Review Tour: Ride Dirty: Laura Kaye
Caine McKannon is all about rules. As the Raven Riders Sergeant-at-Arms, he prizes loyalty to his brothers and protection of his club. As a man, he takes pleasure wherever he can get it but allows no one close—because distance is the only way to ensure people can’t hurt you. And he’s had enough pain for a lifetime.
And then he rescues a beautiful woman from an attack.
Kids and school are kindergarten teacher Emma Kerry’s whole life, so she’s stunned to realize she has an enemy—and even more surprised to find a protector in the intimidating man who saved her. Tall, dark, and tattooed, Caine is unlike any man Emma’s ever known, and she’s as uncertain of him as she is attracted. As the danger escalates, Caine is in her house more and more – until one night of passion lands him in her bed.
But breaking the rules comes at a price, forcing Caine to fight dirty to earn a chance at love.
Caine McKannon is the Sergeant-At-Arms for the Raven Riders and feels responsible for the well being of the club and those under their protection. He wears a tough biker and enforcer persona as armor. He is a loner and anti-social. He is intense, tortured, has self worth issues, and does not let anyone get close enough to engage his heart.
Emma Kerry is a kindergarten teacher who lives a quiet life alone with her dog. But one night Caine happens to be in the right place at the right time to save her from an attack. But due to some unresolved issues with the situation, he just could not stop himself from going into protector mode and keeping tabs on her. Emma is funny, sweet, honest, and actually seems to see the real Caine. But she is also vulnerable not only from the person who seems to be targeting her, but also to a broken heart from Caine since he is not used to connecting with anyone.
She embodies what he has most secretly wanted, but is also what he has most feared...a true connection, feelings, and potential to be a mate. She brings the potential of light to his darkness. Caine is a very complex man with layers upon layers of pain, rejection, and guilt that make him feel unworthy of love. He is an expert at pushing people away, but Emma is smart and tenacious. They are mixed up in a dangerous situation and Caine is determined not to let anything happen to her, but is also afraid of failing.
This one focuses more on Caine and Emma away from the club, but there are some cameos from Raven Riders and Haven. This is really Caine's journey towards trust, self worth, hope, and unconditional love and acceptance. His vulnerable, broken soul touched me. He was so protective, quietly noble, guilt ridden, and the smallest things could make him happy or appreciative. But he was so guarded and scared of being hurt, failing, or hurting someone else. Emma's perceptiveness, understanding, ability to see past his guards, and big heart was the perfect foil to his hardened heart. Their chemistry was intense, hot, and a bit dirty. I really loved these two together.
This is a longer novella and she was able to pack in a slow burn romance, complicated back stories, suspense, danger, sexy times, and emotional situations. It can be read as a stand-alone or a series companion. And I know this is supposed to be the last in this series, but I would still love to revisit Jagger and Phoenix.
This is a longer novella and she was able to pack in a slow burn romance, complicated back stories, suspense, danger, sexy times, and emotional situations. It can be read as a stand-alone or a series companion. And I know this is supposed to be the last in this series, but I would still love to revisit Jagger and Phoenix.
I was gifted a copy.
Caine was always a little closed off, a little scary, a lot in the background of other Raven Riders books, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from his story. As the Raven Riders Sargent-at-Arms, he protects his MC brothers and the protections the club extends to others.
The life of a kindergarten teacher is filled with glue sticks and glitter, and she’s never met an enemy. But Emma Kerry’s vision of her world changes the night she is attacked near her home and Caine steps in to rescue her.
Caine doesn’t connect to many people, and even the relationship he has with his MC brothers are often at arms length. His reluctance to let anyone close stems from years of pent up guilt and childhood pain. When he helps Emma, his protective nature kicks in and he can’t get the idea of keeping her safe out of his mind. Though he is attracted to her goodness and her openness, he hasn’t let anyone close to him in so long that he isn’t sure he has the ability.
Emma is so sweet. She is everything Caine wants, but won’t let himself have. As it becomes clear that there is more danger than a random mugging, Caine has to decide how far he can let Emma in, and she has to decide if it will be enough.
