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Signal Bend Heritage #1
Virago
SIGNAL BEND HERITAGE: A NEW, NEXT-GEN SERIES FOR THE NIGHT HORDE MC!
Gia Lunden grew up in Signal Bend, Missouri and in the Night Horde MC family. Her father, Isaac, was the most respected president of the club during its outlaw days. Isaac gave up the gavel and the Horde left the outlaw life behind long ago. These days, they run a construction company and keep the town safe, but the club’s reputation as fearsome outlaws abides.
Gia is building a career as an anthropologist specializing in outlaw communities. As she works on her dissertation to complete a PhD, she means to begin her research at home, interviewing her family about their time on the dark side. But she hasn’t lived in Signal Bend since she first went away to college, and her homecoming is bumpier than she expected.
Zaxx Bello is the newest and youngest Horde patch, still trying to shake off the stink of his prospect period and find his fit at the table. Though Signal Bend is the closest thing to a hometown he’s ever had, he wasn’t born there; he knows of the Horde’s outlaw days only through the stories of the older patches. For him, the Horde is a mantel of respect, a good job, and a place to be. It doesn’t yet feel like a family.
Not that he has much idea what family should feel like. With two clueless parents and a nearly feral younger sister, Zaxx has spent most of his life being the grownup of his family. It’s a responsibility he takes seriously, and a weight he struggles to carry.
Gia and Zaxx barely know each other, at least until an explosive one-night stand on her first night home. But being with Gia is no easy thing—she’s Isaac Lunden’s only daughter, after all. Nobody in town thinks Zaxx is good enough for her, least of all Zaxx himself.
Nobody bothered to ask Gia what she thought.
Gia Lunden grew up in Signal Bend, Missouri and in the Night Horde MC family. Her father, Isaac, was the most respected president of the club during its outlaw days. Isaac gave up the gavel and the Horde left the outlaw life behind long ago. These days, they run a construction company and keep the town safe, but the club’s reputation as fearsome outlaws abides.
Gia is building a career as an anthropologist specializing in outlaw communities. As she works on her dissertation to complete a PhD, she means to begin her research at home, interviewing her family about their time on the dark side. But she hasn’t lived in Signal Bend since she first went away to college, and her homecoming is bumpier than she expected.
Zaxx Bello is the newest and youngest Horde patch, still trying to shake off the stink of his prospect period and find his fit at the table. Though Signal Bend is the closest thing to a hometown he’s ever had, he wasn’t born there; he knows of the Horde’s outlaw days only through the stories of the older patches. For him, the Horde is a mantel of respect, a good job, and a place to be. It doesn’t yet feel like a family.
Not that he has much idea what family should feel like. With two clueless parents and a nearly feral younger sister, Zaxx has spent most of his life being the grownup of his family. It’s a responsibility he takes seriously, and a weight he struggles to carry.
Gia and Zaxx barely know each other, at least until an explosive one-night stand on her first night home. But being with Gia is no easy thing—she’s Isaac Lunden’s only daughter, after all. Nobody in town thinks Zaxx is good enough for her, least of all Zaxx himself.
Nobody bothered to ask Gia what she thought.
414 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 2, 2024
24 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
Susan Fanetti
84 books1,419 followersI was born and raised in the Midwest, but I was transplanted into the dusty soil of Northern California and have apparently taken root there. An inveterate geek and gamer, I am a fan of many things considered pop culture and maybe even lowbrow.
As a reader, my favorite genres are science fiction and fantasy, but as a writer, I've found my home in romance--or perhaps it's better to say simply "love stories." I have a yen to try other genres, too, at some point, but for now my muse wants to tell stories about lovers and families.
I write for the joy of it, and I write stories that I want to read. If others like them, too, that's just the cherry on top. I’m not interested in rules and formulae. I follow my muse and my characters and let them take me where they want to go, wherever that might be. I like big emotions, dark and light.
I like complicated characters with flaws and weaknesses as well as strengths, and I like each character’s strengths and weaknesses to be different from those of other characters. I’m much more concerned that my characters be interesting and diverse than that they be widely considered to be likable. I try to create people, not types.
Likewise, I want my stories each to be distinct from the others. Once I’ve told a story, I don’t want to tell it again. So even within a series, one of my books might be very different from the next. Some might be very dark, others equally mild.
That isn’t to say there aren’t trends and recurrences in my work. I’m drawn to certain themes and settings, and my muse has her favorite toys and tools. But I guard against those tendencies becoming a formula.
