Warlord

Anathema #1

by Lana Grayson

Trapped... For twenty-one years, Rose Darnell desperately searched for a way out of the Anathema MC, but the only thing more dangerous than the desecrated club is the rival chapter manipulating Rose into starting a war. Bound to a world of bloodied knuckles and drug money, Rose is determined to use her musical talent to escape her abusive father and overbearing brothers. A chance audition would free Rose from the outlaw 1%, but her brothers ensnare her within Anathema’s shadow. A rival club threatens Rose, and only Anathema’s President, Thorne Radek, can protect her from the bloodshed. Betrayed... A traitor lurks within the brotherhood, and Thorne will burn the world to scorch the rat. When an innocent diva with baby-bunny eyes and dark secrets needs his help, Thorne volunteers to protect the girl and secures his ultimate bait to lure out the traitor. Thorne may be the only man who ever distracted Rose from her music, but his obsession with the club's betrayal endangers the one woman easing his desire for vengeance. Helping Thorne find the traitor will damn more than the club. It will tear Rose's family apart...

Genres: Romance, Abuse, Dark, New Adult, Erotica, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary

358 pages, Paperback

First published November 28, 2014

About the author

Lana Grayson was born to write anything and everything to do with romance. Her favorite genres range from the dark and twisty to the lighthearted and sentimental—as long as the characters are memorable, the story is fun, and the romance is steamy. Lana lives in Pittsburgh with her husband, and, when she isn’t bundled in her writing chair, she’s most likely cheering on the Steelers or searching for the ‘Burgh’s best Italian restaurants.

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 heroine killed it for me stars

The scarred demon shadowed everything, but it also protected...It gave me a new life. It gave me hope.

Warlord was another book I wanted to like, hopefully love and it really could have been if it wasn't for the heroine ... Rose was so not a heroine for me, she was ungrateful, bratty and to immature for my taste. I was a bit unclear as to what was going on and why the chose certain solutions, but it is what it is. Can I just say though, I am looking forward to the next book which is a trip because as much as I ended the book not so happy they promise of what is yet to come put the smile back on my face. This was my issue alone and had nothing personal to do with the author's style.

ARC kindly provided by Tika Lake Publishing, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review .

***Quotes above are taken from the ARC version of the book and may differ upon publication.

[Mariℓina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very satisfying and really good debut. A powerful story, that meticulously examines the biker life. Filled with raw sentiments and thoroughly made characters. Heartache and passion. Loss, innocence, fums and war.


Rose and Throne, collide when circumstances put them together. Rose harbors a devastating secret and the only way to forget her past is through music. Thorne is the president of the Anathema MC and currently at war with a rival club filled with former members of his own.


Rose had enough of her family's life. They breath only for their MC and nothing else is remotely important. When she decides to follow her dream, she knows that no matter what, a part of Anathema MC will always be there tormenting her. She had no idea though how much that will turn out to be true..


Thorne's life is also etched to that club that is more of a curse to its members than the solace they need. He knows someone inside his club is a traitor and decides to use Rose as a bait in order to find the culprit. But he is not the only one who wants to use her. And his betrayal won't be the first one for her.


But something will go terribly wrong.. Thorne might be a biker badass but his little diva, will put him on his place, again and again, after all maybe that's what he really needs, love! But promises will be broken, alliances will be cut and brotherhoods are going to pay for their faulty loyalties.




THOUGHTS ABOUT THE BOOK

- Hot sex!
- Fleshed out characters.
- Intriguing and raw plotline.
- Rose's personal story is devastating.
- I'm not sure of how i feel about her btothers.
- Very compelling and it "sucks" you right in.
- Much suspence..
- I liked Luke.
- Dual POV.
- The last chapter from Thorne's POV was amazing.



ARC provided via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review. Thank
you!

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've wanted to branch out and try some biker romances from new to me authors and series after being cozy with just a few early established favorites for me. I tend to be on the squeamish side so those that are mild to moderate in the biker romance category suit me best. This one sat between those on the scale offering a gritty, dark world, rough danger and raw passion. I loved the tension that held from the beginning through the end and the situation that offered no easy answers and got even more complicated and conflicted as it went on. I like where the author went with this one, the intro to the world and characters and I would most definitely pick up the next book in the series.

