As President of the Demented Sons MC, I don’t have time in my life for a woman. It’s not easy running a chapter and raising a teenager alone. Except sometimes life nails you like a freight train.
Nothing prepared me for her.
A ghost from the past, she barreled in wanting something from me I wasn’t prepared to give. Trying to keep my club together and my daughter from going off the rails, while staying under my enemy’s radar had me wound tight. Haunted by icy blue eyes and a sexy smile, I caved…
Now I’m caught in a web that’s destined to get me killed.
There was a scene that seemed to come out of nowhere that made me think he’s not possessive of her as we’re supposed to think, and by the end of the book, it still seemed to be more of an arrangement between them than some epic love. Not a fan of ‘replacement’ heroines.
Still, the book was better than other shit that’s out there...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I did receive this book for a honest review This book can be read as a standalone, but other characters make appearances from the other books in series. This book was such a good read, well developed characters and good story line . I would not call this a second chance but the characters knew each other since childhood, they both lived through ups and downs and loss !! Nova comes to town hoping Smoke can help with something, take a chance and read this book. I could not put it down , I read it in one sitting !!
I love all of Kristine Allen’s book, but this one just blew me away! I was totally engrossed from the first paragraph! So many twists and turns and finally a steamy, hot HEA! As always Kristine has exceeded my expectations and I can’t wait for the next one!
This is Smoke's, aka Grayson, and Nova's story. Smoke is the President of the Demented Son's MC Texas chapter. Nova was a little girl who was home schooled and lived right by Grayson.... they were best friends. When she was allowed to go to regular school, Nova, became best friends also to Tessa...the future wife to Grayson.
This is a great story but wanted to warn there is a few sad moments. Grayson has also been a single father for 16 years. His daughter is like a typical teen age girl.
I think this is my favorite book of this series. (This review will contain spoilers). I loved Smoke. He was so hot and sexy and funny. I loved his interactions with pretty much everyone. I thought it was sad that he wouldn’t let himself move on from losing his wife when he was 18. He was so young. He did a great job raising his daughter from that marriage though. Mattie (his daughter)was just awesome. Enter Nova. I loved her so much! His childhood friend and his late wife’s best friend. She introduced Smoke to his late wife. Nova never let on that she had loved Smoke/Grayson since she was six years old. Anyway. She returns to town 16 years later because she wants a baby and she wants to ask Grayson to father the baby. He says no. They end up hooking up. They having amazing chemistry at this point (even though Smoke never thought of her that way before). Now that she’s all grown up he’s insanely attracted to her. Their on/off relationship starts from there. He’s very hot and cold with her but she doesn’t put up with his crap and she puts him in his place several times and it was awesome. Their relationship grows and I really love how it evolved. The ending was also very good. There is one scene that I was a little unsure of. About Eighty percent in, Smoke invites his VP in to share her while he’s having sex with her. I thought that was totally out of character for him to do that even though he said it would never happen again. It was like a last “hoorah” before he truly claimed her. Smoke just seemed like the type who would never want anyone else touching his woman. He seemed to regret later though and that was satisfying.
OH MY! Smokes story is smoking hot 🔥🔥🔥 Muy Caliente 🔥
Scream! I LOVED this book. Smoke is the president to the Demented Sons MC TX chapter. He has an sweet and sassy teenage daughter named Mattie. Smoke and his highachool sweetheart were teenage parents, and sadly his wife passed away when Mattie was baby. He never really gets over the passing of his beloved wife. 16 years after her death...Nova..Smoke and his dead wife's childhood friend comes into town....with a mind boggling proposal for Smoke. Nova and Smoke were friends first as children...she loved Smoke ever since..but he never looked at her that way. When Nova transitioned from homeschool to public school she became friends w Tess as well ( smokes wife)....they all hung out as great friends..and Nova always kept her feelings for Grayson ( Smokes) to herself since she respected her 2 friends relationship. When Nova comes back to town Smokes tries to keep his distance from her because she reminds him of his past. This story made my heart flutter. Smokes doesn't want to admit he has feelings for Nova...but when Novas ex/a biker from another club comes around trying to win Nova back...Smoke becomes jealous and possessive. Without giving away too many spoilers..let me just say you will need some ice to cool your self down when it comes to the office scene with Smoke, Nova and Straight 🔥🔥🔥 nearly melted my kindle...would have been worth it too 😂. I admit I read it several times 😍. This book is SO good. ❤ Kristine Allen and her talented writing.
