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A review by deannasworld
Judgment Road by Christine Feehan
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