Max

by Terry Bolryder

Huge, gorgeous Max Chase isn't looking for female attention, but the grumpy lion shifter sure gets a lot of it. As the bouncer for Club Crimson, an exclusive club filled with beautiful men, he uses his patented glare to keep everyone at arm's length. That is until a kind, curvy woman makes Max reconsider everything he thought about humans, as the lion inside him growls for his mate. 

Jackie Moore doesn't know why she let her coworkers drag her out to Club Crimson. She'd rather stay home with a book than meet strange men, no matter how hot they are. But all that changes when a disastrous night leads Jackie to a helpless, small creature who needs her, and a gruff, terrifying, beautiful bouncer who might just be more than he seems.

The more time Max spends with Jackie, the more the possessive lion shifter longs to claim her as his mate. But first Max needs to tell her the truth about himself and Club Crimson, and with danger quickly approaching, he can't afford to wait.

Genres: Paranormal, Shapeshifters, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy, Contemporary, Adult

223 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 25, 2019

About the author

Terry is the author of over forty bestselling shifter romances. She spends her spare time dreaming of dragons, playing with her pets, and watching sunsets from her home in the mountains alongside her husband (who she suspects would make a great bear shifter). She loves the wild outdoors, her fans, all readers, and getting lost in a great book.

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Reviews

[Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't read many books about shifters, because ... they're about shifters and I like my books more grounded in reality! However, this book grabbed me from the start. The H/h are both lonely and shy and they find their way to each other via a scrawny, near death kitten. Be warned, the hero is super possessive and I mean very, very possessive, but it's balanced with his sweet side and his protectiveness of the heroine from himself and others. Highly, highly Recommended! Read It!

[Laura..devouring books like crumpets · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gahhh

This Author is so unpredictable....

Loved Cowboy Dragons then this, no just no....

Im all for curvy women! But this book painted Jackie as a complete dog to anyone other than the shifters, Im gathering shes a woman of color the way she is described, Usually darker skinned woman pull off curves incredibly so i didn't get it.....

Instant love
I get the Mate and shifter Fated mates...But although commiting to each other as more of a need they dont confess Undying love after a few days..... I mean really cmon....

Max and his clingy friends and frenemies.... These guys dont give each other Privacy...

Yea this wasn't for me.....

[Fashionista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really Sweet

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick Info
Standalone/Cliffhanger?: Standalone
Part of a Series?: Yes
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Meeting the Characters
Max Chase
Jackie Moore
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What happens?
Max is a bouncer at the shifter's nightclub Club Crimson. He meets Jackie when she becomes the butt of a fat joke thanks to some very lovely female co-workers of hers. Jackie hides in the alley besides the nightclub and finds an abandoned kitten. Max goes to check on her unable to leave her alone.
He uses the kitten as a way to see Jackie but he doesn't want to like her, he views humans and other shifters as people that he doesn't want to be with but is around out of necessity. This changes when he gets to know Jackie and she finally sees him for who he is and not just his animal.
Final thoughts
Good start to a cute series. This isn't going to be top shifter reads but its a good read for a romance. Something quick and it made me smile reading it.
Would I read again?: Yes
Would I read this author again?: Yes

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Instalove

Not a huge fan of that even in shifter books, but here the mates are chosen, not fated so it bothers me even more. Also there's not enough time to the book. Start to finish this might take place over the course of a week. Finally, dark skin? Is she tan, is she African American, Indian? I tended to picture her as a beautiful plus size African American woman, because of the repetitive mention of dark skin and it bothered me because when romance is so lacking of women of ethnicities why fail to mention her heritage. If you're going to create an African American character I think you should come right out and say it, tell the reader she's not a pale white blonde chick and she's still beautiful and desirable and gets the hot guy. Because you know what romance doesn't say that nearly enough. I don't think it should be something hinted at as if you're afraid to offend a reader that this character isn't Barbie like way too many others are. Say it, because it's true, say it because it's not said nearly enough. It really bothered me that all that was said was a repetitive mention that her skin was dark which is relative, it could have just meant she spends way too much time in a tanning bed.

It was an okay story, but I think it had the potential to be so much more.

[Speed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

A great story. 5 Loving Lion Stars**** Jackie meets Max at Club Crimson but not under the best conditions. (Hate her so-called co-workers/friends, totally mean girls) However, if it hadn't been for them, she wouldn't have met Max and then Lionel (cat) sealed the deal. Jackie ends up sharing responsibility with Max, to take care of the stray she found once she ran away from Max. After the misunderstanding is cleared, they begin their friendship and Max turns out to be the BEST hero to our heroine. He is protective and sweet and honest and her feelings come first before anyone and anything! RAWR!!!! I totally fell for Max!!! A great read, run and get this book immediately, you won't be disappointed. Loved it!!!

