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A woman in need of hiding.

I thought my kids and I would be safe once we escaped the cult’s compound in the desert and started a new life in Las Vegas, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Four years later, the stakes are even higher, and I need another escape plan. Knowing I might not see the light of another day if I’m discovered, I risk everything to call an ex-coworker who had already left Nevada for a better “Did you mean it? Can you get us out?”

When she promises to send her friend, a long-haul truck driver on route nearby, to safely smuggle us out of state, all I have to do is pack and wait, hoping I’ll find the freedom I’ve been searching for since I was ten years old. In twelve hours, my kids and I will be safe and hidden away. My hand drifts to my lower stomach. And so will this one.

A trucker sent to help her.

I’m on my last long-haul job before my worsening eyesight takes me off the road for good when I get a call, asking for a smuggle a woman and her kids out of Nevada. It’s supposed to be a two-day trip, and at the end, I’m to drop them off at a mutual friend’s house. Except when a massive storm system sweeps the lower half of the country, the trip takes twice as long. It’s both a blessing and a curse that when we eventually make it to Texas, the freak-freeze causes the state’s power grid to fail, and I have to take them home to my cabin.

The more time I spend with them, playing house as we wait for the power to be restored, the clearer it becomes that our small town’s infamous whirlwind has sunk its talons into me. How am I supposed to let her and the kids go when the storm passes? When we already feel like a family? When the dangers she left behind in Las Vegas follow her all the way to her new home?

Put simply, I can’t.

Because the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

And I’m the biggest, most dangerous of them all.


Hideaway Whirlwind is the 4th book in the Big Boys of Berenson Trucking series but can be read as a standalone. Hideaway Whirlwind is a full-length, spicy, age-gap romance. Please read the Author’s Note at the beginning of the book before proceeding. Happily ever after guaranteed.

356 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 12, 2025

88 people are currently reading
177 people want to read

About the author

May Alder

17 books515 followers
May Alder would like to thank her life-long maladaptive daydreaming disorder and rampant #daddyissues for the storylines that have been brewing in her mind for years. Her need to turn them into something productive, a positive instead of a negative, has spurred her to write her stories and release them into the world.

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5 stars
220 (40%)
4 stars
167 (30%)
3 stars
104 (19%)
2 stars
43 (7%)
1 star
12 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
Profile Image for Jamie.
1,122 reviews277 followers
September 12, 2025
These kind of books (insta-love, obsessed) just don’t work in my opinion when the H has a dead ex that he loved AND STILL LOVES 🤢 it overshadowed the book for me and made me honestly not like it all that much. He has his dead wife’s name tatted on him and the h doesn’t want him to cover it up because she knows he still loves her (which he confirms that he does). ALSO, and this was the reason for two stars instead of three, THE HEROINE GIVES THE H HIS WEDDING RING FROM HIS FIRST WIFE AND TELLS HIM SHE WANTS HIM TO WEAR IT AND THEN NAMES THE BABY’S MIDDLE NAME THE NAME HIM AND HIS WIFE WERE GOING TO NAME THEIR KIDS!!!! 🤮 mind you, this ring is also ENGRAVED with his other wife’s name! I fucking hate dead ex books and if I had known the H had one, I wouldn’t have read this.

It’s seriously SUCH a contradiction to me to have a book where the H is pathetically obsessed with the h, yet at the same time he still loves another woman…. Maybe I’m heartless but I don’t find that sweet or heartwarming at all! Like why did he have to have an ex that he loved??? It made no sense to me at all
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Soft Nectarine ~.
441 reviews922 followers
September 15, 2025
Silver fox trucker & young single mom in need of a rescue 🚛💚✨ AGE GAP so large it gave me vertigo!

Pregnant with 3 kids in tow Teagan is escaping an abusive home. Who else but a silver fox trucker aka Elliot comes to the rescue! The hodgepodge family gets snowed in & he bonds with the family WAY TO FAST but alas this is the nature of Berenson trucker men 🤷🏽‍♀️ a bit ridiculous & taboo but I kind of enjoyed it!

