Under Locke

This is a slow burn romance. I loved the characters and this author knows how to develop a character and story so that it all gets under your skin in the best way. This is not a series, but there are several minor characters that I would love to read further about. I know a book is great when you are not ready to leave them.

This is a pretty MC lite biker book (diet MC?). Sure, Dex is a biker and there is a subplot featuring a rival MC, but really this is a slow burn romance between snarly, grumpy Dex and sensitive-but-tough Iris. Biker culture is just window dressing. And wow, Zapata is really a master of slow burns. I usually give up on books that dole out physical affection bit by bit but Zapata kept the tension going so that I was compelled to turn the page and get to the kissing parts! Did I think Iris was a bit of a grudge-holder and maybe a little too sensitive about Dex’s temper? Sure. But overall, I really enjoyed the book

Reviewing on second read in 2021. This book still holds up for me. I originally rated it 4 stars in 2017 and I'll stick with that. `I still like how Iris is able to find the soft underbelly of Dex Locke. I like them as a couple because they are so opposite. I like the friendships between the workers at Pins. I'm not as big of a fan of the whole MC environment although this book is calm compared to some other MC romances I have read. I would have to say that this is probably the steamiest of Mariana's books and while it has a slow burn, it is not as slow as her other books.

The only thing wrong with the novel is that it was too long - a 16 hour listen!

The novel is a first-person narration by Iris Taylor, a young woman who has overcome many hurdles in life.

Normally this isn't my favourite point of view. But Maiana Zapata does the most amazing job and Iris is a great character. She goes to work for Dex Locke, the owner of a tattoo parlour and much of the novel takes part inside the parlour.

Why this was of any interest to me I don't know! but it was - it was all entertaining - except for the storyline around Iris's father went on way to long.

Same with the motorcycle club. Dex is a member of the Widows and we meet many characters in the club - in fact, maybe all the characters in the novel except Iris are show more part of the club.

After awhile I got used to Iris's voice as narrated by Callie Dalton. I didn't like it at first but it did suit the character. She did a great job of portraying Dex, both in tone and his amazingly minimal way of speaking.

The audiobook was released in 2014. show less

Thanks to Quirky Omega for the recommendation!

3.2 stars

This had a glimmer or whiff of Kristen Ashley's writing but toned down. It is told in first person all from the heroine's pov and as I broken record say with this format, I missed getting an internal look into the hero. The romance is kind of a slow burn and I enjoyed the growing taking place.
I will say, around the 70% mark, I started to feel like the story was running long. There's some repetitiveness but I don't want to say the story is dragged out, it just moves more slowly than your average romance; no one's falling in love in two days.
Even though the hero is in an MC, it is definitely to the periphery, he's more of a tattoo parlor owner. He has immature anger management show more issues (a book club would be fun to discuss/shred his personality) and the heroine has a bit of never let it go-ness for far too long; there's definitely issues here.
The secondary characters were able to be more flushed out because of the pace and page count which I really enjoyed and would show up for a few secondary characters (Sonny!) staring in their own books.
I liked this one and even though the shine started to wear off around 70%, I still enjoyed the journey and writing style of the story. I'll definitely give another of the author's story a try. show less

Enjoyed this read. There was one element that was uncomfortably similar to a happening in a Kristen Ashley book. The heroine overhears the hero talking bad about her. He is the owner of the place she has just got a job and she gets her nose all bent out of shape and he tells her to get over it. Very similar but then you really can't copyright happenings exactly. It just felt awkwardly similar. Still other than that I really enjoyed the book. Unlike KA the characters did not all speak in awkward half sentences. I thought the heroine hid her arm for too long but that's a minor quibble. I did like the slow build up of their relationship. I really appreciate authors who take their time and don't have the H/h in the sack and in lurvve show more instantly.

Definitely a fun new author for me. show less

Under Locke follows Iris as she moves to Austin and starts working for a member of her brother's motorcycle club. I say this every time. It's Mariana Zapata and her signature slow burn romance. I think this one would rank lowest out of all the ones I've read from her, solely because I do think there was a decent number of moments where I didn't see Dex as a grumpy broody guy, but more of just a jerk. The book also had some parts that felt like they drug on a little bit. Not bad, just out of all the ones I've read from her, its lower on the list.