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The Sacred Hearts MC #1
Shattered & Scarred
She's Shattered...
Ashton Granger is a perfect wife to her husband. She has to be, if she's not, he will find a way to correct any perceived imperfections. Such is life, and so it has been for a very long time, eroding Ashton's sense of self, cracking her sense of worth until she lays in a million pieces on the side of a stretch of lonely highway.
He's Scarred...
Ethan "Trigger man" Howard is the Sergeant of Arms for The Sacred Hearts Motor Cycle club. After several tours as a Marine Corps sniper overseas, he's seen and done enough damage for a man three times his age. He's out. Done. So over it, and home to nurse his wounds, physical, emotional and psychological with the help of his MC brothers. Now he simply deals with the scars that life handed him.
Was it more than just luck for he and Ashton both that he was the only other soul traveling that isolated stretch of highway that night?
**Mature Audiences Only (18+)**
**Language, Violence, and Sexual Content including one very hot MMF threesome!**
Ashton Granger is a perfect wife to her husband. She has to be, if she's not, he will find a way to correct any perceived imperfections. Such is life, and so it has been for a very long time, eroding Ashton's sense of self, cracking her sense of worth until she lays in a million pieces on the side of a stretch of lonely highway.
He's Scarred...
Ethan "Trigger man" Howard is the Sergeant of Arms for The Sacred Hearts Motor Cycle club. After several tours as a Marine Corps sniper overseas, he's seen and done enough damage for a man three times his age. He's out. Done. So over it, and home to nurse his wounds, physical, emotional and psychological with the help of his MC brothers. Now he simply deals with the scars that life handed him.
Was it more than just luck for he and Ashton both that he was the only other soul traveling that isolated stretch of highway that night?
**Mature Audiences Only (18+)**
**Language, Violence, and Sexual Content including one very hot MMF threesome!**
309 pages, ebook
First published June 10, 2014
372 people are currently reading
2123 people want to read
About the author
A.J. Downey
93 books1,138 followersA.J. Downey is a Pacific Northwest girl living in an East Tennessee world who finds inspiration from her surroundings, through the people she meets, and likely as a byproduct of way too much caffeine. She specializes in real and relatable romance stories featuring that real-life kind of love that everyone craves.
You can find her on Facebook at facebook.com/authorajdowney
You can find her on Facebook at facebook.com/authorajdowney
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April 29, 2015
DISCLAIMER: There is going to be some sexual discussion in this review. If that squicks you out, turn back now!!!
...
"Well Ashton, let's start by getting you someplace warm where I can get a look at you," I said. My mind was racing. What I should have done was call the cops, but that was kind of hard to do with a key of smack in my left saddlebag and a sawed off in my right.
This book is a mixed bag. For one thing, the grammar sucks. I can spot two errors just in the above paragraph. Reading this, my fingers were itching to get my hands on the Word file and act as editor. I can't help it, it's a compulsion. But does it really make a book unreadable? Not here. Downey is mostly just missing commas and some hyphens - maybe occasionally she'll spell a word wrong: "stereo type" when she means "stereotype," and (most noticeably), having her characters say "Ewe!" instead of "Ew!" when they are grossed out. That lead to me laughing more than once as I considered a world where using the word for a female sheep as an exclamation of disgust was commonplace. Again, I don't consider this a HUGE problem, I gave Zoë Sharp's The Blood Whisperer five stars, and it was as if Sharp had never heard of a comma. And Downey calls heroin "heroine," which gives the book a whole different flavor. "Heroine supply chain" sounds like some interesting underground romance novel network, rather than anything to do with a bad-ass motorcycle club. o.O
PLOT
Ashton's husband, a real Norman Daniels, beats up Ashton for some imagined slight and leaves her barefoot to 'walk home' on a highway at night in freezing March.
Ethan "Trigger" Howard, biker with a heart of gold, picks her up and takes her back to his clubhouse.
Okay, so far so good. Downey is using two of my favorite tropes here: the abused-woman-escapes-from-her-abuser-and-finds-love-in-the-arms-of-a-kind-man trope, and the warm-hypothermia-victims-with-your-body-heat-it's-sexy trope. I like both these tropes.
Actually, by using the abused-woman-escapes-from-her-abuser-and-finds-love-in-the-arms-of-a-kind-man trope, Downey is instantly winning points from me, just as setting this up as the basis of her novel. Biased? Sure. I freely admit I am a total sucker for this when it's used as a romance novel set up.
But there are a lot of problems here.
For one thing, this is kind of "out of the frying pan, into the fire." Yes, Trig is getting Ashton away from her abusive husband, who has been raping and beating her for eight years. On the other hand, look where's he's bringing her. Here's a conversation with the VP:
Dray turned his smoldering dark eyes onto me and I went back into my seat as far as it would allow.
"Can you fuck any brother who wants you?" he asked.
Oh-kay. So let me get this straight. You took a frozen, beaten woman away from walking home alone on a highway, and decide to bring her to a place where men consider it reasonable to ask her to pay for her keep by sexually servicing all of them? What the bleep, dude? What is WRONG with you?
And another thing that bothers me is that this whole thing is brushed off as "don't worry about it." Ashton seems to accept this, but let me tell you that as someone who has more than a passing knowledge of psychology, this is BULLSHIT.
First, your abusive husband beats you and basically leaves you to die on the middle of the road. Then, a biker comes and picks you up. Then a biker doctor tranqs you without telling you what he's doing. (This will be the first of many drug-you-without-your-knowledge-or-consent scenarios in this novel.) Then, you wake up, NAKED, in bed with the aforementioned biker. Who is also naked. Relieved to find out you haven't been raped, you pull on one of the man's t-shirts, which is "like a dress" on you, because "you're just so tiny and itty bitty" (a fact that is repeated often throughout the book). You do a little exploring, and find out that you are in a biker clubhouse.
What's your next move?
If you said, "Cooking and cleaning like Martha Stewart," you would be correct! I'd worry a little about your sanity from this answer, but you totally called it. Let's talk about a famous fairy tale:
SNOW WHITE
This book is basically a re-telling of Snow White. Ashton becomes a cook and maid forseven dwarves bikers. She spends all her time in the clubhouse cooking for all the men, scrubbing toilets and cleaning, and singing. Just like Snow White. Dray could be Grumpy, there's a character named Doc,...
...
Let's get back to what I was saying. You are dressed in a man's t-shirt and nothing else, basically. But you decide to instantly start cleaning and cooking for all the bikers. The bikers who are waking up and coming downstairs don't question things like, "Who are you?" or "What the bleep are you doing?" or "Why don't you get on your knees and suck me off?" (since apparently any woman in the clubhouse is "meat," and "free game") but instead just sit down to a lavish breakfast in a suddenly clean house as if it is their natural right as princes, or something.
I guess you could consider this a good thing, since Dray eventually agrees that Ashton can earn her keep cooking and cleaning instead of on her back and knees. o.O Generous of him, I know. <--- sarcasm That little conversation about, "Hey, maybe you can just be like blowjobs-on-tap for us and we'll let you live here, otherwise we're throwing you out" would be enough to set any woman into a panic, but it barely seems to be a blip on Ashton's radar. o.O
SPECIAL SNOWFLAKE MARY SUE
Yes, Ashton is a special snowflake Mary-Sue, but this honestly doesn't bother me one bit. I expect romance heroines to have silly attributes, like "amazing golden eyes" that everyone notices and comments on, and "a voice like an angel that makes grown men cry" etc. etc. This is very common in romance and I've come to expect it. I was practically raised on Julie Garwood, so...
SINGING
However, the singing bothered me. For one thing, it's a bit difficult for me to believe that a group of bikers (who apparently don't bat an eye at the idea of a woman being passed around and shared like a joint as a form of rent) are LITERALLY STARTING TO CRY when they hear Ashton sing Les Miz. Um, really?
