Full review appeared at Reader's Edyn on 03/29/20
Rachel has gotten herself into a tricky situation. Fearing for her sister’s well-being, she knee-jerked an agreement to pose as collateral for a local MC. Her idiot brother-in-law foolishly stole from them thinking he wouldn’t get caught and put his wife – Rachel’s sister, Maddie – in danger. Now Rachel is on her way to a new life for a specified amount of time to both work off the debt and stay under the thumb of the MC; especially it’s ridiculously sexy, dangerous leader. She can’t begin to explain the intense attraction she feels toward Stone and she’s likely not going to be able to resist him for long. Despite her precarious situation, Stone is already occupying too much of her thoughts and fantasies. But a deal is a deal. She won’t turn tail and hide. When she accidentally overhears a conversation which more than likely poses an even greater threat to the safety of herself and Maddie, she risks leaving the MC to try an avoid the inevitable dangerous confrontation. She’s always had to rely on herself and taking orders from Stone; being under his protection; quickly becoming more than just a fling; is an entirely new experience for her. If she doesn’t learn to concede to Stone’s laws, she probably isn’t looking at a very long life span.
Stone is livid. Rachel continues to defy him at every opportunity. He understands her reasoning, but he’s trying to keep her and the MC safe and her foolhardy decisions are creating more havoc than should be occurring. Either way there is going to be a confrontation with Wildman. Nothing Rachel does will keep that from happening. MCs have rivals and many times that translates to fights. It’s the lifestyle. Keeping Rachel safe from herself and others is just the beginning of his problems though. The feisty temptress has completely muddled his brain. She’s all he can think of. A stranger to feelings this intense, he tries to bury the feelings as desire, and the simple explanation it provides. But soon even Stone can’t deny it’s gone way beyond lustful attraction. Stone is a hard ass, but as the leader of the MC, he has no other choice. He has to put the MC above all else. Every decision he makes affects his men; men who expect him to have their backs. If Rachel doesn’t capitulate to Stone’s demands and learn to trust him, he’s going to be forced into a decision he is loath to make.
OK – so I really dislike the book blurb. It doesn’t summarize much of anything and forget about drawing a reader in. What caught me was the cover and the fact that I picked this deliciously rough read up free. I have read a couple of MC books in the past – not many – but a few. Most of the time they possess a similar theme including rival MCs, a hard-ass leader, tough as nails members, MC above all else, and the woman who sets everything on tilt. I have noticed that these women don’t usually tame their men. Instead, they achieve a balance between respect for the MC and the love for their man. Never mind that describing any member as tamed would insult him and possibly get him killed anyway. I wouldn’t say this book is any different. It comes down to how well the story is told. And dang! I was caught up from the start. It’s not so much that the plot was fantastic, but that the story was engaging and drew you in from the first sentence. Always hanging off a bit of suspense as to what the next move would be, I remained curious as to what would be next to unfold with each page turn. The sexual heat between Stone and Rachel was off the charts hot. I’m not even sure how my e-reader didn’t melt into a puddle of goo. Seriously. Panty scorching. Many secondary characters were introduced, most of them part of the MC itself, and I could easily see stories for many of them in the future. Based on my quick bit of research, it seems as though that particular reality has yet to come to fruition. But I’d be more than willing to read anything that may come of the Dark Menace MC in the future. I also appreciated Rachel fighting back despite her attraction to Stone. She could have easily set back and let him handle everything. Not that he didn't. That's what he does. But being thrust into this world she doesn't understand, her actions, while incredibly stupid, are also real responses. Stone wants her to trust him, but really, how can you do that when you've only just met someone and under such forced circumstances? Not to mention she's been on her own for a long time and depending on someone else isn't something is accustomed to.
My warning to anyone who prefers a sweet romance read ... when I say rough, I mean rough. Every aspect within these pages is as far from sweet as you can get. I only include this warning as a meter of sorts. I wouldn't want anyone to think it is something that it is not and find it to be completely different than expected. But even if you do prefer those more romantic reads, if you are looking for something different that will give you an experience like you've never had before, an MC themed book is definitely something that will deliver a thrill.
There were a couple of things that were a bit far-fetched, one being the final fight scene. It was so well coordinated as far as clean up that I just didn’t believe the scene would have been as pristine as the author would have us believe. However, it was a good effort despite the unlikely feat of pulling it off. Ironically, the character I was most curious about was from another MC that had a copasetic relationship with the Dark Menace Club, Hawk. As a member of a different club, he probably wouldn’t be included with further Dark Menace reads, but I will be checking out any development for him in the future. Within the Dark Menace members, I was most intrigued by Ty and Trudy. They definitely need their own story. I got the distinct impression that there was a ton of unspoken discord lurking beneath Ty’s seemingly blasé exterior. Nonchalant with everything except Trudy, of course. But Ty has crap tp work out and I'd love to see all of that come to pass so he can claim Trudy fully. Overall, I was very happy with this book and hope to be able to experience more within the Dark Menace world soon. Stone and Rachel were a thrill getting to read about and a wonderful example of passion morphing into something unexpected. Something to cherish that you’ll put above all else when it comes down to the final moments. But, you know, in a tough way ... got to let these rough and tough members hang on to their masculine essence in the face of love. 😊 Dark heroes, fierce loyalty, a bit of suspense tossed in, and sexy af ... I will be back for sure!
Kindle version purchased for my own personal library.