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117 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 4, 2017










What does a person have to look like to have compassion? To care about the wellbeing of abandoned or neglected children? — Jody Mars
Let's all be very honest here. The Kennedy Ink books are never going to win any awards. They work within their trope and a formula a bit. But if you can get on board with that, if they are your thing you will enjoy them. I do enjoy this kind of series. Found family, love as safety and breaking the stereotype. I definitely enjoyed this. It tells an interesting story with good characters and is written well for a book so short. This is a confronting book at the end of blurb is the passage "There are some triggers here that might make some of you uncomfortable. Strong language, domestic abuse and sexual situations.", please take this warning seriously. There are multiple scenes of domestic violence both between partners and towards children, both characters are survivors. Cameron is struggling with it as the book progresses, and he is quite candid about it from a very early point.
The main characters of Jody are Jody Mars and Cameron Rydell. Jody is the adoptive brother of Kayson, Kinnsey and Kady, we met him the previous books. He's the quiet one with definite secrets. Cameron is a nurse he looked after Morgan. Jody is attracted to Cameron but refuses to act knowing that Cameron has a boyfriend. What he doesn't know is the horrors that Cameron's boyfriend, Asher, subjects him to. That said Cameron is a survivor, that is the language the book uses, he is written as a survivor, not as a victim. Jody's coding is just odd, he's survived but he is perpetually mourning The book does use a lot of stereotypes in the descriptions of the domestic violence and its portrayal of Asher but this is a 100 and something page book complexity was not expected. What I was expecting was a consistent story, that was lacking. There was a huge plot hole that I think most people will pick on. Jase's whole career trajectory (or plan) changes and removes the need for Cameron's involvement and the trigger for Jody and Cameron's getting closer. I am pleased to say that the editing issues that plagued both Kayson and Kinnsey are not apparent in Jody. These editing issues were not those that could be justified but Wood's statement This story is also set in a southern state; please keep in mind that accents are different all over the world and I like to use them. It isn’t a typo or a lazy way of typing. It’s how it’s spoken..
Jase is such a cutie. I'm glad he gets his own book, which is the next one unsurprisingly titled Jase. At one point Cameron says "My heart was splitting. This kid was always breaking my heart." and oh man I couldn't relate to that sentiment more, though it applies to Cameron himself as well. Jase is just someone who needs love and who has never had a family, to see him get that and not know how to handle it was something to enjoy. Especially seeing him embraced by the adorable 7-year-old Kady.
“I understand that you don’t know me that well and I’m not someone people trust at face value.”
“I trust you.” — Jody Mars and Cameron Rydell
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