This was an interesting brand of dark because while their dynamics were taboo the relationship was pretty vanilla. Most of the darkness comes from their circumstances & traumatic past. Moments that stood out:

🚛 tattooed giant that goes complete SIMP

🚛 33+ AGE GAP so big her kids call him Santa and telling him what the want for Christmas

🚛 getting married on a grave

🚛 Daddy kink & he calls her Mama

🚛 he always asks permission to cum

Taboo relationship did work on me!! The age gap was ginormous but I was okay with it (IN FICTION). Likely because he (trauma) bonded with the kids and they loved him. HOWEVER, I had a problem with the transactional nature of their first bedroom escapade (as did he!).

A bit of a throwaway read but it was exactly what I needed! Read the trigger warnings though ‼️
Profile Image for Ash.
421 reviews133 followers
September 16, 2025
I was waiting for this one and it didn’t disappoint. This is for sure a bit more darker than May’s previous books but I ate it up. Birdie and Elliot truly were made for each other. AND OMGGG I can’t wait for second gen because William has been after Lily since book 1😭
Profile Image for Jessie ツ.
375 reviews
not-safe-dnr
December 11, 2025
SELF NOTE - 😞dead ex wife H still loves & is brought up + her named tatted + gives h HER ring. I’m shocked tbh, this isn’t usually this authors vibe😭
Profile Image for Lisa.
2 reviews
September 4, 2025
I’m obsessed with this author!! I love how real her stories and characters are. This book definitely delivers. A smidge darker than I normally like, I still loved the characters and their whirlwind romance. I had a ARC copy so was so glad I didn’t have to wait until the 12th! There is something so comforting about people finding their person. It never gets old!
289 reviews
September 13, 2025
3 ⭐️

I adore this series and I love May Alder‘s writing style, so I’m really sad that this is „only“ a 3 star read for me. This book is much darker than the previous installments and while this was acknowledged in the Author‘s Note, I do think the content would have warranted a more thorough trigger warning. I also still don’t understand what exactly the author meant about Elliot‘s „thing that he does“ and now I feel like I’ve missed some essential part of the plot lol
I also couldn’t really get into/behind Teagan‘s darker headspace and while I can objectively recognize why she did the things she did (like kill her exes and kill her mother) I really was missing the emotional impact of this. Especially the very sudden joy she experienced when forcing her mother to kill herself kind of surprise me and I wish we’d have gotten more of her backstory in the compound and her feelings towards her mother before it became suddenly relevant. The only time she really thought about her mother was when she was suddenly there and ready to be killed?
Another thing along the same lines is Elliot’s love for his dead wife. While widow romances can work and I’m not generally opposed to reading romances like this, I was very confused how towards the end it was emphasized that Elliott is still in love with Meredith and even wears her wedding ring again (after it’s been found after X years). This didn’t feel like it was a topic at all in the first 60-70% of the book and it felt weird to suddenly have his long lasting love for his wife come up just while he’s starting to build this life with Teagan.

All in all, it was so lovely to return to the Whirlwind Universe and I’m looking forward to the next one. This one just clearly wasn’t for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jody Lee.
830 reviews47 followers
September 6, 2025
May Alder has a through line in this series, and it is very young women, either pregnant (or soon to be, WINK) in a spot of trouble, and being rescued out of it by much older men who all work for the same trucking company. Here she just gleefully twists the dials up to and maybe past eleven, and let me tell you, I had a great time reading it (not the parts about her terrible past, just how over the top it was in general).

Teagan has finally escaped her abusive situation, and has called her friend Goldie from an earlier book for rescue. Enter Elliott, the screwed up, ex-con brother of truck company owner Russell. He's on a last run before retirement and detours to pick her up with her three kids. It's all very insta-love/lust (the titular whirlwind of the series). Slightly complicated by, oh, the 30+ year age gap, the fact that he has a Dark Past, the fact that she is freshly escaped from Horrific Circumstances, and plenty more.

Anyway, Teagan, who truly has had a ROUGH ROUGH past and has had bodily autonomy qualms beaten out of her, fully expects that she's in a transactional space, and that she owes Elliott for his help, "merely a task to be completed and promptly forgotten." Unfortunately for him, he never thinks to question why a recently traumatized woman less than half his age would jump into bed, and they never talk about it. Alder really does a great job of showing the assumptions they both make, and how perfectly valid they are. He's building a castle in the air of ready-made family and home, she's waiting for a storm to clear so she can get to her friends and start an autonomous life for the first time, and meanwhile paying her way.

