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Road Queens
From the bestselling author of the Undead series comes a ride through the lives of three estranged friends as they’re reunited by murder (possible frame job) and mayhem (just the way they like it).
Operation Starfish has one to remove domestic violence survivors from danger. But when a mission backfires in tragedy, the band of bikers who founded OpStar dissolves the organization and their ride-or-die friendship.
Five years later Amanda, Sidney, and Cassandra are brought back together by the same thing that tore them apart when the man who victimized his wife is murdered, and all signs point to Cassandra.
Circumstances being what they are—in a dire—the trio reignites their bond, if only to shut and barricade the door to their past once and for all. Their tentative sisterhood is infiltrated by Investigator Sean Beane, whose intentions aren’t as clear as they should be, but even so he’s too tempting for his (or Amanda’s) own good.
Despite all reservations, regrets, and blossoming romance, it’s time for these biker babes to strap on their helmets and hit the road—before the real murderer can run them off it.
Operation Starfish has one to remove domestic violence survivors from danger. But when a mission backfires in tragedy, the band of bikers who founded OpStar dissolves the organization and their ride-or-die friendship.
Five years later Amanda, Sidney, and Cassandra are brought back together by the same thing that tore them apart when the man who victimized his wife is murdered, and all signs point to Cassandra.
Circumstances being what they are—in a dire—the trio reignites their bond, if only to shut and barricade the door to their past once and for all. Their tentative sisterhood is infiltrated by Investigator Sean Beane, whose intentions aren’t as clear as they should be, but even so he’s too tempting for his (or Amanda’s) own good.
Despite all reservations, regrets, and blossoming romance, it’s time for these biker babes to strap on their helmets and hit the road—before the real murderer can run them off it.
333 pages, Paperback
First published November 28, 2023
232 people are currently reading
3369 people want to read
About the author
MaryJanice Davidson
143 books5,400 followersMaryJanice Davidson is an American author and motivational speaker who writes mostly paranormal romance, but also young adult and non-fiction. She is the creator of the popular UNDEAD series and the time-traveling historical fiction A CONTEMPORARY ASSHAT AT THE COURT OF HENRY VIII. MaryJanice is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author who writes a bi-weekly column for USA Today and lives in St. Paul with her family. You can reach her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
December 4, 2023
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
3.5 hearts
Road Queens is about three women now in their mid twenties who used to be best friends in high school but had a falling out around five to six years ago. But in true sisterhood of the traveling pants style, when one is in trouble the other two come running to help her out. Some one is dead and Cass is one of the suspects in the crime. Amanda and Sidney will drop everything to make sure their friend is safe and not snatched up for the crime. They thought they didn't know the victim but as more things come to light and through flashbacks to the past we find out how he was involved in the dissolution of the dream the girls shared.
There is a lot to unpack in this novel. Some funny characters and one liners, along with some just total eyerolling moments. I liked the female characters but they could be a little over the top. The banter between them was funny, you could tell why they were drawn to each other and fell into friendships that were so strong even if Cassandra shut them out for years. There are some cool history tidbits about women motorcycle riders over the years thrown in here and there. There was some stuff I just thought could have been lessened like the cop bashing, or references to #notallcops, especially when not one of the characters had a bad experience to draw from with a cop. It just seemed unnecessary overall and mentioned too many times.
Operation Starfish was a dream they had to save some battered spouses or at least try to give them a chance to get out of horrible situations. They were able to help some but after one pretty big disaster they hung up their mission and moved on with their lives. Now as they try to figure out who could have killed someone that contributed to the reason they parted all those years ago, we will flash back to that time and see more of the girls in their lives. With the help of Sean Beane (name just a coincidence), they are determined to see justice prevail this time.
This was my first book by MaryJanice Davidson and for me it was just an okay story. Maybe the big reveal of who did it was a little bit of a let down and the book didn't seem to really wrap up, but more like an into to possibly a trilogy as Sidney has a MIA husband they still need to find and Cassandra's high school bully is still out there somewhere trying to make trouble for her. But I liked all the characters even former detective, turned private Sean Beane were at least interesting and I could see spending more time with them.
Narration:
Barrie Kreinik has a nice catalog of over 150 titles. I have some on my TBR but this was my first experience with the narrator. I think they did a really good job as capturing each person's individual personality and perspective in the story. I liked the pacing and the delivery of the one liners. The diction was good, voice distinction really good and performance of the material probably kept me more engaged than if I had tried to read it on my own. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
3.5 hearts
Road Queens is about three women now in their mid twenties who used to be best friends in high school but had a falling out around five to six years ago. But in true sisterhood of the traveling pants style, when one is in trouble the other two come running to help her out. Some one is dead and Cass is one of the suspects in the crime. Amanda and Sidney will drop everything to make sure their friend is safe and not snatched up for the crime. They thought they didn't know the victim but as more things come to light and through flashbacks to the past we find out how he was involved in the dissolution of the dream the girls shared.
There is a lot to unpack in this novel. Some funny characters and one liners, along with some just total eyerolling moments. I liked the female characters but they could be a little over the top. The banter between them was funny, you could tell why they were drawn to each other and fell into friendships that were so strong even if Cassandra shut them out for years. There are some cool history tidbits about women motorcycle riders over the years thrown in here and there. There was some stuff I just thought could have been lessened like the cop bashing, or references to #notallcops, especially when not one of the characters had a bad experience to draw from with a cop. It just seemed unnecessary overall and mentioned too many times.
Operation Starfish was a dream they had to save some battered spouses or at least try to give them a chance to get out of horrible situations. They were able to help some but after one pretty big disaster they hung up their mission and moved on with their lives. Now as they try to figure out who could have killed someone that contributed to the reason they parted all those years ago, we will flash back to that time and see more of the girls in their lives. With the help of Sean Beane (name just a coincidence), they are determined to see justice prevail this time.
