SERIES REVIEW: REAPERS MC by JOANNA WYLDE

Series: Reapers MC #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Ellora's Cave
Publication Date: 1/9/13
Format: ebook
Pages: 264
Source: Purchase
Rating: 4.5 stars

Marie doesn’t need a complication like Horse. The massive, tattooed, badass biker who shows up at her brother’s house one afternoon doesn’t agree. He wants Marie on his bike and in his bed. Now.

But Marie just left her abusive jerk of an ex-husband and she’s not looking for a new man. Especially one like Horse—she doesn’t know his real name or where he lives, she’s ninety percent certain he’s a criminal and that the “business” he talks with her brother isn’t website design. She needs him out of her life, which would be a snap if he’d just stop giving her mind-blowing orgasms.

Horse is part of the Reapers Motorcycle Club, and when he wants something, he takes it. What he wants is Marie, but she’s not interested in becoming “property of”.

Then her brother steals from the club. Marie can save him by giving Horse what he wants—at home, in public, on his bike… If she’s a very, very good girl, she’ll get lots more of those orgasms only he can offer, and he’ll let her brother live.
Maybe. 

Let me tell you about a man named Horse...

If you're wondering how Horse got his name and your mind wonders to...places...you'd be right.

  Silence hung heavy between us.

  "So aren't you gonna ask?"

  I studied him, narrowing my eyes. I had a bad feeling about this. But the words came out of my mouth, completely beyond my control. "So why are you called Horse?"

  "'Cause I'm hung like one," he replied, smirking.

Horse is a well-endowed, badass biker dude and when he sets his sights on the spirited Marie, Reaper's Property sets us off on a sexy and really fun ride. Marie is naïve, yet cautious. She wants Horse, badly, but is not cool with the life of an Old Lady. She doesn't want to be Horse's "property", yet finds herself longing to belong to him. It's a complicated relationship, considering Marie's brother is on the Reaper shit list and Marie is taken as collateral (not really, but she doesn't know that).

  "You're judging us by citizen standards, but we're not like you," he said. "Remember, we're a tribe. We live together, we die together and what’s ours is ours. When times are good, we’re all good. Bad times, we may eat shit but we eat it together. Most people can't handle that level of commitment. It's like when you're in combat and taking fire--you have to trust that your brothers would rather die than let you down. You feel that kind of brotherhood during war but when you come back home people expect you to sit down and work in an office like it never happened. Men--at least men like me--don't work like that. I turned into something else in Afghanistan and I can’t just pretend it didn’t happen. In the club,they don’t ask me to."

I'm not going to pretend to even relate to the biker lifestyle, but the quote above? It helps me understand it better. All I truly need to know is, this was a really fun read. Marie had potential to be very...pathetic, though I'm not sure that's the right term for her. She could have been very whiny and aggravating, and rightfully so, given what's happening to her. Wylde, though, gave her a bit of a wry outlook and Marie's humor about the ridiculous situation helped keep Reaper's Property more on the light side for much of the story.

And can I just say, the sex was stupid hot. But with a guy like Horse and a woman who's as sexually open as Marie, I expected no less. I'll admit, there was a moment or two that had a level of violence that made me a bit uncomfortable, but when you take Marie and Horse into consideration, it holds true. And honestly, if everything is 100% consensual, who cares? The beauty of ownership of one's sexuality - in this case, Marie's - is that if she likes it, she likes it. End of story.

Reaper's Property was crazy fun. I enjoyed the portrayal of the MC. I loved Horse and Marie, particularly the banter, even when they were driving me crazy. I'm excited to get more of Wylde's intense world.



Favorite Quotes:

  “Fuck, this is gonna piss you off and then you aren’t gonna let me stick my dick in you,” he muttered. 
  "Do you have to be so crude?” I snapped.
  "Have you met me?”
  "Who says I'd let you do it anyway?"
  "Babe," he replied in a low, rough voice, raising his eyebrows at me. I blushed. Okay, yes, I'd planned on it.
 

  "I want you to be my old lady, babe. That's all I have to offer. I'm a Reaper, and this is my world. You wear my patch, you be my woman and I'll be your man. We take the good times together and fight through the bad times. No games. That's everything I've got and it's all yours if you'll take it."




