Viper

Nighthawks MC #1

by C.J. Pinard

As coldblooded as a snake, but loyal to a fault.
Vampire Vane Matson formed the Nighthawks MC after having to clean up one too many messes made by his kind. Known for his ruthless tactics and eerily quiet and snakelike approach, he quickly became "Viper" and continued to build his MC with men and women just as callous and as equally trustworthy.

Viper has avoided personal relationships most of his existence, until one night, he’s called to a routine clean-up, a mess made by a pack of filthy wolves. It leaves him forced to take in a stray human named MyAnna, whose shiny black hair and big, soulful eyes are too much for him to resist. Breaking his number one rule, he tells himself it's only temporary and then he'll be rid of the burdensome human soon enough. Until she refuses to leave.

With his secrets threatening to be exposed, will Viper be forced to get rid of MyAnna permanently, or will she win over his cold, unbeating heart?

VIPER is book 1 in the Nighthawks MC series, and is for readers 18+.

Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Vampires, Fantasy, Dark, Paranormal Romance, Dark Romance

226 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 6, 2021

About the author

C.J. is a USA Today bestselling author living in Colorado but wishes she was someplace warmer. She loves the SF 49ers and has a weakness for expensive shoes. She’s the author of over 40 novels and short stories that contain both fantasy and paranormal romance with kickass heroines and strong alphas. Having recently retired from a twenty-year career in federal law enforcement, she's looking forward to the next chapter in life.

She can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and on her website, cjpinard.com.

You can also find billionaire romance under her pen, Carolyn Delaney.

Reading order:

URBAN FANTASY/ROMANCE:
Enchanted Immortals 1
Enchanted Immortals 2: The Vortex
Enchanted Immortals 3: The Vampyre
Enchanted Immortals 4: The Vixen
BSI: Bureau of Supernatural Investigation
Enchanted Immortals Box Set: 4 Books + Novella

PARANORMAL ROMANCE:
Unscathed (A paranormal romance novel with Tim O'Rourke)

Soul Rebel (Death's Kiss #1) FREE
Soul Redemption (Death's Kiss #2)
Soul Release (Death's Kiss #3)
Kovah: Soul Seeker (A Death's Kiss Novel #4)

Lotus (Daughter of Darkness) Lotus's Journey Part I FREE
Watcher (Daughter of Darkness) Lotus's Journey, Part II
Guardian (Daughter of Darkness) Lotus's Journey, Part III

The Lunar Effect (The Ayla St. John Chronicles, #1) FREE
The Lunar Curse (The Ayla St. John Chronicles, #2)
The Lunar Secret (The Ayla St. John Chronicles, #3)
The Lunar Magic (The Ayla St. John Chronicles, #4)
The Lunar Promise (The Ayla St. John Chronicles, #5)
The Lunar Light (The Ayla St. John Chronicles, #6)

Viper (Nighthawks MC #1)
Shadow (Nighthawks MC #2)
Phoenix (Nighthawks MC #3)
Venom (Nighthawks MC #4)
Face (Nighthawks MC #5)

REVERSE HAREM FANTASY:
Four Princes (Rothhaven Trilogy, #1)
Four Kings (Rothhaven Trilogy, #2)
Four Heirs (Rothhaven Trilogy, #3)

CONTEMPORARY/MILITARY ROMANCE
Duty & Desire Series:
Patriotic Duty
Tour of Duty
Boots Beneath My Bed
Playing the Field

Imperfect Heroes Series:
Antihero
Above Protection
Beneath Broken
Beyond Love

CONTACT INFO

Find me: http://cjpinard.com/

Like me: https://www.facebook.com/CJPinardAuthor

Follow me: https://www.instagram.com/c.j._pinard

Tweet me: https://twitter.com/CJPinard

Join me: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CJPin...

Add me: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
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Reviews

[nat · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is, by far, the worst book I have ever read. The main character is abusive and controlling and condescending and essentially runs a cult where he can call for a hit without being questioned. I might review this more thoroughly later but I don't want to subject myself to thinking about this book any more today on purpose.

