Knox

Dead Souls MC #1

by Savannah Rylan

Knox lives by one never betray the Dead Souls MC.

He didn’t kill Blaze.
But in this club, the truth doesn’t matter. Silence does.

Prison is just another battlefield, and Knox is willing to bleed for his brothers. What he isn’t prepared for is Monroe. His sharp-tongued, relentless lawyer. The one woman who sees past the ink and scars to the man underneath, and the one person capable of destroying everything he’s sworn to protect.

She’s smart. Untouchable. Dangerous in her own way.

As the lines between justice and vengeance blur, Knox is forced to choose between the club that owns his loyalty and the woman who’s cracking open his carefully buried heart. Because in the Dead Souls MC, love isn’t a weakness. It’s a liability. And Knox would burn the world before letting either of them fall.

Knox is the first book in the Dead Souls MC series, a gritty, steamy motorcycle club romance filled with ruthless men, found family, dangerous secrets, and love worth going to war for. Ready to start the ride? The Dead Souls MC is waiting.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Audiobook, Contemporary Romance, Amazon, Romantic Suspense, Motorcycle

248 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 14, 2018

About the author

Savannah Rylan writes dirty-talking motorcycle club and mafia romance filled with ruthless men, ride-or-die loyalty, and women who don’t back down.

She has a soft spot for anti-heroes with scars, found family dynamics, and enemies-to-lovers stories that make her heart melt. If there’s a morally gray biker growling “mine,” she’s one happy girl.

When she’s not plotting revenge arcs and steamy showdowns, Savannah is wrangling two tiny humans, two chaotic dogs, and a husband who has fully accepted that fictional bikers pay the bills. She’s known for rocking rainbow hair (usually some shade of pink or purple), surviving East Coast winters with dramatic flair, and drinking coffee like it’s water.

Originally from sunny California, she now lives where it snows, which she deeply resents. But at least it gives her more time to stay inside and write about men who prefer leather cuts over parkas.

If you love possessive heroes, high-stakes drama, and spice that fogs up the windows, you’re in the right place.

Reviews

[Erth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knox has been sent to jail for a murder he didn't commit, Monroe is the newest at the Lawyer's office that his club has on retainer and she has been sent to help him.

Monroe has a lot to learn about being a lawyer. She doesn't really believe Knox is innocent but with the guidance of her boss' s her natural talents as a lawyer come out. The problems is...the attraction she feels towards him and of course he has no problem admitting he finds her attractive.

Can Monroe save Know from spending years in jail. Will they discover who is behind the man's death? Will they be able to stay away from one another?

Monroe is a really smart woman but she is very uncomfortable in dealing with a MC and the men within. They are far outside of her comfort zone. And her attraction to Knox really complicates the situation. I thinks she surprises herself with her capabilities.

Know is not going to let this woman get away. With all the odd things going on though, his main goal is to protect her.

I did enjoy this story but in the back of my head I wonder how long they kept their relationship a secret: was in until after the case? Her boss's were smart so I am sure they figured it out.

I would like to read more about this club.

[XxTainaxX Curvy and Nerdy]

DNF at 70%. Not enough character development or connection between main characters to suit my preferences. Pacing felt too fast. Not for me.

[Denisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 I actually liked this one!


Ok, one thing I didn't like was that it was a bit unrealistic in certain areas. Like the fact that the chick is fresh out of college (she's a lawyer now) and she manages to get a really big, important case. Even more, she handles it expertly.
Don't get me wrong, I know that you learn a lot at uni and you can be really good at what you do. But who, in their right mind, would give someone who has zero experience a really big, important project right off the bat?! Most lawyers have to wait years until they actually get something important to do (no matter how smart and good they are).


But anyway, despite this, I enjoyed the book. I loved that both the MCs had strong personalities, they somehow fit together, they were perfect for one another.

Plus, I absolutely love a strong female character.


Oh, and the writing was good! It's my first time reading this author so I had no idea what to expect, but it definitely won't be my last one. Really liked the plot and the how I couldn't seem to be able to put the book down.

All in all, it's a book worth trying

[Syndi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do like the law jargon in Knox. Somehow Miss Ryland makes it sexy. Monroe is sexy heroine. She is confident and takes no prisoner type of girl. She is also smart.

What really bother me is Knox. He is portrays as dumb, naive MC gang member. Only good for giving orgasm. Not a balance with Monroe character. The story is pretty standard.