WHAT A WILD RIDE OF A STORY! Following the previous book in this series, this book focuses on the president of the Texas chapter, Smoke (aka Grayson), and this author gives us the backstory as well as his own story to give us a well-rounded storyline and HEA for him. Nova is from his past and her reintroduction into his life has him addressing his past both with and without her, and the ability to act on feelings he didn’t even realize he had. Combined with their love story, we also get a suspenseful story involving both Nova and Smoke’s pasts apart and how those pasts intertwined together. Without giving away anything, I couldn’t get enough of this book, mainly because of the suspense of finding out who exactly was behind everything and Smoke getting his feelings in order. Per usual, we get the same style of writing and solid storyline from this author, and all this book did was make me excited for the next in the series! I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
I loved this book! Smoke is such a great role model and strong man, that faced a lot of shit at such a young age! Sex scenes are amazing for example:“Breathe through your nose and relax your throat,” he said softly, then gave a shuddering exhale. Every time Grayson shoved into me, it pushed me forward and rammed Straight’s cock down my throat. I did my best to remember to relax. Each time his head slid over my tongue, the metal tickled , and I wiggled it back and forth. Though I shouldn’t be, I was so incredibly turned on. To top off the sensation overload, Grayson slid his thumb through my wetness and rimmed my puckered hole. With his next thrust, he pushed it past the opening, and my eyes rolled back in my head.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Smoke and Mirrors is one of the best and well written MC novels I have read in a long time. I could not put it down, and ended up reading it in one sitting. There are so many twist and turns, not to mention passion, humor, pain,anger, and true love. I won't reveal any parts of the book, because quite frankly I wouldn't be able to do the book justice. If you are an MC fan, do yourself a favor and grab your copy. You will not be disappointed.
I'm in love with the brothers of the Demented Sons Texas chapter. Smoke and Nova have a long and convoluted history that really touched me. I was thrilled to see them finally come together. I was also heartbroken during this read. I don't give spoilers, but this was an emotional and gut punching read.
Loved, loved, loved this book! Smoke is a great, well developed character. I was drawn in from the first paragraph. I enjoy everything Kristine Allen writes but this was definitely one of my favorites. Check out this series, you will not be disappointed!
This review is for the audiobook. I really enjoyed Smoke's story! Smoke and Nova were great together with just enough conflict to appease my angst loving heart. I really liked Nova's character, she was a bit naive but otherwise held her own pretty well. Smoke was a good guy and I liked how he took care of everyone. This was a bit of a sad story but I liked that we got to catch up with past characters. The story itself was interesting and held my attention well. I thought it was well written and had a good pace. The narrators did a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life and telling the story. Overall I loved Smoke and Mirrors and would definitely recommend.
Smoke (Grayson) is the President of the Demented Sons MC in Texas. When a blast from his past moves to town it opens up past wounds that surround the death of his wife. Nova feels time is ticking and hatches a plan where she wants to ask Smoke a favor. Smoke doesn't know what to do with Nova, on the one hand he things she is crazy on the other the chemistry between them sizzles whenever she is near. Smoke has enough on his plate with his teenage daughter and club but something keeps leading him back to Nova. Can he be enough to build a relationship with her or does he need to let her go without a backward glance?
The one thing I appreciate with this series is that each book is completely different then the previous one. Smokes story is a bit more dark and he surprised me by his feelings toward Nova. There was a couple of surprises in the book that I never saw coming. Couldn't put this one down.
H rating: 4/5 - Grayson/Smoke. Great guy, but his reluctance and then his slip up in bed really docked him for me. I know it was in his sleep but ughhhh...I can't.
h rating:4/5 - Nova- How did she date all of these terrible guys and not know that Dom was one too? Also, her plan for initially reaching out seemed a bit uncool.
Drama:4/5 - Bad guys galore...
