Waylon, Book 1: Angel and the Ruthless Reaper

Waylon Duet #1

by Theodora Taylor

Readers Note: The original WAYLON story has been split into a duet in order to whisper sync with the audiobook. Book 2 contains a Bonus Epilogue that was previously only available on Patreon. If you've already read the original story, you've read everything except for the Bonus Epilogue. Cheers!

Since aging out of the foster care system and becoming a nurse, all I dreamed of was marrying a nice doctor and moving to a two-story house in the suburbs.
So how did a dangerous biker gang criminal end up handcuffed to my bed? And why did I agree to let that animal teach me how to...ahem...do things. Wicked things. In the very same bed he’s been handcuffed to in order to keep me safe?
Long story.

And I’m truly scared to find out how it will end.

Reader Note: This is book 1 of the Waylon Duet.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Interracial Romance, Dark Romance, Contemporary Romance, Erotica, Dark

Kindle Edition

Published February 1, 2022

About the author

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Theodora Taylor writes hot books with heart. When not reading, reviewing or writing, she enjoys spending time with her amazing family, going on dating nights with her wonderful husband, and attending parties thrown by others.

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Theodora Taylor schreibt feurige Bücher mit Herz. Wenn sie nicht gerade selbst liest, schreibt oder Deutsch lernt, verbringt sie am liebsten Zeit mit ihrer Familie oder geht mit ihrem wundervollen Mann aus.

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Reviews

[JenMcJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book felt well written, even if the characters were ridiculously written.

Amira is both weak when she needs to be strong, strong when it's convenient for the story, a MASSIVE hypocrite and has the self esteem of a gnat.

Waylon is an uncommunicative Alphahole that did everything about their relationship the hard way and blamed her for that. Any guy that would put her though that ride from Delaware to Iowa without talking to her at all or seeing to her comfort or even trying to make it less miserable is not the kind of guy any woman should be thrilled with. Burning her clothes? WTF? Shooting people right in front of your already traumatized woman and then locking her in a room made me burn with fury for her.

All of that aside, the writing was good enough that I kept reading to see what would happen because the tease at the front of the book was effective. I would have given this maybe 3.5 stars but then the ABRUPT ending follows with this crap:

Want more Waylon and Amira?
Wondering if Amira ever makes up with Ant?
How about Griffin and the mysterious Red?

Get one more burst of
Waylon and Amira
in the bonus epilogue
when you follow me on Patreon.

Basically you need to pay to read the epilogue that would probably finish this book appropriately instead of the vaguely cliffy-feeling ending we get. What kind of customer extortion is this? Best I can tell after looking into the Patreon, to get to the bonus material it's 10 bucks a month! How long could that epilogue be? I just paid 5.99 for 400 pages... Is the epilogue a two book duet? I'll never read another book by this author now. F that and the entire business model.

[Torri (BlackRomanceConnoisseur) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started With Promise…

A simple way to sum of this book up would be: it’s not giving what was supposed to be gave… but I don’t want to do simple because I’m irritated by this book.

Amira is a character that has strength and original thoughts deeply repressed, but we never truly got to really see the real her. At the beginning, we sitting here reading about how her boyfriend gave her a self-help book written by his ex girlfriend so she can learn to be whatever the f— to impress his parents (because who she is isn’t good enough??). And worse than that she thanks this man…..I repeat, she thanks this man for attempting to make her like his blonde Blue eyed ex girlfriend. I will blame it on the trauma— still the bar is deeply entrenched in hell because ain’t no way. She also talks about how she keeps her 4C hair in a sew-in (because that’s what Dr Abuser likes..) , which the sew-in isn’t a problem, do what you want with your hair BUT when it comes to trying to fit into European standards of beauty or just the lack of love for yourself, it’s weird and sad.

The wedding scene, my thoughts:
Quick question, are women really that stupid? Are we dumb? I could’ve sworn the day before her wedding he pushed her down some stairs
,so why is she making excuses for saying no to marrying him??