Alder is great in this series about explicitly reframing on page behavior that the characters might characterize as proof of their feelings as problematic. At one point he is (he thinks) showing his concern but not listening to her as she says to stop, another character brings the tough love. "Teagan has just barely survived and escaped another horrific situation, and the six-foot-six felon who carries a shotgun at all times and once kept her isolated at his cabin in the woods is now stalking her and her kids." (lol, well when you put it that way...). Messaged received, for at least 24 hours anyway.

This author does skillful work in transitioning her couples from unequal footing to parity, here we see evidence of Elliott following her lead (again, WINK) in bed, and being consistent and meticulous about checking consent even years into their HEA.

But honestly, their HEA was never in question. You might think this would be a morality chain romance, where she brings him into the light, but they have both done some things they don't regret. These two perfectly match each other's freak. Even Russell, Russell! who stalked his wife for three years, hired her to do sex work for him rather than be emotionally vulnerable, and committed a few threats/maybe actual shmurders himself on the way to his HEA thinks these two maybe go too far. Just as a general observation, if you have to wonder how many times you can [something bad] without regret before it being an issue, you've probably done it too many times.

This is not the book I would start with in this series, or actually maybe I would. Unlike the others, which are firmly of this world, albeit one with plenty of insta-love and zero issues from making permanent decisions on very little information, and usually enough of a financial or power imbalance to make them slightly chancy, this one is so over the top it's a whole different game. I read this as Dark Romance/Mafia/Shifter (they are always biting each other during mating, and scent marking each other)-adjacent. As Goldie tells Teagan when she is worried about Elliott's felonious past and prison stint, "Eh, [...] that's weirdly common around here." If you are in a headspace where you can just roll with how things are done in this world, it's a heck of an entertaining read.

All I can say is given her penchant for having a large age gap in this universe the author better tread lightly if she is setting up next-gen books (as it appears). I better not see anyone who was one of the small children on page here with anyone who is an adult in these current books!

Alder gives TW/CW for this book, and HEED THEM. The FMC is the victim of repeated CSA/ Child Marriage in a cult resulting in pregnancy, DV, and SA by an ex all in the past, and there is a rough fight with DV assault and threatened DV assault of a child as she makes her escape. There's a little light shmurder on page in present day, but honestly it's fine. There is a LOT of casual wearing, threatening and deploying of guns on page, which is jarring if that is not your culture (the author is from Texas).

Thank you to the author for this arc.
Profile Image for Mandy Robitaille .
2,181 reviews20 followers
September 6, 2025
I swear, every book in this series just gets better and better—Elliot and Teagan completely stole my heart! We’ve got a single mom on the run, daddy kink, big age gap, AND the best found family vibes and it was everything I needed rolled into one story. I was absolutely sobbing at scenes. This book was just so beautifully written. It left me speechless and I already want to read it again.
Profile Image for isa.
474 reviews
September 13, 2025
Everything and everyone pissed me off. Sadly, I’m disappointed. This book had the potential to be the best, but the author just didn’t know how to develop it. She ruined characters I actually liked in the previous books, and by the end she did a complete 180 with Tegan’s personality. Anyway, I read it fast and I’m still excited for the second generation
Profile Image for Ashley.
132 reviews1 follower
September 26, 2025
Just no. I was excited for this, but how do you thank someone for saving your kids, and you, from an abusive situation by thinking it’s required to pay them with sex and then say that you had to force yourself through it. It broke my heart seeing him so hurt by the fmc multiple times
Profile Image for Baby Got Books.
306 reviews23 followers
September 13, 2025
My rating system is so wild I gotta say. Its a mixture of feels, vibes, preference, what category I am reading (I think its unfair to rate novellas low because they are short or erotica low because it doesn't have a ton of backstory...in my non-humble personal opinion) AND how well written something is.

I put reality away and really went on this ride of a story and had a great time. BUT I would probably report just about everyone in this fucking town for misconduct in real life! ha ha ha no but seriously.

This book is just crazy on paper.

We got a huge ass age gap that I am not behind in real life for all the very obvious reasons however this series makes me buy into this fantasy world of these tough ass, down and out young women and these older (some much older than others) rough and tumble blue collar truckers who want to love them to the point of obsession.

