Harley

Cerberus MC #21

by Marie James

They say misery loves company, but after losing the love of my life all I wanted was to be completely alone.
Having a young daughter made that impossible.
I couldn’t curl into myself.
I couldn’t spend hours in the dark living in regret.
I couldn’t end it all no matter how many times that thought crossed my mind.
Regretfully, I couldn’t go through life on my own.
I needed help, and although my teammates were there to lend a helping hand, I still needed more than they could offer.
Alyssa Dansby suffered more than any woman ever should.
She came to the Cerberus clubhouse to heal, working in the clubhouse’s nursery.
She was a godsend for my daughter Aria.
She was trouble for me.
I shouldn’t be thinking about the woman caring for my child so soon after my wife’s death.
We were both looking for our new normal.
I never imagined mine would include her.

Genres: Romance, Military Fiction, Contemporary, Audiobook, Family, Emotional, Contemporary Romance

245 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 5, 2022

About the author

Marie James is a mother of two boys and wife of 17 years. She's spent most of her life lifetime living in central Texas, with only short stays in South Carolina, Alabama, and Florida. Her passions include reading everything under the sun and sewing, although she doesn't get to sew much these days!.

Writing has always been a passion and she's enjoying every step of the journey!

Reviews

[Angels · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one emotional read that tugs on one's heartstrings. Harley and Alyssa are currently living with unbelievable pain and sorrow, Harley due to the death of his wife and Alyssa being kidnapped by a human trafficker and Alyssa has come to Cerberus to heal, perhaps these two can heal one another.

I loved Alyssa from the moment we met her, she was sweet and kind and loving, and we felt her pain but, we loved that she was working hard to heal from her past taking baby steps and forging friendships and relationships while trying so hard to overcome her fears she made us proud.

Harley was a character your heart broke for you understood his pain and sorrow but, there were more than a few times we wanted to kick him in his fanny because his abruptness and mood swings with Alyssa were doing nothing but, hurting Alyssa's mental fragile state yet, there was no denying the attraction between them.

Overall, we loved being on their journey to healing. The chemistry between this couple was fiery and passionate, and they made an awesome couple. All of Alyssa's time spent in the company of Harley's little girl was so many precious and heart-melting moments. Throughout this story, our thoughts were a good cry feast is what each of these characters needed to move on and trust and love again, or will each other do the trick for them?

[Claudia, Cmarie927 · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a huge fan of this author and this series already, I jumped at the chance to snag this ARC. This read provided me an amazing experience, full of all the things I have come to expect from this series.

Strong, protective, ex-military turned MC brothers, gorgeous men? ...Yup.
Beautiful, resilient, strong women? ...Of course.
Terribly heartbreaking issues for the couple to work through? ...Uh-huh.
A brotherhood (and their women) that support each member during their healing? ...You know it.

While there are triggers galore in this read, as with all in this series, I appreciate how they are presented with skill. One of my favorite things about this series is how this author writes each couple in such a way that she pulls so many different emotions from me, from frustration, to empathy, sadness to satisfaction. I enjoy the way the chapters flow together, and how wrapped up I am in the character's situations. These characters are easy to enjoy and each story, while based in the brotherhood of the MC, is unique to each member. Harley's emotions and loss was almost tangible, it was written so well. Ali's situation (dealing with Harley) was emotional for completely different reasons, but just as well detailed.

I have enjoyed each story immensely, and am so very sad to see the end coming of my time with this club. I highly recommend this author, as her writing flows easily, and provides a reader with an emotional (highs and lows) journey along with perfect HEAs.

I STRONGLY recommend reading these in the correct reading order. Yes, you could read this as a stand-alone, but I wouldn't. It is worth your time to start at the beginning. If there was any question about it (hahaha), I recommend this author, this book and series, and her numerous other works.

I received my free ARC from Booksprout, and I voluntarily leave my review.

[MandaC86 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow

This was slower then previous books in the series so it got a little tedious at points in the book I thought it would have been different somehow so it wasn't my kind of thing

[Erin Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Star review of Harley (Cerberus MC #21) by Marie James
I have only read a couple of this books in the Cerberus MC but what I have read I devoured. This was an entertaining, emotionally gripping story that held me captive from the first chapter.