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story, I like how the little cat was the catalyst for the start of the relationship. Pretty quick read with a little intrigue, action and an HEA.

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Max, an exiled lion shifter works as a bouncer in Club Crimson, a shifter club. Human women are drawn to the big, gorgeous males unaware of all they are or can be. The owners have a failsafe should they see something they cannot accept and could be dangerous for the club members. It is at the club Max meets Jackie. She's with a couple of women using Jackie as a way to get in without waiting in the long line. One of them knows that for some reason the guys go for curvy women. Jackie fits the bill. She's quick to realize she's been used and runs off only to find a tiny abandoned kitten. So begins their relationship. One tiny kitten. One curvy woman and a hot lion shifter.

What woman could resist seeing a big man caring for a tiny creature? Although Jackie can't believe he is interested in her he eventually persuades her. Max doesn't believe human females can be trusted to stay true. Can Jackie believe enough in herself to take a chance with Max and convince him she isn't the usual female?

This is a sometimes touching sometimes hot and always great story. I loved the characters and the references to previous series. The good thing about those references for the readers who haven't read the books they run just as smoothly as for those who have and enjoy the history.

Be prepared for plenty of steam, interesting, sketchy, characters and a story that will melt your heart and heat you up. The beginning of a new series I can't wait to read.

[Christina Rodrigues · Rating 5 out of 5]

Max is the first book in Terry Bolryder’s new Club Crimson series. It is a happily ever after paranormal shifter romance filled with great characters, some suspense and a wonderful love story.

Max Chase is a grumpy, exiled lion shifter who works as a bouncer at Club Crimson, an exclusive club. Jackie Moore is a BBW who reluctantly comes to the Club with her coworkers one night after work. After an embarrassing incident, Jackie runs into an alley and discover a helpless, small kitten who needs help. When Max volunteers to helped Jackie with Lionel, the kitten, the chemistry between them ignites and Jackie begins to see a softer side behind Max’s gruff exterior. The more time Max spends with Jackie, the more possessive he becomes and soon realizes that she is his mate. Now all Max has to do is tell her about shifters and they can live happily ever after. But when disaster strikes, will Jackie be able to accept the unknown? Will Max be able to keep Jackie safe? Read it to find out!

This was another great book by Terry Bolryder. It looks like this series will focus on shifters from a variety of clans, prides and groups and how they interact with each other while maintaining their secrets from human. I am looking forward to reading what stories Bolryder will come up with for Benny, Lock and Harley, the owners of Club Crimson. I also hope that some of her previous characters will make an appearance in her next books.

[Courtney · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 38%

Nah, not for me. There's just nothing new here. The characters are completely one-dimensional. The heroine has no traits outside of being innocent and "curvy". She's a ridiculous Mary-Sue character that gets overly protective of a kitten for no reason other than for the author to have something to get the characters to "bond" over. It really just doesn't make any sense. She's not like a vet or something. She doesn't have animals at home. But apparently this one kitten is suddenly so important to her that she'd move or something so that she could save it? And the constant worries that everyone is judging her weight for no reason just got tiring fast. Every single dude in this book is attracted to her, and all she does is worry about how she doesn't look like the skinny girls that line up at the club.



And the hero is just the guy who doesn't want a relationship, thinks the heroine is kind of cute, and then BOOM decides he wants to be with her forever. Boring.

And I'm sorry, but the flippant way the author refers to rape in this thing just rubs me wrong.

Lock gives Jackie some alcohol at the club, and Max finds out and gets pissed because he thinks Lock is hitting on Jackie. And Lock's response? "I'm not a rapist."



Excuse me, what? Talk about an overreaction. Maybe a simple, "Dude, I'm not a jerk that gets women drunk on purpose" would have sufficed?

And then not a chapter later, when Max brings Jackie home (by carrying her, of course, because she's such a good girl that she never drinks alcohol and he's worried about her walking or something), the two start kissing. Max wants to back off because he wants to do things when she isn't drunk so he can be sure she really wants to, and when Jackie asks him why he doesn't want to make out, his response is "Because I'm not a rapist."



I mean, this is just crazy. He couldn't just go with his line that he wanted to wait until she was sober? He had to add a rape comment?