Thoughts: Oy..So I understood that she loved him first, but I hated that she thought it would be okay to have his child and him not want to be a part of it's life. Also WHY HIM?! Dead best friends EX WIFE> Yes it made the story more interesting but that seemed like such a slap to her memory. IMO. Very curious about this mystery bad guy.
Another fantastic book by the author, sadistic enemies, demented ex boyfriend, a long lost friend from the past, a brotherhood of bikers, murder, mayhem, plenty of twists and turns, action and intrigue, add in tone of sexual chemistry and romance and you have one unforgettable read. Thoroughly enjoyable characters with an interesting storyline, well worth your time to read. If you haven't read the rest of the series you'll want to.
I enjoyed this book, and this chapter of the Demented Sons MC. There was plenty of humor, sadness, hurt feelings, drama/action, and learning to trust again and moving forward in life. I appreciated how the story naturally unfolded. It didn’t feel forced, and nothing felt like it was made to be there just for a quick plot device.
I like second chance love stories, and I’m in love with biker stories- so this one definitely did what it was meant to do. It drew me in- making me feel like the characters were real.
I loved Smoke’s daughter, Mattie. She truly felt like a real teenager to me. She was funny, laid back, had her sassy teen attitude, very accepting, and did make some teen mistakes that made her feel real. She wasn’t a mean girl teen, a brat, or too perfect. She has just the right amount of everything to balance her out and I loved her from the start.
I loved the brothers and brotherhood of this chapter. I loved their playfulness, their humor, their true feelings and not afraid to show them. I appreciated their true emotions in situations and not trying to be over the top alpha/idiot man or no feelings kind of a guy. I felt like they had a good balance of who they were.
I appreciated Smoke’s dilemmas and how he tried to handle life as a dad of a teen, a president, and his growing feelings.
Nova- I liked how she was strong and not a bimbo who lets her body rule all thoughts and reasons as most h’s do in the MC genre. I loved when she would stand up to Smoke too. She knew when to walk away even though she was hopelessly in love with Smoke.
I loved Toby/Torque. I hope we see a story for him with his MC.
The only two things that bothered me were: 1. I didn’t buy the love between Smoke and Nova. Maybe from Nova, but Smoke!? Nope. It was too fast and questionable coming from him. Especially after something happened one night between them.
2. I really questioned Smoke’s feelings when he decided to share Nova with another brother after basically claiming her... though he states it was only a technicality and after that moment she was truly his Old Lady. I call BS on that. That was very left field and I didn’t like it one bit. Maybe early on in the story but at 80%? Nope.
I can’t wait to see what else is in store for this chapter of the Demented Sons series.
I'd been waiting for the book of the Prez of the Demented Sons MC Texas chapter. Smoke has been the Prez for a while and has been everyone's backbone and shoulder to lean on whenever they needed it. He had to grow up and be responsible very early in life. When he and his girlfriend Anna got pregnant his senior year of high school. They'd married and tried to make the best of things the best they could, but life had other plans for them when he lost her in a tragic accident. He dedicated himself to his daughter and his club. He was pretty adamant that he didn't need nor wanted a relationship or an old lady in his life. That all changed when Nova, his childhood friend and neighbor, showed up in town and made a proposition that left his head spinning. So much happens in this book that threatened to keep them apart. There were many secrets revealed, and old wounds re-opened. There were so many close calls, brothers hurt and brothers lost but in the end Smoke and Nova get their happily ever after. I can't wait to see what happens next in Gunny's book and then in the Iowa chapters book as well.
READING CHALLENGE - The 52 Book Club 2022 PROMPT - Feb Mini Challenge Mirror Mirror TITLE: Smoke and Mirrors AUTHOR: Kristine Allen SERIES: Demented Sons MC DATE PURCHASED: October 2020/TNTNYC
This book teetered between a 3.75 and 4 star read for me. It is book 3 in a series and while I have never read another in this particular series, I was able to keep up. There are a few things that made me not love this story. 3/4s of the way through, there is a completely out of character scene. It's almost like the author thought - hey let's put a 3way here. Also, a situation with the mc's daughter and the under-reaction of such an alpha dad really took me out of the story.
