Harley – After the accident ten years ago that put me in a wheelchair, I did my best to avoid the world and its drama. I lived alone and worked from home. I’d disappear into my safe space for days, maybe even weeks, at which point my cousin always showed up to drag me out of my house to interact with the world whether I wanted to or not. On one of our outings, I met the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen in my life; Finn Becker. So what if he was trying to stab his cheating ex at the time? Finn was everything I wasn’t – sassy, feisty, hilarious, full of life – and everything I needed. To my amazement, Finn was interested in me too. Could I move beyond my insecurities and accept his love? Could I ever make such an amazing man happy?
*This M/M romance is for readers 18 and up! It has no cliffhangers or cheating and a very happy HEA. It contains a feisty, grade A sass factory who would do anything for his love, a man who needs love more than anything else in this crazy world, and lots of steamy sexual healing.
**My stories tend to be low on angst because it hurts my heart. They are, however, packed with sexy scenes, heartwarming moments and a healthy dose of humor.
Author’s Note
Thank you for your interest in my book! My stories tend to be low angst because it hurts my heart; I like getting to the good stuff and live for fluff. If “instalove” isn’t your thing, my books may not be for you. I want my readers to finish my books with a smile on their face and a fierce case of the warm and fuzzies. Laughter is guaranteed, and each read delivers its own type of drama. Thanks again for taking a look and happy reading!
I live in rural Ohio with my husband and two sons who drive me nuts, but I love them with all my heart. I enjoy reading and writing romance of all types, but gay romance is my forte and favorite! Twice the sexy men? Yes, please! My books tend to be low angst because it hurts my heart, but they do contain lots of heartfelt moments, steamy scenes and a healthy dose of humor. Thank you to everyone for checking out my page and I hope you enjoy my books. Happy reading!
**Heed the author's warning. Don't read if you have an aversion to instant love, low angst books**
This is instant love at it's finest. I'm talking just a few days. There's no to hardly any angst. Just two great people who both deserve love. It was sweet and corny at times but I couldn't have cared less. It was just easy reading.
Harley deserved someone to love him as he is and not try to change him or sneer at his disability. Finn was a firecracker extraordinaire. He loved Harley and wanted to be for him everything he needed. He didn't make assumptions as to what Harley could or couldn't do and always included him as a full partner. He also was ready to go to battle if he thought Harley was being slighted.
This is my first book by Jayda Marx. I hear her books are all like this one, just easy going and sweet. I'm all about the sweet. Better call my dentist.
Fabulous, funny, fierce and forever romance ! Loved it !
When his ex came in to harass him at work, a male customer played along to help him out. And with that fabulous exchange, we get an amazing M/M romance. Strong, sassy, flirty and feisty femme Finn, a hairstylist at Curl Up and Dye, was so pleased that the wheel-chaired man, Harley, came to his rescue. Harley was there for a hair trim along with his cousin Jake.
Finn liked Harley’s long hair, but it was his smart, snappy banter that drew him. Each man was shot with Cupid’s arrow. Insta-love extraordinaire ! Finn made Harley feel like there was nothing wrong with him, and that was special and rare.
We hear the tough stories that our disabled man went through, and was enough to give us examples of his treatment at times, because then, we appreciated Finn’s acceptance even more.
This is mushy, fresh, funny, and adorable. We watch them navigate their new feelings, challenges and attraction. I was happy for these two, because they found their perfect one for life. Harley was paralyzed at sixteen, is a virgin, and thrilled to be treated so well. Finn is happy to be with Harley, and to be treated like a precious gem. It’s kismet !
Things are marvelous, Finn and Harley are in love. I loved Finn thinking their relationship would be sexless, and then discovering the real truth, so cute. Fierce Finn is magnificent !
I just loved these two, and the story has all the deep feels we love, including super hot sexy times. The health scare provides intensity, the wheelchair basketball scenes, priceless humor and fun. Highly recommended for lovers of sugary sweetness. ENJOY !
On the one hand it made me go awwwww a lot of the time, on the other hand this was soooooooo sappy that I got cavities.
I looked up how often ‘I love you’ was said in this book and the result is: a whopping 35 times!
These guys say they love each other after the second date when they’ve only spent several hours together. Boy, that was fast!
I do have to say that I liked the second half better when other things started to happen instead of them just mooning over each other and saying I love you all the time.
Harley needed some medical attention and that stopped this story from being too much of the same.
Still, you really need to be able to handle this kind of sappiness if you want to read this book.
It wasn’t all bad and sometimes you just need the happy sappy books to forget about RL for a while, so 3.5 stars it is (but still rounded down).
I finished this book 2 weeks ago and I'm only now marking it as finished. Aka, the showcase of my fucked up sanity and my university's talent of receiving my eternal hatred.
Pretty good. Listened to this during my commute. Had fun laughing and also couldn't wait for it to be over.
4.5/5. Highlights may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.
Content Warnings for book: Ableism, religious homophobia, brief mention of racism, illness
Kink: N/A
Head Over Wheels by Jayda Marx is the slice-of-lifey instalove story between wheelchair user Harley and the hairdresser he meets, Finn.