This was my first book by MaryJanice Davidson and for me it was just an okay story. Maybe the big reveal of who did it was a little bit of a let down and the book didn't seem to really wrap up, but more like an into to possibly a trilogy as Sidney has a MIA husband they still need to find and Cassandra's high school bully is still out there somewhere trying to make trouble for her. But I liked all the characters even former detective, turned private Sean Beane were at least interesting and I could see spending more time with them.
Narration:
Barrie Kreinik has a nice catalog of over 150 titles. I have some on my TBR but this was my first experience with the narrator. I think they did a really good job as capturing each person's individual personality and perspective in the story. I liked the pacing and the delivery of the one liners. The diction was good, voice distinction really good and performance of the material probably kept me more engaged than if I had tried to read it on my own. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
December 2, 2023
Right from the get-go, I knew this one just wasn't going to be for me. It starts with little explanation. One of the girls is looking for a ex-friend (some falling out 5 years ago) on Facebook and discovers she's in jail for killing some random person. And she decides to investigate.
From there, I was just not interested. I didn't find the banter between the girls funny. I found the verbal sparring with men that didn't like them eye-rolling. And it seemed to go on forever. I didn't find the male POV swoony-worthy. I just wish I'd liked this more but I can see it's definitely a personal thing that made me not like it.
If you like modern cozy mysteries with silly banter - then you this might just be for you!
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
From there, I was just not interested. I didn't find the banter between the girls funny. I found the verbal sparring with men that didn't like them eye-rolling. And it seemed to go on forever. I didn't find the male POV swoony-worthy. I just wish I'd liked this more but I can see it's definitely a personal thing that made me not like it.
If you like modern cozy mysteries with silly banter - then you this might just be for you!
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
September 19, 2023
Long with a good basis, but overdone snark. I struggled with this book, laughed in places and loved the kinship of the three “sisters” and the trauma they face and help solve, and then the constant, never ending snark and sarcasm, which turned tedious about halfway through the story. Ok read.
August 27, 2023
3.5 stars
This is a book with a lot going on. One thing I especially liked was learning about motorcycles and the women who drove them, throughout history. I was a bit of a rider in my younger days!
As I'm sure you are aware, domestic violence is a large part of the theme of this novel. Actually, there are several themes: DV, motorcycles, murder, romance, and the reuniting of three long-time friends.
I didn't find this book to be as frothy, amusing, or sexy as some of this author's other series, but it was a novel that kept my interest, albeit with a lot of eye rolls.
I don't know how to explain why I wasn't TOTALLY thrilled with this book, but I did feel that it could have been just a touch better had it been shortened a bit. There was a lot of unnecessary and unfunny interplay between the friends. I can see why it might have been needed -perhaps to keep the book from being a bit too serious. It just made for a more difficult read for me.
I also am wondering if this is the start of a trilogy.
*ARC supplied by the publisher Montlake, the author MaryJanice Davidson, and NetGalley.
This is a book with a lot going on. One thing I especially liked was learning about motorcycles and the women who drove them, throughout history. I was a bit of a rider in my younger days!
As I'm sure you are aware, domestic violence is a large part of the theme of this novel. Actually, there are several themes: DV, motorcycles, murder, romance, and the reuniting of three long-time friends.
I didn't find this book to be as frothy, amusing, or sexy as some of this author's other series, but it was a novel that kept my interest, albeit with a lot of eye rolls.
I don't know how to explain why I wasn't TOTALLY thrilled with this book, but I did feel that it could have been just a touch better had it been shortened a bit. There was a lot of unnecessary and unfunny interplay between the friends. I can see why it might have been needed -perhaps to keep the book from being a bit too serious. It just made for a more difficult read for me.
I also am wondering if this is the start of a trilogy.
*ARC supplied by the publisher Montlake, the author MaryJanice Davidson, and NetGalley.
September 17, 2023
Operation Starfish is run by 3 madcap friends to try to help people involved in domestic violence. Through flashbacks you come to see how Operation Starfish was born and how close to home it came to the 3 friends. These 3 bikers are the friends we all need in our lives. They are always there when you need them, and they can also make you laugh. There is a mysterious death which has Cassandra as number one suspect. The 3 friends Amanda, Sidney and Cassandra find they have to investigate themselves with help from PI Sean Beane. A fast-paced story with lol sarcasm will have you romping through this story.
Thank you NetGalley and (publisher, Montlake) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
Thank you NetGalley and (publisher, Montlake) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
February 28, 2024
3.5 stars
I hate to give one of my favorite authors only 3.5 stars, but the book was kind of all over the place. I like the friends, I like that they help people, I really like the new guy Sean. It’s just the story takes forever to take off, and the flashbacks are kind of all over the place and don’t really convey enough of the backstory. The book kind of just ends in a strange place. I’m wondering if this isn’t the start of a series or a trilogy. I will of course read any other books and hope that the next one is better.
I hate to give one of my favorite authors only 3.5 stars, but the book was kind of all over the place. I like the friends, I like that they help people, I really like the new guy Sean. It’s just the story takes forever to take off, and the flashbacks are kind of all over the place and don’t really convey enough of the backstory. The book kind of just ends in a strange place. I’m wondering if this isn’t the start of a series or a trilogy. I will of course read any other books and hope that the next one is better.
December 9, 2023
This one was not for me. I didn't enjoy the writing style, and I was automatically turned off by the cursing on every page. I was initially excited for this book for the women bikers as I ride a motorcycle as well, but I felt like bikers in general were distastefully and inaccurately portrayed. It was honestly a turn-off for me. Thank you, NetGalley and Montlake, for the opportunity to read and review this advanced copy.
December 6, 2023
This book wasn't for me and I'm sad about it. I wanted to like it but it wasn't giving me anything. I couldn't connect with the characters and I felt like the beginning was confusing. I am grateful for the opportunity I had to read it but just didn't work out for me. I might try another book of MaryJanice Davidson but this is one I'm not going to recommend..
