Walk Through Fire

Gah! These books! The FEELS are SO much! I always tell myself that I should not read these books in public... but I get so excited about the reading that I can't help it. So what do I do? I read it on my lunch break and turn into a watering pot. Then I had to explain to my boss that my face looked like a blotchy puffer fish because my buh-buh-book was so gah-gah-good. Le sigh. Thanks [a:Kristen Ashley|2958084|Kristen Ashley|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1442937365p2/2958084.jpg], I know I can count on you to make me ugly cry. Your books should come with a pack of tissues. For real.

Let's start with our girl Millie Cross. Millie is stuck in a rut - a 20 year rut. She always says she will cook gourmet meals, go to the gym, read great show more works of literature, and watch classy tv... but in reality she ends up with fast food watching Sister Wives. She goes to bed alone and wakes up alone - she exists but she does not live. Millie, girl. I feel ya. I had an instant connection to her because, I admit, I too am in a rut. Mine has not lasted 20 years, and I don't have a sexy-as-sin biker to blame, but its a rut all the same and I totally understood what she was going through.

So we know that Millie and Logan Judd ("High") were in a serious relationship and were super duper in love, but 20 years ago she pushed him away and broke both their hearts. It's pretty easy to figure out why she did this early on... and let me tell you that the ability to figure it out does not detract from the story. Why? Because you know what Millie knows and you are seeing/experiencing every bit of High's actions toward her - knowing what you know - and man, it's gutwrenching.

Moving on to our Chaos brother, High (aka Logan or Low). Going way back to the Dream Man series, we know that High is not one of the brothers who sided with Tack when he wanted to get the club on the straight and narrow. I think it was High, Arlo and Boz that had that tenuous relationship with Tack when we first start reading about Chaos. So we get some background here on High and learn what his motivations (or lack thereof) were back in the day. We also get a lot of info on the history of Chaos, which we had not seen before. We even have some memories of when the slain brother, Black, was still alive.

Oops, I got distracted. Back to High/Logan. Wait - time out. Can we talk about the cover real quick? PERFECT FREAKING COVER. I loved it. That guy is a perfect Logan with his salt & pepper hair - great hair, scruff and profile. Something all KA alpha males seem to have. So anyway, back to High/Low. Obviously you learn very early on that Millie cut him deep, and since then, he has been "walkin' around with a hole in [his] soul." So he is broody and damaged, but he does flowery poetic biker very well. He is also a supreme alphahole to Millie in the beginning... and you just knew he was gonna regret it. And it wasn't just him - the Chaos brothers banded together to be supreme dicks to Millie. It was bad and I was feeling it right along with her. Despite all of this, I loved Logan. If I only had one of these badass biker hotties to pull me out of my rut!?! Why is it all the bikers I see seem to be more Cuzn-It than Chaos?

As in most of KA's books, the sisterhood is represented by any combination of girls plus Elvira. In this case, it was Tyra, Lanie, Elvira, Cassie and Shirleen. I love how the girl posse works - and wish I could round up one of my own now that I have moved somewhere new. I also like how Tyra and Tack continue to play a role in these Chaos books - they will always be my favorite couple in this motorcycle dynasty.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 5 stars / 4 flames. See full review at Bambi Unbridled show less

5 "Selfless Love" Stars!

Without a doubt Kristen Ashley is one of my top-favorite MC romance authors. And Walk Through Fire, once again, proves why Ms. Ashley is among the royalty in this romance sub-genre. Not only does Ms. Ashley manage to give us yet another authentic, fresh, witty and truly moving love story, with a lot of KA's signature style of entertaining drama to boot; but she also again demonstrates that a top-favorite, epic romance can occur between a hero and heroine that are older than the more common "new adult" age that seems to dominate most romance books these days. I think this willingness to think outside of the box, and adeptness at bringing unique characters to life, is one of the great characteristics that gives show more Ms. Ashley such an edge and causes me to be glued to my Kindle every time I start one of her her books. Walk Through Fire was no different. Great and engrossing from beginning to end!

