The first thing you see in this book is Juniper deciding to do something reckless. She is twenty-one, she has just been dumped, her ex is across the bar with somebody new, and she picks the biggest man in the room and climbs into his lap.
What you do not get until the next chapter is what that looked like from inside his head. Inferno has been in the background of this club since Book 2, and he has been running on fumes since Noose died. Then a stranger in a red dress lands on him and he has about four seconds to decide whether to embarrass her in front of the whole bar or play along.
His side of that night
Lord, the woman could kiss.
She tasted like us-against-the-world and that attitude appealed to me on a level I couldn't explain, even to myself. For the first time since Noose had been killed helping to rescue Oktober's woman, I felt a spark of life back in my soul.
There were some nerves in her. I'd watched her weighing her decisions, and she knew this wasn't her smartest move. I also could see her hurting and knew that rejecting her right now would do more than bruise her ego.
"You don't have to --" she started, voice rough with the scrape of what she'd done.
"I know," I said, and waited. She didn't get up. If anything, she settled her weight more firmly against my body. Her right hand found my left forearm, and her thumb traced the old latticework of burns and tattoos there like the texture soothed her somehow.
"Thank you for playing along," she said.
I shook my head. "You make your own rules tonight, birthday girl."
"I'm Juniper," she said finally, giving me the name.
"Inferno."
I looked back at her. "Anything you wanted for your birthday, sweetheart?" I let my mouth graze her ear, breathing her in. She shivered but didn't let go of me. Good. The world could burn to ash for all I cared. As long as she kept her body pressed to me, I'd watch it burn and laugh.
"Red looks damn good on you, but I like your scars even better."
She stiffened at that and actually tried to wriggle out of my arms. Like she thought I'd just made some kind of joke at her expense. Juniper didn't get far because I wasn't letting her up. No fucking way.
I just grinned, letting her burn with whatever was going through her head. "Yeah, that's right. I said I like your scars. Problem?"
What the book is about
Juniper -- Getting dumped on my twenty-first birthday is bad enough. Finding Brett, my ex, at Throttle with another woman turns humiliation into open warfare. So I walk up to the biggest, meanest looking biker in the place, climb into his lap, and claim him as mine. Inferno plays along a little too well, and one reckless kiss becomes the hottest night of my life. Still, it was just a one night stand. Should have ended then and there. Instead, my ex decides he doesn't like losing what he threw away. His calls become threats, then the threats become violence. My bakery, my home, everything my grandmother left me becomes a target. But Brett's forgotten one thing. I'm not alone anymore. I have Inferno, Kiss of Death, and a fire of my own.
Inferno -- Juniper lands in my lap wearing red lipstick, motorcycle boots, and enough attitude to wake something in me I thought died years ago. She's way too young for me, and a woman running from a controlling ex is trouble. I also know the second Brett puts a bruise on her skin, he becomes my problem. I went to prison for nearly killing a man who hurt a woman I loved. I'll burn my life down before I let history repeat itself. But Juniper isn't looking for a savior. She wants a partner willing to stand beside her while she fights back. Good thing I've always liked playing with fire. Brett's about to learn exactly why they call me Inferno.
Amazon, Apple, Kobo and Barnes & Noble on September 18: books2read.com/InfernoMK
The short version
Series: Kiss of Death MC, Book 18, part of the Bones MC multiverse
Length: sixteen chapters and an epilogue, roughly 54,000 words
Told by: Juniper and Inferno, first person, alternating
Heat: explicit, filthy mouths, nothing faded to black
Ending: HEA, as always
Standalone: yes, start here if you want to
Content notes: stalking and harassment, intimate partner abuse, arson, on-page assault and injury, references to past domestic violence
Who else turns up
Series readers, this one is busy. Knuckles runs the table and does not love where this is heading. Knight does what Knight does, which is find out things nobody wanted found. Tiny, Sully, Hawk and Hannah are all in it. Darby has more page time than she has had since her father's book, and she is worth watching.
And there is a new prospect called Zero. He picked that road name because he is trying to zero his life out and start clean. Remember him.
Where to start
Every book stands alone with its own couple and its own ending. The club grows across the series, though, so if you want the whole ride, go back to the beginning.
- Gunnar
- Knuckles
- Hawk
- Riot
- Xavier
- Pain
- Chains
- Sully
- Tiny
- Rancor
- Jag
- Knight
- Oktober
- Rip
- Cash
- Griffin
- Antonio Miles
- Inferno
New releases, cover reveals and the occasional deleted scene go out to my newsletter before they go anywhere else.
Join the newsletterNow tell me. Inferno had four seconds to decide whether to play along or leave her hanging in front of the whole bar. Have you ever been the stranger somebody needed to go along with something? Comments are open.
No comments:
Post a Comment