Jumping Jude: Made Marian Series Book 3 Kindle Edition

I occasionally do this and I apologize if you don't like me wrapping a whole series in one review. However, this one caught me by complete surprise to the point where I abandoned all the other books I was reading (and they are all by some of my favorite authors) and read straight through these three like a hot knife through butter.First of all, the characters surrounding the MCs in each book are the crazy Marian family of Northern California, a free-wheeling, loving gang of six natural siblings, five boys (three gay, but one in the closet), and one girl, Simone. Then there's Aunt Tilly, one of the great hoots of all time, and attendant members of other clans and friends of each of the MCs--this gang can definitely shoot straight, but sometimes they all miss the mark.The main theme in each book is that every single one of the MCs is terrified of commitment for good reason. In "Borrowing Blue," Blue (nee Bartholomew) Marian has just been dumped by his long-time lover Jeremy on the eve of Simone's wedding, and he is not interested in ever having another relationship. Then he meets casual a supposedly straight man named Tristan in the bar of the vineyard estate where Simone's wedding is to take place. Tristan is just coming off a bitter divorce propagated by him finding his wife entwined with...well, that would be giving away a spoiler.Needless to say, when Jeremy walks into the bar with a boy toy (he was invited to the wedding) and Tristan offers to kiss Blue to prank Jeremy, we have the beginning of a wonderful assignation during which Tristan comes to terms with the fact that he has probably always been at least bi, and Blue comes to the conclusion that this cannot and should not last.But it does, and along the way during the week-long lead up to the wedding, Blue's brother Jamie comes to town from Alaska where he, a dedicated environmental super star, had just been recently literally left at the altar by a guy named Brian, who turned out to be married. Jamie is off commitments and is also trying to escape the e-mail and voice-mail entreaties of a world-renowned wildlife photographer named Theodore Kodiak, which leads us into "Taming Teddy."Teddy will bed anyone at anytime, male or female, on the condition that both realize it's likely to be a one-off, and when he finally corrals Jamie in the second book, the slightly older man becomes besotted. To say nothing of how Jamie feels. This book has far more angst than the previous one, but the resolutions are quite remarkable. During a wild New Year's weekend in Hawaii where the whole family has escaped for another wedding, Jamie notices his country-music superstar brother Jude in a hallway being ravaged by his tall, hot, ex-Marine bodyguard Derek--which shocks him because Jude is supposed to be straight (we know he's not because Blue tells us this secret in the first book).That brings us to "Jumping Jude," which presents us with the Jude-Derek situation, in which both are deeply closeted but in the end it's Derek who cannot force himself to come out. This leads to a major rift that lasts longer than it should because Derek--like Teddy and Blue before him--simply has his head up his ass about relationships.Each of the books has basically the same plot, but each of the MCs stand out as brilliantly constructed individuals. The covers are absolutely spot-on--you can see the family resemblance in Blue, Jamie and Jude. The sex is explosive and there are a great many sex scenes, each of which stands alone as a lead-up to the next encounter.In the end, what is implied in the author's note is that she is not done. See, the Marians became very involved in the LGBTQ community when Blue and Jamie came out, and they adopted three young gay men who are now in college--and I think Ms. Lennox has some more Marians to be made. That would be wonderful, because this is one clan I can say lives up to family values.

