Book Review: Hope(less) (Judgement of the Six Book 1) by Melissa Haag

Title: Hope(less)
Author: Melissa Haag
Series: Judgement of the Six #1
Pages: 352
My Rating: ❤❤❤❤❤

Gabby's brain is like a human fish finder. It comes in handy when she wants to avoid people. Mostly men. They seem to like her a bit too much. It's lonely being different, but she's adapted to it. Really. She just wishes she knew why she is different, though.

In her search for answers, she discovers a hidden community of werewolves. She immerses herself in their culture, learning about their world until she meets Clay. He's unkempt, prone to mood swings, intense without saying a word, and he thinks Gabby is his.

It's going to take every trick she knows to convince Clay to go away, and every bit of willpower not to fall for him when she discovers the man beneath the rough exterior.

Judgement has begun...

I needed a break from Helen Harper's Blood Destiny series and decided to pick up Hope(less), thinking it would be a nice change. Who knew that once I started it, that I wouldn't be able to put it down until 3:16 in the morning! The entire night I just kept telling myself that after one more chapter I would go to bed. That went on for several hours. I just couldn't put the book down!

Hope(less) has intrigue and humor! I expected it to be similar to all the other werewolf books that I have read, but was pleasantly surprised to find out how different it actually was. In most werewolf books, there is this immediate instant-love connection. Don't get me wrong, Hope(less) does have an instant connection thing going on, but it is pretty different from the norm.

We actually got to see the main characters getting to know about each other at a more gradual pace. And believe me, that was a welcome change from characters proclaiming their love for one another within 15 minutes upon meeting. I know I'm probably going to get sappy here, but I do love the whole idea of finding your soul mate and sometimes the insta-love tactic works, but it was nice to see Melissa Haag put a different spin on it.

For Clay, it was super easy to get to know Gabby, because you guessed it, she can be super Gabby! Okay I know that was super cheesy, but I'm full of cheesy jokes. On the other hand, Gabby struggled to get answers out of Clay, because as Gabby elegantly stated, he is not a chatterbox. She is not exaggerating. Clay takes the strong silent type to a whole new level (you'll see what I mean...).

Clay's actions speak much louder than words. He cooks, he cleans, and he manages to slip his way into your heart without you even knowing it! Despite her many protests, he is exactly what Gabby needed!

"I know I'm asking a lot. You'd need to start talking, stop growling, and bathe. No offense meant, but you look like a crazy man the way you are."

"If a guy doesn't trip over himself to get to me, I'm not interested. I don't want to waste my time chasing what doesn't want to be caught."

"If Sam told him, I'd have to kill Sam. Since I didn't have the stomach for outright murder, I'd break his coffee maker."

"I could tell he was concerned, but trust, once lost, took longer to earn back."

"You don't need to talk to get to know someone. You just need to listen."

"Actions speak louder than words...He's there when I need him, he's kind and caring, he keeps me safe, and as you've seen, he cooks and cleans. What's not to like, Rachel?"

"If I'd spoken, even just one word, I would have never been able to hold back what I feel for you. You would have run."