November 27, 2023
Being a long-time fan of MaryJanice Davidson's books (long live Queen Betsy!), I was very excited when I heard about a new book. And this one did not disappoint.
The heart of this story is the friendship between Cassandra, Sidney, and Amanda, which had endured everything life threw at them, from murder, grief, love, and motorcycle devotion, until five years ago. But when they are brought back together, MJD gives us complicated, smart, sexy women who aren't one-note (some of the men aren't bad either, ha!). And that's why I come back to her books again and again. Because the women are written so warmly and the female friendships are strong and real.
Here's to hoping for a sequel.
The heart of this story is the friendship between Cassandra, Sidney, and Amanda, which had endured everything life threw at them, from murder, grief, love, and motorcycle devotion, until five years ago. But when they are brought back together, MJD gives us complicated, smart, sexy women who aren't one-note (some of the men aren't bad either, ha!). And that's why I come back to her books again and again. Because the women are written so warmly and the female friendships are strong and real.
Here's to hoping for a sequel.
March 19, 2024
Not bad
Not a bad take on the female bikers. With clubs around like bikers against abuse and other similar organizations this was a good read. If you are in a DV situation please get help. It's not worth your life they don't change
Not a bad take on the female bikers. With clubs around like bikers against abuse and other similar organizations this was a good read. If you are in a DV situation please get help. It's not worth your life they don't change
August 22, 2024
This book started off slowly. Some of the dialogue in the beginning was off putting. The author took the write how you speak thing literally. However, once I got into the story of the book it all evened out. Overall, it was a good read.
November 30, 2023
Won a free copy in a Goodreads Giveaway.
Loved Davidson's Undead series years ago so was looking forward to this one.
It was okay at best.
The plot was...meh
The biggest issue was that it was written like I talk after 3 cups of coffee and working from home a week with no human contact.
I wanted to scream, "Shut up and get to the point!"
I might have been able to overlook the rambling if it was written in first person, but it wasn't so the never-ending unnecessary babbling was throughout the book.
Some parts were funny but mostly it was just exhausting.
Loved Davidson's Undead series years ago so was looking forward to this one.
It was okay at best.
The plot was...meh
The biggest issue was that it was written like I talk after 3 cups of coffee and working from home a week with no human contact.
I wanted to scream, "Shut up and get to the point!"
I might have been able to overlook the rambling if it was written in first person, but it wasn't so the never-ending unnecessary babbling was throughout the book.
Some parts were funny but mostly it was just exhausting.
February 17, 2024
Road Queens was my first book by MaryJanice Davidson. While the premise was intriguing, I had a hard time getting into this book. Cassandra, Amanda, and Sidney were best friends once upon a time. With Cass as the driving force, they created OpStar, a way to help people in bad situations. Until everything went wrong and Cass took off. But now, there is a dead body whom no one seems to know, and Cass is back in town. Enter Sean Beane, a PI or a cop—it’s kind of hard to tell, and it isn’t really made clear.
The story is told by switching between the past and present, and while I normally don’t mind this, sometimes the flashback was 5 years ago, other times it was an indistinct time such as “forever ago.” It also wasn’t consistent. I found the banter between the girls to be funny-ish at best and downright annoying at other times. But that’s how it is when you’re an outsider looking in. When you’ve been friends for so long, you develop your own patois and secret language. However, I felt it was a little overdone. One too many pop culture references for me. And it took forever for me to figure out what was going on. I felt like I had missed something for the first 20% of the book. And how many times do we need to mention that Cass likes to eat dinner for breakfast? It became redundant after a while. I also don’t understand how the banter can be so quick but the story could move so slowly.
There is also a romance component to the book between Amanda and Sean Beane. The sexy bits are around the 2.5 peppers range, so I’ll round it up to 3. But it felt a little forced. This book seems like it didn’t know what it wanted to be—a romance? A thriller? Women’s fiction? I would put this in the same category as The Finlay Donovan books, basically a soft thriller.
All of this aside, I did enjoy the book. I found the story interesting and the character of Iris is downright intriguing. Towards the end, Amanda and Sean’s chemistry didn’t seem so forced, which was an improvement. We also left off with Sidney promising to be divorced or widowed, leaving the door open for another book which I look forward to. I found the information about MC clubs and female motorcycle riders interesting. I love that the girls are so badass and independent.
As always, I encourage you to read this book and form your own opinions just as I have. Thank you to the publisher Montlake, NetGalley, and the author for the ARC copy of this book. For all my fellow KU lovers, this book is available in KU to read AND listen!
The story is told by switching between the past and present, and while I normally don’t mind this, sometimes the flashback was 5 years ago, other times it was an indistinct time such as “forever ago.” It also wasn’t consistent. I found the banter between the girls to be funny-ish at best and downright annoying at other times. But that’s how it is when you’re an outsider looking in. When you’ve been friends for so long, you develop your own patois and secret language. However, I felt it was a little overdone. One too many pop culture references for me. And it took forever for me to figure out what was going on. I felt like I had missed something for the first 20% of the book. And how many times do we need to mention that Cass likes to eat dinner for breakfast? It became redundant after a while. I also don’t understand how the banter can be so quick but the story could move so slowly.
There is also a romance component to the book between Amanda and Sean Beane. The sexy bits are around the 2.5 peppers range, so I’ll round it up to 3. But it felt a little forced. This book seems like it didn’t know what it wanted to be—a romance? A thriller? Women’s fiction? I would put this in the same category as The Finlay Donovan books, basically a soft thriller.
All of this aside, I did enjoy the book. I found the story interesting and the character of Iris is downright intriguing. Towards the end, Amanda and Sean’s chemistry didn’t seem so forced, which was an improvement. We also left off with Sidney promising to be divorced or widowed, leaving the door open for another book which I look forward to. I found the information about MC clubs and female motorcycle riders interesting. I love that the girls are so badass and independent.
