EARLY REVIEW: Crashed Out (Made in Jersey #1)

Crashed Out (Made in Jersey #1), by Tessa Bailey
Publish Date: December 7, 2015
Publisher: Entangled Brazen
Format: e-ARC, provided by the publisher
Genre: adult contemporary erotic romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Rating: 4.5 STARS

(From Goodreads) Jasmine Taveras is the reason Sarge Purcell grabbed his six-string and bailed the hell out of New Jersey four years ago. She's the fuel for every song he's ever written-each one laced with bitter, hard-edged, hungry lust. Now, with his hugely successful band is on temporary hiatus, Sarge is determined to prove to Jasmine that this "kid" turned into every inch the man she's always needed...

Men are slim pickings for a single factory girl in Hook, New Jersey...until tall, broad-shouldered hotness walks-or rather storms-into Jasmine's life. Sarge's return shouldn't affect her this way. He's her best friend's much younger kid brother, and the kind of rough, gritty, sexiness Jasmine has no right to taste for herself. Even if he lets her.

But lust is a blinding, insatiable force. And when it crashes, it will take both Sarge and Jasmine down with it...

Finally a book about a hot cougar. And, of course, it came from the mind of Tessa Bailey. 

Jasmine is just weeks away from turning 30 when her BFF's rock star brother swoops back into town after being gone for years. But, he's different from the quiet brooding teenager he was when she last saw him. He's bolder. More world-wise. More intense. And when he sets his sights on her, Jasmine finds it difficult to deny him, despite what her head tells her. 

For his part, Sarge is determined to finally get what he has always wanted - Jasmine Taveras. He was always too young, too inexperienced and too afraid to go after her before. But, after his band has toured non-stop for four years, he has seen and done enough to want to settle a bit. Preferably with the woman he has wanted to see him as more than a kid brother for a long time. 

It seems that in most books, you have an older experienced man showing a younger girl the ropes. I love so much that it's reversed somewhat in Crashed Out. Jasmine is definitely older than Sarge - seven years older. She used to babysit him, for crying out loud. But, Sarge has always seen Jasmine as more than just his babysitter. And, now after four years of valuable experience - of all types - he's ready to show her that he's more than just a kid. 

That's a pretty tall order for Jasmine though. In addition to Sarge being her best friend's kid brother, he's also seen as the pride of their small, blue collar town. Sarge is the boy who got out and made something of himself. And, despite Jasmine wanting to do the same, she's spent all her life working in the factory like everyone else. Sarge might make her panties melt with just a glance, but the more she gets to know the man he's become, the more she feels like she can't bring him down like that. 

Another woman with a huge martyr complex - *sigh*. On one hand I can appreciate Jasmine's point of view. I wouldn't want to be the reason someone successful decide to put an end to his career and stay behind in a dead end town. I'd be afraid that person would eventually resent me. And that would suck a lot. 

But, Sarge proves again and again that Jasmine is it for him. She's his home, and if that means staying in town indefinitely, then he's willing to do that. It might not be a bad thing, after all, since he realizes that his relationship with his sister and his young niece needs some repairing as well. It's hard to maintain relationships like that when you're gone for four years. And, now that his band is taking a break, and Sarge is back where he grew up, he's taking stock of the things in his life that matter to him. And, he's coming up short. 

I loved how Sarge absolutely refused to take no for an answer. He could see that Jasmine wasn't opposed to the idea of him, so he kept pushing her and pushing her. He took her way outside her comfort zone, and every time she mentioned their age difference or his rock star status as reasons why they couldn't be together, he blew them away with a ton of hot sex and meaningful moments. He was determined to show Jasmine that he could be everything to her, even though she was determined to keep him at arm's length. 

The door is opened for book 2, focusing on River, Sarge's sister, and the glimpse I saw is so intriguing. There's definitely a story there that needs told, and I can't wait to read it. But, Sarge's and Jasmine's story was a fantastic way to kick off this brand new series from Tessa Bailey.