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Review

5 stars – I love this book!

I’m a massive fan of Katie McGarry. She writes wonderful YA romantic drama, and when I heard that she was starting a new series featuring the younger generation of a motorcycle club, I knew I had to read it.

I went into it feeling nervous, because Pushing the Limits is one of my all-time favourite reads, and I didn’t want to unfairly compare this book to my obsession with Noah and Echo, but Katie has given us something original, exciting and completely engaging. The story is profound, it’s fun, it’s heart-achingly emotional, and the romance is beautiful. I was hooked from the very first page and devoured it, loving every moment.

17 year old Emily is a good girl. Sweet and mostly innocent, she has a great life, she does well at school, and she has a loving family that she loves in return. The man she calls her Dad adopted her when she was 5, when he married her mother. Her real father, Eli, is part of an MC, and she was told that he left her mother when she was pregnant. She sees Eli once a year when he comes to visit her, and while she is curious about him and his lifestyle, she doesn’t want to upset her parents with questions, so she’s content to take it as it is.

But when an unexpected visit to see Eli in his home town puts Emily in danger from a rival MC, she needs to be protected, and the safest place for her is with her father’s club – Reign of Terror. And so, a quick visit turns into a summer to be spent with a family and a life that she has never known. Very quickly, Emily discovers that what she has been told about her past isn’t the whole truth. There’s a secret that everybody is keeping from her, and she is determined to figure out what really happened between her mother and Eli, and what that means for her.

The story is set at the very tame end of the MC world. The club is legit, and do not engage in criminal activity. It’s a family, but a family with strict rules, and an MC ethos. They’re all about respect and integrity with a security business on the side. And being a part of the club is all 18 year old Oz has ever wanted.

“All that TV bull about how anyone who rides a bike is a felon – they don’t understand what the club stands for. The club is a brotherhood, a family. It means belonging to something bigger than yourself.”

Oz was raised within the club. His father is a member and Eli and his family were his mentors growing up, and remain the people that he is closest to. He wants nothing more than to join the MC, and when he is put on protection duty for Eli’s reluctantly returned daughter, he knows it’s his final challenge before membership – so that means he is by her side 24/7.

From the very beginning, I loved the dynamic between Emily and Oz. The story is written in dual POV, so we get to see everything that is going on with them, and I adored them both! Of course, they are both attracted to each other, but Emily initially wants nothing to do with the gorgeous bad boy from the MC, and Oz is mad at her for rejecting the family and the life that he loves. The fact that both of them are frustrated with the simmering chemistry between them just makes it so much better.

I will her to look away, but she doesn’t and I’m secretly proud the girl won’t back down. I hate this connection. I crave this connection. She’s continually messing with my head.

Their enforced time together leads to them getting to know each other and as Emily opens up to Oz, he helps her learn about his life, and by extension – her family. She begins to accept that everything she thought about these people may not be true. And as they begin to understand each other, their early antagonism slowly becomes a friendship. And as Emily tries to unravel her past, Oz is there with her. He’s working towards the only future he has ever thought about, so his loyalty is very much to the club, but the more he gets to know Emily, he begins to imagine other possibilities for the first time in his life, and his priorities begin to shift as they start to fall for each other.

This is an absolutely beautiful love story! Slow moving and natural, innocent yet passionate, I loved watching Emily and Oz open up to each other as their mad attraction become something incredibly deep.

“You’re beautiful,” I say, and the honesty of my words stings. “You’re beautiful inside and out. I like how you challenge me. I like how I can never figure out what you’re going to do or say. I like how we’ve thrown weird shit in your direction and you take it like a pro.”
I cup her face with one hand and caress her soft skin. “I like how you smile and how you laugh. I like how you love and defend your family and I like how you’re trying to love mine. I love how you trust. But mostly, Emily, I like how I feel when I’m around you.”
Shit. My heart bursts as the words tumble out. “I’m falling for you.”

Katie McGarry is a master at YA romantic drama, and she’s done a wonderful job with this story. I laughed, I cried, and I got completely swept up in this book. It’s almost 500 pages, but it certainly didn’t feel long or dragged out. There’s a lot going on, and the story is paced perfectly. The multiple storylines fit together brilliantly with family drama, mystery and romance all tied in with a sort of coming-of-age story as both Emily and Oz learn from all that they go through and find their way forward. And it all builds up to an intense climax that shocked me, and had me in tears

There’s a huge focus on family, and I love the way that the different aspects of that were explored. It forms an incredibly important part of the story, and it adds a lot of depth and emotion. I also loved getting to know the characters that I am assuming will make up the rest of this series. The younger generation is a core group, and with at least three more books easily lined up already, I’m so excited to read more.

I absolutely loved it – 5 stars.

An Advanced Reader Copy was generously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

 

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