Waylon. What happened to the Waylon that was in chapter 9 and 10?? He seem to have some emotional intelligence, he seemed ruthless to everybody EXCEPT Amira. I know we’re talking morally gray “hero” but when it comes to the heroine at some point he gotta stop being a villain with her…

His trust issues and inability to communicate his thoughts and his feelings properly was too much. How does Waylon go from being a man that can pick up on indicators that something is wrong with a woman that he just met to a man that can’t communicate what he’s trying to do or where he’s trying to take this relationship or why things are the way they are??

I mean the violence, it is what it is—he supposed to be ruthless, all right do your thing but the strip search…excuse me I didn’t realize I was under arrest?🤔 I would say maybe I’m expecting too much from a caveman, but that’s not what the author sold him as in the beginning of the book so I’m waiting on chapter 10 Waylon to show up.

Respectability politics really had Amira in a chokehold and the whole time I was reading this I was waiting on her to wake up, waiting on her to start to heal, hell I was waiting on her to hand out some ass whoopings that were long overdue.

I gave it 2 stars because
-her brother stop messing with Amira’s fake bougie self because she was acting funny
- Waylon punched Dr. Abuser in the mouth repeatedly as he should.
-What Waylon did for her was REALLY sweet


And shame on me because I know better, the author’s books are always on the scale of toxic sometimes a little, sometimes a lot —so I get what I get.

Side-note: Hades BETTER beg, grovel, simp and suffer because I hate him.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Waylon is the first book in this addicting new Ruthless MC series.
This book follows Amira, a nurse who dreams of marrying a doctor and living in a yellow two story house but that dream changes when she meet Waylon who comes to her injured. As she helps him heal she can't help but feel things for him. But she is on a break with her doctor boyfriend, so who will she choose?

I'm not going to say anymore because I don't want to give spoilers but this book was so good. I love Amira and I especially loved Waylon. I love MC book series and I can't wait for the rest of the series.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review*

[Mstcat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, so I'm pretty sure that I'm going to be the person who goes against the crowd with this one. I found Waylon to be just a "meh" book. It kept me reading because I wanted to know how things would play out. Unfortunately, it was a disappointment. It just seemed to hit all of the wrong notes for me. So much so that I think it requires a longer, more in-depth review than what I can give here. To keep this review spoiler-free, I'll outline problems that I had and try to not go into any real detail. Problems include:

- A weak, weak heroine. I get the character has some issues, but this woman needed a therapist, not a man.
-Stockholm Syndrome/sex makes all things a-okay.
-Hero = psychotic caveman. This isn't uncommon in romance, but this just felt like too much.
-Obsession/possession was off-putting.
-Abrupt ending.

Sure, these problems are elements that appear in a lot of books, and (for the most part), I haven't had a lot of problems with some of them ... when done right. Execution is everything. But this, this just felt wrong. It didn't come off as love and honestly, it didn't even feel that sexy to me. The heroine, Amira, seemed like she was just succumbing to the situation (with a little penile persuasion that is). How and why she would even feel anything more than just attraction and lust for Waylon is beyond me. There wasn't time for anything else!

For me, the story needed more time and more "story." This could have made this more interesting, it would have given our two main characters more time actually interacting with one another, and it could have filled-in some of the gaps. Plus a lot of loose ends were just left hanging. Why? I mean really, why? So much more should have and could have been included.

Ultimately, I just felt cheated. I'll be generous and give this two stars because as always this author is a capable writer, but honestly, it's more like 1.5 stars from me.

[Sammie Shorter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Highly Disappointing

I am a KU subscriber and usually read this author's books through that program. But imagine my surprise when this book was not offered under the program. I didn't think too much of it at the time, because I've read every single book by this author and thoroughly enjoyed them all...until this one. I did not connect with the main characters and didn't feel any love between them nor any for them. I was often confused with the timeline and at times the story was disjointed. After the wedding fiasco, Delaware ceased to exist. Too many loose ends there to not address. The ending was abrupt and ended about 89% of the book. And for me to read that I would have to become a Patron member to read a few pages of an epilogue of a book I've already purchased was down right insulting. This book cost more than any of the well written TRIAD books with much more well developed content. I'm contemplating on whether to proceed with this series and if this is the way future books are to be marketed, count me out as a consumer. Let me be clear, it is NOT because of Kindle Unlimited.

