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akdorman's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
abi_reads_'s review against another edition
4.0
So this is probably my third, if not fourth time, reading this story and I enjoyed it just as much as the first and even understood more about the characters.
This book follows Reaper, the silent but deadly Sergent in Arms. His whole life is fighting and his family. Torpedo Ink. Reaper can't help but notice the new bartender, Anya. The attraction goes both ways but they both have a past. One is trying to run away from it, the other accepts it but stays in the dark.
I really like this book and I like that you see it through both their eyes. Highly recommend the book and this series.
A problem with this series (a very minor one), is there are so many members that deserve their time and I want more of them, but it's hard to give each member their moment to shine. So when it comes to their stories, it's like you're happy you meet the new guy but want the old one in. Its a very minor and I basically just want more.
I'm very intrigued by Savage and it seems like it's going to be ages until I get that story.
This book follows Reaper, the silent but deadly Sergent in Arms. His whole life is fighting and his family. Torpedo Ink. Reaper can't help but notice the new bartender, Anya. The attraction goes both ways but they both have a past. One is trying to run away from it, the other accepts it but stays in the dark.
I really like this book and I like that you see it through both their eyes. Highly recommend the book and this series.
A problem with this series (a very minor one), is there are so many members that deserve their time and I want more of them, but it's hard to give each member their moment to shine. So when it comes to their stories, it's like you're happy you meet the new guy but want the old one in. Its a very minor and I basically just want more.
I'm very intrigued by Savage and it seems like it's going to be ages until I get that story.
izziede's review against another edition
3.0
Pushing away from Hero.
He feels he is dangerous to her.
To 'cure' him his mated from the club get a club whore to offer him a blow job.
It doesn't happen but it's close.
HEA.
He feels he is dangerous to her.
To 'cure' him his mated from the club get a club whore to offer him a blow job.
It doesn't happen but it's close.
HEA.
deannasworld's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! Judgment Road. What an incredibly intense, emotional story with a severely damaged MC enforcer and a strong, feisty bartender who captured his attention.
Christine Feehan is a new-to-me author even though I'd heard of her before. Holy heck! What rock have I been living under and why have I not read her before this? Her stories are exactly the kind I like to read with uber alpha heroes, strong heroines and so much intensity it makes my toes curl. Right now, I think I'd be hard-pressed to name another author who writes heroes as alpha as Ms Feehan does. I mean, these men are chest-thumping, spitting, grunting alpha.
This story is the first in a new series by Ms Feehan. It's a spin-off from the Sea Haven / Sisters of the Heart series. Czar and Blythe who are the main characters from the last book in the previous series feature heavily in this new series although I do not think you need to read the previous series or Czar and Blythe's book in order to know what's going on in Judgment Road. Ms Feehan does a fantastic job of providing backstory to not only Reaper but also the Torpedo Ink MC and their members as a group. She very skillfully weaves it into the narrative so you don't feel like you are getting an information dump as you learn more and more about this group of people who have escaped terrible circumstances and found a life for themselves as a group.
Right from the start this is a dark, edgy and severely intense story. It grabs you by the throat and keeps you held there to the very end. The light moments are few and far between, but what you get is a lot of camaraderie, loyalty, and love. The men and women of Torpedo Ink radiate intensity. The emotion in the story will have you in a choke hold.
Another thing that struck me is these men and women of Torpedo Ink have their own set of moral and ethical code. They straddle the line between good and bad, legal and illegal. They do what they feel is the right thing based on their own experience and upbringing. And while some people might balk at what they consider acceptable behaviour, I grew to like them for their own moral fibre and what they considered right and wrong in defense of the weak, and righting the wrongs of the greedy and evil.
Reaper is scary. He's hard as nails, tough, rough and scarred. He's so damaged that at some point I'm wondering if there's any way of redeeming him and bringing him back into the light. His past was so traumatic and tragic that it's a wonder he's a functioning adult. It's a credit to his strength and determination that he's the man he is today. I loved that he tried with Anya and even though at one point he did something very, very stupid (as men do), he was trying something so that he could be with her despite his issues. I also loved that he was deadly and lethal. There's that hint of paranormal with his skills and what he can do that's captivating. I was totally invested in Reaper's character.
Anya is a wonderful heroine. Even though she's had a difficult past and she's running from trouble, she's strong and stands up for herself. While she falls head over heels for Reaper, she also remains fully her own person. She's independent and headstrong without being ridiculous about it. I love that she fought for her own rights, and she fought for her and Reaper together. And when things went south, she was willing to listen and work on things, if not forgive right away. She certainly had a right to be angry with the stupid stunt Reaper pulled with the help of Ice and Storm. Seriously, sometimes men do stupid things. I loved that Anya was not an unreasonable heroine even when Reaper was being difficult and demanding. She was for all intents and purposes understanding and supportive, which was exactly what Reaper needed.
