Title:  Full Heat
Series:  Brothers of Mayhem #2
Author:  Carla Swafford
Genre:  Contemporary Romance, MC Romance
Published:  July 19, 2016
Publisher:  Random House Publishing – Loveswept
My Rating:  3 stars
Source:  NetGalley
Cover Description:

Forget shining armor. Motorcycle shop owner Mary Jane Parker could use a knight in black leather right about now. A local gang has been extorting her for protection money, and standing her ground would be a lot easier with the Brothers of Mayhem at her back. She just needs to convince the club’s new president to take the job. The powerful, brooding biker claims he’s not interested—but if his version of tough love is supposed to be punishment, Mary Jane would gladly misbehave for the rest of her life.
 

Storm Ryder has no interest in rescuing anyone but himself. He spent three agonizing years in prison, and there’s no way in hell he’s going back, not over a spoiled rich girl who’s flirting with trouble. So why does he find himself craving Mary Jane’s lips—and holding her close when he should be pushing her away? Deep down in his tortured soul, Storm knows she’ll be there for him. And when Mary Jane needs him most, he’ll find the courage to give her everything he’s got.

Read on for my thoughts on Full Heat.  No true spoilers, promise.

I am so torn on Full Heat, which is probably why the 3 star (good) rating.  I enjoyed parts of this story.  Storm is hot, damaged and lives by his own rules.  Mary Jane comes off as an innocent in a bad world, yet she can certainly hold her own when cornered.  Together they had a constant running hot or cold chemistry… I believed them together, except when I didn’t.  And I know, that makes no sense but it is how I reacted to them.

Storm did time for the club.  He more than paid his dues and now he’s out, the club’s new president and needing to make changes from his father’s rule.  The former president is one nasty piece of work.  If there was one villain who I absolutely loved to hate in this one it was Storm’s father.  Storm’s time in prison and his life with his father has made him… a damaged man.  And even though Mary Jane comes into his life at a rough time, he is attracted to her even if he totally does not want to be.  Like I said, I believed in their relationship, except when I just couldn’t.

I am a firm believer in following a series through to the end.  One story that didn’t resonate with me isn’t going to keep me from finishing up the  Brothers of Mayhem series.  I enjoyed the first one, and I’ll expect to enjoy the next.  But Full Heat simply left me feeling confused and unsatisfied with the characters.  And I will take full responsibility for that reaction, the author gave us her world, it’s up to us to react to it.  And I wish I could have loved this one, but it turned into an “okay, I’m glad I read it for the series” type of reading reaction.

However, I’m also a firm believer in each reader making up their own minds.  What didn’t move me may just be exactly what you devour in a story – and that’s the beauty of reading, we all have our own likes.  So, give Full Heat a chance – and then you make the decision about it, not any reviewer.

*I received an e-ARC of Full Heat from the publisher, Random House Publishing – Loveswept and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That does not change what I think of this novel.*

Available for the Kindle