Loving a West Coast Menace: Jahquel and Brooklyn's Story 1 & 2

Loving a West Coast Menace: Jahquel and Brooklyn's Story 1 & 2 by Thea
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

SYNOPSIS
What is a man to do when he wants to be just like his father? But what is a father to do when he wants his only son to be greater than he was? That's the question when it comes to Jahquel Jackson; a young street-savvy man that wants to take the world by storm. He's not the average drug dealer that you'll find on the corner. He's his own man that's selling his own product; Spaceship. 

Jahquel Jackson is adjusting to making a name for himself in Las Vegas Nevada. He desperately yearns to follow in his father Klayton’s footsteps, but Klayton wants Jah to be better than he ever was. However, Jah is determined to honor his legacy and invents a potent form of ecstasy called Spaceship. He works under the tutelage of Vegas and Reign, but now he wants to branch off and pave his own way in the drug game. He is focused on taking over the streets of Nevada with Spaceship, but little does he know that he has enemies coming out of nowhere. With street cred, comes money and hoes and Jah is loving the attention. When his path collides with the lovely Brooklyn Miller, Jah starts to think about settling down with her. The problem is, he doesn’t know if he is capable of being the man that Brooklyn needs. Will he figure it out or will his budding relationship with Brooklyn fail before it even gets started? There are secrets and skeletons that are revealed and Jah might not be able to handle the truth when he finds out. 

Brooklyn is busy trying to get her life together. After finding out that her ex-fiancé Jayce is living a double life and he kicks her out of their apartment she is trying to figure out what her next move will be. She wasn’t looking for love but is enamored by the infamous Jahquel Jackson. The thing is, she has been hurt to the point that she doesn’t know if she can ever trust a man again. She also doesn’t know if investing her heart in Jahquel is worth the risks because he appears to be trouble. Will Brooklyn give Jah a chance or will things come to an end before they get started? Find out in the first installment of loving a West Coast Menace: Jahquel and Brooklyn’s story.

BOOK REVIEW

The story between Jahquel and Brooklyn moved a fast pace. Outside of an apology and an initial meeting leading to her providing a room to her, I couldn't recall them being in each other's presence before jumping into a "relationship".  So, the quick progression didn't allow me to connect with the two as a couple. Individually, I enjoyed both characters but didn't get that opportunity to connect with them as a unit. I liked that Jahquel was not a run of the mill "dope boy".  He was in college and intelligent. I mean he was a bit of a mad scientist. I also liked the relationship between he and Bryce. The brotherhood was solid. In regards to Bryce, I am curious to find out what secrets Reese is holding. Right now, the one that was revealed was not enough to support her erratic behavior. How will  Bryce get himself out of the situation he finds himself? 

All of the characters were interesting. I am guessing I need to go back and read the Vegas and Reign Series, to get an idea of who some of the supporting characters are as well as the backstory on Jahquel and Bryce. The story was structured and formatted well and I found no SPAG errors. The lack of chemistry between the couples that are the focal point and my inability to connect to them is the primary reason for the rating. That being said, I am still looking forward to seeing how this story rounds out. There is a lot of material to work with how the author set up the series. However, the second installment almost seemed to go off the rails. It was extremely chaotic and the all of the characters seemed to have personality transplants. I was often confused by the action or reaction from one of the characters, especially Klayton's "yo mama" scene with Reese seemed childish and immature for a middle-aged man, the cliffhanger revelation. There were also several instances in which words were missing from sentences. I'm not sure what happened in this installment, but I hope the author can capture the same energy she had in book one. You can start the series by getting your copy here and support the author by leaving a review.

View all my reviews