Avon | April 26, 2016 | MC Romance
Raven Riders, book 1
★★★★★
SOURCE: INKSLINGER
Brotherhood. Club. Family.
They live and ride by their own rules.
These are the Raven Riders . . .
Raven Riders Motorcycle Club President Dare Kenyon rides hard and values loyalty above all else. He’ll do anything to protect the brotherhood of bikers—the only family he’s got—as well as those who can’t defend themselves. So when mistrustful Haven Randall lands on the club’s doorstep scared that she’s being hunted, Dare takes her in, swears to keep her safe, and pushes to learn the secrets overshadowing her pretty smile.
Haven fled from years of abuse at the hands of her criminal father and is suspicious of any man’s promises, including those of the darkly sexy and overwhelmingly intense Ravens’ leader. But as the powerful attraction between them flares to life, Dare pushes her boundaries and tempts her to want things she never thought she could.
The past never dies without a fight, but Dare Kenyon’s never backed down before . . .
{ about laura kaye } .
Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over twenty books in contemporary and paranormal romance and romantic suspense. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.
I’m thrilled to be celebrating the release of my 25th novel, Ride Hard, the first book in my Raven Riders Motorcycle Club series about a new kind of MC with a protective mission. You might’ve first met the Ravens in the Hard Ink world, but this series stands on its own and is even sexier, edgier, and grittier! I can’t wait for you to get to know Dare, Haven, and everyone in the Raven world! And see down below for a giveaway and a bonus story offer! I hope you enjoy this excerpt from the book!
{ excerpt } .
So much better out here,” Haven said, the night air cool against the tingling warmth of her skin. Although she was pretty sure that not all of the heat burning through her insides was from the alcohol—her unusual flirtatiousness and closeness to Dare over the past half hour had made her desperate with a heat that had nothing to do with her drinking game.She walked to the railing and leaned against it, chuckling a little at herself for needing the support it offered. She felt so damn free, and it was a heady, exhilarating thing.
“What’s funny?” Dare asked, settling a hip against the railing right beside her. Arms crossed, jaw ticking with tension, dark eyes blazing, he was staring at her like he wanted to reprimand her or devour her. Oddly, neither alarmed her the way she would’ve expected it to.
Haven shook her head, leaning it back and letting her gaze float over the night sky. Blurry points of light swam in the moonlit heavens. It was beautiful and peaceful despite the pounding bass beat of music thumping from inside the clubhouse. “Not funny, just good. Happy, you know? Being able to do something a little . . . scary, but knowing I’d be safe doing it.” When Dare’s gaze narrowed, she shrugged. “I don’t know.”
A long moment passed before Dare finally spoke. “You are safe here, Haven. Never doubt it.”
Peering up at him, she nodded, all kinds of words sitting on the tip of her tongue, challenging her to let them fly. “It’s weird feeling safe—or at least safer—after a lifetime of not. It makes me want to try things I could never let myself try before. It makes me . . .” She shook her head and dipped her chin.
Dare stepped closer, his thighs coming up against her hip. He lifted her chin and made her look at him. The contact combined with the command in the gesture lanced white-hot desire through her veins. “Makes you what?”
“Want to feel alive,” she whispered, her heart suddenly racing in her chest.
Dare’s jaw ticked again as his gaze swept over her face. She didn’t think she was imagining the raw emotion pouring off of him and wrapping around her, but she wasn’t sure if she was reading that emotion right or projecting her own desire onto him.
“Do you feel alive, Dare?” she asked, the alcohol flowing through her and the night spinning around her like she was walking through a dream.
“Jesus,” he bit out.
The rough desperation in his voice made her wet between her legs. “Just once,” she whispered, not sure what she was asking him for.
But he seemed to know. Because his hand was suddenly tangled in her hair and his mouth was suddenly on hers, claiming, probing, tasting. Haven moaned and parted her lips, inviting him deeper.
{ review } .
If you've read Laura's previous Hard Ink series, you may recognize Dare as the president of Raven Riders. His name has popped up here and there, in connection to Jeremy, but this new series is truly starting now, and it's only appropriate for us to start with the president. We learned in Hard as Steel that his growing up life was less than stellar, and I was truly excited to get into his head...
...and what a phenomenal way to start this series off.
Cora and Haven were rescued in an earlier Hard Ink story, and now they're being kept safe at the Raven Riders's clubhouse. Cora is comfortable and in her skin in the place, but Haven still stays in the shadows. I enjoyed watching as Haven opened up -- her mind, her thoughts, her actions, herself -- and started to show off just who 'Haven' really was. She was a caring person who put others before herself -- and it was her selflessness that I found so often mirrored Dare's own selflessness.
Dare has a hard time with the fact he's attracted to the young Haven. Again and again, he reminds himself of her age. Dare is the type of person who harbors much guilt and grief on his shoulders, and watching as he goes through old cycles with Haven was heartbreaking at times. I loved watching this big biker crumble where Haven was concerned.
In true Laura Kaye fashion, this is another quick romance -- but again, like in Hard Ink, it was done so fabulously, without the proposal at the end, that it felt real, flawless, and beautiful. I cannot wait to watch their romance grow through the series. The added suspense line, Haven's past coming to roar it's ugly head, added for great drama and even more feels where the club, and Haven and Dare, is concerned. If you read Hard As Steel, you've already met Slider and his boys, but my goodness, my heart ached for the man. Not only that, but there's a ton of set up for Mav's story, as well as one for Cora, too. There are endless possibilities for this Raven Riders series and I have a feeling I'll be over here, impatiently waiting for them.
...and what a phenomenal way to start this series off.
Cora and Haven were rescued in an earlier Hard Ink story, and now they're being kept safe at the Raven Riders's clubhouse. Cora is comfortable and in her skin in the place, but Haven still stays in the shadows. I enjoyed watching as Haven opened up -- her mind, her thoughts, her actions, herself -- and started to show off just who 'Haven' really was. She was a caring person who put others before herself -- and it was her selflessness that I found so often mirrored Dare's own selflessness.
Dare has a hard time with the fact he's attracted to the young Haven. Again and again, he reminds himself of her age. Dare is the type of person who harbors much guilt and grief on his shoulders, and watching as he goes through old cycles with Haven was heartbreaking at times. I loved watching this big biker crumble where Haven was concerned.
In true Laura Kaye fashion, this is another quick romance -- but again, like in Hard Ink, it was done so fabulously, without the proposal at the end, that it felt real, flawless, and beautiful. I cannot wait to watch their romance grow through the series. The added suspense line, Haven's past coming to roar it's ugly head, added for great drama and even more feels where the club, and Haven and Dare, is concerned. If you read Hard As Steel, you've already met Slider and his boys, but my goodness, my heart ached for the man. Not only that, but there's a ton of set up for Mav's story, as well as one for Cora, too. There are endless possibilities for this Raven Riders series and I have a feeling I'll be over here, impatiently waiting for them.
{ previous reviews in series } .
HARD AS STEEL 5★ { review }
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