Ratings3
Average rating4.3
From Sunday Times bestselling author Emily McIntire comes a forbidden age gap romance and the third interconnected standalone in the Sugarlake series.
Jackson Rhoades has a perfect smile and a broken heart. When he gets offered his dream job in Hollywood, he packs up his shattered pieces and leaves Sugarlake for good.
He thought he was hired to restore classic cars, but instead his new boss tasks Jackson with keeping an eye on his unruly nineteen-year-old daughter.
Jackson agrees reluctantly, not realizing doing so will change his life forever.
Blakely Donahue is one of the biggest influencers in North America. She's followed by millions, but has never felt more alone. Obsessed with counting calories and drowning under the pressure of perfection, she's barely holding herself together. When her father's new employee starts hanging around, Blakely can't help but feel a pull.
Jackson is nine years older and entirely off-limits, but he's the first person to look beyond the surface and see Blakely for who she truly is. Before either of them can stop it, they're crossing boundaries and breaking all the rules.
They know better than to get too close, but for some reason, neither can stay away.
Even if it means destruction for them both.
****
*Beneath the Hood is the third interconnected standalone in the Sugarlake series. It contains mature content. Full list of TW can be found on author's website.*
Featured Series
4 primary booksSugarlake is a 4-book series with 4 released primary works first released in 2020 with contributions by Emily McIntire.
Reviews with the most likes.
This book is everything and my number 1 favorite of this year! Reading this took me on a long slow burn journey. The characters are written very raw and it hit me in every way in my bones and heart.
It's a very heartwarming and heartbreaking story to read, if you're like me who loves deep driven stories with angst and spice, this book is for you! I can't tell you enough how much I highly recommend this series to many readers who love romance and angst. Emily made sure her books have HEA and Trust the Process was in this, through hardships that Blakely had to go through. There are trigger warnings such as ocd and eating disorders.
Jax is my #1 book boyfriend, since book 1 I've always loved him even through bits of pieces of him through the series. He was always a second choice and just someone to lean on. From the last book, he's bruised from how things went in Sugarlake and for that he had to move on in the hardest way and heal on his own. He's a charming flirt with a good sense of humor and heart of gold. It takes someone like Blakely to see so much more than what the public sees, and he just may have found someone that'll choose him always.
Blakely, oh where do I start with her, you wrote her with so much realism Emily. Her process from how she shows herself to be to who she really is something to analyze deeply. She has issues that take her a long time to realize and accept. Her journey is worth the read and it's not just mentally but physically to how she is. (Again keeping it vague for you readers!) She's a social media influencer for herself and brand of things but it's so on point to where everything has to be perfect....too perfect; Image and reputation.
At times I cried because of what she goes through, I could relate. It's a hard hitting home run for me that she does so much to keep herself in shape but her mental health gets the best of her. Emily, you wrote her character so raw and beautiful in a way to let us all know that it's ok to not be ok and to get what is needed, help. Mental health isn't talked about enough but authors like Emily really nailed it perfectly in these characters to make them aware of it themselves. Therapy was again mentioned in this like in the last two books.
Both Jax and Blakely are polar opposites but at the same time so perfect for eachother on a personal emotional level. Both deserve the love they need and to be chosen always for first choice. The spiciness was a top notch of hotness, slow and passionate. The hot tension got me feeling all bothered, in a good way! I had to take a breather every 5-10 minutes when the atmosphere went to 180!
Emily McIntire did it again! Such a heartfelt, heart wrenching story between two people who shouldn't have fallen in love. Despite their struggles, they figured out how to make it work. Absolutely love the writing style. Now onto the next one!