Okay, so this one starts with Rose Darnell working a low paying waitressing job with dreams of her music carrying her to bigger and better things. She grew up the daughter of a mean, rough man currently incarcerated for drug running who was the VP of the Anathema MC and a strung out mother who died. Her two older brothers followed right after their dad and are now patched members of the club. Rose wants nothing to do with that life, but in a moment of weakness she calls her brothers to borrow money for a new guitar and a stake so she can audition to sing in bars and clubs to build a name. They love her and are eager to help, but violence follows in their wake and she changes her mind. Her decision to pawn the guitar she bought even though it was done innocently puts her smack in the middle of a turf war between rival mcs and right where she never wanted to be again. She's now under the protection of the hard, steel-eyed president of Anathema and he's got more than her in his bed on his mind.

Thorne has to find the traitor in his club that is selling them out to their rivals across the river. He has his suspicion nailed down to one of the Darnells. He will do anything to get revenge against Exorcist and the others who betrayed Anathema and the one who betrayed from within and that includes using a beautiful innocent Rose Darnell. His decision becomes complicated fast when she is way more than she seems. Its too late to turn back now. Rose is on the radar of Anathema's enemies and she'll be right there when he exposes the mole in the MC. She is his angel of light and he will be the one to destroy her because the MC always comes first.

I pretty much said it all in my introductory paragraph. I pretty much said it all in my introductory paragraph other than this is told first person perspective in alternating points of view. The characters do get stuck in their heads just a bit, but nothing too annoying. The action and pace definitely outweigh the circumspection that goes on.
I will give a warning that if rape and incest are triggers then this one might not be for you. It all happened in the past, but the memory of it is present for several scenes.

So in the end, this was a very engaging story and I've found another author of biker romances to add to my short list. I would recommend this one to Contemporary Romance fans who love their antiheroes and like their stories gritty.

My thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this one in exchange for an honest review.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original Review @ Nomi’s Paranormal Palace

I haven’t read a lot of MC books, but I just loved the sound of this one! I hosted it as part of its release tour and in the end I decided to read it, because I was pretty curious about it. I really did enjoy Warlord, it seemed pretty realistic and I was on edge while reading it!

Rose has grown up in the shadows of the Anathema MC. Her father and brother’s are part of the club and in the end, her mother died because of it. Since her father went to jail, she has put as much distance as she can between herself, her brother’s and the club. When she approaches her bothers for help, it sets off a chain of events that throws her right where she doesn’t want to be… under the watchful eye of Thorne, the Anathema’s president.

Rose had her secrets which weren’t revealed immediately, but the little clues dropped along the way had me guessing what they were. I could understand why she wanted to keep her distance, and the reluctance she had to trust her brothers. I really liked Thorne though, he is a very strong character and will do anything in his power to protect those he considers family. He is ruthless, to the point and drop dead sexy!! I just loved reading his pov to see him struggle with his feelings for Rose.

The rivalry in the town is exciting! The club has been at war and split in two. I liked seeing both sides of the clubs and the evil that a few of them portrayed. I enjoyed the MC aspect of the story, detailing the dangers of being in this world. Warlord was a terrific start to a new MC series and I am looking forward to coming back to this world in the next book.


Complimentary copy provided by the Publisher, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Nicci · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first thought on this book was that it was a very well written debut novel but it was a bit long-winded at times. With a good editor it could have been made sleeker, less clunky and thus a smoother read but this opinion didn't hamper my enjoyment of the book.
It's a heavy read - as I find most MC books to be if I'm honest. Gang war, murder, drugs, sexual abuse, women as inferior beings... Generally dark and gritty. It ticked all the usual MC boxes but it was handled in a way that didn't turn my stomach or make me want to punch something. The characters were well written and the story was action packed and engaging. I found Rose to be a bit annoying but my heart ached for her and I understood what made her so whiny and selfish. Thorne was kind of awesome, ruthless and brutal but oddly, not heartless. The dual POV balanced the story really well and gave the reader a more in depth picture than you'd get from a single - first person - POV. I'd re-visit this MC and would read this author again.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too long

This book. I don't even know what to think of this book. First of all, this book was extremely wordy. All sorts of descriptions and words when less would do. The characters were pretty complex. Neither were likeable. Rose seemed weak at times. Thorne was a hard man with no redeemable characteristics. He wasn't hard with the club and soft with Rose. He wasn't sweet. Some of the stuff he said had me like wtf. "The night wasn’t for me, and I knew of no better reason, no more deserving woman, to reward with my cock." "I had the cock, I made the rules." "I’d never ask for her forgiveness." Seriously??

