Jacked Up by Helen Juliet

Helen Juilet has another fantastic fairy-tale retelling for us with Jacked Up, a reworking of Jack and the Beanstalk with a side of kink.

From the blurb:

Little thief. Big problem.

JACK

When some billionaire tries to mess with my family, I decide to take personal revenge and break into

his London penthouse when he’s abroad to steal some compensation. The issue? He’s not only very much home, but he’s huge. Even worse, he’s gorgeous and too bloody cheerful. Rather than call the police, he suggests that I stay until I’ve fixed what I’ve damaged. It’s only for a few days, but I start to realise this guy isn’t the villain I thought he was. In fact, he might be everything I’ve ever dreamed I could never have.

FELIX

It’s only a little light kidnapping, so I don’t feel too bad. Besides, this small, grumpy thief I’ve caught is too adorable. I’m drawn to his broken soul. I want to protect him from his troubles and dominate him in the bedroom. We’re perfect for each other but he’s determined to believe that he doesn’t belong in my world. Can I convince him to stay? Or is this fairy tale doomed before it’s even begun?

Jacked Up is a super steamy, standalone MM gay romance novel featuring one hell of a size difference, a romantic date in the clouds, a singing and matchmaking parrot, past wounds long overdue for healing, and a guaranteed HEA with absolutely no cliffhanger.

Jacquie's Review:

I do love a Helen Juliet retelling and Jacked Up was no different. Based on Jack and the Beanstalk, it had elements of the tale, Jack the thief, magic beans, a huge size difference and a parrot called Goose, but it also had the typical Helen Juliet magic: the spice and sweetness.

Jack, though a thief, is adorably grumpy. It was easy to understand why he wanted to rob Felix and watching him open up was lovely.

Felix was just so nice! His possessive side was pretty awesome, too.

Fab kink elements and a great read.

Rating: 5 Stars

Heather's Review:

Ooh... size difference, age gap, wealth gap, misunderstood MC... it's all there - along with a little light B & E and a little forcible confinement and a parrot named Goose (because everyone needs a parrot named Goose) - no golden eggs in this retelling... but a plethora of golden coins.. have you figured out which fairy tale is being retold yet?

Yep, Jack and the Beanstalk... and it's done really well - there's an elevator in Beanstalk Towers and Jack never tries to cut the building down, instead, there's a steamy BDSM relationship, a little anxiety about too good to be true and a fairy tale worthy romance!

Rating: 5 Stars

SNik's Review:

Standalone fairytale retake of Jack and the Beanstalk. Age gap. Size difference. Light BDSM. Frumpy/sunshine. Dual POV. 

Jack has plans to steal from the billionaire responsible for his mom losing her job, but he certainly didn’t plan to get caught or be kept a prisoner by the gentle giant. Felix believes in second chances and when the scrappy thief gives back as good as he gets, it sparks an unexpected idea that maybe by keeping Jack around they could become friends. However, their very fast friendship with intense attraction blooms between them and they quickly find that they complement each other in plenty of ways and especially in the bedroom. 

Felix’s loneliness and past heartbreak are compelling right alongside Jack’s belief that he could never be good enough for Felix. 

This was a fun and enjoyable read, with plenty of spice and a fabulous HEA. 

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Jacked Up is available to buy as an ebook or to read with Kindle Unlimited subscription.