I just don't like it. It feels weird and completely unneccessary. Just not something I want to continue with.

[Annette Auston · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am going to put this as straight as I can ok

Please stop writing in your stories the word dusty to describe a black woman or a mix woman breast or her nipples for one that isn't a color!!! Dust can be gray or red or black or white so no that is not a word to use . I know you have a computer or a phone so use better words! I find that offensive how you described a black woman breast you like some words here there are carmel, rich chocolate, smooth tan, raisin, chocolate drops but not dusty that is not a color for dust comes in different colors. I know from being raised on a farm in the South. I gave this story 3 stars for as a writer you should know better plus you need to do more research on black girls. She was an It who parents was what plus if she was the only child her mom would not play that she would have her child use good sense to not let shallow people play her with the club bussines. Her mom would be like no baby tell miss i am skinny that a man like meat on the bone not a bone with nothing else to offer . I feel this book was rush in some ways where it should of have been more for the reader to dig into to have a feel of the characters. I do feel the book could have been better. This is my first book by you. I hope you make changes. If you feel this view is wrong then you are in the wrong business. I am a reader an part of a book club an my fellow readers do listen to my reviews of books and we do discuss books and why we like or dislike books and what the author can make a book better. I had to give 3 stars because that remark just made the book look bad to readers like me who knows authors who can use better words than dusty come on that is wrong an No not all black women are hood. But I do like that her friend was hood for a white girl and did hair. Hey it made me smile and save the book for me for she kept the action going by keeping our girl from being accepting her man excuse about a break from the relationship.

[Sandra Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good start to the Club Crimson shifter series, but I did have a few issues with it. It gets 3 stars from me.

Jackie was likable, but I wanted her to stand up for herself a little more. She let people treat her badly, and never really resisted much. Then when Max hurt her at the end, she should have made him grovel -- at least a little -- before she forgave him.

Max was hard to like at times. He was just so angry and closed off, and so judgmental of humans. I get that he had been raised to consider himself above humans, but he had lived among them for a while -- so he should have known them well enough to change that opinion. He should have realized that they weren't inferior to shifters, just different. He should have also realized that some humans were good and some were bad, just like with shifters. His extreme jealousy was a bit much, too. I don't think most women would have liked that.

My rating system is below.
1 star -- Hated it, or did not finish. I usually only give this rating if some of the content is truly objectionable to me, like if one of the main characters does something really awful, and gets away with it.
2 stars -- Didn't like it. This rating usually means that I thought the writing wasn't very good, the editing was terrible, I didn't like the characters, or it had other major flaws.
3 stars -- I liked it, but had some minor issues with it. This rating means that there were minor editing issues, the story needed more character development, it was just too unrealistic, or had some other fairly minor issue. The majority of books I read get this rating – I do not consider it a bad rating.
4 stars -- I liked it a lot. This is a high rating for me, and I rarely give a higher one.
5 stars -- I loved it, and will probably read it again. Very few books are good enough to get this rating from me. The ones that do are usually classics.

[Marsha Keeper Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed at Shifter Haven

MAX brings us to a club that we’ve visited before – they even have a drink named after one Nightmare Dragon in particular. In the Club Crimson series, we get the chance to look behind the curtains at Club Crimson and find out what those full of secrets shifters are really up to. There are several familiar faces and mentions of events in MAX that longtime readers of Terry Bolryder may recognize. I love those touches of old friends appearing again. Yet, if you haven’t read all of her stories then you’ll only notice the names as part of the narrative as they blend in so well and effortlessly.

I enjoyed Jackie and Max’s romance. Max is over-the-top possessive of his mate, even more so than your average possessive, obsessive shifter and I have to admit it didn’t work for me this time. I’ve read the Pride Island series, I knew of Max’s background but his mistrust of humans to the point of almost disdain for their often perceived fickleness was excessive, even for a shifter. I loved Jackie, she has such a kind heart and she’s not afraid to stand up to Max when he’s being a jerk. There is danger afoot but it’s not really revealed until almost the ending of this story which means we’ll get more in Lock’s and Benny’s stories. I enjoyed myself, I simply didn’t fall head over heels for Max this time. In all, MAX is an intriguing introduction to this series and I definitely want to know more of what is going on behind the scenes at Club Crimson.

I read this title through my Kindle Unlimited subscription.