A FMC, Teagan who has a past to make you shudder in horror and is still fighting for a better, safer life for her and her kids. One example she is 22 and has a 6 year old, 5 year old and a 2 year old. You can do that math. Obviously this is prior to her meeting the MMC.

This relationship develops very quickly due to some trauma bonding, forced proximity and and some misunderstanding on the best way to thank someone...iykyk. Yikes!

These two even with the age gap are a match made in their individual hells. The lengths these two will go to protect the ones they love is both epic and criminal.

Things individually I enjoyed:
-The kids were done well in that they were kids and not overly kids if you get me.
-Elliott cried a lot...big scary dudes crying is kinda my kink
-Teagan was soooo goth...black wedding dress anyone
-Even the other couples in this series were pretty scared of these two...for good reason
-All the rescue pets!
-The twist about one of the kids...I didn't see it coming and it added a great emotional punch to an already emotional story.
-The ending epilogue sneak peak into the future of the series.

Check your triggers on this one and this series. The whole series dials everything up regarding age gaps, obsession, birth control/breeding kinks, lots of pregnancy stuff (birth, not the fathers, infertility, lactation)

Overall I am excited to see where this series goes!
Profile Image for thebeespot72.
1,762 reviews186 followers
September 11, 2025
May Alder outdid herself with Hideaway Whirlwind. I’ve read each book in the Big Boys of Berenson Trucking Series and loved every couple, fully invested in their lives. Hideaway Whirlwind, though, had all the fun tropes I love—big age gap and steamy, spicy scenes—and also had some darker themes related to 22-year-old Birdie needing to escape an unsafe situation, along with her kids and her past ties with a cult catching up to her.

Fifty-five-year-old Elliott, one of the trucking company's owners, agrees to help Birdie and her kids escape their unsafe situation. The scene is incredibly intense and sets the tone for more.

It was easy to fall for Elliott. The romance between him and Birdie was wonderful. I could understand why Birdie made her decisions regarding Elliott and her kids. I loved how Elliott was a big, strong guy but was quite sensitive too, especially when it came to Birdie and the kids. Overall, I thought Hideaway Whirlwind was a pretty special story. I enjoyed the characters and story.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘔𝘢𝘺 𝘈𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘌-𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺. 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺.
Profile Image for Staci Hughes.
13 reviews2 followers
September 13, 2025
**maybe spoliers, idk i tried to keep it vauge enough not to ruin anything**

I just love May Alder! I loved the book but they still can beat the first book in this series there is just something about Dolly and Wyatt that cant be beat. Teagan and Elliott are an not a couple I would have paired together myself, but it works based on what life handed them.

Teagan is a struggling single mom with multiple past "lives" identities that haunt her. Elliott is a semi retired trucker with a rap sheet. When Elliott has to help Teagan escape he falls for Teagan and her kids.

Elliott has always wanted a family and will do anything for his “Birdie” and children. To me his level of pushy in the story is super sweet. Obvs I would probably be reacting like Teagan if it was happening in real life lol.

Being a mom myself the scenes where Teagan thinks she is protecting her kids and breaks my heart for those kids. And lord does May know how to raise my BP with the way Elliott's friends and family are so quick to think the worst of him when he has been there for them through all the other books.
Profile Image for Ashley.
78 reviews19 followers
September 9, 2025
Gosh…May Alder did not hold back with this one! I think Elliot may actually be my favorite in this entire series! He and Teagan have both been through so much in their lives, that I cannot think of two people more deserving of a ride-or-d!e love like this. They make the cutest family and it just feels like true FATE with how well they all fit together.

More than once, I cried with Elliot. (I may or may not be tearing up just reliving the story as I write this review). This book will have you so emotionally invested and you just get more and more sucked into it the further the story goes.

This book not only brought the emotional hits, but it also brought the spice! Elliot is a man who will happily beg to his woman, grovel, and worship her the entire time. It was wonderful to see Birdie get to experience positive intimacy as well after what she’s had to endure.