Okay. If this happened ONCE, I could brush it off. I wouldn't like it - but I could brush it off. Instead, Ashton's angelic singing is a plot point four different times in the novel. FOUR TIMES. o.O I was seriously sick of both Les Miz and Phantom of the Opera by the end of the book. Actually, (don't hate me) I despise both Les Miz and Phantom of the Opera and would be happy if I never heard the music from either of those productions ever again.
So, I freely admit I'm biased on Ashton's choice of music here, but no matter what she was singing it would have become annoying after the second time, not to mention the fourth.
THINGS I LOVED
- Abused-woman-escapes-from-her-abuser-and-finds-love-in-the-arms-of-a-kind-man trope.
- Trig is a sweet and patient guy who is good at consent. Sexually, at least. I'm still upset about all the drugging-her-without-her-knowledge-or-consent stuff.
- I enjoyed Trig and Ashton's slow-moving, rather chaste relationship for most of the novel. Downey really ruins this at the end, but I'll discuss that later.
- The book is long. I like long books. It sucks when you pay $3.99 for a book and it's only 115 pages. This is LONG.
- Ashton dealing with her past and Trig helping Ashton deal with her past.
- Trig nicknames Ashton "Sunshine," which I thought was cute.
- Trig isn't really jealous or possessive.
THINGS I DON'T LIKE
- Ashton eventually gets a job as Trig's receptionist. This is a bad move. Being financially dependent on your lover is a bad idea. Didn't Ashton learn ANYTHING from the eight years of abuse her ex heaped onto her?
- The singing.
- The sex. The sex between Trig and and Ashton is okay. Not amazing, but not disgusting or horrible. But then Downey throws in a total curve ball from left field and leaves me shaking my head.
Not to mention people's rather lackadaisical attitude toward condoms. You'd think if you were having sex with man who has a VERY colorful, varied, and extensive sexual history you might be a LITTLE worried about STDs. Just saying. Or, you know, as Boyfriend you'd think Trigger would want to protect his woman from STDs, even if he thinks he's clean it's weird that he doesn't insist on I wouldn't be okay with this, that's for sure. I would be like, "Everyone is going to be protected. And if you think I'm having condomless sex with you, you've got another thing coming." I mean, she's known these guys for TWO WEEKS. TWO WEEKS. And she's like, "Sure. Of course everyone is clean. I trust you. I trust your word - even though I barely know you. Let's do this!" o.O
- Ashton nicknames Derek "Loyal," which is think is the stupidest moniker I've ever heard.
- Showdowns. I was SO looking forward to some serious showdowns between Ashton and Evil Ex and/or Trig and Evil Ex. NEITHER HAPPENS. Sad. Really sad, since this is one reason I like the abused-woman-escapes-from-her-abuser-and-finds-love-in-the-arms-of-a-kind-man trope so much. The most we get is some good showdowns with Evil Ex's second-in-command.
- Encouraging your lover to kill someone is really cold. I know Ashton's ex is a monster who deserves to die - I'm not arguing this fact. But it seems way too easy for Ashton to sentence him to death and send armed murderers to his house. Especially since she's such a bleeding heart in regards to everyone else, like Dray.
- Dray, at one point, This is instantly forgiven and the next day he ends up WTF?! I'm baffled by what's going on here. And this is the hero in the next book? Ummmmm...
Tl;dr - I know nothing of motorcycle clubs and can't really say it's a turn-on for me. However, I know tons of women are into this right now. Perhaps they'd enjoy it more than I did? Promising premise, but in the end this book just didn't deliver in the way I hoped it would.
TWO REAL STARS, TWO ROMANCE STARS
...
"Well Ashton, let's start by getting you someplace warm where I can get a look at you," I said. My mind was racing. What I should have done was call the cops, but that was kind of hard to do with a key of smack in my left saddlebag and a sawed off in my right.
This book is a mixed bag. For one thing, the grammar sucks. I can spot two errors just in the above paragraph. Reading this, my fingers were itching to get my hands on the Word file and act as editor. I can't help it, it's a compulsion. But does it really make a book unreadable? Not here. Downey is mostly just missing commas and some hyphens - maybe occasionally she'll spell a word wrong: "stereo type" when she means "stereotype," and (most noticeably), having her characters say "Ewe!" instead of "Ew!" when they are grossed out. That lead to me laughing more than once as I considered a world where using the word for a female sheep as an exclamation of disgust was commonplace. Again, I don't consider this a HUGE problem, I gave Zoë Sharp's The Blood Whisperer five stars, and it was as if Sharp had never heard of a comma. And Downey calls heroin "heroine," which gives the book a whole different flavor. "Heroine supply chain" sounds like some interesting underground romance novel network, rather than anything to do with a bad-ass motorcycle club. o.O
PLOT
Ashton's husband, a real Norman Daniels, beats up Ashton for some imagined slight and leaves her barefoot to 'walk home' on a highway at night in freezing March.
Ethan "Trigger" Howard, biker with a heart of gold, picks her up and takes her back to his clubhouse.
Okay, so far so good. Downey is using two of my favorite tropes here: the abused-woman-escapes-from-her-abuser-and-finds-love-in-the-arms-of-a-kind-man trope, and the warm-hypothermia-victims-with-your-body-heat-it's-sexy trope. I like both these tropes.
Actually, by using the abused-woman-escapes-from-her-abuser-and-finds-love-in-the-arms-of-a-kind-man trope, Downey is instantly winning points from me, just as setting this up as the basis of her novel. Biased? Sure. I freely admit I am a total sucker for this when it's used as a romance novel set up.
But there are a lot of problems here.
For one thing, this is kind of "out of the frying pan, into the fire." Yes, Trig is getting Ashton away from her abusive husband, who has been raping and beating her for eight years. On the other hand, look where's he's bringing her. Here's a conversation with the VP:
Dray turned his smoldering dark eyes onto me and I went back into my seat as far as it would allow.
"Can you fuck any brother who wants you?" he asked.
Oh-kay. So let me get this straight. You took a frozen, beaten woman away from walking home alone on a highway, and decide to bring her to a place where men consider it reasonable to ask her to pay for her keep by sexually servicing all of them? What the bleep, dude? What is WRONG with you?
And another thing that bothers me is that this whole thing is brushed off as "don't worry about it." Ashton seems to accept this, but let me tell you that as someone who has more than a passing knowledge of psychology, this is BULLSHIT.
First, your abusive husband beats you and basically leaves you to die on the middle of the road. Then, a biker comes and picks you up. Then a biker doctor tranqs you without telling you what he's doing. (This will be the first of many drug-you-without-your-knowledge-or-consent scenarios in this novel.) Then, you wake up, NAKED, in bed with the aforementioned biker. Who is also naked. Relieved to find out you haven't been raped, you pull on one of the man's t-shirts, which is "like a dress" on you, because "you're just so tiny and itty bitty" (a fact that is repeated often throughout the book). You do a little exploring, and find out that you are in a biker clubhouse.
What's your next move?
If you said, "Cooking and cleaning like Martha Stewart," you would be correct! I'd worry a little about your sanity from this answer, but you totally called it. Let's talk about a famous fairy tale:
SNOW WHITE
This book is basically a re-telling of Snow White. Ashton becomes a cook and maid for
...
Let's get back to what I was saying. You are dressed in a man's t-shirt and nothing else, basically. But you decide to instantly start cleaning and cooking for all the bikers. The bikers who are waking up and coming downstairs don't question things like, "Who are you?" or "What the bleep are you doing?" or "Why don't you get on your knees and suck me off?" (since apparently any woman in the clubhouse is "meat," and "free game") but instead just sit down to a lavish breakfast in a suddenly clean house as if it is their natural right as princes, or something.