I knew this was going to be an emotional read after what happened in the previous book but I was not prepared for how much this story would get to me. This is Harley and Alyssa Dansby’s story and it is one that touched me on a number of levels.
Harley ticked all the boxes for me. This was a fast paced, well developed story that I read in almost one go. The chemistry between Harley and Alyssa is intense as was the emotional rocky journey.
My heart broke for both Harley and Alyssa. The grief that Harley experienced was palpable and I wanted to hug him, even knowing an MC member would not appreciate that.I so admired Alyssa for her strength and determination to overcome the horror that she has survived.
If any couple deserved a chance at happiness it was these two.

[R M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not exactly sure what to say about this one. Love story? Harley is an ass of epic proportions for most of the story. I get that he’s struggling with the loss of his wife, but how Ali can stay attracted when he continues to push her away and how he does it, stymies me.
He has no sympathy for her trauma from the abduction. He has no sympathy for anything or anyone except his own loss.
But suddenly, suddenly, he’s all healed and 100% hung ho for a lasting love affair and marriage with Ali.

I’m afraid the series has gone stale with this one. And the next one is MM? I might be over this series.

[Liz [reads books] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review to come! 4½ stars

[the amanda show · Rating 3 out of 5]

★★★ I’m conflicted stars!

I enjoyed this book and the angst it gave me. Someone in the grovel group I’m apart of suggested this due to the unbreak my heart similarities it has.
Which is one of my top fave constant reread. Now it’s no unbreak my heart

BUT I can see the slightest similarities there… now I’m conflicted because while I enjoyed this ending felt super abrupt. Which I get because it’s apart of a series (which I’m not fond of) but still there should’ve been more of an ending for Harley and Ali….

With that being said I give this a

6/10 would recommend but would give warning that ending is a bit ehh

-bOOkSn0b📚

[Wendy T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love a great MC series!

I always enjoy a good MC story and this one did not disappoint.

I loved how this story ended for both Harley and Alyssa.

This was very emotional and my heart broke for Harley. I was so happy Allie didn’t give up and she got through Harley and helped him deal with his emotions.

Narrators did a fantastic job telling this story.

[~*~Happy Hour Prez~*~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 STARS

[Cheryl O'Harney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harley has been struggling on a daily basis, drowning in grief after losing his wife in a tragic accident, the only thing keeping him going is his young daughter. He knows he’s got to keep going for her, no matter how hard it is, and he’s got the love and support of his Cerberus family behind him, ready to lend a hand when needed. Thinking the time has come to get back to work and into some sort of routine, he makes use of the childcare facility Cerberus provides which brings on another problem for him as he struggles with his feelings towards the new 'nanny' who his baby girl is bonding with.

After having gone through a recent traumatic event in her life Alyssa comes to the clubhouse and starts work in the nursery. She’s great with all the children but there’s one little girl in particular who she bonds with from the get go, it’s just a pity her daddy is a grump towards Alyssa every time he’s around her.

Harley struggles with his feelings toward Alyssa from the moment he sees her holding his daughter, singing the nursery rhyme that his wife used to sing to her before she died. He takes his feelings out, in anger towards Alyssa, and it happens time and time again, until he finally gives into those feelings.

The pair had both been through their fair Share of pain and heartache, together they can looks forward to some happier times. I just loved Alyssa and her characters growth throughout this book, Harley also as he came to terms with the grief of losing his wife and finding love again. Marie gifted us readers with a story of heartache, a love lost, friendship and finding a love again. This was another great addition to Cerberus series, I look forward to what’s coming next.

𝔸ℝℂ 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕚𝕤 𝕞𝕪 𝕙𝕠𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕥 𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨.

[Doris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous and Heart Wrenching

Harley, who is part of Cerberus MC, had lost the love of his life a few months ago leaving him to care for their baby girl. He is more than struggling with his loss and alienating all the people around him. Ali had something terrible happen to her and now she has moved in to the Cerberus clubhouse for a chance to heal and move on. She is working in the club’s daycare since that what she had went to school for. Their first meeting was anything but cordial and it just snowballed from there. Harley was struggling with his feelings and Ali wasn’t making it easy him with the attraction he held for her thinking it was wrong to feel this way.

