Review: Really good MC romance! :D
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 8, 2014
4-4.5 starsThis was a really good story. I liked Iris and Dex and enjoyed the battle between them as they managed to discover they're actually perfect for each other. This is the first story I've read by this author and based off this I'll definitely be trying more of her work in the future. I noticed a few editing errors but only a few and nothing too bad. Oh and the 915 pages length...it's mostly because of formatting but it's still a long book. It's kind of hard to say but without the weird formatting I'd guess the book at around 600 pgs long (give or take).Iris hasn't had a good life. She, her mother and brother were abandoned by her father when she was 10 years old and then she and her mother both went through cancer, her mother ultimately dying from her cancer. Iris got through her's and has been in remission for 5 years but even when she was sick she was helping her grandmother raise her brother and when her grandmother died, Iris raised her brother (Will) herself. Will is full grown now and in the army and Iris lost her job and needed help. Her other brother (half-brother), Sonnie, offers her a place with him in Austin so she moves to stay with him and find work so she can get back on her feet.Dex owns a tattoo shop and is a member of an MC. He's had some tough times and got in to some trouble when he was younger but has made an effort to straighten out his life. He opened his tattoo shop and lived more responsibly. Dex is a good guy but he does have a quick temper and isn't always careful who he takes his moods out on, tending to make comments he often doesn't mean but says in the heat of the moment.Iris has been in Austin a week or so and hasn't found any leads on a job yet. Sonnie helps her out, saying he set her up with a job at the tattoo parlor of a friend of his. Iris gets over there but Dex is in a bad mood when she gets there and he's rather rude and impatient with Iris as he shows her what her duties are. Iris isn't thrilled about working with him and calls him names in her head but backs down when he's a jerk because she desperately needs the job. She'd like to tell him off but is afraid he'll fire her if she defends herself. Dex isn't in much of a better mood the next day and Iris has firmly put him in the major jerk category by then. Iris decides to keep working at the tattoo shop but to start looking for another job. Dex settles down but Iris isn't willing to give him a chance and keeps her distance from him as much as possible. Their working relationship is cool at best but things change when she ends up going out of town with Dex and Slim for a tattoo convention. Nothing sexual happens between them but they have a few "moments" that break the ice between them and Iris realizes that maybe Dex isn't so bad (at least some of the time). They becomes friends and their working relationship gets better and eventually Iris stops trying to find a different job (not that Dex will let her quit...).While Iris is trying to get her life back on track, some unfortunate issue show up in the form of a rival motorcycle gang that Iris' father apparently owes money to. Not realizing that neither Sonnie or Iris have anything to do with their estranged father, the gang beats up Sonnie and there's a definite threat toward Iris as well. Sonnie goes to try to track down their father and Iris is supposed to stay with Dex for safety. While living in the same house, Dex and Iris get to know each other better and become closer. Iris realizes she can talk back to Dex and not get fired and then she's in Dex's face more often than not and I liked seeing her stand up to him (especially after the beginning of the story when she back down for fear of getting fired). Things aren't perfectly smooth but it soon becomes apparent that the attraction between them is growing and Iris realizes that she really likes Dex...as in "likes" Dex. This worries Iris because she doesn't understand what Dex would want with her and is sure she's going to end up heartbroken in the end. As things progress though, Iris decides it's better to take the chance than not to. I enjoyed seeing their bantering and arguing as they worked their way toward a relationship. While Dex had tendencies toward being a jerk at times, it's usually just when he's had something piss him off. Dex shows that he can actually be very sweet and I loved seeing that come out and see him show that to Iris. As the drama from the action plot increases, Dex and Iris face things together and I liked the way they managed to get things worked out. Thankfully they're able to take care of business and Dex and Iris are able to move in to their well deserved HEA.This was a very enjoyable story. I loved Iris and Dex and the secondary characters were pretty interesting as well. The plot was good overall...there were a couple of plot points that could have been worked out better but overall it was interesting story and it kept me engaged until the end. Some people noted that this book reminds them of Kristen Ashley's writing and more specifically of her book Sweet Dreams. I can see what they mean...there are definite similarities to KA's writing and the Sweet Dreams story but I think the similarities are minor (I didn't constantly think of Sweet Dreams while reading this...mostly just at the beginning). If you like KA's writing you will probably like this but it's not a copy. The book is a standalone and works well like that but I'm personally hoping maybe the author will decide to make this in to a series (hint, hint). I'd recommend this book. Thumbs up! :D