Title: Wrong for Me (Motor City Royals #2)
Author: Jackie Ashenden
Date of publication: 29 Nov 2016
Genre / Themes: Contemporary romance

Author's links: Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
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My rating: 3 Stars




After eight years in prison, Levi Rush is finally out and back on the gritty streets of Detroit to claim the future he was owed. A future that includes the one woman he’s wanted for years—his former best friend Rachel. She’s the reason he went inside and if getting her to do what he wants means buying the building that houses her tattoo studio and using it as leverage, then that’s what he’ll do. Because if there’s one thing he’s learned inside it’s that if you want to win, you have to play dirty.

Rachel Hamilton is a tattoo artist and one hell of a tough girl. Detroit is her home, and she’s determined to make it a better place. But her plans are threatened when her old friend Levi reappears and gives her an ultimatum: she gives herself to him body and soul, or else she and her business are out on the street. Levi’s got no room in his heart for anything but anger and the lust he’s been carrying around for so long. But the only thing stronger than the secrets of their shared past is their fiery attraction to each other . . .

Review

I really enjoyed the first book (Dirty for Me) in this series and was excited about this one. Sadly, it was not as good as expected it to be. I liked some aspects of the story and the writing felt solid most of the time, but there were a couple of issues which didn't sit well with me.

I found the premise of the story intriguing - Levy is an ex-con trying to rebuild his life and figuring out what exactly happened with Rachel and why she did the things she did. I liked the tension between them and while I understood his anger and his need for revenge, I felt he went overboard with both of them.

His blackmail, forcing Rachel into a relationship, if you can call it that, bordered on non-consent for me and even if being together was what they wanted, they way this happened (for most part of the story), it still made me uncomfortable. It was a weird kind of revenge, hurting them both. On the one hand, I can't accept the deal he made with her and seemed very similar to a previous arrangement she had with another man. On the other hand, he loved her (always had), wanted to have a real relationship with her, yet he mostly hurt and humiliated her before turning all his emotions around and making it all about love and a common future.

I must say that the non-romance aspects of the story worked better for me. Levy's relations with his friends, his ambition to make something of himself, to rebuild his life felt real and I had no trouble relating to it. The gentrification of Detroit was also explored in a sympathetic way.

In short, I have mixed feelings about the romance in this story - some of it felt real, some of it was forced, and there were elements in it that made m,e downright uncomfortable. I don't regret reading this book, but I'm not sure I can recommend it.

Title: Dirty for Me (Motor City Royals #1)
Author: Jackie Ashenden
Date of publication: 26 July 2016
Genre / Themes: Contemporary romance 

Author's links: Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
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My rating: 4 Stars






Ezekiel "Zee" Chase has a complicated past. Born into a family whose wealth grew from the seedy world of big-time crime, he ran away as a teenager and made a home for himself on the streets of Detroit. By day, the mechanic works at a local garage. But by night, he throws down with the best of them in Detroit's gritty underground fighting scene. With all those muscles, he's never had trouble with women--until he meets one who challenges him to the greatest fight of his life. . .

Tamara Eliot is a hardworking corporate high-flyer who appreciates the finer things in life, from her expensive perfume to her designer handbags. More than anything, though, she likes to be in control--and when Zee explodes into her life, she feels anything but. He's the definition of a bad boy: brash, fiery, and of course, irresistibly hot. And there's a darkness about him that keeps her coming back for more. As Zee takes Tamara deeper into a world she never knew existed, she just might prove to be the one opponent he won't be able to dominate--at least not without some pleasurable convincing . . .

The first book by Ms Ashenden which I tried, Take Me Deeper, did not work for me but I wanted to give this one a chance as well because I was curious what the author could do with the familiar (and not particularly favourite trope of mine) bad boy meets good girl and wins her over.

I really enjoyed this story. It's nothing ground-breaking or new but rather a familiar trope done well. It's a sexy, emotionally charged romance between Zee, the rough and tough street fighter from the wrong side of the tracks and the little miss perfect, daddy's good girl Tamara.

They start with unrestrained lust and acting out their fantasies and gradually move to opening up to emotionally and sharing secrets and dreams. They both change throughout the story and neither is what they initially appeared to be.

I really liked Zee, I won't say much more about him in order to avoid spoilers and keep the suspense but he turns out to be a pretty descent guy - loyal to his friends, involved in his community, trying to run away from a past that can only lead to a future of crime. He is wonderful with Tamara, helping her figure out herself without pressuring her.

I admit I didn't like Tamara as much as Zee but still, she did make the right choice in the end. It took her longer than I would have liked, some of her actions came off as childish and immature and she made some mistakes along the road, but I feel they are understandable, part of her journey to be a better person, to make up her own mind and follow her heart rather than just blindly do what is expected of her.

The supporting cast of Zee's friends are well-developed characters who fit the story perfectly. There is also a strong element of suspense that kept the plot going forward and a secondary conflict between Zee and his father which I also found rather fitting overall.

It's a fast paced, action-packed romance that draws the reader in and keeps them captivated till the very last page. Interesting characters, strong chemistry and sexual tension, unexpected plot twists make one irresistible package.