There was a lot of club business. No humor, laughter, or smiles to this book. It was a hard read. No HEA. I may or kay not read the next one. Plus side...no club whores, not cheating, no ow. Though there was betrayal that I know I would never forgive.

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

First book by a new author - and I think it is a great debut. I've always been a big fan of serial romance novels and recently have jumped on the MC bandwagon. When I found out that someone I knew had actually published a book in this genre, I had to give it a shot (congrats by the way!)

Unlike most romance novels, this story actually takes the time to introduce the reader to the characters and show different sides to each member of the MC (and the related characters). This is a gritty, violent story (as is to be expected for MC's) but it has a nice bit of realism that prevents the characters from being too one-sided (few stereotypes here). The set up for the second novel is well done and I've been left with just enough information to want to get the second installment.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 Stars
I liked the story line, the plot and the characters. The author has the ability to develop a good story, however the writing style is unique and very different for me. I usually complain about long, run on sentences but the sentence structure throughout the book consisted of short, concise sentences. Almost like reading bullet points in my opinion. It was hard for me to follow the character's thoughts and events until about the 35% mark where the story started to really flow for me. For me, it was a struggle to read and stay focused. However, I liked the characters enough that I will most likely read the next book in the series.

[Becca Reads A Lot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh

Not my favorite writing style. I just couldn't get into it. I didn't feel the pull of the characters as much as I wanted to. I finished it, but I have enjoyed other MC books much more.

[ismahane ❖ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read by a new author, a good MC romance.
I enjoyed reading this book, it stayed true to the MC roots.

[Joy (joyous reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Admittedly, my reading choices as of late have veered towards indulgence. Since recently shedding any care to other people’s opinions about my selections, reading has gotten even more fun. While Warlord isn’t all rainbows and unicorns, it was for the most part, something that I used to read in the darkest crevice of my closet.

I don’t really know what evil possessed me to request this on Net Galley. Even though I used to be a fan of books set in this world, I’ve haven’t read one in the longest while. After reading Madeline Sheehan’s Undeniable three years ago, I’ve kind of been traumatized.

Warlord, for all intents and purposes has everything you would expect from a novel that features warring Motorcycle Clubs. In the middle of the melee, is one Rose Darnell. For most of her life, she’s avoided being caught up in that world. But when she found herself in the wrong side of a territory war, it left her no other choice but to accept Anathema’s protection and the mercy of its leader, Thorne Radek.

Thorne is your stereotypical alpha male. He’s a brute; he’s unforgiving, and one who has a tunnel vision when he sees what he wants. While he didn’t really exercise gratuitous force in overpowering Rose’s will, he had moments where he’d shown tenderness was not his strong suit. In any case, he played the part to a T.

Being an Anathema is in Rose’s blood, but she chose to live away from all the bad things associated with the stigma. In fact, she’d rather worked as a paltry-paid diner waitress than never have to worry about rent money. But as most people in her situation would find out, something cataclysmic always happens to pull them back in.

In most cases with these type of books, readers will be put through wringer. I was always on tenterhooks; waiting for that moment when the story would show its monstrous teeth. It didn’t disappoint. If you’re like me, one who is squeamish about sexual abuse, Rose’s story is as stomach-churning as they come.

For the most part, I think Ms. Grayson started off on the right foot with this series. Though you’ll be hard-pressed to find originality with this book, it’s still amazing that this is her debut work. I’m still on the fence on whether I’ll continue on with this series, but if you’re a fan of bikers, Warlord is a good addition to your collection.

[Stacy Sabala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review- Warlord by Lana Grayson

Rose is trying to be a musician. Her father is in prison for murder and her brothers, Brew and Keep, are neck deep in the club. The Anathema Motorcycle Club was something Rose could never get away from no matter how hard she tried.
Thorne Radek is president of Anathema. He is trying to keep his head, literally, after the split of the club. Exorcist left the club and formed The Coup. The city isn’t big enough for two clubs, so things don’t look good. He also knows there is a rat in the club. He has a pretty good idea which direction he needs to look.
When Rose gets stuck in the middle of the war, Thorne decides to protect her but use her to figure out who the trader is. Unfortunately for him he bit off more than he can chew. Rose feels safe with him no matter what he does. When everything is revealed: Rose’s secrets, the trader’s identity, the plan to end the war, and her father’s jail sentence, all hell breaks loose. The Coup wants their drugs back and goes after Rose. Thorne has to make the decision of what comes first, the club or Rose.
This was a gritty story. The girl has been raised where her father and brothers were members of this motorcycle club. She was abused and the reputation of her father alone ruined most opportunities in her life. She wants out. However no matter what she does, she always gets dragged back in.
I usually don’t like weak female characters in a book, but the storyline and the past the author created demanded Rose be how she was. The environment she grew up and lives in is full of violence, crime, drugs and a strict code. No matter what the characters think, they are expected to do certain things and act in certain ways. The author gave a good insight into gang wars, the hierarchy and expectations. I don’t think I could live in a world like that. It was a dark book but a good read. I give it a 4 out of 5.