For those of you that have read the prior Chaos books, you have no doubt been introduced to the seemingly moody Chaos member, Logan "High" Judd who always keeps to himself. In the past, we have heard whispers of a tragic relationship that left him jaded when it comes to women and life in general. In Walk Through Fire we get to experience that past relationship, along with the future, when Millie Cross, High's "dream woman," unexpectedly begins looking for him 20 years after she left him.

Millie Cross had her dream man once. They were together for 3 years and lived the dream life, until she was forced to do the one thing that nearly turned her into a ghost: leave him. 20 years later she has everything a materialistic, successful career woman could ask for, but has lived a self-imposed loveless and lonely life. She is a shell of the woman she once was, until a trip to Chipotle turns everything she's ever known she needed to do on its head.

Millie has "walked through fire" for 20 years and she's ready to extinguish the flames and once again take hold of her life. What she finds when she attempts to reach out to High, however, is a very different man than the one she fell in love with. No longer is Logan the man who would do anything for her, but instead he has become a very cynical, bitter and jaded man. Moreover, he moved on and got his "all", having been married for 13 years and although that ended, he is now the father of two young daughters. Millie never expected this turn of events.

Their paths keep crossing, however, as High tries to discern what Millie's true motivations could possibly be in seeking him out so many years later. During these explosive and terse interactions, the one thing that can't be denied is their incredible chemistry, even if it has taken more of a destructive turn with Logan's suspicions at high alert.

Can true love possibly conquer all? Especially when the whole Chaos club joins in in trying to protect High from a devastating repeat? Moreover, their lives have now evolved into two completely different arenas. Millie being a highly successful and designer clad, party planner who lives in an immaculate house where not one thing is out of place, and High, a biker who lives in a biker world where coasters and alarm clocks, never mind Millie's now extremely organized life, have no place. Additionally, one of Logan's daughters is on a mission to reunite High with her mom, and will stop at nothing, to see her dream world fulfilled; and a Chaos enemy is still determined to get Chaos to give up their territory using any leverage possible. Could their possibly be a second change HEA in the cards for Millie and Logan with all these obstacles in the way?

What a fantastic story. From the evolution of the new adult personalities of Millie and Logan to their more nuanced and yet set adult ways, to the practical realities of blended and biker families, Ms. Ashley leaves no stone unturned. Providing one exciting and touching romantic adventure that is sure to keep you highly anticipating future KA reads!

Source: Review copy provided in exchange for an honest review. show less

Since we only hear of High once in a while and in a negative light I didn't know what to expect of his story.

Oh my, I didn't expect such heartbreak, loyalty, forgiveness, and an emotional roller coaster that left me crying more than a few times.

Logan "High" Judd and Millie Cross were 20-something and in love. Perfect for each other in the sense that their love accepted one another fully and gave freely. Talk of making a big family, her finishing college, and forever colored their young lives. Until one day Millie did something that drove High away and into such a tailspin that his Chaos brethren feared for him.

Twenty years after the deed Millie overhears Logan's voice while she's waiting in line at Chipotle. Hears him speaking of show more signing papers and getting his girls. Seems our dear Logan moved on, got married, had two daughters and is now getting divorced. This hits Millie hard. As we learn, fairly quickly, she has never recovered from sending him away, has never married, had children...fact is her life has been going through the motions but not truly living. Twenty years and she hasn't even had a single lover since Logan. Yup, she had it bad and is in truly bad shape. She figures the way out of this rut and back into the land of the living is to find Logan and give him an explanation. Can't wait to hear this.

True to form, when she finally manages to track him down he is not happy to see her. A revenge screw maybe but nothing more. Quick roll and a get the hell out of my life later Millie knows her heart never healed and she's as bad off for Logan as she ever was. Logan on the other hand starts to get curious as to why Millie is looking for him and why can't he get her out of his system.

