He’s a Mean One by Lani Lynn Vale

Posted December 9, 2025 in review Tags: 4 stars

He's a Mean One by Lani Lynn Vale

Series: Content Advisory #7
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Setting: Dallas, TX
Source: ARC
Also in this series: Grumpy Sunshine, Look At Her and Die, Enemies to Lovers, Other Woman Drama, Mistaken Identity, Ugly Duckling, Forced Proximity
Also by this author: Execution Style, Charlie Foxtrot, Coup de Grace, Right to my Wrong, Shock Advised, Hail No, Beard Mode, Lights To My Siren, Fear the Beard, I Like Big Dragons and I Cannot Lie , I'm Only Here for the Beard, Dragons Need Love, Too , Oh, My Dragon, Kevlar To My Vest , Keys To My Cuffs, Life To My Flight , Hissy Fit, Talkin' Trash, Lord Have Mercy, Hide Your Crazy, How About No, I'd Rather Not, Make Me, Sinners are Winners, If You Say So, Just Kidding, Herd That, Fries Before Guys, Crazy Heifer, Maybe Swearing Will Help, Keep it Classy, Chute Yeah, Get Bucked, May Contain Wine, Jokes on You, Somethin' About That Boy, Join the Club, Any Day Now, Say It Ain't So, Officially Over It, Nobody Knows, Depends on Who's Asking, Repeat Offender, Conjugal Visits, Jailbait, Quit Bein' Ugly, Doin' a Dime, Kitty Kitty, No Rep, Gen Pop, Jerk It, Inmate of the Month , Chalk Dirty to Me, Shakedown , Always Someone's Monster, Make Me Your Villain , Rattle Some Cages , Get Tragic , Strange and Unusual, Suck This, Never Trust the Living, Nobody Cares Unless You're Pretty, Good Trouble, Cute But Psycho, Annoyed At First Sight, The Voices Are Back, Special Kind of Twisted, I'll Just Date Myself, Fun House, Freak Show, Show Off, Clown Motel, Big Nick Energy, Sold to the Circus, Killing Booth, The Fool, No Cap, I Can't Even, Thirst Trap, Clap Back, Rent Free, Time To Bounce, Yolo, Stay Toxic, Hey Daddy, Walking Red Flag, Always Salty, Grumpy Sunshine, Look At Her and Die, Enemies to Lovers, Other Woman Drama, Mistaken Identity, Ugly Duckling, Forced Proximity, People We Avoid, Not a Side Chick, Be the Full Problem, Forget That Guy

Goodreads

For a solid five years, Jasper Madden has done nothing but look the other way when it comes to Calliope Hodges. At first, she was way too young for him, barely eighteen the first time he laid eyes on her. It also didn’t help that he’d witnessed her at the lowest of lows, practically making peace with rock bottom.

But as time goes by, he realizes that Calliope is different. She’s a brave, stunning young woman that has slowly captured his heart while he was watching from the shadows.

He knows that it’ll take time for her to realize that he’s not the enemy, but instead her saving grace. So he decides to play the long game.

For years, he’s waited in the periphery for her to be ready. He stands right there, knowing that one day she’ll look up and finally see him as the man that is desperately in love with her.

But that chip on her shoulder keeps her from looking everywhere but his direction.

Luck finally leans his way when she moves in next door, and a battle of the neighbors ensues.

Where she sees war in the form of a friendly holiday decorating competition, he sees the opportunity of a lifetime.

All it takes is one bed, a freak snowstorm, and a Christmas miracle for her to realize that he’s been there all along. A silent knight in shining armor willing to take on the world just to make sure she never has to feel unworthy ever again.

He’s a Mean One is not really a holiday story, it just happens to be set during the holidays. This time we have Callie, who is Searcy’s sister, and Jasper, who is from the Madd Crossfit series. I didn’t even put it together until the book started. So, Jasper’s backstory is tragic. That book almost broke me. But, this book didn’t!

Calliope has had a rough life. Her dad is gone, her mom is worthless, and she had to scrape for everything in life. As a teen, she really hated her siblings, but it was just a lot of teenage angst over their situation. She’s older now, and an engineer. She gets a house next to Jasper, who hates her. Honestly, both of them are pretty prickly, so their interactions with each other were a lot like their interactions with everyone. But, its a thin line between love and hate! I enjoyed these two and think they are perfect for each other. The story was interesting, with lots going on to keep you flipping pages.