Yes — I’d say Joliet by Rae Lyse is worth reading, especially if you like emotional Black romance, messy characters, intense chemistry, and a protective/possessive MMC.
Joliet currently sits around 4.66/5 on Goodreads from 4,000+ ratings, which is a pretty strong reader response.
The biggest criticism is Lovie’s character development. Some readers felt that she moves from one unhealthy relationship dynamic into another and wanted more of her healing and identity outside of Rich. Others found the pacing too long or the plot predictable.
There’s also domestic violence and other mature/disturbing themes, so this isn’t a light, fluffy romance.
My verdict: 8.5/10 — worth the read if you’re in the mood for an emotionally heavy, addictive romance. If you specifically want a romance where the FMC spends substantial time healing independently before getting into another relationship, though, this might frustrate you.
If you tell me what kind of romance you normally love (possessive MMC, slow burn, dark romance, cheating, age gap, grovel, etc.), I can tell you whether Joliet is likely to be YOUR kind of book.
Lovie Sinclair is trying to disappear.
After escaping a volatile relationship that left her emotionally and physically broken, the former NFL WAG returns home hoping to rebuild her life away from the spotlight. But coming home doesn’t bring the peace she expected.
Then she meets Rich Lovelace—a fiercely intimidating man with a reputation for danger and a complicated life of his own. He should be exactly the kind of person Lovie stays away from, yet there’s something about him that draws her in.
What begins as an unexpected connection gradually becomes a forbidden friendship, and eventually something much harder to resist. But both Lovie and Rich are carrying wounds, secrets, and responsibilities that threaten to complicate what they’re building.
As their relationship deepens, love, danger, secrets, and the possibility of healing collide, forcing both of them to confront things they’ve spent years trying to outrun.
Vibe: emotional + gritty + romantic + protective MMC + damaged characters + plenty of drama. ❤️🔥
| Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Plot | ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ |
| Characters | ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ |
| Romance/Chemistry | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Pacing | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Emotional Impact | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Overall | ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ (4.5/5) |
Overall: Joliet is a 4.5-star read for me. The romance and emotional impact were the strongest parts, while the pacing kept it from being a full 5 stars.
The biggest strength of Joliet is how emotionally immersive it is. Rae Lyse doesn’t make Lovie and Rich’s relationship feel like a simple romance; both characters come into it carrying pain, fear, and baggage.
Rich is the standout for me. He’s intimidating and rough around the edges, but his protective, nurturing side gives him a lot of dimension. He’s the kind of MMC who can be dangerous to everyone else while being incredibly soft with the woman he loves.
I also loved:
That emotional quality seems to be one of the book’s biggest strengths for readers too: Joliet currently has a 4.66/5 Goodreads rating, with roughly three-quarters of ratings being five stars.
My biggest issue is Lovie’s development.
I wanted more of Lovie discovering who she was outside of a relationship. She’s coming out of an abusive situation, so I expected more emphasis on rebuilding her confidence, friendships, independence, and future.
Instead, Rich becomes such a huge part of her emotional journey that her individual development sometimes feels secondary.
This is also where the book becomes divisive. Some readers felt that Lovie’s behavior made her difficult to connect with, particularly because she seems to move toward another man relatively quickly after escaping an abusive relationship. Others felt the depiction of her healing was emotionally powerful precisely because healing isn’t always linear.
I also think the 600+ page length works against the story at times. There are sections that feel like they could have been tightened considerably. StoryGraph reviews similarly describe it as slow-paced, with some readers arguing that the book is substantially longer than necessary.
Lovie is complicated.
She’s vulnerable, traumatized, stubborn, emotional, and sometimes frustrating. I appreciated that she isn’t presented as a perfectly composed survivor. Her reactions feel messy and human.
But I wanted more agency from her.
Her story had the potential to be as much about Lovie finding Lovie as it was about Lovie finding Rich. That’s the part I felt was missing.
Rich absolutely carries this book for me.
He’s intimidating, protective, possessive, emotionally guarded, and surprisingly tender. His contradictions are what make him interesting.
He’s not simply the stereotypical “dangerous alpha.” There’s vulnerability underneath all that toughness, and watching that side emerge is one of the most rewarding aspects of the romance.
And yes: Rich is 100% book-boyfriend material if you like protective/provider MMCs. Multiple reader reviews specifically praised those qualities.
5/5.
This is where Joliet really shines.
