Book Review: Own the Wind by Kristen Ashley

Title: Own the Wind
Series: Chaos, Book 1
Author: Kristen Ashley
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: personal shelf
Published: April 2013 by Grand Central Publishing

Too hot to handle...

Tabitha Allen grew up in the thick of Chaos--the Chaos Motorcycle Club, that is. Her father is Chaos' leader, and the club has always had her back. But one rider was different from the start. When Tabby was running wild, Shy Cage was there. When tragedy tore her life apart, he helped her piece it back together. And now, Tabby's thinking about much more than friendship...

Tabby is everything Shy's ever wanted, but everything he thinks he can't have. She's beautiful, smart, and as his friend's daughter, untouchable. Shy never expected more than friendship, so when Tabby indicates she wants more--much more--he feels like the luckiest man alive. But even lucky men can crash and burn...

Why I Read this Book: After reading Motorcycle Man (my review), I wanted more – more featuring this particular Motorcycle Club.

What I Liked: OMG – The tension and the angst between Tabby and Shy! I loved every bit of it. I liked that the foundation of their relationship began with a friendship first. Their relationship mirrored Tack and Tyra's a bit, which I also liked. And speaking of, I got to catch up with Tack and Tyra. I loved them in Motorcycle Man so it was nice to revisit the couple. The family dynamic here is solid, not only between Tack and Tabby but between Tabby and the club as well.

Tabby’s fiancé abruptly exits the story line but it worked. It stirred up emotions for Tabby and helped her grow as a character.

Shy stood up to his Chaos brothers for the name of love. Swoon! Shy stood his ground and let the brothers know what mattered to him most.

Chaos is a clean MC and I like that. It makes me feel comfortable and at ease with the characters. There's no drugs or massive/brutal murders. Don’t get me wrong, there is violence but it's a lot tamer than what I saw in the first 20 minutes of SOA, and in other MC books I've read. This is definitely a romance novel first; it’s not meant to depict the true lifestyle of MCs. 

What I Didn’t Like: A lot of time passed during this one novel and it was a bit hard to keep track of. I don't know exactly how much time spanned over the course of Own the Wind but I believe it was about 4-5 years. But it gave Tabby time to grow up and mature. Tabby was nineteen years old when Own the Wind started and twenty-three years old (I believe) by the end of the book.

Memorable Moment:

“Your are not leaving.”

Suddenly, she lost it, throwing her hands out to the sides, she asked, “Why?”

“This is why,” he clipped, stalked the three steps that separated them, snaked an arm around her waist, drove a hand into the back of her hair, and hauled her into his arms. He slammed his mouth down on hers.

Overall Impression: Own the Wind was an engrossing read, from beginning to end. I read all 400+ pages in a 24-hour period, which almost never happens with me. This is the epitome of book crack.

Brianna’s Rating: