I've been reading KA since almost the beginning of her career. I have read over 40 of her books and loved many despite the long-winded descriptions, eI've been reading KA since almost the beginning of her career. I have read over 40 of her books and loved many despite the long-winded descriptions, excess page filler, and cloned characters. After a while the stories start to sound too similar. The characters blend together. You get halfway through the book and we're just watching the characters go through their mundane daily activities, have sex, rinse/lather/repeat. There's. Nothing. Happening. You start to skim to get to the end. It's why I mainly only do re-reads of my old favorites now. Even though her early books are imperfect, they have heart and that's why I love them. This book is going on my shelf of shame because I will never be reading it. And yes, I'm judging it even though I haven't read it. (Insert 'come at me bro' gif here. lol)
There are some things that cross the line, and that is glamorizing/romanticizing ABUSE. For a man to put his hands on a woman in anger, bruise her, and then make her believe SHE is at fault is WRONG. Let me say it a little louder for the people in the back:
Physical abuse is wrong and should not be justified because it's doled out by a "sexy" alpha biker living a biker life.
I'm also not a fan of a character (man or woman) who hurts their partner by "straying" and then expects them to just brush it off and be fine with it.
I tried this because I've liked Feehan's paranormal books in the past, but this book didn't work for me at all. The two main characters were unlikDNF
I tried this because I've liked Feehan's paranormal books in the past, but this book didn't work for me at all. The two main characters were unlikable, as well as the MC secondary characters. They way Reaper spoke to and treated Anya disgusted me, and at one point in particular made my blood boil. I tried to overlook his attitude and behavior because I thought there would be some character growth, but I couldn't bring myself to care if there would be after the tipping point. I'm sure many will enjoy this series, but I'm certain that I'm not one of them.
[image] Title: Beard in Mind Series: Winston Brothers #4 Author: Penny Reid Release date: August 1, 2017 Cliffhanger: No HEA(view spoiler)[Yes (hide[image]
[image] Title: Beard in Mind Series: Winston Brothers #4 Author: Penny Reid Release date: August 1, 2017 Cliffhanger: No HEA(view spoiler)[Yes (hide spoiler)]
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I loved Beard in Mind for all of the usual Winston brother reasons and more. This book was more. I've read and loved every single book in this series so far, but this one holds a very special place in my heart. For me, the storyline was the perfect package tied in an unconventional bow. The romance was beautifully raw and real. The humor was as razor sharp as ever, and the town welcomed me with warm and comforting arms. This book was over 500 pages and not for a minute was I bored or tempted to skim over anything. On the contrary. I didn't want to leave these characters, and I was stubbornly dragging my feet eyes as I approached the end.
One thing I loved about this story was how unexpected both characters were. Beau was pleasantly so much more than the flirty, lovable brother we believed him to be. But Shelly...she was concealing so much under that cold facade that keeps everyone at a distance. She seemed to be aggressively battling, tooth and nail, anyone she came in contact with. But the true war was within herself.
She didn’t want to be rude, to be cold, to be exhausting. But maybe, more than that, she doesn’t want to be a victim.
Beau was the perfect match for Shelly. Kind, empathetic, and most importantly, a people person. He could get along with anyone, and he'd give you the shirt off of his back if you needed it. That doesn't mean that they were instant friends. No, they started out hilariously as adversaries (much to his chagrin).
She was strange. I knew people. Intrinsically, without much thinking about it, I knew what made them tick. I knew how to charm them, make them happy, and make them feel special. My read on Miss Sullivan as an arrogant and vain human-porcupine hybrid had been reinforced with every single interaction since we’d met.
As he peeled away her hidden layers, he discovered that her prickly pieces didn't equate to her sum total. She was ripe with so many hidden talents and love that she was aching to share. And she may not have had the power to do that yet, but she was acquiring the tools and putting the work in to be able to do so. Beau didn't hold her sword and conquer her battles for her, but stood behind her and gave her a safe place to fall so she could fight another day. And that was the beauty of their relationship. He had his own unpredictable struggle to overcome. One that took me completely by surprise and crushed me because of the twist his life had taken. Through it all, she was a partner who was just as strong and solid.
