Sometimes it’s the hero who ends up needing a lifeline… Texas for nothing.
When a debtor can’t come up with his money, JJ takes his wife as collateral…
What starts out as a trade-off between bitter men turns into an emotional collision of desire and forbidden love so dangerous, it threatens to destroy even the strongest of empires.
No amount of money will ever rebuild everything that’s been shattered. Jack is left standing in the middle of his own chaos.
Greed and power are the least of his worries now. Death is knocking on his front door, wanting to collect.
The woman he’s given his heart to just might become his collateral this time around. Past sins may trump everything…
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It has been a while since I have read a story about a Cowboy and have enjoyed it. But just a heads up this book is not for the faint hearted, it has moments in it that will have you breaking with the characters.
‘Whiskey & You’ is a beautiful story that is filled with many emotions, grief, heartache, sadness, fear, but also love and happiness. J.J and Navy’s story will have you ripping your heart out from the pain and suffering to wanting it back in so you can enjoy the happiness with them.
Both J.J and Navy have suffered more than anyone should have to in one life time. Both of them not realising that after their first interaction that they would be the reason for each other to heal and grow.
J.J is a fixer, a saver, always helping others like Preston did for him, but not realising he needs help as well.
Navy is a shell of a woman, no life or joy in her. She is a sparrow with clipped wings. But with the help, support and love from J.J, Faye, Kemp and Belle she is able to grow, flourish and finally be happy.
We also have to give mention to Faye, she is the mother we all want and need in our lives.
Kemp, Kemp, Kemp. I can not wait to get his story, he is funny, loveable, fierce and so so sweet. The way he is with Belle and Navy when they are at their worse had my heart in a puddle.
Heidi you have done it again. I really can not say a bad thing about this book except that it wasn’t long enough .
5 Whiskey Filled Stars!!!
HJ Bellus is simply amazing!!! This isn’t like her other books I’ve read. It’s on the darker side and man what a story and start to what’s going to be an amazing new series from her.
JJ’s life wasn’t always easy. He started off poor. Him and his mom bounced from ratty hotel room to the other. Until a man names Preston overheard them in the supermarket. The guy changed his life and made him into the man he is today.
JJ doesn’t want for anything. He’s made enough money that he can do and take whatever he wants.
JJ might be a bad ass and takes no for an answer but that’s not all he is. Inside he’s still the broken poor little boy Preston saved all those years ago. When JJ meets Navy he was missing his friend. He helped her and it was time for her to soar and live her life.
Navy was married to a monster. JJ could see instantly he was abusing her. He was also stealing from JJ. JJ planned on taking everything from him and still did. But, now he was planning on taking Navy and rescuing her no matter the cost.
Navy’s been with her husband for awhile. But, it’s not a happily ever after. Navy doesn’t recognize the person looking back at her in the mirror. Navy’s not allowed to eat what she wants, sleep on a bed and he’s abusive. But, she can’t get away. I’m not going to get into everything else that’s been done to her.
JJ makes a deal to take Navy. Navy isn’t sure what to expect when JJ takes her. He keeps telling her he’s not like her husband but she’s so afraid it’ll take her a bit to believe it or trust him. While living with JJ she meets Faye and she quickly becomes a mother figure to her and her shell opens up. JJ’s showing he can be trusted. But, things aren’t that easy bc her last is coming back.
In the beginning it sounded like it was going to be Navy being saved by JJ. But, really both Navy and JJ are broken. Navy’s Broken on the inside and the outside. JJ portrays himself as being all put together. But, he’s good at faking it. He’s a Broken young boy on the inside. JJ and Navy heal each other in so many ways. Their story might not be easy. In fact it’s far from it. But, their story is still beautiful.
Faye. I absolutely loved Faye. And, her son Kemp. Wow!!! He might be a big bad bad ass. But, really Kemp has an incredible heart and when he was around a certain little somebody he made me smile. I’m excited for the next book. But, I’m afraid of where Kemp’s mental status might bring him. I’m hoping we’ll get back the bad ass with the soft heart again. HJ Bellus is continuing to prove herself as an auto buy for me.
