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A review by allmadhere106
Judgment Road by Christine Feehan
4.0
This is the first book from Feehan that I've ever read and I will be sure to investigate her previous books. I found this book to be very difficult at times due to the dark themes, but the overwhelmingly large cast of flawed characters and their subtle "abilities" finally won me over.
This book will turn many readers off due to Reaper's actions as well as the actions of the other club members. Reaper is very abusive at times and the club members have warped senses of justice, morality, and they struggle to fit into society. Considering that all of them experienced such extreme horrors as children and escaped together, they have their own code and they make a lot of mistakes. All of this is based in extreme PTSD, and while some readers will be turned off by the hero's actions (assaulting the heroine in his sleep, liking his mark/bruises on her, controlling to the point of stalking, etc.), the book faces the fact that this is PTSD related. The club members try to help, but they have similar issues so that doesn't always work out well.
I would have had more of a problem if these issues were never discussed as problematic, but the author goes into therapy (with mixed results) and the importance of communication with your partner/those closest to you. In many ways, the book is about the struggles of having a romantic relationship after facing extreme abuse. This book will create very strong opinions and be quite controversial, especially in the romance world. Personally, I found myself absorbed by these characters and wanting more.
Tropes: m/f; MC/biker romance; Sergeant at Arms with severe PTSD meets spunky bartender on the run; NOT a slow burn--totally not a slow burn; crude language and sex throughout; exhibitionism and voyeurism; kink; extreme violence and characters in peril; abuse, assault, and reactions due to severe PTSD; graphic murder and dismemberment; discussions of extreme abuse, rape, torture, and imprisonment of children; discussions of human trafficking, drugs, rape, kidnapping, torture, and other dark themes; assassins for hire.
Heat rating: NUCLEAR—explicit sex, indelicate language during sex, and graphic depictions of a sexual nature used to further the story; may also include light kink; not quite enough for an EXPLICIT level (5), but takes it a level past HOT (3).
This book will turn many readers off due to Reaper's actions as well as the actions of the other club members. Reaper is very abusive at times and the club members have warped senses of justice, morality, and they struggle to fit into society. Considering that all of them experienced such extreme horrors as children and escaped together, they have their own code and they make a lot of mistakes. All of this is based in extreme PTSD, and while some readers will be turned off by the hero's actions (assaulting the heroine in his sleep, liking his mark/bruises on her, controlling to the point of stalking, etc.), the book faces the fact that this is PTSD related. The club members try to help, but they have similar issues so that doesn't always work out well.
I would have had more of a problem if these issues were never discussed as problematic, but the author goes into therapy (with mixed results) and the importance of communication with your partner/those closest to you. In many ways, the book is about the struggles of having a romantic relationship after facing extreme abuse. This book will create very strong opinions and be quite controversial, especially in the romance world. Personally, I found myself absorbed by these characters and wanting more.
Tropes: m/f; MC/biker romance; Sergeant at Arms with severe PTSD meets spunky bartender on the run; NOT a slow burn--totally not a slow burn; crude language and sex throughout; exhibitionism and voyeurism; kink; extreme violence and characters in peril; abuse, assault, and reactions due to severe PTSD; graphic murder and dismemberment; discussions of extreme abuse, rape, torture, and imprisonment of children; discussions of human trafficking, drugs, rape, kidnapping, torture, and other dark themes; assassins for hire.
Heat rating: NUCLEAR—explicit sex, indelicate language during sex, and graphic depictions of a sexual nature used to further the story; may also include light kink; not quite enough for an EXPLICIT level (5), but takes it a level past HOT (3).