[Sam&Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I am a sucker for a good over-the-top possessive/ obsessive alpha, shifter or not, it doesn't matter. You know how you love to read about these guys... and you think about how awesome it would be to have one of these guys of your very own... but then you really think about it and realize it would super annoying IRL to have someone so possessive and demanding? I mean, in reality, most of the guys I read about would probably be waving TONS of RED FLAGS if I met them IRL. LOL

This guy Max? I felt like he was waving red flags all over this book. His style of possessiveness wasn't sweet or cute plus he had an ugly level of jealousy? Big ol' nope for me.

"His actions tonight had been motivated by (a) jealousy...he cupped her cheek softly..."Mine and mine only, right? I'll kill anyone who tries to touch you".

I don't know why I usually find this pretty hot, but in this case, it was a definite 'NOT'. Maybe because he lacks human-style finesse or conversational skills? Like when he needed her to leave for her own safety but couldn't tell her why...(yea dude, make up something...) he proposes they "take a break" for a few days. LOL. Honestly, my heart sort of broke for her in a way I would not be able to forgive so easily.

The steam level was just meh, ok. I wanted it to be hotter, and momentous, especially the mating part, which seemed kind of anti-climatic to me (he puts an invisible mark on her...whaaaattt?).

This is my first time reading this author and I've been debating if I will read the next book in this series since we already met both mc in book 1, but I'm thinking it was all around lacking for me so I'm probably gonna pass.

[MzAnn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Club Crimson--Not Feelin It

I've read lots of other paranormal/shifter romances and I'm afraid this one just doesn't measure up. I only finished it because I have a sick compulsion to finish the books I start, whether I like them or not. (It was really a fight...)

I didn't care for Jackie at all. I don't know if her character just wasn't well-developed or what, but she wasn't likeable...I didn't feel anything for her. I wasn't invested in her, so I wasn't that concerned about how things ended for her.

The shifter characters were sort of interesting... just sort of. I didn't find myself caring or concerned very much for Max. Why was he exiled from his home? What's his story? Is the only reason he's so standoffish because he was raised to think he was better than everyone else? Benny seems OK. Lock is the only one that even remotely drew my interest. What was the big danger?

I'm not a fan of instalove. (Jackie knew Max for what...a week at most?). There were several small inconsistencies in the story (When did she tell Max her roommate was a guy? She never said her roommate wouldn't let her have a pet...). I can be really nitpicky and I'm a stickler for details, so that bugged me. The dialogue deemed...weird...and there were situations that didn't fit (like Max and Lock arguing over the kitten). So much wrong, so little time...

This one was not my cup of tea. I was looking forward to reading this series, but now I'm not so sure. I may give the second book a try, but it won't be any time soon. I need to recover from this one first.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great start to a brand new series. We have been introduced to some of the shifters at Club Crimson before in the Nightmare Dragons series, but this book starts a series featuring the owners and employees of this unique club. Max is a bouncer/bartender at the club. Ousted from his home on Pride Island, Max feels superior to most shifters and is sure that no human woman could be his mate. Jackie has been convinced to come to the club by "friends" from work who really just want her along because chubby women seem to have an easier time getting past the bouncer.

Max cannot believe how this beautiful, voluptuous, woman is being treated by the women she is with, but he is willing to let them into the club so that she would not be embarrassed by then any longer. When she promptly runs off into a nearby alley, he knows he had to check on her as soon as someone can replace him at the door. He finds her cradling an abandoned kitten, a dirty, smelly kitten that was obviously left there to die. When she insists that she had to try to save it he is compelled to offer his help. Little do they know that this is the start of something much bigger.

I was given an advanced copy of this book by the author. My review is voluntary. I can't wait to see who will find their mate next.

[Rosemarie Grainer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great start to a new series in the dragon shifters world of Terry Bolryder

I was excited to see a new book by Terry Bolryder. I love all the dragon series. This one is a little different. We saw a little of the Crimson Club in the Nightmare Dragon series. There were no dragons in this story, except for a brief mention. Max is a very cool character. He is the main bouncer for Club Crimson, and just seems apart from it all. Then Jack's shows up and he is talking to her andhelping save a little kitten! This story is much less intense than others have been by this author. You don't have to have read all her Dragon shifter series to understand this story, but you may want to after it! The good news is that many of them are available in box sets. You can start with the Double Dragons and Tiger Protectors series, but you don't have to.These are menage. If you want, you can start with Awakened Dragons, Rent-A-Dragon, Date-A-Dragon, Awakened Sea Dragons, Dragon Guards of Drakkaris, and finally Nightmare Dragons which takes place just before this story. If you haven't experienced these stories yet, you are in for a treat! Enjoy!

