Review and Blog Tour: Reaper's Stand by Joanna Wylde

 

 

Thanks to Nursing School for the delay in posting about this awesome addition to a rockin' MC collection. I believe the tour has one more day left. So I am not *too* far behind. But here it is, finally, cause Joanna Wylde knows how to write a MC book in all its badass, gritty brilliance, and it deserves some love from this blog. :)

 

 

 

 

Meet Picnic & London in Reaper's Stand!

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1nTMqO9

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1nTMpK6

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1nTMmxU

Goodreads Link: http://bit.ly/1oHeFdJ

Blurb

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

 

Pic’s story! Yay!

Again… Joanna Wylde knows how to write a badass, intense MC book.

And I would expect nothing less for the Reaper’s Prez, Picnic.

Picnic may be in charge of the Reaper’s MC, but that does not change the fact that he misses his deceased wife. He can be a good father to his girls, but the idea of patching another old lady is out of the question. 

London has been the cleaning lady for the club’s pawn shop for a while. Picnic cannot seem to deny the attraction he feels for her. So when she ends up at the club armory looking for her younger cousin -- so she can drag her home before she gets into real trouble -- Pic cannot resist offering her a deal in exchange for his help.

When London agrees to clean his personal house, she battles her own intense attraction for this dominate, scary man.

And Pic is just that: controlling, hard, and scary.  But London also begins to see that he is passionate, a good father, caring, and cannot seem to shake these building feeling.

But when things start spiraling out of control (majorly out of control), London has some really hard choices to make.

London is loyal. She cares for her niece as if she were her own daughter and would do anything to protect her. She also has a big heart as she easily accepts another young girl that needs a place to live into her home.  However, she makes some stupid decisions.  Why, London, why?! Even though I write “why” wonder if I wouldn’t have done the same. She was between a rock and hard place. Yet, she has a fierceness and drive about her that helps redeem her.

And this is the point where the book when from gritty, to straight out dark.

I was not expecting this shift. And it had me battling internally about character reactions. For a lack of a better word, it was intense. Very. Joanna Wylde handled each character’s response beautifully and accurately though.  Making me not wanting to look away even though the shit was hitting the fan.

Intense read. Reminded me why I love MC books so stinkin’ much.  Loved seeing Pic’s softer side along with getting a glimpse of his playful and loving self.  Though when he was hard and the president of the MC, it was quiver inducing. Add that to his inner dialogues and we’ve a great balance of a character. 

It was great that London was an older heroine, especially since Pic was older as well. It was nice to see a MC president that was attracted to women his own age. It brought a maturity to the story.  And it was a lovely change following Em’s and Hunter’s story, who definitely had their younger moments. (There story is amazing as well. Just a completely different feel).

Each book in this series has a unique tone.  They all have some grit, but each set of characters bring their own feel to the series. And sometimes I almost forget that I’ve already read the supporting characters’ stories because I’m seeing them in a new light/mood, through another character’s eyes.  For example, Painter really grew on me this book, where in the past I found him annoying.

It was great seeing some of my favorites. Rugger and Horse make some appearances! And it reminded me how much I love them (and their books, seriously don’t start with this book. Start at the beginning of the series and work up. You won’t regret it). And even though I knew Horse was a certified badass, I was quickly reminded of that again.

This book is dark and defiantly emotional. These are outlaws, and we get a clear look at the underbelly of a MC club. And Wlyde brings a truth and authentic feel to what an actual MC club would be like. Loved the book. Loved Picnic. And London. Love the series. Cannot wait for more! Hopefully lots and lots more angst, grit, and Harley riding badasses. 

 

 

Excerpt

I heard voices as I approached the door, which was open a crack. (The frame had swollen up last winter and never quite gone back to normal, so you really had to fight to close it all the way. It was sand- wiched on the repair list between fixing the car and replacing the oven.)

“Your cousin deserves better than this,” I heard Hayes saying, and I couldn’t help but smile. Glad someone noticed my efforts. “If she’s smart, she’ll kick you out.”

“She’ll never kick me out,” Jess declared, and her voice sounded a little smug. A little slurred, too . . . Had she been drinking? Probably. “She’d feel guilty. She’ll always take care of me because she has to—you don’t know shit about us.”

He snorted.

“You think she takes care of you out of guilt?” he asked. “Nope— she loves you, although I can’t quite decide why. You need to figure out what you want to do with your life, because you can’t just drain her dry forever. Sooner or later she’ll be done with you.”

His words sounded so close to my own thoughts it was almost creepy. It also made me feel guilty, because the statement was so cold and hard. Not to mention true.

“It’s none of your business.”

“London is my business, little girl,” he said, and his tone was anything but nice. “I have plans for her, and they don’t include her crying over your bullshit. Don’t piss me off.”

 

 

 

 

Author Information

Joanna Wylde

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.

Website | Facebook | Twitter |  Goodreads

 

Thanks to The Rockstars of Romance for hosting this awesome tour. Also, thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read and give an honest review.