3 stars

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick Info
Standalone/Cliffhanger?: Standalone
Part of a Series?: Yes
POV: Knox and Monroe
----------------------------------
Meeting the Characters
Knox - In a biker gang named Dead souls
Monroe - His lawyer
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What happens?
Knox lands himself in jail accused of something he didn't do. Monroe is the lawyer brand new to town and to the firm that gets his case and tries to prove his innocent although she is biased and doesn't believe him.
Monroe and Knox have had a similar childhood where both dads were waste of spaces and weren't there for their children.
Final thoughts
I was curious about this book I admit the book cover got me interested but its boring. I tried to start this a few times but couldn't get fully into it. I really wanted to like it. It just seems to be so quick like all of a sudden the L love is being thrown around and its also all of a sudden they start fucking. Like where the fuck did that come from? I just didn't feel the chemistry
Would I read again?: Nope
Would I read this author again?: Probably wouldn't go out of my way but if I happen upon her I'd give it a go.

[Stephy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Minor spoilers, but not enough to ruin the story

I tried... I really did try to finish it, but I dnf at 60%.
I wanted to know the answer to some questions the story raised, but I didn’t care enough about the characters to finish.

I liked.... the h’s spunk and confidence in her field. She always stood her ground with the H.
I also loved the concept of the story, and them starting to have an attraction while she’s defending him.

I didn’t like... the overall relationship between the H and h. There wasn’t enough growth. Apart from them both liking how confident and strong the other was I didn’t feel the connection between them.
The female names were weird and not in a cute way.

I REALLY didn’t like... the sex scene. I was cringing the whole time I read it. There was just waaaayyyyy to much talk about ‘her juices’. I felt like I was reading about a watermelon.

Overall a miss for me. The story line was interesting, but not enough for me to follow through. I wouldn’t discourage anyone from reading it.

[Shernell Joseph · Rating 2 out of 5]

They never went on a date

The couple fell in love without a proper reason, too. There was no chemistry. The best part was the prison. Getting him out. Other than that, it's so boring.

[Coco.V]

💝 FREE on Amazon today (11/3/2018)! 💝

[Ez · Rating 2 out of 5]

After an altercation, Knox is arrested for a crime he didn't commit - the murder of a rival gang's prospect. Monroe is sent in as his lawyer as part of her new job and sparks immediately fly. While the story wasn't anything overly original, it still had promise to be entertaining as the MC try to figure out who and how Knox was set up. And be warned, the story does not finish up. There's not really a cliffhanger as such, but the story certainly isn't resolved.

Unfortunately, there were too many issues with the story and I found myself rolling my eyes more often than not, starting with Monroe applying for and accepting a job as a criminal lawyer but assuming the only clients she'll get will be innocent ones. Seriously, one of her first questions after finding out that the MC had the firm on retainer was to check that the lawyers there only help them out when they haven't done anything. Sheesh. Years of law school and that's where she's at?! And the author wants us to believe that she went from a premier law firm to 'defending criminals' and didn't realise this is what the firm did prior to going for the job.

There were editing errors starting early on in the book. Nothing too major, but they were noticeable - missing commas, apostrophes where there shouldn't be any, typos and missing full stops. Certain phrases had to be reread because of the strange language choices (e.g. Monroe had thick legs that rubbed together with every step she took, Monroe wasn't going to wake her boss from whatever slumber she was resting in). Some words were repeated often (I'm looking at you, 'snickering'). Some events in the book didn't quite add up, e.g. Monroe going through Knox's defence with him and retelling secret information he hadn't even told her yet. Several of the elements in the book were laid on really thick such as Knox's attraction to Monroe and she was constantly saying she hated how much she enjoyed his attention, touch, etc.

There were gratuitous sex fantasies where Knox or Monroe were imagining what the other would do, I assume to add extra steam. And there was steam, but it was surrounded by so much cheese throughout the book that I ended up skipping bits. There were also a few ewww moments for me reading the sex scenes. Think 'salted juices'. Hard pass. Truly, the descriptions during these parts were terrible. Oh, and he's literally just gotten out of prison and they have unprotected sex. Then he had to lay down the law because Monroe was going shrewish and trying to change him and have him leave the club. Again, they had only just met.

Monroe was made out to be this gun lawyer but most of her words and actions belied this so parts of the book seemed ridiculous. She also threatened to break Knox's arm and remove his lips from his face. Yeah, love, he's a biker who's been arrested for murder. Good luck with that. There was plenty of dirty talk in Knox's monologues but it was just so cheesy, over the top and laid on way too thick. Monroe was supposed to be this strong, feisty woman who just kept caving to him because he was so gosh darn attractive. One of my favourite quotes? When Monroe's cheeks were tainted with a lustful blush. That's a first for me in a book.

