5
Feb 03, 2012
I am wrung out and sated.
Wow.
What a fantastic book!
It's a fabulous conclusion to the best series ever, ever, ever (not a pnr fan so, no, "those" series' don't count), ever, ever, ever!
This book just got deeper and deeper, better and better.
I
had read the teaser chapters on the author's blog ages ago, so I felt
like it took a while for me to get back into the story. It also felt
like Tack and Tyra were arguing a lot, which I normally like, but this
started to resemble siblings in the backseat
I am wrung out and sated.
Wow.
What a fantastic book!
It's a fabulous conclusion to the best series ever, ever, ever (not a pnr fan so, no, "those" series' don't count), ever, ever, ever!
This book just got deeper and deeper, better and better.
I
had read the teaser chapters on the author's blog ages ago, so I felt
like it took a while for me to get back into the story. It also felt
like Tack and Tyra were arguing a lot, which I normally like, but this
started to resemble siblings in the backseat of a car:
Yes you did.
No I didn't.
Yes, you did.
No, I didn't.
(not actual dialog, btw, but you get the idea)
I
was also annoyed with Tack early on bc he was being too pushy
(literally) for a half a minute, his hands were always at Tyra's throat
and he often held her and wouldn't let her go even when she asked him
to. Then (then!) something fabulous happens and KA (author-goddess
extraordinaire) brought it around, worked it all together for good, hit
her stride and rocked my world.
(and rocked it and rocked it and kept rockin' it til the climax, which was amazing!)
Whee!
I would say I'm jk, but it really did work out like that :)
Let me just tell you, my issue with Tack holding on to Tyra especially with his hands on her throat metamorphosed into a thing of beauty
(you'll see!) and the constant bickering became witty, fun banter.
Those are just two of dozens of great elements in this book. Some of
these are signature KA details (huge cast, a background drama that
drives action, ex-spouses, etc), others seem added to bring closure to
the series as well as introduce a new series, and some are the little
behind-the-scenes gears and mechanisms that always effortlessly whir
along with simple complexity in most every KA read. These are so
organic, so straight out of her heart and mind, that its practically
unnoticeable, but they make for a richer experience.
(view spoiler)[It's stuff like the "roller-coaster" thing, The Color Purple, the "pulse" thing, giving her "sweet", counting the "honeys", the "colors" thing, he let me go/not letting go/she let me go. (hide spoiler)]
*sigh*
Don't mind me, I am a fan.
A warning for those who have trouble reading the KA dialog that sounds like,
Um,
Eh... um,
Tack,
Red,
Um...
Tyra,
Tack", etc.
There
is a lot of mumbling and interruption that shows up in the dialog here
too. If that's gonna kill it for you, I can't recommend you read this
book. I think you would miss out on a great read, but it's fair warning.
For
me, I have become fluent in KA alpha-speak and heroine-mumble by way of
immersion. I can breeze through that dialog because to me, it's a brand
or a style. I am going on a journey to a place that has a pidgin
language that one needs to learn to engage in trade or something (Ha!).
In my mind it's part of the KA experience and does not take away from
but actually adds to great characterization.
Note: I re-read
Mystery Man
just prior to this release and it made the experience even better for
me. I rec if it's been awhile since you started this series to
reacquaint yourself with Tack in that book first.
I also read the blog post KA put up about missing Tack and it gave me awesome closure.
http://www.kristenashley.net/menu/blo...
*big, gorgeous sigh*
*basking*
*smiling*
*thinking
about (Watch Out!! Spoilers!) girl posses and next-generation babies
and "blood brothers" and Shy and Tabby and badasses from different walks
who have each other's backs and riding the Rocky's to Napa and the
California Coast and a hundred other Kit-cracky, KAwesome cool things*
The books I love are the hardest to write about. I expect I'll have a real review ready by this time next year.
Sh*t I googled while reading:
*Harley Davidson Dyna Glide
*badass biker goatee images
*Mustang Eleanor Fastback
*Storage Wars: Brandi
*Saw (What? I don't watch scary stuff)
*Dragon tattoo images
For the fans:
Lots of stuff in here.
(don't peek unless you've read it!)
(view spoiler)[
"Greedy."
Tack wrapping his fingers around Tyra's neck.