I loved Judgment Road and I loved Ms Feehan's men. It was a heavy-duty and intense read. There were moments when I felt I had to put the book down and take a breather from the story because it got so intense. I'm not certain I'd go back and read the books in the previous two Sea Haven series because that's a lot of books to tackle, but I might if time allows it. I'd certainly keep reading any new books in the Torpedo Ink series. I'd love to see these men in the group all find love.
See more from Deanna's World
Christine Feehan is a new-to-me author even though I'd heard of her before. Holy heck! What rock have I been living under and why have I not read her before this? Her stories are exactly the kind I like to read with uber alpha heroes, strong heroines and so much intensity it makes my toes curl. Right now, I think I'd be hard-pressed to name another author who writes heroes as alpha as Ms Feehan does. I mean, these men are chest-thumping, spitting, grunting alpha.
This story is the first in a new series by Ms Feehan. It's a spin-off from the Sea Haven / Sisters of the Heart series. Czar and Blythe who are the main characters from the last book in the previous series feature heavily in this new series although I do not think you need to read the previous series or Czar and Blythe's book in order to know what's going on in Judgment Road. Ms Feehan does a fantastic job of providing backstory to not only Reaper but also the Torpedo Ink MC and their members as a group. She very skillfully weaves it into the narrative so you don't feel like you are getting an information dump as you learn more and more about this group of people who have escaped terrible circumstances and found a life for themselves as a group.
Right from the start this is a dark, edgy and severely intense story. It grabs you by the throat and keeps you held there to the very end. The light moments are few and far between, but what you get is a lot of camaraderie, loyalty, and love. The men and women of Torpedo Ink radiate intensity. The emotion in the story will have you in a choke hold.
Another thing that struck me is these men and women of Torpedo Ink have their own set of moral and ethical code. They straddle the line between good and bad, legal and illegal. They do what they feel is the right thing based on their own experience and upbringing. And while some people might balk at what they consider acceptable behaviour, I grew to like them for their own moral fibre and what they considered right and wrong in defense of the weak, and righting the wrongs of the greedy and evil.
Reaper is scary. He's hard as nails, tough, rough and scarred. He's so damaged that at some point I'm wondering if there's any way of redeeming him and bringing him back into the light. His past was so traumatic and tragic that it's a wonder he's a functioning adult. It's a credit to his strength and determination that he's the man he is today. I loved that he tried with Anya and even though at one point he did something very, very stupid (as men do), he was trying something so that he could be with her despite his issues. I also loved that he was deadly and lethal. There's that hint of paranormal with his skills and what he can do that's captivating. I was totally invested in Reaper's character.
Anya is a wonderful heroine. Even though she's had a difficult past and she's running from trouble, she's strong and stands up for herself. While she falls head over heels for Reaper, she also remains fully her own person. She's independent and headstrong without being ridiculous about it. I love that she fought for her own rights, and she fought for her and Reaper together. And when things went south, she was willing to listen and work on things, if not forgive right away. She certainly had a right to be angry with the stupid stunt Reaper pulled with the help of Ice and Storm. Seriously, sometimes men do stupid things. I loved that Anya was not an unreasonable heroine even when Reaper was being difficult and demanding. She was for all intents and purposes understanding and supportive, which was exactly what Reaper needed.
I loved Judgment Road and I loved Ms Feehan's men. It was a heavy-duty and intense read. There were moments when I felt I had to put the book down and take a breather from the story because it got so intense. I'm not certain I'd go back and read the books in the previous two Sea Haven series because that's a lot of books to tackle, but I might if time allows it. I'd certainly keep reading any new books in the Torpedo Ink series. I'd love to see these men in the group all find love.
See more from Deanna's World
samie_k3's review against another edition
4.0
Liked it more than I thought I would, but I feel as if I might be missing information, having never read Christine Feehan's Sea Haven series.
kitroo87's review against another edition
5.0
4.5
TW for a lot of things. Just if you are sensitive to violence and sexual trauma... run.
I really appreciate what Ms Feehan did for male sexual trauma victims.
This wasn’t an easy book to read at times, but I’m always interested in her characters and what they deal with. And they deal with a ton.
TW for a lot of things. Just if you are sensitive to violence and sexual trauma... run.
I really appreciate what Ms Feehan did for male sexual trauma victims.
This wasn’t an easy book to read at times, but I’m always interested in her characters and what they deal with. And they deal with a ton.
ela_35's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I liked this book but I didn’t like it as much as when I first read it.
