Tuesday, June 16, 2015

RIDE STEADY (Chaos #3) by Kristen Ashley




BLURB:

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 . . .



REVIEW:

Ride Steady is the 3rd book in Kristen Ashley's Chaos Series which is a spin off of the Dream Man Series. Motorcycle Man was my very first MC read and it's turned me into a new genre that I absolutely love. 

In Ride Steady we move onto Carson "Joker" Steele's story. And boy do we get to meet a man any woman would be honored to have by her side.  Joker grew up in hell with a father who thought he was his personal slave and punching bag. He was a smart kid and everyone who took the chance to really look at him, I mean really look at him knew if he could get away from his personal hell he would/could be great. He was lucky enough to catch the eye of three adults, two of them being his neighbors, Linus and Mrs. Heeley and the other his history teacher, Mr. Robinson.  They taught him, fed him and loved him they saw in Carson what he didn't in himself. 

He fell in love with one of the cheerleaders, Carrissa, in his high school but she was dating one of the football stars and he knew she was better off without him. But he loved the person she was, she was smart & beautiful but she was also the kindest person he ever met. While he was popular with the girls, it was just in bed, all of them wanted him but didn't want to take him home to daddy. 

One fateful night before he had the chance to graduate, which was his only goal, he had enough of his father and he fought back for the very first time. He knocked his father out loaded up his car and was gonna leave town. But before he left he had to go see Mr Robinson who was at the hospital because his wife had lost their baby, he ran into Carrissa and she just knew he was leaving for good she tried to get him to take her out but he knew she needed better and he needed to go. 

Years later he comes back to town and goes right to Ride, Chaos's Auto business and becomes a recruit into a brotherhood. The best brotherhood to be in. He now has a family a real family who loves him and takes him for him without needing something in return. 

Driving down the road he sees a woman stuck on the side of a road with her little baby in excessive heat. He pulls over to help and almost falls over because it’s Carrissa, his Carrissa. While she says do I know you he's broken hearted she doesn't recognize him as Carson. He tells her she can drive but she needs to get the tire changed asap gives her his card to Ride and tells her to let them know he sent her and they will take care of it for her.

Carrissa is very much attracted to Joker and doesn't understand but she knows she needs to see him so she goes to Ride and bakes him a thank you pie. He tries to fight his need for her, she pushes her way into his life but also is being pulled in by his Chaos Family because they know she is special and they want special for Joker.  He's had a lifetime of shit and he deserves happiness. 

The book is amazing. If you’re looking for something with a ton of angst that's not what you’re getting. What you’re getting is a true love story. A story where two awesome people who've had some seriously screwed up shit happen to them evolve, grow and become confident, respectable, kind people. They had every reason to throw in the towel, to take the easy way out, to be angry, to treat people as they were treated but they didn't.

Carrissa was seriously done wrong by her high school sweetheart turned husband. She could have been angry and hurtful and took the total I want him I don't I do I don't. She didn't she was kind, loving, funny, vulnerable, she put herself out there, she went after what she wanted with Joker and when she found out he was Carson she could've run but she didn't she stayed she fought she was everything I love in a heroine. 

Carson, I have no words for him. He was a man, a manly man but the kind of man you have to respect. For what he went through but also for how HE, himself chose his few close nit core group of friends and made them his family. Then he made his own family with Carrissa and baby Trevor, I loved the scenes where he was with the baby, he was everything a step parent should be from the moment he walked up to her beat up car on the side of the road. He stood by Carrissa through every single thing her ex Aaron tried and he defended her with a passion even when he was just standing behind her silently letting her know he was there, he'd always be there. 

This is a MC book but it's so so much more with the Chaos Family.  I love Tack and Tyra they will always be the head of this wonderful group of people and I must say in any series Elvira may be the best friend anyone could ever have. 

100% 5 Star read, I would recommend this book to anyone, hell I recommend the entire series back to the Dream Man series but you could read this book and never be lost if it's the first you read.





1 comment:

  1. OMG!!! I've been IMpatiently waiting for this book lol... loved your review, thanks for sharing :)

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