Yours to Bare (Slip of the Tongue Book 3)

This book kept me reading until the end! Finished it in 2 days, that''s how intoxicating this book is!! I love the way they treid to save each other and finally realised they have to save themselves before they can continue their love!!! And Oh...... I must add..... HOT AS HELL!!!! Thanx Jessica

Jessica Hawkins has done it again!!! I am just in awe how wonderful her words are that she brings to life in each and every book she's written. The desire to go non stop reading any of Jessica Hawkins books is real people...
Finn, he needed to have his story told. I counted the days down to finally reaching release day and to have this book in my possession! What a story he had to tell.... While this is a standalone book, you get the full picture if you have read Slip of the Tongue... Totally not needed to read prior but you will know more of the history having read it.
God, I didn't think it was possible to love Finn more than I already had...but now that I've finished this book...He's the one!!! The one who knows how to treat a woman, knows what to say to make you feel wanted/needed, the patience to handle what ever is thrown his way...
Halston, well she is in need of someone like Finn... She has been controlled for the past 10 yrs by her father and 'boyfriend'....after a traumatic event happened at the age of 15, she has been medicated to just get by...
To read their story, it just flowed perfectly and was sexy, hot and emotional...had some Highs and some Lows but most of all, it told a story of unconditional Love.
Thank you Jessica Hawkins for another fantastic Book!!!

Confession: this was my first Jessica Hawkins book and I can't believe I haven't read this author sooner. I fell head over heels (excuse my cliche) in love with her writing, with her story telling ability.

Now, I didn't know this when I started but Finn's story actually starts in Slip of the Tongue, but this book is a complete standalone. Confused? Don't be. I sure wasn't. Finn gives enough insight to his past that you don't have to read Slip of the Tongue first, although I'm definitely going to be reading it soon because I need more Jessica Hawkins in my life. I already have three or four other books on my kindle by her to get to.

Finn and Halston, the main characters of the story, are both creative people. Halston with her poetry and Finn with his photography. But Finn's photos are lacking some passion and Halston has never shown her poetry to anyone before. And her poems are more like internal thoughts that she has and records in journals. They're full of lust and passion and sexual exploration.

One day while at a coffee shop, Finn finds a journal that Halston accidentally leaves behind. He looks for the owner but when he catches a glimpse of the words inside, something stirs within him. An awakening of something he hasn't felt in a long while, if ever.

Some could argue this book had an insta-love feel when Finn and Halston meet but I think it's more of a instant connection between two creative types that are looking for a change out of the mundane. These two click on a creative level that allows them to bound and grow closer, opening each other up to vulnerability.

This book is sexy in more ways than one. But how could it not be when Finn is the Hero? I'm telling ya'll, he is F-I-N-E and caring (so caring), and so alpha in bed (or any surface for that matter) *fans self* and I love how he helps Halston find a stronger voice in what she wants and that she shouldn't be afraid to be the real her. Yours to Bare is as sweet as it is sexy.

One of my favorite aspects of the story was how Instagram played into the story. There doesn't seem to be a lot of talk of social media in books even though social media is something we use more than once a day (if you only go on once, props to you for your willpower. Tell me your secrets) and as an avid Bookstagramer I loved that it was incorporated a lot in Yours to Bare.

This might have been my first Jessica Hawkins book but I'm now a huge fan! She has a new book, the first in a series, coming out at the end of February and it sounds AH-mazing and I can't wait to get my hands on it. But while I wait, I have her backlist to hit so if you need me, that's where I'll be. Devouring the work of Jessica Hawkins!

This was a really good story about learning to accept who you are and being your own person, taking control of your own life. It shows that you should never be embarrassed by your own thoughts, wants, or needs. If you find the right person/people to be in your life, they will want you happy and help you achieve whatever you choose to do. It took me a couple chapters to really get into the book, but once I was there, it was hard to put down. Finn was so good for Halston, and vice versa. I did not care for Rich or Halstons father. I'm sure Rich cared about her on some level, but I just didn't feel it. Halstons father had his own issues that he pushed off onto her. I definitely would have given this book a higher rating, but there were three things I couldn't get past. One- I like to be drawn in from the beginning of a book, not a couple chapters in. Two- I wanted more of Finn and his daughter. I really wanted to read some type of interaction between her and Halston. We got nothing. The main characters daughter is too important to not go deeper with them. Three- I felt like the book just ended. I seriously thought there was at least another chapter left, but nope, it just ended. No epilogue, no closure. I don't even know if they stayed together, or if Halston ever met Finns daughter. We never get Halstons fathers reaction to Finn, not even sure if they met. I don't like closing a book and having a bunch of unanswered questions. These things are just my personal issues and expectations, and regardless of them, it was still a really good story.

Jessica Hawkins has the exceptional talent for making her readers feel every single emotion that happening in a book. She has a knack for making the pages of her books come alive and making the reader feel and breathe along with her amazing characters that you can't help but to fall in love with. Every story pulls you in to where you are living it along with the characters. You feel every tear, every laugh, every heartbreak and are completely immersed into the incredible journey that she writes. The author delivers a powerful, addicting, raw, emotional, amazing story that completely draws you into the story and holds you captive till the very end when you never want to leave.

We first met and fell in love with Finn in Slip of the Tongue and I personally could not wait to read his story! It broke my heart when Sadie left him broken hearted and I couldn't wait for him to hopefully get his story told and find a happily ever after. This story was much more than I could have asked for although it was still kind of lacking for me(not enough for it not to get 5++++ stars). Finn meets Halston meet by fate. I believe they were meant to meet and once you meet her, you can just tell that they are perfect for one another. But they both have their own problems. Finn still has issues with everything involving Sadie, his ex wife, and his daughter. And Halston has her own problems with things surrounding her mom's death ten years prior.

A personal journal, filled with a woman's deepest and darkest desires never meant to be looked at by anyone, ends up in the hands of a man who brings her words to life. A man takes a picture of a woman, bringing her back to life and making her feel like the most beautiful, most wanted woman in the world again when she hasn't really felt anything in for as long as she can remember. It's forbidden temptation, the ultimate desire, an epic seduction. Together these two will fall deep, cross lines, and break rules.

I fell for Finn hard in this book!! He is such a real, down to earth, possessive alpha male guy and in Slip of the Tongue he was kind of the outcast so it was great getting to dig deeper into his thoughts and feelings although I wish there would have been more on his past and why he was the way he was. Seeing his flaws and mistakes and how he grew and learned from them made him a more relatable hero in my opinion. And him and Halston's chemistry was off the charts combustible!! There were a lot of moments where I was left fanning myself because the heat level was too much! And I loved Halston! She was a very broken character in the beginning but watching her slowly come out of her shell and find herself with Finn was absolutely intoxicating. She was lost, then found and weak but very strong. It was appealing and breathtaking to watch her journey towards self discovery.

Yours to Bare was an emotional, raw, breathtaking story. There are ups and downs and twists that will have your stomach clenching at the edge of your seat but I would read this book over and over again because it was just that amazing!!! This story broke my heart and healed me all within the span of a book and it kept me completely captivated the whole way through which is what I love in a book. I can't recommend this book enough and I can't wait to see what Jessica Hawkins has in store for us next!

Yours To Bare was an enthralling, sexy and provocative read that took my breath away. I was hypnotized by this story from the very beginning and devoured it within just a few hours. I was literally craving each and every word like Finn Halston's erotic poetry. This book has consumed my mind and heart. Jessica Hawkins' writing is absolutely addictive - it's poignant and emotionally charged.

One day Finn Cohen finds a journal full of raw, gritty and intimate poetry in a coffee shop around the corner. Since he can't figure out who it belongs to he decides to keep it until he finds its rightful owner. The poems about love and sex, pain and euphoria don't leave Finn unaffacted. For the first time in a year since Sadie left him for her husband he feels something. He decides to do everything in order to find this mysterious woman and make her his. Halston Fox is surprised and intrigued by this handsome stranger's response to her innermost desires and fantasies. She suggests Finn to work with him and soon becomes his muse and lover. But when Halston decides that she no longer wants to stay the anonymous woman behind their successful social media project her decision to reveal her identity may cost them both the most important thing they have ever accomplished - their love.

