Series: Noir et Bleu Motorcycle Club

Guest Review: It Is What It Is by D.R. Graham

Posted February 18, 2016 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review: It Is What It Is by D.R. GrahamReviewer: Tracy
It Is What It Is by D.R. Graham
Series: Noir et Bleu Motorcycle Club #3
Also in this series: One Percenter, The Handler
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: February 22nd 2016
Genres: New Adult
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Tracking down the runaway teenage daughter of a senior member of the Noir et Bleu Motorcycle Club should be a quick, easy assignment for Tait—a chance to earn his full patch and officially join the outlaw biker family. But Tait didn’t count on the complication of working alongside the sassy-mouthed older sister, Kolby. He also didn’t count on the mission leading them into the clutches of a lethal international drug ring. Defying direct orders and relying on only his training and wits, Tait will have to risk everything to protect Kolby, rescue Roxie, and get them all out alive.

Tait has only been with the Noir et Bleu MC for about 6 months. He’s a prospect but wants to be in the MC for many different reasons. His direct “boss” I guess you could say is Cisco who has been training him. Cisco’s step-daughter Kolby shows up at the clubhouse one day and lets Cisco know that her 16-year-old sister, Roxie, is missing and it’s been 3 days since she’s seen her. The Noir et Bleu is immediately in motion and Cisco gives Tait the job of watching over Kolby which turns out to be one of the hardest jobs he’s had yet. Soon Tait figures out that Roxie might have been taken to be a drug mule for a drug cartel or something more sinister. Once Kolby finds out that her sister is in Mexico there’s no keeping her in town and Tait ends up losing her then following her to Mexico.

When Tait gets to Guadalajara he’s pissed at Kolby but still quite attracted to her. He lets her distract him and soon they’re in their own heap of trouble with the drug cartel. When Kolby is taken as well Tait uses all of his smarts to help find the woman he’s falling for.

I really liked the first two books in this series and I was looking forward to reading this one as well. It wasn’t quite the romance that I was expecting but it was still a great story.

The author had us pulling for Tait as he tries to protect Kolby despite her stubbornness and determination to find Roxie on her own. I was a little surprised that he went along with her as often as he did but again, he was distracted by her and thinking with his dick so I could understand it. lol He was a smart guy and despite being in a horrible circumstance he constantly was thinking of ways to get them free.

Kolby was a bit of a brat, imho, but she grew on me over the course of the story. She made some pretty stupid decisions but I guess when your mind is fixed on helping someone you love your mind works in mysterious ways. I was happy that she started giving Tait a chance when she saw that he wasn’t just a guy with no brains trying to join the MC.

The story was more of a beginning of a relationship between Tait and Kolby and not necessarily a romance but their story looked like it was headed in the HEA direction. The book was exciting and was certainly had me turning page after page. If you like a good action story with romantic elements then you would definitely like this one.

Rating: 4 out of 5

four-stars

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Guest Review: The Handler by D.R. Graham

Posted May 4, 2015 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review: The Handler by D.R. GrahamReviewer: Tracy
The Handler by D.R. Graham
Series: Noir et Bleu Motorcycle Club #2
Also in this series: One Percenter, It Is What It Is
Publisher: Macmillan, Entangled
Publication Date: April 28th 2015
Genres: New Adult
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

He promised he would never be an outlaw...While searching for a member of the outlaw motorcycle gang who murdered his dad, Cain Allen is offered a boatload of cash to "handle" the stunning teen popstar Lincoln Todd. Although he doesn't need the headache of a high-maintenance celebrity, getting out of town will help him keep a low profile until he testifies against two of the killers.Touring Europe with Lincoln proves to be more complicated than Cain anticipated, and despite his efforts, the line between their personal and professional lives blurs. She's sweet, smart, and totally unpredictable. And he loves it.
But Lincoln's association with Cain puts her in more danger than anyone could have imagined. When he joins forces with the Noir et Bleu Motorcycle Club to protect her, Cain discovers the lengths he's willing to go, and the person he's willing to become to protect the people he loves...

Tracy’s review of The Handler (Noir et Bleu Motorcycle Club #2) by D.R. Graham

Nineteen-year-old Cain Allen is in California living and working while he searches for one of the men who killed his father and burned his mother almost to death. He’s working as an electrician when he meets Lincoln Todd – a young girl who has just recently moved off of the Disney Channel. After watching the making of one of her music videos he’s not necessarily got a high opinion of the girl as she’s mouthy and opinionated, but she seems to take his advice about different things pretty seriously. They start to talk and next thing you know they’re hanging out together – against Cain’s better judgment. He knows he can’t get involved with her because of her age but also because of the fact that he has a girlfriend back home in Canada (who was a complete bitch, imho.)

