Review of Reaper's Stand by Joanna Wylde

Synopsis: As Reapers Motorcycle Club president, Reese “Picnic” Hayes has given his entire life to the club. After losing his wife, he knew he’d never love another woman. And with two daughters to raise and a club to manage, that was just fine with him. These days, Reese keeps his relationships free and easy—he definitely doesn’t want to waste his time on a glorified cleaning lady like London Armstrong.

Too bad he’s completely obsessed with her.

Besides running her own business, London’s got her junkie cousin’s daughter to look after—a more reckless than average eighteen-year-old. Sure she’s attracted to the Reapers’ president, but she’s not stupid. Reese Hayes is a criminal and a thug. But when her young cousin gets caught up with a ruthless drug cartel, Reese might be the only man who can help her. Now London has to make the hardest decision of her life—how far will she go to save her family?

4 Stars!

Review: Reese, or "Picnic" to the Reaper's MC, has been watching local business owner, London, for several months. He is very attracted to her, but he has been holding himself back, as she is not part of the MC world, and certainly not used to his lifestyle. He finally has his chance, however, when London's niece, Jessica, who has some impulse control issues, begins getting in deeper and deeper trouble, with London asking Reese for help. I was really looking forward to Picnic's story, and, in many ways, I think London is a good fit for him, but there were definitely some issues that I had with this story.

One, is that it's getting really difficult to read MC books where the guy falls for a pretty, somewhat reserved, but definitely conservative lady, who still gets swept away with his kiss right after walking in on him either having sex with another lady, or at least in some type of compromising position. I'm sorry, but, not only are there obvious health risks that that leads to, but it really makes me question the lady's self-respect when it's someone like London who supposedly has a lot of self-respect. I'm sorry, but I would at least have him brush his teeth, or something...I have to be a little bit realistic with that. I think it would have actually have been a better story if this put London off from Reese and made him have to fight for her more than he did. Sure, she had a jerk boyfriend, but she broke things off with him before even starting anything with Reese. So, she has respect for him, but, for him to want her so badly, he has none for her. I know that this is part of the MC lifestyle, so it's difficult to not see him as the realistic one, but her reaction doesn't feel authentic.

The other part is that London's niece finally makes one bad decision too many, and she ends up in some pretty dangerous hands. What happens next, involving decisions that London makes, as well as her behaviors, really felt...I hate to say this, but...farfetched. I watch the Walking Dead, so I'm a big fan of playing the "What If" game, but, if I had access to some crazy, scary, dangerous bikers who would help me, I would be going to them in my situation. And, even if not, I don't think that I would be running through a burning warehouse with killers on the loose. I don't know, I typically love this author, and I'm really enjoying this series and the spin-off series, but, I felt like this was reaching. I think it could have been more about the struggle between London and Reese, and not trying to make her into this female version of the dude from Die Hard, whose jumping motorcycles into airplanes by the fourth movie. Overall, I do like London for him, though, and I can't wait to read Puck's story.

Jessica