Then there was the repetition. Monroe trying to ascertain she was a strong and independent and being over the top in trying to assert herself while struggling with how much she wanted Knox. Then she'd go on about how she couldn't possibly have feelings for him because he was a criminal biker who was in jail. All of this after meeting him...wait for it...twice. Yep, you read that right. She asked herself how she could build a relationship with someone she didn't want to like. What relationship exactly? The author tried to have Knox come across as alpha by making him abrasive and arrogant. Then he was playing the role of protective alpha as everything he did was to keep her safe.

The declarations of love were unbelievable as the two hardly even knew each other and then the dilemma of who set up Knox is just solved and extra evidence was found. Honestly, I was completely done by this point. I obviously won't be reading the next book.

[⚜️ Lacey ⚜️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

The storyline was a good one but the execution left much to be desired, imo. Right off the bat Monroe doesn’t want anything to do with the MC because they were a “gang of criminals”, without knowing anything about the case, the people involved, or the background of the MC. She basically went to law school with the unrealistic thought in her head that she’d never, ever, ever have to defend a possible guilty person. Like, really?!?! Jeez.... She goes over to the prison to help get him out of there and he’s kinda stressing because retaliation from members of a rival MC while he has no backup in there is a very real possibility, so of course he’s sitting there with a hard on imagining what he’d like to do to her (sexually)! At this point, I realized that they are both huge assholes. She tells Knox toward the end of the book that he’s a good man and not to ever let anyone tell him he’s not.......FALSE!!! He might be a nice man, but a good man would never choose his MC family and the dangerous life that came with that over his own flesh and blood child!!! He left his child with his own (60+ y/o) mother so she could raise her with pretty much only monetary help from Knox. He goes years without seeing them and he only lives a few towns over! He does this for their safety. Because the family he chose (the MC) is important to him. Obviously more important to him than his own birth mother and child. None of his MC brothers have families or family members they keep close. Again, this is for their safety. Who lives life that way? Are none of those men supposed to ever fall in love and want a family? That’s realistic. Also, I’ve read a lot of MC books. In NONE of them have I ever read them refer to themselves as a GANG. Wel, until this book, that is. I made the “confused wtf face” way too many times while reading this book. It’s a shame I didn’t enjoy this book more because I’m really interested in finding out what happens to the other “gang” members. I’m also interested to know the MC business with the Black Saddles (don’t get me started on that ridiculous name) but I’m not sure I’m interested enough to make as many “confused wtf faces” required to find out.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book I've read from Savannah Rylan. I enjoyed the story. I liked Knox and Monroe. The plot was interesting, though I would have liked to have seen more at the MC's lodge. I could have done without all the "bodily fluid" talk during intimate scenes. Her juices pooling at his feet, like seriously? That's so not sexy. I swear it sounded more like she peed while they were having sex. And then the 'fluid' talk continued at other times. If it's more of the same in the next book, I'll skip the intimate scenes.

[Crystal Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the whole concept of this story/storyline of Know and Monroe, however I wish there would have been a lot more detail! In the beginning the story was a bit more in depth with details, but towards the end it started going downhill for me and became rushed and vague.

I loved how fierce, sassy and determined Monroe is with something she carries passion for, but I also got the feeling that I did not get to fully know her character. On the other hand, Know was a bit for explained into detail throughout the story, but there were little things missing such as, what did he do for the club? Was he an enforcer or did he even have a role? what did the club deal in? Questions like those happened throughout the entire story and I was hoping I was going to eventually get some answers.

Overall the story felt a bit rushed with words and left me with a lot of questions. I also feel as if they rushed into a relationship really fast and said the "I love you's" too soon as they had only slept together twice within a short amount of time of him getting out of jail. While I loved the concept of the story, it lacked detail and was rushed in writing. I'm a bit conflicted because it had such great potential with the storyline. I'm not saying don't read this book, because everyone has different opinions. I'm just saying that it did not do it for me personally and I would not pick it up to read again unfortunately.

[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the story.
I liked the characters.
I liked that the legalities of the story were believable.
The cover is h o t!

Knox’s eye color changed from brown to ocean blue to dark brown. Huh?!
Too much repetitive story telling. Both Knox and Monroe telling their story of their upbringing then retelling it again, word for word.
Grammatical errors.
Some sentences just made no sense.

The cliffhanger didn’t bother me. I’m on the fence about reading Book 2 though.

[Christina Lane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book. I had heard good things from a friend and was excited about the idea of an MC romance. I was also super excited that the author had several series about MCs. But the book was just a little too cheesy for me. The romance felt pretty rushed and the characters just fell a little flat for me. I didn't hate it and definitely want to give other books by the author a try - I still have hope I guess.

