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Series Review: Wind Dragons MC by Chantal Fernando | Part 2

Jul 20, 2019

A couple of weeks ago I shared part 1 of my review of the Wind Dragons MC series, and now it’s time for part 2. As I said in that review, this isn’t my favourite romance, but it’s a fun, addicting series that I couldn’t put down. It’s full of high stakes, high tension and romance that is full of heat and love. Check out my part one reviews now.

Dirty Ride (Wind Dragons MC #3.5) by Chantal Fernando

Pages: 102
Publish date: February 8th 2016
Publisher: Pocket Star
ASIN: B015WNZ60S
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Even by Wind Dragon Motorcycle Club standards, Irish was always a bit of a dark horse. Not one to confide his secrets, such as where he got that mysterious scar across his neck, he’s quick with his fists and even quicker to jump to the defense of his MC. But is he nimble enough to handle the woman he never saw coming? Or will she leave him with a matching scar across his heart?

Dirty Ride:

I really enjoyed getting to know Irish in the other books and I love that he finally got his story. Ardan ‘Irish’ is such a charm. He is hella protective, but he is also very sweet. It’s that strange combination of being a sweet alpha male. I don’t really know how it works, but it does.

Tina is running, She is running from her past, from her present and even from her future. But then she has a run in with Irish and everything changes. Tina was a great female protagonist, probably one of my favourites from this series.

There is a lot of drama in this one though. Not so much between Tina and Irish, but between Irish, Tina and her ex. Sometimes these books take it over the edge for me, and this one was close – very close.

In saying all that, I liked this novella. I loved seeing Irish fall in love and taken to his knees. The romance was both cute and sexy and a great little filler for this series,

Rake’s Redemption (Wind Dragons MC #4) by Chantal Fernando

Pages: 336
Publish date: June 28th 2016
Publisher: Gallery Books
ISBN: 9781501139550
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

Rake is known for being up for anything, in and out of the bedroom. He’s wild, he’s deadly, yet quick with a joke or a stolen kiss. Known as the player of the WDMC, he loves women, the more the merrier. However, behind his womanizing façade, Rake hides the pain of losing his first love, Bailey. He hasn’t loved anyone since and doesn’t think he ever will.

Seven years after their split, Rake and Bailey run into each other at the MC’s favourite club. Old wounds resurface, secrets are spilled…and passionate feelings are awakened. But they’ve each done things to hurt the other, hurt them too badly to get over it—haven’t they? Only when Bailey’s connection to Rake puts her in danger from another Club member does he realize that there’s nothing he won’t do to protect her—and claim her as his once again.

Rake’s Redemption:

Rake is a really interesting character, but he isn’t a protagonist that I would normally gravitate towards. However, I still enjoyed getting to know him in a different way through Rake’s Redemption. Rake is a womanizer without a doubt so, at times, it was really hard to like him. He also said and did some things throughout the novel that really didn’t sit right with me. I do think that he is my less favourite male protagonist so far in the series.

However, I really enjoyed Bailey as a character. She was fun and sassy, but also tired and I say tried to stay out of trouble. She liked to push Rake and that was really fun to watch. But the tension and everything that went down between them caused a lot of strain. Like most things, if they only talked at the time, they would have most likely still been together.

What I did love about Rake’s Redemption was the notion of second chance romance. It’s one of my favourite romance tropes and I enjoy the way that Chantal dealt with it here. While at times it was hard to read, when everything was finally out, both Rake and Bailey could be themselves.

Overall, Rake’s Redemption was okay. It’s not my favourite out of this by far, but it was still a good read that moved not only the characters along but the series as well.

Wild Ride (Wind Dragons MC #4.5)

Pages: 96
Publish date: July 11th, 2016
Publisher: Pocket Star
ASIN: B017RNBS12
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

As rival club president Talon has to decide what’s more dangerous: facing down the WDMC, or losing his heart to a woman under their protection.

