Total Book Geek: Chaos

Lanie Heron isn't looking for love-no surprise, considering her last serious relationship nearly got her killed. So when Lanie propositions Hop Kincaid, all she wants is one wild night with the hot-as-hell biker who patrols with the Chaos Motorcycle Club . . .

For Hop, Lanie has always been untouchable. She's too polished and too classy for his taste. But when she gives Hop the once-over with her bedroom eyes and offers him a night in paradise, he can't say no. And he doesn't regret it when he finds that Lanie is the best thing that's ever happened to him-in or out of bed. Now the trick will be to convince her of that.

We met Lanie and Hop in Motorcycle Man, though it isn't completely necessary to read it first. While Lanie left a pretty okay impression on me, my situation with Hop was a tad more difficult. Lanie to me always seemed more like a victim. Her idiot fiancé got her shot, Tyra stabbed and himself killed. It's been years since that happened, but it's not something you easily let go off.

Still slowly Lanie is ready to move forward and this includes a lovely one night stand with Hop. He has never denied his attraction towards her, so when the opportunity arises, he takes it. Except one night is really not enough for these two. Lanie keeps claiming and shouting that she doesn't want a relationship and the situation just got out of hand, but it becomes more and more difficult to deny that she actually has feelings for Hop.

Meanwhile Hop could have never in his wildest dreams believed that a woman like Lanie could be interested in him. They are so different and from opposite worlds. When he gets his hands on her though, all that seems to fade away. Of course it's not all rainbows and sunshine. They have a lot of arguments, but that's mostly coming from fear of giving love a chance. Both have had the worst experiences in that department, so opening up again and letting someone is a huge risk.

With the focus very much on the interactions between Lanie and Hop, I did miss a bit the excitement from the MC. Other than that, it was an excellent read and I'm very happy the way things turned out in the end for Lanie. She deserves it so much. Hop still wasn't very easily to love for me, but his persistence when it came to Lanie was admirable.

Chaos - Reading order and purchase links

Own The Wind: My review - Amazon - Book Depository

Fire Inside: Amazon - Book Depository

The Author

Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA. She nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorise and she hadn't taken her first breath!).

Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana but has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.

Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multi-generational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland and existed amongst the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.

And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.

Connect with Kristen Ashley:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Too hot to handle...

Tabitha Allen grew up in the thick of Chaos—the Chaos Motorcycle Club, that is. Her father is Chaos' leader, and the club has always had her back. But one rider was different from the start. When Tabby was running wild, Shy Cage was there. When tragedy tore her life apart, he helped her piece it back together. And now, Tabby's thinking about much more than friendship...

Tabby is everything Shy's ever wanted, but everything he thinks he can't have. She's beautiful, smart, and as his friend's daughter, untouchable. Shy never expected more than friendship, so when Tabby indicates she wants more—much more—he feels like the luckiest man alive. But even lucky men can crash and burn...

MC books are still pretty new to me, but I've already come to an understanding what to expect about it. It usually involves promiscuous men, where brotherhood comes before anything else and the business they deal in isn't always that legal. Of course there are many variations on this, though the setup is familiar. The same here, as Shy is part of Chaos. He pledged as a complete outsider, but was very soon part of the family. While he might feel a special attraction towards Tabby, she's off limits and well other ladies are not. That brotherhood though is the most important for him, that feeling of belonging to a family, and he's not risking it for a woman.

Tabby grew up surrounded by Chaos men, with her dad being the leader. She knows how they are, but when you're attracted to someone, it's not easy to just turn that off. As a teenager and young adult she had the urge to push those boundaries, and the Chaos men always came to her rescue. Until one night Shy had enough of it, forcing her to face the reality of what she was turning into.

That really was a wake up call for Tabby, and things have changed since then. Both took a bit their separate ways, though never forgetting about this connection between them. When tragedy strikes for Tabby, Shy is there to pick up the pieces. It's the beginning of a long journey towards healing, friendship and even more. Because no matter what, Shy will always be there for Tabby.

Shy and Tabby are two interesting characters. Tabby grew up in this world and had no choice to participate in it, the danger it sometimes brings and those men are a big influence on her life. While Shy had quite a different upbringing, in some ways much worse than Tabby. His need for family lead him to Chaos and therefore to Tabby. Though there was always this attraction between them, they don't act on it at first. It starts of as friendship and gradually turns into something so much bigger.

There is of course that fear of the rest of the MC finding out, because Tabby is kind of the princess and therefore untouchable by some. They will need to prove that their love is strong and true. They will need to have each other's back at all time. The biggest danger momentarily comes from the Chaos family, but Shy isn't one to back down and when he gives away his heart, it means forever.

I freaking love these books. I've been on a Kristen Ashley binge read and I don't see it stopping anytime soon. Shy and Tabby are amazing, and very easy to relate to. Tabby has grown a lot even since the beginning of this book towards the end. She has turned into a wonderful young woman. Shy is the bomb. While he obviously has that dangerous edge, and bossy, it's not overwhelming and it's so very clear how much he cares about Tabby. As usual I recommend you read this, as so far I've loved every single one of her books. This one certainly if you're into the MC scene or like a good story about forbidden love.

3.5