Papa Elliot and Mama Birdie will forever have a special place in my heart, and I cannot stress enough that you all should be adding this to your TBRs!
Profile Image for Shalaina Conner.
3 reviews1 follower
September 2, 2025
Where do I even begin?? I’ve read all of May Alder’s books, and I was so excited to receive an advanced copy of the fourth in the Whirlwind series!!! With a darker twist than the others, it holds the title for my favorite so far! Elliott and Taegan are unhinged, chaotic, obsessive, and absolutely perfect for each other. I was surprised at the softness of Elliott throughout the book because he seemed so cold and dark in Castaway Whirlwind, but the softness is a perfect balance for his ruthlessness, and readers can see how much he loves Taegan and their children. Taegan came in strong-willed and brave, yet traumatized, and while I experienced frustration with her determination to stay away from Elliott, I have so much respect for her ability to recognize that she didn’t want to fall into similar patterns she had with her exes. I love these characters so much, and I can’t wait to see what May Alder comes up with next!
Profile Image for ❁ lilyreadsromance ❁.
2,054 reviews1,158 followers
January 15, 2026
I did not enjoy this as much as the rest of the series. It felt a little dragging in pace and a bit too much on the melodrama side and less on the caveman side. Which, in hindsight, considering the story the author is trying to tell, it does need that melodrama... just it was maybe a tad too much for me.

All in all, I was bored.
Profile Image for Erica Hamilton.
10 reviews
September 2, 2025
I have read every May Alder book in each series that she has written. I have to say this one hit me the hardest. I’ve been waiting for this story since finishing Castaway Whirlwind and it didn’t disappoint. I’ve said this about her writing style many times but she is an author that can write pain on the page and have the reader actually feel the heartbreak.

I won’t leave any spoilers since I received an arc and the book will not be released for another few days but this one has been my favorite out of the whirlwind series and a definite reread for me.
Profile Image for Canadianmombooks.
526 reviews
January 7, 2026
Have not stopped thinking about this story so I came back to change my rating to a 5⭐️! Elliot was the ultimate book boyfriend in this series 😍

Large age gap, single mom to x 3 kids soon to be 4 and he doesn’t hesitate to be the dad they never had. Sign me up!
Real talk though…
She’s in an abusive situation from the grandma and can’t get away but off these men who were awful to her…. Like what… anyways I know this is fiction. I enjoyed this world so much and I’ll likely read the next generation also! I’m a sucker for a
Spicy trucker romance who knew
Profile Image for Emma Maria.
4 reviews
September 3, 2025
~ARC review~
When May Adler writes it, I read it. I‘ve read all of her books and every single one hits!
This book was definitely different from
The rest of the series, but the read was still worth it! I would have loved it if the book wasn’t so fast paced, because it was shorter than the others in the series. But it was interesting with the whole cult thing, and also the end was extremely intriguing and I am very excited to see what comes next.
If you like a strong fmc and an obsessed mmc, this one is for you ;)

Thank you May Adler for the ARC 🫶🏼
Profile Image for Elizabeth ☕️.
201 reviews84 followers
Read
December 17, 2025
h has 3 kids + 1 on the way with OM at 22 years old…
H is 55 years old who’s still deeply in love with his dead ex-wife…

What could this couple possibly have in common ?🧍🏻‍♀️

Complete 180 from her story Her Relentless Angel. (Fav from author)
Profile Image for Chin.
147 reviews2 followers
September 17, 2025
DNF.. apart from the ‘ I love my dead wife’ trope, Teagan was just a nightmare
Profile Image for spicy_book_nook.
532 reviews23 followers
September 20, 2025
Thoughts : I love this series! These men have me in a choke hold! Dolly and Wyatt are definitely OG through to the end, but Elliott has that edge of darkness to him we all crave. Although Teagan grated my nerves for a bit, it all worked out. The spice… 😮‍💨

Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot / Storyline 👩🏻‍💻: 📑📑📑
First Spicy Scene: 22 %
Darkness: 🖤🖤
Red Flags: 🚩🚩🚩
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
HEA: YES
POV: Dual

