Motorcycle Man by Kristen Ashley

16076190
Grade: A-
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, MC
Series: Dream Man #4
Published: 5/22/12, republished 1/28/14
Reviewed by Anne
324 ebook pages

So I was at book club a couple weeks ago and a bunch of my friends were going on and on about Madeline Sheehan and what great motorcycle (MC) book crack she writes and how they love it so.  For the first time, I was feeling a little left out.  I thought I would not like an MC book.  I was hesitant to read one.  But I don’t like feeling left out, and it was a reading goal of mine to try a Kristen Ashley book, AND I’d just gotten a NetGalley copy of Motorcycle Man, so I figured all signs were pointing toward it being time for me to put on my big girl pants and give this MC book thing a try.  

I started reading and was instantly pulled in.  Tyra is in bed after having sex with Tack, who she just met, and is seeing hearts and flowers and thinking that this man, finally, is her dream man.  And Tack?  

His hand left my skin to smack my ass lightly before he said, “Time to get to your own bed, darlin.” (p. 17, ePub edition)

*snort*  Not exactly hero behavior!  But Tyra’s got some backbone.  She feels like an idiot for mistaking fabulous sex for love, and for thinking Tack was her dream man, and because Tack is her new boss.  However, when Tack tries to fire Tyra, because he doesn’t mix work and pleasure, she stands up for herself, and she keeps the job.

This book was so awesome.  Tack is an alphole, but a really sexy one.  And the thing is, over and over he proves that he cares about Tyra.   He gives her what she needs, and he apologizes when he makes mistakes.  Of course, he makes lots of mistakes, and one of them is being a sexist, macho, bossy pig of a man, but it’s so easy to forgive him.  It’s totally believable that Tyra would continue to fall for him.

The story line is good, believable, and very engrossing.  There’s a certain amount of suspense and danger, but not enough to annoy me.  The writing style is almost a stream of consciousness, all from Tyra’s point of view, but that worked very, very well.

My only problem with the book is the MC culture.  Women are second class citizens who have no say in the running of the club.  There are “old ladies” and club whores and they each have their place and accept one another.  And though the MC in this story is relatively clean, as far as drug running goes, it’s acknowledged that drug running is a path that other clubs take.  I have so many issues with that lifestyle that I almost feel guilty reading the book.

Despite all that, and mostly because of the alpha hotness and dirty talking that is Tack, I loved this story.  I don’t think MC romance will ever be a favorite of mine, in general, but this book is!  It’s going on my favorites of 2014 list and I highly recommend it!

Undeniable by Madeline Sheehan

Undeniable (Undeniable, #1)
Grade-B
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-Undeniable #1
Genre-Romantic Suspense
Reviewed by Kay
332 pages

I’m truly at a loss for words with this review. I think I need a mind scrub and maybe a visit to confession. I’m not Catholic and I’m not making light of religion but I may need some prayer time after this.

Deuce West is an outlaw biker. He lives this lifestyle with no apologies at all. He likes what he does. The drinking, the illegal stuff and the whoring. He has a meeting with Eva Fox when she is visiting her father in prison. Her father is a President of a rival but friendly motorcycle club. Eva is five at their first meeting and when she charms Duece’s father at his visit with him, he’s taken with her. Not a perverted kind of way either. He’s intrigued because she, at age five, listens to classic rock, wears Chucks and wants to be a motorcycle club queen. Duece is eighteen years her senior.

This story continues to span these two character’s lifespans. It usually skips ahead by five to seven years.

The things I liked:

The slow build of their relationship. The all consuming attraction. The look inside of the outlaw biker lifestyle, if this is an accurate description. The suspense of the book. The desire of the heroine to try and save everyone around her even as she stays true to what she is.

The things I didn’t like:

Deuce is married through most of the book. The constant infidelity of almost every character.

This book was an interesting book to read. Good character development. It sucked me right in and didn’t let go. Even when the storylines butted right up to and through my hard limits. If you want a raw, gritty, dirty, and emotional love story, read it. But be prepared for all that it is and that it makes no apologies for it.

Lord of Wicked Intentions by Lorraine Heath

Lord of Wicked Intentions (The Lost Lords of Pembrook, #3)
Grade-C
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-The Lost Lords of Pembrook #3
Genre-Regency Historical
Reviewed by Kay
370 pages

Rafe Easton is one of the Lost Lords of Pembrooke. They were hunted to be killed as boys so they didn’t inherit the title that was theirs. The boys split up at very young ages with the promise to come back when they were older, to reclaim all they had to give up. Rafe was the youngest brother and went to work in the workhouses. His existence was horrific at best. Beaten regularly. As he got older he became of debt collector for a very dangerous man. He then became the owner of all that this man had. His life only cost him his soul and his heart.

Evelyn Chambers was the illegitimate daughter of an earl. After her mother’s death she came to live with her father and her half brother. Her life was sheltered and pampered but never public. After her father’s death, she is offered up to a group a gentlemen. She would go to the highest bidder. At the time, she thought her brother was trying to get her a husband.

Rafe sees Evelyn and knows he can’t let her to to one of those men in attendance at the get together. He offers for with the intent of her becoming his mistress. Evelyn is horrified at her circumstances but she possess no skills to speak of. She knows what this means. She has to become a mistress to man that doesn’t even seem to like her.

I loved the premise of this book and was pleased with the outcome. What I didn’t like was that I found parts of it very slow and boring. The parts that were good were very good but the others were tedious. I was looking forward to this read because historicals are always palate cleansers for me. There were emotional scenes but Rafe just left me cold. All in all, I enjoyed this series and look forward to Lorraine Heath’s next series.