[Debbie Caswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Max is the grumpy lion shifter that we met in the nightmare dragon series He works at a shifter /human club where shifters come to met human women He isn't certain that is a good idea he doesn't think that humans and shifters should pair up even though he has seen a few good pairing All that changes when he meets Jackie is a human women that doesn't want to be at the club but as been used by her workmates (they know that curvy women attract the gorgeous men in the club) Jackie flees after thinking she is the butt of another fat joke and Max comes to her rescue So begins a dance between these two and Lionel is thrown into the mix. Will Max rethink about human shifter relations what will Jackie say when she learns his secret. Another great story from the very talented Terry Bolryder Now desperately waiting to see if loving bear shifter Bennie or the multi faceted wolf shifter Lock will be the next story

[Jannie Cv · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lion and his lady! Excellent series start.
Jackie Moore has been the butt of quite a few remarks about her plush figure. Her co-workers used her to get to the head of a long line at Club Crimson. Max, the ever-so-handsome bouncer with a long, luxurious mane, let them in to protect Jackie from harassment.
Jackie is quite the rescuer of small creatures. Her encounter with a small kitten near death draws Max and her into a pact to to care for this little fella. Jackie is a sweetheart - I love her personality! When she feels safe, she opens her arms and heart and gives everything she’s got. Max knows she is his mate, human or not. But he’s bound by far too many rules that he cannot explain to Jackie. He’s so adorable! All that gentle caregiving, pampering, lovemaking (up to a point). Yes, he makes too many assumptions that get him into trouble. Guys!
I love this story, excitement by the boatload, heartwarming moments, and the sweetest of love stories.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

*WARNING* for mature readers due to sexual content
Max is a bouncer at Club Crimson and a lion shifter. Max has been exhiled from his home land, but he still has the arrogance and the "I better than you" air about him when he comes in contact with humans. Max doesn't like or trust humans, so why did he want to look at her?
Jackie is an IT nerd who would rather be at home alone. Jackie let her work friends talk her into going to a new club with them when she really didn't want to, it was a mistake. Her "friends" used her, embarrassed her and she ran off down an alley to find a half dead kitten. Jackie is happier alone anyway, so why does she like being around the bouncer?
I liked she some if arrogance drained from the Max character. I also liked seeing some self worth come into the Jackie character. This was a really great story. I like how Bolryder drew the female lead to a kitten and her mate was feline. Another win for this author.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

not quite 3 & 1/2 stars.
This was a pleasant read with an HEA, though there were some things that didn't work for my tastes. The first part was a bit too much with Max's hate of humans. The second part was a bit too much over the top with his 180 degree change in his behavior for Jackie & his in general caveman behavior. It was too abrupt, with him not second guessing his change in attitude. I also couldn't determine from Jackie's physical description if she was black, Latino, or what. Dark skin, dusky, with black long curls, were too vague. The author needs to commit to the character in order to do the character justice. I kept being pulled out of the story trying to decide if she was black or what. The description needs to be more solid for her. Max had a much more solid description. I also didn't understand the reasoning for him being kicked off of his lion island/country. This just wasn't enough for me to want to continue with the series.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Max: Club Crimson by Terry Bolryder is a 4 star read.
Jackie Moore is an IT consultant and is tricked into going to a night club by some work colleagues, but when she gets there she gets upset and runs away, down an alley she hears the cries of a poorly kitten and rushes in to help it, what she doesn’t expect is the burly bouncer to have followed her.
Max is working as a bouncer at the nightclub, Club Crimson he hates all the looks and touches of the flirty females going into the club. One night Jackie shows up and his grumpy lion side sits up and takes notice of her. Max has been banished by his own people from Pride Island and never thought he would find his mate and especially that she would be human.
I loved this story and can’t wait to see who gets their story next.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

[Sherry Koch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Terry Bolryder's Dragons, but Max is such a refreshing change...the only Dragon in this book is a cocktail. Club Crimson is a place us fans of Terry's books recognize - Max is a lion shifter that works as the Bouncer for Club Crimson, where Shifters and Humans can mingle. Max doesn't care for humans and actually thinks he's superior to most shifters. This all changes when Jackie comes to the club with her friends. Jackie is basically the definition of an introvert and didn't want to go to the club at all, when she realizes her friends only brought her along to have better chances of getting in, she takes off. But Max is intrigued and is about to have his life turned upside down by a human woman and an abandoned kitten. Great read! It was a lot of fun to read and I can't wait to see where this series goes.