All in all, this was an ok read for me. I read it in one day, curled up on the couch while it is 4F outside. It kept me interested enough to read cover to cover.
I would not pass up other books by this author if given the opportunity to read. I have a few friends who are HUGE fans.
I recently discovered Kristine Allen's books, and I am glad I did. I was immediately drawn into the world Kristine Allen created. I became invested in the characters. The love story between Smoke and Nova is intertwined with suspense. I liked the way Smoke's backstory is written. It gives the reader insight into his feelings and actions towards Nova. I will definitely re-read this book. I highly recommend reading this book and the series.
I received an Advanced Reader Copy and this is my honest review
Smoke is the president of his MC, a single father and has been a widow for too long. When his past comes back into his life changes begin to happen. Changes he's fighting against.
Nova has returned home. She's an attorney now and has her own practice. She encounters Smoke, her crush since childhood and propositions him. She doesn't get the response she wanted but the ball doesn't begin to roll between them.
I loved Smoke and Nova. This story was full of pain, drama and Steamy scenes. It was a damn good read!
This was a very emotional and fast paced story. It starts with a traumatic event, then progresses to another traumatic loss, and finishes with an ultimate traumatic experience... There are 4 deaths and 3 seriously injured throughout the story. Its a very fast moving story that finishes with more to be told so hopefully there are more stories to come... This story did have one part that made it better for me than the same old sex scenes.... This one has a threesome... Not that it's anymore than a fun fantasy fulfilled.
Nova and Grayson have a past, she was his neighbor and friend growing up. Sixteen years later Grayson aka Smoke is the president of the demented sons MC and a single father to Mattie. Nova is a lawyer and has moved to the town Smoke lives. Nova shows back up in Smokes life with a agenda in mind. How will Smoke react to seeing her again and what she wants? What will happen when danger shows? Will they get a HEA?
OMG!! THAT WAS SOOOOOOO EMOTIONAL 4 ME!! that shit that happened 2 check was inexcusable especially when they don't know exactly what happened. I was in tears!! I really thought he would make it!! Smoke had a surprise from his childhood with Nova. But things kept on going sideways. I can't believe everything that happened. But what happened 2 Toby? DoD he die or did he make? It doesn't say. That aggravates me when it leaves important things out lime that and u don't know a answer.
Another amazing book from this author. This book grabs your attention and makes it impossible to put down. The characters have wonderful chemistry throughout this book. You will fall in love with this book. If you love MC books I recommend that you read this book as well as the complete series. Can't wait to read what this author releases next.
I’ve read a lot from this author now, but this one didn’t do it for me. H/h were to me friends till the end. I don’t care much for what happened that everyone is pissy about, 81% in, but I just didn’t feel the relationship and it was a disappointment. Smoke was still sexy af, tho. Nova was badass too, but together...huy.
Each of these bikers deny that they want love but when the right woman comes along they fall hard. Smoke is no exception I think he fell the hardest. Smoke and Nova's journey to their happily ever after was a long and twisty road. There were some heart breaking moments my heart broke for Smoke and the club
This was an intense, heartbreaking, and mysterious story with lots of unexpected twists and turns that will keep you intrigued until the very end. It's certainly not a story that you will want to miss. I would definitely recommend this book, series, and terrific author.
A great MC read. Prez Smoke, single Dad of a teenager - great relationship with daughter. Loved this dynamic. Then add Nova and you get a family in the making. The storyline, the characters - both main and secondary - make this a great read. Throw in the heat, great dialogue and you have more than 5 stars! RIP Check. 🖤💔🖤
Yeah!!!! We get Smoke’s tale and my goodness is it a good one. He and Nova have known each other for years. She comes to home with an unusual request - that renewed contact starts them off to a HEA. There is tons of mystery, drama and intrigue with the book as well. FANTASTIC read!!!
This is an interesting read. It has romance angst, MC tragedy, and an old EX causes mayhem and murder. I enjoyed the read. While it doesn’t end in a cliffhanger, there is still an outstanding issue with someone having a a grudge against Smoke. HEA, No cheating, no cliffhanger. Happy ending for the couple.