Mean Machine

Untouchables MC #2

by Joanna Blake

I swore off women years ago. I’m better off alone. Until the gorgeous single mom walks into my bar and changes everything.
Everyone thought I was next in line to lead The Untouchables MC. That is, until a tragic accident takes my heart out of the game. I decided life was simpler on my own.
Well, other than the strays I take in.
I have a scruffy dog and two cats. I even had a teenage runaway under my roof before she up and married an FBI agent. But that’s another story.
Now I’m all alone, running the biker bar I own and love.
Hell, if the Mason Jar was a person, I’d marry it.
When the gorgeous girl walks into my bar looking for a job, I’m inclined to say no. Not because I don’t want her around.
Because I do.
She’s been hurt but she’s still kind. She’s a good mom even though they’ve been through hard times. And she’s so beautiful she takes my breath away. She’s not put off by my gruff exterior either. She doesn’t judge me or the leather I wear.
And her kid has me wrapped around her little finger.
But is that enough to get her into my bed?
After years alone, I’m ready to dust myself off and try again. But it’s more than just sex. She makes me believe in miracles.
Now I’m just praying for the biggest miracle of all.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Audiobook, Childrens, Novella, Adult

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 15, 2017

About the author

Joanna Blake loves good old fashioned romance, men who open doors and work with their hands. Hot Blooded Heroes is a series of sizzling stories about True Blue American men and the women who love them. She's thrilled to be collaborating with Pincushion Press on her new series! Come along for the ride!
XoX,
Joanna
*********

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Joanna loves to hear from her fans! Please contact her at JoannaBlakeRomance@gmail.com

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Reviews

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author is hit and miss for me in fact it’s more miss than hit and so I’d more or less decided not to read anymore of her books. But this one caught my eye and I thought I’d try one more time and I’m so glad I did.

I don’t know if this was just the right book at the right time but I really enjoyed it. The only thing I didn’t like was the abrupt ending but that’s a thing with this author, I wish she’d discover epilogues.

Anyway back to the book.
It’s sweet, sickly sweet and I cried a lot it’s so damn sweet.

Michelle was pregnant at sixteen and thrown out and since then it’s just been her and her daughter Paton. Michelle has managed even if it’s means she starves so her daughter can eat and yes sometimes they have to sleep in the car. She’s also stunningly beautiful which makes her a target for sleazy men.
Mason lives the life of a monk, there no other woman to worry about here he’s just not interested. Well until Michelle comes into his bar looking for work and wins his heart.

You know how this goes but it’s such a nice journey getting there.
In all honesty this is a 3* read but I enjoyed it so much I’m upping it to 4* plus I’m going back to read the previous book Cuffed.

[Miki’s⚠️ Safety Reviews & Rants⚠️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

❤️Completely safe
❤️No OW OM
❤️Hero celibate 10yrs reformed manwhore
‼️h celibate 9 yrs and only had sex 2 times in her life 🙄
❤️Insta love
❤️Single mom
‼️He so protective of them both
🎧Audio was great duel narration



-I did find some of my enjoyment for this book cut short by the H lack of alpha ness. I expected him to be more alpha!
-He would kiss the h then quickly reject her (3x) and it would hurt her and his reasons for not pursuing her were dumb…. He wasn’t good enough or whatever.

-So I got frustrated cause the h was younger and very vulnerable so the H really pissed me off for his continued behavior and not just claiming his woman. He came off like a simp not an alpha.
Now I do love me a Simp but I felt this series and this man needed to be an Alpha!

But it was safe and I still enjoyed it a lot
Sex at 80% I’m glad it wasn’t ALL sex in this book like the previous

[Fatimama · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was kinda boring and Mason didn't really come off as Alpha. Maybe I like my biker alpha to be ott j/p. It was just sooo sweet all around that I dozed off. Michelle was definitely a dame in distress with her kid and Mason just kinda adopts them.

[Jen ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐ (rounding up cuz both MCs are born again Vs 😂)


The romance was adorable, although it had some dark themes. I enjoyed Mason (early 30s) and Michelle (mid-20s). Ngl, though the pulling away from Mason kind of took so much longer than was necessary. The "I'm not good enough for her" would only take you so far, and it'll get tiring and repetitive after quite some time. Still, I'm glad he finally cleared his head and eventually got his girl. 

Also, I think it's a running theme in this series for the MMCs to lock up something. 😅 In book 1, Connor chained Casey to his house so that she wouldn't escape, and in this one, Mason boots Michelle's car. Now I'm curious about the next book. 😂

Anyway, it was a short read and slowburn too. Very safe too! 🤭 I honestly didn't expect much in this story because I DNF the first one, so I'm really glad that I ended up enjoying this one. 