[Ashante Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vane & MyAnna: TRIGGERS: sexual assault, kidnapping, assault. So I'm gonna say that this book had so much potential. It consists of two romance tropes that I absolutely love... Vampires & werewolves and motorcycle clubs. But the author got too caught up on the flashbacks of Vane's life starting from his turning, I mean the flashbacks, if you separate them from the rest of the book, leaves maybe a little less than half the book if that. I think we know more about Vane's history than we do about MyAnna and she is the heroine (so to speak) of the book. Then there's moments that literally happen in the blink of an eye where you're like "how did we get to this moment, when we were just here..." And you scrunch up your face and have to go back and re-read because there literally was no set up for that new scene. I love the concept, even moreso, I love that this MC allows female vampires in their club. Also the story was very anti climactic. There was no build up. I will give her points though for shedding a little light on each of Vane's lieutenants since they each have their own story. But again that time could have been spent on MyAnna.
I'm sadly disappointed. But I may give "Shadow" a chance.

[Mariaan Belinfante · Rating 3 out of 5]

Different take on vampires in a kind of motorcycle club. Features a lot of violence, obviously loyalty between members and tiny bit of romance with a notion of the happy ending. Can be read as a stand alone though part of a series. Book 1 features on Viper, the leader, gives insight into his luitenants who will each have their own stories in the rest of the series

[Debra Johnson]

Amz Prch. Oct. 20, 2023

[Klare · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only finished this as I can’t give up on a book.

[Natward1 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t finish at 55%. I actually really liked viper. He wasn’t too over the top, or rather, he was a little over the top but balanced it with being relatable and likable surprisingly. But I am just very particular when it comes to the love interests meeting because a lot of romance novels are heavily cliche and unoriginal when it comes to this part. This was no exception sadly. At first I thought it would be unique given the circumstances. But I just didn’t like Myanna at all. I don’t like a girl who is uptight and “feisty” when dealing with her love interest. I mean feisty might be okay if it feels natural but in this instance and in many other romances I’ve read the girl is shown as “feisty” just to give the guy something to smirk at and be all “amused” by. Which is the case here. I’ve seen it done a lot and I don’t like it. Myanna had a good reason to be actually upset with viper feeling like she’s just gone from being with one captive to another, but she comes across as just looking for a fight so viper can then be just tickled by her opposition. But Like I said, the first part is great. The romance is just clumsy. I can tell the author has an agenda to get across so it doesn’t feel natural and when a story doesn’t feel natural it makes me uninterested.

The deal breaker though was when they try and set up a house and life for Myanna. How she reacts when they show her her new place made my eyes roll. It was soooo corny and cheesy I wanted to die lol. But I guess this book probably just is what it is: an alpha bad boy vampire meets a “feisty” human and they both fall in deep love with each other after one conversation. But why does it always just have to be like that in so many romance novels? “For some reason she’s/he’s different”. Like why so lazy? The author can’t write out or show us any reasons why the characters are different and unique and stand out so much that they can’t help but fall in Love? Not one? Why can’t the author show me a sequence of events that show me why the guy would think this girl was different and stood out to him? I’d rather the author focus on them getting to know each other and watching them form a connection than reading every detail about vipers past and how everything came to be for him. I liked some of it but I skimmed through a lot of it because it wasn’t as interesting as the present in my opinion.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was potential for a good story and start to a series here, but it wasn’t executed well and as a result I have no interest in continuing.

Vane/Viper was turned into a vampire in the ‘80s. Through flashbacks, you’ll learn about his vampire life a bit that led him to present day him as an MC leader of vamps and one wolf, who take out bad supernaturals and humans alike.

Enter MyAnna into the story. She was being held captive by a werewolf family who had kidnapped her and forced her to marry one of the wolves. Vane makes her sound like a little girl, but she’s 27yo.
At first Vane, despite being attracted to her, keeps her locked up in a cell then in an MC apartment while the club works to get her a new ID, a new apartment, and $10,000 in a bank account. So they want to set her up in a new life.
But ultimately in what felt like whiplash, MyAnna decides to stay because she wants to be with Vane. Other than mentions of attraction there was no development or talk between these two characters about being together or even scratching an itch before they were suddenly together and MyAnna is telling Vane she’s in love with him.

So it felt like the author skipped a chapter or two in the development of their relationship. Then the story seems rushed to end it. It just gets so mediocre. Vane is in love with MyAnna, they have a lot of sex, Vane is possessive. The End.

