A review by bookishlynomes
Judgment Road by Christine Feehan

4.0

4.5 stars

What a fantastic start to an MC series! I love series surrounding Motorcycle Clubs because they're always full of drama, action and have that delightful 'tough guy with a sweet spot for his woman'-type of romance that I enjoy a lot. After hearing so many people rave about Torpedo Ink's latest release (book 4: Desolation Road), I knew I needed to check out this series and start from the beginning with Judgment Road.

Judgment Road was packed full of high-intensity emotions! I spent the majority of the time reading this book alternating between:
- whipping my head back and forth between the hero and heroine's banter
- having my jaw hit the floor at the individual MC's drama
- swooning when the romance becomes sweet (or as sweet as the hero can get)
- and crying at the backstory of Torpedo Ink's members and certain individual scenes between the H/h.

Basically, Judgment Road was a rollercoaster of feelings and I could not put the book down. I'm not overly familiar (yet) with Ms Feehan's writing but found it to be addictive and fast-paced which only added to the suspense and intrigue. Ms Feehan created a story that left me wanting more and I'm eagerly counting down until my library's reservation of the second book becomes available for me.

As a romance reader, the main element I always focus on in any story is the romance. The hero and heroine's relationship in Judgment Road is dark, gritty, and downright dangerous. Reaper has so many issues that he needs to overcome because of his background and my heart just continually broke for him. Anya has her own issues to overcome but she's such a beautiful person inside and out that she puts so many things aside to help him through it. I loved her tenacity and resilience which she continually displayed throughout the story. To be honest, there were several moments that had me thinking if I were in her position I would've thrown in the towel a long time ago, but thankfully she didn't and the hopeless romantic in me obviously appreciated that, haha.

As previously mentioned, this book focuses beyond the H/h relationship and is all about the drama. Torpedo Ink is one of several MC groups in the area and as with so many groups with power, there is usually another group lying in wait wanting to takeover. That's exactly what Torpedo Ink and the other MC groups have to deal with in this book. Secretive newcomers, The Ghosts, are the rivals that appear in the territory, ready to hurt others and do whatever it takes to get in on the action. They're Bad with a capital B and based on this book and the way things were left, I suspect they're going to take some time and energy to get rid of these guys for good.

Overall, Judgment Road was a dark delight and a perfect introduction to the Torpedo Ink series. I cannot wait to check out book two and continue with the rest of the series. If you enjoy dark romances, stories about Motorcycle Clubs or simply Ms Feehan's writing, then I highly recommend you check this book out now.