Completely stand-alone follow up to the bestselling Sanctum…
Deeply handsome, with endless brown eyes and a jawline square and cut like marble. His white t-shirt fit snugly over his chest and arms, revealing lean muscle lines that nonetheless exuded a strength of something predatory…
Will
I was a different man two years ago. I was soft, too easy-going.
Look where that got me. Death and destruction, and all of it my fault. I wasn’t going to let that happen again.
Now all I wanted to do was fight, drink and fuck.
I couldn’t imagine that anything short of retribution for the past could make me want to turn back into the man I was before.
I certainly never imagined someone like Eva…
Eva
When my brother and I moved to this small little town to take over my Uncle’s bar, I thought that it was just going to be like a little mini vacation from our lives.
What I didn’t expect was to be threatened almost as soon as we got there. And I certainly didn’t expect protection from that threat to come from a man like Will Bowers.
Dark, violent and completely gorgeous. He’s the complete opposite of the type of guy I’m usually attracted to, but then again, I’ve never met a man like him before. My instinct tells me to stay far away, but at the same time, I can’t ignore the feeling that there is more to him than his rough exterior. I see something behind all of that pain in his eyes. Something that draws me forward.
Besides, my friend Laura is always telling me that I spend too much time with my head buried in my books, and that I need to actually lift it up and live a little.
Maybe she’s right, but I don’t think this is what she had in mind.
Note: This is a stand-alone romance novel with an HEA ending. It contains sex and violence and is intended for adults only. Although this is the second book set in the world of the Black Dogs MC, it can be read without reading Sanctum.
I picked this book up three times. I am not sure if it is the writing style or the characters. The heroine just came out of an abusive (mental and physical) marriage. The hero talks to her like a jerk. He comes over and apologizes and she instantly has a physical connection. This was just the hero and heroine's second meeting.
Great premise, but I could not connect and the heroine's behavior (she let the hero touch her) did not make sense after she explained how her ex-husband treated her. This may work for you, but it did not work for me.
Plus I did not need details about the hero's sex scenes with the stripper and other woman. I got that he was a man-whore after the first sex scene with the woman.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I really liked this story. We get to see a lot more of Will and the demons that he's trying to deal with. Eva is like a breath of fresh air that Will doesn't realize he needs, and while having Will in her life makes things dangerous, he is exactly what Eva needs to move on from her old life.
Retribution – Black Dogs MC #2 Sienna Valentine 4.5 stars
Will and Eva … YES!
Will’s life is shattered in one huge blaze. Two years ago his heart was ripped from his chest and he has fallen into a deep and dark despair. Women, booze and more women leaving them with no feeling what so ever and no guilt. He has no one to prove anything to; not even his club. Henry has made him smile and move forward but Will cant seem to forget.
Eva and Charlie have come to help out their Uncle Owen. Eva ran to the safety of her brother after Charlie fought to get her away from Rick her ex husband. Rick kept her hidden, he cut her off from her friends and family. Finally when her best friend and Charlie pulled her out she was malnourished and broken. Leaving the city could be good for her. The country is quite and finally Eva can hear herself think.
Will didn’t mean to stumble on to Eva being threatened but he wont stand by this time and let someone else make the decisions for him. His plan is retribution. He wont be stopped this time and he wont form an alliance.
Charlie doesn’t know what to do. This stranger came to Eva and his defense but the question is why. Charlie knows something isn’t right and isn’t sure what to do. He cant let Eva be harmed and he has no idea who these men are or what they want but he isn’t sure that Will isn’t as dangerous.
This was a fantastic second book in the Black Dogs MC series. You can certainly read these books as standalones but I don’t know why you would! Sanctum was just as good. (Jase and Maggie’s story) I love the story lines in this series. I also love that they are standalones but you get to see how the previous characters are doing. I hope that we get to hear Ghosts’ story next! It should be a good one as he is a hot mess.
Eva is a sweet yet very strong character. I absolutely loved that Sienna wrote a character who was “innocent” but yet could turn into a seductress when it came to Will. I know it doesn’t make sense but it will. I also loved that Will was brutal and hardened but when it came to Eva his true self came through. See the turn in the characters demeanor when it came to the other … LOVE IT!
Wow this is the first book that I read from this author, and I have to say that I love it, love the characters and love how the book turned out to be can't wait to read more about this author books.
I admit, I’ve quickly become a fan of Sienna Valentine. After reading Sanctum, the story of Jase and Maggie, it was a no-brainer to immediately add Retribution (Will) and Vindication (Ghost) to the queue. Valentine’s writing is so entertaining and easy to read, and the humor and natural-flowing conversation and actions between the main characters make it seem as if it’s real-to-life. The characters are well-developed and true individuals, and the descriptive language and analogies add a lot of substance and tactility to the story.
