This was a new author to me, and looking at the short backlist for Jayce Ellis, she appears to be new as an author. However, I think she did a marvelous job with several different avenues in this book. First the #ownvoices in this book was fantastic. I could definitely tell the difference between Jeremiah as an African American man and Collin, who was Caucasian. Sometimes in books with MC's of color, there is not a feeling of a difference, in background, in speech, even in family dynamics, and this author did an amazing job of creating those differences. Yet, in the storyline of the book, that was of little consequence, which I loved as well. Jeremiah's heart was so big, and his love for his family, especially his Mama, it was obvious in everything he did. And yet, knowing that being with Collin was going to cause tension, they could not stay away from each other. It was so sweet.Collin definitely had some issues to deal with, in regards to his own family, and I never really felt that they were. Meanwhile, there were issues still with Jeremiah that were not resolved to this reader's satisfaction either. I know that real life doesn't always work that way, but some were issues that were going to affect Jeremiah's every day life and feelings with a family he's always been close with, so I would have liked resolution there.Jeremiah and Collin did get their HEA, and I would definitely like to read another book from this author to see how she grows as an author.4 pieces of eye candy

This book was quite cute. Based on the synopsis I was expecting an angsty read and I was definitely given that. My only reader regret is that the family relationships were left too unresolved. I’m hoping that book two will address some of this as I will definitely be reading it.

This is my first Jayce Ellis book, and honestly it took me a while to get into her writing style, as well as the overall flow of this book. There is a lot going on here, and it feels like only part of it makes its way onto the page. There is backstory and history hinted at, but not always revealed.

Jeremiah is a great character - he's an EMT in the Washington D.C. area with a large loving family. Jeremiah is out ... except with his family and while he is certain he'll one day proudly introduce his family to his boyfriend, he's not entirely sure of his reception - with his brother spouting homophobic slurs and not being able to read how his beloved Moms and Aunt will react.

Collin is less fleshed-out and there is a lot of history alluded to between Collin and his friends Lizzie and especially Ryan, but never fully revealed. We do get Collin and Jeremiah's POV throughout the book in alternating chapters and while I like getting their perspective, Jeremiah felt more real to me personally. The sexual chemistry here is palpable and very intense and the unfolding of their relationship definitely held my interest throughout.

Overall, I like the premise of the story and the development of the relationship between Collin and Jeremiah, and Jeremiah coming out to his family.  But since this is the first book in the series, it appears Ellis is introducing characters and setting up their backstories, which makes for a somewhat confusing and distracting read at times.

3.5 stars for "Jeremiah" and I will definitely look forward to reading the next book in the High Rise series.

Jeremiah by Jaycee Ellis


I want to begin by saying that Jeremiah and Collin have one of the best meet-cutes. Jeremiah, who works as a paramedic, sees Collin struggling to get his two drunk friends back to their apartment. Not only does Jeremiah help, but he carefully puts Collin’s friend’s heels on top of a shoebox.

That’s when I knew that Jeremiah was a sweetheart, even if he and Collin didn’t immediately fall in love after that one scene. All I needed to know was that even though Jeremiah was exhausted, he still took the time to help people he didn’t even know. That’s the kind of person Jeremiah is.

Collin and Jeremiah are both dealing with work related issues, and that’s partially what draws them together, aside from some scorching chemistry. Jeremiah’s company is restructuring, and he’s questioning whether he wants to be a paramedic; it seems like a good opportunity to take his career in a new direction, and Collin agrees to help Jeremiah update his resume. Likewise, Collin isn’t quite sure what he’s doing with his own career.

One of the biggest conflicts for Jeremiah is that he isn’t out to his family. He’s not sure they’ll accept him, especially after a comment his brother makes at a family dinner. There’s also some additional backstory that keeps him from telling them. This isn’t something that actively troubles him, but it’s something on his mind. That said, some of my favorite scenes took place at Jeremiah’s mother’s house. He went over there several times for Sunday dinner, and I loved the banter between the siblings, as well as hearing about all the food they had. I loved the gentle act of fixing plates for people and how Jeremiah took care of his auntie.

This book was an exquisite slow burn. Nothing came of that first encounter, but Jeremiah and Collin kept running into each other, but they both had too much going on to start anything, even something casual. Jeremiah and Collin had a great rapport. Neither of them pressured the other to take their relationship to a physical level, but when they did, their chemistry was amazing.