[Once · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first motorcycle novel I’ve picked up in the better part of a year. You know, I’d discovered all the good ones and I was left with the ones which didn’t quite do it for me. I was disheartened from the genre. I thought ‘why not?’ when I saw Warlord and decided to give it a go.

Rose wants nothing to do with the tainted life she left a long time ago, the life she lived with her family in a motorcycle club. Her father was violent--now locked behind bars--and her brothers too overbearing to live with, who’ve now climbed the ladder of power since she left. All she wants is the musical career she’s always dreamed of but has never quite reached, and with a rivaling gang who seems to be after her, her career will have to wait that little bit longer.

Warlord was a good book. The main character’s (Rose and Thorne) were good to read—I guess you could say that every rose has it’s thorn...see what I did there?—not going to lie, they had pretty typical characteristics for an MC book, and I found the outcome predictable, which is why I couldn’t rate the book any higher...but there was still something which made the book different for me, though I can't quite put my finger on it, and it pulled me in and kept my attention throughout.

[Rae Derby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dark gritty violent read but those make the best MC books! Loved the storyline, the way it flowed and all the characters! It seemed a little longer than most MC books but i loved it! Cant wait to read the next one!! My first book by author Lana Grayson and it will not be my last! Awesome must read!

[Teri · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley for a honest review.

Well... This book was just okay. It wasn't an easy read. There were sentences that didn't make sense. Book was just too wordy.

The concept was a good one but it was how the story was told that resulted in my low rating.

[Dina · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 20%..



I might re-visit to read later..

Much later!

[♂️Must Have Book Boyfriends ♂️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! Full review to come! Bravo Lana!!

[Janee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was excited to to get this book. This was a different view MC romance.

[jilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

enjoyed the story. fast paced, not too deep. could use some editing for grammar mistakes.

[ᑭᑌᑎƳᗩ [Punya Reviews...] · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review contains spoilers and they're mostly my thoughts as I went with the book... for more, visit Punya Reviews...

I’ve been reading a couple of selective MC romances of late. Lana Grayson’s Warlord, book 1 of Anathema, seemed like something I’d like to try, so I gave into the temptation. There were pros and cons in the story, and she being a debut author, I’m not going to vent about those. I’m just going to try and elaborate what I felt.

Warlord is a full-length novel, so there was a complete story in it about a girl who wanted to run from her heritage, and for good reasons. Rose is the only daughter of the ex-president of the Anathema MC, who is now in jail. She’s in her early 20s and hates anything and everything that has to do with Anathema. The identity (or stigma?) of being related to MC member(s) have ruined her life in more ways than one. She has two, much elder, brothers who go by Brew and Keep. I don’t remember their real names since everyone called them by those titles. They’ve always been loyal to their MC heritage, and have this blind adoration for their father, Blade Darnell. Since her father was arrested couple of years ago, Rose has avoided her brothers as much as possible. She, also, never visited her father in jail. But Rose had a dream of becoming a musician, a dream born out of a darkness that is explained much later in the story. But the hints dropped in between led me to believe in the worse. And it was true...

Rose is recently beginning to be interested in doing musical gigs to earn money. She doesn’t want anything to do with drugs and strip clubs etc. An honest living if she can do it. But with her paltry day job as a waitress to a local diner, she never accumulated enough money to buy her instruments, and for that, she’s forced to turn to Brew and Keep for help. Later she wishes she hadn’t, for she soon gets entangled in the MC gang wars, with the enemy of Anathema, the Coup. They are a part of Anathema, led by this guy called Exorcist or Ex, who betrayed Anathema by breaking a portion of it and turning into his own gang. And he’s been doing everything to take Anathema down, including a vendetta to oust and kill their current president, Thorne, whom Rose likes to refer as the Warlord.