Finding a stranger's journal and reading about her private thoughts and feelings without invitation was for Finn to some extent like opening Pandora's box. He was fascinated by this woman's words. Finn understood them, understood her. And he soon developed an obsession for both. Halston never intended to bare her soul to another person. She was afraid of being judged and ridiculed. She was convinced that nobody would understand or share her desires - until she met Finn. The poems were a cathartic release for Halston but Finn's encouragement to accept and love herself the way she is has invigorated her.

Finn and Halston are both flawed characters. He is emotionally scarred from his affair with Sadie and could never shake off the feeling that he was not good enough. Finn made mistakes in the past but he has learned from them. He is a romantic and firm believer in fate. He doesn't want only sex, he wants a relationship with the woman who is his soulmate. And he found her in Halston. I loved how Finn supported her and helped her to become more self-confident in her sexuality and writing. Halston is a troubled young woman. She is full of insecurities and suppressed grief which are eating her from the inside. Sometimes her actions annoyed me but I had to remind myself that she is much younger than Finn and that she is emotionally unstable and needs help. I was proud when she realised that in order to have a future with Finn she needs to clean up her mess on her own.

Let me tell you that the sex scenes between these two were scorching hot. Finn and Halston are like dynamite in the bedroom. Their chemistry was palpable on every page. Jessica Hawkins can truly write passion and intimacy like no other.

I recommend this book from the bottom of my heart and give it 5 well-deserved stars. I hope that you're going to give this amazing story a chance. Trust me, it's absolutely worth it!

Fate always plays a funny hand in life. The things that we do on impulse always seem to come back around during pivotal points in your life. For Finn - everything that transpired between he and Sadie caused a ripple effect that he is still feeling the effects of. Avoiding certain places that hold memories of their time together led Finn to this moment. A discovery of a journal that contains writing that beckons to Finn. The words speak like woven silk upon the pages. A look into one woman’s darkest thoughts and feelings. After a few pages, Finn is hooked and knows he must discover the individual behind this beauty.

By all outward appearances, Halston has the perfect life. A boyfriend that anticipates her every need, a job with her father’s company, the ability to work when she pleases…..but none of it was the way it appeared. Halston felt trapped in her own skin. Destined to be what others expected, and never live her life on her own terms. Writing in that journal was a way to let her desires come to the surface. An escape that Halston needed from the chains of a life that really wasn’t ‘hers’.

Meeting Finn was one of the most unexpected events that Halston ever experienced. It was an instant attraction. One that left Halston feeling beautiful in Finn’s eyes. A chance to escape the boundaries that formed her life. Someone that would let her be the woman in those journals. For Finn - his attraction to Halston was a pull he hasn’t felt since the day he became involved with Sadie. Hesitant at first, Finn was determined not to make the same mistakes he made in his previous relationships. Forcing both to reevaluate what taking the next step would mean in their lives.

Yours To Bare is a unique romance that is anything but ordinary. Fans of the author will recognize Finn from Hawkins’ previous novel - Slip of the Tongue. In this book - Finn takes on a completely different persona. One that was a bit more demanding and erotic. Halston faces a deep longing to become the woman she desires, and to not let others dictate who she should be. It’s a struggle that will cast a shadow on this couple and how they move through their relationship.

I really struggled with my rating on this story. The novel started off strong. Pulling me into the journal. Anticipating how Finn and Halston would fight their attraction. Then there was the erotic elements sprinkled throughout the story. I soaked up every single word! Then when the really detailed parts of the plot kick in….well, things begin to just fall flat. The ending just doesn’t match the anticipation level. The last page had me saying ‘that’s it?’.

Then there was the fact that Finn had been introduced in another book. Well - the Finn we met in Slip of the Tongue is NOTHING like the Finn of Yours to Bare. This was great and not so great for me as a reader. Let me explain….Finn is a total dominate in Yours to Bare. Don’t get me wrong, I totally loved that about him. However - his mannerisms and everything seem ‘off’ when you compare that it’s the same character. Then we get a ‘glimpse’ of Finn and Sadie from this story (can’t say what so it doesn’t spoil things) that just makes things so incomplete. If you have reoccurring characters, they need to be a little like their old selves. It just didn’t jive for me in the last quarter of the book. So - it really affected how I rated this novel. Reading Slip of the Tongue isn’t necessary to understand the ‘history’ with Finn.

While I should have been studying, I thought I could restrain myself by reading a small piece of Yours to Bare... I was wrong. I became utterly obsessed and possessed by Ms. Hawkins writing. I promised myself one page. But that quickly became two pages, then three and four. Then those pages became one chapter, then two and three. Before I realised it, I'd gone from start to finish in the blink of an eye. In that regards, I was very much like Finn. I picked up something special and pried open the pages and drowned myself in the words. Elegant, seductive, captivating words that pushed all other thoughts from my mind. I knew I shouldn't, and yet, I did. I think that's why I connected to Finn. He was the same when he found the journal. Utterly enchanted and unable to stop himself. Before I started reading, I was undecided about Finn. Having met him in Slip of the Tongue, I wasn't sure how I would feel about him. But I understood him better now. I liked him more. There was another side to him that I saw here. He was sweet and funny. He said all the things you would hope a man would say to the woman he loves. Like this for just one example:
I want her to hum into my mouth, to melt like that with my tongue between her legs. The way she writes, the way she moves - she's got to be sensuality personified in bed.

And then I met Halston. She is an incredible woman. Having suffered a tragic past, she is fragile, flawed and raw and yet powerful, feisty and determined. Her insecurity and her fears spoke to me. I understood her. I wanted to gather her in my arms and just hold her so she knew she wasn't alone. I think we have all felt what Hals feels at one point in our lives. The fear that we cannot be our true selves. That we must hide parts of ourselves because if we were to reveal those parts, we would open ourselves up to judgement, ridicule, and ultimately, rejection. Therefore we hide bits of us, our desires, our fantasies, even our hopes and dreams, for fear of what others will think of us. But not Finn. He allows Hals to feel and hope. To be herself not just in her journal but with him in reality.

However, there is conflict in how things are working in the relationship between Finn and Hals. She has had enough of people trying to control her and fears that Finn wants the same. I was worried about what would happen in the end but I shouldn't have worried. The ending was perfect. Hals realises that she needs to love herself, all of herself, before she can ask someone else to do it. So many feels in the end, so much depth. After all, should people settle for barely exisiting? Life should be filled with passion, laughter and endless possibilities. It is what we are meant to do. Live. The only things people regret in the end are the things they didn't do. That they didn't live enough. We are only here such a short time, why not take risks, love passionately and live for every day?

And the steam in this book? Ms. Hawkins has taken it to a whole other level. Hot damn! Someone hand me a fan! Showers are much more interesting ;) Finn and Hals have some intense chemistry and their love glows hot! Here is just a taste of a little flirting: "The white collar of your blouse makes you look so sweet." He says sweet with an edge that weakens my knees. "Like a good girl. It makes me want to turn you bad."

I think I should take up photography... or find a photographer ;)
There are also tender moments like one instance in bed and the two of them ran their fingers over each other's backs. It's so sweet and adorable. This book was more than I thought possible. What more can I say? That's why I'll end with this, #omg #getthisnow!

Oh, girl, no.

Those three words went through my mind in just about every chapter of this hot, tortured, angsty, and oh-so-deliciously addictive novel by Jessica Hawkins. Those three words became a mantra of sorts as I vacillated between wanting to shout at Finn to RUN, shout at Halson to grow up, or just hope the two would sort through their mess and play nicely together.

When last we saw Finn, in the splendid <i>Slip of the Tongue</i>, he had been dumped mercilessly by Sadie, his married neighbor and lover, when she returned to her husband. Brokenhearted, Finn retreats, even avoiding the coffee shop where he and Sadie would meet. A new coffee shop proves fortuitous, however, when Finn happens upon a journal. Even though he knows he shouldn't - even though he feels like a voyeur - he begins reading.

