That’s what I think every time he strides into my bar. The Kings of Kearny run this small Texas town, and Jakob is their chief enforcer. The Viking, they call him. He’s a criminal. As dangerous as he is sexy. The kind of man who makes my inner cavewoman sit up and take notice. Him big. Make strong babies. Bring home mammoth for dinner.
I’m ready to indulge her desires, but just for one night. Unfortunately, Jakob has other plans.
Someone in town is breaking one of the cardinal rules set by the leader of The Kings. And Jakob thinks they’re using my grandmother’s nursing home as a front for their illicit activities. Now I’m neck-deep in trouble with him, and every time I think I’ve figured out what’s really going on, Jakob reveals another piece of the puzzle. I need to figure out how far I’m willing to go to protect this town. How far I’m willing to go with Jakob. Because if I fall for him, there’s no going back. No hope for a peaceful ending. But Jakob is the kind of man who makes me think that peaceful is overrated, and that descending into darkness with him could lead to something even better than a Happily Ever After.
I was looking for a new MC book and I thought I'd give this one a try. I enjoyed a lot of aspects about this story. I specifically liked that both Krista and Jakob were ex-military and I love a good baddie heroine! Also, grandma's in books are my favorite and Krista's Gran was the best.
There was a bit of a twist I didn't see coming which was also good. But that ending was so stinking rushed, I felt wanted so much more out of the last 20%. Overall, I would try this author again because I liked this one more than I didn't!
I don't like biker romance books. I also dislike as a general rule anything to do with US military and any seemingly positive spin on it. But I read this in one sitting. Until 3 am on a weekday.
So consider me converted.
Navessa Allen is a really good writer. And she posts most of her works for a while for free. She's worth checking out.
TKoK was a fun read. I think that's what I take most from it: I was highly entertained. The mystery subplot made sense and that's a bonus. It was presented in such a way that we did only have the information that Krista, the narrator, has; so you are immersed in the speculation right along with her. But the main thing is that I really enjoyed the banter and back and forth between the main characters. I liked Krista a lot. And I give maaaajor props for the mostly positive interaction between women here. Krista has girlfriends, she has normal conversations with other girls (even Jakob's exes), and that's just a huge relief. Even when a dislikeable character makes an appareance, it is made clear that any animosity with Krista is because of personality and incompatibility, not because women spend their days hating each other. I'm not usually a fan, but the epilogue from a different POV worked like a charm for me in this one too.
There's a couple of thins I could nitpick at, like the overuse of the "freezing" and "artic" similes to describe Jakob's eyes every.single.time they are mentioned; or the fact that the last chapters were too mushy for the overall tone of the book even despite the fact that this ends in a tenous HFN. Buuuut, I read this for FREE, and it was better that half of the shit I paid money for in 2020. I am totally buying this when it comes out as a novel, cause I permanently want it on my kindle.
I am also impatiently awaiting the sequel to The Lunatics: Volume One. It's been a long time coming now, and that's another thing to take into account with Navessa Allen: wait until a project is actually complete before starting to read it xD
*Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
This book was so unexpected and it got me so excited.
An MC full of war heroes. Wounded female heroine. Sexy as hell male biker..... I was salivating over this story. I really enjoyed how competent both characters were how much there connection had been building.
I have never read anything by this author before but the world building and the depth of character made me feel like there was so much below the surface. I want more books in this world RIGHT NOW!
I loved the hidden depth of Jakob and the dichotomy of him being a former soldier and now working outside the law. He is a bit tortured but a lot sexy and he wants to keep his town in line.
Krista is also a Veteran working at a bar and her and Jakob have been eyeing each other up for weeks. When they finally come together it is so explosive and sexy and I just couldn't get enough.
They both just felt so REAL! They had faults and attributes that were annoying and they would sometimes fly off the handle. But nothing was left to fester and it all just felt very mature! Which was such a breath of fresh air. I feel like so many romances these days get out of hand with the miscommunication. Even when there were cases of that, they were handled quickly and trust was built from there.
I also loved the consent that was written into this book. Even in the heat of a sexual encounter, Jakob reminds Krista that she is in control and she can revoke that permission at any time... ugh! That stuff gets me so HOT!
Over all this book was a great surprise and I am already looking into other books by this author.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for gifting me with a copy of this book.