In Retribution, Will Bowers is not the same Will Bowers that readers came to like in Sanctum. His heart has hardened and his soul is dark, and he is drowning his life in women and booze after enduring the agonizing loss of his grandmother in an arson. Will is now a shell of a man. Enter Eva and her brother Charlie, who are overseeing the bar constructed on the former site of Will’s grandmother’s bakery for their uncle who is away caring for his dying wife. When Eva and Charlie are threatened by thugs eager to start up racketeering, Will steps in to thwart their efforts. It turns out that he’s drawn to Eva’s simple beauty and her love of books and Shakespeare. Before long, Eva and Will have surrendered to their lust for one another. Charlie eventually heads into town and shares a picture of Will with the townspeople to try to figure out who this guy really is and discovers he’s a member of the MC. In turn, Jase and Tommy return to the bar with Charlie and drag him out of there and head back to the club for a meeting with the club who was responsible for threatening the bar. It turns out that there has been a coup in this other MC and, without further ado, the problem is handled without too much ado. This finally brings Will peace since the leader of the coup was really the one responsible for the arson that killed his grandmother. Will makes up with Jase and his MC brothers, but now Will worries that Eva will no longer love him because of his screw ups.
Will and Eva make a nice couple, especially once Will returns to his former self, but for me there was no true chemistry between the two of them even though the sex scenes were steamy on paper. The authenticity of their feelings seemed more real when Eva showed up at the MC bar to get back together with Will after the racketeering problem was eliminated. At this point, seeing the two of them together seemed natural and right.
P.S. Valentine also did a brilliant job of staying true to the characters. For anyone else who found it difficult to relate to Jase so easily looking beyond Maggie leaving him and returning after five years in Sanctum, that element of Jase’s personality popped out again in Retribution. Jase readily forgave Will for pushing against him so hard for so long once Will’s demeanor shifted after the ones responsible for his grandmother’s death were finally killed.
A gripping tale that pulled me in right from the start! An emotional roller-coaster of a story, with an intriguing storyline, great characters that will steal your heart, angst, dangerous situations, and many twists that will have you turning the pages faster to see what happens next.
Will has always been a reasonable and thoughtful kind of guy, but after the loss of his last remaining family, and the cause behind it, he's been on a path of self destruction. He's in unimaginable pain and nothing is strong enough to bring him out of the blackness he feels, until Eva. Eva has her own damaged past that she has been trying to fight her way out of for the last couple of years, but hasn't been able to find anything that helps beyond her books. When their uncle calls needing her brother and her to help run his bar while he takes care of his sick wife, she decides that this may be just what she needs.
Little do they know, but life is about to change for both of them, in ways they never saw coming. Will Eva get the chance for the adventure she's looking for? What will it take to finally help Will out of the blackness that has consumed his life? Will their damaged pasts keep them apart? Will they both get the HEA they very much deserve?
I strongly recommend this book, series, and great author!
Will is Jase's (who we met in Sanctum) closest "brother" in the MC and he would do anything for him and his club. But when Will becomes a loner and goes outside of the club's rules because of a tragic fire that took away his only family and hope, it takes him to the bar which now sits in that sacred spot. A matter of being in the wrong place at the right time has him getting involved with the cartel in a dangerous game to protect the new bar owner's family and especially the delicate Eva, who brings out both the softness and ugliness inside Will's hardened heart. Banding together against a force that is bigger than all of them, will they have what it takes to take down the threats or will the MC have to step in and take their renegade brother back into the fold to help get the revenge for Will's loss and stop what could be more devastating bloodshed? I really enjoyed this next installment of this new biker series and although they have some of the characters appearing in each one, they can be read on their own without losing any enjoyment. Steamy, intense, violent and heart-warming all at the same time with an awesome ending. I received a free copy of this book for an honest review.
**** 4 **** "getting back what he lost...and then some" stars
Hmmm...how to start. Let's start with one of the best things -- the cover. That's quite lovely.
I just didn't feel much for these characters. I wasn't rooting for them to succeed or fail. I found that I just didn't care. Will is in his own personal hell due to a tragedy in his life and happens to be at the right place at the right time for Charlie and Eva. Unfortunately, what causes this isn't really well flushed out. There's a lot missing from that part of the story. You found out who was behind this but there's no build up to it and that just kind of sucked.
Plot aside, our hero and heroine were just bleh. She was kind of a sad sack who did find her back bone a few times but she just didn't react like I'd think after being in the relationship she was in previously. And she just could easily understand everything about him without him working for it.
There was no conflict, and I literally felt nothing. This is worse than hatred. I just felt nothing. The smexy times didn't even really crank up the heat on this one.
I read the first book in this series and was not prepared for the difference in Will. You meet Will in the first book he is a member of the MC and Jase's best friend. In this book he has a severe tragedy strike in his life and really knocks him off his feet. It is two years later and he is drinking all the time and having sex with anyone willing. He has such anger for his club also. He meets a brother and sister team that has taken over running a bar he frequents a lot. He is attracted to Eva but knows he needs to stay away because she is not the one night stand type. A situation happens in the bar and he helps them out and then he decides he needs to stay and protect her. Grab this book and follow their story.