⚠️⚠️⚠️spoilers - whole story***
Teagan (who we met with Davis and Marigold/Goldie) is a single mom of 3 waitressing at a diner run by her ex’s mother, Priscilla. Priscilla also runs drugs out of the back of the kitchen of the diner and because Teagan knows what is happening (along with other innocent staff) Priscilla rules with an iron fist and doesn’t let Teagan out of her sight. She always checks her phone and whereabouts.
Teagan is subject to physical and emotional abuse, ever since she was little. Her father dies when she was young, causing her mom to move away and ended up in a cult. Teagan was married off at 14, had her first child by 16. She managed to get away when she was 19 only to end up penniless and homeless with 2 kids and forced into the arms of Quincy. He seems ok at first and they have a kid but then she realizes he is into drugs and what the diner is about, so she kicks him out. Quincy does of an overdose. Now she has 3 kids, 6 (Sydney), 5 (Dustin), and 2 (Kendall) and one on the way but she is hiding it because she doesn’t want Priscilla to be able to take either of Quincy’s kids away.
Teagan is finally ready to run and calls Goldie for help. Elliott is sent to get her and the kids and comes at the nick of time. Teagan and Priscilla are literally battling it out, the kids crying and trying to save their momma. Elliott sub dues her, Teagan slams a board over her head knocking her out.
They make it out and Elliott is immediately taken (as the Berenson men are). He has always wanted a family but his wife died in a drunk driving accident and he unalived the driver with a bullet in the back of his head. He went to prison because of it. He is tall and tattooed and big! He is self conscious about his “dad” bod.
He is taken with the kids and the tension between him and Teagan is palpable.
When they get to the town Goldie lives in, the weather is snowy / stormy and Elliott lets them stay at his place.
He plays house but finds he is loving it.
Teagan goes to him the first night, feeling like it is expected.
Elliott thinks they are falling for each other. Elliott confesses he wants her and the kids but she has never had a choice and his strong Berenson pheromones are too much for her. They break up and he still shows up trying to show her he wants her. Kayla’s, one of the girls, basically tells him she never had a choice with her body and him laying it on thick is kind of forcing her to be with him. That the children she has, although she loves them fiercely, was never her choice. Elliott understands and backs off. Her mother shows up. Teagan thought her mother passed with the cult in the explosion.
Sydney isn’t really her child, she is her sister. But she couldn’t let Sydney go through what she went through. So she took her and ran before the cult was blown up.
Her mother demands Sydney back so she can trade her off to start the cult again. They unalive her.
Teagan and Elliott make up and even though Elliott wants children, Teagan doesn’t want any more. So Elliott claims her 4 as his own.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for cuore__di__carta.
182 reviews2 followers
September 13, 2025
ENG/ITA REVIEW

ENG
The most heart wrenching, soulful, dark and passionate book of the series sees ex-felon Elliott fall for the much younger Teagan while he helps her and her children escape the clutches of her past. Delve into it!

BLURB
Trucker Elliott is sent to the rescue with his truck: he has to help a girl named Teagan to cross states and start a new life. He's grumpy, silent and toughened by his violent experiences, but he comes to his knees in front of fiery Teagan, a young mum who'd do anything to protect her babies... and her new love, especially when her past runs after her.

I had a huge crush on Elliott well before he had his own book, because he's always been so full of secrets, he seemed like the one who needed love the most. And I was right. It's amazing how the author draws the characters' changing path through the story, how well they come to know each other and forgive themselves. And the hot moments are incomparably good. Also, it's a pleasure to see again all the other characters, like they're all a big family.

What I appreciate most about May Alder's books are her enamoured, sweet heroes with a gruff exterior: their ability to experience so completely their feelings even when they could make them appear weak (but that's definitely false) is what makes all the difference. Thank you, dear May, for this ARC opportunity and the beautiful fictional world you created. It doesn't cease to give me comfort. Until next time!

RATE: 5/5

--

ITA
Finalmente arriva il quarto libro di questa bellissima serie romance dove camionisti super grumpy si innamorano perdutamente delle ragazze che traggono in salvo. L'autrice è una garanzia!

TRAMA
Elliott Berenson, il più grande di età nel suo gruppo di amici, viene inviato dal Texas a Las Vegas per portare in salvo Teagan e i suoi bambini, che sfuggono a una situazione intollerabile. Pur essendo chiuso e taciturno, Elliott presto si innamora della combattiva Teagan, reclamando come suoi lei e i suoi piccoli. Ma cosa succede quando il passato torna a bussare alla porta?

Adoro i libri di May Alder, sono sempre pieni di protagonisti coriacei all'esterno e dolcissimi all'interno, che attraversano l'inferno per le loro amate e la loro famiglia, sono protettivi, possessivi ma molto teneri. Bellissimo il processo di crescita dei due protagonisti, le interazioni tra di loro, i bambini e i vecchi volti dei libri precedenti. C'è in queste storie una familiarità confortante che porta a leggerle e rileggerle. Ringrazio la bravissima autrice per la fiducia nel concedermi una copia ARC e attendo le prossime meraviglie!

