5++++ God-like-ish stars!

Let the countdown begin! Three…two…one…zero! I loved this book! I never, ever, ever (thank you Taylor Swift) wanted it to end! EVER! I was completely hooked and overcome by this book. I love Jesse and all his challenging ways. I lost many hours of sleep because I devoted those hours to spending time with Jesse! Can you blame me? You will be drawn into this book too. It is amazing and will keep you wanting more, more, more!! Beneath This Man is amazing and Jodi Ellen Malpas has out did herself. I was not able to stop chatting about this book and was constantly either cursing in frustration, hot under the collar, laughing from the banter, or picking my jaw up off the floor from twists, turns, surprises and a few times speechless. This book does NOT disappoint! If Jesse is The Lord, then you, Jodi Ellen Malpas are The Queen!

Jesse is definitely Mr. Challenging but he’s challenging because he is madly in love with Ava and he doesn’t know how to handle all the feelings she evokes in him. Yes, he is possessive, domineering, frustrating, and controlling but he is also loving, gentle, protective (to the extreme) and wants nothing more than to make Ava happy. Jesse isn’t the most open and communicative person and this causes some undue stress on their relationship. He doesn’t always consider her feelings though and that does frustrate me a bit. He is a complicated God but I love him anyway.

Ava is completely and utterly in love with Jesse but she is a bit insecure. Can you blame her though? She isn’t the only woman who loves him…it seems all women love him–especially those who frequent The Manor. She handles Jesse well and she doesn’t back down to him when he is being ever so challenging. She also does her fair share of instigating.

This book is HOT and filled with SEX! Jesse has many ways of getting his way. Assuming you read This Man you know about the different degrees of fucks. Well that continues in the book. You have the sleepy, the sense, the reminder, the apology, retribution (my favorite), the alfresco, the truth, and the last one is for you to find out but it’s a good one too! Ava also shows Jesse she can play the same game and gives him a taste of “the truth” that had my mouth a gap and chuckling a bit to myself! Go Girl!!

We pick up the story days after it ended in This Man. Jesse isn’t answering his phone and no one has heard from him so his friends are worried and they go and seek out Ava for help. She is weary but does help. They don’t find him in tip-top-shape (he is passed out and unresponsive) and she immediately begins to take care of him. The man in front of her is not the man she knew and she is scared and worried.

He eventually recovers from his drunken stupor and they begin to work things out–in the way that Jesse works everything out with Ava! Ava wants him to open up and he–as mentioned before–isn’t a big advocate for communication and expressing his feelings so she has a fight on her hands with her challenging man. Jesse is a frustrating man who tries to protect Ava by his in-your-face ways throughout the book–which makes for some great banter and many steamy hot sex scenes (because as we know if she is disagreeing then she needs some sense)! Besides that there is Sarah to deal with who as we discovered in the first book is a big ‘ol bitch who wants Jesse. Jesse continues to be oblivious–which annoys me a bit.

There is an upcoming Anniversary party for The Manor and Jesse wants Ava to go and she really, really doesn’t want to go. A bit of sense and reminders later she’s going. Boy what a fun-filled night that is! I must admit Jesse pisses me off a bit that night. Ava learns and discovers some things. Things she knew deep down but gets it thrown in her face and some other things that she didn’t know that made me want to jump through the screen and cat fight with “the bitch”! Really at that point my jaw was hanging open, a string of profanity came flying out (MOUTH!!), and I went straight to my FB page to bitch and complain to other like-minded book junkies! I must admit I love reading their responses to my banter.

After the party a nice little unexpected surprise occurs that again had me catching flies because my jaw was on the floor. Jesse, Jesse, Jesse you continue to shock and surprise me!

Both of their “challenging ways” comes to a boiling point after Ava has a “girl’s night out” and let me tell you the things you will learn and discover will have to speechless–just…speechless! I went to my FB page and this was my comment:

“I want to hit Jesse!!!! @jodiellenmalpas #BTM OMG WTF Holy Shit!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I feel better now”

I promise you what occurs isn’t anything you could expect! NOTHING! Then there is Ava’s response to the bombshell–which again is NOTHING you would expect. Although before you get to her response you get to the “about fucking time” moment! Which is awesome!

Here is my comment on FB to the “about fucking time” moment: “YES!!! HAHA!!!! **stream of profanity leaving my lips!!** @jodiellenmalpas So awesome!”

Here is my comment of FB to the bombshell moment: “Have they all gone mad?!”

Now for my favorite quotes and excerpts from the book…which really could just be the beginning to end. This will be a difficult task but I will try!

“Baby, I do my talking this way.” He grips the nape of my neck and pulls  me further into him. “Let me show you.”

“You need reminding.” he says, looking down at me. “This is not the conventional way” “It’s how I do things, Ava.”

“You’re mine, and mine alone, baby. Just for my eyes, just for my touch and just for my pleasure. Just mine. Do you understand me?”

“Just yours, Ava. Tell me you love me.” “What?” I cry, when he hits me with a hard drive. “You heard me.” he says softly. “Don’t make me fuck it out of you, baby.”

“His eyes find mine. “I think I’ll let you come first.” His voice is gravelly. “Then I’m going to rip you clean in half.”

“I can’t believe you’re in my life, I can’t believe you’re mine. You are so, so precious to me, baby.”

“Ever heard of a retribution fuck?”

“We’re going to make friends.”

“I’m sorry, who has the power?”

“I want the woman with me who keeps my heart beating.” Oh God! That’s emotional blackmail if even there was any. How the hell can I say no to that? Damn you, Jesse Ward, of an age I don’t know.”

(by Jodi Ellen Malpas)

Again, there are quotes I didn’t put in because I don’t want to ruin it for you…but oh, are they good!

Yes Jesse is challenging and he is frustrating but you just can’t help but love him! By the end of the book it all comes together nicely and you’re say “yep, I understand” however there are still a bunch of questions left for you to wonder about and a few characters who are still lingering about ready to cause havoc on Jesse and Ava’s relationship. Good thing there is a third book!! No official date set but according to Jodi’s Goodreads page “This Man Confessed” will come out in the spring-ish! I left this book on Central Jesse Cloud Nine and so will you (I hope)!!

Follow my reviews on Goodreads and on Facebook! Join me when I host a Live Chat with Jodi Ellen Malpas on February 15th at 7pm EST 🙂