Better When He's Brave (Welcome to The Point #3) by Jay Crownover

Titus King has always seen his world in black and white. There is a firm right and wrong in his mind, which is why as a teenager he left behind the only family he’d ever known to make a better life for himself. Now a police detective in one of the worst cities in the country, he can’t deny his life has turned into a million different shades of gray.

The new criminal element in The Point has brought vengeance and destruction right to Titus’s front door, and walking the straight and narrow seems far less important now. The difference between right and wrong is nothing compared to keeping those he loves alive. To add to his already strained moral compass, the beautiful and mysterious Reeve Black has made her way back to town. This girl might be as dangerous to Titus as the guy trying to destroy the Point but he can’t walk away because he needs her—in more ways than one.

Reeve knows all about the threat trying to destroy The Point. She knows how ruthless, how vicious, and how cruel this new danger can be… and instead of running away, she wants to help. Reeve knows that she has a lot to repent for and saving the city, plus the hot cop that she hasn’t been able to forget might just be the only way she can finally find some inner peace.

With an entire city poised on the brink of war, Titus and Reeve stand in the crossfire—and it will take two brave souls to fight for the ultimate love.

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Hot damn, this series gets better and better! Just when I think Jay can't top herself, she delivers a character like Titus King (best name ever!). "Hot Cop" doesn't even begin to encompass all that he is. I was curious how Titus was going to fit in with the resident bad boys of The Point, and worried that his "righteous, do-gooder" persona would come off boring compared to Bax and Race. Boy, was I surprised (and wrong)! 

Our "Hot Cop" turned out to be an incredibly complex character. I love Bax and Race, but Titus is just something else. He is a tightly coiled spring that is somehow just...more -  more intense, more tortured, sexier, just more...everything. He is the ideal hero - forever willing to stand on the front lines and protect the innocent. He's Atlas, carrying the weight of entire city on his shoulders. Strong and brave. Yet he doesn't belong on a pedestal. He's not perfect and battles everyday against his inner demons - his background, his past choices, where he grew up. He makes the hard choice everyday to walk on the right side of the law, to not take the easy way out, in a place that doesn't often reward that. 

Reeve was the perfect counterbalance to Titus, and I liked her "git 'er done" attitude. I liked the push and pull between her and Titus, and how she never seemed to back down. She's a strong female character up against an intense, overwhelming male character, but she holds her own. Their love story is ripe with tension, and when it explodes, it will leave you in need of a (or several) cold shower. I loved this book, from cover to cover and every page in between!

Up next in the series is Nassir and Keelyn's story, due out in Spring 2016. Can't wait to return to The Point!