We don’t know much about Thorne’s background, except for the fact that he has always been a part of the Anathema, since his puberty maybe? Though a couple of years younger, he had been friends with Brew and Keep, who now hold two best positions in the MC. But Thorne is no Prince Charming. He’s a badass and can be as cruel and mean according to the occasion. This is how he’d been trained, becoming a killing machine. He survived all the street wars all these years and finally, became the president. He also had another weakness; Rose, whom he’d known since she was a kid but never thought that she’d ever be a part of his life.

When Rose does something and unknowingly gets herself in trouble with the Coup, Thorne commands Brew and Keep to bring her in. She is to be kept in Pixie, a bar owned by Anathema. It’s also Anathema’s meeting place, and the members, including Thorne, live here. They also have a separate strip club that has links to Anathema, called the Sorceress. The owner, a hard-eyed beauty named Lyn has obviously known most of Anathema’s members, including Throne, in more ways than one and none of those probably are legal.

Thorne though, brings Rose in for an ulterior motive of his own. He’s sure someone is betraying Anathema with the Coup that includes drugs and information. Thorne is sure it’s Keep, who is a junkie. And he wants to use Rose to rat him out. A betrayer never stays hidden and their ultimate fate is condemned to die by the hands of the President. Little did Thorne know that Rose would become his everything in a matter of a few days. Her innocence, beauty and that beautiful voice would transcend anything that he’s known in his dirty, violent life.

Rose wouldn’t have wanted to be a part of Anathema, again, but she always felt powerless around Thorne, and I mean in a sexy way. His overwhelming presence would wear her out, and it doesn’t help that she had a crush on him once. The attraction never died down and now it’s grown into something much more. Though Thorne at first had no intentions of sleeping with her, they couldn’t avoid it even if they wanted to. When Rose is kidnapped by the Coup, beaten and was left to die, Thorne saves her. So you can say Rose wanted to ‘repay’ it through sex, but that was not all. It was consensual, wanted by the both of them. But then, Rose’s ‘secret’ was still a vague thing and it sort of connects this exchange, as if that’s how Rose knew to repay her debts...

But no matter what, they couldn’t avoid the danger that seemed to dog their footsteps either. One complication after another arises from the initial kidnapping, the drug exchange and a huge amount of money. It was all about keeping the credo of the club alive in any way possible. Then Rose learns of Thorne’s motives which left her feeling used. There were a lot of drama in the story, some seemed silly, while the others quite serious, not to mention guns and violence. I ended up feeling bad for Rose. Poor girl never really knew a real, loving family. Her mother perished a long time ago, thanks to her nasty father, and her brothers, though they loved her in their way, were mostly oblivious to anything but the MC. And when she felt she’s falling for Thorne, she learns that he was using her. :(

Thorne soon realizes the error of his ways when Rose leaves Pixie to live on her own again. There was no way she was living there around him, even though her life was still in danger. As for Thorne, he no idea when had he started to care for a girl, when he never did before. Then again, his past companions were mostly whore and strippers (I assumed). There was no one like Rose. Unfortunately, as a president, his hands are tied. If the charges are proven, he has to dish out what’s coming for Keep. But can he do it knowing it’ll also end any hope of him being with Rose again?

The story has more going on, a more violent gang war where Thorne redeems himself in Rose’s eyes by saving her once again from the Coup. That Ex was fixated on Rose for a reason that also connects to Rose’s secret. She never told anyone about it, until the time when Brew is found guilty instead of Keep. When her brother is facing death, and she learns that her father might be out of the jail any moment, Rose couldn’t keep it inside anymore. Ah, I really felt for her.

In the end, Rose and Thorne find a way to resolve the differences after the final climax. The Ex problem was taken care of, though the Coup is very much still alive. Thorne even takes Rose out of the Pixie to a separate house he’d owned for a long time, but never thought would ever live, so that she can have the semblance of a normal living. Keep was still fighting his drug addictions, while Brew....... Thorne spares his life, which I saw as a token of his love for Rose. But he sends him in exile, which was to be kept a tight-knit secret. But he also had a plan that I guessed was related to Rose’s father. And Brew was going to take care of it while in hiding.