And he falls.

He needs to meet the woman who wrote those words. He <i>needs</i> to know her.

Thanks to some info he gleans from the journal, Finn is able to accomplish the first goal when he "runs into" Halston at an art gallery exhibit. They briefly chat, and then another man comes to retrieve her.

That sound you hear is Finn's spirit sinking to low, low depths. He will not, under any circumstances, get involved with another woman who is in a relationship.

Certain convolutions of fate, a force with whom Finn finds himself occasionally (frequently) at odds, intervene, and he and Halston begin dancing around each other, their attraction palpable. As he - and you - get to know Halston, it becomes clear that she is tremendously complex, complicated, and compelling. Finn can't stay away, even though warning bells as loud as the crowd at a World Cup finale start sounding.

Halston, you see, has Issues, not the least of which is a never-ending cycle of addictions. I really like how Hawkins examines the addictive personality, showing you how someone can trade one for the next, for the next, for the next, and how those addictions affect their bearer. In fact, the title of this book could be a play on "yours to bear," because both Finn and Halston need to learn how to support and even transport each other. Finn must figure out what Halston needs from him and how to be that man for her, just as she needs to figure out how to be a secure, independent woman who welcomes love and the dependence that love inherently requires.

Of course, since this is a Jessica Hawkins novel, you can be certain that she delivers the quiver. The sexy times are like a raging inferno, but they also serve a purpose. Hawkins uses them to help connect Finn and Halston not just physically, but emotionally as well. Halston blooms during and after her intimacy with Finn, discovering parts of herself she sensed existed but did not know for certain.

Fans of Hawkins will love this book. Some of you have been waiting for Finn's story, and some of you - like me - are just excited whenever Jessica Hawkins releases a book.

____________________
Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.
Published on VoxLibris.net
@VoxLibris

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS - I didn't realize this was Finn's story - in one of the author's other books we learn about Finn & Sadie, neighbors who are both going through rough patches in their marriages & turn to each other. It took me half this book before I remembered Finn & Sadie's story! I recall Finn being super hot, dominate & sexy & feeling like Sadie was a complete idiot for playing with his feelings & running back to her husband. Now Finn has a new love interest after finding a journal full of sexy kinky poetry in the coffee shop. He finds the author, Halston, and then become sexually involved & personally connected right away and it doesn't feel right. Halston is playing a dangerous game, which is addressed appropriately by the end of the story, by going off her medication & not seeing a therapist. She dumps her old boyfriend because, "I'm not looking for a handler. I want a partner." Finn & Halston pose for pictures on Instagram using Finn's eye for photography combined with Halston's provocative poetry, all while Halston stays anonymous. Halston has to learn how to deal with all of the highs & lows of her emotions, emotions that have been stunted by medication for 10 years. Finn doesn't handle a few situations with Halston very well, taking his possessiveness of her to a whole new level of wrong, telling her what to do, controlling her alcohol, locking her out of their accounts!! Like I said, the issue of Halston's mental health is handled in a very healthy way, away from Finn, so she can make herself better. "I love you enough to clean up my own mess." What really, really, really ticks me off is that Halston makes some huge moves to be with Finn, but even in the end Halston isn't introduced to his daughter!! Some amazing sex with these two because Finn is super hot & Halston has all of these dirty fantasies she's put down on paper and yet has never tried, but she's willing to push the envelope with Finn. That was really the best part, all of kinky things Halston was introduced to.

Yours to Bare was a standalone sexy romance about Finn and Halston. Finn was introduced in Slip of the Tongue where he met Sadie. Finn was recently divorced after his affair with Sadie. He had limited visitation right of his eight year old daughter. He recently began pursuing his career in photography after leaving Wall Street.
Yours to Bare was about Halston baring her feelings into words while Finn captured those words by connecting her deepest feelings with photos. Together they created provocative and sexy art.
Finn's story can be read as a standalone but if you truly want to understand the depth of his character and why he craved intimacy instead of casual sex then read Slip of the Tongue first. Jessica's books will not disappoint. As a reader and fan we begged for Finn's story. Finn's character had sex appeal in both stories. He was desirable as a single man and father. He made women feel sexy, desirable, and comfortable.

Introductions of two characters is very important in a story. These first impressions allow a connection to be made. Finding unique ways to introduce characters is a craft very few authors can achieve. Jessica engaged me with her introduction making it memorable.

Halston's character was poetic. Halston was a woman with an erotic and edgy soul screaming for escape. Halston was a complex character thriving for independence. Halston journaled her inner thoughts as a coping mechanism. Halston was an unstable character that found stability in structure.
Finns character was attentive, confident, and attractive. Mentioning his hands, lips, and hair had me pining for more. I already know what Finn can deliver and anything he promises Halston will be met with approval. Finn's character will have you craving and wanting sex.
Jessica creates characters that you will desire and fantasize about. The emotions and provocative words will sizzle your kindle. Jessica will tie you up in knots with lust. The story was intimacy and sexually driven. Intimacy and friendship were the foundation of this bonding relationship. Jessica's words will lure you in and hold you captive for the next several hours. You will thrive off the words of poetry. Jessica is an artist as she pours her thoughts and ideas into her story. You will not abandon this story or skim these words. Instead you will devour the words and become immersed into Finn's world.
Buy the damn book. Read for yourself and become an instant fan the way I did. You want emotion? You want sex? You want connection? You will get it all and more.
For the next several hours Jessica will own your thoughts. You will wrap yourself in a blanket of words that will touch your soul.

" I could eat the words like candy, right off her tongue." My favorite quote. I image my mouth flavored with cotton candy as Finn sucks on my tongue. Jessica's words drip with passion.

"... nobody wants to be judged with their walls down."

Yours to Bare is a different type of novel for Jessica. If you're used to her forbidden romances, this departs slightly from the norm. No, there are no love triangles, but that doesn't mean that she left cut out all that she's known for. She just put a twist on it.

"I choose you every day."

If you've read Slip of the Tongue, you were probably dying for Finn to get his happy ending. We all fell in love with character and were sad to that he didn't get the girl. This book is all about Finn learning to trust again and figuring out that Sadie wasn't his soul mate. He stumbles upon Halston's diary and quickly realizes that he needs to meet the owner. The words on the pages... they awaken a part of him that he thought was long gone.

"When you're gone, there is no light."

Halston. Well, I loved her. From her name to her quirks, she was a character that I could relate to and stand behind. You see her blossom into the person she was meant to become, from someone who was barely living before meeting Finn. Finn helps her see her worth and her place in the world. He helps her see everything in color, whereas everything was so gray before. Most importantly, he gives her hope.

"Fate doesn't stick around for happy endings - it only gives you the opportunity to work for one."

Jessica has seriously done it again. I was apprehensive going into this one. I'm used to reading Jessica's stories of cheating and affairs and all the things that go along with those hidden relationships. Right from the start, we find out that Finn Cohen will not be the 'other man' ever again. But, good gawd, he does a relationship like no one else. He is all in, all the time. He is seductive in a way that made my temperature rise. The word passionate doesn't do his relationship with Halston justice. It's in a league all its own. Together they push boundaries. There is one scene that just... it's so risque' and provocative that you won't be able to look away. You won't want to be turned on, but you won't be able to avoid it.

Jessica Hawkins has seriously outdone herself. I feel like I say that with each novel she releases, but she just keeps raising the bar. Her writing is like food for my soul. I crave it. I can't wait to see what's next.

Finn. Oh, beautiful Finn. I fell in love with him in Slip of The Tongue, the first book I ever read by Jessica Hawkins. After reading that book, I never could manage to get him out of my head. At the end of that book, the author got a lot of feedback, requesting a book for Finn, to continue his story, to give him a happier ending. When the book The First Taste was announced, we all jumped with the joy at the idea of a new story, featuring some of the characters we had gotten to meet in Slip of The Tongue. Although that books was absolutely amazing, I was a little bummed because there was still no end in sight for Finn. And oh, how I wanted Finn to have the happily ever after that he deserved.