I really liked Will in Sanctum but in this book I didn't care for him at all. Yes, I understand that he lost his grandmother, but he basically turned his back on the MC and was causing chaos everywhere he went. He got his revenge but it wasn't enough so he turned into a major asshole that pushed all of this friends away. Then in one instant he gets over it and things go back like nothing ever happened. When Will shows up at the bar, why did Charlie and Eva just let him take over???? Yes they needed his help but they didn't know him and just let him tell them what to do. Eva acted like a desperate hooker. She knew nothing about him and he treated her like crap and just because she was horny or lonely she sleeps with him. I just didn't like these characters.
I got this book as an ARC that was due for another round of editing.
I LOVED it!! I really liked the first book in this series and thought that i couldn't love another Black Dog as much as I loved Jase. I was Wrong!! i freaking LOVED Will!! He was so sweet and you could see that beneath is MC hard man exterior from the start. I really like Eva too, how she saw that about Will too and took with her gut. Mostly i liked how there was no angst unnecessarily - no too-ing and fro-ing, they both knew they liked each other and went for it. And they're both readers too :o) I hope the next book is about Ghost. please. thank you.
Retribution is the second book in this series and one I really enjoyed. Poor WIll had suffered such tragedy and was sinking further and further.
Eva and her brother are new in town and taking over her uncle's bar. When they find themselves threatened, Will steps in to save the day. He is one tough and gorgeous biker but has such a tortured soul. He knows he shouldn't want Eva but he can't stay away.
As things develop and the club steps in, Eva and WIll can't deny their feelings. I loved seeing Will's walls break down and be the man Eva needs. He really does get his retribution and I was so happy for him. I loved Will and Eva!
OK, this wasn't as good as Sanctum, but I enjoyed reading their story. Maybe because I had high hopes for Will's story, it was nothing like I thought. Not a lot about the club, I like the h to be stronger and what happened to her brother Charles? I will admit I skipped some of the story because I got a little bored. The decline of Will wasn't something I wanted to read. I hope Ghost's story, Vindication, remains true to the character he portrayed in the first two books.
Retribution is the sequel to Sanctum, yet it is completely different. This story involves Will, also a member of the Black Dogs MC. He voted to work out a peaceful resolution with the Cartel rather than go to war against them, and lived to regret his vote when his gran's shop was burned to the ground and she died in the fire. Sienna certainly knows how to keep the reader enthralled.
The plot had tremendous potential, only this time it fell a little flat. I didn't feel like there was enough suspense or romantic build up. The story was good but that's all....good. The cartel story was a little lame and Eva and Will's romance fell short. Also I felt the HEA was rushed and I when I turned the page expecting something more....the book ended. I have enjoyed many books by this author but this one left me disappointed.
Would have given retribution 5 stars I loved " Retribution and the gritty MC characters balanced by a softer heroine. The other stories in the book wern't to my taste. If a reader buys a rough and tumble MC book because thats what they are in the mood for why would they want in stories from a different genres at that time. If you are going to stuff a book keep to the same genre please.
Lovd it... My first book by this author and definately not the last. Will was my tormented hero in this book, but Eva did a great job of being the understanding heroine. They had great chemistry and a good build up to the steamy parts. Not instant love, but instant lust. He was dangerous and sexy, she was fragile and witty... Onto book one in the series now.
I would most DEFINITELY recommend this book. The characters were so real to me. I l liked that Will was so wrapped in grief at the loss of his grandmother that he lost himself..it showed his vulnerable side and yet he was still able to reach out to Eva through his dark period. It really was a good, continuous flowing good read.
This was such a good story of a man tormented by an event he couldn't stop.This is a story of a man and woman trying to find themselves and something that's missing in there lives.This was a story with an excellent plot one well thought out and written.This is an excellent addition to a very good series.
I tried to like this book. I skimmed more of the story than I actually read. For me there needed to be more actual MC interaction and more actual dialogue instead of internal monologues.
This was good. It focused more on couple of bikers than whole MC. Especially the issues, difficulties and loves of Will. I enjoyed and think you will too. Some violence but not sadistic enjoyed by other biker authors. Recommend
Another Cracking Book From Sienna And Another Great Fast Easy Read, With A Great Story And Characters That Can Be Easily Related Too, Love Her Style Of Writing And Found Myself Unable To Put It Down. 2 Books In 2 Days That Says Something, So Looking Forward To Her Other Books
I found Will an interesting character in this book. He went from a laid-back, chilled-out character in 'Sanctum' to a nasty piece of goods with plenty of anger, intent on revenge, in the early part of this book. That is until Eva showed up to help him move on.