Review: Valiant by Bella Jewel

I’ve known fear. 
I’ve known pain. 
I’ve known horror. 
I’ve known all of it. 
I’ve guarded myself as best I can. 
I’ve hidden myself from him. 
I’ve changed my name. 
I’ve moved. 
But he still haunts me. 
One day, I’m sure he’ll find me again. 
I don’t trust anybody. 
I don’t believe in anybody. 
I just want to be free. 
Until I meet Jack. 
I’m not looking for him, but that’s the thing about heroes. 
You’re never looking for them. 
He won’t take no for an answer. 
He’ll battle past my fear, my pain, and my horror. 
He’ll sweep into my life like a hurricane, and it won’t matter how hard I fight. 
He’ll break past my walls. 
And he’ll change me. 
Maybe, he’ll even save me.

Review by Lisa Kane
3.5 Stars

Madison is hiding from the man she once loved. She's reinvented herself and is now known as Baylee. She may have left hell back when she escaped but her life isn't much better. She didn't leave alone. She took York's little sister, Rae with her. She's seventeen and pregnant. And she's a total witch. She's ungrateful, a slob and never ceases to blame Baylee for everything. But Baylee just wants to get her through this pregnancy. The plan is to put the baby up for adoption. York didn't just abuse Baylee, Rae took the brunt of his madness too. 

The anger of a man that I once called my boyfriend. The love of my life. The man I wanted to spend eternity with. How can one chance so quickly? How can everything good be stripped from their soul, only to be replaced with ugliness?
So much ugliness?
I know the answer to that.
Drugs. 

Baylee's best friend Shania came with the two of them. She moved her whole life to be with Baylee. Shania doesn't share the same loyalty to Rae that Baylee does, she thinks she should stop working two jobs to support the two of them. Rae has no respect for anyone and has some strange sense of entitlement. I'm with Shania on this one! 

Shania finally convinces Baylee to go out and have some fun one night. That's when she sees him-a gorgeous tatted man who seems to have attracted most of the women's eyes in the bar. But the last thing Baylee needs is some man to make an even bigger mess of her life than it is already. Been there, done that. 

He's a bad boy, even if he doesn't know it.
"I'm not interested."

Jack's family are bikers. Members of the Joker's Wrath to be exact. So it's in the genes that when one of them wants something, they do everything they have to to get it. Jack wants Baylee. 

But Baylee's life is full of secrets. Dangerous secrets. Ones that can get someone killed. Is Jack the man who can take Baylee from the shadows into the light?

Warning-Valiant is a dark read. There's drug use and abuse and a lot of ugly things. 
I'm usually a big fan of Bella Jewel's books. This one just was missing something for me. While I loved the Joker's Wrath series, I would love to see her return to writing lighter things like Wingman. 

"It's going to be okay, beautiful," he murmurs, pulling me closer. "I promise you it'll be okay."
And for the first time, I believe him. 
I truly believe him.