I would absolutely recommend Jeremiah. As far as pairings go, Jeremiah had a better sense of humor, and I enjoyed his witty commentary during his POV scenes. Collin was more serious, and slightly angsty at times, and he was a good foil for Jeremiah. I am already looking forward to reading the next book in this series!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

(¸.★¨*.¸¸.•`★¤A good read.¤★¨*.¸¸.*ˑ˞★

Jeremiah. A book that had me all over the place. An interracial tale of a man who by sheer luck, fell for a man who was transitioning in life.

Collin met Jeremiah when the other man helped he and his friends one drunken night. From then on there were instances of meetings and wanting to get to know each other. However, both men were trying to find their way. Jeremiah, finding a job when his was about to go south and Collin, trying to navigate friendship, parents and HIS own work place.

There was nothing easy about their get together, but when they did, it was hot and real. I enjoyed the getting to know you process. Appreciated the pacing and time change. I also applaud the secondary characters who were able to fill the pages with reality.

Jeremiah Stewart is in his mid-30s and an experienced paramedic working in the Washington D.C. area. He’s a black man who became the “man of the house” at the age of 6 when his father disappeared from their lives leaving his mother to raise the four kids, seemingly on her own. He is gay–out only to his best friend–and lives in a high rise condo. One hot June night he’s arriving home and finds a slender whit man with booty shorts, eyeliner, and lip gloss wrangling two drunk friends into the elevator of his building. The guy is cute, and clearly overwhelmed, so Jeremiah valiantly assists. He would like to get to know the cutie some more, but the stranger shuts him down almost immediately. Maybe he’s dating the dude who’s passed out drunk? JEremiah can’t tell, but he also can’t forget the man.

Collin Galloway is 29 and a college grad working as a pool secretary in a law firm, a job arranged by his wealthy father–who is a longtime friend of one of the firm’s partners, Mr. Carter. Collin lives in his old childhood bedroom in his parent’s posh condo, which his father resents. He has strained relations with his parents, who had him late, after they’d already shipped his older sister off to boarding school. Collin was primarily raised by nannies and refused to go to boarding school when his last nanny quit. He feels like an outsider in his family, and has really close ties with a childhood friend, Lizzie, and Ryan–with whom he’d unknowingly shared an ex-boyfriend in college. He often crashes at Lizzie and Ryan’s apartment on the weekends to avoid being around his parents.

Collin is totally drawn to Jeremiah, but he lacks confidence due to what he feels are low circumstances–drifting through a job, sponging off his parents, and not being a full-adult despite his age. Jeremiah looks way too put-together to suffer a flight man like Collin, right?

A 4th of July incident reunites them–with slightly better results than the first meeting. And another run-in at a local cafe gets them to exchange numbers–Lizzie’s gratitude becomes an offer for Collin to re-work Jeremiah’s resume in search of a new job. In this effort, Collin’s nerves and insecurities disappear. The rapport strengthens and provides a nice segue into sexytimes. Both men have family issues, and isolation problems–there are fights and separations that neither has anticipated. They are different on the outside, but they mesh well. When Jeremiah gets some time off, he convinces Collin to play hooky from his new position as Mr. Collin’s temporary secretary. It is ultimate sexy bliss, until one of Jeremiah’s siblings gets clued in on his sexuality–and it ends up with a bail-out and a freak out–not necessarily in that order.

This is a sweet and sexy romance, with two very different men, who find full acceptance with one another. Jeremiah is awed by Collin’s resilience, and Collin is attracted to Jeremiah’s brawn and determination. Being in the closet isn’t easy, and Collin clings to the idea that Jeremiah will introduce him to his mother. The Stewart family needs to have some heart-to-hearts to clear up the mystery of what happened to their father, and how this affected the whole clan. There is a lot of emotion that needs to get sorted out, but the end is happy, with a lot of support throughout the ending. This is the first book in the series, and I would be eager to read on.

I enjoyed this very much. I was a little confused at first over Collin’s mixed signals, but it was worked out eventually.

I liked how Jeremiah and Collin got to know each other and grow closer.

TW for homophobia from both sets of family members, one that becomes violent

Jeremiah is a great book. I have never read a book by Jayce Ellis and they did a great job. Jeremiah and Colin are attracted to each other from the moment they meet. They both have issues. Jeremiah is not out to his family and Colin finds it hard to trust people and doesn't believe that anyone wants him especially Jeremiah.
They have great chemistry and their interactions make this a sweet and romantic book. There's some intense moments, especially between Jeremiah and his family. Chucky is a great friend and the other characters are likable.

3.5 stars.

