{"id":41841,"date":"2019-04-21T07:53:01","date_gmt":"2019-04-21T11:53:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=41841"},"modified":"2019-04-21T07:53:01","modified_gmt":"2019-04-21T11:53:01","slug":"review-free-chaos-6-by-kristen-ashley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=41841","title":{"rendered":"Review: Free (Chaos, #6) by Kristen Ashley"},"content":{"rendered":"

Buy:\u00a0\u00a0Kindle Ebook<\/a> |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/b><\/h4>\n
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Review<\/b><\/h4>\n

3.5 stars<\/b><\/p>\n

The final in the Chaos<\/i> series, this book was always going to be a big one, with a lot of loose ends to tie up and a (hopefully) kickass romance for Rush to go with it. Well, KA certainly put a lot into this story – not aimed entirely in the direction I was hoping and I have a lot of thoughts about that – but I did enjoy it, and I was happy to finally see the Chaos boys get the happy ending they have fought to hard for.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019ll be okay,\u201d she whispered.
\n\u201cHow do you know?\u201d he whispered back.
\n\u201cBecause it\u2019s time for you all to be free.\u201d <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Rush Allen is the son of Chaos MC President, Tack (the hero from Motorcycle Man<\/a>). He has grown up Chaos, standing proudly by his Dad\u2019s side and knowing that one day he would be expected to step up and lead the club that has been his whole life. And to that end, he is committed to working with his brothers to get the club out of the drama that they are in and fighting their way to being free.<\/p>\n

Rebel Stapleton was shattered when her best friend was murdered. She spent years trying to get her friend help, and when she lost her in such a tragic way she decided to go undercover into the shady lifestyle where her friend ended up and find out what happened. So now she is working for Benito Valenzuela directing porn movies. Not the career she wanted when she decided she wanted to make movies, but it gets her up close and personal with the bad guy while she gathers information. And it also puts her right in the middle of the danger that has gripped Denver, and she has no idea of the full extent of it. That\u2019s when Chaos comes in.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Rush who is tasked with bringing Rebel into Chaos\u2019 protection, and from that first meeting, an attraction sparks that sets the tone for this love story \u2013 fast and intense. It\u2019s full on from the beginning, which it needs to be because with so much else going on, they don\u2019t have time to mess around.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m keeping you,\u201d he said against my lips. He was keeping me. I was going to belong to somebody. And that somebody was Rush Allen.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Rush and Rebel\u2019s chemistry is insane! Their attraction is immediate, and they hold nothing back, going all-in from the very beginning and exploring all that is between them. They are up-front and matter-of-fact with it all, and the angst and drama that they go through is all external to their relationship \u2013 which is just as well given everything else that is going on in the story.<\/p>\n

From the very beginning they are completely functional and a pillar of strength in the middle of all of the madness, which was really gorgeous to see. And true to form, it\u2019s passionate, sexy and intense, with lots of straight-talking, having each other\u2019s backs, silly arguments that aren\u2019t really arguments, and a whole lot of \u201cbabe\u201d and forever<\/i> declarations. Rush and Rebel are it<\/i> for each other, and I love that.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you love me?\u201d
\nAt her question, Rush focussed on her beautiful face.
\n\u201cNo, I fucking love you.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s a great love story, and I loved seeing Rush and Rebel together, but my main complaint with this book is that it feels pushed to the side with everything else that is going on.<\/p>\n

It took me a while to get invested in this story in the first place, mostly because the beginning of the book is pretty much everybody\u2019s POV except the ones I wanted. KA does a thorough job of setting up multiple storylines and setting the stage for the unfolding drama to come, but it takes a while for Rush and Rebel to get on the same page, and then once they do, we still have to wade through all of those other storylines. I was desperate for the love story, and though we do eventually get it, it\u2019s overshadowed somewhat by everything else going on, which was disappointing. I knew there would be external drama in this book, the whole series has been building to it, it\u2019s just a shame that it came at the expense of the in-depth love stories that we\u2019re used to from KA.<\/p>\n

And poor Rush also gets shafted a bit. Rush has been a bit blah<\/i> in the background of the previous books. He\u2019s there, but we never really got a good feel for him. Nevertheless, I was excited for his book, keen to get to know him, and dove in with high hopes. And while I loved him as a hero, I still don\u2019t feel like I know him as well as I know the other brothers we have met throughout the series. He just didn\u2019t get the page time to allow it. I did love the scenes with Rush and his dad though. The bond the two of them have is absolutely gorgeous, and it melted my heart seeing how close they are.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a good son. You\u2019re a good man,\u201d his dad whispered. \u201cI have no idea how, through all the shit you had to wade through that was not in my power to protect you from, you turned into the man you are.
\nBut you did and I\u2019m damned proud, Rush. You\u2019re the man I wanted to be.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Awwwww! I love that Tack was still such a huge part of this story. And if you\u2019re a KA fan, then you\u2019ll be in heaven with the cameos in this book as we get to see the Dream Man, Unfinished Heroes and Rock Chick crew, as well as a significant tie-in with the Honey series. But as much as I love the cameos, there was so much other<\/i> going on in this book, and a lot of it we didn\u2019t need to see.<\/p>\n

