Lisa (Fic Talk)

I still remember caving and reading my very first Kristen Ashley book, then reading the second, and the third … and on and on it went. I was literally binge-reading every KA book I could get my hands on that my friends had already read because this woman just had a way with telling a story.

And more than a year later, I still haven’t figured out exactly what it is about her books that just hook you and pull you in without a second thought as to what the hell am I reading or doing.

In the end maybe it’s just that I was looking for something fresh and different and her stuff definitely is both those things.

So, the Chaos series is a spin-off to the last book Motorcycle Man in her Dream Man series, which I would encourage all to read. Those of you that are into adult romance suspense books that is. I loved it. It was really gritty and good. And it’s where we see at the very end of the book that the hero’s daughter has a crush on one of his bikers. That was also the starting point for all the pining I did until Own The Wind came out. After reading about the looks of longing that Tabitha gave to Shy. Oh, my goodness, I was lost.

At the start of OTW, we see that Tabitha or “Tabby” is still giving trouble and hanging out with the wrong kind of crowd, which is terribly ironic seeing as her dad is the president of a MC (Motorcycle club) and they’re not known for playing by the rules.

In walks Shy to the rescue, sort of. He decides that something has got to be done about Tabby’s behavior and he doesn’t get his point across to her in a very good way. He’s rude and crass and mean, and he ended up doing more bad than good. While he scared Tabby straight, he also scared her into distancing herself from the compound and him. Talk about your plan backfiring.

A lot of time also passes in this book, a lot of time where Tabby starts a new life. She’s come to terms with the fact that crushing on Shy is a bad decision and even being his friend isn’t going to work.

I actually applauded her for that, and their time apart was so riddled with angst-y goodness that really made the story for me. I ate those sad times up like it was the most decadent dessert the menu had to offer. I like good angst, and this was the best kind.

It’s not until a life-altering event brings Tabby and Shy back together, as friends. The reader sees them become friends… for awhile, but then that friendship didn’t last very long and old feelings begin to resurface again. Damn those pesky things known as “feelings” and all the problems they bring with them. I liked the progression of their relationship, even though at times I had issues with Shy. I mean, he’s not exactly the best hero out there, he’s didn’t respect the women he’d been with until Tabby, which made me think why could he not treat them better? He didn’t have to profess his undying love to every woman he had relations with but there is a thing called decency and manners. He needed to get some.

Aside from my issues with Shy, I also had issues with the heroine. After all the time she distanced herself from Shy, and then the time they spent together as friends after their reunion, why would she then have such an overwhelming feeling of jealousy after seeing him kiss a girl – that he was in a relationship with, mind you. She was also upset over the fact that as a friend he should have told her that he was seeing someone. Ah, the tangled web these people weave.

Once all of that unnecessary jealousy thing is over, these two are happy to get over everything that they’d put each other through in the past and start their life together, which included some very, very steamy scenes. KA can really write a good sexy time scene, I tell ya. But alas, the happiness doesn’t last for very long, that is until Chaos President – and Tabby’s dad – gets wind that his daughter, his baby girl is in a relationship with one of his men; a man he thought he could depend on not to do something like this. But ya see, Tack just doesn’t know that these two are not just hooking up – they’re in love, gosh damnit!

What ensues is the whole MC finding out – although some already knew or at the very least suspected – and quite a few not being happy with Shy for what he’s done. He’s essentially called to a meeting and given an ultimatum; his cut or the girl. Personally, I felt it was a bit too drastic and dramatic but then again, I’m not a dude or the president of a motorcycle club, so I could be wrong here. However, it’s just my feelings on the whole thing. Tabby’s a grown woman, she has a good job and lives on her own. It’s not as if she’s underage and living at home. In the end I think it just had to do with her dad feeling like his girl deserved not to be mixed up in the club.

Hot Bikers, angst, drama and romance all rolled into one nice package. This was a really strong and promising start to a great new series from Kristen Ashley . I have to say that there’s just this something about her books that just keep me coming back for more. Her style and voice is just different and unlike the rest for me. She’s definitely good at storytelling and I look forward to reading more of her work. I know that I mentioned all of this before but it just bears repeating.

*An Advance reading copy was provided by the publisher in exchange of an honest review.