Book Review: Annihilation Road (Torpedo Ink Book 6) by Christine Feehan

Annihilation Road (Torpedo Ink Book 6)

by Christine Feehan 

December 28, 2021

480 pages

All paths lead to destruction in the new Torpedo Ink novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan.

Savin “Savage” Pajari is convinced he’s not worth a damn thing. He’s not like his brothers. He’s a sadistic monster, a killer—a man no woman could truly love. So it completely throws him when a stranger risks her life for his, pushing him out of the way and taking the hit that would have sent him six feet under. If he had any kind of sense, he’d leave her alone, but Savage can’t get the woman with a smart mouth and no sense of self-preservation out of his head. With one kiss, he’s lost.

Seychelle Dubois has spent her entire life not feeling much of anything, until Savage comes along and sets her whole body on fire. Kissing him was a mistake. Letting him get close would be a catastrophe. He’s the most beautiful—and damaged—man she’s ever met. He has a way of getting under her skin, and what he’s offering is too tempting to resist.

Seychelle knows so little about Savage or the dangerous world of Torpedo Ink, but his darkness draws her like a moth to a flame. Loving him could mean losing herself completely to his needs—needs she doesn’t understand but is eager to learn. But what Savage teaches her could destroy her.

Amazon

Savage runs with a biker gang known as Torpedo Ink. They are, in fact, more like family since they all went through something very horrible as children. They have each other's backs and celebrate when a member finds their one person. Savage is a killer and a sadist, but he's that way because the people who kidnapped him and killed his family made him that way. He never thought he'd find a woman who would love him because he's very broken.

Seychelle has a gift that lets her heal people somewhat or at least help them live longer if they are very sick. She can also feel what they are feeling and help if they are anxious, mad, or other emotions. She's a singer but there's a guy who thinks he controls where and when she can sing and she's not happy about it. So when some of the guys of Torpedo Ink ask her to sing at their club, she says she'll think about it.

Seychelle runs into Savage when she spots him trying to save a child from getting hit by a vehicle, but he's not gonna make it out of the way in time until she pushes him out of the way and gets hurt herself. Savage can't believe someone risked their life for him so he goes to the hospital to see her and is instantly attracted to her, which doesn't ever happen to him. He tries to leave her alone because he knows he's broken, and any woman he ends up with will have to deal with his demons.

They spend time together, and Savage is pretty upfront with her about what he needs, but she knows because she catches glimpses of what he does when the rage in him gets to be too much, and he needs a release. Each member of Torpedo Ink was trained from a young age to be killers, and their paranormal gifts were honed, and they were trained to use them, which helped them survive the hell they were put through. Now they seek out pedophiles so they can save the child victims and kill the offenders. That's what they've been doing in some of the other books. Unfortunately, all of the members are a little messed up mentally because of how they were raised and the abuse, torture, and hell they went through as children.

Seychelle has made enemies of a couple of different guys because she wasn't easily persuaded and helped a woman in trouble, and now a couple of guys have her in their sights. So while Savage and Seychelle are getting to know each other better, the club members are also keeping her safe.

This is the 6th book in the Torpedo Ink series, and I have been looking forward to this book the most because Savage seems the most broken. He's a sadist. His nickname is whip master for a reason. There will actually be two books just about Savage because one book couldn't do him justice. I'm looking forward to that one as well, even though I feel it will be more in-depth regarding Seychelle and Savage's relationship and how he's "training" her to like and accept the pain that he needs.

This book and this series isn't for everyone. The guys can be crass, rude, and rough because they use a lot of bad language and can be quite graphic. Because of all these things, I wasn't sure that this series would be for me. But I just keep coming back to read each book because I've gotten to know these characters and what they've been through and how hard they've tried to put the torturous childhood they had to some use, and when they find that one person they were meant to be with, it's nice to see them get a little happiness in their lives for once.

This isn't an easy read, but Savage is so much more than a sadist. He's also a guy who cares a lot about his club members. We get to see what his gift is and how he's been using it without them even knowing it. After that bombshell explodes, we see why Savage is so full of rage and in need of an outlet to release it. I would definitely read this series in order; otherwise, you might be a little lost.

I give this book 5 out of 5 sheep!

Mary Kirkland
Dark Thoughts Blog

About the Author:
website-FB-twitter

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.

Book Review: Reckless Road (Torpedo Ink Book 5) by Christine Feehan

Reckless Road (Torpedo Ink Book 5)
by Christine Feehan

February 9, 2021
Berkley
480 pages

Refuel your passion with a new installment of the Torpedo Ink series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan.

While Gedeon “Player” Lazaroff is one of Torpedo Ink motorcycle club’s roughest members, he’s also one of the calmest. Little rattles Player, except for the times his gift gets the better of him. When that happens, he has to just lie down in the dark and hope for the best. But on a night when he’s on the verge of losing it, he meets a woman who manages to soothe his fractured mind.

