Tuesday, 28 April 2015

BOOK REVIEW (38): Riding Steele (Ready To Ride #3)

BOOK REVIEW:
Riding Steele


I’ve jumped back in another erotic romance because I sorta wanted a break from some YA that I’ve been reading.

Riding Steele is the 3rd in Opal Carew’s Ready to Ride series. The first two books are novellas that were originally released as ebooks, and the 4th in the series, Hot Ride—another full-length novel—has just started its serialization last Tuesday…and I believe Part 2 of Hot Ride is out today!

Now that I caught you up on the progress with the series, let me tell you all about heroine Laurie (who’s last name is eluding me…) and Steele (who hasn’t shared his full name). See they already fit so well together, playing at mysterious…

I really loved Riding Steele, though I had a feeling I would. I have a thing for bikers, like I have a thing for Vikings and Highlanders. I don’t see too much of the latter two, but then again I haven’t met any biker gang before.

I liked Laurie because she doesn’t just throw herself on Steele. She’s attracted to him, but she also fears intimacy and that the main romantic conflict between them.

Oddly enough this book was actually pretty tame with the sex scenes. I mean, you get sex scenes, ladies and gentlemen, and they’re steamy as heck! But as far as erotic novels goes, Laurie didn’t have a lot of sex because, like I said above, she has intimacy issues. And with good reason!

Steele doesn’t push her too much either. He does corner her a bit, but not too really provoke her. He’s an Alpha that’s well written as he doesn’t toe the line of being a dominant A-hole.

External conflict-wise, I do think that it was legitimately scary and believable. I might as well admit that I also love the kidnap/capture trope in romance novels. But only when they’re done well, which I think personally is really hard.

One) the kidnapping party of the couple (it doesn’t always have to be the hero, though I have yet to read of the heroine doing the kidnapping) must have a really good reason—Steele did!

Two) the kidnapped party cannot mistake LOVE for Stockholm syndrome. I don’t like Stockholm syndrome—though this is a very much a trope, and I wouldn’t care if I were reading a horror romance, otherwise it has to go.

Three) there’s actual conflict outside the kidnapping…which kinda goes back to reason one and can include reason two.


Anyways I give Riding Steele two thumbs up—I even enjoyed the group sex which is rare, and I’m now eagerly waiting the release of Book 4 - Hot Ride, starring one of Steele’s friends and gang members and one of my favorite men, in its entirety this July.


Also this if you need more motivation.

My verdict:


(5 stars)

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