As Reapers Motorcycle Club president, Reese “Picnic” Hayes has given his entire life to the club. After losing his wife, he knew he’d never love another woman. And with two daughters to raise and a club to manage, that was just fine with him. These days, Reese keeps his relationships free and easy—he definitely doesn’t want to waste his time on a glorified cleaning lady like London Armstrong.
Too bad he’s completely obsessed with her.
Besides running her own business, London’s got her junkie cousin’s daughter to look after—a more reckless than average eighteen-year-old. Sure she’s attracted to the Reapers’ president, but she’s not stupid. Reese Hayes is a criminal and a thug. But when her young cousin gets caught up with a ruthless drug cartel, Reese might be the only man who can help her. Now London has to make the hardest decision of her life—how far will she go to save her family?
I was learning the hard way that nothing can protect us from the real monsters.
I think there’s something about the Hayes family that just screams awesome. Em from Devil’s Gamewas my favorite heroine in the series and I can now say that Reese “Picnic” Hayes is my favorite hero in the series. Seriously. Move over Horse, Ruger, and Hunter because no one does it better than an older man. Well not that Picnic is old at 43, but in books overrun with 20 somethings, he was a man-whoring breath of fresh air. He definitely teach a thing or 2 to his younger brothers. For instance, the art of the biker woo:
“I don’t want to get involved and I don’t give a shit about your boyfriend. But I wouldn’t mind fucking your tits- that’d motivate me to help. Your call.”
Taking notes?
Basically what I’m trying to tell you here is Picnic is the DIC. That’s dick in charge if you’re not familiar. What I mean is, he’s this delicious mix of asshole biker, caring father, and a sweet endearing side that he keeps mostly under wraps. But don’t worry, he’s not too sweet.
London owns the cleaning service that handles most of the Reaper’s business and that’s how she catches Picnic’s attention; on all fours, scrubbing his floors. What? Did you think he noticed her sparkling personality? Not unless that personality were attached to her tits. Picnic has some standards after all.
London lives her life on the straight and narrow. She’s trying hard to support herself and Jessica, her cousin’s daughter that she’s taking care of. Jessica, a product of being born to a drug addict, makes reckless decisions and lacks impulse control that leads her straight into the sort of trouble London never expected. But I won’t give you more than what the blurb offers, because that would ruin the book, so let’s move on.
Picnic was a character that I fell fall right away. He’s a womanizer, and asshole in his own right, but also has an incredibly caring side to him that extends to his daughters and his brothers. While he was an asshole to London for almost a good half of the book, it’s not too bad since the entire book spans over a week. But behind the dirty talker and the loyal brother, there’s the true Reaper.
As far as grit goes, this book certainly offered a whole lot more of it than the other 3 in the series. There was also quite a bit of action and the romance fit nicely in the midst of it all.
London was a fantastic heroine. Being 38, she’s a lot more mature than the rest of the heroines in this series have been…and I don’t mean that in the age sense. She was strong witted, caring, but definitely not perfect.
But she’s also hiding something from Reese, something that the reader is privy to from the very first chapter though you don’t know the why’s of it. That information you find out as the story progresses.
I sympathized with her situation and her choice for the majority of the book…until the one choice that she makes where everything pretty much hits the fan. I had a really tough time forgiving her and really moving on from that decision. While she really proves herself afterwards and works for her redemption, I just couldn’t get past that particular choice. (highlight to view spoiler)T[The fact that she pulled the trigger. I understand that she felt that she had no choice and she was only with Picnic for less than a week, but it was definitely a tough pill to swallow. (hide spoiler)]he fact that she pulled the trigger. I understand that she felt that she had no choice and she was only with Picnic for less than a week, but it was definitely a tough pill to swallow.(end spoiler)
But in the light of everything else that was this book, that was just a minor bump in the road. I really enjoyed that this book was more focused on the MC and had more action and a little more grit. The one minor thing with London aside, I’d say this probably was my favorite book in the series. Looks like Joanna Wylde only continues to get better with each new book and I cannot WAIT for the next. Especially after that last chapter. Now THAT is a hero that I am dying to get my pervy little hands on.
Previous Books in the Reaper’s MC Series
Joanna is a freelance writer living in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. She started writing fiction in 2002, then took a long hiatus to explore other writing opportunities. She returned to fiction in January 2013 with ‘Reaper’s Property’, the first book in the Reapers Motorcycle Club series.
Speak Your Mind