I picked this up expecting it to be an enjoyable but trashy steamy romance novel.
Instead, I got a steamy romance novel with a fascinating and intriguing plot line, so much so that I'm desperate for more time with these characters.
Krista is a strong, independent woman in both physical and mental respect. She's ex forces and now walks with a limp after gaining an injury whilst serving. However she never let's this get her down. She works at a local MC's bar and her Gran lives in the local care home.
Jakob is one of the bikes in said local MC and Krista has had her eye on him since she moved to Kearny 3 months ago.
However things turn pretty dark and sinister when Krista finds out from Jakob that things may not be as they seem in the care home where her Gran lives.
Krista fascinates me. It's great to see some tall girl rep too. At 5ft 9 myself, it's nice to be represented. Krista's Gran, Izzy, is fiesty and firey despite her Alzheimers and I absolutely loved her! She was brilliant. And Jakob was just an absolutely terrifying dream boat and I need more of him immediately.
I'm obsessed with this book. I absolutely loved it. Not just for the romance, but the overall plot was outstanding. Will definitely be looking for more books from Navessa in the future
Well, this was a pleasant surprise. After having recently re-watched some Sons Of Anarchy episodes I saw this book and thought, why not? I haven’t had the best experience with biker romance stories, but after reading the synopsis I thought I’d give it a try. I was not disappointed.
While this book did introduce some gritty aspects of biker culture, it also had a good plot. There was a mystery to be solved. Krista agrees to help Jakob get in to her grandma’s care facility to see who is stealing prescriptions from the residents and selling them on the streets.
The chemistry between the two was great and the sex scenes were spicy. But the maturity and consent were what did it for me. After Krista handed Jakob his ass when he grabbed her without her consent, he made sure that she knew she had to give him the green light for anything to happen. That coupled with the fact that they actually communicated when they were pissed off and resolved their issues...refreshing and sexy as hell.
The characters were great, the plot was good, and the writing style was a little sassy and easy to read. The only real problem I had was with the ending. It wrapped things up well, but it seemed a little anti-climatic. There was a build up through the whole book and I felt a little let down with how it ended. But overall it was a fun and quick read. I give it 3.5 stars.
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for releasing this ARC to me in exchange for an honest review.
I love this author, but I couldn’t finish this. My husband, Thor, is in Army Special Operations as an EOD tech. People in the military aren’t stereotypical men that are 200 pounds of muscle. If you want to look at one of the deadliest soldiers, just check out my instagram. Yeah, he looks like he wouldn’t hurt a fly(and he wouldn’t, he likes our animals more than me). I wouldn’t have read it if I knew it would be about someone in Special Ops, it’s too personal and unfortunately wasn’t written well enough. Also, if there are any authors reading this, military men(or women) aren’t clean. I don’t know where the stereotype came from, but when Thor joined the Army I was so excited because I thought he would magically want to clean. ITS A LIE. I’ve consulted with the other dependas and we have confirmed that someone made it up to trap women or something. Besides the brunt of misinformation about the military, there were a few spelling and grammar errors. Again, I love Navessa Allen as an author. I just think this wasn’t her best showing
After reading Lights Out I craved more from this author and this was the book I needed. I loved these characters, Krista and Jakob were made for each other. Both ex-military, both in the MC world, both injured. The sparks flying about were spectacular and this books has a good plot to go with the smut! 😜
Overall had me hooked and I will definitely seek out more books from this author! 💕
Format: Audiobook Narrators: Andi Eloise and JF Harding
I love a great motorcycle book/ series. The MC is always grumpy, possessive and has the whole Touch Her and ☠️ thing going (living vicariously through my books, because in real life, yeah, not my thing 😂) Andi Eloise and JF Harding were phenomenal in this book.
Krista (FMC) is not only fierce and independent she is dominant. Sometimes that can be off putting for me, but she was in the military so it flowed well with her character. Jacob (MMC), the enforcer for Kings of Kearny and his IDGAF attitude, until it came to Krista, covered in tattoos and also ex-military, had the whole sexy “bad boy” image down perfectly. And grandma? Loved grandma!
There were several twist and turns, rival biker clubs, and illegal activities happening that broke the golden rule of the Kings that kept me glued to my headphones…. not just the spice 😏 It didn’t hurt that the location took place in Texas so my interest was immediately peaked. My favorite parts were Krista’s inner monologues of embarrassment and Andi nailed it every time.
