Leveled by Jay Crownover is the perfect bridge between the well known world of the Marked Men and the upcoming adventures of the men and women of the Saints of Denver series.
Anyone who wondered what Lando, Remy’s left behind lover, has been up to since we last saw him in Rome will be happy to finally get a chance to read his story. He’s been working hard and cleaning up his act, which includes going into business for himself as a physical therapist, and a damn good one too. After his brief sojourn with casual sex, Lando has made his peace with being a bachelor. He’s focused on helping others and working with the professional athletes he loves. In addition to having the love and support of his family, he also has the love and support of the Archers, whom he visits at least once a month. Lando was settled, and, maybe not ‘happy’ per say, but content.
Enter, Dom. We all know the struggles Dom has been trying to conquer. He quite literally fell off a roof while on the job with his partner Royal, and has been working incessantly to get back to his beat. Dom needs a strong man to keep him on his toes, and when Lando enters in all his ginger glory, Dom takes notice. What follows is a frenzied tale of two men that fit together, but somehow don’t in the same measure. Lando has to make peace with Dom’s dangerous job, and Dom does his best to be patient as Lando learns how to love again.
‘Leveled’ book review
The last of our Marked Men, Lando doesn’t disappoint. From the moment we all heard about Remy’s secret in Rule we wanted to meet the man that stole his heart. We got that honor in Rome, and we instantly fell for the guy. What a delicious surprise to get his story as a transition from the world of the Marked to the Saints of Denver.
It occurred to this writer while thinking about Lando and Dom and how this story fits into the world of the Marked Men, that all of the original men are physically marked in some way, as in with a tattoo or scar. Some of the Marked Men have tattoos that they chose to adorn their skin, and some have scars that came as a result of protecting loved ones. Lando’s marks are an entirely different kind.
Rule, Jet, Rome, Nash, Rowdy, and Asa have each overcome a familial loss. Some lost a beloved brother in tragedy, while others lost parents to uncontrollable forces. Lando’s marks aren’t physical, and they don’t come from family. He isn’t scarred by a traumatic childhood, and doesn’t struggle to fit into his family. His marks are invisible lashes across his heart from lost love. His first love, at that. He has to learn that moving on and loving someone else will never diminish the feelings he had for Remy. What he and Remy had, while complicated, will never be replaced, repaired, or altered. Their relationship may not have been perfect, but it was important. His love and grief for Remy is what marked him.
In addition to the physical, each of the Marked Men also have invisible scars that have pivotally marked their lives. Each of the women they loved had to see those marks before they could truly know the men they loved. Leveled was no different. Dom had to see that Lando’s marks were deep and aching gouges in his heart, left by a love that didn’t just end in tragedy, but in anger as well. The last words shared between Lando and Remy were words of heartbreak, and losing a first love in such a tragic, final way felt all encompassing to our ginger boy.
Jay Crownover is a marvel with more than just unique names and sexy scenarios. She always finds a story to tell that touches your heart. Not everyone has lost a first love, or even had one, but the pain that Lando has carried with him since Remy’s accident is almost tactile in Leveled. You can almost reach out and touch the baggage that Lando has juggled since that tragic day. Even if that type of loss is not something you can relate to, it’s easy to understand thanks to Jay.
This book brilliantly helped us all to heal those final open wounds we’ve been carrying since we first cracked open Rule so long ago. We are definitely and desperately ready to read the stories of the Saints of Denver, and we have this beautiful story between two gorgeous men to thank for our closure. Asa may have been the final Marked Men novel, but Leveled brought us back to the start, sealing the marks that this series left on its readers. We have all been permanently marked by the Archer brothers and their friends, and we will carry them with pride as we move on to a whole new world of stories.
Leveled is available now! Get your hands on a copy from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or check out any of Jay’s other books at Indiebound, today.
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