Now here is what bugged me the most. I have to mention that I liked the storyline, and enjoyed the actions, enough to keep on reading. I’ll go as far as to say that I’m now eagerly expecting Brew’s story, which comes next, due early 2015. I MUST know what his future holds. But I wasn’t fond of the writing style. It seemed overly choppy which was distracting me to no end. Some of the dialogue, especially Thorne’s, positively set my eyes rolling, they were that over-the-top. Also, it took me a while to get familiar with who is who, which MC is which and the overall arc of the story. I felt as if I was reading in the middle of another story, though I finally did get a hold of it after a couple of chapters. I think good editing is needed to tighten up the writing a bit more. For that, sadly, 3 stars. If not for the writing style, I’d probably rate Warlord higher.

[AMC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall good but too overzealous writting

I'm undecided whether this story deserves 3 or 4 stars. The story idea is good, there is a lot of action, the writing conveys the atmosphere of MC club and the underworld but yet at times it feels over the top.

Rose and Thorn seem to develop relationship but it is not love at first sight. At times the heroes monologues were so confusing, drifting into descriptions that didn't seem to make much sense. The intimate scenes were so poetic that lost their touch with reality. It was at times pushed to the limit, as if the author wanted to impress with the depth of their writing. But too much is as bad as too little writing creativity.

For that reason her writing style didn't resonate with me. Also the connection between the heroes was just not on the same level somehow they talk to each other but failed to conveyed that connection in their expressions. It left me really indifferent emotionally.

I think the execution of this story would have been much better and more exciting had the author had less overzealous writing style. If this style of writing continues in the rest of this series I'm not sure I have the patience to follow.

[Virginia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm in a book rut so take this review like a grain of salt. I've probably started 20 or so books in the last few days and none of them have held my attention. This review is more for me than anyone else. :)

This was an MC read with quite a bit of action but no mystery. Maybe I'm psychic or something, probably not though but I felt like I knew exactly what was going to happen throughout.

This story didn't give me anything to make it stick out from the rest. Will I read the next? possibly. Am I in a hurry to read the rest of this series? Nah.

I don't know how to say it but things just felt off.. I did enjoy some aspects to the story.

The book rut I'm in has most likely had an impact on this review though.

[Cynthia Whisler · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a Great Story

Wow was this story intense and drama filled. The storyline has a dark topic but thankfully it wasn't fully discussed. Definitely a very MC story. Rose was a traumatize woman with a lot of discussing memories. And Thorne was the Pres of the MC who stole her family from her. The characters were unique and well-written. Awesome Read

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this story through NetGalley from the author/publisher for an honest review. I'm so glad, too (thank you!). This book was intense and I read it in one sitting (and until 4am).

The book is told in alternating points of view between Thorne and Rose. I consider the book as a standalone, but it's the first in a series with different characters for each story. I think you do need to read this one before the next book is released. It also helps to not know who the next book will focus on as it's part of the overall plot and ultimate climax in this particular story. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book and hope we see more of Rose and Thorne (drama-free).

The book has a great overall plot. It captured me from the first page until the last. Both characters were very complex. Of course we see our tough hero grow and develop feelings for our heroine and obviously this is going to change him and his ways. I liked that in comparison to several other MCs in this genre, there was no cheating or threat of other women. I dread those and this was a relief to not worry about.

We also see our heroine change and accept her course in life and how it can be different from her childhood and early impressions of the MC lifestyle. At times she lacked maturity, but she's also very young. She's struggling for what she perceives as the ideal life and anything opposite from how she was raised. She struggles, but you have to respect how independent and self-sufficient she's become.

She also has some super immature brothers who think they're protecting her in their own way and the best they can do with what they know. There were a few scenes (after she's kidnapped)
My only (mild) frustration was the story was filled with a kaboodle of dramatic phrases. I'm not sure what the technical word would be for it. Examples: "Rose quivered under me as a delicate princess & shifted into a starving minx within one quick lick and the jerk of my..." or "trapped far from the clenching heat that earned a quick release from my kindness." Now on one hand, it was intense and swept me into the moment. On the other hand, almost every page was filled with this dramatic imagery. It didn't really frustrate me until closer to the end (and around 3am) where I needed to get on with it and find out what was happening with the story itself.

Again, this book captured my attention and immersed me into their dark and complex world. I liked that not everyone was as they seemed or black and white. Another different angle from other MCs, was the heroine herself and her career choice. It was unusual and refreshing.

I highly recommend this book!