As always, I encourage you to read this book and form your own opinions just as I have. Thank you to the publisher Montlake, NetGalley, and the author for the ARC copy of this book. For all my fellow KU lovers, this book is available in KU to read AND listen!
December 21, 2023
Cool Story
Once I finished 80% of the story, I really liked it. I thought it was pretty cool and the main characters very interesting people.
But, I almost gave up on it. After reading 20% of the book I still had no idea what was going on. It wasn't until almost halfway through that I felt I understood what was happening. My problem was the way it was written. It starts off with a short scene 5 years in the past. Then it jumps to the present for a short while. Then it jumps to the past, but not following that beginning scene, it was a different point in time. Then back to the present, back to a different point in the past, back to the present, etc. etc. etc. Like I said, I could not figure out what was going on until I was halfway through the book. I read a lot, around 300 books a year. I have read the style of writing where vignettes of the past are told throughout a storyline, but this book was too disjointed. A little of the past, A little of the present, rinse and repeat. Another issue I had was all the name dropping. It added nothing to the story; it only demonstrated how much research the author did. All the names of fashion designers, big businesses in Wisconsin, historical women bikers, and notable points of interest in Wisconsin, etc. added nothing but word count to the book for me. I have read many of this author's books in the past and loved them, particularly the humor. In this book it seemed to me humor was used more to break the tension than to provide a humorous element to the story. The book had a very serious subject, spousal abuse, that deserved to be a focal of the book but was perhaps was overshadowed by the relationship between the 3 old friends. The title implies motorcycles would be a main topic, but there was not a whole lot of motorcycle riding for fun going on, it was just used for transportation. And nothing was done to try to solve the murder, which brought the 3 friends back together, until about 70% into the book. Again, once I got through most of the book and had a coherent understanding of events, this was a good story. So, stick with it, it will be worth it.
Once I finished 80% of the story, I really liked it. I thought it was pretty cool and the main characters very interesting people.
But, I almost gave up on it. After reading 20% of the book I still had no idea what was going on. It wasn't until almost halfway through that I felt I understood what was happening. My problem was the way it was written. It starts off with a short scene 5 years in the past. Then it jumps to the present for a short while. Then it jumps to the past, but not following that beginning scene, it was a different point in time. Then back to the present, back to a different point in the past, back to the present, etc. etc. etc. Like I said, I could not figure out what was going on until I was halfway through the book. I read a lot, around 300 books a year. I have read the style of writing where vignettes of the past are told throughout a storyline, but this book was too disjointed. A little of the past, A little of the present, rinse and repeat. Another issue I had was all the name dropping. It added nothing to the story; it only demonstrated how much research the author did. All the names of fashion designers, big businesses in Wisconsin, historical women bikers, and notable points of interest in Wisconsin, etc. added nothing but word count to the book for me. I have read many of this author's books in the past and loved them, particularly the humor. In this book it seemed to me humor was used more to break the tension than to provide a humorous element to the story. The book had a very serious subject, spousal abuse, that deserved to be a focal of the book but was perhaps was overshadowed by the relationship between the 3 old friends. The title implies motorcycles would be a main topic, but there was not a whole lot of motorcycle riding for fun going on, it was just used for transportation. And nothing was done to try to solve the murder, which brought the 3 friends back together, until about 70% into the book. Again, once I got through most of the book and had a coherent understanding of events, this was a good story. So, stick with it, it will be worth it.
October 26, 2023
This is a story about three women's friendship and there is a mystery too. Cassandra, Sidney, and Amanda met in middle school and formed a lifelong friendship.
Cassandra's mother killed her father when he caught Cassandra in the face with a fishhook. Of course, he had been abusing her mother Iris for years previous to that incident. Iris pled guilty, didn't want to plead extenuating circumstances, and didn't want Cassandra to have to testify. At age sixteen, Cassandra becomes a virtual orphan with her father dead and her mother in prison. Cassandra decides that she wants to help other spouses who are in abusive situations when she graduates from high school and her friends Sidney and Amanda want to help her.
Cassandra names their organization Operation Starfish and they wrack up successes. But when one of the women they got out of a situation turns around and going back to her abusing husband who promptly kills her, Cassandra breaks up OpStar and leaves town. Leaving Sidney and Amanda to wonder where she went and try to fill the hole in their friendship.
Five years later, Cassandra is back and a suspect in the murder of the man who killed his wife and caused their organization to cease operation. Sidney and Amanda are quick to rush to her side along with Sean Beane who has been keeping an eye on the members of OpStar since they rescued his sister from a bad situation. He's fallen for Amanda.
The story isn't as straightforward as this precis. It is gradually revealed in flashbacks and comments between the three women. The story is filled with banter and pop culture references. Each of the women is a really, really quirky character. From Cassandra's obsession with dinner for breakfast to bookstore owner Amanda's desire to host a book signing for Edward Gorey (despite the fact that he died years ago) to Sidney's fear of moths, each woman is a unique individual.
Fans of Davidson's writing style - her characters have no filters - will enjoy this story of friendship with a bit of mystery dropped in.
Cassandra's mother killed her father when he caught Cassandra in the face with a fishhook. Of course, he had been abusing her mother Iris for years previous to that incident. Iris pled guilty, didn't want to plead extenuating circumstances, and didn't want Cassandra to have to testify. At age sixteen, Cassandra becomes a virtual orphan with her father dead and her mother in prison. Cassandra decides that she wants to help other spouses who are in abusive situations when she graduates from high school and her friends Sidney and Amanda want to help her.
Cassandra names their organization Operation Starfish and they wrack up successes. But when one of the women they got out of a situation turns around and going back to her abusing husband who promptly kills her, Cassandra breaks up OpStar and leaves town. Leaving Sidney and Amanda to wonder where she went and try to fill the hole in their friendship.
Five years later, Cassandra is back and a suspect in the murder of the man who killed his wife and caused their organization to cease operation. Sidney and Amanda are quick to rush to her side along with Sean Beane who has been keeping an eye on the members of OpStar since they rescued his sister from a bad situation. He's fallen for Amanda.