"... he let her pulse beat into his fingers and he did it until it washed the memories away."
and... super spoiler (view spoiler)[around his newborn son's (hide spoiler)]
Love the way Tyra had a tough time with "sweet", telling Hop not to be sweet with her and treat her like the badass she is, lol!
Tack
sounding all hardcore telling Tyra that when she turns off Broadway
into Ride, she's in his world, but watching his transformation into a
major sweetheart was gorgeous.
Can I get a "what, what(?)" for
how deftly KA weaves issues of drug use, infidelity, illegal behavior
and other hot potato issues with the lightest touch. This was the
supporting cast taking part in this and, as a reader, I didn't even
flinch. It's masterful.
“Because you’re gonna live life, Red. I’m gonna teach you to suck it dry.â€
"Chattin’ with bikers like they were insurance brokers".
"Love
and redemption. You said, ‘the most beautiful stories ever told are the
most difficult to take’. You said that, Red. Right out. And I knew if
you got that, when it was later and I shared my shit with you, you’d get
me."
“She’s dark, you’re red. I’ll fuck dark, I’ll fuck sun but
only red has staying power. Considered sun once. Lost her. Now it’s
you.â€
(What a romantic, right? Gah! Not.)
“So what’s with the sass?â€
“It’s me.â€
“It is,†he sighed. “Fuck me.â€
“You said you like it,†I reminded him.
“Wild and sweet, can both snarl like a bitch or purr like a kitten.â€
“Babe, look at me.â€
“Kiss my ass,†I replied.
(LOL)
"I needed him to go out and get his own sandwich so I could get in my own car and drive to Vancouver."
“I don’t have kitchen utensils from Mars, babe."
I
loved the verbal smackdown that Tyra gives Tack at about 35%. It is an
eloquent combination punch. I loved it almost as much or equal to
Dusty's. My heart was in my throat and my mind was chanting, "you go,
Red"!
(this one hurt)
"You have to be you and you can’t be you around me without me getting chewed up in the process..."
Gah,
the rollercoaster metaphor was so good in here. The way it was so true
for Tyra to feel she needed to get off it and how Tack transformed it to
raising your hands and enjoying the ride.
"Now, you’re gonna kiss me so I can get back to work, you can go home and come to a foregone conclusion.â€
His lips curved and he asked, “Woo you?â€
“Woo me!†I snapped.
“Fuck me, now she’s bein’ sweet.â€
I laughed softly and offered, “You want me to get pissed and maybe throw a rant?â€
“No, ‘cause that makes me hard too.â€
“Three.â€
“Pardon?â€
“Three honeys.â€
He was counting. “Now you’re being sweet,†I whispered.
“You gonna fall apart on me?â€
“I’ll try not to.â€
It's on every page peeps!!!!
How many characters do I have left for this review?
*checks the bottom of the edit window*
“And you forget tonight, I’ll be pissed.â€
“I won’t forget, Tack.â€
“Be sure about that.â€
“I won’t forget.â€
“I hit the heart of you yet?†Tack asked.
“Close,†I whispered.
“Tastes sweet,†he whispered back and I felt my eyes get wet.
“Yeah,†I agreed quietly, “it does.â€
“Another layer, I lay my shit out, all of it, it’s ugly and she ends that by bein’ cute.â€
“Shut up.â€
“And bossy.â€
“Shut up.â€
“Bossy and a cry baby.â€
“Shut up!â€
“Uh… you pledged your troth to me, Tack. It’s not like you don’t know I get feisty.â€
“I pledged my troth,†Tack repeated.
“Yeah.â€
“You just said I pledged my troth.â€
“Yes, that’s what I just said.â€
“What’s a troth?â€
“I don’t know, I just know you pledged it.â€
“Don’t let me go,†she whispered.
“I won’t let you go, Red.â€
“Don’t let me go.â€
“I won’t let you go, baby.â€
“Don’t let me go.â€
"She let him go."
(Gah, there was a lot of letting go and not letting go up in here!!)
"You are my absolution.â€
Alternating heroine POVs for the win!!
“Go to him, Sweet Pea,â€
(Oh gah... Hawk)
“... brace, baby, ‘cause I’m about to get sweet and you need to process it fast so you can move on to suckin’ me off, not fast.â€
(LOL! The stuff Tack says after that trumps all the sweet he ever gave her.)
Happy epilogue joy. She managed to pull in the whole universe for that. Woot!
(hide spoiler)]
...more