Cate C. Wells

Wow! A surprisingly good, emotionally resonant MC romance!

Kayla is trying her hardest, but life isn’t easy for a 21 year old single mom living on her own with very little family support. Who comes barging into her life but Charge, the biker living next door. He’s into Kayla big time, but when he realizes she has a kid, he runs-- children aren’t easy, and Charge is nothing if not laid back and easy-- but something about Kayla keeps drawing him back.

I really liked this book. Kayla is show more such an interesting character-- strong, intelligent, and surprisingly innocent and sheltered for all that she is supporting herself and her kid all on her own. She’s naive but not stupid, and Charge immediately gets that for all her grit and determination, she’s a soft gooey marshmallow on the inside. He wants to protect that softness, honor it, and share it with her.

Charge is laid back and easy going, but also realizing that maybe all his charm and ease in life is also a bit of inertia. He’s stuck. Kayla is the kick in the pants he needs to start really living his life. This is a nice slow burn of a romance between the two of them, with Charge letting his libido take a back seat because he quickly realizes that Kayla needs security and comfort over passion. I don’t think there is even a kiss until at least halfway through the book!

And Jimmy, Kayla’s six year old son! He’s no plot moppet or ingratiating/irritating perfect storybook child. No, he’s stubborn, sullen, and grumpy-- but also loving and very protective of his mother. He’s Kayla’s reason for everything she does, and he quickly worms his way in Charge’s heart. Usually, kids in romance are just window dressing-- but Wells really makes Jimmy a part of the story. Watching the relationship blossom between Kayla, Jimmy and Charge is so heartwarming. show less

This isn't one that will be easily categorized. You might love it, you might hate it. You might be feeling terribly confused about this bully romance/odd couple and the way it made you feel. I don't know.

For now, I'm supporting photographic covers. I know some of y'all complain about the torsos and the real people on covers--I like covers of all kinds. So this was part of that challenge.

Anyway, I just read a romance about a just-barely himbo hunter. First off, I'm all about the less show more booksmart hero and I was initially thrilled this hero was kind of an idiot, but he just wasn't fully an idiot.

"Cash, did you read the indictments?"
"Jesse, I didn't even read your text messages."
He really should know me better.

Still, he's pretty easy to like upon his love of his dog, his best friend (all the silence they sit together in show less

OH!!!!! my god. i adore this.

Cash is a country fried mega dumbass. and Glenna is so relatable and grouchy and misunderstood!!

these two have me SO charmed, i squealed for 10 minutes after i finished reading.


"I’m gonna marry this girl. We’re gonna live in our cabin up on the mountain and have babies and dogs coming out of our ears."

WOW. Did you expect such an emotional smackdown from Nickel's Story? Honestly, I was like, "la di da, MC romance yada yada, I've got this" and then boom! Nickel got me. I read whole chapters in tears.

Nickel is a survivor of heinous child abuse and neglect (content warning for domestic violence). He has a serious anger management problem. When he gets going, nothing can stop him, except maybe his MC brothers wading in and physically subduing him. And, on top of all that, he's got a Story show more problem. Since Story was 15, she's crushed on Nickel, and she just won't give up. How can Nickel convince the most beautiful woman in the world that he isn't into her (when he really, really is)? And how can Story finally get what she wants out of a hard and tough life that is constantly trying to wear her down?

Here's what really punched me in the emotional gut about this story-- Nickel's fear of being totally unworthy of love. His fear that he can never change, never adapt, that he will always be a hair trigger, a bomb with the fuse lit, ready to explode and destroy everything around him. And most especially, that his affection (love?) for Story will eventually destroy her. Reading about a big, strong, brute of a man as he engages with and confronts his self loathing, deals with his sense of unworthiness, really affected me. And Nickel does not stagnate in his angst and drama! When he finally realizes everything that is on the line, how close he is to losing Story because of the monster within him, he begins the hard work of changing. It's an amazing journey to watch and I was really moved the entire time.

Story is an interesting character. I want to call her naive and maybe even a little blind to the danger around her-- but then she's goes off and is ruthlessly pragmatic and very self-aware. Physically, with her big blue eyes and long blond hair, she comes across as the ultimate innocent miss. But as a person, her feet are firmly planted in the ground. She's been kicked around by life, raised on the wrong side of the tracks by a loving yet very neglectful mother. She may yearn for Nickel, but she's also aware that he has problems she can't fix by herself. She believes in love, in its healing powers, but she also knows that she can't save someone just through love alone.

Honestly, I was so surprised by how much this book resonated with me. It's truthful, emotional, and impactful. Love isn't a cure-all that magically fixes all of the hero and heroine's problems. There's real physical and emotional work that gets done in order to bring about that happy ending. I was moved. show less