Talon has a complicated relationship with the Wind Dragons Motorcycle Club. He’s the president of their rival club, the Wild Men, but he’s also related to one of their members—who hates him. He could handle that, but he’s also got problems in his own club; someone is leaking information and disrupting their business, but Talon can’t find the mole. So the last thing he needs is even more complication in the form of a beautiful single mother who’s bolder than half the bikers on his squad. But he can’t take his eyes—or his hands—off her…

Tia’s always been a little reckless, up for a good time wherever she found it, but she’s also a great mom to her young son. So even though she thinks Talon is basically sex on a stick, when she realizes she wants to be more to him than just a club groupie, she has to take things a bit slow. Plus, a momentary attraction, no matter how smoking hot, isn’t worth risking her son’s happiness in any way. Is there any chance that Talon might be up for a more permanent arrangement? Or has Tia leapt before looking once again?

Wild Ride:

I loved Wild Ride so much. It was a fun, quick read that gives the reader insight into Talon, someone who has always caught my interest. This one follows Talon as he tries to navigate this club falling apart and his interest in Tia, who he knows he should stay away from.

I’m always interested in knowing more about the ‘villain’ and antagonist characters and the reader really gets to see many sides of Talon in this one. We’ve seen Talon many times throughout the series so far, but in this one where we get to see Talon from not only his eyes but also Tia’s.

Tia was such a fun character, she knows that she is attracted to Talon and she doesn’t hide it. But she also knows that she has to take this slow with him. I love seeing Tia interact with her son. Seriously she is such a great mom and she will do anything for him.

Overall, Wild Ride was great. I do wish that it was a full novel, but other than that I had a great time reading it. The chemistry between Talon and Tia was spot on and it was just great to read.

And that is it for this post! Have you read the Wind Dragons MC series? What did you think of it? Let’s Chat!

Authors on my Auto-Buy List

Jul 16, 2019

Today I get to talk about my auto-buy authors, the authors that I will buy pretty much without looking. Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and Bookish and is hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl.

Over the years there are some authors that just stick with me and I can’t ever get rid of them. These are the authors that I will buy without really thinking about it. Most of the time I won’t even read the synopsis. I do eventually, but for the most part, I will read most of the books by these authours.

Sarina Bowen: I have read all but one of Sarina Bowen’s book at the present moment. But 9 times out of 10 I will read anything that Sarina Bowen writes. She writes over a range of romance that gives me everything that I want. From sports romance to general romance it’s a great combo that I love. Sarina knows how to write characters that are real and just make me laugh. You can check out my review of her recent release Superfan.

Cassandra Clare: No one should be surprised that Cassie made it onto my list. As soon as one comes in at work I am already buying it. I think everyone should know my love for Cassandra Clare and the shadowhunter world, but even if she wrote something else, I will most likely buy it as well.

Brigid Kemmerer: Over the past couple of years I’ve read more and more Brigid Kemmerer and each time that I do, I fall more in love. I’m slowly making my way through her backlist and ah! They are just so good. I adored and I mean adored A Curse So Dark and Lonely, so if you haven’t had the chance to pick it up – please do. There is no doubt that she is an auto-buy author for me.

Jenn Bennett: This is another author that I have slowly been reading over the last couple of years. And I’ve loved every single one that I have picked up. Serious Moonlight is her most previous release and it was fantastic. But she also has a new YA contemporary and a fantasy coming out in the next year – so yes, please. I also haven’t had the chance to pick up her backlist yet, but that is the plan.

Rebecca Yarros: I’ve been reading Rebecca Yarros for a couple of years now and she has totally become an auto-buy author. I just love what she does with her characters, her stories. I fall in love each time. With her heroes, her heroines with everything. Rebecca Yarros knows how to write a story that will tear you apart.

Ellie Marney: Now if you have been around for some time, you will know how much I love Ellie’s books. They are just the perfect reads really. There is a mystery, romance and coming of age. It’s the perfect combo. Hence why she has become an auto-buy author for me and it really wasn’t hard.

Lisa Kleypas: This one is a fairly new author to my auto-buy list. I recently did a massive binge read of her historical romance and fell in love. Seriously I had to stop myself from reading because I was going to read them all in a couple of weeks. Lisa is a fabulous writer and I cannot wait to read more from her.

Rick Riordan: This list wouldn’t be complete without having Rick Riordan on it. I just love everything that he writes, I can’t really fault it too much. And even if I am not up to date with all the books, I will still buy each one that comes out. If you haven’t had the chance to read anything by Rick Riordan, please do try, because they are pretty amazing.