VOTO: 5/5
Profile Image for Drea.
70 reviews5 followers
September 25, 2025
⭐️ Overall Rating: 5/5
🌶️ Spice Rating: 3.5/5
TW: On-Page Violence, Discussions of SA, Off-page Murder, Child marriage, Cult Brainwashing

Okay. First of all: I stayed up until 5 AM reading this. FIVE. IN. THE. MORNING. Because apparently “just one more chapter” is my Roman Empire. Absolutely unhinged behavior, but worth it.

This book was dark, twisty, and surprisingly tender in ways I didn’t expect. Elliot is such a different Bernison man. He’s quiet, restrained, and respectful but no less down bad (I’d argue he may be the most down bad…). He’s the kind of man who doesn’t shout his obsession, but you feel it in every action. Honestly? The quiet ones are the most dangerous, and May Alder nailed that.

What really got me was the emotional nuance: Elliot is judged more harshly than the other Bernison men because of his past, and it adds this layer of complexity to his obsession. That moment with Russell? Gut punch. He’s not given the benefit of the doubt, even though the other MMCs were just as unhinged (if not more so… Wyatt I’m looking at you). It made him feel so much more layered and tragic. Protect this crybaby giant, please.

And then there’s Teagan. Out of all the FMCs, she feels the most self-aware. She’s the one openly saying, “Hey, this isn’t normal,” while also casually dropping, “Oh btw, I’ve killed people.” 😂 She called the shots the whole time, and I loved that balance: she’s sharp, dark, twisty, and still carrying all the scars of her past. Her reflections on motherhood, judgment, and what it means to parent after trauma? Some of the rawest, realest moments in the series so far. I loved that Elliott prioritized that, knowing that she had so little opportunity to make any choices . It was high key the theme of this book, and it made me so friggin emotional.

The age gap piece was handled so well. They didn’t ignore the reality (he’ll likely go first considering the 33 year age gap), but instead leaned into choosing love anyway. It was romantic without shying away from the uncomfortable truths, and honestly? That honesty made their relationship stronger.

Spice-wise: definitely tamer compared to Wyatt or Davis. But the emotional depth more than made up for it. (Although I nearly screamed at the biting and the tattoo reveal — May Alder, ma’am, please.)

Series-wise, this one felt like a perfect darker bookend to Dolly’s start. Elliot and Teegan gave me the ache, the angst, the obsession, and the tenderness. But now my brain is fully consumed with: WHAT IS GOING ON WITH LILY. I need answers. Immediately.

TL;DR: Quiet obsession, emotional depth, and a crybaby giant of a man who just wants to love his girl. Hideaway Whirlwind was raw, haunting, and unexpectedly tender, easily one of May Alder’s most layered books yet.
30 reviews
October 1, 2025
✨ ARC REVIEW ✨

May Alder's genius strikes again!

This book was perfect and I don't say that lightly. It made me laugh, smile, giggle, fan myself and cry (which is very rare when it comes to books for me!). I loved nearly everything: their relationship and the way it developed, the characters and the way they evolved even though the book happens over a couple of weeks or so.

Elliott and Teagan are proof that you can overcome a rough past and things do get better.

Elliott was pure May Alder MMCs goodness: big & burly, an absolute goner for his girl who's not afraid to be vulnerable (Elliott much more than the other guys I think), and of course, obsessed with her. I loved how he wasn't afraid to cry or whimper, whether it was in front of Teagan or their friends & family. I didn't imagine him to be a crier but I wasn't disappointed because it made sense for his character arc.

Teagan, or Birdie, was probably one of the strongest FMCs I've ever read. Sure, she broke down and struggled, but she always manages to overcome said struggles. She's strong because of everything she went through and because she was ready to do anything for her children. Her character development and emotional journey are quite the rollercoaster but they're so worth it! I loved that she didn't just sit back and wait for someone to save her. Babe saved herself and her kids! She's an amazing mother.

The chapter where they found the dogs and chapter 17 (specifically) had me in tears! The emotions were so raw and so heartbreaking, all thanks to incredible writing.

