Veena’s review of I Want You Back (Want You Series, Book 1) by Lorelei James
Contemporary Romance published by Berkley 02 Apr 19
Jax and Lucy have been supporting characters in the Need You series, while their daughter Mimi is a family favorite. I really like the fact that Ms. James has kicked off this new series with the most colorful and controversial characters in the family. What truly happened between Jax and Lucy that left her pregnant, alone and destitute, has been a mystery to date. But as their back story is revealed, so is the need for Jax to find redemption and a way to fit in with his family as a son, brother, cousin, and nephew, but most importantly as a father to his daughter. Can he and Lucy find a way to bridge the past and find a loving relationship?Jax is retired from his beloved hockey and back in his hometown, determined to win over Lucy so the three of them can become a family. It’s not going to be easy on many fronts. He has definitely learned from his past life of excesses as a sports idol and is back sadder, wiser, and determined. Being a father is definitely not easy. It’s not fun visits and spoiling his daughter, as he finds out, the first day she sleeps over and he has to get her up in the morning and to school. I suppose what made Jax such a good hockey player was perseverance, and he’s going to have to exercise a lot of patience and perseverance to make inroads with Lucy.
After the one time when Lucy and Jax forget their daughter is present and they get into a fight, Mimi calls her uncle on her new cell phone her mother isn’t happy about, they sober up and realize they need to figure out a way to co-parent. even if there is nothing else between them. For all that I never thought I would even like Jax, I ended up admiring him for realizing what an entitled jerk he had been and what an awesome father and boyfriend he makes.
Ms. James definitely knows how to get to the heart of the emotional center of her readers. There is laughter and tears during the reading and yet, as things start to fall into place, there is contentment that the second-chance charm works and there’s hope after all. While this is a new book in a spinoff series, it’s like a continuation of the old one and no one is happier than I to see these characters back in print. I can’t wait to see the rest of the brothers find their “one.”
Grade: A
Summary:
New York Times bestselling author Lorelei James kicks-off her Want You Series with a Lund family cousin hot enough to melt the ice and mend a broken heart.
Former NHL star Jaxson Lund has returned to the Twin Cities, but he’s at loose ends, unsure if he belongs at Lund Industries, or where he stands with Lucy, his ex-girlfriend and mother of his daughter, Mimi. Despite the signs she’d like to leave him in the penalty box, the attraction burning between them reinforces his determination to prove that he deserves a second chance…
Lucy Quade is in a good place with a steady job, a nice apartment, and a well-adjusted daughter, which is why she’s hesitant when Jax insists on co-parenting. It’s not that Lucy doesn’t trust Jax…she’s just unconvinced he can handle multiple responsibilities when he’s been singularly focused on playing hockey. But when issues arise with Mimi, Lucy’s shocked at how levelheaded and paternal he acts, giving her a glimpse of the Jax she used to know, the sexy, sweet man she fell for years ago.
Once Lucy lets her guard down, Jax goes all in to show her how good they are together, but will their past remain too large an obstacle to ever overcome?
