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teresa_chen's review
4.0
Rating: 4/5 stars
(Received the book in exchange for a review)
It held that realistic quality that some MC books lack. The book questions characters' abilities of being a part of a darker and tunnel-vision world and how being a part of this world can effect others.
First impression of the book was interest. I haven't read MC contemporary books (ever since I had a moment where I read a lot of those for a while) so I came in with a fresh mind. Plus, you know, hot guys...
The writing was pretty good, especially since the author was writing the story from two perspectives and was using third-person. I tend to dislike two perspectives since I would like the other character's story better but in this story I felt that it was necessary to have dual perspectives in order to understand the issues the characters had. Although, it sort of fell through when I was near the end of the book. There was a part that introduced another characters perspective, which was well-written, although I wanted more of the other main characters' perspectives.
To sum up the book, the issues that are brought up when considering a serious relationship between the two characters were realistic and the connection between Jackie and Dean. On the other hand, the ending was not as satisfying. It was:
and then
I just felt that the build up to the end fell flat. The little bit of the other character up to the last part just had me feel nada. There was no satisfaction, even from the choice that Dean and Jackie makes at the end. But the more I think about it, I'm pretty sure this ending will be a temporary one and it kinda makes sense. Jackie and Dean seem more practical when it comes to their long-term relationship and the effects of it for their future lives. I am more of a 'happy-ending' or 'continuation of their story in the next book' kind of gal so I was expecting more...But if there is a continuation I will read it
Would I recommend it? Yeah, sure. Why not? But I would recc' it to someone who enjoys MC books (as it is not for the faint of hearts).
Thank you, Emma Kendrick for the book! :)
(Received the book in exchange for a review)
It held that realistic quality that some MC books lack. The book questions characters' abilities of being a part of a darker and tunnel-vision world and how being a part of this world can effect others.
First impression of the book was interest. I haven't read MC contemporary books (ever since I had a moment where I read a lot of those for a while) so I came in with a fresh mind. Plus, you know, hot guys...
The writing was pretty good, especially since the author was writing the story from two perspectives and was using third-person. I tend to dislike two perspectives since I would like the other character's story better but in this story I felt that it was necessary to have dual perspectives in order to understand the issues the characters had. Although, it sort of fell through when I was near the end of the book. There was a part that introduced another characters perspective, which was well-written, although I wanted more of the other main characters' perspectives.
To sum up the book, the issues that are brought up when considering a serious relationship between the two characters were realistic and the connection between Jackie and Dean. On the other hand, the ending was not as satisfying. It was:
and then
I just felt that the build up to the end fell flat. The little bit of the other character up to the last part just had me feel nada. There was no satisfaction, even from the choice that Dean and Jackie makes at the end. But the more I think about it, I'm pretty sure this ending will be a temporary one and it kinda makes sense. Jackie and Dean seem more practical when it comes to their long-term relationship and the effects of it for their future lives. I am more of a 'happy-ending' or 'continuation of their story in the next book' kind of gal so I was expecting more...
Would I recommend it? Yeah, sure. Why not? But I would recc' it to someone who enjoys MC books (as it is not for the faint of hearts).
Thank you, Emma Kendrick for the book! :)
scarla's review
3.0
YOu can find my full review on my blog.
I do not usually read romance novels, but this one sounded interesting and as I am a huge fan of the biker series Sons of Anarchy, I wanted to give Strays a try.
The book immediately thrilled me and was difficult to put down. I had been in a reading slump before, and reading this light romance was all I needed to get out again. The story is really simple, it is not really original and often even clichéd, but that did not keep me from finishing the book in one day (or maybe, that was the reason why). The protagonist Jackie was nice enough to read about, although I guess I would not be best friends with her in real life. I became quite fond of Tyler and would have liked to read more about him. It is refreshing to read a story, particualrly a romance, where a friendship between a woman and a man can really be platonic and where there are no sexual feeling whatsoever between them. The two really have found each other and will not let anyone separate them. I also enjoyed reading about Nash and Jagger, however, they are not what I would consider real-life Bikers.
In general, it feels like the author has seen Sons of Anarchy and used the show as a base for her novel. As I have not read any other biker romance novels, I cannot really say if they all have the same structure, but I feel like a bit more research would not have done the story any harm. It is all very stereotypical, from the club house and the garage to the charters etc. There were parts I enjoyed, parts that were okay, and parts that were rather ridiculous.
Moreover, I did not particularly like the writing style of Kendrick. I have not counted how many times a character was referred to as “the blonde” or “the brunette”, but it was a lot. I understand that it considered bad writing when every person is referred to by only their name, however using the hair colour as reference is even worse, especially since I often had to reread the sentence – and the previous one – to figure out who was actually meant by that description. It reminded my of fan fictions I have read and read about, and I would say that the plot was better than the writing. In addition, the formatting is horrible. I thought this was due to my device, but I read that it is a general problem and it made the reading hard and POV switches super difficult to follow.