I am not a wheelchair user, but I feel like Marx did a lot of research and care into depicting Harley's lifestyle and experiences. There are some details I feel some authors would neglect usually, and Marx does not do that here. From the way we see how Harley designed his own home with accessibility in mind, discussions around bathroom usage, the type of chair he uses, his car - we are given a full picture. He also is surrounded by community, being apart of a wheelchair basketball team, and having those side characters felt really important. Harley does struggle sometimes with internalized ableism (for example, he worries about Finn's opinions of his body, and uses the word 'broken' once or twice), but I don't think it was as much as Marx saying Harley was broken than it was him overcoming some insecurities.
Finn and Harley are both great characters. We only get this book from Harley's point of view, but I loved how open and honest these two were with each other. That is typical from a Marx book: these characters didn't lay into needless drama or angst, they understood and accepted each other. Finn asked questions when he wanted to support Harley but wasn't sure how, and how important consent was to their relationship. These layers of communication is what made these couples thrive. They fall in love quickly of course, and we get to see their journey grow. There is great mutual caretaking and I loved how sex was navigated as well, never with any shame.
Finn is hilarious - he is twinky, super protective, and has a potty mouth. He really gives no shits what people think of him, and is fiercely loyal. Harley is kind and mature, and he cracks funny jokes as well. I loved the side characters, from Jake who is the supportive cousin, to Damon on the basketball team and Coach Kline. There were some cheesy moments for sure (like calling Finn the "heart and soul" of the basketball team), but I felt it was all in good fun.
I have this as a 4.5 as their were a few unnecessary moments: some brief fatphobia, mentions of racism, use of 'chocolate' as a skin descriptor, and some of the moments of dealing with ableism, I just didn't know if for the story's sake there had to be so many with "epic smackdowns" like Finn ends up doing. I think, though, that is just the nature of how Jayda Marx writes. She loves to write a story where the best things happen, and I love how hopeful it is.
I seriously recommend this book and will be reading the sequel soon!
This was the instalove fluffy contemporary I have come to expect from Marx, and I enjoyed it a lot! I will say, the narration was ROUGH. Recommend reading this one in ebook rather than listening to the audio. (Probably would give this a 2 star based on the narration but keeping it at 4 for content.)
This goes from 0 to I love you in the blink of an eye, and I've come to really appreciate instalove. Sometimes, it's nice just watching people immediately hit it off and go head over heels (lol sorry) in love with each other, with no internal conflicts. My anxiety thanks them. I thought the way disability was discussed in this felt realistic, and not glossing over things - there's a medical/health scare that comes up for a CW, and I thought it really helped bringing in more trust between the MCs. (Take my feelings with a grain of salt and check out reviews from wheelchair users regarding the rep in this please!)
Also, the spot where Harley realized that Finn was enamored with him regardless of whether or not he could have an erection was chef's kiss, great addition to also throw in that relationships don't have to be sexual to have intimacy and love!
This book was toothache sweet, but I loved it. I hadn’t been paying attention to the author’s note that promised low angst so at first I was kind of confused about how smooth everything was going. Once I figured it out, I enjoyed the book much more. This book won’t be for everyone but it’s a perfectly fluffy feel good peace.
The author is very forthcoming in her blurb. If you have a problem with instalove, this book is NOT for you. However, if you don't then you should really enjoy this book. I loved both MCS very much. Finn is hilarious and sweet. I liked all the secondary characters too. I am enjoying most of these authors books and I look forward to more.
This book...where to begin.. it was over the top cheesy, insta love and over the top in a way that made me cringe. The writing was subpar, I'm not even sure why I didn't DNF it . I think I needed something that took zero brain power to read lol
DNF'd at 50%. The author's blurb is correct. Insta everything. Amazing really. It bordered on the ridiculous. Silly and ridiculous. I finally chucked at the halfway point.
The story was sublime and the writing was hands down one of the best I’ve read, ever. Not only was it sweet but it was very informative and VERY well written. Jayda is a remarkable writer.
This book is so sweet it’ll make your teeth hurt… Seriously, I’m pretty sure it give me cavities. If I hear “baby” or “my lover” one more time I’m going to hurl.
Finn is crass and childish. It gets old. I liked Harley well enough, and found the details about sex when you’re in a wheelchair fascinating.
All, in all this book is not for people who dislike insta love. Someone who is wanting to broaden their horizons for insta love: try See Me by Jayda! :)
Things I enjoyed: - Harley loving Finn - care-taking and utter acceptance, love and communication - well-done disability rep - basketball playing!
Things that didn't work for me very well: - Finn's humour was just OTT for me in a way that I could not love him the way Harley did - I was on board with - for me personally, the insta love was a bit too insta but I did still enjoy this.
NSFW infos: - guy in wheelchair since car accident at 16, virgin, long wavy dark hair and a beard, now 26 - twinkish hairdresser, 23 - both out and gay - strict top/bottom dynamic -
Can this book be any sweeter? I feels like I have diabetes after reading it. Finn is very over the top with with his dramatic, but is such a fun character to read. This is basically instalove story with no angst and alot of smut, I was hooked.