Find my blog at www.susanfanetti.com
Find my FB author page: https://www.facebook.com/authorsusanf...
A note: I don't spend much time here on Goodreads. I try not to read any reviews of my own work. Besides, this is a site for readers, but since I write at a fairly manic pace, and read and edit for other writers, I don't have much time to read recreationally. Mainly, I log on to update my info. So if you message me here, it might be a while before I see it.
As a reader, my favorite genres are science fiction and fantasy, but as a writer, I've found my home in romance--or perhaps it's better to say simply "love stories." I have a yen to try other genres, too, at some point, but for now my muse wants to tell stories about lovers and families.
I write for the joy of it, and I write stories that I want to read. If others like them, too, that's just the cherry on top. I’m not interested in rules and formulae. I follow my muse and my characters and let them take me where they want to go, wherever that might be. I like big emotions, dark and light.
I like complicated characters with flaws and weaknesses as well as strengths, and I like each character’s strengths and weaknesses to be different from those of other characters. I’m much more concerned that my characters be interesting and diverse than that they be widely considered to be likable. I try to create people, not types.
Likewise, I want my stories each to be distinct from the others. Once I’ve told a story, I don’t want to tell it again. So even within a series, one of my books might be very different from the next. Some might be very dark, others equally mild.
That isn’t to say there aren’t trends and recurrences in my work. I’m drawn to certain themes and settings, and my muse has her favorite toys and tools. But I guard against those tendencies becoming a formula.
Find my blog at www.susanfanetti.com
Find my FB author page: https://www.facebook.com/authorsusanf...
A note: I don't spend much time here on Goodreads. I try not to read any reviews of my own work. Besides, this is a site for readers, but since I write at a fairly manic pace, and read and edit for other writers, I don't have much time to read recreationally. Mainly, I log on to update my info. So if you message me here, it might be a while before I see it.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 18, 2024
This is a 2nd generation book for The Signal Bend Series, so it would make a lot more sense if you read that series first, as well as Nolan: Return to Signal Bend. (And if you haven't read that, it's one of the better MC series out there. BUT, I would recommend it with a big red flag: 1 heroine and 1 hero in that series die later on, after their own books. If you can take that heartbreak, it's worth reading, especially since the partners they leave behind get a lovely and sad "second chance" HEA novella with each other, in Love & Friendship: A Signal Bend Byway. But if, "This series fucks with some HEAs" is a dealbreaker, that's valid!)
Anyway, this is about Isaac and Lilli's daughter, Gia, who's now 25, and Zaxx, (30), a new character who's now the youngest patch in her dad's MC. Their relationship is meh, and they're meh as characters. It's hard to feel their chemistry when they spend a lot of this story apart. More than halfway through this book, they're still like, "We barely know each other." A lot of this plot is dominated by a bad thing that happens to Zaxx's sister. So, it feels a bit like they're passengers in somebody else's story. They feel reactive to outside stuff that happens around them, instead of active in their own story. Also, the bad thing that happens to his sister is , so it's starting to feel like this author uses that as a plot device too often.
I often like "difficult" heroines, but Gia wasn't that type of heroine done well. She comes across as spoiled, arrogant, ungrateful. Too "Not like other girls." And, too good at everything. She feels like the embodiment of that famous "Cool Girl" monologue from "Gone Girl" - (just Google it if you don't know). And she was rude to Nolan! How dare she! There was a glimmer of an interesting idea in this book (of exploring how Gia just wanted to be seen as a person, and the town put her on a pedestal as Isaac and Lilli's Untouchable Perfect Daughter). But her off-putting characterization overshadowed that interesting idea. Plus, that just didn't feel like a big enough reason for her angst, especially when characters in the OG series suffered much more, and were less annoying about it. And, to be clear, Gia's age isn't the problem; Show's daughter, Iris, was also in her early 20s in Nolan: Return to Signal Bend, and Iris ended up being one of my favorite heroines. It really is just Gia's personality. (But, full disclosure: although I like the Signal Bend series, Lilli wasn't my favorite. If you're someone who adored Lilli, maybe you'll find Gia less irritating than I did, and like her more).
Zaxx is an okay hero, but he doesn't feel like her equal. He's nothing special, he's just Some Guy. It feels like he and Gia ended up together just because he was There. Just because he's the youngest club brother in the Horde. Like I mentioned, this author is notorious for being shady about breaking the "romance must have an HEA" rule - she gives everyone HFNs in their own books, but occasionally kills characters off later in a series. If Zaxx got killed off later in this series, I wouldn't be distraught like I was for Havoc. I would just shrug indifferently.