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Shelly was a tangled mess of beautiful human contradictions. So very vulnerable, yet strong and courageous all at the same time. She spent so much time inside her own head that she couldn't easily relate or interact with other people. And though there was no easy or convenient solution for everything she struggled with, she quietly faced it all with intelligence and maturity. No matter what new obstacle was thrown at her, she would find a way to leap over it.
Her fear wasn’t beautiful. But her strength, her resolve, her brilliance and goodness were. She wouldn’t be who she was now without her struggles. Life had shaped her, her fear had formed her, and I wouldn’t have her any differently.
I loved Beau and Shelly, and how they complimented and counteracted each other's strengths and weaknesses. They were both heard, seen, and valued for who they really were. I wouldn't have wanted to change one sentence. Not one word of it, because none of it should have been spared in sharing Shelly's struggles and victories. Or seeing Beau accept his devastating loss, and his precious gain.
Penny always explores characters and themes that are not typical in your average romance and that's what appeals to me most about her books. Who wants average? She really outdid herself with this one, however. It was passionate, touching, and so exquisitely done. Prepare to be entertained through it all, because even with the heavier tones it's composed of, it will lift you up and give you a perpetual smile that won't go away.
[image] Title: Reaper's Fall Series: Reapers MC #5 Author: Joanna Wylde Release date: November 10, 2015 Cliffhanger: No HEA(view spoiler)[Yes (hide [image]
[image] Title: Reaper's Fall Series: Reapers MC #5 Author: Joanna Wylde Release date: November 10, 2015 Cliffhanger: No HEA(view spoiler)[Yes (hide spoiler)]
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Joanna Wylde's series are one of the only MC series I follow. Even if I don't particularly care for some aspects of the stories, her books are completely addictive and just about as well written as you can get. Some of her books I've loved, some of them have just been okay for me. I've been anticipating Painters book quite a bit and thankfully, I can say that it didn't disappoint. Admittedly, these two characters will have moments that cause some frustration with their choices, but I can't say that they bothered me enough to take much off of my rating. In essence, this book is a friends to lovers as well as a second chance romance of sorts...with plenty of biker action thrown in. What really impressed me most of all about Reaper's Fall was the attention to detail, authenticity in the biker world, and the complex storyline with some real depth. So...pretty much what you always get from this author.
Painter has been convicted and sent to prison on more than one occasion for his brothers in the club. His loyalty is unquestionable and he's respected for his willingness to do what it takes to protect his boys. He's not a soft man, and he's seen and done things in his life that make him even harder. He has no interest in looking for an "old lady" or a woman to be his partner beside him in his life with the Reapers. The last thing he expected was an obsession to grow for a sweet and innocent woman-that would be like leading a lamb to slaughter. He would eat her up and spit her out. Their innocent letters while he's in prison only serve to tempt him even further though.
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Melanie is a good girl and not equipped for dealing with what comes along with the biker life. She's going to school and trying to make a better life for herself. At first, I was worried that she would be somewhat of a doormat. I wasn't sure if she had the strength to take on a man like him, but she proved me wrong. Little miss sweet and innocent had a fire in her that worked well with Painter. And as mistakes were made by both and consequences had to be faced, she only grew stronger and more mature through the years. I admired her courage in facing her problems head on-but good lord could that woman hold a mean grudge. She wasn't without her faults as much as he was. This couple was a wicked ride of ups and downs. When they were bad, they weren't pretty. But when they were good...there were moments of beauty.
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Painter is not a sweet or flowery type of man, he's rough around the edges...and everywhere else. I was curious to see how Joanna Wylde would turn this character into someone we could all sympathize with and become invested in. And I have to say, she handled it well. She didn't try to give him a complete personality change-she built on his true character and made his connection with Melanie more natural and believable. Painter grew as much as Melanie and I felt like he more than proved his evolution by the end of the book-with actions rather than just words.
