It's The Bookish Babe's stop on the
Hell's Knights Blog Tour.
My stop includes a review of Hell's Knights, and book two, Heaven's Sinners, an excerpt and giveaway.
The tour is hosted by Love Between the Sheets.
Series: The MC Sinners #1
Genre: Erotic Romance/Biker
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: 8/19/13
Format: eARC
Pages: 224
Source: Received from tour host for review
Rating: 4 stars
Sex. Who really knows sex? I mean, we've all had sex, great sex even but when you get down to the details, how many of us actually see sex for the raw, primal act that it is?
I thought I knew sex. I've had sex. Heck, I've felt lust. Once, I've even felt love. I thought I knew exactly what sex was.
Until I met Cade.
He's the meaning of sex.
He's a biker.
He's dangerous.
He's powerful.
He's dominant.
He wants me.
My world is about to change, for the better? I don't know. But here's my story, I hope you're ready for it because it's not the beautiful, heart wrenching story most people have to tell. It's passionate, forbidden, morally incorrect and downright, fucking beautiful.
Having read only a few, I'm fairly new to "Biker Romance". Though I do watch Sons of Anarchy and read a ton of Kristen Ashley books, so I knew what I was getting into with Hell's Knights and its motorcycle club lifestyle/mentality and extreme alpha males. A few months ago, I might have read
Hell's Knights and not enjoyed it at all. The characters can be crude and rude, and the lifestyle is tough and not romantic. But now that I have been reading more and more books like this, I can go into a series like MC Sinners, know what to expect and really enjoy it. I would like to point out that I feel the blurb for Hell's Knights sells the story short. Yes, the book does have hot and plentiful sex, but it's not the focus. The larger story is that of a woman finding her home.
Hell's Knights was a fast-paced, emotionally charged and action packed story. It begins with Addison coming to the Hell's Knights to meet her dad, the club's President. A typical young woman might find the lifestyle jarring, but not Addison. Her life has been a disaster, with a drug addict/prostitute mom who's horrific lifestyle has trickled down onto Addison. So to Addison, coming to the club is nothing shocking, just a way out. But there she finds that much of her life was a lie. She finds a father, a lover, and a home.
Reading about Addison's life was tough, really tough. There are instances of abuse, emotional and sexual. What she goes through almost seems too much to be possible, but I honestly have no doubt it does happen. Sadly. With her background, I did expect Addison to be a much more tragic heroine, but she's very matter-of-fact about her past and the trauma it caused and just ready to move forward. Her relationship with her father Jackson is understandably strained, but as the truth comes out, you can see the change slowly happen. Jackson wasn't a hugs-and-kisses type of dad, but the love still shines through in his actions.
The relationship between Cade and Addison is as hot and intense as promised in the blurb. I'll admit, it took me about one paragraph to get totally on-board the Cade train. He was gorgeous, gruff, and wicked. This is the kind of guy who I love to read about, a real badass alpha male who just demands what he wants. Now I'll admit, I might pop my guy in the face if he tried some of the extremely bossy moves Cade uses, in the way he dictates Addison, but politically correct or not, I totally dig it in my books.
Hell's Knights was such a wild ride. The pace is extremely fast - I read this in a couple hours - and I liked the author's writing style. This is pure escapist reading for me, and I was left anxious to read the next book in the series,
Heaven's Sinners.
Favorite Quotes:
"You might not think you're worth fighting for, or breathing for, but let me tell you, sugar-- everyone deserves to be fought for, even those who think they aren't worth it." ~eARC, 21%
"You're a frustrating, intense man, do you hear me?" I say, turning to stare at him.
In the moonlight, his profile looks dazzling. Strong, square jaw. Perfect Roman nose and full lips. He's divine.
"Yeah, sugar, I'm hearin' ya."
My lips twitch and he looks at me from the corner of his eye. He grins, and my heart throbs.
"You're gonna smile for me tonight, baby. I'll make sure of it."
I turn and stare out the window, because what he doesn't know, is that I'm already smiling.
~eARC, 41%
"I don't want you to get hurt," I whisper, sounding far more vulnerable than I would like.
Jackson meets my gaze, and he gives me the best smile he can muster up. "If I died defending you, Addi, then I would die knowing I finally did what was right by you." ~eARC, 84%
Series: The MC Sinners #2
Genre: Erotic Romance/Biker
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: 9/25/13
Format: eARC
Source: Received from tour host for review
Rating: 4.5 stars
Spike knows tragedy, he knows that feelings are better left hidden. He refuses to put his heart out there again, it's a pain he's not willing to ever let himself feel. He's got a mission. He's got a goal. Nothing is going to get in his way. He will seek his revenge.
But then there's Ciara, the sister of his deceased wife. She's beautiful and damned determined to throw herself into his life in hopes they can reform an old friendship, but Spike won't hear of it, and Ciara refuses to give up.
Who will win the battle of wills?
I mentioned in my review of Hell's Knights that it was the type of book that is pure, escapism fun for me. It was wild and wicked, and I was so excited to revisit the characters and their crazy lives. I opened up Heaven's Sinners with a huge smile on my face, and settled in for another crazy ride.
