Clifton Forge

Book reviews

10 Nov

Written By Anzhelika Li

Suspenseful, sexy, and completely unexpected.

⭐⭐⭐

1. GYPSY KING by Devney Perry

SYNOPSIS

The former Tin Gypsy motorcycle club has everyone in Clifton Forge, Montana convinced they’ve locked their clubhouse doors and ripped off their patches. Everyone but Bryce Ryan. There’s more happening at the club’s garage than muscle car restorations and Harley rebuilds. Her instincts are screaming there’s a story—one she’s going to tell.

As the new owner of the small town’s newspaper, Bryce is hungry for more than birth announcements and obituaries. When a woman is brutally killed and all signs point to the Tin Gypsies, Bryce is determined to expose the club and their leader, Kingston ‘Dash’ Slater, as murderers.

Bryce bests Dash match after match, disappointed her rugged and handsome opponent turns out to be an underwhelming adversary. Secrets are exposed. Truths defeat lies. Bryce is poised to win this battle in a landslide.

Then Dash breaks all the rules and tips the scales.

One kiss, and she’s fighting to save more than just her story. She’s fighting to save her heart from the Gypsy King.

BOOK REVIEW

I have never read anything by Devney Perry, but the author’s writing style was sharp and witty. The world-building was strong and interesting. The mystery set-up was suspenseful and exciting. But the relationship and feelings between the main characters, Dash and Bryce… came out of nowhere haha. And it felt like the romance was not the main focus of the book, which was fine with me. Although, I must say that the story was very slow-paced, and the big questions were left unanswered (the murder issue didn’t get resolved even in the end) due to awkward shifts to ‘romantic drama’, which was not even important to the general plot development. I did wish we received the closure in Gypsy King to make it a true standalone. But NO. I don’t know…

2. RIVEN KNIGHT by Devney Perry

SYNOPSIS

Genevieve Daylee didn’t expect to be standing in front of a judge on her twenty-seventh birthday. But ever since her life became entangled with a former motorcycle gang, she’s learned not to expect anything but trouble.

Her mother, a woman she once admired and adored, is gone, leaving behind a trail of secrets and lies. She’s living in a tiny apartment above a garage owned by her brother, a man who loathes her very existence. And the father she met beside her mother’s grave is as much of a stranger as Isaiah Reynolds, the broken man with soulless eyes standing beside her in front of the judge.

Isaiah is her protector from the murderer at large in Clifton Forge. Though he’s more like a riven knight in dented armor than a prince on a white stallion. She knows next to nothing about him, other than he works as a mechanic. As of tonight, he’ll be sharing her bathroom.

And, according to the judge, Isaiah is now her husband.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

BOOK REVIEW

“What are we going to do? People need to think that we’re in love, but I don’t have a clue how we’re going to convince anyone when we just met last week.”

Gypsy King left lots of unresolved issues, one of which was the suddenly formed secret revolving around what had happened in the mountain cabin that Genevieve and Isaiah bound the fates of the two together. Riven Knight was amazing! It discovered the destiny of a young woman trying to find her mother’s violent murderer while falling in love with a man who decided to be unworthy of the precious feeling. I absolutely loved the slow-burn of the swoony romance within the marriage of convenience set-up, as well as the well-thought-through character development of the main leads with golden hearts and pure souls.

If my heart left her breathless, then hers gave me a reason to breathe.

Genevieve Daylee was a fighter. She was dealing with lots of shit of her own, but still found the strength to be there for Isaiah, a brooding stranger with beautiful character. Her bravery and willpower to follow the voice of her heart astounded me. Her quiet dignity inspired me.

Isaiah looked in the mirror and saw everlasting broken pieces, but maybe my broken pieces would fit with his. Together, maybe we’d make a whole.

Isaiah Reynolds was such a multi-faceted and enigmatic male lead (I desperately wanted to peel all of his layers off in order to finally figure out what was hidden underneath). He was complicated, silent and tortured. Even after having been convicted for a crime that haunted him to the day, he resisted letting go of his unfortunate past, refusing to experience happiness in life he considered himself undeserving of. He was so sweet and caring though, selfless and protective, determined to keep Genevieve safe and to make her life as easy and comfortable as possible.