Aside from this book having lackluster main characters, and a lackluster romance, it WAS nice to visit the Signal Bend world. It was nice to hear that Nolan and Iris now have 3 kids (but I would have liked to learn their names - did they have a son named after Havoc?). It was good to see Show and Isaac again, and get to know Bo better. This stuff saved this from being a 2-star read, and bumped it up to 3 stars. Is this a Must Read? Maybe for hardcore Signal Bend fans, if you love this world enough to revisit it, even when we're visiting it through POV characters who are Not Great. If you enjoyed Signal Bend, but you also really need to love a book's main characters and main romance, then maybe not.
This book didn't set up who will be the Book 2 couple. I'm curious if Loki and Lexi will end up together, in a forbidden love "they're step-siblings" relationship. (That seemed hinted at, but it was so vague, it could also be nothing). Despite not loving this book, I'll probably stick around for the rest of this series, for the fun of seeing how the original characters are doing. And for the hope that maybe Loki or someone will get a good book. If Loki is a little shit, at least he has a better reason for it than Gia, since his life has been rougher than hers. But, hopefully he's not. And, I'll hope that unlike her parents, Gia only gets 1 book. (Her parents got Move the Sun, Behold the Stars, AND 2 novellas. Gia is way too tedious of a character to get that much page time).
BUT, this series better not kill off any of the OGs - when it mentioned that Show is now in his 70s, my eye twitched. (He could still live 25 more years, and he better!!) Since this author has been untrustworthy about major character deaths, the second I get an inkling that Isaac or Show could die in this series, I'm out. Or, if anything bad happens to Cory, Bart, Show, Nolan, or Iris - who have all suffered enough! - then I'm out.
Anyway, this is about Isaac and Lilli's daughter, Gia, who's now 25, and Zaxx, (30), a new character who's now the youngest patch in her dad's MC. Their relationship is meh, and they're meh as characters. It's hard to feel their chemistry when they spend a lot of this story apart. More than halfway through this book, they're still like, "We barely know each other." A lot of this plot is dominated by a bad thing that happens to Zaxx's sister. So, it feels a bit like they're passengers in somebody else's story. They feel reactive to outside stuff that happens around them, instead of active in their own story. Also, the bad thing that happens to his sister is , so it's starting to feel like this author uses that as a plot device too often.
I often like "difficult" heroines, but Gia wasn't that type of heroine done well. She comes across as spoiled, arrogant, ungrateful. Too "Not like other girls." And, too good at everything. She feels like the embodiment of that famous "Cool Girl" monologue from "Gone Girl" - (just Google it if you don't know). And she was rude to Nolan! How dare she! There was a glimmer of an interesting idea in this book (of exploring how Gia just wanted to be seen as a person, and the town put her on a pedestal as Isaac and Lilli's Untouchable Perfect Daughter). But her off-putting characterization overshadowed that interesting idea. Plus, that just didn't feel like a big enough reason for her angst, especially when characters in the OG series suffered much more, and were less annoying about it. And, to be clear, Gia's age isn't the problem; Show's daughter, Iris, was also in her early 20s in Nolan: Return to Signal Bend, and Iris ended up being one of my favorite heroines. It really is just Gia's personality. (But, full disclosure: although I like the Signal Bend series, Lilli wasn't my favorite. If you're someone who adored Lilli, maybe you'll find Gia less irritating than I did, and like her more).
Zaxx is an okay hero, but he doesn't feel like her equal. He's nothing special, he's just Some Guy. It feels like he and Gia ended up together just because he was There. Just because he's the youngest club brother in the Horde. Like I mentioned, this author is notorious for being shady about breaking the "romance must have an HEA" rule - she gives everyone HFNs in their own books, but occasionally kills characters off later in a series. If Zaxx got killed off later in this series, I wouldn't be distraught like I was for Havoc. I would just shrug indifferently.
Aside from this book having lackluster main characters, and a lackluster romance, it WAS nice to visit the Signal Bend world. It was nice to hear that Nolan and Iris now have 3 kids (but I would have liked to learn their names - did they have a son named after Havoc?). It was good to see Show and Isaac again, and get to know Bo better. This stuff saved this from being a 2-star read, and bumped it up to 3 stars. Is this a Must Read? Maybe for hardcore Signal Bend fans, if you love this world enough to revisit it, even when we're visiting it through POV characters who are Not Great. If you enjoyed Signal Bend, but you also really need to love a book's main characters and main romance, then maybe not.