Anyhoo, onto the next book. 🤭


Book info:
- MC romance
- Age gap (??)
- Single mom
- Workplace romance
- Forced proximity
- Serial unaliving
- No cheating, OPD
- No V (both decades since)
- HEA (married and pregnant)
 

[Cyndi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, safe and mostly sweet!

[Alex ♈ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Sweet, even cheesy...
but I needed such read!

[Callie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was mostly a sweet, low angst read between a single mom (Michelle) and her boss Mason who instantly likes her.

Apparently every waitress he’s ever hired in his restaurant has fallen in love with him and he’s not interested. I felt like that was a little dramatic but I get the allure of having the one woman who changes things for him.

I didn’t read the first book - I wasn’t that confused, but there were some random chapters with other character’s POVs that I didn’t think were very necessary.

There’s also a random killer and danger from him that doesn’t amount to anything in this book. I’m guessing it will be continued in the future, but it sort of felt out of place with the cuteness of the rest?

I did like Michelle’s daughter, and how Mason was instantly protective of both of them.

Even though she had a baby as a teen, Michelle hasn’t been with anyone since and she’s “practically a virgin” but thankfully Mason has been celibate for years so at least it wasn’t the usual manho pairing. 😅 They don’t mention why he is though.

I thought the ending was sort of abrupt. Also…he says he wants to marry her and she says yes I’ll marry you - but then a couple pages later he goes down on one knee and asks her to marry him? Was it just reiterating it or did we forget about the proposal from minutes ago? Who knows.

Anyway, it was an ok quick read if you need something fast and cute.

[Fiction Junkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. I love how they loved each other. Took awhile for them to actually get together, but it was definitely worth it.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want Cain's book for fuck"s sake

[Starr (AKA Starrfish) Rivers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Writing is boring. Every sentence is a darn paragraph! Who writes like that?

[Christina Youngren · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do you put in to words how much you love Mason in this story? Not only that but you fall in love with Michelle and Paton as well and then you add in characters like Cass, Conner, Cain, Shane and Shorty and everything is perfect. The book was a start of something fabulous and I cant wait for more books to come. Reading the story and having the heartbreaking tale of Michelle and Paton's background makes you want to do as Mason has done and just reach right in and take care of them. Mason is a caregiver, no doubt. He may come from the biker gang, he may be gruff but he is marvelous in way that touches your heart at how he wants to care for those who need it and the people he loves. Michelle is a mother through and through giving up her own needs to do everything for her child. These two are magic and perfect together forming their mother daughter unit which grabs Mason by the heart and holds on for dear life. Something scary and dangerous is lurking around and it time to protect those you love not only for Mason but for Conner and Cain as well. I cant wait to see how all these men work to bring safety and a killer to his knees. It is a story of heartbreak,suspense, love, some laughter and all out amazing. Thanks for the new book, love it!

[Livros A Go-Go ~Joyci ~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5
Estava com saudade de ler um livro de MC e gostei da sinopse desse aqui...valeu, rápido e gostosinho de ler. *_*

[April Symes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awww, finally Mason get his HEA. I loved Mason from Cuffed. This is his story in Mean Machine.
Mason, the hero was a secondary character in Cuffed. Now he is the main character and this is a standalone story but I would recommend reading Cuffed. Mason is 100% pure alpha love in this story. He is sweet, strong , and possessive. He doesn’t seem to have any weakness except one – her name is Michelle. She has had a pretty rough time and just wants to find her slice of happiness, for herself and her little girl. Life has been rough and she is desperate for work and a place to live since she and her little girl are homeless.
Mason is also going thru some things in his life and right at the time Michelle needs a helping hand, Mason sees her need and offers her a job. There is this immediate, sizzling chemistry between Mason and Michelle. Mason fights it but soon he goes all in and he is possessive with Michelle and her little girl. The emotions in this story will grab you and wont let go. I teared up a few times, that is how sweet and lovely this story is; there is also a lot of passion and heat between Mason and Michelle which was great to read. Ms. Blake wrote a very well thought out story and brought back some previous characters and we get to meet some new characters – this was a fantastic plot, with some twists and turns. It all ends up with an awesome HEA.

My Rating: 4.5 stars *****
“I received an advanced copy of this book from the author at no cost to me."

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mason doesn't have any interest in a woman, he doesn't dabble with them and he certainly never gives them a sense that he is interested. After another waitress quits after he shows no interest in anything more than a professional relationship, he knows it is going to be hard to find a new one but then Michelle walks in his door. The haunted look and shy personality throws Mason for a loop and he is interested. He doesn't realize that Michelle is a single mom but one look at her daughter he is smitten with the two of them. He wants to protect both of them but can he do it with out acting on his feelings for the woman he is falling hard for.

