Publication Date: December 30, 2025
Publisher: Entangled Embrace
Pages: 325
Jax lost the genetic lottery. Descended from Cain, the world's first murderer, he's plagued by a curse that demands violence in exchange for his happiness. He left everything behind, including the girl he loved, but thriving on the pain of others is lonely… And it's killing him.
After a series of heartbreaking losses, Samantha put rubber to pavement and headed for college as fast as her clunker could carry her. But she can't outrun her problems. When an attack at school drives her back home, she's thrown into the path of a past—and a guy—she's been trying to forget.
Sam strains Jax's control over his darkness, but running isn't an option this time. Someone—or, something—followed her home from school: a ruthless monster with a twisted plan centuries in the making. Forced together to survive, and fighting an attraction that could destroy them both, Jax and Sam must stop a killer bent on revenge.
Book Trailer:
One Helluva Dark & Sexy Ride
Wow. Author Jus Accardo just took all of my expectations, lined them up in a pretty row, and blew 'em right out of the water. I might actually drown in all the awesomeness. Quick, someone throw me a life preserver!
I'm joking, but not really. Ruined was an insanely enjoyable read that contained everything I could ever ask for in a book. Action, romance, fantastic characters, great world-building, a steady stream of surprises, aaaaand some seriously delicious dark undertones. It was like Jus Accardo somehow found a copy of my "Things I Love In Books" list and made it her mission to check off each and every item for me. I mean, I know she didn't really, but damn, it sure felt like it!
So here's the set-up: You remember Cain, right? As in Cain and Abel? Yeah, THAT guy. Well, Ruined's leading man Jax is one of Cain's (unlucky) descendants, which means he's cursed to spend his life with a demon living inside of him - a very hungry demon that is constantly pushing him to put the hurt on the people around him, especially those closest to him. So he left town. Packed up and left and tried his darndest not to look back. But it's hard to walk away, and sometimes, no matter how far and fast you run, you find yourself right back where you started. In Jax's case, his home town, the last place on earth he wants to be. And because that's not difficult enough, the girl he left behind is back in town as well, stirring up old feelings Jax can never act on and riling up the demon inside of him.
I really have to hand it to Jus Accardo for doing such an exceptional job with Jax's character. He had so much anger and darkness swirling around inside of him, and not all of it came from the demon. There was a part of Jax that perfectly understood the demon's twisted hungers. Every day he had to wage a war on two fronts - on one side, with the demon, and on the other, with himself. From a purely selfish reader's POV, I'm glad he struggled, because the more he fought that internal battle, the more heavily invested I became in his character. I was breaking out the pom-poms and putting on my "Jax's Cheerleader" outfit before the first chapter came anywhere close to ending. Nothing floats my boat more than a well-written, totally badass and thoroughly tortured hero, and Jax was a spectacular one.
As for Sam, I have massive, embarrassing amounts of love for that girl. None of that shrinking violet or boring, doe-eyed heroine stuff for her! She was a certified spitfire with her own reckless past, and she didn't take crap from anyone, least of all Jax. She was a perfect match for him, able to hold her own and give as good as she got. The best thing about her, though, was that she saw the real Jax, the guy nobody else took the time to know, and nothing and no one was going to convince her he wasn't worthy of her heart.
Like the rest of the book, the romance had a distinctly dark thread running through it. Every moment was heavily charged, and because of the demon, the promise of violence was always hanging over their heads. That led to some very intense interactions which only added to the thrill. There were a few brief instances where the romance slowed down the action, but never for very long. Overall, I thought Sam and Jax's relationship played out beautifully on the page.
There are a ton of other things I could talk about, such as the author's ability to keep the surprises coming, right to the end, and the bits of Sam and Jax's shared past that were sprinkled at key points into the narrative, adding depth to the characters and the story. Or how about the excellent world-building, and the eye-opening revelations about the demon inside of Jax? Or....well, it's a long list, and it all adds up to one helluva great read.
4.5 Stars ★★★★1/2
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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JUS ACCARDO spent her childhood reading and learning to cook. Determined to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps as a chef, she applied and was accepted to the Culinary Institute of America. At the last minute, she realized her path lay with fiction, not food, and passed on the spot to pursue writing. Jus is the bestselling author the popular Denazen series from Entangled publishing and is currently working on the first book in a new adult series due out summer 2013. A native New Yorker, she lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband, three dogs, and sometimes guard bear, Oswald.
1 - $25 Amazon Gift Card and a signed RUINED Poster (US Only)
3 - eBooks of RUINED (International)
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