{"id":9650,"date":"2015-10-13T21:09:00","date_gmt":"2015-10-14T01:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=9650"},"modified":"2017-02-02T20:39:05","modified_gmt":"2017-02-03T01:39:05","slug":"arc-review-reapers-fall-reapers-mc-5-by-joanna-wylde","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=9650","title":{"rendered":"ARC Review: Reaper’s Fall (Reapers MC, #5) by Joanna Wylde"},"content":{"rendered":"

Buy: Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n

\r\n <\/div><\/div>\n
\n

Review<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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

Mixed feelings for this one.<\/p>\n

Painter is a member of the Reapers MC, and has appeared in previous books of this series. We met Melanie in the last book \u2013\u00a0Reaper’s Stand<\/a>. She was the young girl looked after by Picnic\u2019s old lady, London. She\u2019s an absolute sweetheart, and even in that book she and Painter had a small flirtation going on. I was excited for their story, but the prologue of this book had me nervous from the very beginning.<\/p>\n

When we first see Painter and Melanie, they have been apart for a year. They have this really intense moment, then the story goes back to 5 years previously before they\u2019re actually together \u2013 but knowing they\u2019re going to get there only for it all to fall apart is pretty disheartening. I\u2019ve read other books with a similar beginning, but something about this one felt strange, like I wasn\u2019t sure they should be together \u2026 but more about that later.<\/p>\n

The book officially starts with Painter about to be released from prison after two years for carrying out club business. The whole time he was locked away, he and Melanie exchanged letters and Painter dreamt of nothing but her (in very graphic detail!). Things are difficult when he gets out, he knows he\u2019s not the right guy for Mel and he tries to keep his distance, but their chemistry is too intense and they can\u2019t stay away from each other for too long.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need you, Mel. I need you way too much as a friend to risk it. I know I\u2019ve done a truly shitty job trying to communicate with you about this, but if you had any idea how important you are to me\u2026Christ, you\u2019re one of the few things that kept me sane inside. Thinking about you, getting your letters. We gotta find a way, babe. We can\u2019t do this.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Painter really surprised me. He\u2019s a tough-assed biker, but he has a big heart, and the way he fell for Melanie so quickly, being so keen to progress their relationship was unexpected \u2013 but beautifully swoony (and really freaking dirty!). But just as I\u2019d find myself getting swept up in the romance, I\u2019d remember that ominous prologue and it stopped me from getting too invested. So when the break eventually comes, yes, it\u2019s sad, but it didn\u2019t devastate me\u00a0(view spoiler)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The story shifts a little bit after this, jumping in time and showing us Painter and Melanie apart but still in each other\u2019s lives. It\u2019s a weird dynamic – they are apart, but their chemistry still sizzles, and even though there was the odd scene that broke my heart, most of the time it\u2019s funny, angry banter just waiting for the two of them to get their shit together.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou ready to go home?\u201d I asked.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve been ready to go home all night. I still hate you.\u201d
\n\u201cYou need to find new insults. That\u2019s getting old.\u201d
\n\u201cFuck off.\u201d
\nGrinning, I climbed onto my bike. She climbed up behind me, tucking in tight and wrapping her arms around my waist, tits pressed against my back. For the first time in forever things in my world felt right, twisted as that sounds.
\nShe was mine. She\u2019d always be mine.\u00a0<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I admit I had a bit of trouble figuring these two out. Damn, Melanie sure can hold a grudge! There\u2019s no doubt she went through a horrible time, and I could understand why she was angry, but I think it went on way too long.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you ever going to forgive me?\u201d he asked softly, catching my chin, forcing me to look at him. \u201cSometimes it feels like you hate me out of habit \u2026 Why does it always have to be a fight, Mel?\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But the main reason I struggled with this relationship is that I just can\u2019t buy into a second chance romance when the hero is out screwing other women while waiting for the love of his life to come around! I know that he\u2019s a biker, and that\u2019s what bikers do, but come on!!! It\u2019s sort of brushed over that he\u2019s doing it, and strangely enough it wasn\u2019t the reason that Melanie kept pushing him away, but to me it completely undermines the love story and I had a real problem with it.<\/p>\n

But even though I had these issues, I still liked Painter and Melanie as characters. Both strong and feisty, they clash a lot, but they are explosive when they are together. Yes, they have their flaws, but I could see both of their points of view about how things were between them, and for that I really liked Wylde\u2019s writing. The story is told in dual POV and I liked the way the book was written as if they are telling us their story – it\u2019s heartfelt but funny as we get right inside of their heads.<\/p>\n

By the time we reached town, I was still utterly resolved to keep my hands off her\u2026but Taz was at her place, and I didn\u2019t trust that asshole for shit. That\u2019s why I took her back to my apartment instead\u2026and you can shut right the fuck up about that.
\nI already know I\u2019m a douche.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s a long, hard and angsty road for them, for sure, and if you\u2019re wondering whether there\u2019s a HEA for Painter and Melanie\u2026

<\/span>Spoiler <\/div>
Of course there is!….. Eventually. <\/div><\/div><\/span><\/p>\n

Things are also happening with the MC, and there\u2019s a bit of action and some dangerous biker politics going down, and it ties in really well with Painter and Melanie\u2019s story. We also get to see each of the couples that have featured in the series so far, as well as getting an intro to Gage and his story \u2013 which looks like it\u2019s going to be really intense.<\/p>\n

So yeah, I\u2019m torn on this one. There were parts of it that I liked, but overall I wasn\u2019t as invested as I wanted to be. Still an enjoyable read though.<\/p>\n

3.5 stars.<\/p>\n

Advanced Review Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Reaper’s MC series<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"Reaper's\u00a0\u00a0\"Reaper's\u00a0\u00a0\"Devil's\u00a0\u00a0\"Reaper's\u00a0\u00a0\"Reaper's\u00a0 \"Reaper's\u00a0\u00a0\"Reaper's<\/p>\n

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

Reaper\u2019s Property (#1)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\n<\/strong>Buy:\u00a0<\/strong>Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0| \u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Reaper\u2019s Legacy (#2)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\n<\/strong>Buy:\u00a0Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Paperback<\/a>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Devil\u2019s Game (#3)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\n<\/strong>Buy:\u00a0Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Reaper\u2019s Stand (#4)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\n<\/strong>Buy:\u00a0Kindle Ebook\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Reapers and Bastards: A Reaper\u2019s MC Anthology (#4.5)
\n<\/strong>Buy:\u00a0Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Reaper\u2019s Fall (#5)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\n<\/strong>Buy:\u00a0Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Reaper\u2019s Fire (#6)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\n<\/strong>Buy:\u00a0Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Shade’s Lady (#6.5)<\/strong>
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Rome’s Chance (#6.6)<\/strong>
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Eli’s Triumph (#6.7)<\/strong>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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

Buy: Kindle Ebook\u00a0|\u00a0Paperback Review 3.5 stars Mixed feelings for this one. Painter is a member of the Reapers MC, and has appeared in previous books of this series. We met Melanie in the last book […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9614,"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":[54,9,29],"tags":[59,402,403,48],"class_list":["post-9650","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bikers","category-romance","category-steamy","tag-arc","tag-joanna-wylde","tag-reapers-mc","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\/2013\/01\/Reapers-Fall.jpg?fit=150%2C234&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-2vE","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9650","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=9650"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9650\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9614"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9650"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9650"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9650"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}