[🦋Alley🦋 · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 47%

I kept waiting for the book to get more interesting but it never did. I love a strong female main character but Monroe was unrealistic, for 47% of the book she threatens everyone she encounters and comes across and uptight and rude. At one point while she visits Knox in jail she makes the guard handcuff Knox to the table in the hot weather outside 🥴I’m almost 100% certain lawyers don’t have that kind of pull.

[Rony · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started with the first one and I would have read the whole thing if it wasn't for the poor editing and lack of attention to details. I was alarmed by the constant editing errors but completely gave up when Knox had blond hair in the first chapters which somehow turned into brown hair on chapter 14. Call me weird but I almost find it insulting. Not impressed at all.

[Mistie Read-Scroggins · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m barely into the book and the writer can’t even remember her own description of the main character. I hate that! She described him as blonde with green eyes. Now, his love interest describes him as having “ocean blue eyes and brown hair.” If you can’t remember your own story, take notes! He was in jail, so I doubt he had access to hair color. Do better.

[Jos]

No rating

Didn't care for this story or the characters:(. It was a dnf for me!

[Bookbytch5 janet Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knox is a great start to the new series Dead Souls MC #1. Once i started to read couldn't stop until the end. So let me set it up a little Knox is jail for murder & Monroe is his attorney to help get him out, There chemistry 100% explosive. Theres plenty of action, twists and turns through out, A must read, I voluntarily read an Advanced Readers Copy. Another Great story Savannah 👏👏👏

Purchase Link: http://a.co/8VFrE7U

[Linda Levine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knox and Monroe are two very different people brought together by their mutual passion. She is his attorney and wants to support him in his desire to be released and back with his daughter.

If you enjoy MC romances, I would recommend it. The story is emotional and suspenseful. I really enjoyed the reading experience. The characters have great chemistry and the story keeps your interest.

I am voluntarily reviewing a copy I received.

[Phyllis Wolford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!! Enjoyed it from the first page to the last. Great Characters and story plot line.
Ms. Rylan has done it again, no matter what book she writes she grips your attention and doesn’t let go. She just keeps delivering hit after hit. Please keep them coming.

[Book Nook Kitten · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cliche, dull, repetitive and issues with the writing like missing words and Knox's eye colour changes several times. In chapter 6 he has 'Dark brown eyes', in chapter 10 he has 'Ocean blue eyes', then back to 'Brown', at 36% he has 'Blue orbs' again, by 54% he goes back to having 'Dark brown eyes' again'! Its not good when the author cant get her own characters description right.

The book is filled with all the usual boring cliche stuff that's found way to often in the biker genre, like him going into detail about why he is so loyal to the club and his biker brothers because they saved him, because they made him a man, because they showed him what family really was etc bla, bla, bla... she & he both had bad father's, etc.

It is also very repetitive, Knox has his 'loyalty to his club' speech in his own head as an internal monologue then he goes on to repeat it word for word in a conversation with Monroe. She does the same with an internal monologue about her family, then she repeats it word for word in a conversation with Knox. It means the reader is made to read the exact same chunks of text over and over, which is annoying and really boring.

I also found the case info and the evidence not only boring to read about but seriously unrealistic. The first 51% was talking about the legal case information. The entire first half the book! Then continues when the case is forced into a Rico case. Boring! I even thought a sister betraying her brother, risking going to see a biker in another club, one whose character she doesn't even know, seemed unrealistic.

The fact that Monroe is a lawyer yet argues with her bosses that she only wants to work on cases with innocent people, wasn't just unrealistic, it was a joke. She doesn't even know if Knox is guilty because she hasn't seen his file but that's not the point. A lawyer's job is to defend all, as best they can. You can't know if someones guilty or innocent until you work their case and you can't pick and choose.

Then it was 'insta-love' which I hate, when Monroe and Knox fall for each way too quickly. Despite not even knowing one another, a couple of conversations in jail and a quick romp and she is claiming they have something special. Then the say I love you after the second time they have sex. Just awful stuff.

Monroe becomes so annoyingly nagging and judgemental, trying to get Knox to change his life after five minutes of knowing him. She becomes obsessed with him, wanting to call him about her day after one time together, thinking she's hearing his voice etc weird!. She goes from being a strong woman to a nagging obsessed idiot.

It was also hard to like Knox, a man who could dump his baby daughter off on his mother to raise, who chooses his club over being a permanent feature in his own daughters life. I just found this far too cliche, common, unrealistic and boring. And I didn't even like the sex scenes, with all their dripping juices etc yuck.

