April 10, 2015

BLOG TOUR REVIEW, EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY: Silver Bastard (Silver Valley #1)


I'm a huge fan of Joanna Wylde's Reapers MC series, so when I heard she was going to be writing a spin-off series, I was ecstatic! That means we'll get twice as many hot bikers twice as often as we do now! SILVER BASTARD is the first in her Silver Valley series, and she really kicked it off the right way. Read on for my review and an excerpt. Then enter to win a signed copy of Silver Bastard!

Silver Bastard (Silver Valley #1), by Joanna Wylde
Published April 7, 2015
Publisher: Berkley Romance
Format: e-ARC, provided by the author and TRSOR Promotions
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble
 

Rating: 4.5 STARS

(From Goodreads) Fourteen months. For fourteen months, Puck Redhouse sat in a cell and kept his mouth shut, protecting the Silver Bastards MC from their enemies. Then he was free and it was time for his reward—full membership in the club, along with a party to celebrate. That’s when he saw Becca Jones for the first time and set everything in motion. Before the night ended he’d violated his parole and stolen her away from everything she knew.

Five years. It was five years ago that Puck destroyed Becca and saved her all in one night. She’s been terrified of him ever since, but she’s even more terrified of the monsters he still protects her from... But Becca refuses to let fear control her. She’s living her life and moving forward, until she gets a phone call from the past she can't ignore. She has to go back, and there’s only one man she can trust to go with her—the ex-con biker who rescued her once before.

Puck will help her again, but this time it’ll be on his terms. No more lies, no more tears, and no more holding back what he really wants...

I really loved Puck and Becca and their special brand of crazy. They really were kind of perfect for each other, and I loved reading about them discovering that too. 

Puck and Becca met on a night five years earlier that was supposed to be a night of celebration for Puck.It ended up changing everything for both him and 16-year-old Becca. Five years later, neither of them has forgotten the other, despite their best efforts. Moving on when someone had such a profound affect on your life is hard. And, there comes a point when you just need to give in and admit that you're better together.  

If any couple had to wade through some deep crap to be together if was these two. But, both Puck and Becca were strong. Becca didn't always seem like it. Honestly, sometimes she seemed completely nuts. But, when you think about where she came from - what Puck saved her from - it's understandable. Her stepfather and mother regularly passed her around to keep his MC members happy. She was repeatedly raped, while her mom did nothing. And when she was saved, it was by an equally scary MC. So, yeah - a little crazy is to be expected. 

Puck lives the MC lifestyle to the fullest. Among the Silver Bastards, he's the one who takes care of the "problems." He's an ex-con. He's not great with words. But, he's absolutely loyal and as protective as they come. He was so drawn to Becca when he first met her that, even after saving her and bringing her hundreds of miles away, he couldn't leave her. He had to stay nearby to keep an eye on her and make sure she was okay. But, he almost never spoke to her, much less touched her. You wouldn't think a guy like him could feel guilt, but Puck had it in spades. He hated how things had gone down with Becca when they first met and that he had had a hand in it all. And, Puck just wanted to make sure she lived a good life, even if he couldn't be part of it. 

Puck both scared Becca and made her feel incredibly safe all at the same time. I get that too. She associates him with a really awful time in her life. And, yet, he also represents the beginning of her new, better, safe life too. Becca's constantly at war with herself when it comes to Puck. She wants him, but she wants him to leave her alone. She doesn't want to be with him, but she doesn't want him with anyone else either. The prospect of talking to him terrifies her, but once she gets started, she doesn't want to leave his presence. 

There comes a time when Puck seems to decide for himself that he's done trying to deny himself what he's wanted for so long. He knows Becca has some hangups when it comes to him. And, although he's not always very tactful, he is patient. Once Becca opens herself up to the possibility of a life with him, she too seems to come out of her shell and become a new person. Puck and Becca apart was interesting. Puck and Becca together was fascinating

Despite the crappy life Becca led until she was 16, it didn't damage her heart. She was always trying to save her mother, and Becca's constant attempts to do so land her in trouble more than once. Becca doesn't always make the right choices. In fact, there are a few times, when I wish I could've bitch slapped some sense into her for how stupid she was being. But, no matter what Becca did, she did it for someone she loved. I can respect that. 

Silver Bastard is a fantastic start to the new Silver Valley series. It doesn't focus as closely on MC life, but it does involve an MC, so the bikers and the biker life is there. It's just not the main attraction. There were some glimpses into what could be characters in the next book, and they are TOTALLY different from Puck and Becca. I'm really excited to see where Joanna Wylde will take us next.




Ignoring him, I settled back on my stool and surveyed the room. We sat in Becca’s section, and what I saw wasn’t making me happy. I knew she was a good waitress, but she’d just started here and it showed. Not only had she fucked up several orders, she didn’t quite seem to get the rhythm of the bar. That wasn’t my problem, though.

My problem was that despite these fuckups, nobody seemed to mind. I had a nasty suspicion this was due to her perky tits, friendly smile, and tight little ass that seriously just needed a bite taken right out of it.

She really, really needed to get a new job—every man in the place wanted her. Including me. Especially me. I hated them. All of them. I shifted uncomfortably, because just like every time I shared a room with her, my pants had gotten tight.

Torture. Becca was just so fucking fine on every level, and not just her looks. There was something about the way she carried herself . . . I couldn’t put my finger on it. Like she was dancing through life to some song nobody else could hear. Never met another woman like her—she wasn’t just sexy, she was a survivor and I admired that.

She’d grown up so much since the first time I’d met her. Bigger boobs, a nice fullness to her ass that was nowhere close to fat but would be perfect to hold tight while I fucked her. Her lips had plumped, too, and over the years she’d gained a sparkle in her eyes that turned her from pretty to 100 percent spectacular.

Not to mention how she’d tasted.

Nearly blew in my pants when I’d taken that mouth. Just the memory got me hard. Make that harder. Fucking basket case.

When I’d pulled up to find her sitting outside with Collins, a thousand murder scenarios ran through my mind. And yeah, I know I covered that already, but if anything ever deserved empha- sis, this was it. Collins needed to die. I didn’t care how nice he was. After that I’d throw Becca on the back of my bike and make a run for the hills . . .

Okay, so there were a few problems with the plan, the top one being she hated me. Or she should—I’d certainly given her cause. Boonie nudged me.

“Did I mention you’re pathetic? You want her, take her. Other- wise let it go because you’re an embarrassment to all men in general and to the Silver Bastards in particular.”


Joanna Wylde is a New York Times bestselling author and creator of the Reapers Motorcycle Club series. She currently lives in Idaho.

Stalk Her: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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