[Valentina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A caregiver heroine meets a take-charge, gritty hero in this contemporary romance with a bit of an edge and in typical TT style with a nurturing, socially conscious heroine and slightly damaged hero in addition to the quirks and feels. Character development is excellent; pace, progressive amid hot attraction. Nothing to fault in the steam department.

This story while a little edgier than her most recent stories is still very typical TT, which means you get can both expect a story with compelling characters but also read classic patterns standard to her writing, in some ways comforting and others predictable. 3.5 stars

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I have so much to say about this duology. Whew! I’m glad I read it, but there are mixed feelings, especially with the second book. I feel like the first book is very close to a five star, but the second book is disappointing. So let’s talk about. There are spoiler tags, but I will also warn that I have some really blunt things to say regarding the sexual content.

I am not going to lie. I was so intrigued at the idea of the hero being handcuffed to the heroine’s bed while he’s being nursed back to help. It’s the twist for me. He’s a dangerous biker. He’s known to be the baddest of the bad, and absolutely lethal. I liked the idea of Waylon being at Amira’s mercy. I’m not into BDSM. I’m not hating on others who enjoy it, mind you, but I am not into it. The furthest I go into that genre is this: handcuffing or tying someone up. I think this book definitely goes into that BDSM arena. It’s not in a way that’s over the top, even though it’s not my thing. But yes, I did love how Waylon was absolutely lethal but he was submitting to Amira’s care. I love when the hero gives power to the heroine in their relationship. It takes a special kind of man to feel confident doing that. That’s why I was so disappointed with a lot of aspects in the second book because it reversed a lot of the groundwork that was made establishing Waylon in my mind.

I will start by saying, generally, I avoid motorcycle gang (club is the PC word) books because I really dislike a lot of aspects about that world, especially how women are treated. So that’s why It took me a long time to commit to reading any of Theodora Taylor’s MC books (and I consider myself a pretty big fan of hers). Waylon really won me over in this book. I liked how despite his rough reputation, he was gentle with Amira and kind. I liked that he was willing to put himself in that situation because he wanted to spend time with her and how he wanted to help her with some trauma. I loved so much how he called her ‘Angel.’ My toxic trait is I adore heroes who are hardened killers but are like soft marshmallows for their heroine.

The love scenes were genuinely sexy to me. I loved the kissing scenes. I realize that how the writer describes kissing is a big litmus test for me. Kissing is treated as a wonderful experience on its own, not just a prelude to sex. I think Waylon’s passionate feelings for Amira and his desire to comfort her and take care of her was evident and so beautifully described in these moment. I didn’t even mind the switch when Waylon finds out things are different from what he thought. He was still passionate and caring.

I’m not the biggest fan of first person romance novels, but it turns out that I really appreciated seeing this story through Amira’s eyes. I could feel what drew Amira to Waylon from her vantage point, whereas in a 3rd person viewpoint, I might have had an even harder time liking him.

I do feel like Jonathan was such a weak, unlikable person, it was difficult to believe that Amira would choose him. In my opinion, there was nothing redeeming about him. I understand wanting your parents to be happy with you, but as a grownup, you are not under their thumb and you don’t have to use them as an excuse to force someone you’re dating to fit a mold. And the idea that he would constantly criticize Amira for what she eat and how she talked infuriated me. I honestly don’t even know why he was dating her if she was unsuitable. Did he choose her because of her insecurity? I mean, she did have some of that, but she was also her own person and it just seemed weird that he was into her. Also, I kind of felt like Jonathan would be a bigot and wouldn’t bring a black woman home to his family. But he was dating a black woman who came from a bad upbringing? Yeah, so he had red flags all over him.

As far as her devotion to Ant, that was really clear even without the future revelations. I didn’t find him all that likable. I didn’t appreciate how he was putting his sister in jeopardy the way he did. If he cared for her as much as he insisted, I feel like he would have worked harder to keep her out of that part of his life.

For me, it keeps going back to the question of who was in Amira’s corner? With that in mind, I could see why I liked Waylon so much in this book. I loved this book even when it started to go batsh*t crazy. And it certainly did towards the end. I was like what?? I do feel like there was a bit of a pacing issue, but it didn’t necessarily bother me. I just was a little confused about some things that happened.

I was hardcore questioning Amira’s decision she made (I mean, not that part, because I totally get it, but going through with her relationship with Jonathan.) She was seriously, I don’t know, brainwashing herself about her life plan. I didn’t know why she thought she needed Jonathan for her life to be a success. That advice her guidance counselor was absolutely awful, and it sucked how she internalized it.

Yeah, so the church scene had me sitting there with my mouth open. Big time. I’m not a big fan of cliffhangers, and I’m so glad I had the next book queued up and ready to go.

I would give the first book 4.5/5.0 stars.

[Timitra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rated 3.5 Stars

The way it started had me intrigued and I’m still intrigued by that aspect of it but the rest of it didn’t go at all the way I expected. That said I want to see how it all ends.

[Laverne Brewster · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25 Stars. (BW/WM). I listened to Audible's audio formate of this story narrated by Clementine Dove. I had looked forward to reading an MC story with Black females as primary love interests; however, this story disappointed. The story's "cold open" is of the female lead and her close friend, Stephanie, being pursued by the hero, Waylon, and other members of the Ruthless Reapers Motorcycle Club. The story begins being told from a year in the past and ends with the chase and capture of the heroine. The heroine, Amira 'Angel' Wylie, is a 26-year-old Black virginal nurse practitioner who was raised in the foster care system and is now in the fourth month of attaining her gold to marry a rich doctor and acquire a large 2-story house in the suburbs. Amira's foster brother requires her assistance with a gun shot victim, Waylon Fairgood, the hero and co-president of the Ruthless Reapers Mc. The two have an immediate connection, according to the author; but nothing shown on the page supports a romantic or loving chemistry between these characters. Waylon is an unapologetic bad ass who wants to have sex with Angel. Angel is a pretentious, unrealistic woman who was saved by her foster brother from being sexually abused but doesn't think it's her responsibility to tell her fiance that this has to cause her to fear sexual intimacy. Instead of telling the man she plans to marry, she blames him for not asking and within a week of meeting Waylon, she has addictive sex with him. The opening of this story doesn't make sense until the beginning of book 2. I don't care for Angel's romance with Waylon. I like him but she's annoying and I will not read their sequel. I will read books 4 and 5 about Hades and Stephanie and hope I connect with these characters.

[Tony · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are so many issues with this book, but the ones that bothered me the most was Amira is an ER Nurse Practitioner but downplays it like she doesn't work alongside the doctors, the only difference being she can't prescribe narcotics and she doesn't pay malpractice insurance. Also, if she's such a stickler for regulations why is she working illegally in Iowa? Also, the woman is making six figures why is she acting and living like she only just got out of a certificate program to be a Nurses Assistant? The lack of communication in the 70% of the book. I wanted to like Amira but her thinking was so ignorant, like damn girl I know they had you taking a psych 101 class in the nursing program, what the hell. Why don't you have a therapist? Waylon founded a motorcycle gang and cant f-ing communicate with the woman he wants, really? Let's not even talk about the f-ing misogyny.

This book had me so frustrated.