There were times I felt like I knew where this story was going, and others that took me by surprise. I loved returning to the Raven Riders world and not only getting a glimpse at Dare, Haven, and Jagger, but getting into Caine’s head and learning his whole story. Though this is a novella, it read as a longer story, with plenty of time for character and relationship building, background, and a slow burn between Caine and Emma that had me waiting for one of them to crack.
The life of a kindergarten teacher is filled with glue sticks and glitter, and she’s never met an enemy. But Emma Kerry’s vision of her world changes the night she is attacked near her home and Caine steps in to rescue her.
Caine doesn’t connect to many people, and even the relationship he has with his MC brothers are often at arms length. His reluctance to let anyone close stems from years of pent up guilt and childhood pain. When he helps Emma, his protective nature kicks in and he can’t get the idea of keeping her safe out of his mind. Though he is attracted to her goodness and her openness, he hasn’t let anyone close to him in so long that he isn’t sure he has the ability.
Emma is so sweet. She is everything Caine wants, but won’t let himself have. As it becomes clear that there is more danger than a random mugging, Caine has to decide how far he can let Emma in, and she has to decide if it will be enough.
There were times I felt like I knew where this story was going, and others that took me by surprise. I loved returning to the Raven Riders world and not only getting a glimpse at Dare, Haven, and Jagger, but getting into Caine’s head and learning his whole story. Though this is a novella, it read as a longer story, with plenty of time for character and relationship building, background, and a slow burn between Caine and Emma that had me waiting for one of them to crack.
I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Emma shifted, bringing her face closer to Caine’s. Close enough that if he just leaned up, he could have a taste of her again. “You know what you are?” she asked.
Yeah. Yeah, he really fucking did. A jagged boulder slid into his gut. But he wanted to hear what she had to say. “What?”
“You’re the man who risked himself and saved me.” She blew out a shaky breath, and damn if her fear didn’t reach into his rib cage and make it hard to breathe. Or maybe what invaded his chest was his own fear—at realizing how close he’d been to losing Emma Kerry before he’d ever met her at all. White-hot anger lanced through him at the thought.
“Okay,” he said.
“I’m not done.” She pressed a soft kiss against his lips, and the freeness of her affection stunned him. “You’re also the man who recognized that I was in danger and took it upon himself to watch over me and my house, to even talk to the police about it.”
He shrugged with one shoulder, his gaze falling somewhere in between them. “Providing protection, investigating threats, and installing security, this is what I do for the Ravens. I know you don’t know a lot about us, but we have a whole mission around defending people who can’t defend themselves. So I just slipped into that mode. But I should’ve told you what was going on. I just…I didn’t want to worry you until I was sure. And I didn’t—fuck, I know this was selfish—but I didn’t want you to hate me for letting the guy get away.”
“Yeah, you should’ve told me. So I could be more aware and know I might need to defend myself. Look at me,” she said, tilting her face to try to align their gazes.
He lifted his and met those warm blues head on, ready for whatever criticism and anger she wanted to dish out.
“But last night, out on the street, you admitted you had something to tell me. And then you did. Just…next time, maybe tell me at the start, okay?”
Caine blinked. That was it?
“And if you have any advice on how to make my voice louder or more convincing than the one in your head that keeps telling you I could ever hate you or that anything about my attack was your fault, could you please let me know?”
His jaw dropped, and Caine felt like he’d just walked cartoon-like into an unseen pole. This…this was just one more proof that this woman saw him. Right now, that wasn’t super fucking comfortable. But it was so foreign to be seen that he couldn’t do anything but bask in it, even if he felt utterly exposed.
“Fuck, Emma,” he managed, his thoughts too tangled to even attempt a meaningful answer to her question. “What are you doing to me?”
“Trying to let you know I care,” she said. Like it was obvious. Like it was normal. Like it wasn’t blowing his goddamn mind.
And don’t miss the first books in the Raven Riders Series!
Hard As Steel (Hard Ink/Raven Riders crossover Novella)
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After identifying her employer's dangerous enemies, Jessica Jakes takes refuge at the compound of the Raven Riders Motorcycle Club. Fellow Hard Ink tattooist and Raven leader Ike Young promises to keep Jess safe for as long as it takes, which would be perfect if his close, personal, round-the-clock protection didn't make it so hard to hide just how much she wants him—and always has.
