Review: Joker by J.M. Dabney (Executioners #2)


Note: This ARC was provided by the author via Signal Boost Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

Thirty-eight-year-old Jackson Webb prefers living his life in the periphery. Powers, Georgia is his hometown and his dark and damaged history is no secret to the other townsfolk. But thirty-eight-year-old Demetri Urban is in Powers working on the next chapter of his life. He doesn't expect to become totally smitten with the man everyone else calls Joker. Dem would love nothing more than to break down Jackson's walls, but those have been erected for nearly all of Jackson's life, fortified after years of abuse at the hands of his father. He carefully chooses who he interacts with and follows a rigid pattern in his life. He can't deny, however, that there's something about the talented chef that he wishes he could indulge in. But Jackson believes someone like Dem deserves to have a man who isn't as broken as he is. It will take compromise, patience, and understanding, but maybe, just maybe, there's a chance for Jackson to find the peace and happiness that's eluded him for so long, and for Dem to finally be with someone one who doesn't see him as a cripple but rather will look upon him as one man worth standing next to.

Jackson had me curious about what his back story was like while I was reading the Executioners series starter, Ghost, and with his eponymous tale of tragedy and triumph, he's quickly become one of the most unforgettable main characters I've come across so far this year. My heart broke as he revealed his dark past to Dem, more so when it became clear that he was living his life a certain way because that's how he coped. Dem was a tad overly pushy, but I guess that's what it took for Jackson to let go on those tightly held reins of his. I liked both their love story and Jackson's unexpected search for someone who had gone missing from his life. Because the only other J.M. Dabney book I had read prior to this was Ghost, the only familiar characters to me were Gideon and Harper Jane, and it was nice to see how well they were doing as a married couple. There were certainly other supporting characters who had me curious and I look forward to reading the author's back list and future Executioners books. There were things that I hope were fixed via editing, but on content alone, Joker was an enticing four-starred read. ♥

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Read my reviews for the Executioners series:


Ghost (book one) - five stars - My Review

Joker (book two) - four stars - My Review (posted above)

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Date Read: 03 October 2017

Learn more about J.M. Dabney.

Purchase Joker on Amazon.

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