bringing us together.”
This was the very first novel I’ve read from Jen Frederick and I must say, it was beyond more than what I expected and thought it’d be. I was immediately captivated when I saw Want You’s cover and more so when I read the blurb, but nothing could’ve prepared me for how much this book truly affected me. For how it pierced my heart and took hold of my soul. The magnitude and intensity of Leka and Bitsy’s story left me shook to the core, and I absolutely fell head over heels in love and in lust with every single aspect of it.
“I never had a home until I met you. You’re my home. Wherever you are that’s where I wanna be.”
This is a tale driven by fate, time and a love so powerful and palpable, you’ll feel it buzzing beneath your skin. It was sweet, passionate and every bit sexy, but it was also raw, gritty and painfully messy. Leka and Bitsy’s bond was just so unique and infinitely theirs. They had me holding my breath and my palms sweating in so many different scenes throughout the entire book. And not only that—Want You also had a hint of forbidden that’s enough to do crazy, yet addictive things to all your insides. It sent a delicious thrill straight to my heart from start to finish, and had my pulse jumping and my gut twisting.
And that epilogue—I just freaking loved it and it made me yearn for so much more of the Moores! Jen Frederick definitely knows how to tease a girl to death, and wish for time to fly by so we can *hopefully* get more of this. If you’re craving an exceptionally thrilling and compelling forbidden-ish romance that will engulf you wildly with emotions and have adrenaline pumping through your veins, I highly recommend that you read Bitsy and Leka’s story!