I guess you could consider this a good thing, since Dray eventually agrees that Ashton can earn her keep cooking and cleaning instead of on her back and knees. o.O Generous of him, I know. <--- sarcasm That little conversation about, "Hey, maybe you can just be like blowjobs-on-tap for us and we'll let you live here, otherwise we're throwing you out" would be enough to set any woman into a panic, but it barely seems to be a blip on Ashton's radar. o.O
SPECIAL SNOWFLAKE MARY SUE
Yes, Ashton is a special snowflake Mary-Sue, but this honestly doesn't bother me one bit. I expect romance heroines to have silly attributes, like "amazing golden eyes" that everyone notices and comments on, and "a voice like an angel that makes grown men cry" etc. etc. This is very common in romance and I've come to expect it. I was practically raised on Julie Garwood, so...
SINGING
However, the singing bothered me. For one thing, it's a bit difficult for me to believe that a group of bikers (who apparently don't bat an eye at the idea of a woman being passed around and shared like a joint as a form of rent) are LITERALLY STARTING TO CRY when they hear Ashton sing Les Miz. Um, really?
Okay. If this happened ONCE, I could brush it off. I wouldn't like it - but I could brush it off. Instead, Ashton's angelic singing is a plot point four different times in the novel. FOUR TIMES. o.O I was seriously sick of both Les Miz and Phantom of the Opera by the end of the book. Actually, (don't hate me) I despise both Les Miz and Phantom of the Opera and would be happy if I never heard the music from either of those productions ever again.
So, I freely admit I'm biased on Ashton's choice of music here, but no matter what she was singing it would have become annoying after the second time, not to mention the fourth.
THINGS I LOVED
- Abused-woman-escapes-from-her-abuser-and-finds-love-in-the-arms-of-a-kind-man trope.
- Trig is a sweet and patient guy who is good at consent. Sexually, at least. I'm still upset about all the drugging-her-without-her-knowledge-or-consent stuff.
- I enjoyed Trig and Ashton's slow-moving, rather chaste relationship for most of the novel. Downey really ruins this at the end, but I'll discuss that later.
- The book is long. I like long books. It sucks when you pay $3.99 for a book and it's only 115 pages. This is LONG.
- Ashton dealing with her past and Trig helping Ashton deal with her past.
- Trig nicknames Ashton "Sunshine," which I thought was cute.
- Trig isn't really jealous or possessive.
THINGS I DON'T LIKE
- Ashton eventually gets a job as Trig's receptionist. This is a bad move. Being financially dependent on your lover is a bad idea. Didn't Ashton learn ANYTHING from the eight years of abuse her ex heaped onto her?
- The singing.
- The sex. The sex between Trig and and Ashton is okay. Not amazing, but not disgusting or horrible. But then Downey throws in a total curve ball from left field and leaves me shaking my head.
Not to mention people's rather lackadaisical attitude toward condoms. You'd think if you were having sex with man who has a VERY colorful, varied, and extensive sexual history you might be a LITTLE worried about STDs. Just saying. Or, you know, as Boyfriend you'd think Trigger would want to protect his woman from STDs, even if he thinks he's clean it's weird that he doesn't insist on I wouldn't be okay with this, that's for sure. I would be like, "Everyone is going to be protected. And if you think I'm having condomless sex with you, you've got another thing coming." I mean, she's known these guys for TWO WEEKS. TWO WEEKS. And she's like, "Sure. Of course everyone is clean. I trust you. I trust your word - even though I barely know you. Let's do this!" o.O
- Ashton nicknames Derek "Loyal," which is think is the stupidest moniker I've ever heard.
- Showdowns. I was SO looking forward to some serious showdowns between Ashton and Evil Ex and/or Trig and Evil Ex. NEITHER HAPPENS. Sad. Really sad, since this is one reason I like the abused-woman-escapes-from-her-abuser-and-finds-love-in-the-arms-of-a-kind-man trope so much. The most we get is some good showdowns with Evil Ex's second-in-command.
- Encouraging your lover to kill someone is really cold. I know Ashton's ex is a monster who deserves to die - I'm not arguing this fact. But it seems way too easy for Ashton to sentence him to death and send armed murderers to his house. Especially since she's such a bleeding heart in regards to everyone else, like Dray.
- Dray, at one point, This is instantly forgiven and the next day he ends up WTF?! I'm baffled by what's going on here. And this is the hero in the next book? Ummmmm...
Tl;dr - I know nothing of motorcycle clubs and can't really say it's a turn-on for me. However, I know tons of women are into this right now. Perhaps they'd enjoy it more than I did? Promising premise, but in the end this book just didn't deliver in the way I hoped it would.
TWO REAL STARS, TWO ROMANCE STARS
April 12, 2015
Review and rating have been edited after a second read-through
I gave this book a second chance after a friend who enjoyed it suggested I might have been too harsh. Ordinarily I don't do that, but said friend did make some compelling arguments:
1.)I don't read romance. In my first review I admitted to being ignorant of the genre and after taking both terrible and compelling examples of it (including Derrolyn Anderson's absorbing and endearing After Last Call), I discovered that some of my dislike is due to storytelling techniques common to the genre itself rather than problems with Shattered specifically.
2.)I read crime fiction a lot. Genre disconnect is a thing; narrative and storytelling techniques that thrill one reader leave another cold, which is the primary reason why fiction has genres. I'm in love with crime and hard-boiled fiction; I go ga-ga for the angular economy of sparse prose and elegant (if slightly cheesy) tough-guy dialogue. Romance is about as far from that paradigm as one can get.
In this case, right before I picked up Shattered I had finished a re-read of Richard Stark's The Hunter, which is about as hard-boiled as one can get without approaching parody. That's like switching from Wild Turkey to peppermint tea. Now, it isn't that tea is bad and whiskey good, its that they're supposed to do different things and bitching about how tea isn't making you drunk is rather silly.
3.)I'm an author. Authors have big egos; we have to, to find the stones to put our work out in the public eye without freaking. With a big ego comes strong opinions, and I'm no different. Shattered employs narrative techniques that I am not fond of personally, but that doesn't make them "bad", or worthy of mockery. Different strokes for different folks and all that.
With that in mind I gave Shattered & Scarred a second go - and I did walk away with an improved opinion of it.
I'll be honest, I still didn't love it; it isn't a book I'll read again. But after reading a few other MC romances (and throwing up in my mouth a little), Shattered stands taller than any other I've seen yet.
THE GOOD (what I liked)
In every other MC romance I've scanned so far, the heroine-in-trouble gets swept away by her biker beau for reasons that are silly or contrived, or no reason other than his brooding sexy-hotness. No joke; I spent most of the beginnings shouting " oh just call the cops, you twit!" at the female leads.
On the other hand Ashton Granger ends up on a bike for a good reason; she's alone, freezing to death and without a phone, dumped on the side of the road by her abusive fucknob of a husband.
Ethan simply driving her to the hospital or otherwise involving the authorities would have made less sense than taking her with him, thanks to the drugs and illegal weapon in his saddlebags. So, good premise for a first meeting.
Another plus: Downey doesn't fuck around. There's no wasted time or waddlefooting common in other romances; nope, we're front-and-center with the action and tension, something my crime-story heart was happy about.
In my initial review of Shattered I found Ethan "Trigger" Howard wishy-washy and boyish...well, this was where reading the Parker series beforehand wasn't a good idea. The titular character there is just about the hardest motherfucker in all the literary world; dropping a guy like him into a romance novel would have the target audience backing away slowly.
