Friday, July 10, 2015

[Kame's Review]: "Ride Steady"

Ride Steady by Kristen Ashley
Publisher: Forever (June 30, 2015)
Series: Chaos, 3
Genre: Contemporary Romance

The ride of her life . . . 
Once upon a time, Carissa Teodoro believed in happy endings. Money, marriage, motherhood: everything came easy---until she woke up to the ugly truth about her Prince Charming. Now a struggling, single mom and stranded by a flat tire, Carissa's pondering her mistakes when a vaguely familiar knight rides to her rescue on a ton of horsepower.

Climb on and hold tight . . . 
In high school, Carson Steele was a bad boy loner who put Carissa on a pedestal where she stayed far beyond his reach. Today, he's the hard-bodied biker known only as Joker, and from the way Carissa's acting, it's clear she's falling fast. While catching her is irresistible, knowing what to do with her is a different story. A good girl like Carissa is the least likely fit with the Chaos Motorcycle Club. Too bad holding back is so damned hard. Now, as Joker's secrets are revealed and an outside threat endangers the club, Joker must decide whether to ride steady with Carissa---or ride away forever . . . 



Where to Buy*:
More Info:

Reviews of Other Books by Ashley:

Motorcycle Man (#4) -- Kame

Own the Wind (#1) -- Kame
Fire Inside (#2) -- Kame



Kame's Review:



Carissa does not have the life she imagined for herself. She is a single mother trying to scrape by as her ex-husband tries to make her life miserable. She has no idea how she will meet his demands until Carson “Joker” Steele of Chaos rides into her life.



Carissa is one of those heroines that pulls at your heart strings.  I myself wanted to give her ex-husband a punch in the nose for her.  She is an incredible mother. I adored how Kristen Ashley took great care to show how Carissa was as a Mom.  Carissa is not from a background where being a biker old lady was a life goal, but she has an open heart. The man who people would assume could not be careful with her heart is actually far more careful than her ex-husband ever considered. Joker is tied in my mind with Shy as a biker to swoon over. He was a guy who had respect for the ones who watched out for him when he needed it. He cared for Carissa’s son the minute he met him; and I got melty the more Joker’s love for Travis came through. Joker and Carissa’s relationship could burn up the page at times, make you chuckle at others and even others were you would tear up too.




“I don’t get your problem Butterfly.”

I ignored the nickname, which was definitely cute and made me feel nice, and declared, “I’m not a charity case, Joker.”

“I know that,” he returned.

“Then why do I have a spick-and-span car that runs better than when I bought it and a new attorney that’s taking my case through retainer with the Chaos Motorcycle Gang?”

“Club.”

“Sorry?”

“We’re a club, not a gang.”

“There’s a difference?”


“Absolutely.”



The plot is easy to follow. There is some continuation of themes from other Chaos books.  New readers to the series will not be bogged down by these themes; however readers like me who have been a fan since Motorcycle Man will love the progression of the series. We get to see old friends like Tack and Ty-Ty and we get to know some other characters better. The essence of Chaos is the same, but maybe a little more.  I came out of this book with a deeper understanding of the brotherhood and the men.  There is some crossover of some of the men of the Dream series (one that I have neglectfully not read!) which was fantastic (and I bet would be even border on amazing for those of you who have read that series).


In the end Joker receives love and gives it in an incredible way. Tack’s pride in him almost brought me to tears.


I have found every book in the Chaos series a great read and I can’t wait to read more. The back of the book has a short glimpse at the next book in the series – which is due out in the fall – every exciting!


4 1/2 STARS! 


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Kame received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for her honest opinion.

*Note: The quote used belongs to Kristen Ashley; TBQ's Book Palace does not claim it.

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Thanks for the review, Kame! :) 

Are you a KA fan? Do you have a favorite?

Remember, since this is a Royal Pick, come back on July 30th for a chance to WIN an ecopy of your own!



Enjoy!


Until Next Time,


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  *TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!

2 comments :

Pat Egan Fordyce said...

Great review Kame,....totally agree with you!

Sophia Rose said...

I felt such love for this new pair in the Chaos series, too. I've been with the series since it carried over from the previous series so I love seeing all the old favorites mixing in the new story. Can't wait for High's book.