Technically it's the third book in the series, but it works perfectly well as a standalone :) and I know that from personal experience :) after inhaling and absolutely loving the first one, I was super curious about this installment, and my lovely sister J, who already read all three, said that I can skip the second one for now and won't be spoiled... and she was right :) don't get me wrong, I will definitely go back to read the previous installment, but I was just in the perfect mood for a story like this one... and it was just phenomenal... :) but before I jump into all my thoughts and feelings about this gem, let me tell you a few more details what it's actually about :)Each installment of this MM contemporary romance series focuses on a different brother in the Marian family and each of them can be read as a standalone... although because they are all part of one big family, naturally the same secondary characters appear in each story :) this particular one is about Jude and Derek :) Jude is one of the Marian siblings and a very famous musician... that's one of the reaons why he hides the fact he's gay from everyone except one of his brothers... he's been burnt in the past and now is very protective of his private life... after a dangerous situation with his previous bodyguard, he demands a new and competent one... and that's how he meets Derek Wolfe :) Derek is an ex-marine and very deeply in the closet... for him the main reason why he's not out is his very homophobic family... he's the person that finally will help Jude feel safe... :) that's basically all I can say to you about what happens in this book without spoiling you stuff :) so instead let's focus on all the words I have to share about my love for this story ;)I have so many wonderful things to say about this book that I'm not sure where to start... :) the writing style was absolutely beautiful... this story was very close to my heart for many reasons and hit me in all the feels... I listened to the audiobook version very quickly, because I simply had to know how everything will end... :) and speaking of the narrator... *sighs happily* the writing itself is already awesome, but the narration of Michael Pauley was breathtaking... :) he did two very different voices for both of the main characters... and as much as I loved Derek's growly voice, there was just something about Jude's accent that made me swoon ;) his performance overall made me feel like both of these characters were so real... that's one of the reasons why this was a very emotional story for me... *sighs dreamily* their journey to a happy ending... the way they slowly became friends... and once they discovered they are both attracted to each other, things escalated... ;) in the best possible way :) since both of them weren't out, for a long time they lived in this little bubble of happiness... until things got complicated... that's another reason why I really liked this book... it takes place over quite a few months, so there's time for Jude and Derek to get to know one another :) they seem very different at the beginning of this novel, but they have much more in common that anyone thinks :) there are quite a few secrets being kept throughout this whole book, and usually it's something that annoys me... but in this case, it was done in a way that really made me understand why both of them did it... like I mentioned before, it was a very emotional book for me, mostly because of all the things that were happening to our main couple... there were so many moments when I just wanted to reach into the story and hug them and protect them from all the horrible things and people... *sighs* but that's what happens when an author has such an incredible writing style that pulls you in from the start :) besides the absolutely wonderful main couple, we have some great secondary characters, including my personal favourite of the series: aunt Tilly :) that older woman is absolute bomb :) hilarious and entertaining she will make you laugh like no other character in this story ;) I am always looking forward to her scenes :) last thing I want to mention is the lyrics... since Jude is a singer, there are a few places in this book where we see his lyrics... and oh how they will get you straight in the heart... *sighs dreamily* but that's all I will say about them ;) if you are in a mood for a beautifully written emotional story about two men discovering how much they mean to each other, I highly recommend you guys this gem... you will immediately fall in love with the Marian family and want to binge read all the rest of the installments :)

Squeee!! **happy sigh** **huge grin** I love Jude Marion. I love Derek Wolfe. I love the book Jumping Jude and I am now head over heals in love with Lucy Lennox. What an awesome Christmas present this book was. What an awesome present to give yourself anytime of the year this book is. My eyes were so tired but my brain was so wired after having finished Jumping Jude last night I couldn't sleep. I was feeling all the feels and just relishing in that adrenaline rush from being excited and in love. Now this morning I realize I have a major book hangover. I can't start reading a new book yet because I can't walk away from these guys. I may need to immediately re-read. I think I'm going to re-read Borrowing Blue first though. One, because I love Blue and Tristan, but two, because I'm so excited to re-visit the parts that Jude and Derek were in now that I know what was going on with them during those scenes.If you're undecided about whether you want to spend the money on a new to you author or not all I can tell you is I've loved every book. Borrowing Blue was like meeting a new friend that you've felt like you've known forever. Taming Teddy was getting to know that person better and realizing that your feelings about that friend are real and not just the shiny of something new. Jumping Jude is falling madly in love with that friend and wanting to spend the rest of your life with them.Both MC's were so likable/lovable. Secondary characters are also a joy. There's humor, wit, tenderness, honesty, depth, consistency in writing ability. To me it's a total package. Life has been like a flock of pigeons to my new shiny clean black car lately, but when I read these stories I put all of that behind me for a bit and find myself grinning like an idiot. What else can I say?

Sweet sweet Jude! I could just gobble him up! He's the cutest!This story is more angsty than the others. Poor Jude broke my heart. He's really sensitive and caring and just too cute for words. Loved him! Derek was right, who would ever leave him!I really felt for Derek too. Years of repression really took its toll on him. It took a special someone to make him finally see the light. His love for Jude and Judes love back was overwhelming for them and you felt it deep in your heart.Fantastic storyline, lots of loving, bit of angst and happiest of happy ever afters. You can't go wrong with this series.

Jude and Derek stole my heart so much I loved themYou could feel Jude and Derek's connection from the first time they meet I was hooked from beginning to endI laughed I cried I fell in love i felt like I was their with them every step if the way and through their ups and downsAnd the songs are amazing and powerful and meaningful like every word of Jude and Derek's journey I loved it

Jude is at the very top of the list of country singers, keeping the fact that he's gay a secret, but is now being threatened with exposure by his closeted ex. Derek is an ex marine hired to protect Jude and can't keep his eyes of him, but he hates country music. They both tootle along wanting each other but keeping their distance until finally neither can cope with it anymore, and when death threats are aimed at Jude, Derek pulls out all the big guns

I've absolutely loved all 3 books in this series I've read so far, but I honestly think that Jumping Jude is my favourite out of the 3. Jude and Derek are amazing as a couple and this series is sublime.

Rating 4.5 stars. I liked this very much. I have read the previous books in the series and I will be continuing with the series over a period of time.