Review: Third Installment in the Dark Romance, Death Dwellers MC Series
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 12, 2014
MISUNDERSTOOD, the third book in the Death Dwellers MC Series, is the darkest MC romance yet.  A thrilling, gut-wrenching story with a focus on conquering the past to make way for the future,  Misled and Misappropriate (the first and second books in the Death Dwellers MC Series) should definitely be read first.  Additionally, I will warn you, the path to resolution and absolution in this story is not an easy one.  With a style closer to a psychological thriller than a romance, this story is deeper, darker and more raw, not to mention more emotionally draining, than that which romance readers are typically accustomed to.  All that said, if you enjoy dark romances, and the MC sub-genre of romance in particular, then the Death Dweller MC Series, including MISUNDERSTOOD, is a series you will not want to miss!In MISUNDERSTOOD we learn a lot more behind the family history that shaped John "Johnnie" Donovan and Christopher "Outlaw" Caldwell into the dangerous, MC members that they are today.  With an intimate view of the circumstances that could lead to the development of such seemingly cold, heartless killers--who nonetheless are extremely loyal and will do anything to protect their MC "brothers" and the women they love--MISUNDERSTOOD is a fascinating character study.We also get to learn Kendall Miller's devastatingly, sad story.  For those of you that read Misappropriate, Kendall is the woman who was sent to try to seduce Outlaw at his bachelor party, but ended up in Johnnie's bed instead.  A lawyer and at one time confident woman, MISUNDERSTOOD also serves as a psychological study of what would cause a woman like Kendall to suffer such an incredible fall from grace to the point of becoming a  pawn in the hands of another MC which nearly breaks her.In MISUNDERSTOOD Johnnie's and Kendall's relationship continues to evolve.  However, this is not a traditional romance by any stretch, so while MISUNDERSTOOD does tell Johnnie's and Kendall's beginning, at the heart of it, this story is really more about resolving Johnnie's, Outlaw's and Meggie's past, so that Johnnie can move on with a potential relationship with Kendall in the future.The reason I gave MISUNDERSTOOD 5-stars relates to the incredible psychological, thriller aspect of this novel.  This book deals with all kinds of scarring traumatic events and psychological conditions from rape, sexual assault, suicide, emotional/verbal abuse, bulimia, the list goes on and on.  These are not easy issues to incorporate and Ms. Kelly does an amazing job of incorporating these difficult subjects into her story.  However, I would have liked to have heard more about Johnnie's and Kendall's romance.  Hopefully, as is typical of Ms. Kelly's style, we will continue to see the development of their relationship, even if its more in the nature of secondary characters, in later books in the series.All in all, MISUNDERSTOOD was a captivating read that kept me hooked until the end.  I, for one, can't wait for the next installment in the Death Dweller's MC Series, Misbehavior, which will be centered around Val's and Zoann's story.Source: I was provided a copy of this book by the author in exchange for my unbiased review.