If you read romance to catch an easy escape, to fall into airy HEA bliss, or to swoon from the gallant gestures of a romantic hero, you will NOT find any of that here. What you will find is a very real, very raw portrayal of the hard and unapologetic underworld of motorcycle clubs. The story loses some of its rough-and-tumble originality since it reads a lot like Kristen Ashley's books, but where Ashley's trashy alpha bikers are over-the-top loveable, the brutes in this book are unforgivably authentic. These unsavory bad-asses brawl, kill and fuck with a crude men-only pack mentality. Some readers, especially the HEA types, will be put off by the infidelity that is so clearly part of the biker's creed. I found this realism powerfully convincing. The lifestyle is introduced from the viewpoint of five-year-old "biker brat" Eva, continuing through her coming of age and beyond. This allowed us to perceive how the gritty crime-infested environment nurtured Eva, therefore cementing a reader appreciation for the choices she makes and the depth of her loyalties. Deuce is the male lead by definition, but he does not represent great courage or nobility. Simply put, he's a selfish dick. But from a character arc perspective, he accentuated the complicated villain role, the kind of villain who has the potential to tilt toward the good side. The kind of villain who has you begging, "When the turning point comes, could he, would he make the right decision?" This anticipation and uncertainty instilled a great hope in redemption of his character and blurred the line between villain and hero. The events of the Eva-Frankie-Chase-Deuce saga are unforeseen and maddening. And just when you think the bleeding will stop, it gushes. If I rated this book on its level of enjoyment, I would be wholly misjudging it. Rather, I value stories that burrow so deeply in my psyche, the visceral response is to try to shove it away. The most powerful stories are the stories that provoke monumental emotion, and most often the strongest emotion is the kind that hurts. MS undeniably mastered this.
