Series Review: Hazed & Unfazed by Brittany Butler

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Synopsis for Hazed (from Goodreads):
When addiction and obsession are confused with love, life becomes hazed.

After Taylor Thompson receives an acceptance letter to a university an hour away, she can taste freedom. Her life is controlled by a small town and a strict father. When Taylor finds a local bar that’s hiring a waitress she applies and gets the position. However, one bartender leaves her questioning the acceptance of her new job.

Hayze Clark, the bartender that keeps customers coming back. His dark eyes pierce through your soul, drawing you near. The tattoos bellowing down his arms and the scar lining his left eyebrow keep you at a safe distance; his carefree attitude lures Taylor in. At first she’s excited for the new, perfect distractions to pull herself from misery.

The closer she gets, the more secrets are revealed, lies are told, and tears are shed. Their relationship falters and Taylor is left unsure if she’s willing to pick up the pieces of this broken guy.

Series: Hazed & Unfazed; or Hazed Series
Author: Brittany Butler
# of Books: 4 (Hazed, Unfazed, Ruined, Damaged)
Book Order: Chronological; Companion (Ruined); Connected (Damaged)
Complete?: No, Damaged is to be released.
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Heat Rating: really warm
Point of View: First Person, Single; Alternating (Unfazed)
Publication Dates: January 2016 – ongoing
Source & Format: Author–eARC

**This review is only on Hazed and Unfazed**

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

What drew me to this series was the promise of a romance gone bad. While I love a happy ending as much as the next girl, I want to see more romances that explore the potentially unhealthy aspects of new romance. Especially in the New Adult genre where it always seems like the heroine can change the unchangeable hero just by “loving” him (or vice versa).

The Plot:

Hazed starts like any other NA romance but it quickly takes a darker turn; and I really liked that. It’s not darker in the sense that this romance is taboo but in the sense that it seems normal until you uncover the layers underneath. I liked how it focused on Taylor being insecure about the vitality of their relationship: was this really a good thing for her or was she just repeating the cycle she grew up up?

That made it hard to read because as the reader, you can see what it coming for Taylor a mile away but she justs succumbs to the unhealthiness of her romance again and again. It’s tough and I think if you didn’t know that that is the purpose of the story, you would scratch your head and walk away. But that is the point of the story, no matter how hard it is to read.

Unfortunately, Unfazed doesn’t carry on that momentum too much. Instead, it chooses to focus on how these two cope with dramatic events outside of their control. Which is totally fine and is entertaining to read; it just wasn’t the story I wanted to read.

The Characters:

It’s easy to feel for Taylor once you learn about her circumstances. She definitely hasn’t had it easy. She has some great development in Hazed. In Unfazed, I feel like her growth gets a little stagnant because the focus shifts more to Hayze.

Hayze is a bit of a mystery in Hazed because we only get Taylor’s POV. I know I didn’t have the most positive perception of him because I didn’t like how he acted or treated Taylor. That changes a little in Unfazed and we learn more about his past thanks to his POV being included.

The Romance:

I went into this series not expecting to like the romantic relationship we get and I kept that mentality throughout. But I liked that this story wasn’t padded with unnecessary sex scenes; that it focused on communication with each other; respect for the other person; and trying to see if they really could navigate a relationship with so many obstacles in the way.

My Expectations for the Rest of the Series:

I don’t really have an interest in reading Hayze’s story in Ruined (which is Hazed from his POV); I felt like I learned enough about his character and his motivations in Unfazed. BUT, I’m really curious to learn more about Lea’s story in Damaged. I have my own theories but I’m sure I’ll be surprised by what happens.

Series Rating: 3.5/5

Hazed 4/5 | Unfazed 3/5 | Ruined N/A | Damaged N/A

I think if you don’t like reading about relationships that are unhealthy, Hazed is a tough one for you to read. But if you like the idea that love has the potential to save someone, this is probably worth your time!

Read if You Like: new adult romance, stories focused solely on romance
Avoid if You: want more spice