The action and the continuing storyline involving the MC had me as engrossed as ever. You're not going to find a better plotted or written biker book out there than the ones you'll find in the Reapers series. The book does span over a considerable time period and the romance part of the book takes a significant amount of time to resolve the conflict between the hero and heroine. That being said, I enjoyed myself reading this book and would recommend this to anyone looking for a book with a little more grit to it. After reading Reaper's Fall, I'm once again on board to continue in the next book. Bring it on!
Title: Silver Bastard Series: Silver Valley #1 Author: Joanna Wylde Release date: April 7, 2015 Rating: 3.5 stars Cliffhanger: No HEA(view spoiler)[[image]
Title: Silver Bastard Series: Silver Valley #1 Author: Joanna Wylde Release date: April 7, 2015 Rating: 3.5 stars Cliffhanger: No HEA(view spoiler)[Yes (hide spoiler)]
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I'm not a huge reader of the MC genre, but I know talent when I see it. Joanna Wylde has it. Her books are my biker kryptonite. When I clapped eyes on Horse in Reaper's property? I was sold. Lock, stock, and barrel. Every book since has been an auto-buy, no need to read a synopsis. Those Reaper boys had me hooked. This book made my most anticipated list of 2015, I couldn't wait to meet the whole new group of brothers in leather.
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This was a somewhat hard for me to rate because I wasn't crazy in love with either main character. But looking at the groundwork the author put in to build a solid series with this introduction book makes me appreciate the bigger picture a little more. If there's one thing JW is a pro at, it's attention to detail. It could never be said that her stories are weak or unrealistic. That's one of the main draws that continues to pull me in each and every time. They're raw, and they embody everything a biker book should be.
If you've read the Reapers books, you know Puck was a prospect for the Silver Bastards and got sent to prison with Painter (from the Reapers) for a year. The book starts out with these two men's release and a celebratory party in their honor. What follows is one big clusterfuck. Little things like forced prostitution, unintentional statutory rape, bloodshed...you get thrown right into some heated, intense moments-no time wasted.
Puck comes to realize Becca isn't the woman she at first appears. On the other hand? He is exactly what he appears.
Everything about him was rough, almost brutal, and while I knew he wasn't that much older than me, there were ten lifetimes reflected in his gaze.
He's as tough as you'd expect from an MC member; to put it bluntly, he's self-serving and unapologetic in his ways. When the Silver Bastards discover Becca's situation the next morning, they remove her from her home and she falls under their protection.
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Starting out, I thought I was going to have a little girl crush on Becca. She came out of a truly hellish situation and surfaced on the other side with ambition, a sense of humor, and the ability to try to see the bright side of any situation. She isn't one to wallow and she chooses to try to build a better life for herself-no looking back. Her one chink in her armor is her poor excuse for a mother. She tries to stay strong against her at first, she really does.
Since coming to California, I've lived my life according to one basic rule-I called it the Mom Principle. When in doubt, think about what Mom would do. Then do the exact opposite.
But this woman is a piece of work and she finally succeeds in making her go all kinds of crazy and irrational. I was about ready to scream at her weakness for her mother's manipulation. She's like an insidious disease that seeps into this poor girls head-it was sickening.
As tough as Puck was, he always had a soft spot for Becca and his long years of forced distance have finally worn thin enough to break. He doesn't immediately cave and go after her because of their complicated past, but once he finally make his choice to claim her, it's a done deal whether she likes it or not. She puts up the good fight, but let's face it, these boys take what they want and she's been his since he set eyes on her years ago. It was only a matter of time.
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I do feel like I never really fully connected to Puck and Becca-they both had some moments of insanity that pushed my limits. He had pretty much zero sensitivity in him, and she made some bad choices. However I did end up liking them together, they just weren't my favorite of JW so far. Series starters can always run that risk of falling prey to lack of connection to the main characters. So much time is needed to build characterization of an entire group of people, backstories, lead-ins to future books, and so forth the MCs can lose some of the spotlight. So that's partly a contributor for me.
The book culminates in plenty of action that kept me turning the pages. As always, the plot and character development were 5 star worthy. Overall? I would still give it a positive rating and I'm thoroughly intrigued with the tease to the books to follow. It's gone past the want stage, I NEED the next book. That "bonus" scene thrown in at the end?? Now that was just mean. Author cruelty-my grabby hands are twitching.