The story isn't as straightforward as this precis. It is gradually revealed in flashbacks and comments between the three women. The story is filled with banter and pop culture references. Each of the women is a really, really quirky character. From Cassandra's obsession with dinner for breakfast to bookstore owner Amanda's desire to host a book signing for Edward Gorey (despite the fact that he died years ago) to Sidney's fear of moths, each woman is a unique individual.
Fans of Davidson's writing style - her characters have no filters - will enjoy this story of friendship with a bit of mystery dropped in.
May 23, 2024
Plot:
Cassandra, Amanda, and Sidney are childhood friends who created OpStar, or operation starfish, to assist victims of domestic violence in leaving their abusive partners. We find out that Cassandra wanted to start it because her mother was abused by Cassandra’s dad, but the mom killed him on Cassandra’s 16th birthday because he essentially caught a fishhook in cassandra’s face possibly on purpose? Anyway, when we start the book cassandra was not in contact with the other girls because of a falling out 5 years prior. But she gets arrested (but not actually) and the two girls hear about it and show up. Turns out a man is dead and there’s suspicion that cassandra may have done it. A hot detective is there and wants to help the gals in proving Cassandra’s innocence.
Characters:
Good lord! The story was mainly written in Amanda’s POV but also not (I don’t know the terms okay??) and could get a little confusing at times. These ladies also took banter to the next level, constantly interrupting and going on tangents and yelling. It honestly sounded so draining and I don’t think I’d be able to hang with them. But Cassandra in the beginning was mentioned to crochet all the time which I loved. Sidney is rude but everyone writes it off as her hiding her true softy feelings? Nah girl pls dissect that in therapy. Also she has a MIA scammer husband that had like no backstory which was weird. Made me think I was reading a sequel.
Romance:
Kind of came out of nowhere? Kind of graphic for what the story was prior? I’m not hating but I felt like it was a bit odd.
Pacing/writing:
I feel like most of the book was just them riffing off of each other’s snark. It was exhausting. The murder wasn’t even that big of a deal somehow until like the last 75%. Also a huge thing in the book was their motorcycles but I just felt like it was a way to say “my characters are badass because they ride bikes!!! No more development required!”
Would I recommend to a friend:
I honestly don’t think I would and that’s why I’m going 2 stars.
Cassandra, Amanda, and Sidney are childhood friends who created OpStar, or operation starfish, to assist victims of domestic violence in leaving their abusive partners. We find out that Cassandra wanted to start it because her mother was abused by Cassandra’s dad, but the mom killed him on Cassandra’s 16th birthday because he essentially caught a fishhook in cassandra’s face possibly on purpose? Anyway, when we start the book cassandra was not in contact with the other girls because of a falling out 5 years prior. But she gets arrested (but not actually) and the two girls hear about it and show up. Turns out a man is dead and there’s suspicion that cassandra may have done it. A hot detective is there and wants to help the gals in proving Cassandra’s innocence.
Characters:
Good lord! The story was mainly written in Amanda’s POV but also not (I don’t know the terms okay??) and could get a little confusing at times. These ladies also took banter to the next level, constantly interrupting and going on tangents and yelling. It honestly sounded so draining and I don’t think I’d be able to hang with them. But Cassandra in the beginning was mentioned to crochet all the time which I loved. Sidney is rude but everyone writes it off as her hiding her true softy feelings? Nah girl pls dissect that in therapy. Also she has a MIA scammer husband that had like no backstory which was weird. Made me think I was reading a sequel.
Romance:
Kind of came out of nowhere? Kind of graphic for what the story was prior? I’m not hating but I felt like it was a bit odd.
Pacing/writing:
I feel like most of the book was just them riffing off of each other’s snark. It was exhausting. The murder wasn’t even that big of a deal somehow until like the last 75%. Also a huge thing in the book was their motorcycles but I just felt like it was a way to say “my characters are badass because they ride bikes!!! No more development required!”
Would I recommend to a friend:
I honestly don’t think I would and that’s why I’m going 2 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2024
I keep waffling on the stars. 2? 3? Call it 2.5.
I had a hard time connecting to this; I'm not sure what the point of the story is or why it needed to be told, I suppose. The main characters are a trio of once-best-friends from high school, who are in their mid or late 20s during the book, so call it New Adult if you want. There's a local murder that brings the three back together, but the mystery element is minimal. One of the women strikes up a romantic relationship with the fourth character, new to their group, who is investigating the murder; it doesn't make it into "romance" territory, although there is some on-screen sex (that felt weird, like it had nothing to contribute to the story except word count).
This probably best suited to readers who like friendship-relationship -focused books with younger protagonists. The narration and dialogue both spend most of their time recounting the women's friendship and history. The three of them previously helped a number of people escape abusive relationships-- laudable, but I'm not sure I believe that three 18yos managed all they are credit with. The contemporary story is a very loose frame that provides the three plenty of time to lecture each other, snark, and generally go off on every tangent possible. The dialogue was often not tagged so I had a hard time keeping track of which character was speaking, and some of the dialogue again felt like word count filler or even virtue-signaling.
Ok for the author's fans to give this a pass.
I had a hard time connecting to this; I'm not sure what the point of the story is or why it needed to be told, I suppose. The main characters are a trio of once-best-friends from high school, who are in their mid or late 20s during the book, so call it New Adult if you want. There's a local murder that brings the three back together, but the mystery element is minimal. One of the women strikes up a romantic relationship with the fourth character, new to their group, who is investigating the murder; it doesn't make it into "romance" territory, although there is some on-screen sex (that felt weird, like it had nothing to contribute to the story except word count).
