Outlaw
In the mood for an “easier” biker romance read? This one pretty much satiated my by biker sweet-tooth. It had a bit of that bad-a$$ thing going on, which is a must. I think it meant to have more, considering the initial subject matter and how they “handled” things, but it wasn’t quite to that gritty level. Still though, a touch of Kristen Ashley’s bad-boy speak, some drama a la motorcycle club (you know… territory issues, bad apples, witnesses… and “you don’t belong here” kinda stuff. ;)) and a whole lotta love. It had a bit of everything that some of our favorites had, but not quite enough to proclaim it a favorite. However, I was enjoying it and wanted to finish the book and can think back on it as a good “in-between” read.
I loved how it started, and thought it’d be that raw, throughout. Kidnapped girl is purchased by someone in an allied biker gang and by the time she is found by our biker-hero, she has been abused in every way.
He was not a man who usually got involved in other people’s problems. He stayed clear of what didn’t directly concern him, having learned in this life that he couldn’t afford to let himself be affected by a lot of the sh!t he saw, but this? F&@k. This he couldn’t stomach. As he looked down at her, something twisted painfully in his chest.
He “deals” his way into taking her into his possession, and plots his revenge against the bad apple. Except ’cause he’s kind of a bad-a$$ sweetheart, she fights him tooth and nail,
How many others would she be traded to? They all made her sick, and she let him know it the only way she could think of.
She spit in his face.
His eyes flashed for a moment as his head jerked back slightly. She realized her mistake immediately. Oh, God. Why had she done that?
… and he mostly lets her. Ahhhh I hearted him. So patient with her, and such a sweetheart.
“[email protected], woman! That’s twice now you’ve tried to kill me.” He stared down into her eyes. “I told you I wouldn’t hurt you. But you can only push a man so far, Angel.”
Poor thing. LOL! Except it’s bad when you think about her circumstances. She was in a much better situation, mind you, but who could blame her outrage?
“”You’re gonna live through this, and you’re gonna get past it.” Her head was tucked under his chin. “The pain that you’re feelin’, I swear, baby, it won’t stay.” He kissed the top of her head. “I’m not gonna let anything more happen to you.”
*sigh* He’s her knight in shining leather. Truly, he made me swoon at times.
And so for the first half of the book, bad things happen, and bad things are retaliated against. And all the while, the two are getting attached BIG TIME and his MC leader is warning him that he’s losing his focus. So you know… stuff. 😉 But I kept wondering, considering the crazy stuff that was happening, where was it all going?
Second half of the book made me go… ohhhhh okay, I see. And it really shifted gears. It was pretty good. I was kind of excited about where it would go, but… not quite mind-blowing enough for me to get over-excited.
Touching… yes, but biker-type danger stuff that could have really put me on the edge of my seat… didn’t go as far as I would have liked. Romantically, there were some angsty touches that I enjoyed (a certain claiming ritual… and other misunderstandings that had tons of potential), and were explored but not in enough personal detail for me to feel it. The story was there, but more like “told” vs. “lived”.
*shrug* So, I’d pin my good “in-between-read” proclamation on that. And while I mostly believed the bad-boy biker guy, sometimes I found him too be a bit too… affectionate? Overly wordy about it? Extra-expressive? He would go from hot to cold and back again. Less like an outlaw bad-a$$ and more like a love-struck poet. LOL! Okay maybe “poet” is pushing it, but you know. Right? Sometimes he was deliciously “UGH!!! OH NO HE DIDN’T!!!”
“I can’t promise you a thing. You understand?”
… and sometimes I’d think to myself, “Really? Would a guy like this really say this much… already?”
I dunno. Still a fun biker-read if you’re in the mood for a quick and easy romance read that delves into badder-than-bad-boy territory, without it getting too intense.
“You gonna touch me with your hands, the way you’re touchin’ me with those eyes, sweetheart?”
*blush* Okay!!! 😉
3 stars
P.S. This book review is brought to you from my newly summer-fied deck! LOL! Where the sun is shining and the flowers are blooming and I’m smiling away! 😀 My new favorite reading/blogging spot, and this was the very first review I’ve written out here.
I bought this one earlier today. Thanks for the review!
Ooh-ooh, I really enjoyed Outlaw. I hadn’t expected to, but I devoured it within a few hours. Loved the epilogue! It must have been my perfect time to read it, but it sounds like maybe it wasn’t yours. Enjoy your reading nook!
Post a picture of your reading nook on Facebook! I’m jealous! Oh, and now I’m heading to amazon to get this book.
I love biker books, but I did not care for this one at all 🙁
Nice honest review from the new deck-a-la blogging/reading/sunning venue!