I was so insanely excited when the announcement when out for Yours To Bare. I was finally getting my Finn! I eagerly awaited the release of the book and, my goodness, it did not disappoint. It was strange reading Finn's story and thinking of Sadie in the past tense, reading how hurt he was by her, after everything that happened. But I think Halston (isn't that such a pretty name?) was a great addition to his life. She wasn't easy. She was a little broken herself and they balanced each other out in a way. They were an anchor for each other in the moment that they needed one the most.

Finn and Halston's story is such an amazingly beautiful one and I couldn't get enough of it. It was nice to see these characters find one another in their creativity. His photography with her writing. It was a beautiful meld of two worlds and they complimented each other well. They also displayed a great example of how two people can come together in the social media age and make something out of nothing. It was nice to see a couple of characters not be stuck in "traditional" jobs. They did something with Instagram, something that a lot of people make a living with this day and age and it I loved that that real world aspect was included in their story.

Overall, I am insanely happy and I feel like this was a beautiful continuation of Finn's story. Halston was a little rough around the edges at times but I also think that that was part of what made her real and made her relateable.

Yours To Bare was absolutely beautiful story about two heartbreakingly beautiful characters and I couldn't get enough.

Rating: 4 Stars

Jessica Hawkins has a talent and that talent is putting her heart and soul into making a reader feel everything that's happening in her books. I'm not just talking about that knack of writing that you get with all good authors, but the knack to make the pages of a book come to life where you feel and breath along with the characters as well as turning the words on the page into that magical place where you lose yourself in the story.
We first met Finn in Slip of the Tongue where his heart was broken and he also broke hearts too. I admit I was one of those who was screaming abuse at all the characters in that book for their lack of understanding and compassion, however it still remains my favourite book in the series so far. Now back to Finn and Halston's story. Finn and Halston I believe were brought together by Fate. Halston has problems and Finn doesn't realise how far those problems go as in she has some sort of mental illness within herself but has also been led to believe things because she wasn't told or guided otherwise since her mother dies 10 yrs previously. Finn has his own issue's after everything involving his ex wife, Sadie and of course his daughter. The question is though is he ready to fall in love and start taking chances again and is Halston going to be able to make herself right in the world in order to make it work?
I really loved this book enough to give it 5 stars, but (yes there's a but coming) - But something is niggling at me enough to say it's missing that little something and I am still trying to figure out what that is. I was hoping Finn would get his own story after Slip Of The Tongue and Jessica has delivered which I will be eternally grateful for as I felt he was the outcast back then. Finn is complicated though and maybe that's whats niggling as I needed to know more on his inner self and who he was even back when he was married. On another note the sex was off the charts hot between Finn and Halston and some of the scenes would leave you fanning yourself. Halston is a bit of a broken character but you see development throughout the book that makes her journey more appeasing. I sincerely can't wait to see what Ms Hawkins has next for us as I just can't get enough.
This is a standalone, however I would suggest reading the first book to know who Finn is and why he is the way he is in this book.

Yours to Bare by Jessica Hawkins a soul baring five star read. This book does contain scenes of a sexual nature and is suitable for mature readers only. Finn Cohen and Halston Fox are the main characters in this book and it’s all about their story, the struggle they face to get together and stay together as they both have a dark past that neither of them are willing to face up to. It all starts with two simple things, Coffee and a Journal, such simple things that make such major life changing events for these two people. Halston a has an addiction to coffee, its replaced her other addictions as she has a pattern of replacing one with the other to get over the darkness of her past. As well as the coffee, she writes her darkest thoughts in her journal, she has done this for several years and has found its helped her keep her dark side under control. The things she writes in there are for her eyes only, she puts them in there so she doesn’t have to face them. Until one day she accidently leaves it behind in her favourite coffee house Lait noir.
Finn is getting coffee in his 2nd favourite coffee house, he can’t go to the first as it must many bad memories for him. While sitting and relaxing drinking his coffee and just watching the world go by, he finds a journal, he can’t stop himself from reading it, could you? He reads it and he falls hard, he needs to find the woman who wrote these words, these explicit words that open his eyes and make him feel things that he was wondering if he would feel those again. He realises he can find her, and he decides he wants to devour her whole. They begin a journey of discovery, each helping each other learn new things Finn takes photos of Halston and shows her that she is beautiful and shows her she can believe in herself. Halston shows Finn that he can trust again and can grow as a person, and shows him he does have a talent, but will they be strong enough to stand apart as well as together. Only time will tell. Will they get there happy ever after? Or will they be stronger apart.

Finn sweet Finn. Never a story captured me the way this did it, because I will be honest I was reluctant to read this story.
Many times I thought... How Jessica Hawkins is going to make me love a cheater? How, when he is constantly remembering his affair, that destroyed his marriage and almost destroy another marriage. How is he redeemable?

Well, I survived Yours To Bare and im here to tell you that indeed I love Finn. I don't think this could possibly happen in real life. But in my heart I believe that souls like Finn deserve a second chance in love.

Finn and Halston are troubled souls, once Jessica said that she was afraid because they are her most flawed characters but there is the truth. The most flawed are the most beautiful ones. There would be boringness in perfect characters, the little edges in every person is what makes them appealing.

Finn is a true gentleman and a sweetheart. I swear he made me swoon every time he said something. Apart from believe in The One, which is a beautiful belief. He showed in his acts the way he loves... Deeply and passionately.

Halston was a surprise from the beginning. She bloomed like a flower with Finn, and she had a way of expressing herself through words that is really beautiful. The conflict with herself added an interesting edge to this book.

Halston was complex. At first I thought the drama she was creating was exasperating. There she had a nice guy that wanted her and she was trying to screw up everything? I understand that the circumstances when they started the relationship were not the best, and I was happy at the end when she decided to face what was happening in ber family and with herself.

All I can think is... Finn is unique in his own way. His tenderness and roughness were a beautiful dichotomy. I'm glad he had his HEA. He is too beautiful to not have to.

Jessica Hawkins is such an amazing author, she has the power to completely consume me and pull me into her stories. I had this total internal battle going on through the entire book of SLIP OF THE TONGUE. Ugh, it made me SO MAD! I fell so hard and it was so funny because I had just completely figured out in my head how the entire story was supposed to play out, scene for scene, I had made all of Sadie's choices for her and was like OK, now I'll just sit back and watch this play out and you know what she did... Sadie totally DID NOT take my advice, she just went and made her own decisions! The nerve! ;) haha! But what was so amazing about that, was that I realized even thought I was mad, and I was SO mad. I was FEELING! Jessica Hawkins makes me FEEL so many emotions right from page one. Her characters are so raw and have so much depth to them. Its a beautiful thing. And Slip of the tongue was an absolutely beautiful book.

Yours to Bare was no different, it pulled me in from the VERY. FIRST. PAGE. The characters were so totally real and honest and raw. They put their hearts on the line for one another, but for us the reader as well.

I mean this is why we read right? To FEEL IT ALL, to be in the moment in the story in all the gut wrenching s*** that goes along with falling in love. FINN & HALSTON didn't fall they LEAPT and they just prayed like hell that the other would be there to catch them.

The amount of faith these two characters, both left bleeding by their pasts, put into one another it melted my heart. And then I started thinking... about 74% into the book, about how we as readers put that same faith into the author. We hand them our hearts and pray that they take care of them, and return them back not only whole, but filled. FINN filled me up and Jessica Hawkins kept on pouring. The two of them left my heart overflowing with love and lust and UGH, it was just perfection!

Title: Yours to bare
Author: Jessica Hawkins
Rating: 3.5 stars

"All at once, she's in my nostrils, my personal space, blocking anything in my vision that isn't her. She smells like pepper, a hint of masculinity that has me leaning in."