Within the confines of the genre, Trigger's a good lead - and considering the rape-happy ragebeast douchebags in other MC romances I've seen (fuck you, Reaper's Property) I'll take his boyish romanticism over that bullshit, thank you very much. Sure his behavior around the heroine is cutesy - so what? Even the baddest of asses pets a kitten once in a while.
Finally, I maintain my opinion that "Trigger" is a good badass road name, especially the shortening of it - that's how nicknames work.
Their relationship was likewise cute but not too cute. Ethan doesn't break boundaries and helps Ashton try and stand on her own two feet, a welcome change from the "I fucked you, now I own you" premise I've seen elsewhere. And despite what many others have said, the kinky screwing was in my eyes a positive addition. Group sex, public sex...these are things which happen in the biker world, and showing Ashton indulging in them (e.g. adapting to the world of her lover) was a fair play.
To sum up the positives: A good hook, a pleasant male lead and a relationship that understands boundaries and buildup while maintaining the sexy.
Moving on to...
THE BAD (what I didn't like):
Still not a fan of multiple first-person perspectives. Shattered's employment of it is all right (breaks are confined to chapters, labeled with whose head the reader is in now) but its a technique I as a writer and reader simply cannot get behind. However, it is a technique not a flaw and to be fair Downey employs it properly.
All the running mental commentary about how hot Ashton and Ethan are for each other still got on my nerves. Sure its common enough in romance novels but again, its not something I like.
Ashton charming everyone she meets likewise remained an irritant, especially the singing. There are four scenes where people are captivated by her oh-so-beautiful voice. Don't get me wrong; I like Phantom and Les Mis as much as any choir geek. But having everyone be charmed by the heroines looks and angelic voice is edging into Disney/Mary Sue territory, and it felt like the wrong direction...especially set next to some of Shattered's edgier content.
Ashton's husband ended up on my list of "didn't-care-for-its" due to how common it is in fiction. Yes, hyper-controlling ragemonsters like Chad (what a perfect douchebag name) do exist and they can be a nightmare for the people they're married to. I've just seen it one too many times for it to be compelling anymore. Again, personal taste talking. Also the resolution to that particular plot thread felt a tad weak, especially when compared to the kinetic wallop of the opening pages.
To sum up the negatives; dual first person perspectives (albeit done properly), too much oh-so-sexy, fairy-tale behavior from the heroine and a paint-by-numbers abuse scenario that lacks follow-through.
Moving on to...
THE UGLY (what's slightly broken)
Shattered's biggest problem remains poor/nonexistent editing...however, this needs to be put into perspective. An editor is to an author what a producer is to a musician - and like books, what consumers often think is good songwriting is actually good production. The same is true for authors.
The second thing to remember is that for independent writers good editors are hard to come by; scammers and incompetents abound. Worse, an author's editor has to be somebody who can tell the wordsmith "this sucks" in a way that will both get the point across and not make the author want to give up - and this is not easy. Again, that big author-ego comes with a price tag.
In Shattered's case, the editing problems are a shame...unlike the highly polished crap I've read from other sources, there's a good story hook in its pages. Said hook is just weighed down by prose that while inspired and pretty comes off as clunky more often than not. Moments of glory trip over themselves. Narrative dazzle shots get weighed down by a misplaced word.
To continue the "music" analogy, Shattered is the literary equivalent of a demo tape from a promising band; the core structure is refreshing and catchy, but the final product needs more knob-twisting.
CONCLUSION
In the end, I give it 2.75 stars; A solid in its field. There's things to like, and Downey takes a proverbial pool cue to some of the subgenre's more unfortunate tendencies...that had me cheering some.
After a second read-through, I still didn't fall in love but I don't hate it either. As MC romances go, Shattered & Scarred rides near the head of the pack - Hell, taking my personal sample-size as the judge its the fucking road-captain so far.
If you aren't a romance reader this book won't make you into one, but if biker love is your shot of octane Shattered is worth taking for a test drive.
I gave this book a second chance after a friend who enjoyed it suggested I might have been too harsh. Ordinarily I don't do that, but said friend did make some compelling arguments:
1.)I don't read romance. In my first review I admitted to being ignorant of the genre and after taking both terrible and compelling examples of it (including Derrolyn Anderson's absorbing and endearing After Last Call), I discovered that some of my dislike is due to storytelling techniques common to the genre itself rather than problems with Shattered specifically.
2.)I read crime fiction a lot. Genre disconnect is a thing; narrative and storytelling techniques that thrill one reader leave another cold, which is the primary reason why fiction has genres. I'm in love with crime and hard-boiled fiction; I go ga-ga for the angular economy of sparse prose and elegant (if slightly cheesy) tough-guy dialogue. Romance is about as far from that paradigm as one can get.
In this case, right before I picked up Shattered I had finished a re-read of Richard Stark's The Hunter, which is about as hard-boiled as one can get without approaching parody. That's like switching from Wild Turkey to peppermint tea. Now, it isn't that tea is bad and whiskey good, its that they're supposed to do different things and bitching about how tea isn't making you drunk is rather silly.
3.)I'm an author. Authors have big egos; we have to, to find the stones to put our work out in the public eye without freaking. With a big ego comes strong opinions, and I'm no different. Shattered employs narrative techniques that I am not fond of personally, but that doesn't make them "bad", or worthy of mockery. Different strokes for different folks and all that.
With that in mind I gave Shattered & Scarred a second go - and I did walk away with an improved opinion of it.
I'll be honest, I still didn't love it; it isn't a book I'll read again. But after reading a few other MC romances (and throwing up in my mouth a little), Shattered stands taller than any other I've seen yet.
THE GOOD (what I liked)
In every other MC romance I've scanned so far, the heroine-in-trouble gets swept away by her biker beau for reasons that are silly or contrived, or no reason other than his brooding sexy-hotness. No joke; I spent most of the beginnings shouting " oh just call the cops, you twit!" at the female leads.
On the other hand Ashton Granger ends up on a bike for a good reason; she's alone, freezing to death and without a phone, dumped on the side of the road by her abusive fucknob of a husband.
Ethan simply driving her to the hospital or otherwise involving the authorities would have made less sense than taking her with him, thanks to the drugs and illegal weapon in his saddlebags. So, good premise for a first meeting.
Another plus: Downey doesn't fuck around. There's no wasted time or waddlefooting common in other romances; nope, we're front-and-center with the action and tension, something my crime-story heart was happy about.
In my initial review of Shattered I found Ethan "Trigger" Howard wishy-washy and boyish...well, this was where reading the Parker series beforehand wasn't a good idea. The titular character there is just about the hardest motherfucker in all the literary world; dropping a guy like him into a romance novel would have the target audience backing away slowly.
Within the confines of the genre, Trigger's a good lead - and considering the rape-happy ragebeast douchebags in other MC romances I've seen (fuck you, Reaper's Property) I'll take his boyish romanticism over that bullshit, thank you very much. Sure his behavior around the heroine is cutesy - so what? Even the baddest of asses pets a kitten once in a while.
Finally, I maintain my opinion that "Trigger" is a good badass road name, especially the shortening of it - that's how nicknames work.
Their relationship was likewise cute but not too cute. Ethan doesn't break boundaries and helps Ashton try and stand on her own two feet, a welcome change from the "I fucked you, now I own you" premise I've seen elsewhere. And despite what many others have said, the kinky screwing was in my eyes a positive addition. Group sex, public sex...these are things which happen in the biker world, and showing Ashton indulging in them (e.g. adapting to the world of her lover) was a fair play.
To sum up the positives: A good hook, a pleasant male lead and a relationship that understands boundaries and buildup while maintaining the sexy.
Moving on to...