“Day by day, I was falling in love with the lie.”

At some point, after numerous awkward silences and staged public displays of affection, Genevieve and Isaiah started to secretly develop tender feelings towards one another, which slowly but steadily acquired the form of genuine love. Their love was accompanied by so much tension and passion, packed with all sorts of different feelings. Their relationship was not about sex but rather—a stolen glance, a feather brush of a sliver of skin, a reassuring squeeze of a hand, a tentative peck on a temple or a corner of the mouth…

I’m honestly at a loss of words to add. Definitely check this masterpiece out and share your thoughts and opinions about it in the comments down below!

PS. The murder mystery that was still hanging in the air in Gypsy King got resolved in Riven Knight.

3. STONE PRINCESS by Devney Perry

SYNOPSIS

Presley Marks has just become a cliché: the jilted bride. Wearing a white dress, standing in front of her friends and family, she announces that her fiancé—according to his text—has forgotten about the wedding.

Humiliated and angry, she hides from the world in the mundane routine of her life. Working at the Clifton Forge Garage isn’t glamorous, but it’s safe from the spotlight.

At least it was, until Shaw Valance comes to town.

The notorious Hollywood actor is starring in a movie based on the town’s infamous murder. When he’s not on set, Shaw hovers at the garage, watching as they build his custom motorcycle and irritating her with his handsome smile. He was supposed to leave once filming wrapped and go back to his fancy life, not buy the house next door.

But Shaw might regret that purchase once Presley’s ex-fiancé returns, bringing with him a war between old rivals that could burn both their houses down.

4. NOBLE PRINCE by Devney Perry

SYNOPSIS

The night Luke Rosen met Scarlett Marks was the only time he’s regretted becoming chief of police. One horrific night of blood and death, and now she’s living under his roof—all because he swore an oath to serve and protect.

Scarlett is stubborn and infuriating. She has no respect for the order in his structured life, and she never does anything she’s told. Worse, she doesn’t seem to care that the information she has on a motorcycle gang means she might end up dead. But her unwavering strength, her courage and tenacity and beauty, makes it impossible for him to abandon her.

If Luke is going to keep her safe, he’ll have to make the hardest decision of his life. He can either honor his values as a cop, knowing Scarlett is unlikely to survive… or he can break all the rules and protect the woman who’s invaded his home and his heart.

⭐⭐⭐

5. FALLEN JESTER by Devney Perry

SYNOPSIS

Leo Winter loves his life. He works when he needs money. He rides when he craves freedom. He frequents the local bar when he wants a good time. The Tin Gypsies might be a memory, but the bachelor life he lived with his motorcycle club still suits him fine. So when a one-night stand surprises him at a family barbecue and claims she’s pregnant with his child, he’s certain he’s died and gone to hell.

Cassandra Cline took one night off from her structured life. One. And now her wild fling with the local bad boy has turned her life sideways. Her dreams and academic career are circling the drain, and none of it would have happened if she’d stayed far, far away from Leo.

Except avoiding him is impossible, especially when she’s forced to move home to Clifton Forge, Montana. And he refuses to leave her side when a series of strange accidents put her and their baby at risk. But are they accidents? Or is she standing in the middle of a battlefield she doesn’t understand? Her only allies are people she barely knows. And a man who has the potential to steal her heart. If only he’d stop playing the fool.

6. TIN QUEEN by Devney Perry

SYNOPSIS

No promises. No expectations. No names. That’s what Emmett Stone agreed to with the woman who caught his eye two months ago. After years of drama following the end of the Tin Gypsy Motorcycle Club, a no-strings fling with a mystery woman is exactly what he needs. Except as they find themselves together more and more, it’s impossible for him to keep his feelings at bay. She’s clever and sassy. She’s gracious and kind. She loves riding on the back of his bike every Saturday afternoon and lazing in his bed every Sunday morning. She’s the perfect woman.

Except she’s Nova Talbot, the daughter of his archenemy—the man who murdered his father. Her identity will cost her the man who’s captured her heart unless she can convince Emmett her feelings are true. Before he learns the reason she proposed their fling in the first place.