I struggled with the beginning of this book. I might have dnfed it, but when I have a review copy I only do that if I absolutely cannot get through it. I’m so glad I held out because this book definitely picks up steam as it goes on. First off, what pulled me to this story in the first place is that one of the MCs is a POC, and that is so rare in the MM genre and really really needs to happen more often. It also didn’t feel like I whitewashed version of a POC character and that in itself is a breath of fresh air (though, as a white woman, I could be wrong about this). I loved both Collin and Jeremiah and that they both seemed able to lean on each other when needed. Their relationship seemed solid, even when they weren’t sure of it themselves. Was their anything groundbreaking or novel? No, but it was well written with good characters and a very solid start to a promising series.

3.5 Stars

Jeremiah Stewart is a man whose career, and life, have come to a crossroads. He’s a paramedic, and an excellent one too, but a merger with a new company means the potential for layoffs and in spite of his seniority, there’s no guarantee his position is secure. So he has a decision to make—stick around and hope he avoids the chopping block, or take the severance package being offered and embark on a different career path. As for the moment of truth on the personal front, Jeremiah is faced with a family he loves, a mom he respects and loves dearly…but he’s not out to any of them but his baby sister, Storm. Coming out to his family is a bridge Jeremiah’s never come to, let alone had to cross, because he’s never met anyone he’s wanted to come out for and risk possibly losing those he holds dear. That is, until he meets Collin Galloway.

This novel doesn’t launch with a punch or a dramatic hook. The opening is fairly tame, as a matter of fact, considering it takes place in a strip club. Jeremiah’s there with his best friend, Chucky—I loved me some Chucky—and Chucky’s girlfriend, Veronica. Jeremiah coming back home that night, however, gives way to the setup of his and Collin’s inauspicious first meeting in the elevator of Jeremiah’s apartment building, but it doesn’t end with them hooking up let alone bonding in a meaningful way. The attraction is there, no doubt, but it’s a case of bad timing and Collin being in the wrong headspace for anything remotely warm or welcoming or accepting of Jeremiah’s obvious interest. So they go about their lives but eventually end up being thrown together again, and again it doesn’t end well, but finally they come together in a secondary meet-cute sort of way, which gives way to the heat and some dirty, flirty discourse that makes it obvious their chemistry is totally in sync. But even still, Jeremiah and Collin had some things to work through to make sure they were both on the same page.

Jayce Ellis took her time with this romance, and I appreciated that. This would’ve been a very different book if Jeremiah and Collin had moved at a faster pace, if Ellis had rushed them into sex or a relationship before they’d first cleared up a few things, most especially since Jeremiah suspected that Collin had a boyfriend and was coming on to him anyway. Far from the convenient Big Misunderstanding, though, this was an honest assumption on Jeremiah’s part, based on the evidence he’d seen. But Ryan is not Collin’s boyfriend, he’s Collin’s bestie and they’re generous with their affection, so the mistake worked to keep things neutral until Jeremiah and Collin were ready to move forward naturally.

This novel doesn’t try to be anything but what it is: a love story, a story about living one’s truth, taking chances, and it succeeds at that. Jeremiah is a story about the everyday complications of people doing their best just to live their best lives. Jeremiah and Collin both have family histories that play a role in their character building and the way their relationship grows. Jeremiah faces blatant homophobia from his own brother while Collin is more an inconvenient reminder to his wealthy parents that they are, in fact, his parents. The familial tension added to the job changes for both men mixed in with some uncertainty on Collin’s part, particularly in his friendship with the two most important people in the world to him, Lisbeth and Ryan, ups the drama factor. This isn’t a lighthearted read, but in the end, I liked Jeremiah and Collin both separately and as a couple. Together they were sexy and sweet and overcame the obstacles to their HEA in a solidly satisfying way.

I mostly liked this romance, although the insecurity of one of the main characters was a little over the top for me at times.

The title character, Jeremiah, is a paramedic in DC who first meets his potential love interest, Collin, when Jeremiah winds up helping Collin get his drunk friends home safely to their apartment in Jeremiah’s building. Their paths keep crossing, and eventually they start a casual relationship. Jeremiah quickly realizes that he wants to a lot more with Collin, but there’s a major stumbling block to them really getting truly serious—Jeremiah’s never come out to his family.

There’s more happening in the book than the romance between Jeremiah and Collin and the drama surrounding Jeremiah coming out. Both Jeremiah and Collin have issues with their careers; Jeremiah is being laid off and needs to find a new job, while Collin has to decide if he wants do something other than be a floating temp at a law firm. They also face changes in their relationships with their friends. Jeremiah’s best friend Chucky is settling down with his long-term girlfriend, while Collin’s best friends seem to be freezing him out for reasons he can’t understand. For a reader who wants the focus to be solely on the romance, all of this other stuff might be distracting, but for me it added interest to the story.