And that is it for this post! What are some of your auto-buy authors? Do we share any of the same? Are there any books from your auto-buy authors that you haven’t liked? Let’s Chat!

Sessions I Can’t Wait To See | MWF 2019

Jul 11, 2019

Yesterday the program for the 2019 Melbourne Writers Festival was released and today I wanted to share the events that I hope to get to. As tickets are already live I’ve bought some tickets, but I’m hoping to make it to some other sessions as well.

The program for this years looks pretty fantastic with the theme ‘When we talk about love.’ I love that we get a whole day of YA events – although, some events do collide it’s pretty cool. There is also some romance events – which I cannot wait for. Like yes, please. Overall, I think there is something for everyone. And here we go, these are the sessions I cannot wait to see.

Watching Them Grow: From Page to Screen – Authors Becky Albertalli, Melina Marchetta and Christos Tsiolkas talk all about the journey of their novels turning into tv and movie adaptations. With Angela Savage as moderator.

This session sounds so interesting and it’s something that I am always interested in as a reader, therefore, it will be really cool to hear 3 different authors takes on adaptation and everything that comes along with it.

Saturday, August 31 1:00 PM. The Capitol

Why YA? – Randa Abdel-Fattah and Melina Marchetta will talk about why they write for the YA audience. These are two authors that I both admire and have wanted to see for quite some time now and this sounds like the perfect way to see them. With Mellisa Keil.

Sunday 1 September, 11.30am. State Library Victoria, Isabella Fraser Room

It’s Complicated – Nina Kenwood and Jodi McAlister will talk about the ups and downs of young love. You know I love my romance and I do love how complicated it can be especially in young adult novels. So I am really excited to see what comes from this discussion.

Sunday 1 September, 1 pm. SLV, Isabella Fraser Room

Pop Culture Currency – Jenna Guillaume and Lili Wilkinson discuss the phenomenon of YA books being turned into series and mini-series on streaming services like Netflix and Stan. And the impact they both have on each other with Adele Walsh.

Sunday 1 September, 2.30pm. SLV, Isabella Fraser Room

YA’ll Are Thirsty: Romantic FanFic Showcase – This one features Alison Evans, Will Kostakis, Jes Layton, and CB Mako as they talk about the what if’s of YA romances. Overall, this one just seems like a lot of fun.

Sunday 1 September, 4 pm. State Library Victoria, Village Roadshow Theatrette

Becky Albertalli: Love, Simon – Becky Albertalli talks with Jenna Guillaume about the success of Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda and its movie adaptation. They will also explore adolescent love and the importance of diversity. I’m always up to listening about success in the YA industry especially if diversity is involved.

Sunday 1 September, 5:30 pm. The Capitol

Eve L Ewing: Ironheart – Sami Shah will speak with Marvel’s Ironheart writer Eve L Ewing about what it’s like working with Marvel and combining power and the notion of a moral compass. This one just sounds amazing. I mean it’s Marvel why wouldn’t it be.

Wednesday 4 September 7:00 pm. State Library Victoria, Isabella Fraser Room

Romance as Resistance – Anne Gracie, Melanie Milburne and CS Pacat discuss how romance novels can challenge in the status quo of the world right now, with Jodi McAlister. A session all about romance and how it’s pretty cool, um yes, please.

Sunday, 8 September 10:00 am. The Wheeler Centre, Performance Space.

Who Gets to Love? – With romance novels being populated for those that are white, straight and able-bodied, Daniel de Lorne, Maria Lewis, and Maureen Matthews, discuss this lack of diversity. With Kate Cuthbert as moderator. A romance session that talks about diversity – and this is totally for me.

Sunday 8 September 11:30 am. The Wheeler Centre, Performance Space

Unpicking Classic Romances – This one here is about how and if classic romances would hold up to today’s standards. Clare Connelly, Anne Gracie, and Toni Jordan will talk with Calla Wahlquist. I’m just ready for all these romance sessions really.

Sunday 8 September 2:30 pm. The Wheeler Centre, Performance Space

And that is it! That is most of the sessions at this years Melbourne Writers Festival. A mix of YA and romance seems like a pretty good mix for me. I’ve gotten tickets to most of these events now, but I am hoping to get a couple more session tickets closer to the festival. Nevertheless, what sessions are you looking forward to? Let’s Chat!