This book didn't set up who will be the Book 2 couple. I'm curious if Loki and Lexi will end up together, in a forbidden love "they're step-siblings" relationship. (That seemed hinted at, but it was so vague, it could also be nothing). Despite not loving this book, I'll probably stick around for the rest of this series, for the fun of seeing how the original characters are doing. And for the hope that maybe Loki or someone will get a good book. If Loki is a little shit, at least he has a better reason for it than Gia, since his life has been rougher than hers. But, hopefully he's not. And, I'll hope that unlike her parents, Gia only gets 1 book. (Her parents got Move the Sun, Behold the Stars, AND 2 novellas. Gia is way too tedious of a character to get that much page time).
BUT, this series better not kill off any of the OGs - when it mentioned that Show is now in his 70s, my eye twitched. (He could still live 25 more years, and he better!!) Since this author has been untrustworthy about major character deaths, the second I get an inkling that Isaac or Show could die in this series, I'm out. Or, if anything bad happens to Cory, Bart, Show, Nolan, or Iris - who have all suffered enough! - then I'm out.
March 7, 2024
Good to be back
I've read all the original Signal Bend books and the other two clubs too. ( California and Oklahoma chapters) . loved them. This new generation starts with Gia and I have to say she's not a favorite. She comes off as conceited, spoiled and a know it all. I really didn't feel the chemistry between her and Zaxx. I did like getting to see some of the OG's though. I'm hoping this second generation books only gets better with the next book.
I've read all the original Signal Bend books and the other two clubs too. ( California and Oklahoma chapters) . loved them. This new generation starts with Gia and I have to say she's not a favorite. She comes off as conceited, spoiled and a know it all. I really didn't feel the chemistry between her and Zaxx. I did like getting to see some of the OG's though. I'm hoping this second generation books only gets better with the next book.
March 24, 2024
a good revisit to the Hord
This one started a little slow. The character Gia was a spoiled brat that was hard to like. I didn’t like her in the Christmas novella either. I did like her love interest though. I don’t have high hopes for this segment in the Signal Bend world.
This one started a little slow. The character Gia was a spoiled brat that was hard to like. I didn’t like her in the Christmas novella either. I did like her love interest though. I don’t have high hopes for this segment in the Signal Bend world.
March 8, 2024
I wouldn’t say there was anything egregiously bad about this book, but overall, it just irritated me. Maybe it’s the sheer volume of descriptions and inner thoughts that bring the plot to a crawl. Or maybe it’s the weird references to specific brands and cultural topics. Add to that, the heroine was way stronger than the hero, which is suboptimal. Why can’t they both be strong? Zakk was nice enough but kind of weak. He let other people and his own self doubt rule his decisions for the majority of the book. Gia on the other hand was the revered club princess. She was earning her PHd in anthropology 🙄, had a black belt, was a skilled markswoman, etc. Zakk was the newest member of the MC, just getting by financially while living in a trailer and paying his ungrateful little sister’s college tuition. (His sister’s brutal rape is what ultimately T-bone’s this story and the ensuing events are what somehow bring Zakk back to Gia). overall, there was definitely an imbalance to their dynamic that I did not like.
Also, who gets upset that their family built them a super nice tiny house so they could live at home, but have their own space? Gia, that’s who. She also has no friends and the girls she hangs out with are two town tramps that don’t even like her and vice-versa.
Also, who gets upset that their family built them a super nice tiny house so they could live at home, but have their own space? Gia, that’s who. She also has no friends and the girls she hangs out with are two town tramps that don’t even like her and vice-versa.
March 2, 2024
Loved being back in Signal Bend!
Gia is a headstrong, intelligent young woman and Zaxx embraces the opportunity to get to know her better, despite the potential pushback he’ll get from the club.
There was drama, grit, and tragedy in amongst the romance as you you would expect with this series, but all presented in a way that was respectful yet full of raw emotion.
It was nearly 3 am when I conceded my eyes were in desperate need of shutting and it pained me to stop reading with only 40 odd pages left to go. The upside to that was waking up knowing I still had pages left to read was awesome. This isn’t a fast paced book, however it kept me glued to the page, reading while I prepared dinner and putting all other non necessary chores aside until I reader the end.
I got a first in the series vibe with lots of potential for more stories down the track. Gia’s interest in exploring the people that are drawn to the MC life added an interesting angle to the story and I hope there will be updates on what she uncovers through her work throughout the Heritage series.