I do not usually read romance novels, but this one sounded interesting and as I am a huge fan of the biker series Sons of Anarchy, I wanted to give Strays a try.
The book immediately thrilled me and was difficult to put down. I had been in a reading slump before, and reading this light romance was all I needed to get out again. The story is really simple, it is not really original and often even clichéd, but that did not keep me from finishing the book in one day (or maybe, that was the reason why). The protagonist Jackie was nice enough to read about, although I guess I would not be best friends with her in real life. I became quite fond of Tyler and would have liked to read more about him. It is refreshing to read a story, particualrly a romance, where a friendship between a woman and a man can really be platonic and where there are no sexual feeling whatsoever between them. The two really have found each other and will not let anyone separate them. I also enjoyed reading about Nash and Jagger, however, they are not what I would consider real-life Bikers.
In general, it feels like the author has seen Sons of Anarchy and used the show as a base for her novel. As I have not read any other biker romance novels, I cannot really say if they all have the same structure, but I feel like a bit more research would not have done the story any harm. It is all very stereotypical, from the club house and the garage to the charters etc. There were parts I enjoyed, parts that were okay, and parts that were rather ridiculous.
Moreover, I did not particularly like the writing style of Kendrick. I have not counted how many times a character was referred to as “the blonde” or “the brunette”, but it was a lot. I understand that it considered bad writing when every person is referred to by only their name, however using the hair colour as reference is even worse, especially since I often had to reread the sentence – and the previous one – to figure out who was actually meant by that description. It reminded my of fan fictions I have read and read about, and I would say that the plot was better than the writing. In addition, the formatting is horrible. I thought this was due to my device, but I read that it is a general problem and it made the reading hard and POV switches super difficult to follow.
allandanybooks's review
5.0
Jackie and Tyler are best friends who have been through more than most. When Tyler gets invited into the Red Kings MC, Jackie obviously follows and falls in love with the Vice President of the club.
I loved this book so much. I'm generally a fan of motorcycle club romances but this one is really nice and in a way it stands out. There isn't too much violence and it really focuses on the relationship between Dean and Jackie. There are some complicated things they face and this makes the book more interesting in my opinion. The supporting characters are also great and I would love to read their stories in the future as well.
The book ends in the most juicy cliffhanger so I really cannot wait to read the next book in the series.
* I got a free ARC from the author
I loved this book so much. I'm generally a fan of motorcycle club romances but this one is really nice and in a way it stands out. There isn't too much violence and it really focuses on the relationship between Dean and Jackie. There are some complicated things they face and this makes the book more interesting in my opinion. The supporting characters are also great and I would love to read their stories in the future as well.
The book ends in the most juicy cliffhanger so I really cannot wait to read the next book in the series.
* I got a free ARC from the author
cuppaclo's review
4.0
Disclaimer: Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy, in exchange for an honest review.
The only other books I've read which have a similar set up, are the Torpedo Ink series by Christine Feehan however, I enjoyed Strays a lot more than Feehan's books. Strays manages to blend the aspects of the motorcycle gang I like (such as found family, friendship, love and action) with characters who aren't to put it bluntly, alpha assholes that I'd love to whack over the head with a saucepan. Jackie and Tyler's friendship really melted my heart and I loved how important the friendship was to the story. Our main love interest (Dean) is cold, dangerous but he's also human and has a heart, I enjoyed being reminded that whilst Dean's done terrible things, he's still human.
I love Jagger's character too, I love most of the characters honestly, and the friendship between certain gangs. Luke I'm still undecided on how I feel about him. If you've always been curious about a story involving motorcycle gangs but the idea of domineering alpha male characters put you off then I highly recommend giving this book a try. The pacing is fast and there's not loads of explicit sex scenes, I can't wait to dive into the sequel and see where things are going to go.
The only other books I've read which have a similar set up, are the Torpedo Ink series by Christine Feehan however, I enjoyed Strays a lot more than Feehan's books. Strays manages to blend the aspects of the motorcycle gang I like (such as found family, friendship, love and action) with characters who aren't to put it bluntly, alpha assholes that I'd love to whack over the head with a saucepan. Jackie and Tyler's friendship really melted my heart and I loved how important the friendship was to the story. Our main love interest (Dean) is cold, dangerous but he's also human and has a heart, I enjoyed being reminded that whilst Dean's done terrible things, he's still human.
I love Jagger's character too, I love most of the characters honestly, and the friendship between certain gangs. Luke I'm still undecided on how I feel about him. If you've always been curious about a story involving motorcycle gangs but the idea of domineering alpha male characters put you off then I highly recommend giving this book a try. The pacing is fast and there's not loads of explicit sex scenes, I can't wait to dive into the sequel and see where things are going to go.
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