This probably best suited to readers who like friendship-relationship -focused books with younger protagonists. The narration and dialogue both spend most of their time recounting the women's friendship and history. The three of them previously helped a number of people escape abusive relationships-- laudable, but I'm not sure I believe that three 18yos managed all they are credit with. The contemporary story is a very loose frame that provides the three plenty of time to lecture each other, snark, and generally go off on every tangent possible. The dialogue was often not tagged so I had a hard time keeping track of which character was speaking, and some of the dialogue again felt like word count filler or even virtue-signaling.
Ok for the author's fans to give this a pass.
August 29, 2023
This was the first book I read by MaryJanice Davidson, and I must say: I do enjoy how badass the women in the book are, and just how witty, unabashed and laugh-out-loud funny the book itself was. That aside, I do have to say that I wasn't totally hooked by this book.
I love the idea of the three friends, Amanda, Sidney, and Cassandra rescuing victims of Domestic Violence. The idea that these three women, a-la Sex in the City would help to rid the small town and surrounding cities from abusers held a thrilling concept. However, the flaw in the book comes from its execution-- there were so many characters, and so much jumping of the plot back and forth that I had to re-read several of the pages to make sure I wasn't missing something.
Adding to that, I felt that the romance scenes, the bisexuality of one of the characters, diatribes about magazines, fashion, boots, and the overall lack of cohesiveness to the book made me question if the book would be better written as a novella rather than a full length novel. I understand that the point was to give these characters depth -- but I wonder if the author missed the mark on their interests.
All in all, it was an ok read. Something to tackle on a plane or a long work trip, but not the type of book that makes me want to run and read the rest of the author's body of work.
****Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC so that I may give my honest feedback and review****
I love the idea of the three friends, Amanda, Sidney, and Cassandra rescuing victims of Domestic Violence. The idea that these three women, a-la Sex in the City would help to rid the small town and surrounding cities from abusers held a thrilling concept. However, the flaw in the book comes from its execution-- there were so many characters, and so much jumping of the plot back and forth that I had to re-read several of the pages to make sure I wasn't missing something.
Adding to that, I felt that the romance scenes, the bisexuality of one of the characters, diatribes about magazines, fashion, boots, and the overall lack of cohesiveness to the book made me question if the book would be better written as a novella rather than a full length novel. I understand that the point was to give these characters depth -- but I wonder if the author missed the mark on their interests.
All in all, it was an ok read. Something to tackle on a plane or a long work trip, but not the type of book that makes me want to run and read the rest of the author's body of work.
****Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC so that I may give my honest feedback and review****
January 29, 2024
Three strong women, close friends since they were fourteen and met in school share a love of motorcycles. Cass, Amanda and Sydney met when Sydney was being bullied in school, Casscame to the rescue that day with Amanda giving verbal support and the Three were inseparable from that day on. Ever when Cass suffered a severe trauma on her sixteenth birthday. The day her.life.changed forever. Case's father has been physically abusive to her.mum for as long as she can remember but he's.never hurt Cass...not till sixteenth birthday that is.......on hearing her daughter's screams Iris (Cass's mother) attacks and kills her husband......then takes Cass for ice cream. When the virls.griw.up.they start a support group helping domestic abuse victimised away from their.abusers, everything goes well until one client disregards their advice and returns.to her marital home at which time she is murdered by her husband. Disheartened and despondent Case shuts down the group and also first its with Sydney and Amanda leaving.town for five years. Now..........Cass is back and unfortunately it isn't a good time for her to return, someone has just murdered the abused of one of their clients from back in the day and Cass is the prime suspect. So......the gang is back together, but they are not ....... Definitely not ... Investigating the murder. Also Detective Sean Beane doesn't have his own reasons for getting involved .........................
September 5, 2023
This was the first book I read by MaryJanice Davidson, and I must say: I do enjoy how badass the women in the book are, and just how witty, unabashed and laugh-out-loud funny the book itself was. That aside, I do have to say that I wasn't totally hooked by this book.
I love the idea of the three friends, Amanda, Sidney, and Cassandra rescuing victims of Domestic Violence. The idea that these three women, a-la Sex in the City would help to rid the small town and surrounding cities from abusers held a thrilling concept. However, the flaw in the book comes from its execution-- there were so many characters, and so much jumping of the plot back and forth that I had to re-read several of the pages to make sure I wasn't missing something.
Adding to that, I felt that the romance scenes, the bisexuality of one of the characters, diatribes about magazines, fashion, boots, and the overall lack of cohesiveness to the book made me question if the book would be better written as a novella rather than a full length novel. I understand that the point was to give these characters depth -- but I wonder if the author missed the mark on their interests.
All in all, it was an ok read. Something to tackle on a plane or a long work trip, but not the type of book that makes me want to run and read the rest of the author's body of work.
I love the idea of the three friends, Amanda, Sidney, and Cassandra rescuing victims of Domestic Violence. The idea that these three women, a-la Sex in the City would help to rid the small town and surrounding cities from abusers held a thrilling concept. However, the flaw in the book comes from its execution-- there were so many characters, and so much jumping of the plot back and forth that I had to re-read several of the pages to make sure I wasn't missing something.
Adding to that, I felt that the romance scenes, the bisexuality of one of the characters, diatribes about magazines, fashion, boots, and the overall lack of cohesiveness to the book made me question if the book would be better written as a novella rather than a full length novel. I understand that the point was to give these characters depth -- but I wonder if the author missed the mark on their interests.
All in all, it was an ok read. Something to tackle on a plane or a long work trip, but not the type of book that makes me want to run and read the rest of the author's body of work.
December 2, 2023
I used to read this author's Betsy books before they became too whackadoodle, even her Fred the Mermaid books were fun. So when I saw this book was a new one and I hadn't read the author in years thought I would give it a try, especially when I saw it was a KU read and listen book.
This one was ok for me. Part of that is in how it was set up, I felt like I was missing a part or that the audio skipped something for a good 1st quarter of the book, things felt disjointed. Now that I'm done with the book and know what happened in the past, the present makes sense. You have to give the girls credit for taking on domestic violence as teens and what a great job they did for how young and having no training. They just wanted to help, to get these people moved on to the next stage of their lives. It was all great, until it wasn't and everything fell apart.