I'm still undecided what I'm going to rate this even as I'm writing this review. I'm still feeling very:
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I guess I'll figure it out whe2.5 stars
I'm still undecided what I'm going to rate this even as I'm writing this review. I'm still feeling very:
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I guess I'll figure it out when I get all my thoughts out. First off, let me say I can enjoy a biker book like anyone else, BUT I AM PICKY. I am not a fan of the so called "gritty" and dark variety. Which basically, is most of them. But to me, gritty is just a generic word to cover a myriad of things such as abuse, (I don't want to read about a woman getting hit by her man) rape, violent/remorseless killing, cheating, and just overall treating women like dogs. I don't call myself a feminist or anywhere near that, but I draw the line at these hardcore things. This is pretty much the definition of a lot of biker books:
mi·sog·y·ny Misogyny /mɪˈsɒdʒɪni/ is the hatred or dislike of women or girls. Misogyny can be manifested in numerous ways, including sexual discrimination, denigration of women, violence against women, and sexual objectification of women.
Not everything in this genre is like this. I like Kristen Ashley's Chaos series, and Johanna Wylde's Reapers series is awesome. I guess I keep trying biker books hoping to find more similar to these. But, I digress.
What I liked
I liked the two main characters together. They worked well despite being complete and total opposites. You couldn't be more opposite than these two if you tried but somehow they worked. They were completely different in personalities, but most of all, from completely opposite worlds. Being part of an MC, you live not by society's rules, but the club's. Eva had a huge adjustment to Ben's world and accepting what being an enforcer for an MC entails.
There was NO cheating
NO physical abuse
The story was well done. Well thought out, executed, and had some real meat to it. One thing I can say with absolute certainty: this was NOT my reaction:
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What I didn't like:
The sex was a little odd for me. I came off almost like a 70's porno. The way Eva showed her *ahem* excitement was a little cheesy. For example:
"Ah!...Ben...yeah...oh God, yeah!"
"Yeah...Oh my God, yeah..... feels so good...I....Ben.....oh my God!"
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Every. Time. AND everything they said while having sex was in italics. Or all caps italics. Everything. Ok, I get it, they're REALLY speaking with excitement. But I don't need to read it in italics/capital letters to know their emotions during that time. It was pretty wierd.
The editing needed quite a bit of work. Misspelled words, past/present tense mixed up, incorrect grammar caused a little bit of a distraction.
But my main issues were...
#1- In the beginning of the book (Chapter one) Ben has a hard decision to make. As enforcer, he's expected to bring retribution on anyone who crosses the club. In other words, he's a killer. (view spoiler)[And in the beginning, his sister betrayed the club and he shot her. Did he have any remorse? Somewhat, but he did it with no hesitation and that didn't sit well with me. With anyone other than his sister? He doesn't give it a second thought. (hide spoiler)]
#2- I felt like Eva was an independent person, intelligent, lived her whole life on the straight and narrow, never overstepping moral or legal lines of any kind. She went to college, was raised by her single father who taught her to be a good person, and now owns her own business and home. Now suddenly, she's thrust into the biker lifestyle and I felt like she accepted everything a little too easily. It didn't mesh with her personality to be so accepting so quickly. And don't get me started about her reaction about what he did in the beginning of the book. (view spoiler)[ When he tells her that he killed his sister for betraying the club her response is pretty much shock and then...."I'm so sorry". Like, really? I'm so sorry you had to kill your sister? That doesn't freak her out? And how he treats her when he thinks SHE betrayed him? I would be running- far, far away. But she even has sex with him that night. Blows it off completely. I was like, WTF??? (hide spoiler)]
So, decision time. Here goes. I give this a 2.5 but it really could've been a lot higher if it didn't have things in it that I didn't agree with and think was less than plausible. If you are less discriminating than me about the content of biker books, than this is most likely the book for you.