THE BAD (what I didn't like):
Still not a fan of multiple first-person perspectives. Shattered's employment of it is all right (breaks are confined to chapters, labeled with whose head the reader is in now) but its a technique I as a writer and reader simply cannot get behind. However, it is a technique not a flaw and to be fair Downey employs it properly.
All the running mental commentary about how hot Ashton and Ethan are for each other still got on my nerves. Sure its common enough in romance novels but again, its not something I like.
Ashton charming everyone she meets likewise remained an irritant, especially the singing. There are four scenes where people are captivated by her oh-so-beautiful voice. Don't get me wrong; I like Phantom and Les Mis as much as any choir geek. But having everyone be charmed by the heroines looks and angelic voice is edging into Disney/Mary Sue territory, and it felt like the wrong direction...especially set next to some of Shattered's edgier content.
Ashton's husband ended up on my list of "didn't-care-for-its" due to how common it is in fiction. Yes, hyper-controlling ragemonsters like Chad (what a perfect douchebag name) do exist and they can be a nightmare for the people they're married to. I've just seen it one too many times for it to be compelling anymore. Again, personal taste talking. Also the resolution to that particular plot thread felt a tad weak, especially when compared to the kinetic wallop of the opening pages.
To sum up the negatives; dual first person perspectives (albeit done properly), too much oh-so-sexy, fairy-tale behavior from the heroine and a paint-by-numbers abuse scenario that lacks follow-through.
Moving on to...
THE UGLY (what's slightly broken)
Shattered's biggest problem remains poor/nonexistent editing...however, this needs to be put into perspective. An editor is to an author what a producer is to a musician - and like books, what consumers often think is good songwriting is actually good production. The same is true for authors.
The second thing to remember is that for independent writers good editors are hard to come by; scammers and incompetents abound. Worse, an author's editor has to be somebody who can tell the wordsmith "this sucks" in a way that will both get the point across and not make the author want to give up - and this is not easy. Again, that big author-ego comes with a price tag.
In Shattered's case, the editing problems are a shame...unlike the highly polished crap I've read from other sources, there's a good story hook in its pages. Said hook is just weighed down by prose that while inspired and pretty comes off as clunky more often than not. Moments of glory trip over themselves. Narrative dazzle shots get weighed down by a misplaced word.
To continue the "music" analogy, Shattered is the literary equivalent of a demo tape from a promising band; the core structure is refreshing and catchy, but the final product needs more knob-twisting.
CONCLUSION
In the end, I give it 2.75 stars; A solid in its field. There's things to like, and Downey takes a proverbial pool cue to some of the subgenre's more unfortunate tendencies...that had me cheering some.
After a second read-through, I still didn't fall in love but I don't hate it either. As MC romances go, Shattered & Scarred rides near the head of the pack - Hell, taking my personal sample-size as the judge its the fucking road-captain so far.
If you aren't a romance reader this book won't make you into one, but if biker love is your shot of octane Shattered is worth taking for a test drive.
March 5, 2015
This was a first time read for me by this author. I believe it had a good story line and the author does a good job of developing likeable characters. The book touched on some serious issues including spousal abuse, regaining independence, self–esteem, PSTD and second chance at love. The story revolves around a MC, formerly a 1% club that is now trying to turn over a new leaf, go legal and atone for some of their past sins. The h is a victim of 8 years of marriage and extreme abuse by a maniacal husband. All of the characters are nice guys with the exception of the ex-husband. The one member of the MC that starts out being sinister also turns into a nice guy in the end. The story does not include very much angst and is more of a sweet love story read.
The H is totally alpha and there is no doubt in the reader’s mind that he loves the h. He’s not OTT possessive but again there is no doubt of the feelings between the H/h. There is one scene of sharing when the H/h and the H’s best friend, Reaver, have sex with the h. It’s well into the story and the sex scene was written well. I was a little puzzled at the h’s total acceptance about the sharing considering her past. But I moved on past that since both she and Trig were fine with the situation. The way it was written indicated it would not be a regular occurrence.
The book includes a host of alpha male characters who are all portrayed as bad to the bone but at the same time exhibit a softer, sensitive side with the h. Everyone falls in love with the h and wants to protect her. She takes care of everyone and is the nurturer.
The writing style is good, however there was some noticeable editing issues but they were not overwhelming. I enjoyed the story and would recommend it for a lighter MC romance read. There is a HEA and no cheating.
I would like to see the next book in the series have a little more grit and up the angst level a little bit. I will be trying out the next book in the series. Hopefully, it’s going to be Reaver’s story.
The H is totally alpha and there is no doubt in the reader’s mind that he loves the h. He’s not OTT possessive but again there is no doubt of the feelings between the H/h. There is one scene of sharing when the H/h and the H’s best friend, Reaver, have sex with the h. It’s well into the story and the sex scene was written well. I was a little puzzled at the h’s total acceptance about the sharing considering her past. But I moved on past that since both she and Trig were fine with the situation. The way it was written indicated it would not be a regular occurrence.
The book includes a host of alpha male characters who are all portrayed as bad to the bone but at the same time exhibit a softer, sensitive side with the h. Everyone falls in love with the h and wants to protect her. She takes care of everyone and is the nurturer.
The writing style is good, however there was some noticeable editing issues but they were not overwhelming. I enjoyed the story and would recommend it for a lighter MC romance read. There is a HEA and no cheating.
I would like to see the next book in the series have a little more grit and up the angst level a little bit. I will be trying out the next book in the series. Hopefully, it’s going to be Reaver’s story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 19, 2014
I loved this book. Great story line, not a dull moment. Hope there ill be more to come. Plenty of good characters that need their story told. Hayden next please................
July 10, 2014
From start to finish this book had me enthralled. Absolutely loved it, and loved Ethan and Ashton even more. Ashton was put through so much torture at the hands of her evil husband yet she was still able to feel safe with Ethan. How could she not, Ethan was so adoring and protective of Ashton right from the start. I loved how Ethan was loyal to Ashton right from the start and he wasn't worried about the feelings he was having for her. He wasn't afraid of showing her his caring side towards her and even more so he wasn't afraid of his other club members knowing it either. Ashton had the guys from the club in the palm of her hands, they all adored her and all were protective of her also from the start. All but one but he came around eventually too.
Wish I could read more of these two, they were completely adorable.
Wish I could read more of these two, they were completely adorable.
July 19, 2014
I was really enjoying this book until chapter twenty when Ethan asked something of Ashton that made me kinda uncomfortable and as much as he said it was her choice she ended up giving into him in the following chapter and it only escalated from there, what really pissed me off was I felt like he kinda pressured her into getting his way. I lost my passion for reading this book and almost DNF I had to put it down and clear my head for a while before I could continue reading the rest.
I feel like that was only written to make the book more erotic but all it did was make my skin crawl. It was stated from the very beginning that Ashton had a hard time saying no so why would I believe that she was a willing participant? This girl was extremely brainwashed and even though she went on about how empowered she felt I just wasn't buying it. No one can undue 8 yrs. worth of trauma in a month and even though this is fiction this book could have done without that scene. So what would have been a five star read for me got demoted to 3.5...
I feel like that was only written to make the book more erotic but all it did was make my skin crawl. It was stated from the very beginning that Ashton had a hard time saying no so why would I believe that she was a willing participant? This girl was extremely brainwashed and even though she went on about how empowered she felt I just wasn't buying it. No one can undue 8 yrs. worth of trauma in a month and even though this is fiction this book could have done without that scene. So what would have been a five star read for me got demoted to 3.5...
June 28, 2014
This was an Amazon recommend that I really did enjoy. Loved the idea of the story and am hoping the author is going to take this to a series, there is so much I want to know about the other characters.
Loved Ethan (Trig) and Ashton together even though they fell really quickly for each other it didn't come across as rushed.