I liked Jeremiah. He's a little hot-headed and judgmental, but he's also good to his family and supportive of Chucky. Jeremiah is also a good partner for Collin, who really needs someone to be in his corner.

While I liked the overall story and Jeremiah himself, Collin was a bit problematic for me. Collin is supposed to be 29, but he seems a lot younger than that. Not because he hasn’t yet settled on a career, but because he is extremely insecure and needy as a person. He’s got reasons for that because of his upbringing, true, but he very easily turns into a complete mess. Like, at one point, very early on after he meets Jeremiah, even though Collin can tell Jeremiah is attracted to him, he also assumes Jeremiah despises him, based on . . . I’m not even sure what, exactly. Collin is just a lot at times, more than I can deal with based on my tastes as a reader.

Outside of Collin being a bit OTT, though, I did enjoy the book. According to the acknowledgments, one of the author’s friends encouraged her to “make it Blacker,” and it’s clear she followed that advice. The story has a lot of flavor, and that really worked for me.

If you think you might like Jeremiah, I’d recommend giving it a try, especially if you are interested in an #ownvoices read.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

I struggled with this first High Rise book in the beginning. Well, more like about 60% of the way through. There is a lot, and I do mean a lot, of internal monologue. So much so that it felt like I was never going to get to the romance. Jeremiah and Collin clearly have sexual chemistry, and I did start to warm up to Jeremiah when he seemed to prefer taking things slowly with some build-up to intimacy. The blurb hints at an out for you story, but really, the only time Jeremiah seemed to be keeping any secrets is with his immediate family. He has no problem with public displays of affection or even drawing attention to himself and Collin in a crowd of people, so I didn't really get the out for vibe from this story. There are also a couple of other plotlines going on in the periphery, but some things almost felt like an outline rather than fleshing out those characters and their stories. Nevertheless, by the last half of the book, I had warmed up to these characters, and Jeremiah and Collin had won me over. They are adorable together once they get comfortable with each other and start to figure things out. In the end, there were things I liked and things I didn't about this one, but this is my first read by Jayce Ellis and I will check out the next in the High Rise series to see how things go. Not everything was all tied up by the end of Jeremiah, so hopefully, we'll get some answers as the series progresses.

A great contemporary romance set in Washington, DC. I loved the characters about how they felt like it could have been a couple of my friends I was reading about. The voices of the characters felt like I was among friends. The setting of DC was well used in order to further the plot line. The various conflicts found through out the plot didn't feel forced or shoved in to create drama but rather reflected current day and pushed the characters to address themselves before carrying on with their relationships. I appreciated that the love interests didn't interact within a vacuum but instead interacted with the friends and family of each other. Overall a great read and worthy of a reread as well.

Mentioned in SBTB's January New Releases: https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2020/01/januarys-new-releases-part-one/

Paramedic, Jeremiah happens upon a sexy man one night when they're both returning home. Colin is trying to get his two drunk friends into their apartment. There's fire between the two of them when their eyes meet...but Colin, with his sexy lip-gloss seems reluctant to get involved.

Fast forward... and Jeremiah finds himself needing to look for a job due to takeover. In a twist-of-fate, he ends up bumping into Colin again and they agree to meet up to work on Jeremiah's resume.

I felt like this book was mostly about finding your way. Jeremiah and Colin are both on journies, and there are barriers in their way. One of the biggest barriers for Jeremiah is that he isn't out to his entire family. He's always thought that one day, he would just take his boyfriend home and that would be it. Turns out it hasn't been that easy for him. But coming out is more than just saying the words... sometimes, you encounter opinions that you didn't expect.

On the other hand, Colin is out to everyone but he doesn't know what he wants to do with his life. He thinks the right answer is to say that he's not into a long-term relationship, but maybe that's what he needs? His character went through a lot of subtle growth in the novel and I think he was my favorite character.

This is a contemporary love story, packed full of diversity. In fact, I loved the diversity! It's pretty much got something for everyone! It's a little light on plot... mostly, it's just about the two main characters making their decisions and then their coming together.

Content notes: Homophobia, scene of hazing

Jeremiah is book one in Jayce Ellis’ High Rise series and was a delightful story all about coming out, starting over, and keeping on. While the first half was rather rocky for me, the characters really shone through in the latter half.