I wouldn’t mind reading it again but I didn’t really like Anya and Reaper’s relationship. I preferred reading about what the club did, which mostly happened near the end of the book.
I liked Anya and I liked Reaper but I didn’t really like how their relationship started and what they did about their problems. Even though Anya seemed satisfied with Reaper’s explanations, I thought that everything was forgiven too quickly and they should have talked about it longer.
Near the end of the book the club has to carry out two missions and I liked seeing them - how everyone knew their role and how smoothly everything happened. These missions were probably the thing that stopped me from giving this book 2 stars.
I might try to read some other books in this series as I liked seeing the action but I hope that the relationships are done better. Ice was an idiot in this book (he came up with the plan with Tawny) so I’m not too happy that his book is next (I’ve already read Steele’s book) but I’m curious about Absinthe’s book. Player wasn’t a big character in this book so I’m not sure yet if I’ll read his book but I don’t understand why Savage has 2 books. Even if I don’t end up liking this series, I still want to try reading the series that are linked to this one (Darke Sisters has books about the cops that come to the bar in this book; Sisters of the Heart’s last book is about Blythe and Czar).
kindlelovingmom's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not totally sure how I feel about this one, even hours after finishing it. It was quite dark and full of angst. The characters were all SO damaged, and had PTSD all over the place. It was really hard for me to read at times, for many different reasons.
Reaper is the enforcer of the Torpedo Ink Motorcycle Club. He's a fighter, a killer, always stone cold and remote, often even with his brothers and sisters. This is a unique MC in that all of the members grew up together, and were tortured together in Russia. They were all taken as orphaned kids to a "school" where they were taught to be assassins. They were tortured, physically, mentally, and sexually. What they endured, at ages as young as 2, was completely unimaginable, and it scarred and shaped them permanently. They are all very co-dependent on each other and they are all endlessly loyal to their president, Czar, as he's the one who helped to save them all. Reaper hasn't ever had sex other than when he was being forced, or had to do it as part of the jobs they sent him on. He believes he's incapable of feeling anything for anyone, other than a sense of loyalty to his club, and to Czar. Then he hears the new bartender's laugh, and he doesn't know what to think anymore.
Anya Rafferty is a great bartender. She's been working for about a month at the MC's bar and she really needs the job, as she's on the run. They pay her under the table, and she feels a sense of safety being under the MC's protection, as one of their employees. She's seen Reaper watching her each night in the bar, and she's wildly attracted to him. But, she feels like he stares at her like he hates her. She has no idea what's really going on beneath the surface. Anya grew up in shelters with her drug addict mother, until her death. Then she bounced around, and was always on her own. She's never had a family, or anyone to watch her back. When Reaper begins to act differently toward her she isn't sure what to think, or if she can trust him.
Reaper and Anya's chemistry is explosive, but they both have no idea what a ride they're in for. Reaper has more demons than he knows what to do with, and Anya has trust issues aplenty. They both have to come to terms with their issues, and it is a long, long road. There were really tough situations that happened, that made me cry and hurt for both of them. They both also make plenty of stupid mistakes along the way, some of which would be unforgivable to most people. I had a really hard time in particular with a couple of instances where I didn't see how anyone could reasonably come back from that. At least not in the short term. Granted, this is an extreme world, and they can't go to anyone outside the club for help, like a therapist, but I think they all would have seriously benefited from talking to someone who wasn't wrapped up in the same trauma they all endured.
There was a suspense side plot with a rival MC and some kidnapping situations that kept the story moving along, and that part was well done, exciting, and scary. Plenty of the side characters were quite interesting, especially the 2 ladies in the MC, but I'm not sure I'm hooked enough to keep going in the series. The trauma of these characters was absolutely heartbreaking, and there was so much pain and angst. I like my reads a little lighter, in general, and I had a hard time getting through this one at certain points. This is my first read from this author, so I didn't really know what to expect, and I have no idea whether this book is indicative of the rest of her work. The story flowed smoothly, and the writing was top notch, but I just couldn't take the pain of these poor people, and it physically hurt sometimes to continue reading. That is, perhaps, the sign of a great read that I felt so much, but for me, the pain was TOO much. Some of the situations, which I can't go into without spoilers, felt too contrived to be realistic, and I really hated some of the choices the characters made.
If you like high action suspense and super angsty, dark MC reads, this book could be for you. It just wasn't quite for me.
ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Megan from Alpha Book Club
Reaper is the enforcer of the Torpedo Ink Motorcycle Club. He's a fighter, a killer, always stone cold and remote, often even with his brothers and sisters. This is a unique MC in that all of the members grew up together, and were tortured together in Russia. They were all taken as orphaned kids to a "school" where they were taught to be assassins. They were tortured, physically, mentally, and sexually. What they endured, at ages as young as 2, was completely unimaginable, and it scarred and shaped them permanently. They are all very co-dependent on each other and they are all endlessly loyal to their president, Czar, as he's the one who helped to save them all. Reaper hasn't ever had sex other than when he was being forced, or had to do it as part of the jobs they sent him on. He believes he's incapable of feeling anything for anyone, other than a sense of loyalty to his club, and to Czar. Then he hears the new bartender's laugh, and he doesn't know what to think anymore.
Anya Rafferty is a great bartender. She's been working for about a month at the MC's bar and she really needs the job, as she's on the run. They pay her under the table, and she feels a sense of safety being under the MC's protection, as one of their employees. She's seen Reaper watching her each night in the bar, and she's wildly attracted to him. But, she feels like he stares at her like he hates her. She has no idea what's really going on beneath the surface. Anya grew up in shelters with her drug addict mother, until her death. Then she bounced around, and was always on her own. She's never had a family, or anyone to watch her back. When Reaper begins to act differently toward her she isn't sure what to think, or if she can trust him.
Reaper and Anya's chemistry is explosive, but they both have no idea what a ride they're in for. Reaper has more demons than he knows what to do with, and Anya has trust issues aplenty. They both have to come to terms with their issues, and it is a long, long road. There were really tough situations that happened, that made me cry and hurt for both of them. They both also make plenty of stupid mistakes along the way, some of which would be unforgivable to most people. I had a really hard time in particular with a couple of instances where I didn't see how anyone could reasonably come back from that. At least not in the short term. Granted, this is an extreme world, and they can't go to anyone outside the club for help, like a therapist, but I think they all would have seriously benefited from talking to someone who wasn't wrapped up in the same trauma they all endured.
There was a suspense side plot with a rival MC and some kidnapping situations that kept the story moving along, and that part was well done, exciting, and scary. Plenty of the side characters were quite interesting, especially the 2 ladies in the MC, but I'm not sure I'm hooked enough to keep going in the series. The trauma of these characters was absolutely heartbreaking, and there was so much pain and angst. I like my reads a little lighter, in general, and I had a hard time getting through this one at certain points. This is my first read from this author, so I didn't really know what to expect, and I have no idea whether this book is indicative of the rest of her work. The story flowed smoothly, and the writing was top notch, but I just couldn't take the pain of these poor people, and it physically hurt sometimes to continue reading. That is, perhaps, the sign of a great read that I felt so much, but for me, the pain was TOO much. Some of the situations, which I can't go into without spoilers, felt too contrived to be realistic, and I really hated some of the choices the characters made.
If you like high action suspense and super angsty, dark MC reads, this book could be for you. It just wasn't quite for me.
ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Megan from Alpha Book Club
lpcoolgirl's review against another edition
5.0
Yeah, this book was really great! Reaper did do some pretty bad things, like the surrogate thing. But I really enjoyed reading about them together!
nessismore's review against another edition
4.0
"Judgment Road" is a spinoff of Christine Feehan's Drake Sisters/Sea Haven series, involving the motorcycle club introduced in the last Sea Haven series book. If you're a reader familiar with any of Feehan's work, you'll know what you're getting into here. If this is your first, there are a few things you should know:
-While it's not absolutely necessary to read the previous series to read this one, it certainly helps to lay the groundwork.
-Feehan pretty much only writes Alpha heroes
-There is a lot of possibly triggering content that's mentioned or alluded to in her stories
-If you're looking for healthy relationships, that's not really what you're getting with her books
-That being said, Feehan is excellent for an engaging read
"Judgment Road" does not stray far from Feehan's typical formula, but it's an enjoyable read. It certainly feels fresher than the Sea Haven series, and it introduces an interesting array of characters. The love story is serviceable, and it has a few really great moments of angst that don't feel contrived for angst's sake. The story is compelling and emotional, and for longtime readers, you see a few familiar faces!
Overall, it's a great start to a new series, and I'll be looking out for the next one!
-While it's not absolutely necessary to read the previous series to read this one, it certainly helps to lay the groundwork.
-Feehan pretty much only writes Alpha heroes
-There is a lot of possibly triggering content that's mentioned or alluded to in her stories
-If you're looking for healthy relationships, that's not really what you're getting with her books
-That being said, Feehan is excellent for an engaging read
"Judgment Road" does not stray far from Feehan's typical formula, but it's an enjoyable read. It certainly feels fresher than the Sea Haven series, and it introduces an interesting array of characters. The love story is serviceable, and it has a few really great moments of angst that don't feel contrived for angst's sake. The story is compelling and emotional, and for longtime readers, you see a few familiar faces!
Overall, it's a great start to a new series, and I'll be looking out for the next one!