Tyra sees the fall out of Logan and Millie together and decides her and her girls need to do something. Tack clearly tells her...stay out of it. Like when has Tyra EVER listened to advice. Elvira, Lanie and Tyra come up with a plan that back fires horrendously. All it gets is Millie upset and giving them a crate of 20 year old photos and mementos. Telling them to give it to Logan so he can finally get rid of them once and for all. What does Tyra do...she leaves it for High (Logan). All this does is set up the...maybe we should just screw each other out of our systems scene.

Things could have continued on like this for a while until the girl gang decide to bring in one of Millie's best friends to try and get them back together. Kellie gets her to finally go out and meet her at a bar where this cool band is playing. Candlebox's "Far Behind" will never be the same. (BTW I love, love love KA's taste in music!!!) The emotional scene there. God, my heart was breaking for Millie. I wanted to stand up with Kellie and get in Tyra's face...along with the Chaos guys. Hop, oh Hop, you were my hero and now I don't like you too much for that song and dedication. I know you did it out of loyalty to a brother but damn babe, did you have to destroy her?

Logan can't find her. She's run off to Paris (where they had planned to go together) to get her head together and make plans to finally move on. Can you say...sell the house and business and move to Arizona? In the meantime Logan is fixing up her house and making it safe...if only. She is welcomed by Benito Valenzuela... you read right....Chaos' arch enemy is sitting in her living room holding her at gun point. Scares her and gives her a message to deliver to Chaos. And that's what she does. I must say, that scene at the Compound left me utterly heart broken, sobbing and wanting to hug Millie and never let her go. Over wrought with fear and nerves she delivered the message then feeling backed into a corner let it all hang out. Gave Logan and the rest of Chaos and the old ladies who happened to be around the reason why she pushed him away. OMG... she really did walk through fire for him. Loved him so much that she wanted him to have it all and the only way that would happen is if he left her. And she had to do it a certain way because if not she knew he would not leave her and he had to...just had to to make sure he would get everything she ever wanted for him. Tack understated reaction made me cry even harder.

The truth is out so now it's time rebuild what they had. Be stronger and better than what they had. Learn to deal with each other's families and how to get used to older and wiser Logan and Millie. It's not all smooth sailing, meeting his daughters caught her unprepared. Meeting his ex-wife, Deb, was something else to behold. Who would have thought an ex could be so cool about things and want to help Millie win over her girls. Elvira planning a wedding when she has even been proposed to.(Malik goes to see Millie about planning the perfect pop the question night...YEA)

Now of course Benito isn't going to fade away quietly. It wasn't as traumatic as what happened to Tyra but damn...Millie put it on the line again. Woman is strong and truly made to be an old lady. I knew Tack and the boys weren't going to let this slide but Hound going rogue on this...not too sure about that. And what was that all about between him, Keely (Black's widow) and Tack? Is he saying that he's been in love with her for years but knows she is the one he can never have? And will that mean he's going to take foolish chances even though Logan has told Tack to pull back and let Benito get taken down the right way? Who saw Rosalie making a come back...and in that capacity?

Not sure who the next book is going to be about but between Benito and that other motorcycle, things look like they will be happening for a while. show less

Over the course of the last couple of years, I overcame by belief that Kristen Ashley was overrated and that everyone was just loving the Rock Chick series (which I haven't read yet ). Now I believe that KA is one of the best authors who can write long books without making them boring or making the drama too much. I loved the angst and the pain that was filling the path that led to Millie's confession about what happened twenty years ago.

I might have predicted the two things that had a major impact on the story, but I can't hold against the book since I believe that it's hard to guess why Millie gave up on Logan so long ago. I love the phrase Walk through fire. Millie did and I admire her for that. I get why Logan was a big A-hole in show more the beginning since he was feeling betrayed, but I can't seem to hate him for that. It's sad that Millie wasn't living the whole time they were apart. She is the perfect example of the saying "A shell of her former self..." Logan got in a sense what he wanted and even though things could have never gotten over between them it felt to me that their separation was what it was needed in order for him to get what he wanted even if it wasn't in a way he liked.