I loved Jeremiah, in particular. His confidence in knowing what he wants--or going after what he may want in the future--just drew me (and Collin) in. He has to decide if coming out is worth the potential backlash from his family.

Collin, on the other hand, is out, but still living with his parents and stuck in a lackluster cubicle job. When he meets the confident and sexy Jeremiah, Collin doesn’t trust that Jeremiah could really be into him.

It took me a moment to really feel these two together, I must say. While the instalust was definitely there, Jeremiah and Collin's interactions felt cut too short and a lot of it was internal introspection. It made for slow reading, especially considering there are a lot of additional plot threads at play. Collin, in particular, didn't feel completely fleshed out to me.

That said, by the last half, those threads started to come together and once they did, everything started to click for me. The romantic arc emerges like nobody’s business, and these two have such good, combustible energy and sexual chemistry.

Not everything is tied up neatly at the end, but I assume we may get more answers in book two.

Overall, the focus on family and friendship meshed well with Collin and Jeremiah's personal journeys. It's well worth the wait for the romantic spark to ignite. I'd recommend for character-driven romance readers who don't mind a little more plot-based threads alongside the romantic arc.

3 stars.

Jeremiah grew on me over time, and though I struggled with the first 35% or so, I started to really enjoy it the farther along I read and the more I got to know these characters.

I've never read a book from Jayce Ellis before, and I found her writing style to be a bit clunky at first. Lots of telling and internal monologues, and lots of similes and metaphors that made passages feel a bit wordy and awkward. The plot is pretty slow, so I was struggling to get into the story for some time. However, I really wanted to give this book an honest shot, so I kept pushing on.

The characters really grew on me, especially the paramedic Jeremiah, who was a refreshing change of pace from the MCs we see time and time again in M/M. I really liked him and got a feel for him right away, even if I had a few issues with how his family interacted with him. Collin was also a good characters, but I feel like I was missing some information about his previous relationship that went awry and some more details about his family life. I felt like that could have been fleshed out even more.

The romance grew nicely over time, and I liked how the two men leaned on each other. Again, I found the plot to be a bit draggy, but I also enjoyed that it was a character-focused storyline. My one main issue was that I felt like Jeremiah and Collin were mistreated by friends and family, especially towards the end, and we got very little in the way of apologies. It made me angry for them, and I wanted more of a resolution of some of the issues that cropped up there.

Overall, a wonderful breath of diversity in the world of M/M, and a sweet romance that grew on me. I'm excited to see where else this author will take this series.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

I enjoyed Jeremiah and would read more in the series. Interesting and likable characters. My only question/concern is that I got the idea that the author wanted race and culture to have an impact in this story but I didn't really feel that came through enough. There were brief plot lines that suggested this but none were explored too deeply. (Not that race needed to be an issue, by any means.) Good storytelling.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jeremiah is a MM interracial romance. In this story, Jeremiah is a paramedic living a double life. Due to a secret he stumbled upon as a kid, he keeps his sexuality a secret. With the exception of his sister Storm, his family isn’t aware of his life as gay man. While in an elevator, he meets Colin and their attraction is instant. Colin is a 29 year old secretary that still lives with his parents. As a child he never feels love or appreciation from them. This makes him afraid of rejection and being alone.

This emotional story shows how our upbringing can affect the way we live our lives and how we crave acceptance from others. The chemistry between Jerimiah and Colin was electric. I especially adored the way he protected and supported Colin when he needed him the most.

Lets get into another favorite part of the story, the family dynamics of Jeremiah and Colin. It was heartbreaking and oh so relatable. I was overwhelmed with emotion. The author was able to effectively show how homosexuality is still taboo in some African American families. The author protrayed a family struggling to understand their son. In addition, she showed how a wealthy family, with mass amounts of resources can still fail to effectively show love to their children.

I did want more of a resolution between Jeremiah and his brother. I felt we didn’t get any resolution about their relationship. Also, there was a moment in the book when the characters were having a intimate discussion that felt unrealistic . I dont want to spoil it for you, but it definitely was cringeworthy. Other than that, it was a great read.

Although our society is more tolerant than before when it comes to gay communities, especially in the African American community, this story rings true that we still have a ways to go. Its so important that stories like Jeremiah be told. I am definitely looking forward to more reads from this author.

Highly enjoyable read. I really liked the personalities of Jeremiah and Collin. Their stories are relatable. Jeremiah’s open affection for Collin was so adorable to read.

Thank you Carina and NetGalley for the ARC!