Favorite Fictional Friends Day Eighteen: Lisbeth and Jess from “Being Audrey Hepburn”

If you haven’t read Being Audrey Hepburn by Mitchell Kriegman, I highly suggest you pick it up. It’s the story of Lisbeth, a Jersey girl who idolizes Audrey Hepburn and longs to escape her boring suburban life. When her best friend Jess, an intern at the Metropolitan Museum of Art comes across the legendary little black dress from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, she convinces Jess to let her try it on. This small act thrusts Lisbeth in the world Manhattan’s elite, allowing her to rewrite her story and transform into her own version of Audrey Hepburn. However, as she quickly learns, pretending to be someone you’re not is no easy task, and she finds herself stuck trying to straddle two completely different worlds. The book is high on soapy drama and flirty romances, but the real heart of this tale lies between the amazing friendship between Lisbeth and Jess. From the start, these girls are in on project Being Audrey together. Discovering a treasure trove of vintage designer dresses and accessories in her grandmother’s storage unit, Lisbeth gets the idea to have Jess rework all the dresses into new reinvented modern looks, allowing Lisbeth to pass as a socialite and getting Jess’ work featured in places like Page Six under pseudonym Designer X. Unlike a lot of other YA/NA books, any drama between Jess and Lisbeth is pretty minimal, and the girls remain pretty tight and super loyal to each other throughout. Lisbeth even goes out of her way try and make a few connections to help Jess launch her fashion career. I don’t want to spoil Being Audrey Hepburn for any of you looking add it your must-read list, but I will say Lisbeth and Jess will become one of the best parts of your reading experience.

Favorite Fictional Friends Day Nine: Rule Archer and Nash Donovan from “The Marked Men” series

Author Jay Crownover’s Marked Men series is filled with drama, romance, and a heavy helping of sexy tattooed men to drool over. However, while the love affairs take center stage, there is no denying the seriously awesome BroTPs taking place in the background and no two in the Marked crew are tighter than Rule Archer and Nash Donovan. Best friends since childhood, Rule and Nash have been through a lot together over the years. As kids, they shared a mutual love of body art and piercings, partying, and knack for causing trouble. They also bonded over family issues. Nash never knew his father, and his mother constantly chose her new rich husband over him again and again. Rule was always the black sheep of the Archer clan, but ,when his perfect twin brother died on his way to pick him up from a party, he was exiled almost completely. So when they left their  upperclass suburb for Denver, Rule and Nash were beyond ready to blaze their own trail their way. As they climbed the ranks of the tattoo world, they worked hard and played even harder, which led to a few scrapes here and there, mostly as the result of Rule’s short fuse. At the heart of their friendship was deep unconditional loyalty. They accepted each other warts and all. When one tried to put on a front, the other saw right through it. When one needed some tough love, the other provided it. When one got a little too drunk, the other got him home in one piece. Yes, the Marked Men was about romance, but the bond between Rule and Nash was a pretty special part of the series too.

Shipping Saturday: Shaw Landon and Rule Archer of the “Marked Men”

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I thought I’d take a break from television couples this week and dive into one of my favorite literary love affairs. Frequent readers know I’m pretty obsessed with Jay Crownover’s steamy Marked Men series about the love lives of a group sexy inked and pierced tattoo artists, and one of my most beloved ships from the series is Shaw Landon and Rule Archer of the first book Rule.

Shaw’s linen and lace. Rule ink and piercings. Together, their one of the steamiest opposites attract ships in the entire Marked Men universe. She’s loved him since she was a teen, but he always saw her as his brother’s girl. Then, one drunken night everything changes. It’s an all-consuming passion that hooks you from the start and has you rooting for this pair to seal the deal all the way to the end. Their an unconventional duo that proves love can be found when you finally one your eyes and see what’s right in front of you.

Here are a few reasons why Shaw and Rule are one of the most iconic ships of the Marked Men.

They are the yin to each other’s yang.

On the surface, Rule and Shaw couldn’t be any more different. Shaw is a quiet good girl, who follows the rules and gives everything she has to everyone. Rule, on the other hand, is an in-your-face tattoo artist, who is known for his abrasive personality and rebellious ways. It’s an explosive clash of personalities that would send most running in the other direction. Yet, Rule and Shaw jump right into the flames. They are so fundamentally different that they fit together in a way they both desperately need. Shaw needs Rule to shake up her neatly structured world, and Rule needs Shaw to stabilize his constant chaos. They get deep under each other’s skin, awakening parts of themselves that have been dormant for much too long. They are two imperfect pieces of one perfect whole.

They help each other face their demons.

Despite their young ages, both Rule and Shaw are carrying some pretty serious baggage. Rule is desperately trying to drown his grief of the death of his twin brother and the sting of a family who blames him in booze and women. Shaw is constantly at war with being the person she wants to be and pleasing her critical and demanding parents, often putting aside her own happiness for the sake of others. For years, they’ve been escape the pain, trying to outrun the demons that ruled their lives. This until they found someone strong enough to help them stand and fight. Rule helps Shaw discover her voice and start putting herself and her happiness first, while she becomes an anchor of light in the darkness for him, helping him come to terms with what he lost and start living for what he still had. Make no mistake. Neither rescued the other. Instead, Rule and Shaw helped each other discover the strength they had inside to save themselves.

Their chemistry is off the charts.

Rule wasn’t kidding when he said, “Opposites don’t just attract. They freaking catch fire and burn the entire city down.” From the first chapter to the last, Rule’s connection with Shaw is an undeniable force. They have a push-and-pull that that has as many ups and downs as Rule has hair colors. Yet, no matter how crazy things may get between them, they can’t stay away. They are drawn to each other both sexually and emotionally, and once they give in there’s no getting out. Their love is a powerful current that throws off more heat than the sun. It’s no wonder Shaw held out for her tattooed crush for so long.

Their post-book romance is seriously adorable.

Although they are only the central figures of one book in the series, Rule and Shaw’s story doesn’t end on the last page of Rule. As the first couple in in the series, we get to watch their relationship continue to evolve quietly in the background of the five books. From moving in together to walking down the aisle and starting a family, we get a front row seat to all of their major milestones and mentions of fluffy little moments like Rule fixing the water heater and Shaw deciding on a wedding theme. It’s not all sun and rose, but it’s theirs. They are doing domestic bliss their perfectly imperfect badass way. (Seriously, the fanfiction we could write.)

They were each other’s first loves.

For Shaw, it was always Rule. For Rule, love didn’t even seem like a possibility. There is just something beautiful and pure about your first love being your forever love. Simple as that.

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