I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
In her bio, Ann Mayburn is listed as the Queen of her castle. Well I propose promoting her to Goddess of the E-Reader. I base this recommendation on her amazing writing ability which was showcased brilliantly in her newest release, Exquisite Danger, the second book in the Iron Horse MC series. With this newest book, Ms. Mayburn sets a new standard for MC romance.
Ms. Mayburn writes with so much intricate detail that she has created this amazing, vivid and dynamic world of the Iron Horse MC club. The story she has written is gritty, dirty, and raw. There is nothing light or fluffy about it. This perfectly sets the tone for the danger that is the backdrop of the world in which Swan and Smoke reside. I found myself so immersed in this alternative universe that I lost all track of where I was and would find myself startled by any interruption.
The characters she has created are perfectly complex. Every feature and aspect of their personalities is so well defined that I absolutely understood who they were and what motivated them. Their emotions, the anger, passion, love, fear and so much more, poured off the pages into my soul. I found myself holding my breath when they were in danger or sighing out loud when they declared their love. I’m not sure I should confess how I felt when they were making love, but you get the idea.
Swan is unlike any other romance heroine that I have ever seen. I find her to be utterly fascinating because she is so complex. She is incredibly bright but surprisingly naïve. She is extremely independent and in fact, has been trained from a very young age as to how to kill a man. Yet she finds herself dependent on Smoke’s love as if it was the very air she needs to breathe. Swan admits freely that her brain doesn’t work like others and sometimes she found it to be a hindrance. I found it to be endearing and made me root for her even more.
Smoke was everything you could want in a bad boy. He was rough around the edges and sometimes was a complete jerk in his quest to protect the woman he loved. But then he would turn around and be the sweetest, most gentle creature. I loved how he took the time to learn about and embrace all of Swan’s quirks. His entire world revolved around Swan and he wasn’t afraid to admit it, despite his reputation as a tough as nails biker.
Ms. Mayburn treated Smoke and Swan’s relationship with the ultimate respect and created a surprisingly realistic bond. They argued and even sometimes said very hurtful and stupid things to each other in the heat of the argument. But they then calmed down, discussed the problem and made up. It was very easy to forget that I was reading about fictional characters because I felt that I knew them as well as I knew myself.
Even the secondary characters were treated with as much effort and because of that each one was colorful and animated. Ms. Mayburn has stated that the next installment of the series will focus on Sarah, Swan’s twin, and her husband Beach, President of the Iron Horse MC. I am awaiting that book with baited breath because there was so much hinted at in the first two books that I can’t wait to learn what really happened.
So Exquisite Danger offers the reader everything they could ask for – dramatic storytelling, memorable characters and sensuous lovemaking. For all of these reasons (and because let’s face it, she totally rocked my world with this book), I nominate Ms. Mayburn for Goddess. All those in favor, raise your e-reader. All those opposed? Yeah, didn’t think I would find any who oppose. The motion passes!