Ike Young loved and lost a woman in trouble once before. The last thing he needs is alone time with the sexiest and feistiest woman he's ever known, one he's purposely kept at a distance for years. Now, Ike's not sure he can keep his hands or his heart to himself—or that he even wants to anymore. And that means he has to do whatever it takes to hold on to Jess forever.
Brotherhood. Club. Family. They live and ride by their own rules. These are the Raven Riders…
Raven Riders Motorcycle Club President Dare Kenyon rides hard and values loyalty above all else. He’ll do anything to protect the brotherhood of bikers—the only family he’s got—as well as those who can’t defend themselves. So when mistrustful Haven Randall lands on the club’s doorstep scared that she’s being hunted, Dare takes her in, swears to keep her safe, and pushes to learn the secrets overshadowing her pretty smile.
Haven fled from years of abuse at the hands of her criminal father and is suspicious of any man’s promises, including those of the darkly sexy and overwhelmingly intense Ravens’ leader. But as the powerful attraction between them flares to life, Dare pushes her boundaries and tempts her to want things she never thought she could.
The past never dies without a fight, but Dare Kenyon’s never backed down before…
Haven fled from years of abuse at the hands of her criminal father and is suspicious of any man’s promises, including those of the darkly sexy and overwhelmingly intense Ravens’ leader. But as the powerful attraction between them flares to life, Dare pushes her boundaries and tempts her to want things she never thought she could.
The past never dies without a fight, but Dare Kenyon’s never backed down before…
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Our 4.5 star reviews
Maverick Rylan won’t apologize for who he is—the Raven Riders Motorcycle Club Vice-President, a sought-after custom bike builder, and a man dedicated to protecting those he loves. So when he learns that the only woman who has ever held his heart is in trouble, he’ll move heaven and earth to save her.
Alexa Harmon thought she had it all—the security of a good job, a beautiful home, and a powerful, charming fiancé who offered the life she never had growing up. But when her dream quickly turns into a nightmare, Alexa realizes she’s fallen for a façade she can’t escape—until sexy, dangerous Maverick offers her a way out.
Forced together to keep Alexa safe, their powerful attraction reignites and Maverick determines to do whatever it takes to earn a second chance—one Alexa is tempted to give. But her ex-fiancé isn’t going to let her go without a fight, one that will threaten everything they both hold dear.
Wild with grief over the death of his wife, Sam “Slider” Evans merely lives for his two sons. Nothing holds his interest anymore—not even riding his bike or his membership in the Raven Riders Motorcycle Club. But that all changes when he hires a new babysitter.
Recently freed from a bad situation by the Ravens, Cora Campbell is determined to bury the past. When Slider offers her a nanny position, she accepts, needing the security and time to figure out what she wants from life. Cora adores his sweet boys, but never expected the red-hot attraction to their brooding, sexy father. If only he would notice her...
Slider does see the beautiful, fun-loving woman he invited into his home. She makes him feel too much, and he both hates it and yearns for it. But when Cora witnesses something she shouldn’t have, the new lives they’ve only just discovered are threatened. Now Slider must claim—and protect—what’s his before it’s too late.
Wild with grief over the death of his wife, Sam “Slider” Evans merely lives for his two sons. Nothing holds his interest anymore—not even riding his bike or his membership in the Raven Riders Motorcycle Club. But that all changes when he hires a new babysitter.
Recently freed from a bad situation by the Ravens, Cora Campbell is determined to bury the past. When Slider offers her a nanny position, she accepts, needing the security and time to figure out what she wants from life. Cora adores his sweet boys, but never expected the red-hot attraction to their brooding, sexy father. If only he would notice her...
Slider does see the beautiful, fun-loving woman he invited into his home. She makes him feel too much, and he both hates it and yearns for it. But when Cora witnesses something she shouldn’t have, the new lives they’ve only just discovered are threatened. Now Slider must claim—and protect—what’s his before it’s too late.
Laura KayeLaura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty books in contemporary romance and romantic suspense, including the Hard Ink and Raven Riders series. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and monster puppy, Schuyler, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.
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