The epilogue was a long one. At some point, I was lost, but the last sentence gave me a sense of satisfaction and it was the perfect ending for Millie and Logan's story. I cried in this book. The tears came out of nowhere and I almost burst into tears in public. Logan and Millie's story is heartbreaking so keep the tissues close when reading this book. A bottle of wine is also a good idea.

Walk through fire is simply one of the best books I read this month and of course, I am going to recommend it to you. It's going to be on the list with the books I love. I can't wait for the next book in the chaos series! I feel like I need to say more. But I am out of words. I guess KA just got herself another fan to obsess over her books. show less

Read for Review (NetGalley)
Overall Rating: 4.25
Story Rating: 4.00
Character Rating: 4.50

First Thoughts when Finished: Walk through Fire indeed! The first 1/3 of this book I was unsure how I was going to feel about this story/couple/drama but then BAM the FEELS!

Quick Thoughts: Walk Through Fire is probably the book that shows my relationship to Kristen Ashley's books: sometimes I love them, sometimes I cry, sometimes I am not sure if I can finish them because the characters are beyond annoying. The first 1/3 of this book I thought it was going to be 2 40+ year olds being overly dramatic, downright a**hat (Logan), and just angry sex. I set the book down for 2 weeks because I just couldn't! Logan was an A** and pretty much not a forgivable show more one. It really took a bit for me to warm up to him even after the "moments" that made me cry. However, those moments really show what I love about Kristen Ashley's writing. She made me cry 3 times in a matter of 15% and that was with 2 people I wasn't even really rooting for. I could guess early why their old relationship failed but hearing it actually come out---heartbreaking. Then Kristen Ashley did something even better--she made me happy. I have this complaint in her series where almost every ex-wife/baby mama is a B*tch. Maybe it is a trigger for me (I have an awesome stepmom and mom) but it ruined more than one story for me by her. She didn't do this here and it ROCKED! In fact, I think she really displayed what many in America deal with during an adjustment to new relationships with parents, step-parents, and what kids go through. So while this might not be the highest book I have rated by her, it will be favorite for the last 2/3 alone. I had all the feels and happiness! Though honestly the overall story arch didn't move forward much and Tack being all bossy over his men and their actions with ladies is old. Really didn't like his interactions the last 30 or so pages cause really that is going to happen whether he says no to it or not. Nope not sharing what is going to happen--you will have to read and see if you agree!

I totally recommend this book and series. I know I am not a huge fan of bikers but these guys while OC are not bad guys. That distinction means a LOT to me. show less

I haven't even finished it and I'm already giving this a 5 star review... full review when I'm done... so damn good!

Ok I finished the book, let me tell you it's my first Kristen Ashley book I ever read and I absolutely loved it. The plot line was fluent, her writing is quite different from what I'm used to but I enjoyed it, the story is awesome, I'm going to read the entire series asap. This book had everything, drama, romance, suspense and everything in between.

High is an intriguing character which I'm sure I will get more glintz into him in previous books and Millie is a very real woman that is struggling and avoiding reality as much as she can, what she goes through is a walk in the fire and a very painful situation, but she emerges show more and finds herself.

I absolutely recommend this book and looking forward to reading the rest from this very talented author. show less

Walk Through Fire is the fourth book in the Chaos Motorcycle Club series. In this story, Logan "High" Judd and Millie Cross reunite after being apart for more than 20 years. A secret Millie kept from almost everyone caused their split, but instead of being honest with Logan, Millie lied and walked away, breaking both of their hearts. When she spots him in line at a local restaurant, she decides it is time to tell him why she really left, but before she gets the chance, she and Logan delve into a game of unhealthy sexual one-ups-man-ship that leads to even more hurt between them.
The first half of this book was very emotional and intriguing, even though Millie could have helped her cause a great deal by just telling the truth, but it did show more make for quick and enjoyable reading. Unfortunately, the suspense quickly wanes when the secret of why Millie left is revealed half way through the book. The last half of the book was much less interesting and seemed to be an after thought in order to make the book longer. After Millie is taken by Valenzuela, the decisions that were made by the characters were fuzzy and unclear. All in all, a decent story, but too long with illogical decisions made by the characters. show less