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had totally forgot that I had previously read this title. Knox is now bundled with other Dead Souls stories, Knox being the first book of this collection. And for me it's the only title that I will be reading in this series. Let me just say that this tale is so unrealistic as to be laughable. And I really wish Ms. Rylan could make up her mind as to what Knox actually looks like. He went from having blond hair and blue eyes to Brown eyes and brown hair. I probably could overlook that inconsistency but the heroine, Monroe, is so confused about her career choice that she gives a whole new meaning to a person being innocent until proven guilty. And her assertions that she won't represent criminals had me rolling. Especially since she's a criminal defense lawyer and not a prosecutor. I honestly could never picture her and Knox falling in love, so I'm giving this book just two stars for this author having the nerve to put this out to the public.

[KitKat821 · Rating 1 out of 5]

This review is partially biased because I’m a lawyer and know that this is one of the most unrealistic representations of a lawyer I’ve ever had the misfortune of reading about. I’ve rolled my eyes so much over Monroe’s behavior as a brand new attorney that I think I’ve gone cross eyed. No lawyer fresh out of law school has that much confidence, knowledge, political maneuvering skill, etc. It was ridiculous. Furthermore, the older attorneys that Monroe was working for would never let her take point like that or talk to prosecutors the way she did. It was absurd. I’m all for suspending some reality when reading romance - but this was beyond the line. The romance wasn’t there. These two flirt in jail in a few meetings, have sex once, and suddenly they are in love? No. There just wasn’t much redeemable in this book.

[Lilith Snow]

Ok so I was listening to the audiobook and the story was eh, it’s like the author couldn’t remember if ol Knoxxy boi was blonde and brunette. The audiobook was free and was a duet so I pushed through.

Protective biker dad that has a serious chip on his shoulder about trusting people even when it’s his lawyer that’s trying to get him out of jail for a murder he was framed for. Bit of spice, no fade to black or closed door nonsense here.

The epilogue though.

When I tell you the SECOND it was mentioned she had been feeling bad I KNEW. They had been screwing bareback and Knox finished in Monroe so many times throughout the book. BUT MONROE HAS THE AUDACITY TO SAY THEY WETE BEING SAFE 😤 NO TF YALL WERE NOT!

Okay rant over, needed to get that off of my chest.

[Jenna Stawarski · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had a really hard time getting through it. This was her first job out of law school. Yet when she talked about sleeping with her very first client she made it seem like it wasn’t as bad as it was.

They had sex and he left. And she hunted him down after. She was really desperate.

And i would like to see the case study about the contractions pushing the baby up into the rib cage instead of out. I mean things happen in labor that can have lasting consequences but why choose a complication that is the least likely? And then tell the story not once but twice. Once as an inner monologue and the other out loud.

Premise was good.

[Shelley C · Rating 4 out of 5]

A complication!

This is my first book by Savannah and I did really enjoy it. Knox is framed for a murder and when his lawyer comes to talk to him, it’s not the lawyer he was expecting. Monroe is sexy and the chemistry between them is thick, especially as she tries to work with him on how to get him out of jail.

The only thing I suppose I was expecting from this book was a resolution on certain issues, but I’m assuming that these will continue through the other books in this series and ultimately we will get a resolution to all issues from Knox’s story😀

[Kelly Crowley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fix the grammatical errors.
Yes Knox went to prison for a crime he didn't commit. Yes his lawyer Monroe did whatever she could to help before he was released. Problems? Yes. Knox at one time tells Monroe how family comes first, yet he rather stay in the MC than raise his daughter. He keeps his daughter with his mother so nobody finds out about her to keep her safe. So why in the end of the book is he so happy when he finds out Monroe is pregnant? Wouldn't that negate the reason he keeps his daughter with his mother if he's going to raise this child?

[Akina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although reading a romance between a lawyer and her criminally accused client is not something I would normally read, I decided to give this book a chance. It started out with promise. The backstory was interesting. But the quickness of the personal relationship between the main characters was a huge turnoff. I didn’t particularly like either person and the ending was strange and abrupt. I wouldn’t even call it a HEA. Overall, the book was a miss and I probably won’t read any more books written by this author.

[tryingtowritesomething · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 8% usually I try to give more to a book before a DNF but it was poorly written and the dialogue was extremely forced. I just couldn’t.
After every unnatural sounding line of dialogue there was either “character asked” or “character said” no variety and no mastery in the writing. Just couldn’t deal. Which is sad because the plot seemed so promising.