Book Review: Nash (Marked Men #4) by Jay Crownover

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: April 29, 2014
Publisher: HarperCollins
302 Pages

Will their past determine their future?

Saint Ford has worked hard to achieve her childhood dream of becoming of nurse. Focused on her work and devoted to her patients, there’s no room for love. She doesn’t need a guy making waves in her calm, serene life—especially when he’s the unforgettable hottie who nearly destroyed her in high school. Dark, brooding Nash Donovan might not remember her or the terrible pain he caused. But he turned her world upside down... and now he’s trying to do it again.

Saint has no idea that Nash isn’t the cocky player he once was. Uncovering a devastating family secret has rocked his world, and now he’s struggling to figure out his future. He can’t be distracted by the pretty nurse he seems to meet everywhere. Still, he can’t ignore the sparks that fly between them —or how she seems so desperate to get away from him. But the funny, sweet, and drop-dead gorgeous Saint is far too amazing to give up on—especially since she’s the only thing in his life that seems to make sense.

When Nash discovers the truth about their past, he realizes he may have lost her heart before he could even fight for it. Now, Saint has to decide: is Nash worth risking herself for all over again?

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Nash, Nash, Nash...what am I going to do with you?

 

Out of all of the boys so far, Nash seems to be the most put together and just all-around with it. He's the voice of reason when it comes to the lives of his best friends and also when it comes to the Marked tattoo shop. But just when everything seems to be going good for him and those around him, Uncle Phil, the man who practically raised Nash, falls severely ill and also unearths a secret that has been buried for years, shattering everything Nash thought he knew.

 

Saint, a shy redhaired nurse that we met in Rome's book, knows Nash from high school. The only problem is, they both remember their relationship a little differently causing Saint to act cold toward Nash and him wondering why. What Nash doesn't know is that Saint was madly in love with him back in high school, but her low-self esteem and misreading signs caused her so much pain and heartache that she never wanted to see Nash again.Well, like all of these other boys, that just won't do. Nash is determined to know why Saint dislikes him so much, especially since he can't seem to stop thinking about her.

Crownover once again owns me. Having already had three books of slowly getting to know Nash, I loved diving into his head. He's such a sweetie and really wears his heart on his sleeve. He goes through some heavy stuff here and despite all of this, manages to keep his head. Nash seems to be the thoughtful one of the group so it makes sense that when push came to shove, he was able to know when to fight and when to just make himself happy. 

Then there was Saint. Oh, Saint...I wanted to love her and I wanted her to be perfect for Nash, but I honestly didn't feel it. Don't get me wrong, I liked her but there was just so much about her that didn't mesh well with Nash. She just frustrated me to no end. Saint was the first girl in this series to really struggle with self-esteem. Having been overweight in high school and tormented by her classmates, her image of herself is slightly skewed. She doesn't believe she's beautiful and she tended to sabotage everything she touched. While I liked the spotlight on bullying and it's after effects, I felt that this book more than the others had all of the romance cliches. By the time it got to the climatic showdown, I could have gone either way with if they ended up together or not. I just wasn't that invested in their relationship even though Nash was a gem. My heart connected more with the life story more than the romance.

This is definitely a series that is driven by the friendships, I was much more aware of my love for the dynamics between the boys when I was hoping for more of those interactions than Nash/Saint. Still, I loved it and just blew through it like I did all of the others.