This had layers to the story which I really liked. Mason is a complex character and I enjoyed reading how the story unfolded. I felt for Michelle she struggles but you are cheering for her to succeed. Looking forward to more in the series.

[Jos · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars.....Just "ok"

OK, so this was just an alright read for me. I loved Mason but Michelle's whole situation from the start was for me, a turn-off:( I just couldn't quite get fully invested and it's too bad because the writing was good, it was just the h's side of the story that just couldn't;t get my attention unfortunately.

[Jacqueline's Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t realize how light and easy this book would be but I have nothing against that.

Light on angst.
Steamy scenes.
Damsel heroine
Alpha male.

This was a super short read (I didn’t realize there was more than one book in this book)

Love the single mom and the white knight alpha hero.

It’s a good in between filler book for a short rainy day.

[Princess J. Antoinette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book if you wanted safe and cute.. It's as if the author is scared to take her heroine or hero's into any actual dangerous situations. She just have the threat there but that's all, just damn dry toast without any jelly.

Oh well, like I said it was cute.

Overall rating:
3.4*~Okay Read

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of those books I picked up just because I liked the cover. I read the blurb too before adding it to my kindle. Like IDK 3 weeks later I finally got to reading it (without rereading the blurb). So it was kind of a blind read.

And kind of....



I almost want to rate it a 2. For most of the book I hovered at a constant 3. There wasn't anything that bad. It read easily and fast and I've read WAY worse.

BUT I feel like the h/H are so black and white. Not even shades of grey. Pretty vanilla. Flat. 2-dimensional. You get the point.

Did we really get to know them? Not really, so I found it hard to connect with them.

The book is mostly told through Mason and Michelle's POV except for the handful of chapters which included POV's of I think 5 different people. Not a fan. Kind of distracting. I want to assume it's the authors way of adding to the outside plot that is obviously bruing and what will probably be expanded on in later books. Don't care enough about it so may not continue.

There were 3 scenes around the 10-8% left in the book that I wanted to flat out rate the book a 2 but i'll leave it at 3 on account for the ending. I'm a sucker for a HEA.

That's all from me, folks.

[CeCe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was unable to connect. DNF.
I loved the premise, but the execution was weak.
I love these type of stories...homeless heroine meets the protective hero. However, this stories had a few things that did not work.

#1 - The switch in POVs happened too quickly. Just as I was connecting to one character, there was a switch. We get Cassandra’s POV too.
#2 - The hero was described as alpha, but he really wasn’t. He was protective, but in stories like these, the hero need to be OTT J/P. I was told he he was OTT J/P, but he wasn’t. His POV also sounded a bit weak.
#3 - The whole criminal aspect of the story was weak and stretching for some drama.
#4 - The dialogue/verbiage was awkward and felt forced at times.
#5 - It was very sugary sweet.

[Linda Wager · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big cliffhanger! Hope book 2 comes soon!!!

I love Joanna’s books. Every one of them pulls me in and I’m good for nothing until they’re finished.
I really loved this book but was really disappointed in how it ended. HUGE CLIFFHANGER!!!!!!
The thing that bugged me the most is the chapter ended and the next chapter was a new book!
Nothing to show what was coming or that book 2 was coming.... just a totally different book.
Mean Machine was good. The characters were all very well developed and the storyline was great.
I fell into the story and will be looking for book 2.

[Teresa Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Mason and Micheles amazing love story♡

[Tianna✸loves books✸ · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, I have huge expectations from Joanna Blake. But this didn't live up to my expectations. Lately her books are kinda boring.

So the hero is a biker and owns a bar. Heroine is very poor, with not even a house. And have just lost her job. She has a daughter. They live in the car. She comes to the hero's bar for the job of waitress. She is hired. He is quite smitten with her. Everyday she gives her share of food to her daughter. One day the hero comes to know about the heroine's condition. He takes them to his home and kinda adopts them. This is the basic story. But let's add some suspense in this. And then the HEA.

This was just okay. Being a biker I wanted the hero to be an alpha. But he is kind of a gentleman. Even during their first kiss he pushes her away. And him having said at the beginning that every waitress before tried to throw themselves at him. It felt bad. The herione also tries to kiss him and he denies her. Anyways it's just once. Later on he is good but boring.

[Karen Bullock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ummm.. I don't know what happened to the story but there wasn't even a cliff hanger?! Who writes about a murderer on the loose and then fills the remaining pages with a cliche' romance? Older solitude biker falls for pretty young single mom? They live happily ever after? & what happened to the psycho? Seriously disappointed.