Heaven's Sinners was so good! In fact, I think I enjoyed it more than book one. Everything about the story felt...more honed. That statement barely makes sense to me, but maybe you can get a feel for what I'm trying to say. It seems that the author had really found her groove in this book. The writing seemed tighter. The story was gritty, emotional and intense. And the characters? They were raw, conflicted, and I loved them.
Spike and Ciara were introduced toward the end of Hell's Knights. Spike is Cade's former friend, and President of another MC. He's a man who'd lost everything, and is willing to die in the name of revenge. Ciara was his best friend from a former life, also his former sister-in-law. After years of pain and torment, Ciara wants to make amends and get her friend back.
These two were so intense, swinging back and forth in a love/hate relationship. The level of intensity between Spike and Ciara, whether from passion or pain, was insane! Their love story, as well as Cade and Addison's is not romantic in the traditional sense. But it's pretty darn great in its own way. I found myself clutching my kindle, shaking my head in disbelief, bouncing with happiness and laughter, or prepared to climb into my freezer, because guys...this book...was. hotttttt.
Heaven's Sinners was such a fun read for me. I love this series because it is pure entertainment. Yeah, there's a story there, and its a good one. But I love the MC Sinners books because I can read them for strictly enjoyment. This is not a world I know, or characters I relate to at all, but I love the insane ride. It seems the series will continue with Jackson's story. Based on the hilarious (and shocking!) tidbit at the end of Heaven's Sinners, that book is going to rock hard.
Favorite Quotes:
My heart hurts, my body aches for Spike, yet I'm smiling.
I'm smiling, because there's a chance.
It might be tiny, but it's a chance.
And that's something - and something means I'll keep fighting for the friend I lost. ~eARC, 13%
"You make my f*ckin' heart hurt. You make my body so f*ckin' wound up with need it aches. You make my fuckin' days bright, and not one of those f*ckin' days has passed that you haven't been in my head. Might have had her first, might have f*ckin' loved her first, but you're the one that ends this with me." ~eARC, 62%
EXCERPT
“I
am proud of myself,” I scream so loudly the entire bar goes silent. “I am proud
of everything I’ve done, and that includes him.” I jab a finger at Spike. “He’s
everything to me, and he was everything to me before Cheyenne came along. If
you want to hate me, go right ahead. It’s not like I haven’t lived my entire
life with the same emotion being tossed at me on a daily basis. I am sorry
Cheyenne is gone, but it isn’t my fault. It was never my fault. She wanted
Spike, she pushed for him, and you can blame me as much as you want for that,
but she was a big girl and she made her own choices. I’ll never be sorry for
being with him now, because I love him. I’ve loved him far longer than she did,
and I’ll love him until I stop breathing. Maybe it’s wrong, maybe it’s
disgusting, but it’s my happiness and you know what?” I get to my feet, my legs
shaking. “I fucking deserve it!”
Then,
with legs that don’t want to move, I walk out of the bar. I get to the parking
lot before they catch up with me. My mother grips my arm and swings me around,
her face wild with emotion. Then suddenly, she lets me go. Her eyes widen and
she takes a few steps backwards. I turn slowly, and see what she sees. Spike,
Cade, Granger, Muff and about ten other bikers are standing in a massive line,
glaring at her. She stumbles backwards, and clutches my father’s arm. Spike
steps forward until he’s in their faces.
“You
ever lay a mother fucking hand on her again, I’ll kill you,” he hisses at my
father, and then he turns to my mother. “And if you ever call her another
trashy name, I’ll knock you the fuck out. I will only say this once, so you
fuckin’ listen and listen good. Cheyenne made her fuckin’ choices, and her
choice was me. She put herself in my life, and she chose to stay there. Ain’t
Ciara’s doing, and it wasn’t my doing. I loved your daughter, I loved her with
everything I knew how to love with at the time, I took care of her, and then I
fucked up, and she’s gone because of me. I’m not sayin’ I’ll ever forgive
myself for that, ‘coz I won’t, but it can’t be undone. As for her,” he points a
finger at me. “She’s been my fuckin’ heart since the day I laid eyes on her.
She’s been treated like a fuckin’ dog by you two, and her sister, and she
didn’t deserve that. You have done wrong by her, and you fuckin’ know it. You
will never admit it though, because you’re too fuckin’ selfish. You can call me
every name under the sun, you can disown her and treat her like a dog, and you
can think whatever you want about the situation, but the reality is that I
fuckin’ love Ciara, and I’ve loved her from the moment I laid eyes on her.
Don’t mean I didn’t love Cheyenne, ‘coz I fuckin’ did, it just means I probably
didn’t love her as much as she deserved, and she did fuckin’ deserve it. The
truth of the matter is that my heart has, and always will, belong to Ciara and
there ain’t no fuckin’ way I’m livin’ another second without her, because of
shit that went on in the past.”
Purchase Hell's Knights
GIVEAWAY
(2) Signed copies of Hell’s Knights (Open Internationally)
(2) Signed Copies of Heaven’s Sinners (Open Internationally)
(4) $25 Amazon Giftcards
About the author:
Bella Jewel is an Aussie girl through and through. She spent her life in Western Australia, growing up in many different areas of the state. She now currently lives in Perth with her husband, children and mass amounts of pets. She's crazy, fun, outgoing and friendly. Writing is her passion, she started at the young age of 18 but finally got the courage up to publish, and her first novel Hell's Knights will be released in August 2013.
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Series: The MC Sinners #3
