GtPGKogPYT4p61R1biicqBXsUzo" /> Google+ Book Review: Vengeance Road (Torpedo Ink #2) by Christine Feehan + excerpt | I Smell Sheep

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Book Review: Vengeance Road (Torpedo Ink #2) by Christine Feehan + excerpt

Vengeance Road (Torpedo Ink #2)
by Christine Feehan
January 29, 2019
448 pages
Publisher: Berkley

Christine Feehan takes romance full throttle in the second gripping novel in her #1 New York Times bestselling Torpedo Ink series.

Breezy Simmons was born into a ruthless motorcycle club—and now that she’s out, she’s never going to be that girl again. But when her past catches up with her, Breezy must go to Sea Haven to seek out the man who almost destroyed her. The man who chose his club over her and left her feeling used and alone.

As vice president of Torpedo Ink, Steele is ride or die for the brothers he lived through hell with. He never thought he’d find something as pure as his feelings for Breezy, or that keeping her safe would mean driving her away with cruel words that turned her love for him to ash.

Now, Steele won’t let her walk away twice. He’ll do whatever it takes to make Breezy his woman again—especially when he learns the real reason she came to him for help, and that the stakes are higher than he ever could have imagined…

The Torpedo Ink Motorcycle Club rides again in the second installment of Christine Feehan’s paranormal biker series. This book is the story of the club’s VP, Steele, and his former ‘old lady’ Breezy. As the daughter of a deplorable biker, Breezy has sworn off club life, but when she’s forced to find Steele she’s once again plunged into a lifestyle she detests. I enjoy a good former-lovers tale. I like when a couple has a backstory rife with dramatic angst and Vengeance Road delivers.

The paranormal aspects of Torpedo Ink are subtle. The members of the club are gifted Russian assassins trained for dispassionate cruelty. Some of their gifts include mind and wildlife control as well as stealth – to the point of supernatural – movement. The group barely escaped their depraved captor and horrific destiny to establish a close-knit club and de facto family in America. As a result of their conditioning, the group is merciless when they need to be and have established a network of a vigilante nature.

I’ve read both books in the series; Vengeance Road and its predecessor Judgement Road. They are fabulous reads, but will not be for everyone. Some readers may find the books a little over-long. They contain descriptions of horrendous violence and abhorrent abuse – mental, physical, and sexual. Despite their terrible past, members of Torpedo Ink have a strong moral compass and attempt to use their knowledge of a seedy, criminal underworld to exact a brand of cold, ruthless justice. The male members of Torpedo Ink are chauvinists and their language and behaviour had me rolling my eyes more than once; the language and terminology while likely accurate for the lifestyle is awkward at best and abusive at worst. This is certainly not uncommon for this genre. Finally, this book is teeming with graphic descriptions of sex. Fans of Feehan have come to expect generous amounts of scintillating sizzle. Torpedo Ink is no exception.

Warnings issued, Vengeance Road is a special brand of paranormal romance and Torpedo Ink will certainly be a fan favourite. I, for one, plan to follow the series like a bad-ass patch-chaser 😉

Review: Judgment Road (Torpedo Ink #1)

Four Sheep





Bianca Greenwood


Excerpt
Breezy Simmons leaned against her pickup for a moment, staring at the large building that housed the Torpedo Ink Motorcycle Club. Her heart beat so hard in her chest she was afraid she might vomit. The world spun uncontrollably, and she quickly leaned down, putting her head between her legs, drawing in great gulps of air. She caught a glimpse of two men on the other side of the compound as her head went toward the asphalt, and she didn’t recognize either of them. That made her pounding heart sink.

She couldn’t possibly have the wrong club. This had to be them. She was running out of time and options. She slowly righted herself and took another cautious look around. The two men stared at her from across the parking lot. She was careful not to look at them too long. She didn’t want them coming anywhere near her. She needed to get in and out very fast.

The Torpedo Ink compound was extremely large and had a high chain-link fence surrounding it. There was even razor wire up on top of the fence, making the place look like a fortress. The rolling gates were wide open, and she’d driven her truck right inside, parking as close to the clubhouse as possible. She deliberately left the door to her beat-up pickup open and the engine running. Hopefully, no one recognized her, and she could get in and out of the building quickly, once she asserted these were the right people, the ones she was looking for.

In the early morning hours, the club was just beginning to stir. Clearly, they’d partied hard over the weekend. In the enormous side yard, the one with the beautiful ocean view, she could see embers in fire pits glowing as the breeze stirred them up. A man with his back to her watered them down with a hose. He wore a tight tee and jeans, but no colors. Still, she knew this was the home of the club that called itself Torpedo Ink. She sent up a silent prayer that this was the one she’d been looking for.

There were empty bottles strewn around the grass and on the ground to the side of the building in the wide expanse of open field. Cars, motorcycles and trucks were scattered around the parking lot, although no one parked where the club did. Their motorcycles were lined up neatly and a prospect watched over them. He sat on the curb looking at her. She was parked too close to the precious bikes, but she didn’t care—other than it had drawn the attention of the prospect.

Another long line of motorcycles was parked a short distance down from the clubhouse and a prospect watched over those bikes as well. He looked at her without much interest, which indicated to her that these bikes belonged to a visiting club. He wasn’t as interested in protecting the grounds as the one closest to the clubhouse.

She had to get this over with. Just being in such close proximity to an MC made her sick. The fact that she knew what went on at the party made her even sicker. That this might be his club, and she had to risk running into him, made all that far worse.

Breezy squared her shoulders, dragged the envelope off the seat and turned all in one motion. The prospect was on his feet. If she knew for certain this was the right club, she would have thrust the letter into his hands and left, but she was guessing from a process of elimination.

She purposely hadn’t kept track of him, especially when she’d heard, a year after she’d left, that eighteen members of the Swords had set up the international president for assassination and had, allegedly, wiped out a number of members and then disappeared. She knew who those eighteen members were immediately and knowing them, she knew it was possible when others said it wasn’t. She’d run as far from the life as she could and now she was pulled right back in.


About the Author:
I write every day and have done so since I was old enough to pick up a pen. (I spent a lot of time getting in trouble at school for writing instead of doing the things I was supposed to do.) Once I create my characters, I try very hard to have them react to situations as they really would. Sometimes I have preconceived ideas of what I would like them to do, but they don't mind me, because it would be out of character for them. They take on a life of their own. Sometimes when I throw difficult situations at them in the hopes I'll get a certain reaction and they don't do what I want, I complain bitterly to my husband and he laughs at me. Still, it is important to me to have them be real, not perfect people, so they make mistakes we lesser mortals might make.





5 comments:

  1. I read the first book because I love this author but just couldn't get into the book. I'm glad you liked it though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are a few things I struggle with in the series, but overall it's pretty enjoyable.

      Delete
  2. I don't think I've read any of her work. No excuses because I think I would like it, just need more time...:-)
    sherry @ fundinmental

    ReplyDelete
  3. Although i usually enjoy all Christine’s series some of the torpedo ink series were really hard to enjoy with the characters being so degrading and abusive in some form towards the women they claim to love. And thats putting aside the crazy sex fetishes.

    ReplyDelete