[Kahea · Rating 3 out of 5]

***I received a free copy from Tika Lake Publishing via NetGalley for an honest review***


Rose was born and raised in the MC lifestyle but has done all she can to stay away from it all and live a ‘normal’ life, even if it’s a struggle. Thorne is the Anathema President and is trying to keep what’s left of his club together after a coup and a bloody territory war ripped it apart but is being thwarted by a traitor in their midst Due to some bad decisions Rose finds herself on Thorne’s radar, under his protection and the bait in luring the rat out.

I didn’t think I would like this one, and up until about the 40% mark it was a little shaky, but I found myself enjoying where the story was going and how things were playing out when it came to hunting down the traitor. My issue with the beginning part wasn’t the flow, or even the somewhat choppy writing, it was Rose. Throughout the mass majority of the book she keeps saying that she wants nothing to do with Anathema. That she wants to leave it all behind and have a ‘normal’ life and after figuring out the abuse she went through, I don’t blame her one bit. I’d have found any way to escape too, BUT she doesn’t. She had ample opportunity to before we meet her. Her mother OD’d when she was young, her father is in prison and she is estranged from her brothers, but she stays in the city that Anathema calls home. You can say money is an issue, but again. If you want out, you find a way. And when she finally decides it’s too late. Also, for someone that was raised in the MC she just came off as extremely naive about what was really going on and the danger she was in based on her last name even if she wasn’t apart of Anathema.

Outside of Rose, I actually liked Thorne. He was a bastard most of the time to Rose, but he is the Prez. His only concern is the health and welfare of the club and to do whatever it takes to ensure it. But he did care about her. He may have been crude about it, he may not have made huge overtures to her, but it was all in the little things he did. The things that he didn’t have to do and the lines he didn’t cross. The one person I really liked was Lyn. The woman is ballsy and one of the bright spots in the book for me. Brew, Keep, Gold, Scotch and Luke I enjoyed as well and wouldn’t mind to learn more about them.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

* I received a copy of this title courtesy of Tika Lake Publishing, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review *


4.5 stars


Darnell. A name that strikes respect among the 1% . Rose views it as a curse given to her by a man that's behind bars. Her brothers cherish it, wield it like another weapon in their arsenal. Then again, Rose never wanted to be part of the Anathema MC. With patched in officers as brothers, she can't leave it all behind soon enough. Even though she's not an active part of that life, it follows her everywhere. Her music. Her music is what gets her through the days and the heartbreak, what will hopefully pull her through the other side where all of it is a bad memory and she's doing what she loves. That is, until she makes a decision that unknowingly puts her on the radar of people who long to spill the blood connected with her last name. What's better to get their hands on than the innocent younger sister of two of the highest members? Thorne Radek, Anathema's president, won't let that happen. He also has ulterior motives for keeping the gorgeous her safe. He has a traitor in his club and he plans on using Rose to sniff them out. Even if it means betraying her own flesh and blood. She's about to find out the true price of safety.

Warlord is a book worth reading among the explosive MC group. I was sucked in automatically with Thorne and the Darnell family drama. Rose shows her young age at times but in general was a very relatable character that was easy to ride along with. Thorne was rough around the edges sexy with a toe curling growl and a side that only came out to play around Rose. You could easily see him making the transition from gutting his enemy to caring for her behind closed doors. There was nothing stereotypical romantic about him but they meshed perfectly once they got there. The writing was raw and seductive, delivered in a flowing formula that I loved reading. The side characters, family members, mc, and everything else around opened up a world I'd love to go back to. Lana Grayson is a promising new voice in an addictive genre.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warlord by Lana Grayson is a surprisingly high quality and entertaining read.

For Twenty-one years Rose Darnell’s family have dedicated their lives to the Anathema MC, and for twenty-one years she’s searched for a way out.

Rose believes that her musical talent will be enough for her to break free of the outlaw 1% and the demons and memories that lurk within. Yet her chance for escape vanishes when a rival chapter threatens her life.
President of Anathema, Thorne Radek, is the only one who can truly protect her. Yet Thorne is obsessed with finding out who is betraying the club, and see’s Rose as the key to discovering the identity of the traitor.
To be honest, while the blurb of this novel was interesting enough to catch my attention, I would have been reluctant to spend money to read it, even though it sounded like a great book. From personal experience MC novels are a bit hit and miss; they’re either a spot on great read with an excellent plot and good writing, or have a cringe worthy plot full of clichés, vulgar language and themes, with an extremely poor writing style.

I’m relieved to say that Warlord is the former, and that money spent on this book is money well spent.