[Karen's Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waylon is the first book in Theodora Taylor's new Ruthless MC series and she definitely started out with another winner. The series begins with Waylon and Amira's first meeting which of course is not under the best circumstances but the pull between these two is undeniable no matter how hard they try to. This story is a page turner that I read in one sitting. This unlikely pair is in for the ride of their lives, they just have to determine if they will enjoy the journey of the unexpected together. There is plenty of drama from beginning to end with a lot of hot and sexy to make this a great read. Waylon is a great start to what I hope will be another love filled action packed Theodora Taylor series of rebellious fun.

[GigiReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is book crack. It's completely ridiculous and bonkers but I couldn't stop reading. Ends in cliffie. On to book 2

Tropes:
Kidnapping
Sex lessons
Nicknaming
Anti hero
Secret identity

⭐⭐⭐💫
🔥🔥🔥/5

CW: domestic violence (not the hero)
References to past sexual abuse

[Basak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t tell you enough how much I really really loved Waylon. I think this is one of the best MC books I have read and there are only three that make it up to my top reads list. And this was a first read from Theodora Taylor for me and I was enthralled from the very first chapter. For the second time in my life, I’ve mailed the author of the book I am in the middle of reading to let them know I appreciate their great work. Honestly, Waylon is like my dream guy and his smile that he hides just for his Amira just took my breath away. And the gesture he prepared for her… I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, but in a perfect world, we should all strive to hold back for a man as thoughtful of our happiness as Waylon is. And the chemistry and the dirty mouth on that man is just too delicious 🔥. I am ready to submit to that man for all intents and purposes😍.

“No matter what you do, all our lessons are going to end with me holding you down, f@@king you.”

Well, all in all, I loved the book so much that I didn’t want it to end ever. Now, I’ll just have to wait for the coming books of the Ruthless MC.

[BreakingtheEpigraph · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story initially started strong; however, I didn't see growth in Amira. When Waylon offered to teach her, she should have realized that a man such as this would not simply walk away into the night; when Jonathan gave her that book written by his ex-girlfriend, that should have been off-putting, as well as when he asked for that break.

Amira was willing to fight for others, but not herself? That didn't sit well with me and the fact that she was willing to marry a man who would push her down the stairs the night before their wedding. Not to mention that she turned her back on the only family she had known. Perfect dream life isn't worth that. I plan to stick with this series as I want to know what happens to Stephaine/Persy and who Red is.

Would have wanted to see Amira fight for what she wanted for herself with both Jonathan and Waylon.

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why was this so bad….Like I just never wanted amira to get back with him like I wanted her to run away. Waylon is literally emotionally abusive as fuck but he loves her ig??? Like I fucking hated Waylon after like page 100 and he was never redeemed at all. Even in the end he had like no respect for her or her choices in any way. Like mf was like we’re getting married and you’re having 3 kids cuz u tried to help a girl getting awfully abused. HUH?? only saving grace is there were so many black ppl I loved it

[Shronda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my I stayed up way past my bedtime reading this book. I’m a definite fan of Ms. Taylor’s work and every time I’m like this book is my favorite but this time and this book may definitely be my favorite. You found yourself not sure if you were rooting for Waylon or Amira or them as a couple. All in my feels because damn Waylon was just so much so demanding so sure so everything nightmares may be made of but then in the next breath he’s everything you want. Great book fantastic characters.

[Rhonda Ziglar · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 WAYLON AND AMIRA STARS!! Wow, I loved this book....these two characters were perfect. I was glued to the pages with suspense, sexiness, fast paced, relationships and love. You must read this book if you enjoy mc books....it was so good.

[Darcy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another book from my maybe shelf, wanted to like this one more that I did. Love MC books, liked Amira, but hated how she let people walk all over her. Didn't care for Waylon from the start. Kinda wanted to know how things got so bad that at the beginning, didn't seem like there were be such hate from Waylon and fear from Amira as she helped him get better. But there was enough in here that I was bored with that couldn't keep my attention. In the end this one wasn't for me.

[Brittany Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oooh, I'm intrigued! I'm on to the next one since this one was so dang short and I need to know how this cute and fast duet ends!

oh yeah, and I like the heroine :) which has been more miss lately in books! Fingers cross I don't eat those words in book 2 of the duet.