No real development or story happened. Most of the story that was somewhat interesting were the flashbacks. MyAnna becoming Vane’s girlfriend was just easy peasy. And while they leave the question of whether MyAnna will become a vampire too up in the air, I’m just not interested enough in them or the overall MC to continue.

[Nocturne Pages · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have been so much better

First things first, the author seriously needs to add a trigger warning SOMEWHERE. I checked her website, too, and nope. Nothing. I don’t personally have a trigger for this, but some people do, so to include these scenes with no warning is unusual and a little rude, in my opinions. So if you’re reading this before you read the book, please be aware that there are two r@pe scenes. Neither are violent or long, but they’re still there, and there is no warning in the book’s description, on her website, or before the book starts.

As for the story itself, eh, it was okay. I was really excited to read a story about a vampire MC, but I feel like it kind of just fell flat. I did like Viper’s flashbacks and getting to see how he got to where he is in the present day; that was a pretty cool addition to the main storyline.

I didn’t care for the author’s writing style, though. The characters seemed rather immature and not well thought-out, and the writing felt stilted.

I don’t feel like we got to really know MyAnna at all, sadly. We know she’s curious and a little feisty, but that’s it really. Oh, we do learn she’s apparently claustrophobic, but she actively and willing sleeps under a bed. What?? Make that make sense, please.

I struggled to finish this book, honestly; it just wasn’t my cup of tea. I probably won’t end up reading the rest of the series. 3/5 stars overall, and that’s me being pretty generous. Definitely give the series a shot, though! I couldn’t get into it, but you may love it!

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really struggled to figure out the rating for this book. I think that the author has said a very interesting storyline, and it makes me want to know the future of each of the characters. But I think that the chemistry between the MMC and the FMC was severely lacking. I wish the author would have done a prequel instead of all of the flashbacks. I think that if there were a prequel, then the book could’ve fleshed out more between each of the characters. I really like that we got a little bit of the other male characters. But I think I was more than 50% through the book, when I actually learned a little bit about MyAnna. At that point it just seemed like the author knew they had to finish the story with an HEA and she filled in the pages with that. I hope, that now that we have quite a bit of the background built-in, the other books will flesh out the present day characters. I think the story and the universe that are being created could be very interesting. I especially like the equal opportunity of females and males in the club. I like that spouses and significant others are recognized and appreciated. But why is it this person that they love? Is it love at first sight? Is it soul mates? Why? Please have more details in the future books?!?!?!
PS: if you are here for a book with a lot of smut…this is explicit open door. It is not explicit and plentiful.
Using the romance.io rating system

https://www.romance.io/genres/romance...

[Linda Rorex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Nighthawks MC series by C.J. Pinard. Vane Matson is a ruthless vampire biker gang leader who founded the Nighthawks MC (motorcycle club) to clean up messes left by his kind. Known for his cold-blooded tactics, he earns the nickname Viper and surrounds himself with equally hardened allies. Viper has always avoided romantic relationships until he is called to cleanup involving a pack of wolves. Viper encounters MyAnna a human with shiny black hair and soulful eyes who was kidnapped by rogue wolves and forced to marry one of them. Against his better judgment, he takes her in, intending to rid himself of the burden soon enough. MyAnna refuses to leave, but as time goes on she starts falling in love with Viper and she sees that not all supernatural creatures are bad. Infused with paranormal mystery, sultry romance, and a pulse-pounding dose of the supernatural, this novel is a must-read for lovers of vampire-led tales shrouded in danger and desire. I really enjoyed this paranormal dark romance novel.

[Izzy SM · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 30%

It is - IMO - inadmissible that a romance book doesn't introduce the FMC until 30%. It's a 220 page book, so it's not like we'll have lot's of time to develop the romance plot or the characters.

The plot so far is a really choppy and somewhat mismatched patchwork of the Motor Club internal structure, flashbacks (tons) to the time the MMC was turned vampire, and some random wolf enemies.
I'm sure this will be a bit developed in the following books in the series (which have other characters as MCs) but I'm also sure that there aren't enough pages left in this one for the development to lead us to a whole line of plot.

The writing style is decent (that's why I rated one more star), but that plot structure, the lack of and FMC for 30% of the book and the mess of it all lead me to rate this book despite DNFing.