Grayson has chosen to write in split P.O.V between Rose and Thorne, which allows you to be privy to two different opinions and attitudes about a very unorthodox world, which helps create a more in depth and believable novel.

However I did find that first chapter from Thorne’s P.O.V was slightly confusing. This problem was, thankfully, short lived as the more you read and learnt about him and his world, the better you understood his personality and voice.

Warlord is the first novel in the Anathema <?i> series, and with it’s thrilling plot and impeccable writing style I’m left counting down the days until the second book is released.

[Kimothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is 3.5 stars pushing hard for the 4 star rating so i have given it 4 stars. From the start you are dropped straight into the MC club life and all the characters. It is a dark and gritty world where our female lead (Rose) is estranged from her brothers because of the MC club. Each family member holds deep dark secrets no-one more than Rose. When her life gets threatened Rose and Thorne and pushed together even though both try not to something develops. Thorne and Rose are a hot mess together, they have a spark, but then again they each push each others buttons so much they begin to grate on each other. Rose's brothers are pretty despicable, they do not care too much about their sister, despite all their protests otherwise, and as the book goes on we learn they really did not protect Rose at all. The bad guys in this story are proper evil and i loved that, sometimes in mc books they talk the talk but little evil deeds are done. But in the this book, yep they are evil and slimy. Anathema takes on a whole entity in this book, and it gets a bit confusing talking about it like a person, yes it is a living breathing organism in that in consists of all the brothers in the mc club, but it is like it possess Thorne and all he is. I liked the ending a lot, it certainly pulled on the heart strings and made you wonder which way Thorne was going to go, and i loved the idea of the story for a certain character continuing. I most certainly want to see what happens there. This was a great MC book, that was very different to the usual generic pace that some can have. It just took me a while to get into it, loved the dual POVs between Thorne and Rose i do like a dual POV in books :), a promising start to a new mc series

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wavered between 4 and 5 stars for this debut book by a new author and settled on 4.5...it was good enough to keep me reading non-stop till it was finished and just had a few places that stretched my imagination slightly too far...but overall I really liked it a lot.
Rose wants desperately to have a career as a singer..and she's really good at it. Too bad she has a couple of really big problems...two bad boy brothers who are in Anathema MC and an incarcerated father, who used to run the club and has been put away for a long time, but not before causing some major emotional and physical damage to Rose.
When Rose makes a stupid mistake that puts her in the crosshairs of war between rival clubs, she is taken in (or rather 'forced' in) by the club for protection by Thorne, the Prez. He is scary and dangerous and sexy all at the same time and no match for her sweet "virginal" bunny eyes and innocence (despite having grown up in an MC). When Rose becomes a pawn between the leaders of three clubs, it becomes a desperate fight for lives and territories and as loyalties are tested, some major players must take the fall.
There was not so much clubhouse antics as you get with most biker romances (no jealous cat-fights or wild parties) but plenty of nasty, dirty behavior and graphic violence...along with some pretty steamy and panty-melting scenes between Rose and Thorne (OMG!).
A good new MC romance that ends with a for-now HEA and the next book in the series has me excited (I can't say who it is because it would give away one of the plot twists).

***** 4.5 ***** "every Rose has its Thorne" stars

[Jessi · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was a little leery when starting out this book. Having read so many MC books lately the originality of some of the story lines have seemed to blend together. I can safely say after reading this that this has novel is unique and original and gives a refreshing take on the bad boys that you love to hate.

Rose wants nothing more than to play her music and get away from the cloud hanging over head also known as her brothers. Her brothers belonging to the Anathema MC are everything she has never wanted to be. When circumstances beyond her control leave her with having to talk to her brothers for the first time in six months. Most people would be happy with family reunions but Rose knows that giving them an inch will lead to a mile. So when they come back and drag her to Anathema saying she is in danger Rose's carefully organized life is about to be turned upside down for an unwanted return to the wild side courtesy of Anathema's club president.

What I loved about this book was the undeniable chemistry between Thorne and Rose. For all of Thorne's faults and issues he was actually the kind of alpha male that warms a girl up which suprised me. Usually authors go out of their way to create such a bad boy that it takes away from the romance of it all. Thorne was everything a girl could ask for and everything Rose didn't want but definitely needed.

After reading this book I will most definitely continue to read this series and I can't wait for Rose's brothers books. With all of the demons chasing those two it will most definitely be a wild ride.