“Smoke” Callahan has done a couple of rehab stints and is finally clean, thanks to help from the Disciples. He’s on the right path and isn’t about to get sidetracked, no matter how much the guy who manages the bar gets beneath his skin. Besides, his last relationship with a man left him scared, alone, and with a nightmare of an addiction.
When the Hog’s Den becomes shorthanded, and Smoke is ordered to help out the one man he can’t have, his longing for the bartender reaches blistering proportions. Vaughn figures a night together should be enough to satisfy their mutual attraction. But neither banks on just how scorching hot it might be.
As Smoke’s past unravels and the one person he hopes never to lay eyes on again messes with all he holds sacred, it’s time to involve the Disciples. Problem is, he’ll have to risk his membership, his heart, and his own hide to keep everyone he cares about safe.
Comment: I got interested in this book because of book #2 in this Roadmap to Your Heart series. That was the title that caught my eye but since I do like to read things in order when possible, I had the opportunity to get the three books, I obviously started with this one.
In this book we meet Vaughn, a bartender/part owner of a bar which is mostly, but not completely, frequented by people linked to a motorcycle club. Recently, the members of the club have been trying to bring things to a respectable level, including how they deal with other clubs and some shady business so they no longer need to rely on that and can simply be a regular MC.
One of the newest members is "Smoke", a man with a past but who is on his own road to salvation, besides having been welcomed to a more stable club than where he was before.
Although neither man has said it, they are both bi and lately, their looks to one another and weird tension make them feel a little self aware, even if their relationship with the others is still pretty ordinary. The problem is when they decide to no longer pretend they don't check out each other and that they really want to be together...
Once I decided to add this book to my reading list of July, I read the blurb with a little bit more attention and realized the main characters were part of a MC environment.
Now, I did read some books in this sub-theme, if we can call it that, and I've come to conclude I do not like this style of books because often the club is involved in or has connections with illegal stuff. Romance can arise in any place, that's true, but to my own preferences, it just doesn't seem romantic nor fascinating to read about drugs and weapons and whatever crime-relate detail the MC might be focused on.
Another element I tend to dislike based on the novels I've read is the usual dynamics one sees among the people in these groups. The submission to the leader or the main members of the group is not something I appreciate and if the stories are erotica, it's even less appealing for I don't like the idea some members need/want to "submit" sexually to others.
With these things in mind, it was with trepidation I started the book but thankfully, this part of the story wasn't too bad for the club is bent on being legal, on creating a good atmosphere for everyone and despite a little thing here and there, most members are likable guys and quite laid back.
There wasn't a lot of description nor inner monologues about the club's business except the necessary for plot advances and that was fine by me.
Of course, the more I went along, I've come to discover the whole story had a slight steady but superficial tone. There are tough themes addressed but not into levels that would be too depressing. The other side of the equation, though, was that everything was in the same tone, including the relationship between Vaughn and Smoke which means that for me their connection didn't have enough depth to make it memorable.
Of the two main characters, I'm not even certain if there was any I preferred. Vaughn is more confident, it seems, of who he is and of his place in life simply because Smoke has gone though more complicated obstacles and I can't help thinking he would always feel more fragile.
Smoke has a past of drug addiction and it is known people with addictions need to have a strong will and capacity to known their own strengths and weakness and that means they can't simply not think of them, even if they become sober.
I really liked that Smoke did overcome his habits and that he goes to meetings and that he feels he was "saved" enough to carry on steadily. His relationship with Vaughn feels balanced because of this, he doesn't let his past interfere with his feelings and attraction now, even though he has had a bad past.
I suppose we have a better take on Smoke's personality and Vaughn does come across as being steadier, less notable in the broader sense but the chemistry between them is evident.
I guess this book had everything to not be enjoyable for me, personally, but it did offer more than what I expected. However, it wasn't written in a way that I would say was that special or significant to the point I couldn't out it down. It does help it isn't a big novel, so reading moves along pretty easily but yes, it wasn't outstanding.
I think I'll still read the other books in the series, since I already have them, but it won't be for right now.
Grade: 6/10
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