Cain somehow gets roped in to handling Lincoln for the next day and the next thing you know he’s being offered $10,000 a day to be her handler during her 43 day European tour. How can he pass that kind of money up when it can help his family and his mother so much? He can’t. He goes on the road with Lincoln but hasn’t given up the hopes that he’ll find his father’s killer. Cain starts having feelings for Lincoln and finally decides that he can act on them when his situation changes with his girlfriend and he finds out her real age. Unfortunately, getting closer to Lincoln means putting her in danger along with his grandparents and his 14 year old sister. In fact, the killer ends up finding Cain (rather than the other way around) and things start going downhill from there.

I have to say that I was slightly disappointed that this wasn’t a story about one of the actual Noir et Bleu MC members but after reading the story I was quite pleased with it anyway.

Cain was a good guy – trying to find the murderer and taking care of his grandparents and sibling. He tried so hard to stay away from Lincoln but she turned out to be a really nice yet incredibly lonely woman. She really cared for Cain and I loved their relationship as it was very sweet.

We still get some danger because the Noir et Bleu MC is involved in the story. This book still had that dark, gritty feel to it that book one had, and frankly it was hard to put it down once I started reading. Graham certainly has a way of pulling me in and not letting go.  I’ve liked this series so far and I’m looking forward to reading more about NeB.

Rating: 4 out of 5

This title is available from Entangled Publishing. You can buy it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

four-stars

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Guest Review: One Percenter by D.R. Graham

Posted February 25, 2015 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review: One Percenter by D.R. GrahamReviewer: Tracy
One Percenter by D.R. Graham
Series: Noir et Bleu Motorcycle Club #1
Also in this series: The Handler, It Is What It Is
Publisher: Macmillan
Publication Date: February 23rd 2015
Genres: New Adult
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Eighteen-year-old Tienne Desrochers grew up in the rough world of the Noir et Bleu. Bikers. Outlaws. But after her dad's murder, Tienne decides she's had enough. She refuses to end up like her junkie mom. So she grabs her younger brother and leaves it all behind...including her boyfriend, Aiden Gyllenhall.

More comfortable in the middle of a bar fight than at a country club, living with her wealthy aunt and uncle is an adjustment, to say the least. No swearing. Designer shoes that pinch. And pretty, preppy boys like Leland Crofton instead of super-sexy, tattooed Aiden. But even the upper class can't escape the rancid touch of underworld violence. And this time, Tienne won't just learn who she really is-she'll learn how to fight for what's hers.

Tracy’s review of One Percenter by D.R. Graham

Tienne Desrochers and her brother Cooper are teens that grew up in an MC. Their father was a member until he was murdered a couple of months ago and since their mother is a drug addict they’ve moved to live with their aunt and uncle who want to provide a better life for them. Tienne wants a better life mostly for her brother. He’s just 16 years old and she feels he deserves happiness and an easier life away from the club. For Tienne, she wants a life free of the club as well and does NOT want to end up like her mom. The problem is that she’s completely in love with a member of the club, Aiden aka Gylly (short for Gyllenhall) and has been for years and he’s been her best friend since childhood. She wants to be with him more than anything but she knows that she can never pull him away from the MC world – especially as his father is the president of the Noir et Bleu MC.

In Tienne’s bid for freedom from the MC she more or less breaks up with Aiden (accusing him of something he didn’t do and she knows damn well she was accusing him unjustly) and starts to date Leland who she meets at her aunt and uncle’s country club. She works at her aunt’s interior design company and is working hard to become the actress she’s always wanted to be. The problem is, she likes Leland but can’t forget Aiden or her love for him which tears her up emotionally. When tragedy strikes her family once again Tienne is devastated but determined to find out who was guilty of the crime and in the process finds out the past she was trying to leave is the one that helps her move on to her future.

One Percenter ended up being a very different book than I imagined based on the blurb. The story was much more emotional that expected and there was even a time in the book that I found myself crying. I really enjoyed Graham’s writing style and was really all in once I started reading.

I LOVED Aiden. Seriously love that man. Yeah, ok, he’s in an OMC but I could tell he loved Tienne with his whole heart and he was always there for her when she needed him. He was patient with Tienne when a lot of men wouldn’t have been and gave her time to work through her shit. He’s got to be one of my favorite book boyfriends (yes, he’s just been added to the list).

Tienne I kind of had a love/hate relationship with. I loved how much she loved her brother and Aiden. I loved her defense of him with homophobes. I loved that she could forgive people when she realized she was wrong about things. She was also very tough and I loved that she was a badass however in her desperate attempt to get away from her old life I think her instincts let her down and she trusted the wrong people. She also became whiney at times and I didn’t care for that at all. I wanted her to get off her high horse and talk to Aiden and tell him her fears and concerns much earlier in the book but she didn’t. I can’t have everything I want, now can I? sigh I was disappointed that this turned out to be a bit of a love triangle with Tienne, Leland and Aiden (which I hate) but I ended up not minding so much as I knew exactly who she was going to end up with from minute one.

Overall a very good story that I really enjoyed reading. It was more of an emotional roller coaster than I thought it would be but it was all good and worth it in the end.

Rating: 4 out of 5

This title is available from Entangled Publishing. You can buy it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

four-stars

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