RIDE STEADY (Chaos Series #3) by KRISTEN ASHLEY

“I let you stand at that fuckin’ fence.”

There were many, many beautifully moving moments in Ride Steady and as usual we were highlighting like crazy but….but…that scene above reduced us to tears and we have goose bumps reliving it for this review. For us, it was one of the most powerfully poignant scenes in this story. It broke our hearts and spoke volumes about these men, their loyalty and their brotherhood!

“Love and care don’t come with time. They just come.”

KA’s done it again! By now we pretty much know what to expect from a KA book and it’s the reason we keep picking them up time and time again. The sentiments in a KA story never fail to strike a chord with us. Amidst the fiction, there is a sense of realness and relatability that keeps enticing us back. In some way, shape or form no matter what this lady produces, we can always relate – whether the book is an overwhelming hit or a little bit of a miss she never, and we repeat, NEVER fails to affect us with her stories of friendship, brotherhood, love and life with her words. We all want to be fiercely and deeply loved, to know that we will always have that devoted person in our corner, to have those special girlfriends who will be there at the drop of a hat no matter what time of the day or night….and let’s not forget that Kristen Ashley always makes us laugh with her witty banter but most of all she makes us feel good and while yes it’s a formula that’s been done but boy, it sure is a beautiful and  captivating way to escape for a few hours (or in the case of a KA book….a bloody good few hours!) and Ride Steady really hit the mark with us as the essence of motherhood was woven through this story.

“I think I might be falling in love with you.”
“Then quit thinkin’, Carrie, because I know I’m fallin’ for you.”

Kristen Ashley has a way of writing about children that is second to none. She writes them to perfection expressing the simple things that create the most beautiful memories and as mothers; these were brought to the forefront in Ride Steady between Carissa and little Travis. Oh and Joker and baby Travis…….you just wait until you see this big, bad arse alpha male biker interact with baby Travis. YOUR HEART WILL MELT just as ours did! Those moments were beyond precious and memorable.

‘The living, breathing, biker Jungle gym.’

We fell head over heels in love with Joker; our hearts went out to this big, strong, alpha man with a heart of gold, as we lived through his tormented and painful past through his eyes. Honestly, this man broke us. Thankfully in Chaos he found the family he never had and the loyalty and protection he was starved of as a child and adult.  Carissa was so bubbly, honest and beautiful and with her by his side he was destined to be the man everyone knew he could be.

“One day, Carson Steele, you’re going to be a magnificent man.”

Kristen Ashley fans will be OVER THE MOON with Ride Steady!  Let’s see….Bad arse gorgeous hot biker…check.  Goofy, sweet adorable and relatable heroine…check.  Sizzling chemistry and heated sexy scenes….check. Passion, excitement, heartbreak and healing….check.  Some madcap crazy moments with some madcap crazy characters that left us with big grins on our faces….check. A happy contented feeling in our heart….BIG CHECK!  And ummmm did we mention The Dream Men…The Rock Chicks crew,  Tack…and a few others pop up in this book? Yup, they’re all back in this one so be prepared to swoooon big time!

“My manly man biker. He has an answer for everything.”
“My goofball Butterfly. She’s got the knack for makin’ me hard even when she’s bein’ a total goof.”

Despite finding ourselves skimming a few times with the over descriptiveness of clothing, furnishings etc and scratching our heads in confusion over Carissa’s memory recall, we really did love this book. With all those boxes ticked, how could we not?  Now the anticipation for Walk Through Fire begins!

“I am going to heal you, Carson.” 

**Reviewed from an ARC copy provided by the publisher, with thanks. **