The attraction between Lovie and Rich is obvious, but the better part is the emotional tension. There’s a push-and-pull dynamic where Rich tries to maintain distance while Lovie becomes increasingly drawn to him.
Their relationship has:
The romance isn’t particularly “healthy relationship goals” in every respect, though. Their connection is intense enough that some readers interpreted parts of it as codependent, particularly given Lovie’s recent history.
So I’d describe it as emotionally compelling rather than uncomplicatedly healthy.
If these are your catnip, you’re probably going to have a good time:
Goodreads officially categorizes it as friends-to-lovers, forbidden romance, and sports romance, while reader discussions frequently highlight the protector/hurt-comfort elements.
I’d put the romance at 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ / 5.
There is explicit adult sexual content, but the book isn’t simply a spice vehicle. The emotional storyline is much more important.
Be prepared for:
Reader-generated content warnings specifically identify domestic abuse and a toxic relationship as graphic, with eating-disorder material rated moderate and bullying/child abuse as minor.
Important: If domestic violence is a particularly difficult topic for you, I’d check the full content warnings before starting.
The beginning is slow and atmospheric.
The story takes its time establishing Lovie’s emotional state, Rich’s personality, their environment, and the people around them. For some readers, this makes the eventual emotional payoff stronger.
For others, it feels like too much setup and too many pages.
One interesting observation from a reader review is that the writing intentionally starts with longer chapters and a slower cadence before the chapters become shorter and the tension accelerates.
Rae Lyse’s prose is probably one of the book’s biggest strengths.
It’s emotional, character-focused, and cinematic. Several readers described scenes as playing almost like a movie in their heads, and praised the author’s storytelling and character work.
The ending is emotional and ultimately satisfying, but don’t expect every aspect of the story to resolve in a perfectly neat, tidy way.
The emotional journey is more important than having every character and conflict wrapped up with a bow.
If you need strong consequences and comprehensive justice for every antagonist, you may find the resolution underwhelming. Some readers specifically felt certain antagonists weren’t held accountable enough.
But emotionally?
It lands. ❤️
I’d recommend Joliet if you enjoy:
✔️ Black romance
✔️ Emotionally intense love stories
✔️ Protective/provider MMCs
✔️ Possessive heroes
✔️ Hurt/comfort
✔️ Damaged characters
✔️ Heavy angst
✔️ Slow-burn chemistry
✔️ Messy, complicated relationships
✔️ Books that make you FEEL things
Especially if your favorite part of romance is the emotional connection between the characters, rather than a perfectly structured plot.
I’d skip or approach cautiously if you:
The reader response supports this split: the overwhelming majority love the book, but the lower-rated reviews frequently mention length, pacing, Lovie’s characterization, and her development outside of Rich.
If what you loved was the intense Black romance + damaged characters + protective MMC + emotional angst, I’d look at:
I’d actually recommend staying with Rae Lyse first if what you loved most was the Joliet writing style.
Yes. Goodreads lists it as a standalone adult contemporary romance.
Yes, relatively. The relationship develops gradually, with a lot of emotional tension before things fully progress.
He’s morally complicated and intense, rather than a straightforward “green-flag” hero. If you require completely healthy relationship dynamics, he may not be for you.
She’s resilient, but her character arc is divisive. Her survival and emotional vulnerability are compelling; her development outside of Rich is where I wanted more.
Yes. I’d consider it high-spice adult romance, but the story has considerably more going on than the sex scenes.
It can be emotionally heavy, particularly because of the abuse and trauma themes. But it also contains tenderness, humor, romance, and moments of warmth.
The Kindle edition is listed at 646 pages, while the paperback is 572 pages.
Yes — especially if you prioritize chemistry and emotional impact over perfect pacing and character independence.
| Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Plot | ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ |
| Characters | ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ |
| Romance/Chemistry | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Pacing | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Emotional Impact | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Overall | ⭐4.5/5 |
Final thoughts: Joliet is a book I would recommend with one major caveat: go in for the emotional romance, not for a perfectly executed recovery narrative.
Rich and Lovie have serious chemistry, and Rae Lyse’s writing makes their highs and lows incredibly easy to feel. The book is messy, dramatic, sometimes frustrating, and definitely longer than it needs to be—but when it works, it really works.
If you love a protective, possessive MMC and an emotionally intense Black romance, put this on your TBR. ❤️🔥
My rating: 4.5/5 stars.
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