I've been hit by a reading slump, then work got in the way, finally when I could get back to reading I got sick so I haven't done a lot of reading these past months. This book was my first ARC after all that and I ate it up in a few days. Truly, the author's writing is amazing. There isn't any other word for it. I also ARC read the previous book in this series and I'd noticed how her writing keeps improving and this book was utterly perfection! May's become one of my go-to authors 😍

Teagan and Elliott's story was so heartbreakingly beautiful! Read now💜

(please tell me there'll be a second gen series!!🥺)
Profile Image for reignofpersephone.
76 reviews6 followers
October 3, 2025
(ARC Review)
Rating: 5 Stars
Spice: 3/3
Tropes: Age Gap, Small Town, Single Mum, Forced Proximity, Snowed In
TW: Stalking, DV, Sexual Assault, Child Abuse, Cult, Kidnapping, Drug Addiction, Death

"Fuck it. Serial killer or not, I'm still a better mother than the crazy bitch who raised me."

This is book 4 in the Big Boys of Berenson Trucking series and is an interconnected standalone.

Our FMC is Teagan (Birdie) A 22 year old single mum of 3 with one on the way living in hell and desperate to escape. One night she makes the desperate call to Marigold (the FMC from book 2) and so her plan to escape begins.

Our MMC is Elliot. He's 55 years old and the older brother of Russel from book 3 and fellow truck driver. He is sent to rescue our FMC and her kids and take them back with him to Texas where she can start a brand new life.

The events that follow will have you experiencing an array of emotions. So get your tissues ready and prepare to be shocked the hell out of.

This book was EVERYTHING. Let me tell you l've never cried so damn hard in my life or been so shocked. The story brought you such emotionally charged moments with so much darkness but the light that comes is so worth it.

I'm saying it right now Elliot is NOW MY FAVOURITE MMC. This man isn't afraid to show emotion. When he cried I cried SOO DAMN HARD. He is this beautiful man with such a haunting past. I've never been so happy in my life to see someone get their happy ending because this man DESERVED THE WORLD. Also we love a man that begs.

It took me awhile to warm up to Birdie but I always knew her intentions and reasons behind her decisions and couldn't fault her on that. She's a damn good mother and fierce protector of her babies and you can't help but admire the hell out of her. Let me give you advice though do not underestimate her because damn I wasn't expecting the plot twists and when she finally revealed some truths, I was like DAMN MAMA!!!


Both of their darkness collides and together the most beautiful light is formed.

This book is heavy on FATE and I honestly think everyone needs to add it to their TBR right now.

Happy reading xo
Profile Image for Dakota.
39 reviews1 follower
September 4, 2025
If you want a man on his hands and knees, crawling, begging, SOBBING for you... Elliott Berenson is for you.

I've been saying that Big Boys of Berenson Trucking gets better and better with every book, and it really truly does. Every book continues the character growth, stories, and world development with such beauty and talent that has firmly placed May Alder in the all time favorite authors category.

When we met Elliott in the previous books (mainly book 3), he was made to be a walking red flag. He practically screamed WARNING with his intimidating frame (6'6, almost 300 lbs) and the fact he's an ex-con. While, yes, Elliott is definitely that, we also see how absolutely AMAZING he is. I sobbed the entire book because of that man and he will forever be one of my top 3 MMCs of all time. My chest hurts just thinking of that man.

Teagan, our FMC... Wow. She was one of the most frustrating FMCs ever, and I absolutely LOVED her! I saw a lot of myself in her (most of the reason I found her frustrating at times), from her stubbornness to how headstrong she was, and definitely how hyper-independent she was. She was an incredible mother and the PERFECT soulmate to Elliott. Her strength was inspiring and the things she had to survive were soul crushing.

The relationship we watched develop between Elliott and Teagan was so beautiful. The thing I loved the most about it was how realistic and deeply emotional in was. While HW was the perfect 4th installment to the BBoBT series, it was also a book that was so different from the rest, from the MCs relationship, to the empowerment of the MCs themselves. I didn't think I could fall in love with this world and the characters more than I already was, but this book proved me wrong. No matter the words I use or how I string them together, nothing will do justice to just how beautiful this story was.

I cannot WAIT for the next installment to BBoBT, and if you're on the fence about starting this series, please, just do it. You will never EVER regret it!
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