The Honey tie-in was clever. Rebel\u2019s brother is Diesel, who is in a committed m\u00e9nage relationship with a man and a woman, and who was introduced in The Greatest Risk<\/a>, and then later continued in Loose Ends: Volume One<\/em>. I loved seeing the relationship that Rebel had with all her brother and his loves, what I didn\u2019t need was to see was so much detail about Diesel\u2019s relationship and the sex wars that went on in the house when Diesel and Maddox came to stay and the two couples kept interrupting each other throughout the night with their sex noises and dirty talk \u2013 and then try to outdo each other! Ewww.<\/p>\n

There was also an added storyline about Beck and the Bounty club who were so violent with Rosalie in Rough Ride<\/a>. Again, an interesting little side story, but not one that we needed to see unfold during this book. And would the Chaos boys really have been that forgiving of a bunch of bikers who so viciously beat a woman under their protection? Hmmmmm.<\/p>\n

And after everything, Valenzuela got off way too easy for everything that he has done in the series so far. That storyline completely fizzled when he left town with his tail between his legs, only for him to reappear later and then just\u2026 end. And that\u2019s after we get to witness him discover his bisexuality and love for kink as a sexual submissive\u2026. So weird.<\/p>\n

Chew was built up to be the biggest, baddest, bad guy of them all. And yeah, he\u2019s pretty freaking evil. I was waiting for the big showdown, for the big thing<\/i> that KA usually throws into her books, but this one fizzled. And it wasn\u2019t even Chaos who dealt the blow!<\/p>\n

And then Naomi\u2026 ugggghhhhhh. After making her pretty much unredeemable, KA went and tried to redeem her. I\u2019m still bitter and definitely not a fan \u2013 of her or the way that particular storyline ended – and I think she should have just been left out of it all together and forgotten about the way she deserved.<\/p>\n

And as much detail as was thrown in, this one did fizzle towards the end. It was all talk and no real action. And when you have the Chaos boys, Hawk, Lee, Knight, Raid and Deacon on board, you expect something<\/i>! The only real action we got was disturbing sexual assaults committed by or on side characters. And with the whole book \u2013 and most of the series \u2013 building towards a big conclusion, it all seemed a bit \u2018blah\u2019. Where did my badass Chaos boys go? I love, love, loved checking in on them and seeing them all still happy with their girls and together as a club, but for a series that belonged to them, they seemed to be notably absent from the action. Was this so that they didn\u2019t have to get their hands dirty? I don\u2019t know, but it all seemed a bit anti-climactic.<\/p>\n

So yeah\u2026. not what I was hoping for for the big finale. It was great to check in with the boys and see them get the freedom they wanted so badly, and I did love Rush and Rebel, I just wanted more of them. Despite my issues though, I\u2019m really glad I read it, and that final scene made me smile.<\/p>\n

3.5 stars.<\/p>\n

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Chaos<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"\u00a0 \"\"\u00a0 \"\"\u00a0 \"\"\u00a0 \"\"\u00a0 \"\"\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\" \u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

Own The Wind (#1) <\/strong>(Shy & Tabby)
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\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon \u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0 Paperback<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0Audio<\/a><\/p>\n

Fire Inside (#2)\u00a0<\/strong> (Hop & Lanie)
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Ride Steady (#3)<\/strong> (Joker & Carissa)
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Walk Through Fire (#4)<\/strong> (High & Millie)
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\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a> \u00a0| Audio<\/a><\/p>\n

Rough Ride (#4.5)<\/strong> (Snapper & Rosie)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon \u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Wild Like the Wind (#5)<\/strong> (Hound & Keely)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon \u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Free (#6)<\/strong> (Rush & Rebel)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Wild Fire (#6.5)<\/strong> (Dutch – son of Keely, Wild Like the Wind<\/em>)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Wild Wind (#6.6)<\/strong> (Jagger – son of Keely, Wild Like the Wind<\/em>)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

For more KA awesomeness, check out our\u00a0Kristen Ashley Author Spotlight<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Buy:\u00a0\u00a0Kindle Ebook |\u00a0 Paperback Review 3.5 stars The final in the Chaos series, this book was always going to be a big one, with a lot of loose ends to tie up and a (hopefully) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":41842,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":3.5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"Product","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[454,54,9,29],"tags":[102,22,48],"class_list":["post-41841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-audio-recommendation","category-bikers","category-romance","category-steamy","tag-chaos","tag-kristen-ashley","tag-review"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Free.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-aSR","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=41841"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41841\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/41842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=41841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=41841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=41841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}