HJ Bellus spins a turbulent tale of gut-wrenching loss, revenge, and redemption that culminates in a love so deep and perfect, it’s the stuff of fairy tales. Except this fairy tale features a gun-wielding, whiskey-sloshing hero who wears a cowboy hat and has more demons than notches on his well-used bedpost…exactly the type of man who needs saving.
This book gripped me from the very first page, and it wasn’t just because of the scene in JJ’s office! Although, holy crap, how hot was that?!!
JJ is a man of high principles, a ruthless business man but he is a fixer and when he first meets Navy, all his protective instincts go on high alert.
With the help of his right hand man, Kemp, he sets about righting all of the wrongs done to Navy but this is anything but straightforward, but he will do all he can to keep Navy safe.
My heart! It stopped on more than one occasion, I can tell you!! I can’t wait to read Kemp’s story now!
Navy was broken beyond repair when she met J.J. J..I had endure his own personal demons . J.J. and Navy bring the best out of one another. J.J. and Navy are both each other’s saving grace. My favorite part is Belle in the wash sink full of bubbles and laughter.
I loved Whiskey & You! JJ and Navy are a beautiful couple. He rescued her from her life of abuse and degradation. He brought her slowly back to life and made sure she was healed, then proceeded to give her the amazing life she deserved. That man and this story are just so beautiful. Can’t wait for Kemp’s story next!
2.5 stars
First, I’m in love with this cover and I was totally sucked in by the blurb, because this story ticks off so many likes for me. Hot, alpha Texas tycoon who likes to save people. Nice.
The writing was flawless and the side characters in this book certainly add, rather than detract from the story, but it just fell short. It was like a mash up, you know those videos where they string a bunch of stuff together and you feel dizzy…that’s how I walked away from this book. Was it about the cartel, was it about oil barons wanting to be king of their world, was it mafia-like with people being hurt for owing a debt, was it captor and captive with a side of rescue me. I wanted to love it, I really did, but I couldn’t reconcile some of the MCs behavior with being the good guys.
Unfortunately, this one isn’t my cup of tea.
I will start out by saying that the blurb made me nervous I kept going back and forth do I want to read this? Can I give this book a chance?And I realized that Heidi doesn’t really lead us astray when she writes, so I gave it a chance and in the first couple of chapters I’ve realized I fell in love with these boys, they surprise you and aren’t what I was thinking at all. I just instantly fell in love with J.J the actions he goes through are ones to protect those he cares about and I loved that no matter how much experience J.J had Navy could still surprise him, “J***s, Navy, you just made me c*m in my darn boxers like a effing teenager.” The boys may think they’re the bosses but really it’s Faye who holds the reins, “let her be, you darn ogre.” Faye swats J.J. with the wooden spoon in her hand.” Oh my gosh I was in love with this book, J.J took care of his own and the man was fierce.
Whiskey and you is an OK read with decent writing. I’m from the UK and really struggled with the dialogue/speech patterns in this book, to the point it would jar me out of the story or I would struggle to understand the sentence. There were instances of repetition in the dialogue too. I usually manage with an American style of speech but this possibly colloquial style of speech simply jarred my English ear.
The story starts off quite hard hitting, I thought the author portrayed the after effects of severe domestic violence excellently. Navy (better as a colour than a heroine’s name IMO, but hey-ho) was quite a well written character and seemed to have both personality and depth. Unfortunately JJ, the ‘hero’, felt like a cardboard cut-out. I would have thought a billionaire would have gone for a better class of whiskey than Jack Daniels but I’m not a whiskey drinker so what do I know? And smoking joints? Why? This is the head of a multi-billion dollar oil company. It didn’t seem to fit the character OR the story, in my opinion. Actually the character didn’t fit the character – he was so underdeveloped I never felt like a understood/knew/grasped him.
There were some fantastic plot twists and turns that gave this book real potential and suggest an author with an excellent imagination. Unfortunately they often felt randomly dropped into the story rather than being developed, or built up to, over time. This meant the story felt quite disjointed and jumpy at times, almost ‘oh here’s an idea, lets just throw it in now’. This was exacerbated by the lack of genuine dialogue between Navy and JJ. They seemed to fall in love without any real interactions or conversations. I don’t mind some interactions being inferred, but at some point I need to experience a connection forming between the couple. I need to believe in them, their feelings and their chemistry and I just didn’t.