Zyah is a striking, ethereal beauty who seduces him with every word and move. Their night together is one of pure, exquisite bliss. But when Player gets confused and thinks their intimate encounter was nothing more than a dream, his careless dismissal leaves her humiliated and angry.

Now, Player will have to devote his every breath to convincing Zyah to give him a second chance. Because she might be the only one who can save him from himself.…

Getting back from a mission that went all kinds of wrong, Player has a migraine and his other psychic gifts are starting to get away from him. Even his buddies don't really know how bad things can get if he doesn't get back to his room and sleep for a while. But Zyah is in his room when he gets there and just being around her makes him feel better.

Amazon

Zyah is just at the party to be a designated driver so she gets permission to use one of the vacant bedrooms to practice her belly dancing. So when Player walks in and asks her to stay and talk with him, she does. They end up doing a lot more than talking and afterward when he gives her a handful of cash and tells her to leave, she's hurt and humiliated.

Zyah is not a hooker like Player thought she was so she's more than a little disgusted with him and herself and hopes to never see him. But he knows he made a huge mistake with her, he had been awake for three days and didn't realize what he was doing. So the next day he has his friends helping track her down so he can make things right and hopes that Zyah will give him another chance. He and his friends find out that Zyah had come to her grandmother's home after men broke in and threatened her grandmother and beat her up so now Zyah was looking for a new job closer to her grandmother so she could be there to take care of her.

There were several break-ins and assaults in that town but Zyah and her grandmother didn't understand why the burglars came back to her grandmother's house more than once. They must be getting faulty information about what she could have in her home from someone. Because Player wants to keep Zyah safe, he's there when another break-in happens at Zyah's home and he's able to stop it but not before he gets really hurt. Zyah and another member of his club come and are able to help heal him with their psychic gifts but it takes weeks for him to get better and in that time something strange starts to happen to him because he builds bombs in his head that can become real when he doesn't have tight control over his psychic gifts.

While Zyah and Player are slowly getting closer and getting to know one another a lot better, they have to deal with something strange happening and someone being able to spy on them in a weird way. Then they find out that someone in the community is helping the burglars and I had that wrong. I didn't realize who it was until it was revealed. All the members of Torpedo Ink had horrible childhoods but that brought them a lot closer now. So they all gather around to help Player, Zyah, and her grandmother. I really liked this book and will definitely be reading more books as they come out. I would recommend reading this series in order since there are so many characters and storylines going on.


I give this book 4 out of 5 sheep.

Mary Kirkland
Dark Thoughts Blog

About the Author:
website-FB-twitter

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.

Book Review: Desolation Road (Torpedo Ink Book 4) by Christine Feehan + excerpt

Desolation Road (Torpedo Ink Book 4)

by Christine Feehan
July 7, 2020
Berkley
Take the ride of your life with the Torpedo Ink motorcycle club in this thrilling romance novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan.

Torpedo Ink is Aleksei “Absinthe” Solokov’s whole life. They’re his brothers, his family—his everything. But that doesn't stop him from wanting something that only belongs to him. That’s why the tough biker has spent the last six weeks at the library, reading every book he can get his hands on and watching the prim and proper librarian who makes his blood rush.

For the past six weeks, Scarlet Foley has been fantasizing about the handsome, tattooed man whose eyes follow her every move. She senses he's dangerous. She wants him to get close enough to touch. She wishes she could let him know the real woman, not the one she pretends to be. But Scarlet has a plan to carry out, and she can’t afford any distractions.

Absinthe is well aware that Scarlet is hiding something. She’s a puzzle he intends to solve, piece by intoxicating piece….

Aleksei (Absinthe) loved books, it gave him a way to escape for a little while and feel normal. But coming to the library for the past six weeks had more to do with the librarian than the books. He had been watching her and hadn't told anyone about her yet. He could command with his voice if he wanted to and he wanted to tell everyone to be quiet and stop thinking for a while so he wasn't always bombarded with emotions, but he didn't.

Scarlet Foley, the librarian was thrilled when Aleksei kept coming back to the library. She thought he was the most gorgeous man she's ever laid eyes on. She hadn't been enamored with muscles and tattoos until she met him and now she had a hard time not staring at him. But she has a huge secret so she's very careful about who she spends her time with.

Aleksei could read thoughts from those he touched but he also had other gifts. He could compel the truth and make suggestions others would follow. He's a member of Torpedo Ink, a biker gang that was trained from a young age and now seeks out pedophiles so they can save the child victims and kill the offenders. Unfortunately, all of the members are a little messed up mentally because of how they were raised and the abuse, torture, and hell they went through as children.

When Aleksei asks her out on a date, she was wary at first but she accepts and finds out that they have a lot in common including the fact that they are both speed readers. I loved that since I've been told that I read pretty fast and could relate to that fact really well. I found them to be fun, genuine, and even a little flirty. But when his club does a deep background check on her, he finds out that she's more like him than he could have ever imagined. All he knows is that Scarlet might be in danger from a very powerful man who wants vengeance and even though she can take care of herself, he wants to be there to make sure she's safe...if she'll let him.