[Carolyn Norman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a BWWM MC romance written by a Black romance novelist. I found these books from a Black Bookstagramer I follow on IG.

This is Part 1 of the story of Amira and Waylon. However I think Book 1 and Book 2 could have been one book. I probably would have rated it higher if it was just one book.

The story was interesting enough to keep me involved. Read this on my Kindle app.

[Eclectic Review · Rating 2 out of 5]

I normally like motorcycle club romances with alpha heroes and their women, but this one fell short.

The premise was a good one with a broken woman vowing to make something of her life as a nurse practitioner after her horrible experience in foster care. But the execution of the plot is unbelievable and the writing is repetitive and doesn't flow for me.  I mean how many times can a man's smell be described as leather and engine. Engine? It's not like he's a bike mechanic though I'm not sure what he actually does to make money. Something that wasn't covered in the book. Also, repeating lines throughout the book "What am I doing? What am I doing? What am I doing?" is just hasty writing to me.  

I was enthralled at the start of the book, but the story just kept getting more and more unbelievable to me.  Without giving it away, I'm from Iowa and what Waylon does there just wouldn't happen.  I was also put off by how he talked. It was a big turnoff to me.  As for Amira, she is strong, but naive and could have made better choices all around. She has the smarts and the strength to be the good person she wants to be. Unfortunately, she chose good sex with a psycho over her career.  I liked that she held her ground with Waylon; however, the sex scene at the wedding was just cringy. Believe me, I have read all kinds of nasty scenes that were written well and the other man deserved what Waylon did to him, but I think it comes down to the bad writing again and I just thought it was too much.  

The supporting characters are my favorite part of the book.  Persy and Hades have a tumultuous relationship that needs some exploring as well as Doc and Vampire's heated looks and hands-off relationship.

Overall, I think this story could be better, but if you like obsessive alpha males and their captives, give this book a try.

Thank you to Ms. Taylor for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

[Coco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Left me a little disappointed.

The first half (before Iowa) I was very invested in the story. After the wedding, this book took a turn that I just couldn’t get on board with. Amira is damaged by her childhood in foster care (btw, a TW should have been given) so I gave her a pass but she needed a therapist. As a highly trained medical professional (ER nurse practitioner), it bothered me that Amira hadn’t found help to deal with her trauma. Self-help books are mentioned but mostly Amira just represses her trauma and feelings. She’s chasing this “dream” life with a man who totally disrespects and belittles her at the least and eventually becomes physically abusive. Yet she’s still planning to marry him. Amira’s running down one crazy path after another first with Dr. America then Waylon.

Waylon—where do I even start?! Originally I liked him. Sign me up to be Teacher’s pet! 🙋🏽‍♀️ I don’t mind the alpha-hole MC hero or violence in this genre. But I need MC heroes to treat their heroine with some modicum of respect and kindness even if they are a hellion to everyone else. This is romance, right?! After the wedding scene, it’s like the Waylon we met in the first half of the book had a lobotomy. Totally unable to communicate and downright mean to Amira (imo). He gets better and makes up for the bad behavior (at least as far as Amira is concerned), even explains why he’s the way he is; but I was just so mad at what he did that I couldn’t really understand how Amira just forgave him so easily.

I’m going to assume that all the heroes in this series are similar to Waylon, so I’m going to have to pass. I really can’t see myself enjoying a romance between Stephanie and Hades.

I have read a number of books by this author in the past, but it’s been a few years since the last one. This duet reminded me why I took a break from her problematic stories/characters.

[Marissa Janae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amira and Waylon (in the most effed up ways) are a perfect match. I would say this was one of Theodora Taylor’s grittier romances because of Waylon’s role in a motorcycle club. Waylon is almost an antihero with the way he uproots Amira from her life because she “belongs” to him. This book is heavy on the possessive instincts of Amira and Waylon’s relationship. I don’t know how many times Waylon reasserted that Amira “belonged to him” and urged her to “submit.” That being said, the plot line of this story is super interesting from beginning to end. Waylon and Amira’s characters do experience growth throughout the story, really learning to trust and respect each other. I liked it and I can already tell this whole series will be addictive!

[Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

The amount of times I rolled my eyes at Amira. I tried to be understanding of Amira because of her past but damn! She definitely needs therapy. She needs help with seeking out red flags.

Amira is a nurse practitioner. NP’s make six figures. My best friend is a board certified NP, has a 5 bedroom house, Mercedes, AND student loans. I don’t understand why Amira is living this frugal lifestyle. And her friends?! Sierra? She gotta go. She’s too messy and if she were a real friend, she wouldn’t gossip about Amira to other coworkers.

Waylon? Well, I even knew he was putting up a front.

It’s ok to write the “h” with some common sense and a backbone. This is a trend I notice with this author.

[Iisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in of the ruthless seris by Ms.Taylor. This story is Waylon and Amira. Amire has dreams of having a perfect husband and life. That is until she meets her teacher. One lesson turned into more.. Waylon was truly an alpha male. The book was well written and the characters had great chemistry. Once again Theodora didn't disappoint. I truly enjoyed this book.


I received this ARC for my honest review.

[K · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn’t like that the book ends iffy and if you want the epilogue you have to pay for patreon….even after purchasing the book already.

[Kadisha (paperbackpassionista) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The amount of rage and anger the female main character made me experienced should be a crime!

This story starts off with Amira trying her hardest to be more than her foster care back ground. Ever since her guidance counselor from high school told her the only way she's going to get a good man and have a good life is to get a good degree, speak "their" language, and marry a Doctor, and Amira has made it her mission to do just that and becomes a nurse practitioner. But her plans of living in the the suburbs with a Doctor and a big yellow house has gone up in flames when her brother, who's the head of the local gang, calls her to help one of his guys but when she get's there there's more than one person injured. Amira comes face to face with the Ruthless Reaper MC President Waylon that's turns her life upside down.

The reason this book pissed me off so much is because it hit too close to home for me. It's sad to say but I saw how I could have ended up thinking and being just like Amira if I listen to the people from my high school. In this book you see clearly how bad advise can alter someone's thought process and their outlook on life and the people in it. And ultimately have a person thinking that who they are and where they come from will hold them back from being successful and having nice things in life. But life slapped Amira in the face when she met Waylon and I'm so glad it did. Amira couldn't deny her attraction to Waylon even though he was everything she tried to separate herself from. I will continue to read the next book in this duet to see how the story ends between Amira and Waylon.

Tropes/Trigger:
- novella
- mc romance
- insta lovey
- multicultural romance
- black female lead
- slight brainwashing
- mention of past SA
- virgin heroin
- gang affiliation
- cliffhanger

[vanessa t brown]

Really good!

I didn't realize this ended in a cliffhanger but I really like this book. Amira he up in the foster care system and is some issues with belonging. Her mother is dead and her fate is in prison. She has one "brother from another mother", Ant who she bonded with in the system. She's a nurse who wants a doctor for a husband and the suburban life. She meets Waylon through some shady dealings of her gang banging brother. Of course there's another man in the mix, Jonathan, her boyfriend. Good first half of this book!

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some shows are so trashy and ridiculous that you gotta give them full points because they kept you entertained- this book falls into that category 😆 I came into this book with little to no expectations but I was QUICKLY proved wrong with how sucked in and invested I became. I mean I finished this book in a couple of hours, I just couldn't stop. I'm reading the sequel IMMEDIATELY!!

[Cookie McJingles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook 🎧 Review
Story - 4.5⭐️
Narration - 5 ⭐️
Overall - 4.75⭐️
Spice - 2🌶


I love Theodora Taylor's books but this was one of the most interesting. I say that each time I read a new one. Mi Mi's character was a struggle at times for me but she always redeemed. I look forward to the next book to reveal more of Waylon.