Technically the writing was good in terms of sentence structure, editing, continuity etc. I liked Navy, I believed in her as a character and I loved how JJ helped her let go of the past. We all have our likes and dislikes in styles of writing and I think this one just wasn’t for me. I imagine lots of people would enjoy this book and would recommend downloading a sample to see if you’re one of them.
Navy needed to be saved and feel loved and J.J. sensed that as soon as he met her. He was just what she needed to find herself again. He gave her the time she needed and never pushed for more than she was willing to give him. So glad that she was able to let herself love and be loved by him. Great story!!
WOW!!!! This is not what I was expecting at all, it was 100 times much better. I was sucked in so deep in the heart of this 5 star story.
J.J. had a rough start in life but one day things changed for him. Now years later he’s wealthy and powerful. When he sees Navy, he knows deep down he needs to help her.
This was an highly intriguing, captivating and suspenseful story. I was hooked from the very first page read to the very last one. This story is slightly dark but with an over productive alpha hottie that made me swoon. I loved these well created characters. Bottomline is that I LOVED this story so freaking much.
Standalone for now. Told in a dual POV with an HEA. I can’t wait to read Kemp’s story. I highly recommend this story.
I usually so far what I have read from this author loved because it consumed me. This I thought for sure would do it too. When I opened it and started with J.J. I was going slow in it. I was starting to not be too sure because it was not starting out that I liked him too much. When Navy comes into the picture I keep going to see because I have a feeling this author is being sneaky with us readers. As the story keeps going I am now in it for her I want to see her story with all the nooks and craniess. As he and her build a relationship of some type I begin to see him. I mean really see him so I think aha. This one is dark and dangerous where it sneaks up on you and devours you. You want to know where it goes and who will come out on top. Now thanks to sneaky I want to be devoured by the next one also.
First things first. HJ Bellus, I’m going to need more immediately. Seriously. I will not survive without more of this. You created a monster. I’m addicted to these characters! Whiskey & You is one of the greatest books HJ Bellus has ever written. There are no words big enough to fully explain the unbelievable perfection of this book. Just when I would think it couldn’t get better, it did. I have never in my life been so fully taken over by a book the way I was with Whiskey & You.
Vastly different from any of her other books, but still filled with HJ’s beautiful and unique writing style. Whiskey & You is a powerful read that pulls out every single emotion. I felt so much while reading this. Heartbreak, love, shock, you name it Whiskey & You made me feel it. It was incredible!
J.J. York is now my all time number one favorite. A complicated man who lives life by his own set of rules. Hard and intimidating on the outside, hiding a heart made of pure gold. The man is the definition of hero. I don’t even want to give details as to why I love J.J. and Navy so much. I want you to read this. pick up Whiskey & You and experience first hand why this book is so amazing.
WOW!!! HJ Bellus has done it AGAIN! Whiskey and You is an amazing story! I was completely drawn in from the very beginning! A brilliantly written story that takes you on one heck of an emotional ride. Raw pain, heartbreak and love, so much love… I felt all of these emotions right alongside of JJ, Navy, Belle and the others. It has been a long time since a story has touched me as deeply as this story did!
HJ Bellus is a brilliant storyteller who has quickly become one of my faves! I can’t wait to see where she takes us next!
Just like the first sip of whiskey there is that familiar burn that you crave and brings you to life,then it turns to heat that warms you from the top of your head to the tip of your toes as it flows through your body, this is how this story made me feel. Whiskey and You is slightly different from what we have seen from HJ Bellus but believe me this book shows us just how talented this author is. Theirs is not a conventional love story so don’t think hearts and flowers think pain and despair. JJ is known as the King of Texas and this man will make you want to be his queen. As what was payment of a debt starts to become so much more you will take the hard ride with these characters as they crack your heart open and expose you to the rawness of this story. It will not only be the main characters you fall in love with but the secondary ones will hold your heart just as tight, from his best friend Kemp to the mother figure in his life Faye that makes you want to have her hold you in your arms and have her tell you everything will be okay. Whiskey and You held me hostage from the first page and when the time came I really didn’t want to be rescued from its hold. An absolutely brilliant book that will leave you craving more of The Kings of Texas series.