I love love love Hawkins’ writing. It’s always reminded me of a marble statue. Polished, precious, unbelievably perfect.
Unfortunately, this time, I didn’t really like the story. I wasn’t able to relate neither to the heroine nor the hero. He’s the same great guy we met in Slip of the tongue, I can assure you of that, but his story, his personality and Halston… They didn’t click together as much as I had hoped for.
Maybe because he fell in love with her too much easily, thinking —like immediately: “She’s it for me”. He’s a romantic guy and all, but after what happened with Sadie… I don’t know, his “love” for Halston seemed too farfetched to me.
Or maybe, I didn’t really care about Halston’s whereabouts.
I know Hawkins writes erotic romance/novels with unpredictable twists, but this time… There was too much sex involved.
Night Call is my fav book of hers and has plenty of sex in it. But Beau and Lola’s story, even if based on a “sexual” contract… It wasn’t about the sex at all. Or maybe it was and I was too focused on the characters’ development to realize that. Because it was amazing. And perfectly orchestrated.

"I look forward. A stoplight changes from red to green. A man steps off the curb, narrowly avoids getting hit by a taxi, and darts through traffic anyway. Are any of us really awake? Are we making decisions about our lives, or just letting things happen to us? Is that why we like art, why Halston needs it, because without it, we'd never feel anything out of the ordinary?"

Like I said before, I love the author’s writing and her ability to create angsty dialogues. She’ll never cease to amaze me when it comes to her talent. This is why, this time, I think it’s just me and not the book.

"Beautiful things should be that way, difficult to get to, to touch. Otherwise, people would destroy them."

This book, this story, these characters....all beautiful things that you want to get to, to touch, to experience, and once you do you'll be hooked on it all, wanting to live inside the pages with Finn and Halston! From beginning to end you will cherish all the sexy erotic honesty, all the real emotions, all the angsty feelings, and all that fate has offered up for these characters to fight for!!

"Being madly, deeply in love is like allowing the sun to blind you just because it also keeps you warm."

Yours To Bare is the story of Finn and Halston and their story is off the charts in sexiness, sensuality, and breathtaking provocative scenes that will have you melting from the heat sizzling between them!!! But their story is much deeper with true romantic life changing love that may have been found through fate but can only grow stronger if their willing to work for it, to fight for it by truly embracing their true self, their past mistakes, and letting each other in completely!!

"Fate doesn't stick around for happy endings- it only gives you the opportunity to work for one."

I fell in love with Author Jessica Hawkins writing with Slip of The Tongue where Finn is first introduced and my love for her stories just keeps growing with every book of hers that I read. I loved every second that I read and lived within the pages of Yours To Bare and my only hope after reading #theend is that she will maybe, perhaps, pretty please give us a little more of Finn & Halston (a little novella would make me happy, happy)!!!

Reading ARC of Yours to Bare are just WOW experienced. Beutifully written. Sexy and absolutely swooning love story.
Meet Halston and Finn.
Meet sensual poet and sexy mind.
Meet two broken people that will find each other to become one solid team together.

"You throb and throb inside me, until I’m nothing but a heartbeat. a bursting beat of heart, coming apart on your cock."

“The white collar of your blouse makes you look so sweet.” He says sweet with an edge that weakens my knees. “Like a good girl. It makes me want to turn you bad.”

Hot and bothered yet?
Finn and Hals do that to you easily but they are so much more than hot couple. Finn fear and lack of trust cause his past. Halston mental issue cause her past. Ms. Hawkins give layers from a simple thing we all ( i assume) want.
To be see. To be heard. To be love unconditionally.
Halston with her poet and Finn with his picture.
Now the fun part. The sex scene...oh my ovaries...with her beutifull writing, Ms. Hawkins put the meaning in sensual erotic. My fav scene are where Finn with only his words actually give a wordgasm before they even have sex! The guy doesn't need whip or bondage to be Dom.
If you are bookmark/highlights while reading kinda person like me...you would need to bookmark/highlight every word of this book. Cause its just too darn good! You would love every second with Finn and Hals.

This book got me from the cover! Its screaming sexy without being vulgar. the teasers just intriqueing. And for my first book of this author, Yours to Bare is a BOOKGASM worthy!

3.75~4 stars
Halston Fox, an art analyst, has been secretly keeping a journal. That journal has been giving her a place free from prying eyes to explore her innermost thoughts and sexual desires. She has never shared her written erotic fantasies with anybody. She’s been using it as a means to better understand her sexuality, to clear her mind and serve as a canvas to which she can pour her sensual thoughts into.

Finn Cohen is a hopeless romantic at heart. He is divorced and he’s had his heart ripped out in the past, but he wants to find meaningful love, and to be known so deeply. When he accidentally finds Halston’s ‘pillow book’ and reads it, he can’t stay away. He is absolutely blown away by her beautiful writing as well as the erotica in her. The story takes us through their lives and their interactions when they meet. They are so perfect for each other, I just loved them.

This is an insatiable, provocative and explicit tale that satisfies you from beginning to end. The author’s writing is titillating, imaginative and will keep you on the edge of your seat. The ups and downs of Halston and Finn’s journey will keep you breathless and wanting more. What a ride. If the author’s intention was to make me crave for more of the fiercely sexually charged dynamic between these two characters, then she achieved her goal!

In short:
Hero 4/5 | Heroine 4/5 | Plot (Point, Originality) 4/5 | Writing Style 4/5 | Steam 4/5 | Romance 4/5 | Angst-Suspense 3/5 | Darkness 1/5 | Humor 0/5 | Secondary Characters 3/5 | Drama-Conflict 3/5 | Mystery 2/5 | Twists 3/5 | Pacing Steady | Action 3/5

Kudos to Jessica Hawkins!
I was so impressed that the author dared to go outside the box and created the characters Finn and Halston.
A complex, passionate, and emotional romance, this is a story where the real star is a an old fashion leather journal!
The power of the word becomes its own unique character as it reveals raw gritty secrets, taboo thoughts and emotions that lead him to find Halston.
But, this is Finn's story.
Finn is still recovering from disastrous events revealed in Slip of the Tongue. While Yours to Bare can be read and understood as a standalone, Slip of the Tongue provides more insight into his background.
Despite feeling lonely and lost, he's a hopeless romantic and is open to find love again. Except this time, he is determined to go in eyes wide open and not make the same mistakes he made with his ex wife or ex lover Sadie. While drinking coffee at his favorite coffee shop he finds a journal. Impressed that someone would still use one, he innocently opens it to find out if the owners name and address is there(really who does that) He can't help himself, and he devours every word, and every picture until he knows he knows her.
He sets out to find said owner of this journal and what he discovers leads him to find and meet Halston.
Halston is complex, aloof and highly controlled. She's undergone tragic events so that she hides her pain and her demons through her journal.
Finn knows this.
What develops between them you'll have to read and find out but it's worthy of 10 stars❣

GOBSMACKED!!!!!!! BLOODY BRILLIANT!!!!!! In the words of Scarlet Stone!

There are so many stories within this story, its amazing. Jewel grabs you from the moment you open this book and begin. Every feel you can imagine, is wrapped in Jewels' words. I laughed, I cried, I gasped, I was floored. This has to be her best book to date.

The story is so inspirational, so spiritual, so enlightening, soul searching. You find yourself, looking at your own life, where you are, where are you going, what do you want. Do you count your breathes or are you breathless, for life?

Theo, oh Theo how can we not love you. You are a man of few words, but they are so the right words when spoken. "Three Nevers" Those were the best, Theo had me hook, lie, and truth on that one.

Scarlet's character, was unlike any other, she does have a bit of Jessica Day in her, but ain't nothing wrong with that. I wanted nothing but the best for Scarlet. I just wanted her to stop and catch her breath, and life.

The other characters in the story, Oscar, Nellie, Harold, Nolan, Bell, and Yimin, are side character but such a huge part of the story. Without them its a love story, with them its the be all to end all love stories.

This story gives you hope, that anything in this life, is possible, if you believe enough in yourself and those that love you. Never give up on love, life just breathe.

Out of the park on this one Jewel, simply amazing. Cannot wait for your next story to come to life.

It is no secret that the imperfectly perfect Finn Cohen is my favorite character from Jessica Hawkins. I leaped for joy when I found out that he was finally going to get his own book. At the end of Slip of the Tongue, my heart was breaking for Finn. He thought that fate had brought him to his soul mate and was devastated when things didn't work out between him and Sadie. However, fate had different plans for Finn.