Ali was such a good person and had grown to love Harley’s little girl and she had a thing for Ali too. I have to hand it to Ali for staying strong for everything that had happened to her in the past and then meeting a man that seemed he hated everything about her.

What a great story and one that I couldn’t put down. This author knows how to tell a story and has me falling in love with her characters. The whole Cerberus MC series has been outstanding and this book just added to that. Harley’s story was heartbreaking and took me for a ride that I won’t soon forget.

[KitKat821 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a heartbreaking and hard book to read. We know that Harley’s young wife, Lana, died in a previous book in a car accident because she didn’t look both ways and drove right into an oncoming car. Harley’s a widower now with a baby girl only a few months old. He’s dealing with his grief because he loved his wife so much, his anger at Lana for her mistake and leaving him, and also being thrust into single fatherhood. We’ve met Alyssa/Ali before when she was abducted in Grinch’s book. She comes to work in the daycare at Cerebus to try to heal from the trauma and ends up caring for Harley’s baby girl a lot. Harley acts like a jerk for a large majority of this book. At times I felt like everyone was making way too many excuses for him. I also was annoyed at Ali for how much leeway she gave him. I do think that Harley makes it up to her for the most part - though I think he owed her a lot more groveling. I wish the author had written more scenes showing Harley working to win Ali back. Overall it’s a sweet read and nice addition to the series.

[Stacy Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Harley's wife died at the end of another book, I was very distraught! We had had no time to get to know this couple and I was a bit heartbroken. Now we have Harley's story....it was EPIC! He is absolutely reeling from the loss of his wife and having to care for his daughter without her. He is lost, heartbroken and shattered. Alyssa comes to the compound to find her way back to a normal life after a horrilbe event happens to her. She is a very sweet soul and I was sooooo rooting for her. There is an attraction and Harley just cannot handle it.....he is absolutely torn. This is a story of love lost, heartache, fear and love found again. This book had so many emotions and I felt them ALL! This was brilliant and yet another excellent read within this Cerberus world!! 5 star read!!!!

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this series when there were only 3 books. Harley is book 21 and I always look forward to every new Cerberus release. In book 19 we were left with a heartbreaking ending. In book 20 we learn more about what happened and we feel for Harley. Also in book 20 we met Ali. We learn about her trauma. When I first read that Harley was getting a story so soon I was a little worried. Marie wrote this in a way that I felt all sides of Harley's grieving process. I felt like knowing about what happened to Ali made me feel for her more. They both had stages of grief to get through and in the end I was happy they helped each other heal. I enjoyed Harley and Ali’s story. Thank you Marie James!! Can’t wait for Landon’s story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sarah (lou_reads_romance) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Harley and my heart broke for everything he had gone through. I knew this was going to be an emotional read but I have to say the star of the book for me was Alyssa. What an amazing woman Ms James has penned in her. I just admired everything about her. The way she dealt with Harley’s outbursts and demands. How she kept her poise and integrity, not rising to his bullish attitude, how she silently displayed her strength and sense of self worth. She is one classy young lady.

Then we have Harley and all he has suffered, oh my! No one should have to face the pain of losing their love. The turmoil he goes through is so beautifully and accurately portrayed. In the end he couldn’t have fallen for a woman more perfect for him and his beautiful little girl.

Yet another wonderful story from Ms James and these MC alphas. Can’t wait to see what is in store next!

[Jennifer Pierson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harley is dealing with tragedy in his life, and he's not doing it well to say the least (not saying it's not understandable though) as he tries to juggle life with his tiny human. Alyssa has her own demons from the recent past, and she's just trying to get a fresh start. She ends up working in the MC's nursery with Harley taking exception to her from the jump, and it takes him a minute before actually becoming human towards her,but that's all I'll say about that. This story is another perfect read by the awesomely brilliant Marie James, whose books I cannot live without. She is a pro at writing characters that become important to me from the jump (even if they upset me at the beginning), and they come off like real people in real life. With heat, angst, a few twists, and a perfect supporting cast, Harley is another winner in my eyes! HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow these two just broke my heart then put it right back together ! Harley is heartbroken over losing his wife and is just so upset with himself because he just does not know how to handle these new feelings he has for Ali and poor Ali just can not figure out why just her presences seems to make harley mad I am just so happy they wised up and just stop fighting it.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Larissa Rye · Rating 3 out of 5]

3-1/2 Stars
I knew I probably wouldn’t love Harley’s story & while I did enjoy it, it definitely wasn’t my favourite. I loved Harley & my heart broke for him when he lost Lana. So I knew watching him fall in love again wouldn’t be easy. He was so mean & uncaring when it came to Alyssa & her feelings that the turnaround at the end came to quickly with not enough resolve for me.

