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?
MY REVIEW
Reaper's Stand by Joanna Wylde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
3.95 my expectations were too high STARS
“It took everything I had to bite back a little squee of excitement, because there’s not a woman on earth who doesn’t secretly want to ride off into the sunset with a bad man on a bike.”
Finally. Picnic. It feels like we waited forever for this one to come out and I really liked it, but in all honesty I was expecting to love this book. But no such luck.
Reaper's Stand gets off on a really good start. The prologue is quite genius and by teasing with a 'little' drama from the future Ms. Wylde hooked me big time. There never was a chance for me not to finish this story. I just had to find out how they got there and what happens in the aftermath. Actually pretty good stuff.
But let's meet Picnic and London first, shall we?
London Armstrong has been working for the Reapers Motorcycle Club for a while (I think 6 months), cleaning their various businesses and while doing so she caught the eye of non other than the Reaper President. London is a strong woman, a tough substitute mother for her cousin's daughter Jessica and smart business owner.
For all intents and purposes she is a match made in heaven for Picnic, once he gets over his affection for those 'young girls' that is...well and someone gets rid of her Deputy Sheriff boyfriend.
“If you look at me like that for even one more second, I’m gonna throw you down on that bed and fuck every part of you, starting with your tits. Unless that’s on the menu, you need to grab your shit and leave while you still can. This is the only warning you’ll get.”
Reese “Picnic” Hayes is a total douche. He really is a big asshole and I don't know, but for some reason I was a bit surprised by the level of his douchiness. I knew he was a tough guy, given the whole president of the MC and such, but somehow I had the whole papa bear thing going on in my head and it wasn't pretty. There was this one scene with him and one of the club girls on the couch and ....well if you read it you know what I mean and if you haven't...you'll see.
Anyway. I don't think there is much I need to tell you about him, his dead wife or his daughters, because if you made it this far, it stands to reason that you've read some of the other books in the series and you know all about that stuff.
The first real interaction London and Reese have is the first night Jessica attends a club party and London tries to get her out by asking for Pic's help. There is instant attraction between the two, but the whole scene is somewhat questionable. Long story short...he convinces/forces London to start cleaning his home in exchange for a little help in finding Jess. And we all know what his ulterior motives are, right? Well, can't blame the man.
“Yeah, I'm a real piece of work- a single man fucking a willing partner in the privacy of my own home. Sometimes I cry myself to sleep, I'm so ashamed of my actions.”
I have to be honest, after the really good prologue the story didn’t click with me for the longest time. At all times the reasons for London and Reese to be a couple were ...and I'm using the word again because it fits...questionable at best. To say they went through ups and downs is the understatement of the year, and while I appreciate them working through the issues, the timing and fast movement was something else entirely. I believe all events occur over the space of one week...not much given everything.
The biggest issue for me was Jess, London's 'daughter'. I know all of her behaviour is reasonable because of her condition (illness), but I could have done without her. First and foremost because I don't like that a third person has so much power over the outcome of the main players relationship...in some regards the stories dependence on Jess was not unlike reading a triangle.
“To hell with this slow shit. “You’re wearing too much,” I said. “Take something off, because otherwise I’m going to start ripping things.”
But that's not to say that London and Reese weren't great together. The actually have some insane chemistry and if all the drama the outside world and especially Jess created were to be taken out of the equation I would have enjoyed it a whole lot more.
I really like how the story went after we reached the part of the events before mentioned in the prologue - at about 60-65%. After that the pacing was insane, the drama superb and the crazy over the top. I loved it. ;D
All in all, an enjoyable story that didn't really live up to my expectations, but when do they ever? Can't wait to read the new series M. Wylde is cooking up for us.
BR with the fabulous Canaries
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