It all starts with a worn, leather book tied in a bow. As he begins to read and unravel the raw passages inside, he quickly decides he needs to find the author. "I need to find her, make her mine, and feed her her words until she's swollen with them."

Then we are introduced to Halston. Halston, Halston, Halston.. What can I say about her? She's just as beautiful as she is broken. She has had a traumatic event in her past that has affected her for 10 years. She is someone I want to put in my pocket just to keep her safe.

They find each other and so begins their relationship. "Finn was meant to find that journal. To find me. To be a salve for, and perhaps even heal, a heart I'd worried was destined to ache forever." But will their relationship last? They both have burdens they need to overcome. Can they help each other or will they be stronger apart? "Fate doesn’t stick around for happy endings—it only gives you the opportunity to work for one.”

I cannot recommend this book enough! You don't have to read Slip of the Tongue or The First Taste to read Yours to Bare, but you're missing out if you don't. Jessica Hawkins work is amazing! Her words read like poetry and you won't be able to stop reading until you're done!

I really enjoyed the emotional development. Concern for the ones you love is the common thread through out this book. Halston felt that she could never grieve her Mom's death and that combined with guilt has her anxiety in high gear. Her Dad was too distraught himself to help her and ended up enabling her bad tendencies. Her boyfriend Rich was simply keeping the piece. And Finn will do anything to protect her and not loose her. But no one can really shelter you from your own mind or fix your negative and destructive self image. You are the only one that find that inner piece and strength for yourself. Those that love you can be supportive at best. Halston and Finn's passion, support and bond manage to help them conquer many things and seems to provide a good foundation for moving forward together. It's inspiring.

Jessica Hawkins, you have given me a new book boyfriend to obsess over! I can not stop thinking about Finn! **swoon**

I am as helplessly and hopelessly "obsessed" with him as Halston, and I couldn't be happier about it. I am beyond happy that Finn's story has had a chance to be told. From the very first page, I was attached to Finn, the journal he found, and the unknown (at the time) owner of the journal.

I adored the honesty and respect that Finn and Halston showed each other, as well as their openness with each other. The instant connection they both shared could not be ignored, and thankfully it wasn't. It is as if their hearts knew they were meant to be before their heads did.

There is nothing I love more than a new story I can emotionally invest in with a character I have read about previously. I did have a small concern that I would not be able to connect with Halston, but I was quickly proven wrong. As Finn's intrigue and desire to learn more about Halston increased, so did mine. Before I even realized it, I was as devoted to Halston as I was to Finn, and also to Finn and Halston as a couple.

There is nothing more that I can say without spoiling the story, but if you are looking for an emotionally charged, intense read with all the swoony feels, then I highly recommend this book, whether or not you have read Slip of the Tongue.

*** ARC provided in exchange for an honest review ***

Normally I would jump right on typing up a review the second I finish the book. I didn’t do that with this one because I needed a little time to absorb and decide how I really felt. As far as writing, this author writes some of the best books I have ever read. She balances things out so well. I love the way she uses dialogue vs. narrative, because I always feel like I get to know the characters so much better when they are interacting with each other. I LOVED that about this book.
I keep asking myself what the problem is. Even though on one hand I loved the book, on the other hand, something bothered me. I think deep down for me on a very personal level, it was Finn’s past that I couldn’t get over one hundred percent. That’s totally me and not the author and not the book. After saying that, I still really liked the book. I loved the chemistry between Finn and Halston. The whole book is very steamy. I loved that too.
I know this is a standalone. It would be perfectly fine and easy to enjoy this book alone, but I think reading Slip of the Tongue will give so much more insight to Finn and the things from his past that are frequently brought up in this one.
Even though I am only giving this book four stars, I am still labeling it as one of the best books I have read this year.
“Finn was meant to find that journal. To find me. To be a salve for, and perhaps even heal, a heart I’d worried was destined to ache forever.”

I really enjoyed Finn's character in the last book so I was so excited that he was getting his own book! However, I was so disappointed. He didn't seem like the same character I read about in Slip of the Tongue. In this book he was weak and seemed to me that he would fall in love with anyone that crosses his path. In this case it was Halston. Who is in her mid twenties but I felt like I was reading about a teenager. She was so fragile and high maintenance (emotionally) that in my mind I kept telling Finn to run, run, run and find yourself another. He deserved the "one" after all. With Halston, Finn had to walk on eggshells with his words otherwise her feelings would be too easily hurt. She was so self conscious and needed constant reassurance that I felt like come on you're not a teenager anymore! Finn, being in his thirties, you would think he was over the drama and babying. I mean I put up with drama in my twenties but by the time you hit your thirties you spot it a mile away and avoid it. Not Finn! He seemed desperate to make it work with anyone no matter the upkeep. Not realistic for me when it comes to a man who has been wronged twice! I also felt no closure for Finn in the end. I guess because to me that was not the happy ending I would want him to have. Others obviously feel different. I will read other books by Jessica Hawkins but this one fell flat for me.

ARC provided in return for an honest review

This was just one of those book that I knew I wanted to read right from the beginning. I was even more excited when I received the ARC.

This book takes you on over to Finn Cohen side of the world. Even though this book can be read as a stand alone. Some of you might want to start with Slip of the tongue. To get your first taste of Finn and trust me you'll want as much of Finn as you can get.

Finn
Dark and mysterious photographer not really sure of where to go in life not looking for love until he finds a journal that changes all of that for him. But is Halston a temptation he's willing to give up on.

Halston
The day she looses her journal was probably the most realistic day of her life. She wants it back, has to have it back but she'll first has to admit it's hers to get it back and that's all those dark secrets are hers and that's just a risk she's not sure she wants to make. For the first time in her life this is a decision she will have to make by herself for herself.

This book reels you in right from the first few pages. ( Love those kind of books!) The chemistry between these two characters is Hot and erotic. I loved the story the created together. But let me say Finn I want to keep forever!

5 stars well worth it.

If I ever had to describe Jessica Hawkins books would be within two words: Sensual and Classy.
The level of sensuality in this book is mind blowing! Every touch, every word, every sigh, you can feel it inside yourself. Jessica write beautiful love stories but what usually blows my mind is the classy way she uses to capture the reader's attention.

Finn. I new good things would come to him after Slip of the Tongue. I always liked him, his personality, his sensibility, his sense of reality!
I absolutely loved the beginning of the story. The search, the flirt... but then Halston started to frustrate me to no end with her insecurities, even that understandable with all the problems going on with her.
Now, the things Finn does and feels with Halston, that's the beauty of it all. Sexy, sexual, sensual, straight to the core. There were many times I felt good chills while reading. It was that intense!

The story in itself is beautiful. I could relate with a lot of it regarding the pictures and quotes, because that's exactly how I need to feel, when I make my teasers for books. The picture need to be the personification of the words, so that it can be felt and interpreted exactly the way the author wants!

Excellent story!

*Read and Reviewed for The Bookery Review *

Title: Yours to bare
Author: Jessica Hawkins
Rating: 3.5 stars

"All at once, she's in my nostrils, my personal space, blocking anything in my vision that isn't her. She smells like pepper, a hint of masculinity that has me leaning in."

I love love love Hawkins’ writing. It’s always reminded me of a marble statue. Polished, precious, unbelievably perfect.
Unfortunately, this time, I didn’t really like the story. I wasn’t able to relate neither to the heroine nor the hero. He’s the same great guy we met in Slip of the tongue, I can assure you of that, but his story, his personality and Halston… They didn’t click together as much as I had hoped for.
Maybe because he fell in love with her too much easily, thinking —like immediately: “She’s it for me”. He’s a romantic guy and all, but after what happened with Sadie… I don’t know, his “love” for Halston seemed too farfetched to me.
Or maybe, I didn’t really care about Halston’s whereabouts.
I know Hawkins writes erotic romance/novels with unpredictable twists, but this time… There was too much sex involved.
Night Call is my fav book of hers and has plenty of sex in it. But Beau and Lola’s story, even if based on a “sexual” contract… It wasn’t about the sex at all. Or maybe it was and I was too focused on the characters’ development to realize that. Because it was amazing. And perfectly orchestrated.