[Michellelovesreading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arc review: ( Check all TW before reading ⚠️⚠️⚠️)
I read this book in one day, it was so good. This was book 21 of the Cerberus Mc series, it is also a standalone but I will definitely be circling back to the beginning of the series at some point.
Spice: 🌶🌶🌶, stars:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Dog Mom Reads A Lot · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book in the Cerberus series it was emotionally charged I love the slow burn

[LawsOfSanity · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5.... I get he was healing but he was a jerk and didn't have to gravel enough. She just took it and I don't know, it kind of bothered me.

[Merry One Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

What happened with Alyssa Dansby?

This is book 21 and features the grieving Harley who lost his wife via an automobile accident in book 20. Harley is struggling to exist with the sudden death of his wife. Also he is struggling to take care of his daughter alone now. We know Alyssa Dansby from the previous book too. She was saved from really bad people by Cerberus and Kincaid offered her refuge to heal. Floundering at home Alyssa took him up on his offer. Alyssa is excellent at child care and Em has her working at their child care center. It is there where she meets the grieving Harley who is pushing his anger towards Alyssa. Read On!

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a long time I finally got to pick a book that kept me up well into the early morning hours. I loved this one; the pain of losing someone, of not knowing how to move on, when and even if, wondering if you're betraying the deceased by finding happiness again. And on the other side, a person who only wants to help and love you, but knows she came after and it's left with the broken version of you and all the ugly that comes with it.
It was an emotional roller coaster with a lot of push and pull, which is exactly what I was expecting in this one.
5 stars.

[Aquamarine♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌠 beautiful stars for a very captivating book from the very beginning!
Really touched my heartstrings feeling all very deep... but i thought it had a little bit overdrama yes i'm not a fun of melodramas and it felt at some point like this and the ''healing'' came all too quick for it to seem real i know it had but i don't think a month is very realistic.... but still i enjoyed it veeedy much i had a lot of time since i felt so engaged in an audiobook!

[Jaimie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My heart was not ready for Harley and Ali!!
I loved this story so much. So many different emotions going through while reading it.

Harley and Ali are perfect for eachother to help one another heal. And I adored their story and all the obstacles they have to overcome!

I love these books in the series and can't get enough of them!!

[TJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotional.

We first met Harley when he was a child and his mum married Snake, an MC member.

He is now grown and what a book this was. I so couldn’t stop the tears for Harley and especially for Alyssa. I know he was grieving but didn’t like how he sometimes treated her. Very emotional.

[Andrea Fernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

An emotionally heartbreaking, riveting and intensely captivating journey to go on with Harley and Alyssa. My heart absolutely broke for Harley but when he meets Aly his world is flipped upside down once again and things start to change for him. This was a definite page turner that kept me entertained.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Half-way through thoughts: Harley's back and forth and the toxic way he's treating Alyssa makes me forget that he's grieving and honestly just makes me hate him. I just got to the part where they have sex for the first time and am angry on her behalf. His jealousy toward Boomer is also anger-inducing. She deserves so much better ... hopefully he turns into that for her before this book ends.

End thoughts: I'm very happy that Harley got the help he needed to change the way he treated Alyssa but I feel like it was all rushed in the end. I know that it was probably boring because he stayed away from her but I think it could have been better portrayed than going from them basically breaking up to him begging to take her back just a few chapters later.

[Amanda Skreet · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just, no. This woman needed to find some self respect. I hate when authors write such mean heroes and blame it on grief or other things. Like this doesn’t make me root for the relationship, it just makes me worried for the idiot heroine that accept the attitude

[Sam Domingo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my type of trope but hard to find one that delivers a satisfying story. But this book did. I liked that once Harley was all in, he was all in. I'm now kinda curious about the other books in the series and planning to go back and read the previous ones.