It was interesting to see them build those friendship again, to see Sean be let into their group as they figured out what was going on. It was great that by the end, they figured things out and were solid in their friendship and thinking of and most likely, going back to help those that need it. I'd love to see their new adventures as they help, because you know it would be a little like watching the 3 stooges with this group. Things would get done, it'd just be messy along the way.
This one was ok for me. Part of that is in how it was set up, I felt like I was missing a part or that the audio skipped something for a good 1st quarter of the book, things felt disjointed. Now that I'm done with the book and know what happened in the past, the present makes sense. You have to give the girls credit for taking on domestic violence as teens and what a great job they did for how young and having no training. They just wanted to help, to get these people moved on to the next stage of their lives. It was all great, until it wasn't and everything fell apart.
It was interesting to see them build those friendship again, to see Sean be let into their group as they figured out what was going on. It was great that by the end, they figured things out and were solid in their friendship and thinking of and most likely, going back to help those that need it. I'd love to see their new adventures as they help, because you know it would be a little like watching the 3 stooges with this group. Things would get done, it'd just be messy along the way.
August 27, 2023
The Road Queens by MaryJanice Davidson is a different kind of book from her Undead Series - but that doesn't mean it isn't great. Three former friends who helped domestic abuse survivors get away from their abusers are reunited when one of the abusers is murdered and everything circumstantial looks like one of the friends did it - they get back together to find the real murderer and repair their friendships along the way.
The trio of women Amanda, Sydney, and Cassandra are total badass women on their motorcycles who know who they are and why they do what they do - a refreshing change from books written where women need to find themselves. Solving the murder will clear Cassandra, either reinstate their bond or let them put their friendship to rest with no regrets and maybe, just maybe, Amanda will find love with one of the investigators.
I really enjoyed the friendship the ladies have with each other and how they take no guff from anyone when on a mission. Ms. Davidson writes great women's friendships and I love the way these women love themselves and each other.
I was given this book as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are strictly my own.
The trio of women Amanda, Sydney, and Cassandra are total badass women on their motorcycles who know who they are and why they do what they do - a refreshing change from books written where women need to find themselves. Solving the murder will clear Cassandra, either reinstate their bond or let them put their friendship to rest with no regrets and maybe, just maybe, Amanda will find love with one of the investigators.
I really enjoyed the friendship the ladies have with each other and how they take no guff from anyone when on a mission. Ms. Davidson writes great women's friendships and I love the way these women love themselves and each other.
I was given this book as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are strictly my own.
September 20, 2023
This is one of those five-star reads that took a while to get to the five-stars. I don’t know if it was just that there was so much going on, but at times I got a little lost, but overall, I really liked this story. All three women would make you smile, Cassandra, Amanda and Sidney will make you smile, they will make you grind your teeth, but most of all they will make your heart warm. I really hope we get from Operation Starfish, as they do so much good, even if there was one bad experience. The mystery will keep you guessing, and I will admit I didn’t get it for so long, and I was one of those people five minutes into sixth sense who got it, so it was well done. Everyone plays their part and they all revel small parts of the story, I liked that we don’t know the full details about Mr Beane at first, that adds something to the story. What I most liked was the fact that this story doesn’t shy away from the reality of domestic abuse, and how difficult it can be to leave, this gives us a real view, and it shines a spotlight on the unexpected people can help. Pick this story up, as it will warm a cold heart, and surprise even those who feel they can’t be surprised any more.
November 28, 2023
““My palms are not a gateway to my past, present, or future. Their main function is to facilitate high fives.””
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I loved Maryjanice’s vampire books and so I def had to try this one.
These three female mcs that are reunited are so strong and hilarious together like only best friends from childhood/teenagehood can be. More sisters than friends, ride or die.
Loved their operation starfish. Cause that story about the boy on the beach with the starfish has stuck with me since I heard it when I was younger. You may not save them all but try to save as many as you can.
A murder brought them back together and there were so many motives and we didn't know them all but it's told in multiple timelines in a way with memories of what started this mission in childhood, the different people they saved and the enemies they made.
This can be triggering since it has a lot of spousal and parental abuse. If you need any help or someone to talk to there are hotlines and I am def a person you can dm.
I wasn't expecting that ending and OMG the reason for Cass’ scar heartbreaking and horrific.
Thank you montlake for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.
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I loved Maryjanice’s vampire books and so I def had to try this one.
These three female mcs that are reunited are so strong and hilarious together like only best friends from childhood/teenagehood can be. More sisters than friends, ride or die.
Loved their operation starfish. Cause that story about the boy on the beach with the starfish has stuck with me since I heard it when I was younger. You may not save them all but try to save as many as you can.
A murder brought them back together and there were so many motives and we didn't know them all but it's told in multiple timelines in a way with memories of what started this mission in childhood, the different people they saved and the enemies they made.
This can be triggering since it has a lot of spousal and parental abuse. If you need any help or someone to talk to there are hotlines and I am def a person you can dm.
I wasn't expecting that ending and OMG the reason for Cass’ scar heartbreaking and horrific.
Thank you montlake for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.
February 3, 2024
I was excited to read this book as I loved the author’s Undead series. However, this one just didn’t hit the same for me. I found the constant cursing gratuitous, the constant snark by each of the three main characters just seemed way overdone to me, almost like the author felt she had to hit a certain number of snarks per page, so much so that I almost became numb to the ongoing humor. The topic being domestic violence is very important however, I felt like the author had a discomfort with taking the topic head-on and deflected from really digging in by making so many jokes with the overdone snark just to not sit in the pain of it all.
The book had a lot of potential, but I don’t feel it quite hit its stride. If the author does end up doing a trilogy, my recommendation is to dial the snark way back, reduce the amount of cursing, and stop wading in the land of the Woke. I think a bunch of us have had it with Wokeness. It added nothing to the story with the cop references, one character being bisexual, and the political overtones. Just tell your story with restraint where needed and rawness where indicated and we will be there for it.