Gia is a headstrong, intelligent young woman and Zaxx embraces the opportunity to get to know her better, despite the potential pushback he’ll get from the club.
There was drama, grit, and tragedy in amongst the romance as you you would expect with this series, but all presented in a way that was respectful yet full of raw emotion.
It was nearly 3 am when I conceded my eyes were in desperate need of shutting and it pained me to stop reading with only 40 odd pages left to go. The upside to that was waking up knowing I still had pages left to read was awesome. This isn’t a fast paced book, however it kept me glued to the page, reading while I prepared dinner and putting all other non necessary chores aside until I reader the end.
I got a first in the series vibe with lots of potential for more stories down the track. Gia’s interest in exploring the people that are drawn to the MC life added an interesting angle to the story and I hope there will be updates on what she uncovers through her work throughout the Heritage series.
September 5, 2024
sweet
I always enjoy this author’s books and this one was no exception. I liked that she took the next generation of the Signal Bend crew in a different direction; they still were a MC but the were no longer 1% in the truest sense. They didn’t become saints, and when they had to, they could still go back to their outlaw roots but they basically tried to stay on the straight and narrow side of the law. I thought the author did an excellent job portraying the tensions that all families face when their children are transitioning into adulthood: how to still be a part of your family but also recognize that the kids are adults and independent at the same time. Gia’s transitioning was even more complicated because of who her dad was ( former President of the MC) and because she grew up as the MC’s Princess. I loved watching Gia and Zaxx fall in love, mess stuff up but find their way back to each other. Great read!
I always enjoy this author’s books and this one was no exception. I liked that she took the next generation of the Signal Bend crew in a different direction; they still were a MC but the were no longer 1% in the truest sense. They didn’t become saints, and when they had to, they could still go back to their outlaw roots but they basically tried to stay on the straight and narrow side of the law. I thought the author did an excellent job portraying the tensions that all families face when their children are transitioning into adulthood: how to still be a part of your family but also recognize that the kids are adults and independent at the same time. Gia’s transitioning was even more complicated because of who her dad was ( former President of the MC) and because she grew up as the MC’s Princess. I loved watching Gia and Zaxx fall in love, mess stuff up but find their way back to each other. Great read!
March 17, 2024
It's great to be back in Signal Bend. This next-gen series takes place in the near-future (which the author explains), and includes many of the first-gen characters, as well as some new players. I think it would be helpful to have read the first Signal Bend series. The other series will give history to some of the secondary characters, but they don't seem as crucial (yet?).
The story is fairly benign for the first half, and then punches you in the face. This is followed by some arbitrary angst with a sweet resolve. Not nearly as dark or violent as the first series. The sexy bits have been toned down a little too. But the writing is strong and the characters are great.
I'll keep reading this series.
The story is fairly benign for the first half, and then punches you in the face. This is followed by some arbitrary angst with a sweet resolve. Not nearly as dark or violent as the first series. The sexy bits have been toned down a little too. But the writing is strong and the characters are great.
I'll keep reading this series.
March 4, 2024
This was a highly entertaining return to Signal Bend after all this time, and I'm happy to say that S.Fanetti didn't lose any of the momentum and excellence that was present in her previous books, as it's unfortunately so often the case with other authors. If anything, the writing here gets better and better. I devoured the whole book in a single day, and my only regret is that it's already done.
March 4, 2024
If you've followed this author from the beginning you're going to love this book. If you're new to Signal Bend Gia's story will inspire you to go back. Another brilliantly told, beautifully written story from Susan Fanetti.
March 6, 2024
Next Generation
Great book. It was great to see the kids grown up and how much they resemble their parents. Gia is definitely a mix of both and you see it most in her self confidence and knowing who she is. Would recommend this to anyone and everyone.
Great book. It was great to see the kids grown up and how much they resemble their parents. Gia is definitely a mix of both and you see it most in her self confidence and knowing who she is. Would recommend this to anyone and everyone.
March 7, 2024
Sooo nice to be back in Signal Bend! I thought were going down the path of big bad MC dad disapproving of his little girl dating a patch - so relieved to see we didn't go too far with that. Loved Zaxx and Gia together, and I can see so many more possibilities for this next generation.
5 ★
5 ★
March 7, 2024
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rtc....
June 1, 2024
Love this author but this was boooring
December 12, 2024
What a treat to return to Signal Bend.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews