REVIEW: Reaper's Fall (Reapers MC, Book 5) by Joanna Wylde

RATING:

Blurb

He never meant to hurt her. 

Levi “Painter” Brooks was nothing before he joined the Reapers motorcycle club. The day he patched in, they became his brothers and his life. All they asked in return was a strong arm and unconditional loyalty—a loyalty that’s tested when he’s caught and sentenced to prison for a crime committed on their behalf. 

Melanie Tucker may have had a rough start, but along the way she’s learned to fight for her future. She’s escaped from hell and started a new life, yet every night she dreams of a biker whose touch she can’t forget. It all started out so innocently—just a series of letters to a lonely man in prison. Friendly. Harmless. Safe. 

Now Painter Brooks is coming home… and Melanie’s about to learn that there’s no room for innocence in the Reapers MC.

Review

I really took my time writing this review, which is opposite of what I usually do. Even as I’m typing this, I’m struggling with my rating on this one, and I can’t even fully explain why. In fact, not that it was bad, not at all. And it’s definitely more than just ok. This is Joanna after all. These are the Reapers after all. The humor, the sense of brotherhood, the biker drama and action- check, check, and check. The only thing, I don’t want to give it 3-napkin but I can’t seem to bring myself to give it 4-napkin. Hence, the 3 ½ napkin-rating… Sigh…

I’m not sure why but I got a totally different feel with this one. I know I got an ARC so I’m aware that last minute editing can still happen after, and as much as I didn’t want things like formatting affect my reading experience, seeing this is an ARC, I couldn’t help it, unfortunately. I’m saying this because that alone took some of the pleasure from reading this. The scene breaks felt off so it felt choppy at times. First time experiencing that with Joanna’s books… Sigh…

With regards to Painter, up until this book, I really don’t know how I feel about him. I liked him at one point, then I didn’t. Now that it’s his turn, I did like him, I really did, but something about him just keep jabbing me on my sides to make me not like him as much as the other Reaper fellas. He had a sh!tty childhood but somehow found salvation with his Reaper brothers. He’s an a$ and he knows it; he tried to not be one but at times, it felt like it wasn’t enough. He did redeem himself ultimately in the end, I think… Sigh…

Melanie is quite a straight-up h. She also didn’t have a pleasant childhood but she turned out ok. Despite the cards she’s been dealt with, she made the best decisions she could. On the one hand, she’s a very smart woman, on the other, I’m not so sure… Sigh…

Now put Painter and Melanie together, their union is searing, and I truly bought it. With the history they have, I felt it. But how their story was laid out, I actually don’t know if I truthfully cared for it. I get it; things don’t always turn out the way you think things would go sometimes… Sigh…

Which brings me to my next point, that this is probably the most realistic of all the Reapers’ stories, if I can put it that way in the context of a romance read. Of course, the biker drama and action are there. And while they eventually arrived to their HEA, their story spanned years, enough time to actually see them go thru the ups and downs of life, the highs and lows of a relationship, and decisions that impact life down the road… Sigh…

Is that what I expected? Maybe not. Could that be what’s affecting my feelings on this? Maybe. Did I like this enough? Yes. Am I still invested in those Reapers men? Absolutely!


Thanks for dropping by!

~Leftie