[Corinne Kapsner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy Meow! In typical Terry fashion she brings us intrigue, suspense, and tons of tension! Max and Jackie burn up the pages!

Max is a lion shifter while Jackie is a human. Max was raised in an isolated community, brought up to believe he was better than others! Meeting Jackie challenges those beliefs. They are thrust together to save the life of an innocent kitten. Max realizes that Jackie is his mate but with all the secrets that he has can he keep her safe and share his full self with her?

I love the tension in this book! It is so thick you can cut it with a knife! It makes me want to jump in a vat of nitroglycerin! Terry does an amazing job of not only keeping us hooked into the story but setting us up for the future ones we know are to come! I have a love/hate relationship with the tidbits of information she leaves us with! Such a great story connect to her larger universe!

[Shelley C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Club Crimson😍

Max is the first shifter in this series to find his mate! Max is the bouncer for Club Crimson and works alongside his bosses, Harley, Benny and Lock. When a human woman comes in with two colleagues and they embarrass her, he lets them in to protect her but can’t say why. He goes to apologise and finds her rescuing a sick kitten. Jackie works in IT and is more of a homebody than a clubber, but when she gets dragged to Club Crimson she can’t help but be thankful, as she met Max and saved Lionel😍

Loved this story about Max and I can’t wait to see Lock and Benny take the final plunge to be with their mates❣️A big thank you to Terry for my advanced copy and I willingly leave my honest review and eagerly await the next story.

[Heather Hackett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jackie doesn't know why her work mates have convinced her to go to the new club they found as she is on the curvier side. All becomes clear when the bouncer let them through in front of others when her college pushed her forwards. Max lets some girls push to the front when he see's them picking on the curvier girl in the group which has court his eye even though he's not looking for female company but there is just something about her. Great start to a new series and there is more to this series than meets the eye. It's a story about how rough tough men that can have a soft side. There's romance, a little action and some cute moments that will make you smile. Can't wait to see where this series is heading.

[JodyL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will Jackie accept him or run?

I have been waiting to find out what happens to the members of Congress Crimson since I read the Nightmare Dragon series, and now my wait is over. Max is the bouncer for the club and really doesn't care for humans much because they do not commit truthfully and wholeheartedly to each other. But once he sees Jackie he realizes that he is wrong.
Jackie is soft hearted. When she finds a dying kitten she decides to do what it takes to save it. When Max comes along and gruffily offers his help she starts to fall for him. But what happens when she finds out that he is a lion shifter?
I am excited to find out more about what causes Lock and Benny to be like they are.

[Lynn Vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Club Crimson series. Once again Ms Bolryder has created a wonderful story. In this first book we meet the Owners and employee of the club. We also meet Lionel a rescued kitten who sets events into motion.
Max is an exiled royal lion of Pride Island and the bouncer the club. He is grumpy and leery of strangers. He is not into humans as they are not loyal in his mind.
Jackie is a kind hearted women who is single and been dragged to the club by her snooty co-workers to be used as a way to get into the busy club.
Come learn about the club and the shifters who run it. Will Jackie change Max's mind about humans? I'm not telling but I can tell you I really enjoyed it.

[TIERN · Rating 4 out of 5]

This lion bites the dust fast. 😉

This is a first read and review for this quite amazing author, I balked at reading some of her books, mind you , the cause has nothing to do at how great she is at nailing the storyline.
Let’s just say, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed how she got me to even reading the second story with this one.
Max and Jackie had chemistry from the start. Although I would have wished the courtship wasn’t so easy for Max who hasn’t keen on dealing with humans. Jackie didn’t even connect with the lion in his true form. That was upsetting.
I hope next time, the characters will be a bit stronger to fall in each other’s arms. There was no anticipation in this book , one reason it’s not 5 stars.
But I really loved it.

[Melanie S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok but not Bolryder's best

Max is a lion shifter in exile, working as the bouncer at a club catering to other shifters and the curvy human women they favor as mates. Jackie is the curvy IT nerd-girl whose slim co-workers trick into going to the club. When Max meets Jackie, mating bells go off - in his head, not hers. Co-parenting an abandoned kitten throws them together... cue the steamy romance all the way to HEA. Max is a pretty good book. I am very familiar with author Terry Bolryder's Awakened Dragons series, and I miss the gently droll humor and the well-meaning cluelessness of the dragons. This book just lacks the extra=special touch that makes a reader fall in love with a character, book, or a series.