I'm, cleaning my kindle that if full of "stuff your kindle day" books and I keep cursing. I found some gems, but it's like 10% of it.

[Aubrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the idea of it and wanted to like it but it really wasn’t good. It kept going back and forth between his past and present, idk if it was to set up the mc and how everyone knew each other or what but it was too much. And it felt like I got the cliff notes of it, there was no detail whatsoever about the relationship and no big issue or obstacle, either for the mc or the couple. MyAnna went from being scared and locked in a room to clingy to him and begging to stay, with literally no hint of any relationship between the two. I think they talked maybe twice before that. And then the last chapter jumped to a year later and him proposing but again no substance to the relationship or anything. Very disappointed and unsure if I want to try to read the next one bc sometimes the second books are a lot better than the first.

[Sandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 54% when MyAnna (and what sort of name is that anyway) begs Viper to "Take me home, Viper...The only place I want to be is with you"
I think the author needed to spend less time on flashbacks that don't really advance the story any and more on developing a relationship between the two of them that would justify that declaration.
I'm not a fan of motorcycle gang stories, but I thought the supernatural theme might add something I'd enjoy but it didn't, maybe it kept me going in hopes of something worthwhile continuing for.
With eye rolling lines like "who smiled down at me wickedly" when a character is being forced to marry against her will I began to lose the will to go on.
MyAnna with her cliche fiesty-ness and lower lip biting just pushed me over the edge of my tolerance threshold.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Viper, the first book in a new series, and getting ‘the lay of the land’ to open this new series. The back and forth from when Viper was changed to current day was a little hard to follow at first. I’m not normally a fan of that but as the book progressed it made more sense on why the author decided to set the book up that way. The characters were well developed, even the other members of the club, but I personally felt like there could have been more time spent on the love story between Viper and MyAnna and less on all the finding and fighting and killing other paranormals. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and plan to read the rest of the series as it continues. I look forward to the other members books.

[Ashley (Red-Haired Ash Reads)]

DNF 113 (50%)

This was disappointing. Its mainly follows Viper (Vane) as he is moving his MC to Louisiana and keeping the paranormal population in check. This was fine but a bit boring. When they visit a werewolf alpha’s home they find a human being held captive who was forced to marry the former alpha. MyAnna, which is a terrible name, basically goes from being terrified of Viper and not trusting him to the next day wanting to be with him and not leave his side. It was ridiculous and made no sense after what she went through, especially since she hadn’t spent any time with Viper up to that point really. So I am done with this ridiculous relationship.

TW: death; kidnapping; forced marriage;

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Viper and MyAnna

Brilliant book which I absolutely loved and would thoroughly recommend hoping that others enjoy it as much as I did. Fantastic start to a series revolving around Vane (Viper) Matson who was attacked and turned into a vampire. I really enjoyed the interaction been Viper and his fellow vampires and the way they decided that they would be the good guys of the supernatural world, hunting those who attacked or killed humans thus drawing attention to their kind. Helping save a woman kidnapped by wolf shifters was supposed to be save, help and then set her up safely elsewhere. Too bad no one thought to tell MyAnna that.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not your average MC which made for refreshing reading. Vane who became known as Viper leads this MC thanks to his character which us readers want to see who is beneath that character. The author gives it to us really good. You will find one of the foundations he has in this is trust in that he has those around who he trusts in this MC. His approach and such of humans is hardly tolerated but one night he gets to get soul smacked is how I call it by a human named MyAnna. Oh her eyes he probably drowned in them. Turn the pages to see if it can survive though the two of them.

[Katlyn Edwards · Rating 1 out of 5]

I honestly didn’t mind that this book switched POV, but this was almost a DNF. It also bounces between past and present to help you better understand the male main character. The story development was very basic and I feel like events were not built up in a way that made sense. It went from “oh. They rescued her and basically kidnapped her for themselves” to “Oh. They’re mated and she wants to turned into a vampire” so fast it felt forced and fake. The main character just seemed like a dick the entire time with very, very small moments of redemption. I won’t be continuing the series.

[Natasha Gill · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story is very slow paced, mainly due to every other chapter being a flashback to how Viper became a vampire. For me, this hugely detracted from the romance story in the rest of the book. I kept giving the book time to get better, but the love story was also weak.... one minute he's rescuing a human girl from wolves and locking her up in his compound without a care in the world for her. The next they are declaring they love each other and are coupled up. No build up. No drama. Just a HEA which made no sense.

