Caught Me Slippin by Aubry J | The One I Should’ve Read First

So let me say I’m new to the world of Aubry J so when I read Never Faking About You some months back, I kept thinking it seemed somewhat off or had the expectations of me already understanding certain things. Then I started snooping and realized I should’ve read this one first. Now, initially I was stubborn and said I wouldn’t read it because I didn’t want to pay for Kindle Unlimited and it wasn’t on any of my library apps. But as I explained in one of my previous reviews, ya girl got a 3 month trial in April so I’m readin every damn thing!

Caught Me Slippin sets the stage for the world I discovered in Never Faking About You. It explains the friend circles and the loyalty that comes with them. Now, there are probably other books tied to these and I’ll get there eventually but I digress.

McCoy “Coy” Toliver, yes Lynx’s bestie and lawyer friend, seems to have the perfect life to anyone on the outside looking in. She’s fine as hell, beautiful home, successful in her career and a total badass. But baby, behind closed doors she has this lame ass dude Jamel who is brutally abusive in every way. She fears for her life and doesn’t see a way out. Some of this was super hard to read because it’s that damn bad. Jamel is a wanna be kingpin who is trying to take over the city from the DBB, the Duffle Bag Boys. Little does he know, once he forces McCoy to watch as he brutalizes a member of the DBB, he literally signed his own death certificate.

Enter Earth Carlson, twin to crazy ass Fire Carlson. Earth is a hustler through and through but he’s also highly intelligent and loves his people. Prince was his best friend and he will stop at nothing to avenge his death. McCoy knows that Earth is Jamel’s nemesis and concocts this crazy scheme to kidnap Earth and strike up a deal for her protection. I mean, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, right? He assumes some dude kidnapped him and is prepared for war but once he sees her, he is hooked. Initially he doesn’t know her story but once she moves him from the warehouse to her home and they get acquainted, he learns why she wants him to take out Jamel and is all too eager to do it.

This is yet another forced proximity romance and I love it here. They gain mutual respect mainly due to Earth’s intentionality. That man validates her, listens to her and treats her like royalty. Once his family meets her, she becomes one of them and they’re willing to stand ten toes down for her and protect her on his word.

Because I read Never Faking About You first I had already seen how Earth loves McCoy so it was super cute seeing where and how it all began. Him laying down ground rules, fiercely protecting her and loving her on purpose, ensuring her wellness physically, mentally and emotionally, was everything. When he took care of her after a brutal encounter with Jamel I knew he was gon’ love her down hunty. Him talking her through it every damn time is also top tier.