Reviewer: Rowena Nowhere but Here by Katie McGarry
Series: Thunder Road #1
Also in this series: Walk the Edge
Publisher: Harlequin
Publication Date: June 1st 2015
Genres: Young Adult
Pages: 304
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Series Rating:
An unforgettable new series from acclaimed author Katie McGarry about taking risks, opening your heart and ending up in a place you never imagined possible
Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighborhood. Sure, she's curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent—but that doesn't mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns into an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both.
Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They're the good guys. They protect people. They're…family. And while Emily—the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club's most respected member—is in town, he's gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it's his shot at his dream. What he doesn't count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down.
No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home.
When I first heard that Katie McGarry was writing an MC series that followed not the adults in the MC but their kids, I was mighty intrigued to see how she’d pull it off. I bought the first book with every intention of reading it but a year passed and nothing. Then the second book popped up on my radar and I read the blurb and my interest in the series picked right back up, only this time I read the first book.
I liked it.
I like the MC world that Kurt Sutter created for Sons of Anarchy and I’m happy to say that I like the MC world that McGarry has created for her characters. These Reign of Terror kids are complex and gritty in a way that will keep you turning the page and I was all about that in this book.
Emily’s father is in a motorcycle club and lives a life that she knows nothing about. She grew up in Florida and loves her life there. She’s close with her Mom and Stepdad, she stays out of trouble and she’s got a good life but when her biological father’s Mom gets cancer and dies, Emily is shipped to Snowflake, Kentucky to attend the services. Things escalate quickly in the Motorcycle Club world and when danger presents itself, Emily finds herself not just attending her Grandmother’s wake but staying for the entire summer…for her safety.
Oz is so close to becoming eligible to join the Reign of Terror. He’s wanted to be a part of the brotherhood for as long as he can remember. He grew up in the MC world so he was around and knows all about Emily’s history with the club. More importantly, he remembers who Emily’s mother was and he doesn’t want to have any part of either of them. When Emily shows up for Olivia’s wake, she’s all hoity toity and snooty so he dislikes her on site, he doesn’t even care how hot she is but when her safety is threatened, Oz is put on babysitting duty and his summer just got a whole lot complicated because with each passing day, he softens in his attitude toward this girl.
I really enjoyed the whole forbidden romance between Oz and Emily. I liked that they grew from strangers who didn’t like one another to semi-friends to friends to something much more than either was expecting. Oz knew that Emily was off-limits because Eli (Emily’s real Dad) laid that out for him but there’s no telling your heart a damn thing. It wants what it wants and his wanted Emily.
The romance between Oz and Emily was great. It slowly unraveled and I was a huge fan of the two of them together. I loved seeing Oz struggle with his feelings for Emily and his loyalty to the club. I also really enjoyed seeing Emily come into her own. The life she knew back in Florida was so far gone but she bounced back and adjusted well for someone so young.
The one gripe that I had were the adults in this book. They were really dumb. They kept secrets to protect the kids but those secrets put the kids in danger. I felt that if they had warned the kids instead of kept them completely in the dark that the kids wouldn’t have been in as much danger as they were. I mean seriously! Emily’s curiosity and Eli and her Mom’s refusal to tell her the truth is what landed her in all that trouble to begin with. Ugh, it was so frustrating but holy cow was there a lot of drama that had me sitting up and saying, “HOLY SHIT!” a lot of times. I was highly entertained and my heart hurt for Eli and Olivia and Emily and Oz and just…everyone. Everyone except Emily’s Mom and Violet. I wanted to punch the both of them repeatedly throughout this book.
But overall, this was a great read and it’s got me all anxious for more. I’m even anxious for Chevy and Violet’s book and I hate Violet right now. Haha.
Grade: 4 out of 5
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