[Stephanie S · Rating 1 out of 5]

**** DNFed at 56%*****
And I have no desire to give it another try

I'm a total dark romance girly so the dominant personality of the MM doesn't bother me. What the issue is there was no relationship building at allllll. Also Some of the words used just didn't fit/ outdated I.E. "skivvies"

Most of the scenes in the book had no flow. Or were random and unnecessary. The book needs more character development / relationship building to make it feel more natural and authentic/ believable.

Book comes off like a first draft and not a final product.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this ebook up free on Amazon and it sounded really interesting vampires werewolves and bikers plus romance with an 18+ theme but unfortunately It was not really for me I struggled to connect with the characters the internal thought process of the main character was full of red flags. the book is told mostly from vipers pov and is told In Two timelines one the present day and one starting from when he was turned in to a vampire for me the way the story was told felt disjointed and spent more time in to past than the present and the relationship felt to instalove

[Courtney Reads Smut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this MC book! This is a Vampire MC! They are trying to keep the Shreveport Louisiana safe from rogue vamps & werewolves!
Vane/Viper- Vane was his human name & Viper is his MC name. I don’t understand the negative reviews about this book and the names! Apparently they’ve never read an MC before.
Loved Vipers history!

✔️vampire
✔️ human woman
✔️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
✔️grumpy/ sunshine
✔️rescued damsel
✔️ alpha vampire
✔️ HEA

This is my first read from this author & I’m definitely going to go find the rest of this series!

[Merry One Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Viper gets a different life

This was a thoughtful and realistic life a a human male named Vane who was changed into a vampire without his consent. We never find out why Agnes changed him, but it alluded to something nefarious. Vane aka Viper learned how to exist in his new world in a difficult way without any guidance for years. Eventually he meets like minded supernaturals and created a club that helps all kinds of people humans and supernaturals. This is his story and it goes back and forth between times to tell his story. Read On!

[Sheila Osmond · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Viper is the first book in the series the backstory and lead up is amazing! It is slightly slow at first but once you get all the details it makes the book that much more! My favorite line in the entire book is: "Whoa slow down snake boy, you don't have to worry about me" "I only have eyes for you. My heart is yours. Just don't freaking break it." The dynamic between the main characters is refreshing banter and true adoration. I give this book 5/5 and I can't wait to read the next one!

[Francesca Angels of bloggers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I couldn't stop reading even though I had to cuz of life responsibilities. But I loved Viper storyline and how all the characters developed. I'm gonna be honest in the beginning I did get lost a bit with the whole timeline but as it progress it all made sense.

Viper is total hard-core bad*** and I just added him to my new book boyfriend list
I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

[Carol Roll · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good

This book is the beginning of a new series. The story line was good and I liked the characters. What I didn't care for was the back and forth in time, I know is was the set up for the series, but it was distracting. Also the majority of the book was more of how the male character came to be and less about the couple. That being said, I plan on giving the next book a read.

[April Vivas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!!! Drama, romance, action all mixed together with an MC and the paranormal - what more could you ask for? The characters are awesome, well developed and come alive to the reader. Being a Louisiana native, I really enjoy that the book is set in my back yard. Can’t wait to read the next in the series!!

[Heather Ambrose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this take on Vampires and Werewolves. In most paranormal books they seem to be at odds with each other. I am not usually a huge MC fan but I really enjoyed this one. The characters are well developed and the story flowed. I can't wait to learn more about the other guys in the MC and to see where Viper and Myanna's relationship goes!

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

different

Not sure how I feel about this book. On one hand it’s so different I like it, yet on the other it feels as though information is missing or I’ve not picked up on something. Liked the idea of the mc but to be honest MyAnna was too weak, simple and vapid as a character for the president. Not sure I’d read another.

[Sandra L · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

Got about six chapters in and couldnt figure out why Viper went by both Vane and Venom. It was weird. The plot was too i your face, vamps vs horrible werewolves. The kill like its their job but they dont get paid. Who nominsted them judge and jury. Not enough MC stuff to be cslled an MC series. And holy wow, the head guy didnt like working on the bikes, def not a biker.