The book had a lot of potential, but I don’t feel it quite hit its stride. If the author does end up doing a trilogy, my recommendation is to dial the snark way back, reduce the amount of cursing, and stop wading in the land of the Woke. I think a bunch of us have had it with Wokeness. It added nothing to the story with the cop references, one character being bisexual, and the political overtones. Just tell your story with restraint where needed and rawness where indicated and we will be there for it.
October 12, 2023
This is a book with a lot going on. One thing I especially liked was learning about motorcycles and the women who drove, them throughout history. I was a bit of a rider in my younger days! As I'm sure you are aware, domestic violence is a large part of the theme of this novel. Actually, there are several themes: DV, motorcycles, murder, romance, and the reuniting of three long-time friends. I didn't find this book to be as frothy, amusing, or sexy as some of this author's other series, but it was a novel that kept my interest, albeit with a lot of eye rolls. I don't know how to explain why I wasn't TOTALLY thrilled with this book, but I did feel that it could have been just a touch better had it been shortened a bit. There was a lot of unnecessary and unfunny interplay between the friends. I can see why it might have been needed -perhaps to keep the book from being a bit too serious. It just made for a more difficult read for me. I also am wondering if this is the start of a trilogy.
*ARC supplied by the publisher Montlake, the author MaryJanice Davidson, and NetGalley.
*ARC supplied by the publisher Montlake, the author MaryJanice Davidson, and NetGalley.
October 20, 2023
Women's Fiction Steamy Romantic Mystery in which three estranged biker friends, who ran an operation to remove domestic violence survivors from danger, reunite after five years when a man from their past is murdered.
3/5 stars: Davidson brings her trademark snarky humor to this Women's Fiction release that has a romance and mystery subplot. But mainly the plot revolves around the three friends reunion and the operation they ran helping domestic violence survivors escape their abusers. So take care and check the CWs. Davidson's ability to write such incredibly likable characters shines through, each of the three MCs has a unique voice and are ball-busting ladies I loved getting to know. This is well-written with a couple pretty steamy OPS scene and Davidson did a lot of research on female motorcyclists which was interesting to read but overall I thought this was a bit too much plot for one book.
I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Montlake in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.
3/5 stars: Davidson brings her trademark snarky humor to this Women's Fiction release that has a romance and mystery subplot. But mainly the plot revolves around the three friends reunion and the operation they ran helping domestic violence survivors escape their abusers. So take care and check the CWs. Davidson's ability to write such incredibly likable characters shines through, each of the three MCs has a unique voice and are ball-busting ladies I loved getting to know. This is well-written with a couple pretty steamy OPS scene and Davidson did a lot of research on female motorcyclists which was interesting to read but overall I thought this was a bit too much plot for one book.
I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Montlake in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.
December 4, 2023
Road Queens is a story full of friendship, heroism, and the solving of the murder of a not so nice guy. Amanda, Sidney, and Cassandra met in school and became the best of friends, riding their motorcycles, sharing their hopes and dreams, and being the rock each other needs when times get hard. After Cass’s mother murdered her abusive husband, the girls decide to help out battered spouses or partners when ever they call. Saving quite a few of the abused, one case gets sideways. Cases can’t handle the fallout and leaves. But now Cass is back and is formed for murder and her girls ride back to her side to help like they always do. Sassy, smart, and a little over the top but always fun the main characters project off the pages in living color for a likable best friend feel to the story. The steamy Beane adds just a touch of red hot romance to enhance the book’s charm. Ms. Davidson always provides a fun story full of endearing characters, cementing her place as one of my must read authors. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.
November 13, 2023
Thank you NetGalley, MaryJanice Davidson, and Montlake publishing for this e-ARC copy of Road Queens in exchange for my honest opinion and review.
This was such an intriguing synopsis: biker chicks on a mission to save those who are survivors of domestic violence?! Wow. The bravery and excitement alone of that had me requesting this one rather quickly! Elements of crime, mystery and romance are all up for grabs here.
After a mission goes terribly wrong, this friendship crumbles. 5 years later the girls get back together for the very thing that tore them apart... clearly there is business left unfinished for this trio.
Amanda, Sidney, and Cassandra are so fun to experience together. Their bond and the overall sense of women empowerment was the main focus of this story. It had a really good flow that made it overall enjoyable.
If you love Women's Fiction, bad as* biker babes with a good plot twist, and well done writing - this one will be for you!
3.5 stars!
This was such an intriguing synopsis: biker chicks on a mission to save those who are survivors of domestic violence?! Wow. The bravery and excitement alone of that had me requesting this one rather quickly! Elements of crime, mystery and romance are all up for grabs here.
After a mission goes terribly wrong, this friendship crumbles. 5 years later the girls get back together for the very thing that tore them apart... clearly there is business left unfinished for this trio.
Amanda, Sidney, and Cassandra are so fun to experience together. Their bond and the overall sense of women empowerment was the main focus of this story. It had a really good flow that made it overall enjoyable.
If you love Women's Fiction, bad as* biker babes with a good plot twist, and well done writing - this one will be for you!
3.5 stars!
December 8, 2023
I have been a fan of Mary Janice Davidson and especially the Queen Betsy books for years. Road Queens delivered on the humor and snark as well as some romance and intrigue. It was a little slow to start for me but about a quarter of the way in, I was hooked. I like the OpStar sisterhood and their friendship, lots of loose ends that make me think this could be a fun series. I feel like she did a good job of dealing with domestic violence and incarceration, definitely building up her characters' motivations and back stories. The time jumps from the past to the present were also done in a compelling way. As someone who comes from a motorcycle family, it was fun to see some of the terminology used and it did not fall into the typical MC trope that I usually don't enjoy. Overall, it was a fun and engaging read with a good whodunnit plot. I will definitely be interested to follow along for more of these ladies adventures.
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