Their relationship gets serious really fast when they're thrown into a dangerous situation and Absinthe's club gets involved in helping to keep her safe not only from the man who wants revenge against her but a rival motorcycle club who has been hired to kidnap her and bring her to the person who put a hit out on her.

I have so many mixed feelings for some of these characters. Absinthe's brothers and sisters of his club have very strong personalities and even though they care deeply about each other and the person that will become their husband/wife, they are still really messed up people. They all seem to have peculiar or even strange and sometimes dangerous sexual 'needs' that they expect their partners to be ok with. So while I liked this book much better than the first, there are still things about these people that I don't like. I'm almost scared to guess what will happen when Savage gets his book because that character is probably the most messed up and he's more than a little scary. I pity the woman that catches his eye but I'm also intrigued. Like I said, so many mixed feelings.

I liked this book a lot more than the first book. The guys of Torpedo Ink were rude, crude, and very much cavemen in the first book. But Absinthe is a more likable character and the other guys have settled down a little bit. They might still be unpolished gems but they seem to be better people since finding their partners. The women's calming personalities seem to be rubbing off on these guys. But they all genuinely care about each other which is admirable and something that I really like.

I give this book 4 sheep.

Mary Kirkland
Dark Thoughts Blog

Excerpt:
Absinthe opened the door to the restaurant for her, scanning the room quickly for potential trouble before allowing her to do the same thing while he turned back toward the street and gave that another quick once-over. Certain no one was paying attention to either of them, he closed the door and followed his librarian’s amazing ass. She was in a black skirt with small white polka dots scattered over it. The material clung to her curves. He appreciated that particular skirt very much.

Absinthe held the back of her chair for her, ignoring the waiter who looked as if he might conk him on the head and abscond with the girl. She looked regal as she took the seat, smiling up at Absinthe, nearly taking his breath away. Whatever it was that she had affected him like some kind of aphrodisiac. Her small teeth. That mouth with her full, pouty lips that were made for a man’s dirtiest fantasies. He hadn’t had them until she came along. Not like this. Mostly he’d had nightmares. The erotic, very graphic dreams were a welcome change.

“Are you a wine drinker?” Absinthe didn’t know the first thing about wine. He could make her any kind of drink she wanted, or talk beer, but wine eluded him. If she loved wine, he was going to be taking a crash course. It wouldn’t take him long to catch up.

She shook her head. “I actually don’t drink very much. Once in a while, if it’s really hot out, I’ll have an ice-cold beer. But other than that, it’s a very occasional drink and usually I go for something girly like a cosmopolitan.”

“I don’t drink wine,” Absinthe admitted. “Like you I’m not a big drinker, but mostly that stems from wanting to be alert all the time.”

“You don’t put your feet up, relax and have tons to drink?” There was the merest hint of amusement in her voice. Mostly she was serious.

He loved the look on her face when she gave him her full attention. He focused completely on her once he was certain the few couples already eating or waiting to be served weren’t interested in them in the least.

“No, that wouldn’t work for me. I do like to put my feet up though,” he admitted. “I’m going to be very up-front with you.” It was confession time. If he didn’t say it straight up, she’d find out anyway. “I’m not good at this. I never know what to say and I come off stilted and awkward, but I don’t want to be that way with you.”

Her green eyes were hard to stay still under. She seemed to see right through his skull into his mind where chaos reigned—thanks to her.

“I’m not so great at this either,” she declared. “I guess we’re going to have to learn. I’m very competitive and I have a fast learning curve. Very fast. Wait.” She frowned at him. “You weren’t reading a help book on dating, were you?”

“Do they have those in the library?”

Her lashes swept down and then back up. A small smile teased the curve of her mouth, causing his heart to accelerate. He found himself staring. Shit. He was going to lose before he got started because he couldn’t stop staring at her.

She laughed. “I’m not telling you. I’ll read them and turn into a scintillating conversationalist in minutes, leaving you in the dust.”

He instantly learned three things. There were multiple self-help books on dating, she read extremely fast, and she really was competitive. He flashed a small grin, looking at her with hawk-like eyes, giving her the predator look just for a moment. Just to see the shiver that crept down her spine.

“I’ll have to be there first thing in the morning before your shift.”

“You know my shifts?” The smile faded, and she sounded uneasy.

He shrugged. “How was I going to ask you out? I went multiple times without seeing you, so clearly you had a shift and only came into the library during those times. I kept having to trade work with friends, and drive here from the coast, so, I found out when you worked. I came as often as I could, and just waited until we’d established a very tentative woman can charm the socks right off a shy man any day of the week.”

“Is that what we established?”

Her laughter got him every time. He found himself actually relaxing. The waiter hovered, and both guiltily studied the menu. She ordered a pasta dish and he ordered a steak. Fresh-baked bread was put on the table, and he suddenly realized he was very hungry.

About the Author:
website-FB-twitter

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.