"I look forward. A stoplight changes from red to green. A man steps off the curb, narrowly avoids getting hit by a taxi, and darts through traffic anyway. Are any of us really awake? Are we making decisions about our lives, or just letting things happen to us? Is that why we like art, why Halston needs it, because without it, we'd never feel anything out of the ordinary?"

Like I said before, I love the author’s writing and her ability to create angsty dialogues. She’ll never cease to amaze me when it comes to her talent. This is why, this time, I think it’s just me and not the book.

"Beautiful things should be that way, difficult to get to, to touch. Otherwise, people would destroy them."

This book, this story, these characters....all beautiful things that you want to get to, to touch, to experience, and once you do you'll be hooked on it all, wanting to live inside the pages with Finn and Halston! From beginning to end you will cherish all the sexy erotic honesty, all the real emotions, all the angsty feelings, and all that fate has offered up for these characters to fight for!!

"Being madly, deeply in love is like allowing the sun to blind you just because it also keeps you warm."

Yours To Bare is the story of Finn and Halston and their story is off the charts in sexiness, sensuality, and breathtaking provocative scenes that will have you melting from the heat sizzling between them!!! But their story is much deeper with true romantic life changing love that may have been found through fate but can only grow stronger if their willing to work for it, to fight for it by truly embracing their true self, their past mistakes, and letting each other in completely!!

"Fate doesn't stick around for happy endings- it only gives you the opportunity to work for one."

I fell in love with Author Jessica Hawkins writing with Slip of The Tongue where Finn is first introduced and my love for her stories just keeps growing with every book of hers that I read. I loved every second that I read and lived within the pages of Yours To Bare and my only hope after reading #theend is that she will maybe, perhaps, pretty please give us a little more of Finn & Halston (a little novella would make me happy, happy)!!!

Reading ARC of Yours to Bare are just WOW experienced. Beutifully written. Sexy and absolutely swooning love story.
Meet Halston and Finn.
Meet sensual poet and sexy mind.
Meet two broken people that will find each other to become one solid team together.

"You throb and throb inside me, until I’m nothing but a heartbeat. a bursting beat of heart, coming apart on your cock."

“The white collar of your blouse makes you look so sweet.” He says sweet with an edge that weakens my knees. “Like a good girl. It makes me want to turn you bad.”

Hot and bothered yet?
Finn and Hals do that to you easily but they are so much more than hot couple. Finn fear and lack of trust cause his past. Halston mental issue cause her past. Ms. Hawkins give layers from a simple thing we all ( i assume) want.
To be see. To be heard. To be love unconditionally.
Halston with her poet and Finn with his picture.
Now the fun part. The sex scene...oh my ovaries...with her beutifull writing, Ms. Hawkins put the meaning in sensual erotic. My fav scene are where Finn with only his words actually give a wordgasm before they even have sex! The guy doesn't need whip or bondage to be Dom.
If you are bookmark/highlights while reading kinda person like me...you would need to bookmark/highlight every word of this book. Cause its just too darn good! You would love every second with Finn and Hals.

This book got me from the cover! Its screaming sexy without being vulgar. the teasers just intriqueing. And for my first book of this author, Yours to Bare is a BOOKGASM worthy!

3.75~4 stars
Halston Fox, an art analyst, has been secretly keeping a journal. That journal has been giving her a place free from prying eyes to explore her innermost thoughts and sexual desires. She has never shared her written erotic fantasies with anybody. She’s been using it as a means to better understand her sexuality, to clear her mind and serve as a canvas to which she can pour her sensual thoughts into.

Finn Cohen is a hopeless romantic at heart. He is divorced and he’s had his heart ripped out in the past, but he wants to find meaningful love, and to be known so deeply. When he accidentally finds Halston’s ‘pillow book’ and reads it, he can’t stay away. He is absolutely blown away by her beautiful writing as well as the erotica in her. The story takes us through their lives and their interactions when they meet. They are so perfect for each other, I just loved them.

This is an insatiable, provocative and explicit tale that satisfies you from beginning to end. The author’s writing is titillating, imaginative and will keep you on the edge of your seat. The ups and downs of Halston and Finn’s journey will keep you breathless and wanting more. What a ride. If the author’s intention was to make me crave for more of the fiercely sexually charged dynamic between these two characters, then she achieved her goal!

In short:
Hero 4/5 | Heroine 4/5 | Plot (Point, Originality) 4/5 | Writing Style 4/5 | Steam 4/5 | Romance 4/5 | Angst-Suspense 3/5 | Darkness 1/5 | Humor 0/5 | Secondary Characters 3/5 | Drama-Conflict 3/5 | Mystery 2/5 | Twists 3/5 | Pacing Steady | Action 3/5

Kudos to Jessica Hawkins!
I was so impressed that the author dared to go outside the box and created the characters Finn and Halston.
A complex, passionate, and emotional romance, this is a story where the real star is a an old fashion leather journal!
The power of the word becomes its own unique character as it reveals raw gritty secrets, taboo thoughts and emotions that lead him to find Halston.
But, this is Finn's story.
Finn is still recovering from disastrous events revealed in Slip of the Tongue. While Yours to Bare can be read and understood as a standalone, Slip of the Tongue provides more insight into his background.
Despite feeling lonely and lost, he's a hopeless romantic and is open to find love again. Except this time, he is determined to go in eyes wide open and not make the same mistakes he made with his ex wife or ex lover Sadie. While drinking coffee at his favorite coffee shop he finds a journal. Impressed that someone would still use one, he innocently opens it to find out if the owners name and address is there(really who does that) He can't help himself, and he devours every word, and every picture until he knows he knows her.
He sets out to find said owner of this journal and what he discovers leads him to find and meet Halston.
Halston is complex, aloof and highly controlled. She's undergone tragic events so that she hides her pain and her demons through her journal.
Finn knows this.
What develops between them you'll have to read and find out but it's worthy of 10 stars❣

GOBSMACKED!!!!!!! BLOODY BRILLIANT!!!!!! In the words of Scarlet Stone!

There are so many stories within this story, its amazing. Jewel grabs you from the moment you open this book and begin. Every feel you can imagine, is wrapped in Jewels' words. I laughed, I cried, I gasped, I was floored. This has to be her best book to date.

The story is so inspirational, so spiritual, so enlightening, soul searching. You find yourself, looking at your own life, where you are, where are you going, what do you want. Do you count your breathes or are you breathless, for life?

Theo, oh Theo how can we not love you. You are a man of few words, but they are so the right words when spoken. "Three Nevers" Those were the best, Theo had me hook, lie, and truth on that one.

Scarlet's character, was unlike any other, she does have a bit of Jessica Day in her, but ain't nothing wrong with that. I wanted nothing but the best for Scarlet. I just wanted her to stop and catch her breath, and life.

The other characters in the story, Oscar, Nellie, Harold, Nolan, Bell, and Yimin, are side character but such a huge part of the story. Without them its a love story, with them its the be all to end all love stories.

This story gives you hope, that anything in this life, is possible, if you believe enough in yourself and those that love you. Never give up on love, life just breathe.

Out of the park on this one Jewel, simply amazing. Cannot wait for your next story to come to life.

Wall Street Trader turned Photographer and Professional PR woman with tragic past. both looking for passion, one grasping for it and the other hiding from it. Together they try to walk the all-too-thin line between personal life, pleasurable experiences and business prosperity.
This was without a doubt Finn's redemption. And Halston is an absolute delight with her headstrong way of approaching her real life addictions and fears.
And the narration was nothing less than spot on. How could it not be with the dynamic pairing of Sebastian York and Andi Arndt?
I definitely recommend this entire series. Read them in order, or not - I didn't and still loved them. They all entertwine beautifully.

It is no secret that the imperfectly perfect Finn Cohen is my favorite character from Jessica Hawkins. I leaped for joy when I found out that he was finally going to get his own book. At the end of Slip of the Tongue, my heart was breaking for Finn. He thought that fate had brought him to his soul mate and was devastated when things didn't work out between him and Sadie. However, fate had different plans for Finn.