Why not 5 stars? Ethan's back story should have been fleshed out a lot more instead of just being touched upon. Also, the book needs a serious edit, the constant lack of/misplaced punctuation made for confusing and fractured reading at times which I found really distracting and annoying.
Loved Ethan (Trig) and Ashton together even though they fell really quickly for each other it didn't come across as rushed.
Why not 5 stars? Ethan's back story should have been fleshed out a lot more instead of just being touched upon. Also, the book needs a serious edit, the constant lack of/misplaced punctuation made for confusing and fractured reading at times which I found really distracting and annoying.
January 20, 2015
5 ENTHRALLING STARS
This was one of those impulsive buys, i was just reading discussion threads in the Biker Book Babes Group and came upon the author who was discussing this book.
WOW!
It grabbed me from page one (i just love it when that happens) and didnt let me go.
The synopsis describes the book as dark and gritty, i didnt think it was, granted there was the usual, drugs, abuse, murder and violence, but because the H and h and all but three of the secondary characters (and one of them redeemed himself in the end) were so sweet, genuine and likeable it took the edge off the griityness.
Ethan was such a sweetheart and there was none of that childish, verbal crap that most MC heroes spout.
Ashton was damaged, and because of her past seemed to be intent on taking care of everyone, she did come across as a little girl sometimes but did redeem herself in the way she handled other shit that was thrown at her!
A really really good read!
This was one of those impulsive buys, i was just reading discussion threads in the Biker Book Babes Group and came upon the author who was discussing this book.
WOW!
It grabbed me from page one (i just love it when that happens) and didnt let me go.
The synopsis describes the book as dark and gritty, i didnt think it was, granted there was the usual, drugs, abuse, murder and violence, but because the H and h and all but three of the secondary characters (and one of them redeemed himself in the end) were so sweet, genuine and likeable it took the edge off the griityness.
Ethan was such a sweetheart and there was none of that childish, verbal crap that most MC heroes spout.
Ashton was damaged, and because of her past seemed to be intent on taking care of everyone, she did come across as a little girl sometimes but did redeem herself in the way she handled other shit that was thrown at her!
A really really good read!
July 1, 2016
5 Fighting Stars
Ethan "Trigger" Howard rescued a girl walking on the freeway/highway in the middle of the night. Well that girl turned out to be Ashton who is married to well known lawyer. Chadwick is very abusive and have been abusing Ashton for a good eight years now. Everything is changing cause Trig is falling for Ashton hard.
“Her and me until the wheels fell off along the open road called life.”
Ethan "Trigger" Howard rescued a girl walking on the freeway/highway in the middle of the night. Well that girl turned out to be Ashton who is married to well known lawyer. Chadwick is very abusive and have been abusing Ashton for a good eight years now. Everything is changing cause Trig is falling for Ashton hard.
“Her and me until the wheels fell off along the open road called life.”
June 20, 2014
Ethan and Ashton! Wonderful. Beautifully written story with lots of interesting characters. Ashton is in an abusive marriage and is rescued by Ethan. The story unfolds and you get to see each of the characters strengths and weaknesses. This is not the typical MC romance.
June 25, 2014
This was an excellent read. I really loved the OTT Alpha and the super sweet/shy heroine.
I loved all the side characters. I loved to hate the bad guy.
The smex was OTT hot and sexy. (Warning : there is a scene involving a 3rd party, but I promise, it's hot)
I can't wait for the next in this series! Very good!
I loved all the side characters. I loved to hate the bad guy.
The smex was OTT hot and sexy. (Warning : there is a scene involving a 3rd party, but I promise, it's hot)
I can't wait for the next in this series! Very good!
July 15, 2016
This is a really great biker book. Ethan, nickname Trigger, is a fantastic hero. Extremely good to the heroine. The heroine, Ashton or Sunshine, was sweet and I really liked her too. It had some criminal elements but not like most biker books. It to me is more biker light.
July 15, 2014
This was an enjoyable read. After reading so many gritty MC books, this felt like a PG version. Engaging characters and interesting storyline. I admit I'm more curious about Reaver.
September 15, 2014
This was a really good read. I didn’t know what to expect I have never heard of this author but I got this through Kindle Unlimited and thought I would give it a try. I read MC books sporadically because they are just overdone now and I find them all a bit ridiculous.
The story does not have a lot of grit but that is because the club is a former 1% club. They have turned a new leaf and intend to stay legit.
The story focuses on the romance between Ashton aka Sunshine and Ethan aka Trig. It starts very much the same as other mc stories, abused girl rescued by biker. What I liked and thought was different was how it moved forward. Ethan saves Ashton after her abusive husband leaves her on the side of the road. While you can tell Ethan feels caveman towards her quickly he keeps it contained. His focus is helping Ashton build herself back up. A place to stay, job, and just making sure she feels safe getting back on her feet. While I love a good alpha story, the abused girl jumping into bed with the caveman biker right away gets old. It seems kind of ridiculous when he takes over her life even though she just left a controlling abusive asshole. I didn’t get that vibe with this story and it was refreshing. I loved that she built a friendship and trust with both Trig and Reaver which is why a scene later in the book made sense to me.
The story does have some formatting and editing issues. While I don’t let this affect my star rating other people will so that is something that Ms. Downey needs to clean up. I am interested to continue the series. The story had a nice flow to it and all of the characters were likable. The story does have a lot of the same elements you will find in other mc books but Ms. Downey puts her own spin on the story.
The story does not have a lot of grit but that is because the club is a former 1% club. They have turned a new leaf and intend to stay legit.
The story focuses on the romance between Ashton aka Sunshine and Ethan aka Trig. It starts very much the same as other mc stories, abused girl rescued by biker. What I liked and thought was different was how it moved forward. Ethan saves Ashton after her abusive husband leaves her on the side of the road. While you can tell Ethan feels caveman towards her quickly he keeps it contained. His focus is helping Ashton build herself back up. A place to stay, job, and just making sure she feels safe getting back on her feet. While I love a good alpha story, the abused girl jumping into bed with the caveman biker right away gets old. It seems kind of ridiculous when he takes over her life even though she just left a controlling abusive asshole. I didn’t get that vibe with this story and it was refreshing. I loved that she built a friendship and trust with both Trig and Reaver which is why a scene later in the book made sense to me.
The story does have some formatting and editing issues. While I don’t let this affect my star rating other people will so that is something that Ms. Downey needs to clean up. I am interested to continue the series. The story had a nice flow to it and all of the characters were likable. The story does have a lot of the same elements you will find in other mc books but Ms. Downey puts her own spin on the story.
April 21, 2017
Really loved this book. It is such a heartfelt story with amazing characters. Ethan and Ashton had a great connection. Their relationship was hot yet sweet as well. I like the fact the drama in the story was not from their relationship but rather outside forces. Can't wait to continue with this series as I love the secondary characters as much I do Ethan and Ashton.
HEA
Safe from Cheating
Steam level: 9/10
Angst level: Low
HEA
Safe from Cheating
Steam level: 9/10
Angst level: Low
June 23, 2014
This book was totally the type of book that I like to read. It had everything in it that I wanted. Loved Ethan (Trigger) and my heart went out to Ashton so much, I just wanted to give her a big hug. I read in another review that Hayden is next and I love that chick, hope it is with Reaver cause he was one of my favorites, loved that he was so close to Ashton and Ethan was worried about it. Don't know about Dray though, did hate him until he cried over his mum. I so hope that Dragon gets a book to want him to have a HEA as well. Would defo recommend this book if you love a good MC book with strong alpha males who swoop in and save the girl.
July 24, 2014
There is NO freaking way that a woman goes through such horrfying spousal abuse as severe as she did, would trust a man enough in such a short time to want to do what she did willingly. Even after a long time. NO-NO
Trust takes a long time to rebuild after abuse. If I read a book about all that leads up to the abuse, before, during, and after, I want to believe that the story will tell me something I can believe. I couldn't believe it.
It totally ruined the book for me. It not that I have not read about this happening but not in this situation.
Trust takes a long time to rebuild after abuse. If I read a book about all that leads up to the abuse, before, during, and after, I want to believe that the story will tell me something I can believe. I couldn't believe it.
It totally ruined the book for me. It not that I have not read about this happening but not in this situation.
January 19, 2025
Shattered and Scarred by A J Downey
When Ashton Granger gets dumped on the road in the freezing cold, shoeless, and scared by her husband after another one of his beatings, she never expects a fairy tale prince on a metal steed to come to her rescue.
Ethan, AKA Trigger, doesn’t expect to see a woman walking along a deserted road, battered and abused with no coat or shoes. He really doesn’t expect to find someone that he will love and adore.
This book is hard to review for a few reasons.
First it was three stars. I could really easily have been much higher, but it just had so many issues.
This will contain spoilers
Spoilers below - most minor
First let’s start with the fact of how small and childlike she is. It’s mentioned, only about a million times. She’s five foot. I’m 5 1 and no one goes, she’s so small. Oh my. Like a kid. Come on! If I had to hear how childlike she was one more time, being compared to and 8 and 11 year old.
Another issue is a woman suffering from domestic violence the way she did, would have a hard time relaxing that quickly with strangers unless she had a savior image of the MC. Then the author has this very abused sheltered woman suddenly agree to a threesome and voyerism. While I agree that could be empowering for a woman that has been controlled, and freeing, I also feel that two weeks after being abused, a woman wouldn’t just become that open and outgoing.
I am a musical fan, and love both Les Mis and Phantom of The Opera, but come on. The random sing a long was just weird. And the over obsession of these two shows was way too much.
I feel like the author had a great opportunity to make this an amazing book. If your looking for random spicy scenes and threesomes, than this book might hit that for you. It was spicy.
When Ashton Granger gets dumped on the road in the freezing cold, shoeless, and scared by her husband after another one of his beatings, she never expects a fairy tale prince on a metal steed to come to her rescue.
Ethan, AKA Trigger, doesn’t expect to see a woman walking along a deserted road, battered and abused with no coat or shoes. He really doesn’t expect to find someone that he will love and adore.
This book is hard to review for a few reasons.
First it was three stars. I could really easily have been much higher, but it just had so many issues.
This will contain spoilers
Spoilers below - most minor
First let’s start with the fact of how small and childlike she is. It’s mentioned, only about a million times. She’s five foot. I’m 5 1 and no one goes, she’s so small. Oh my. Like a kid. Come on! If I had to hear how childlike she was one more time, being compared to and 8 and 11 year old.
Another issue is a woman suffering from domestic violence the way she did, would have a hard time relaxing that quickly with strangers unless she had a savior image of the MC. Then the author has this very abused sheltered woman suddenly agree to a threesome and voyerism. While I agree that could be empowering for a woman that has been controlled, and freeing, I also feel that two weeks after being abused, a woman wouldn’t just become that open and outgoing.
I am a musical fan, and love both Les Mis and Phantom of The Opera, but come on. The random sing a long was just weird. And the over obsession of these two shows was way too much.
I feel like the author had a great opportunity to make this an amazing book. If your looking for random spicy scenes and threesomes, than this book might hit that for you. It was spicy.
June 28, 2016
DISCLAIMER TO MY FELLOW GOODREADER
This review is my personal opinion and may contain: spoilers, quotes, rants and swearing.
36 year old Ethan "Trigger" Howard is Sargent At Arms for The Sacred Hearts MC. Ever since leaving the Marines he has lived his life with the brotherhood. One night coming home from a run on an isolated road, Trig sees what he assumes is an animal off to the side. He is shocked to find it is a small battered woman. The clubhouse motto happens to be no women and children, but Trigger takes her anyways. There is just something about her that he cannot let go unexplored. Even if that means having his VP up his ass.
"So. Fucking. Worth. It. Because she fucking smiled and it was like the sun had come out from behind the clouds, lighting up her whole face to the point she fucking glowed. I knew right then that one man's loss had just become my treasure because there was no way I knew what I was doing but at the same time there was no way I was letting her go, the attraction was just that strong."
30 year old Ashton Granger has spent the last eight years stuck in a marriage with a man who wants perfection. After an event where Ashton spoke her mind, her husband decides she deserves a correction. A stranger on a motorcycle happens to come to her aid and she fumbled barefoot on the empty road. Ashton decides to take the opportunity to hide from her husband. Ashton starts cooking and cleaning around the clubhouse. She wins over most of the brothers. Slowly Ashton begins to let her guard down and begins living her life on her terms. Despite making new friends and becoming stronger every day, Ashton knows that her husband will come for her. It is only a matter of time.
There are SO MANY potential stories in the Sacred Heart family.
Cliffhanger – no (book #1 of series)
POV - Ashton & Trig
This review is my personal opinion and may contain: spoilers, quotes, rants and swearing.
36 year old Ethan "Trigger" Howard is Sargent At Arms for The Sacred Hearts MC. Ever since leaving the Marines he has lived his life with the brotherhood. One night coming home from a run on an isolated road, Trig sees what he assumes is an animal off to the side. He is shocked to find it is a small battered woman. The clubhouse motto happens to be no women and children, but Trigger takes her anyways. There is just something about her that he cannot let go unexplored. Even if that means having his VP up his ass.
"So. Fucking. Worth. It. Because she fucking smiled and it was like the sun had come out from behind the clouds, lighting up her whole face to the point she fucking glowed. I knew right then that one man's loss had just become my treasure because there was no way I knew what I was doing but at the same time there was no way I was letting her go, the attraction was just that strong."
30 year old Ashton Granger has spent the last eight years stuck in a marriage with a man who wants perfection. After an event where Ashton spoke her mind, her husband decides she deserves a correction. A stranger on a motorcycle happens to come to her aid and she fumbled barefoot on the empty road. Ashton decides to take the opportunity to hide from her husband. Ashton starts cooking and cleaning around the clubhouse. She wins over most of the brothers. Slowly Ashton begins to let her guard down and begins living her life on her terms. Despite making new friends and becoming stronger every day, Ashton knows that her husband will come for her. It is only a matter of time.
There are SO MANY potential stories in the Sacred Heart family.
Cliffhanger – no (book #1 of series)
POV - Ashton & Trig
May 3, 2015
She's Shattered... Ashton Granger is a perfect wife to her husband. She has to be, if she's not, he will find a way to correct any perceived imperfections. Such is life, and so it has been for a very long time, eroding Ashton's sense of self, cracking her sense of worth until she lays in a million pieces on the side of a stretch of lonely highway. He's Scarred... Ethan "Trigger man" Howard is the Sergeant of Arms for The Sacred Hearts Motorcycle club. After several tours as a Marine Corps sniper overseas, he's seen and done enough damage for a man three times his age. He's out. Done. So over it, and home to nurse his wounds, physical, emotional and psychological with the help of his MC brothers. Now he simply deals with the scars that life handed him. Was it more than just luck for he and Ashton both that he was the only other soul traveling that isolated stretch of highway that night?
Let me just say, I can't belive her the nerve of her husband! That's how he dishes the punishments? Gosh, poor Ash and the things she has been going through. Trigger is the perfect knight!