The blurb for this story makes it quite clear that this is an angst and drama free book. I was absolutely okay with that fact, although I was a little curious if this could work. I am not a big fan of angst or drama, but of course this is usually what keeps a book interesting to the very end. So, how did this turn out? Well, there was enough happening to keep me going, although the insta love and all the sweetness were often too much, too fast and too cheesy for my liking. I really think a little less would have benefited the story and made it better, still, I was looking for a sweet and mindless story and that's exactly what I got, no worries about having a heart attack during the read, or lots of crying and worries. If this is what you are looking for, you will enjoy it and from time to time that's really perfect. If you wanted to read this because of the wheelchair trope and learning how an abled and a disabled person can find their way to live together, this will probably disappoint, everything is extremely easy, not a single problem or challenge for our main characters anywhere in sight. It is as far from reality as gay romance can get, so take the "warning" in the authors foreword seriously! For me it was an entertaining read, I definitely need something slightly more realistic now, but I enjoyed it while it lasted. 3.5 stars for me
The author is obviously not skilled at writing as this book shows an unbalanced, unbelievable and unedited content. All the babes and sweethearts was over saccharine, you can’t believe in a relationship after four when the couple are acting like they have been dating for a couple of months. Also there are errors , a spinal cord injury doesn’t cause balding and someone like Harley would’ve built up the muscles in his legs , it’s also doubt that those who are paralyzed only from the waist down need a catheter to empty their bladder. Although the story was basically enjoyable and you couldn’t help shouting out numerical amounts of dollars or smiling , it could’ve been a lot better with a more experienced hand and a better publisher
I was looking forward to this book based on the blurb. The meeting between Harley and Finn was great. Finn treated Harley as a person not his disability. But by 20% in I dnf. Harley talked to his cousin about past dates. One who walked out on seeing the wheelchair, one who acted like he was doing the disabled man a favor, and one with another disable man who acted entitled and threw a fit over everything. Then on his current date a person who wouldn't move her feet and a waitress who spoke to him in a very disrespectful man er. Ugh no just no. As a disabled person I admit these things happen. I don't want to read about it though. If that much happened in the first 20% what's gonna happen in the rest?
Sweet fluffy goodness. Loved how protective they were of each other. Harley and Finn were so sweet to each other and were always open about their feelings. It was an instalove story full of humor and a bit over the top. Jake’s character was awesome, and I was so glad to see he was going to have a book coming up too! One thing that really stood out too, was how open Harley was with Finn about his disability, and it was on the page! That was awesome to see. I really like to read about the uncomfortable bits, as it makes it more real, and the author I thought did a great job. Would recommend for someone looking for a very sweet and funny read with over the top basketball cheers and inappropriate comments galore!
Just ... Wow! I can't believe I waited so long to read this book. Harley and Finn's story was absolutely perfect! I loved how beautifully the author incorporated Harley's disability without it overshadowing the story - which is about loving and being loved for who you are! There were so many times where the author could have turned "preach-y" but instead used humor and sexiness to make her point. The heat was on fire and the tender moments just made my heart sing. Finn is so unapologetically sassy and fierce and he is definitely now one of my favorite characters ever! This book has so much going for it that all I can really say is "Read it!" I'm off to snag book #2 and fall more in love with these men! Outstanding!
Ugh. I'm so disappointed right now. I loved Finn's personality in general and I think this could have been a good book but yikes. The endearments, especially 'baby' were used too soon and too often. And they knew each other a couple days before proclaiming their love for each other. I just couldn't continue.
It was only okay. I’m just not a fan of the author’s style even though nothing wrong at all with the story that bothered me. It is low angst insta love. The MCs are so sweet but maybe too much. I wanted the grumpy one to be more grumpy but he really isn’t. The sunshine one was angry sunshine. The best part of the book where all the basketball cheers.
Moving this to DNF for now. I enjoy instalove when there is reason for it (paranormal, fated mates) but not for a modern day contemporary romance. Tooooo sweet too soon, and everyone reads younger than I think they are supposed to be.
If you want something ridiculously sweet, cavity-inducing fluff, you might want to give this a try! Too sweet for me right now.
Finn is hilarius and Harley is the sweetest. There's a lot (A.LOT) of sweetnest in this one, but there's also a lot of humor, and that's what makes the book good for me (I'm not at all in the sweetness so...) Not sure I'll read the next book, but a good surprise.
2.5 stars. While I appreciated many aspects of this book, especially that Harley wasn’t held back by his wheelchair - it was unbelievable, fluffy instalove. The characters said ILY within 72 hours of meeting and got engaged six weeks into their relationship, it felt way too fast, especially when Harley had never had a relationship before. Also, Finn was portrayed as sassy but some of his jokes were over-the-line crude for my taste.
3.5 stars. I forgot that this was an insta love book. Them falling so fast and hard was a bit too much cheese, but I did really enjoy it otherwise. I absolutely loved Finn’s sassy and fiery spirit. The book was full of “awww” moments and had a great HEA.