It all starts with a worn, leather book tied in a bow. As he begins to read and unravel the raw passages inside, he quickly decides he needs to find the author. "I need to find her, make her mine, and feed her her words until she's swollen with them."

Then we are introduced to Halston. Halston, Halston, Halston.. What can I say about her? She's just as beautiful as she is broken. She has had a traumatic event in her past that has affected her for 10 years. She is someone I want to put in my pocket just to keep her safe.

They find each other and so begins their relationship. "Finn was meant to find that journal. To find me. To be a salve for, and perhaps even heal, a heart I'd worried was destined to ache forever." But will their relationship last? They both have burdens they need to overcome. Can they help each other or will they be stronger apart? "Fate doesn’t stick around for happy endings—it only gives you the opportunity to work for one.”

I cannot recommend this book enough! You don't have to read Slip of the Tongue or The First Taste to read Yours to Bare, but you're missing out if you don't. Jessica Hawkins work is amazing! Her words read like poetry and you won't be able to stop reading until you're done!

I really enjoyed the emotional development. Concern for the ones you love is the common thread through out this book. Halston felt that she could never grieve her Mom's death and that combined with guilt has her anxiety in high gear. Her Dad was too distraught himself to help her and ended up enabling her bad tendencies. Her boyfriend Rich was simply keeping the piece. And Finn will do anything to protect her and not loose her. But no one can really shelter you from your own mind or fix your negative and destructive self image. You are the only one that find that inner piece and strength for yourself. Those that love you can be supportive at best. Halston and Finn's passion, support and bond manage to help them conquer many things and seems to provide a good foundation for moving forward together. It's inspiring.

Jessica Hawkins, you have given me a new book boyfriend to obsess over! I can not stop thinking about Finn! **swoon**

I am as helplessly and hopelessly "obsessed" with him as Halston, and I couldn't be happier about it. I am beyond happy that Finn's story has had a chance to be told. From the very first page, I was attached to Finn, the journal he found, and the unknown (at the time) owner of the journal.

I adored the honesty and respect that Finn and Halston showed each other, as well as their openness with each other. The instant connection they both shared could not be ignored, and thankfully it wasn't. It is as if their hearts knew they were meant to be before their heads did.

There is nothing I love more than a new story I can emotionally invest in with a character I have read about previously. I did have a small concern that I would not be able to connect with Halston, but I was quickly proven wrong. As Finn's intrigue and desire to learn more about Halston increased, so did mine. Before I even realized it, I was as devoted to Halston as I was to Finn, and also to Finn and Halston as a couple.

There is nothing more that I can say without spoiling the story, but if you are looking for an emotionally charged, intense read with all the swoony feels, then I highly recommend this book, whether or not you have read Slip of the Tongue.

*** ARC provided in exchange for an honest review ***

Normally I would jump right on typing up a review the second I finish the book. I didn’t do that with this one because I needed a little time to absorb and decide how I really felt. As far as writing, this author writes some of the best books I have ever read. She balances things out so well. I love the way she uses dialogue vs. narrative, because I always feel like I get to know the characters so much better when they are interacting with each other. I LOVED that about this book.
I keep asking myself what the problem is. Even though on one hand I loved the book, on the other hand, something bothered me. I think deep down for me on a very personal level, it was Finn’s past that I couldn’t get over one hundred percent. That’s totally me and not the author and not the book. After saying that, I still really liked the book. I loved the chemistry between Finn and Halston. The whole book is very steamy. I loved that too.
I know this is a standalone. It would be perfectly fine and easy to enjoy this book alone, but I think reading Slip of the Tongue will give so much more insight to Finn and the things from his past that are frequently brought up in this one.
Even though I am only giving this book four stars, I am still labeling it as one of the best books I have read this year.
“Finn was meant to find that journal. To find me. To be a salve for, and perhaps even heal, a heart I’d worried was destined to ache forever.”

I really enjoyed Finn's character in the last book so I was so excited that he was getting his own book! However, I was so disappointed. He didn't seem like the same character I read about in Slip of the Tongue. In this book he was weak and seemed to me that he would fall in love with anyone that crosses his path. In this case it was Halston. Who is in her mid twenties but I felt like I was reading about a teenager. She was so fragile and high maintenance (emotionally) that in my mind I kept telling Finn to run, run, run and find yourself another. He deserved the "one" after all. With Halston, Finn had to walk on eggshells with his words otherwise her feelings would be too easily hurt. She was so self conscious and needed constant reassurance that I felt like come on you're not a teenager anymore! Finn, being in his thirties, you would think he was over the drama and babying. I mean I put up with drama in my twenties but by the time you hit your thirties you spot it a mile away and avoid it. Not Finn! He seemed desperate to make it work with anyone no matter the upkeep. Not realistic for me when it comes to a man who has been wronged twice! I also felt no closure for Finn in the end. I guess because to me that was not the happy ending I would want him to have. Others obviously feel different. I will read other books by Jessica Hawkins but this one fell flat for me.

Adorable Finn has his heart on the platter this time . After Sadie, he runs into a journal in Lait Noir and that leads him to Halston Fox. A girl , who has a bubble wrap enveloping around in her life , because she has too many triggers that cause catastrophes when left exposed. So she's firmly esconsed in her safe environment of Daddy Dearest and Rich. Her vent is her journals and Finn accidentally opens the diary to read it and is hooked !
Line and sinker!
They both are in complicated stages of life, but their passion leads to pictures. Pictures lead to fame . And Fame seems to be their undoing
I loved Jessica's take on Halston. She metamorphasised her into a person who sees herself for the first time and though her everyday struggle is hard to break her Dad and Rich and Finns love for that matter, she slowly learns to love herself.
There is no wrong kind of love. Only it's projection !
Her Dad and Rich love her to protect her from herself. Finn loves her to bloom and find herself, see herself, put herself in the first place. He unleashes her sexual its , he encourages her self worth and strips her guilts bare.
What a remarkable story telling talent we have in jessica. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this finely nuanced emotions and stark steamy poetry.

ARC provided in return for an honest review

This was just one of those book that I knew I wanted to read right from the beginning. I was even more excited when I received the ARC.

This book takes you on over to Finn Cohen side of the world. Even though this book can be read as a stand alone. Some of you might want to start with Slip of the tongue. To get your first taste of Finn and trust me you'll want as much of Finn as you can get.

Finn
Dark and mysterious photographer not really sure of where to go in life not looking for love until he finds a journal that changes all of that for him. But is Halston a temptation he's willing to give up on.

Halston
The day she looses her journal was probably the most realistic day of her life. She wants it back, has to have it back but she'll first has to admit it's hers to get it back and that's all those dark secrets are hers and that's just a risk she's not sure she wants to make. For the first time in her life this is a decision she will have to make by herself for herself.

This book reels you in right from the first few pages. ( Love those kind of books!) The chemistry between these two characters is Hot and erotic. I loved the story the created together. But let me say Finn I want to keep forever!

5 stars well worth it.

If I ever had to describe Jessica Hawkins books would be within two words: Sensual and Classy.
The level of sensuality in this book is mind blowing! Every touch, every word, every sigh, you can feel it inside yourself. Jessica write beautiful love stories but what usually blows my mind is the classy way she uses to capture the reader's attention.

Finn. I new good things would come to him after Slip of the Tongue. I always liked him, his personality, his sensibility, his sense of reality!
I absolutely loved the beginning of the story. The search, the flirt... but then Halston started to frustrate me to no end with her insecurities, even that understandable with all the problems going on with her.
Now, the things Finn does and feels with Halston, that's the beauty of it all. Sexy, sexual, sensual, straight to the core. There were many times I felt good chills while reading. It was that intense!

The story in itself is beautiful. I could relate with a lot of it regarding the pictures and quotes, because that's exactly how I need to feel, when I make my teasers for books. The picture need to be the personification of the words, so that it can be felt and interpreted exactly the way the author wants!

Excellent story!

*Read and Reviewed for The Bookery Review *