November 9, 2015
ROUNDING UP TO 3.5 RATING- So I liked this book but I didn't love it. I love a damsel in distress storylines and this was definitely that. I also really liked both characters. I was a little apprehensive reading this one because the blurb mentioned there was a ménage. Although I'm a fan of ménage I enjoy it when written as part of a committed relationship not just a random threesome hook up. That being said, I thought the ménage scene was well written and it didn't make me squeamish at all. The writing was good and there was enough sexy bits to keep me satisfied. Still I think the book was about 20% too long. The story could've wrapped up around 80% mark. Several supporting characters introduced. Would love to read Dragons story one day.
Overall an average to slightly better-than-average biker read in a series that I"ll likely continue with. It wasn't perfect but I enjoyed it.
Note: At the time this review was posted, this book was available to borrow through Amazon's Kindle Unlimited program.
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April 5, 2016
I have mixed feeling about this one. Ashton had one very long road ahead of her and it started good and slow, but in the second half of the book it was a little rushed too much was happening with her in short periods of time. And you all know how it feel to read something the author herself experienced or researched it so much she knew exactly what she was writing about and how she writes if she only thinks she knows. For the second part of the book I wasn't sure which one of the two was true and that's the reason for my mixed feelings.
But I enjoyed reading this book a lot, it was different from the others, the characters were different too and complicated in their own way.
July 21, 2014
I'm a fan of the "damsel in distress" type of book, and this one definitely started out that way. The storyline was good with interesting characters and a very protective sweet hero. Unfortunately the editing fell short with a lot of misspelled words and grammatical mistakes. I typically don't mind a few errors but this one had too many, it was really distracting.
July 16, 2014
What a great intriguing premise with so much drama and with a hunk of a male that made me drool. I was hooked at the first page. A story with feeling and with male camaraderie that keeps your interest through out but beware of explicit sexual scenes at about 68% into the book that seemed to me implausible given the heroines past. Loved the rest of the story and will look for more from this author in the future.
September 22, 2014
oooooooh...
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November 28, 2014DNF @ 85% It just got boring. I lost interest. :(
October 11, 2015
Great read. It was heartbreaking that Ashton was so abused, but it was amazing to see Ethan make her whole again. I loved this one and will definitely be reading more by this author!
October 15, 2018
This one really grew on me the more I read. Ashton was in a horrible place when the book first started. You’d hardly think a biker would be her savior, but that was just what Ethan/Trigger was. He got her to a safe place, got her help, then was just around her. Of course they quickly fell into an odd relationship, friends, but a little more. I loved that Ashton didn’t shy away from the biker lifestyle, but more embraced it. She quickly won over all members just by being herself. It was a good thing too as her ex was an asshole of gigantic proportions and by the end of the book she needed the whole club to help her have a safe place by Ethan’s side.
November 19, 2016
4 stars ****
I saw this series advertised in a group on FB. I love MC books. I love the whole biker/alpha vibe. So after reading the blurb, it was a given.
So glad I started reading. What a fast paced and gritty read.
From the get-go there is action, tension, frustration and emotion.
After finding herself walking in the freezing night air, put there by her abusive husband to "correct" her mistake she made of answering him back, Ashton Fletcher finds herself being saved by an unlikely knight on a steed of the metal two wheeled variety.
Ethan 'Trigger' Howard is a member of the Sacred Hearts MC and whilst riding out late on a job, comes across a battered and bruised tiny woman walking barefoot along the highway. Feeling he cannot leave her and having a sense of protection towards her, he takes her to the club. There, Ashton or Sunshine as Ethan calls her, starts to bloom whilst under the protection of the club. Finding love with Ethan isn't bad either. But as Ashton knows all too well that good things don't last and her husband will not let her go that easy.
I loved the storyline. There are very few authors who can write issues involving abuse and write them tastefully. This author did this. Plus there are things you know that are going to be raised in later books and here's hoping those are tastefully done too.
I loved the chemistry between Ashton and Trig. From the start it has always been about a deep seated protection for both of them. That's not to say they don't have a hot connection because they do. You can feel the attraction between them. It's just a trust they have. It shines.
I loved the secondary characters, they were funny and spunky. I look forward to their stories.
I would definitely recommend this book. It had all the elements and it's definitely going to be a series I continue.
Happy Reading :-)
I saw this series advertised in a group on FB. I love MC books. I love the whole biker/alpha vibe. So after reading the blurb, it was a given.
So glad I started reading. What a fast paced and gritty read.
From the get-go there is action, tension, frustration and emotion.
After finding herself walking in the freezing night air, put there by her abusive husband to "correct" her mistake she made of answering him back, Ashton Fletcher finds herself being saved by an unlikely knight on a steed of the metal two wheeled variety.
Ethan 'Trigger' Howard is a member of the Sacred Hearts MC and whilst riding out late on a job, comes across a battered and bruised tiny woman walking barefoot along the highway. Feeling he cannot leave her and having a sense of protection towards her, he takes her to the club. There, Ashton or Sunshine as Ethan calls her, starts to bloom whilst under the protection of the club. Finding love with Ethan isn't bad either. But as Ashton knows all too well that good things don't last and her husband will not let her go that easy.
I loved the storyline. There are very few authors who can write issues involving abuse and write them tastefully. This author did this. Plus there are things you know that are going to be raised in later books and here's hoping those are tastefully done too.
I loved the chemistry between Ashton and Trig. From the start it has always been about a deep seated protection for both of them. That's not to say they don't have a hot connection because they do. You can feel the attraction between them. It's just a trust they have. It shines.
I loved the secondary characters, they were funny and spunky. I look forward to their stories.
I would definitely recommend this book. It had all the elements and it's definitely going to be a series I continue.
Happy Reading :-)
February 25, 2016
Book: Shattered & Scarred (The Sacred Hearts MC #1)
Author: A.J. Downey
Publication Date: 6/10/2014
Reviewed by: Tammy Payne- Book Nook Nuts
My Rating: 4 Stars
REVIEW
*May contain spoilers *
New to me author.
This is my first time reading anything by this author. With that being said let me, get on with the review.
1. I felt the story line was good although a little choppy in areas.
2. I really liked the dynamics between Ashton and Trigger-Ethan
3. I personally having lived with abuse would have loved to rip the throat out of Ashtons ex-husband Chadwick who yes demands to be called Chadwick.
4. Ashton talked a lot about her past and upbringing but we were not given a whole lot of back-story on Ethan.
The story flowed well although it was choppy in some areas. The book would have earned 5 stars from me had it been properly edited and gone over by a proofreader. Many words were misspelled or just missing. Now with that being said it is a first in a series and could very well be a first book for the author at the time of it's writing. So it gets a rating I feel comfortable with. I hope to read the other books now available in this series.
Would I recommend it? Yes, if you like biker books and you do not cringe at abuse.
I was gifted this book some time back for an honest review.
A.J. Downey
Author: A.J. Downey
Publication Date: 6/10/2014
Reviewed by: Tammy Payne- Book Nook Nuts
My Rating: 4 Stars
REVIEW
*May contain spoilers *
New to me author.
This is my first time reading anything by this author. With that being said let me, get on with the review.
1. I felt the story line was good although a little choppy in areas.
2. I really liked the dynamics between Ashton and Trigger-Ethan
3. I personally having lived with abuse would have loved to rip the throat out of Ashtons ex-husband Chadwick who yes demands to be called Chadwick.
4. Ashton talked a lot about her past and upbringing but we were not given a whole lot of back-story on Ethan.
The story flowed well although it was choppy in some areas. The book would have earned 5 stars from me had it been properly edited and gone over by a proofreader. Many words were misspelled or just missing. Now with that being said it is a first in a series and could very well be a first book for the author at the time of it's writing. So it gets a rating I feel comfortable with. I hope to read the other books now available in this series.
Would I recommend it? Yes, if you like biker books and you do not cringe at abuse.
I was gifted this book some time back for an honest review.
A.J. Downey
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