Title: Devil’s Game Series:Reaper’s MC #3 Author: Joanna Wylde Release Date: June 3, 2014 Rating:4 stars Cliffhanger:No HEA: (view spoiler)[Yes (h[image]
Title: Devil’s Game Series:Reaper’s MC #3 Author: Joanna Wylde Release Date: June 3, 2014 Rating:4 stars Cliffhanger:No HEA: (view spoiler)[Yes (hide spoiler)]
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Devil’s Game is another raw, get down and dirty addition to this stunning series. I’m not a huge fan of biker books in general, but this series is the exception to the rule with me. Joanna has an amazing talent for storytelling that will leave you thrilled and exhilarated…but begging for more. The detail she puts into the characters and the intricate plots is undeniable. As usual, with her signature style, she builds an MC world with bikers that live hard but love even harder. I just can't seem to get enough of this series-they don't disappoint. If anything, they seem to improve with each book.
My favorite thing about this book: the heroine. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. She was badass. In a series packed with tough, pretty scary guys, she shines and does her father (MC president) proud. She one of the princesses of the Reapers, treated with total respect but also never allowed to spread her wings. She’s been protected since she was a child and prevented from taking risks or exploring life outside the Club.
I still had my v-card to punch. But Dad wasn't exactly friendly toward my boyfriends. One of his favorite things to do was show them his guns and talk about the types of damage different bullets could do to the human body. Oh, and then there was that hunting accident. Oops.
She’s always been the one to go along with her father’s wishes but now she’s bursting at the seams wishing she had the strength to push past all the boundaries she’s trapped in. Though she grew up part of her father’s MC club, she’s been sheltered and hasn’t been given the chance to date at all. But all that’s about to change if she has anything to say about it.
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Liam and Em start out on lies, deception, and betrayal. Not very promising when you look at it so matter-of-factly. But they have this whole forbidden romance, star crossed lovers thing going on and I’m pretty sure you’ll be rooting for them to make it happen. They have a huge battle ahead of them-between their MCs, their families, and themselves. Are they strong enough? Em isn’t too sure. She’s not very confident in her strength. Is she underestimating herself? Completely. And eventually, she’ll finally get it.
I wasn't a big fan of Liam and Em's first sexual encounter together. The way she loses her v-card is about the most non-hearts-and-flowers scenario you could imagine. I wasn't feeling it, to be honest. I know biker books aren't big on romantic gestures and full of rainbows, but I couldn't escape the feeling of distaste. Luckily, he more than made up for it later. Their volatile personalities made for some pretty steamy scenes.
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Liam-I can't say I loved him through the entire book. His intentions and actions weren't always the best but he won me over by the end. They say actions speak louder than words. His actions proved clearly and unquestionably that he was ALL IN. Without a doubt, he cared about her. He started out simply in lust, and ended up...willing to sacrifice everything and lay his life on the line for this brazen, brave, and sexy woman.
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This story was another success by Joanna Wylde in my opinion. She writes biker books in a class all her own. We somewhat knew Em and Liam’s story from the previous book. We knew how they met, and some of the resulting events. Though a lot was just rehashing what we already knew, Ms. Wylde managed to put a fresh spin on it and held my interest throughout the entirety. That's a tough thing to do but I came away feeling satisfied and already impatient for the next book. I can't wait to get a hold of Pic's story.
The first half of this book I literally adored. But then the book started a journey to crazy town-I-wasn't-expecting-this-at-all. Whoa. It was so diffThe first half of this book I literally adored. But then the book started a journey to crazy town-I-wasn't-expecting-this-at-all. Whoa. It was so different from the beginning it was crazy! Some parts I didn't dig at all. There was a moment of insanity on Elijah's part that had me cringing and re-thinking my inclusion of him into my book boyfriend list. It was so despicable.
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I also felt that the resolution of their problems was way too rushed in the end. It got to around 95% and they still hadn't made up. Then very abruptly I thought they kissed, made up, and everything was a-ok. Did I read this book like a maniac and growl at anyone who came near me and tried to interrupt? Possibly. I admit nothing. I was totally invested in this story and it's characters. But there were just a few too many things that I wasn't crazy about in the last half.
Christie«SHBBblogger»
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