Do I recommend? Yes!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
3.75⭐️ this was a fast paced and entertaining read, but nothing life changing or brain altering if we’re being honest
i enjoyed my time reading, and loved the audio narrators’ performances, but something was missing to make this really great. i liked the plot and the characters, but this wasn’t necessarily ‘unputdownable’ by any means, and probably a bit forgettable if i’m honest.
so if you’re looking for a quick, easy, and enjoyable motorcycle club romance book- then i definitely recommend! something to save a slump or act as a palette cleanser, but not take too much brain power.
This was my September Hot Potato Book Club pick and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT!! Think sons of anarchy and spice 🌶️🔥Jakob & Krista is a story I’d keep reading about - I’m a little sad this was a stand alone, it was good!!!
Real in many ways, unreal in others, well worth a read/listen anyhow. Easily one on this year’s favourite thus far.
“Lights Out”, my 1st read by her, I was blown away by her awesome storytelling skills & easy way of selling quite the horrific read by weaving in this light and entertaining vibe throughout. In an age of dwindling uniqueness, she’s manages to create a spectacular book on so many levels. Truly skill fully done. So, yeah. Anything else she’s published, I’m there! And on that note… Though this one appears to pre-date LO and is a bit more mundane - IYKYK 🤭 it was well worth a listen. I got some Cowboy-ish feels and although a bit detail-heavy. Cutting 1-2000 words out wouldn’t kill the story or it’s vibe… but it would have increased its ability to hook readers and probably kept a few of the DNF-crowd going. I was loving on the light and humorous voice of the MMC and loved that it was narrated in duet-form. Especially since it is all single voice 1st P PoV . That said, I’d have LOVED to get an insight into the MMCs brain with his PoV alternated into the book. But it does work as is too
Sure, some of the letter-combo-people-agency came off a bit flimsy and our FMC did have a few flawed plans and hole-in-her-head moments where I’m sure a few other readers were screaming she was TDTL in her shitty way of operating and the constant on/off between the MCs did get a bit old, but all in all, I’d highly recommend it.
———— Same same but a bit different…
“Lights Out”, my 1st read by her, I was blown away by her awesome storytelling skills & easy way of selling quite the horrific read by weaving in this light and entertaining vibe throughout. In an age of dwindling uniqueness, she’s manages to create a spectacular book on so many levels. Truly skill fully done. So, yeah. Anything else she’s published, I’m there! And on that note… Though this one appears to pre-date LO and is a bit more mundane - IYKYK 🤭 it was well worth a listen. I got some Cowboy-ish feels and although a bit detail-heavy. Cutting 1-2000 words out wouldn’t kill the story or it’s vibe… but it would have increased its ability to hook readers and probably kept a few of the DNF-crowd going. I was loving on the light and humorous voice of the MMC and loved that it was narrated in duet-form. Especially since it is all single voice 1st P PoV . That said, I’d have LOVED to get an insight into the MMCs brain with his PoV alternated into the book. But it does work as is too
Since reading Navessa Allen’s “Lights Out”, my first read by her, I was absolutely blown away by her awesome storytelling AND her easy way of telling quite the horrific, yet light and entertaining story. I’m so grateful to have found it completely by chance. In an age of dwindling uniqueness, she’s managed to create something special on so many levels. Truly skill fully done. So, yeah. Anything else she’s published, I’m there! And on that note… As seen in GR’s, this one appears to pre-date LO and is a bit more mundane - IYKYK 🤭 It gave me some Cowboy-ish feels and although a bit detail-heavy (cutting a few thousand words out here and there, wouldn’t kill the story or it’s vibe… but it would have increased its ability to hook readers and probably kept a few of the DNF-crowd going. I was loving on the light and humorous voice of the MMC and loved that it was narrated in duet-form. Especially since it is all single voice 1st person. That said, I’d have LOVED to get an insight into the MMCs cocky attitude, smirking style off closed off-ness and his absolute obsession with the FMC.
I really enjoyed the audiobook. Krista is a strong competent FMC without overdoing the “badass” aspect. I liked that she didn’t let Jakob get away with anything, And hearing Jakob’s humility when he overstepped was practically a kink in itself a lol. Listening to this after reading Caught Up by Navessa Allen I really enjoyed it! The ending is giving a little Lana Meyers ifykyk 😉
For fans of: Sons of Anarchy, Caught Up, Bikertok (lol) and Mindf*ck Series (maybe)
MC romance is not something I typically reach for, but Nevessa Allen has become an auto-read author since I read Lights Out, so I was down to give this a try. I'm so glad I did!