I wasn’t really crazy about this book either. I didn’t get to “live it” like Maryse said and there was quite a few opportunities to draw you into the characters , but they were just skipped over. The first and last half were too different ……I felt like last half felt a lil harlequin like. Hate to sound so harsh , but It was a real let down.
I have relly enjoyed your site to help me expand my reading list….
I thought I would share 2 of my fav authors….
S. E. Smith…..and
Shayne McClendon
I can not tell you how much I have enjoyed every thing they have published…. Shayne McClendon leaves me worn out from the depths of emotion she runs thru in her books
SE Smith has me laughing so hard….my husband shhhhhs me…..
I hope you enjoy the recommendation half as much as I have enjoyed yours….
I’m relatively new here, so this is the first ‘slightly-more-than-luke-warm review’ I’ve read from Maryse. I’m pleased to know that all books won’t be given unearned, glowing reviews – I appreciate that greatly!!
Unfortunately I already purchased the book. It’s in my reading queue, but some distance below the surface. I must admit, reading biker romances/erotica got me curious about the real thing – real bikers. So, I started reading realistic biker fiction (Yes, I’m aware of the oxymoron, but you know what I mean.) I’ve found a few that were very good reads – 2 books on “The Libertines Motorcycle Club” by Max Billington who plans the 3rd & last in this series this year. And “Probate” by W. T. “Roadblock” Harrell, a real 1 Percenter biker. This book was so good, when I realized I was, too quickly, running out of pages to read, I literally stopped and looked up the author & checked him out, and the returned to the book & read a few chapters, stopped again and twiddled about again – trying to slow my read to savor the book a bit. The first few chapters are a bit odd. In reality they are a unique introductions to some of the key characters (It’s the same technique Stephen King used in some of his early thrillers. I don’t know if he still does that; I stopped reading King in the early 80s.). The first chapter, alone, will grab you. The next chapter not so much, at first, but you’ll learn who’s bad a$$. It’s (Probate) a wonderful book, strictly bad a$$ biker, not romance, but it’s extraordinarily hot because this guy is amazing! It’s $10 so if you’re a Amazon Prime Member you can use your 1-month borrow free for “Probate”. The Libertines Motorcycle Books are also 1-month borrow free eligible.
About “Outlaw,” I can’t say much since I have yet to read it, but that bod in those black leather pants … yuuuummmmm. (It brings back memories of Bette Midler’s song, “Man in Black Leather,” a really cool song from … the late 80s or early 90s, before she gained notoriety for her roles in the movies: “The Rose” and “Beaches”.) To me, the only thing more intriguing would have been a front shot! I suppose if I find the book, itself, is just luke-warm, at least I’ll have the cover which I find deliciously hot!
Eva
Oh yes, Eva. That cover certainly caught my eye. 😉
Oh! And welcome! *hug*
Thanks for the review. I really need an “in between” read. I just finished book 3 of the Darkfever (Karen Moning) series and it was so intense I need a break before continuing. This sounds perfect.
I enjoyed this book but he is NO Tack Allen that is for sure *swoon*
Thanks for the review, Maryse! I read this book 2 weeks ago and it was the very first book I returned and had my money refunded on my Kindle. Like most, I bought the book based on 2 things: HOT cover and motorcycle club! What a lesson to learn. This was the worst book I have personally read in the last 100 books I’ve read. I found it completely unrealistic…so unrealistic that I gave myself a headache from all the eye rolling I was doing! Lol! I basically couldn’t get over how a rape victim could desire sex froma complete stranger within 24 hours of being beaten and repeatedly raped. :/ You were soooo much nicer in your review than I would’ve been! 😉
First time posting here. I feel like we are long lost sisters because our tastes in reading are so scarily similar! I just read Outlaw and felt the exact way you did. There were a few things that just didn’t make sense and it went from hot to cold in a split second. It was a good book, but not a GREAT book. I have to admit, the cover alone makes it a book worth checking out! Look at that butt!! Ha!
I have to agree with Chelsea L. This book was very unrealistic. When I got to the part where she wanted him after being recently raped I closed the book and was going to return it. The next day I picked it back up and forced myself into it. There were parts that were pretty good and parts where the plot was too contrived. Overall I think this author has potential. The only really good mc books I’ve read are Motorcycle Man ( kristen ashley) and Reaper’s Property (Joanna Wylde?).
After reading all of the above reviews I went into Outlaw thinking that it was going to be an ok read. However, I was shocked to find that I truly loved the story (Maybe because it had a little SOA feel…!! I could not put it down and hated to see the book end. I do agree that there could have a bit more living and less telling, but even without that, the book was AWESOME!! I would love to see this develop into a series about the other MC guys.