[Jenny Wood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Im not sure this one was for me.
While this is a first for me by this author, I think the writing style just isn't for me.
The dialogue is cringy and everything happens at warp speed.... which is insane.
First, we have Mason, owner of a restaurant slash bar, some part of an MC though not an active member. He's sworn off women forever, dunno why, its weird.

Then we have Michelle and her kid paton, which I think was supposed to be like peyton but Im not real sure... they called her pay and pate, so.... whatever. Shes 9 and theyre living in their car, while Michelle looks for work. That whole part was ridiculous to me. She leaves her kid in a locked car for whole shifts and sometimes doubles and he kid never has to go to the bathrtoom or gets tired or complains about being alone in a car for hours and hours every day.
I mean its cool, she had a book, right...... how long was this book, I wonder. ... enough for her to never get bored apparently.

Their cluelessness was also annoying. NObody is that clueless. Assuming wrong things and acting like children... the hot and cold... just ugh.. that drove me crazy!

Then there were different point of views from random people, including the killer. It was just insane! Cringy and just, bad.... I hate to even say that, but Im baffled, honestly how this has so many amazing reviews....
I think this will be my only stop with his author, hot cover, great blurb and concept, terrible wriitng.

[The Nutbarn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a well written MC book and was intrigued from the start about this one since it seemed that it wasn't your typical read. Some of it was very typical in the sense that yes he is biker guy with a tough exterior with a very soft interior.

What was not totally typical is the backstory of the heroine. Yes, they typically have a hard luck story but this one really got me.

Michelle is a tough woman dealing with life in the best way possible; a strong back and determination. She knows she has to because she has a daughter that needs her. Between her and Paton they end up wrapping Mason in knots and making him fall in love with them.

Mason owns a bar, takes in strays and earns loyalty from everyone he meets. He has a long track record of celibacy and is not looking to change that anytime soon. He fights against the desire he feels for her but of course gives in and they fall into bed.

I have one minor complaint being that of course the woman is near virginal but is conveniently on birth control and a sex machine. Why?

My only real complaint about this book is that you get a huge time jump. Six months and the story still isn't resolved. Maybe their story is but I would have liked to have a more finished feel. Since this is part of a series maybe this is the hook the author used to make me come back for more. I liked the style of writing enough to consider reading the next one.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this is a stand alone, and a new series, the main character Mason has been previously written about in the book Cuffed.
Mason Saint James owns the local bar, The Jar, when he finds himself looking for a replacement waitress where he meets Michelle Buchhannon. Michelle is a single mother of a young daughter named Paton, who are down on their luck when she applies for the waitressing job at The Jar. When the owner, a handsome older biker, gives her the job she is slightly relieved but knows that she still has a lot of work to do to save enough money for a small apartment for her and her daughter, all while sleeping with her daughter in their car until then. When Mason discovers her secret, he immediately brings the young girl inside to sleep in his office, but when he finds them in the car for a second time, he decides to bring them home. As the sparks begin to fly between the pair, Mason tries to keep her away, but as their chemistry grows, so does their need to be together. Will Mason give in to Michelle’s flirtatious ways? And what will happen with the pair when he eventually does?
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book.

[Hope Dillin · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars because...

I liked it. The characters were fun but it was a little too.... idk. Unbelievable. They both happened to be celibate for 10 years and never attracted to another soul. And then book they meet each other and his weeeman starts working again because she has auburn hair and freckles.... and I'm sorry but she's obviously not stupid but instead of parking in a safe parking lot to sleep homeless with her 9 year old she sleeps on the side of a deserted highway. Nopppe not it for me.

[Cheyenne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mason is definitely one of my favorite characters from this series. I loved him in Cuffed and I was so happy to get to read his story. He can be so kind and caring to those he wants to take care of. This story had great characters, I loved them all. It held my interest through-out and the ending left me wanting more. I look forward to reading more from Joanna Blake and would recommend this story!

[mad4rombks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Homeless heroine and her nine year old daughter living in their car. She gets a job at the hero's bar and takes food to her daughter who waits in the car, in the back of the lot, until her mom finishes her shifts. It's days before the hero finds out they've been living in a pay by day motel when the motel has no vacancies one night and they sleep in their car on the side of the road. He finds them the next day when he's on his way to work and practically moves them in with him.

Book ends at the 50% mark because another one is included.

[Brandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was okay for me. Sweet, gritty & suspenseful but not super memorable. Really liked the main characters but I wish there was more of an MC element to it; as in the Hero was more involved with the MC.

I'll probably continue on with the series but will wait a bit before doing so.