This was spicy and fast-paced with an interesting biker world. I think I would have liked to see more of the other biker club/gangs to really understand the rivalry between them and the Kings, but I won't say much more to avoid spoilers.
Jakob was a grumpy man, but he was great. He's definitely book boyfriend material. Krista pissed me off sometimes. I felt like she instigated some of the miscommunication, but in the end, I loved the two of them.
I really hope there will be more in this series. I would love to see where it goes. This first book opened up a lot of possibilities!
Jakob Larson is a member of The Kings of Kearny MC. A hot, broody and sexy member. Krista works as a waiter at Charley's Bar, where the whole MC usually spends their time in. Their attraction is off the charts but both of them have baggage. What it's supposed to be a one night stand, get complicated when someone begins to mess with the retirement house in the city . It's in The King's territory, so they will do anything to protect it. And Krista's gran is there. And she will do the same. I received a free copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The story is fast, full of events that won't let you get bored. And the chemistry between the characters is fantastic.
A nice action packed hot and steamy biker romance. I love anything with bikers. They are my weak spot, so i had to read this story and it did not disepoint.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked out this book. I was in the mood for a biker and a new author. The cover and the blurb sold me on getting it and I dove in and did not regret it for one minute.
This story had me pulled from the start. Trying to figure out what was going happening, who was selling drugs, who was lying all while falling in love with Jakob and Krista.
Jakob held all his cards close to his chest, only giving Krista the parts she needed. Meanwhile Krista was putting her own plan together from what Jakob was letting her know. Every time she thought she figured it out, Jakob would give her a little more and it would all change.
I will definitely be picking up more of this author. I'm not sure if some of these characters were in other books or not.. Some stuff felt like I was missing something from not reading prior books, but it didn't alter my feelings for it.
In the end, it was a good MC book! Sadly the only downfall was I have been so busy I wasn't able to read it in 1 sitting (which I normally like to do), it actually took me a week to have the time to read it. I think if I had the time to sit and just read it I would have been way more invested in the characters and liked it just that much more.
As a longtime fan of the tv show, Sons of Anarchy, this book was simply one of my favorites!! With having seen the show, my visualization of this story was so well rustic and hardened to perfection! The storyline as a whole was very plot-twisty which I honestly didn’t see coming but loved every minute of it! Jakob and Krista’s relationship was precious (even though they are both very hard-headed) but I really did enjoy their connection with military background and being able to converse on that subject. Krista’s scar (I won’t say anymore) was very inspiring to me because although she has moments of self-doubt she remembers what she endured to receive that scar and knows just how badass of a bitch she is!!💁🏼♀️🤩
I tend to be a mood reader and I thought I just wasn’t in the mood for a MC romance, but I just didn’t vibe with this. First, the timeframe felt so off. I think so much happened within 5 days, but then they took two weeks apart, and then you get two more days of them together? It’s just not a realistic basis for a relationship with a stranger (yes, they are still strangers even though he looked into her and happens to know all her secrets). There were so many ‘twists’ that I lost track of what I was supposed to be looking for, but it all felt incompletely and rushed at the end with a couple of plot holes left gaping open.
I was bummed that this book didn’t pull me in because I love Navessa Allen and I had some expectations for this story.
This story takes place in just a matter of days. Maybe a week at most. Think of a season of Sons of Anarchy it’s action packed and leaves you on the edge of your seat. Just when you think you have it figured out think again cause it all changes again. The H and h are ex military. I won’t give anything away I went in pretty blind and not disappointed. This was my first book by this author and also was read on Kindle Unlimited.
This book takes place over a few weeks and the mains have more chemistry than half the books I’ve read this year. It was fun, spicy, and action packed. The ending was a bit rushed but I’ll forgive Navessa because she writes her characters a bit unhinged yet entirely too relatable. Plus… who doesn’t love a tattooed man who rides a motorcycle??
my one, singular, inconsequential pet peeve about it though is no one says "southern texas." it's south texas. we don't add the "ern" part when saying what part of texas we're from.