Series: Reapers MC #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: 1/28/13
Format: eARC
Pages: 352
Source: Publisher
Rating:  4 stars

WELCOME TO THE CLUB

Eight years ago, Sophie gave her heart—and her virginity—to Zach Barrett on a night that couldn’t have been less romantic or more embarrassing. Zach’s step-brother, a steely-muscled, tattooed biker named Ruger, caught them in the act, getting a peep show of Sophie he’s never forgotten.

She may have lost her dignity that fateful night, but Sophie also gained something precious—her son Noah. Unfortunately, Zach’s a deadbeat dad, leaving Ruger to be Noah’s only male role model. When he discovers Sophie and his nephew living in near poverty, Ruger takes matters into his own hands—with the help of the Reapers Motorcycle Club—to give them a better life.

Living with outlaw bikers wasn’t Sophie’s plan for her son, but Ruger isn’t giving her a choice. He’ll be there for Noah, whether she wants him or not. But Sophie does want him, has always wanted him. Now she’ll learn that taking a biker to bed can get a girl dirty in every way…

I really adoreed Reaper's Property, and was very excited to get more of the fun world Joanna Wylde created with the badass Reaper MC and their strong and sexy women. Horse left some big....shoes to fill, but Ruger is the man for the job.

Ruger is a lot of things. He's a Reaper, a friend, a one time hook-up. He's also a devoted uncle, willing to drop anything to take care of his nephew Noah, and his brother's ex, Sophie. When Sophie and Noah fall onto hard times, pride finally gives way to need and Sophie allows Ruger to take them home to Cote d'Aleur, home of the Reapers. There, the pull between Sophie and Ruger is hard to avoid. Ruger wants Sophie, but refuses to promise his fidelity. Sophie believes she deserves more, and is not on board with the MC lifestyle, no matter how much she likes the people. Reaper's Legacy is an Epic Battle of Wills.

So on the outside, Reaper's Legacy might seem like a story about a hardcore biker and the woman he intends to claim. And, it is. But, the Reapers MC is a series about hardcore bikers and the women strong enough to take them on. Sophie started this series as strong but struggling single mom. And though she needs Ruger, she will not take part in a relationship of domination and infidelity. She's been down that road before, and she knows she deserves more. Sophie experienced a huge amount of character growth throughout the story. I loved that even though she loved Ruger, she wouldn't accept anything less than his everything. Ruger also developed into a better man, particularly when it came to realizing that Sophie should never accept what he'd offered. I also appreciated that he accepted her questions about the MC lifestyle, and did his best to explain the mentality.


  "Stop talking about things you don't understand," he growled. "Property is a term of respect. It's part of our culture. You start judging us for that, you better start judging every woman who changes her name the day she gets married, because it's the same damn thing."
  He stopped, running a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated.
  "When you're someone's property, you're a woman the brothers will die to protect," he continued, his voice softening. "They'll die to protect your kid, too. Don't turn that kind of loyalty into something ugly because you don't like the words we use."


"When a man takes a woman as his property, it's not about owning her," he continued, eyes searching my face. "It's about trusting her. This is my life I'm handing you, Sophie. Not just my life--my brothers' lives, too. It means I'm responsible for everything you do. You fuck up, I'll pay. You need help, we're there. You're the only woman I've ever met that I'd consider giving that kind of power to. Hell, I'm not just considering it, I'm desperate for you to take it."



Reaper's Legacy also gave us some excitement with Em, the President's daughter. Being the daughter of the MC isn't easy, particularly when the guys threaten any dude who dares to even look. The story took some crazy turns with Em, and the man she wants. This set up book three, Devil's Games, very nicely.

With a strong sense of obligation to properly conveying the MC lifestyle, combined with strong characters, humor, and major sexy times, Reaper's Legacy is a great addition to the Reapers MC series.


Favorite Quotes:  


  "You're in my dreams every night. I wake up in the morning and all I think about is you in my house, you and Noah finally mine. My family. It's even better than ridin' my bike. I'm crazy for you, Soph.


  "Jesus, you piss me off," he murmured. "Good thing your c*nt's so fucking hot."
  "Don't call it that."
  His lip twitched.
  "Good thing you vagina's so gosh-darned hot," he whispered. "Because I really, really want to stick my penis in it and have repeated sexual intercourse, bringing us to a mutually satisfactory culmination of our desires. How's that sound?"
  "Almost dirtier," I said, mouth quirking.

   

Purchase Reaper's Property

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

 

Purchase Reaper's Legacy

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About the author
Joanna Wylde is a freelance writer and voracious reader.

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