Tabs’ review of Devil’s Own (Devil’s Keepers, Book 3) by Megan Crane
Contemporary Romance published by Loveswept 16 May 17.
Megan Crane’s sexy motorcycle club series continues with a big bad biker enforcer and a straight-laced high school teacher who wants absolutely nothing to do with biker life. When Ryan “Chaser” Frey angrily storms into the classroom of his teen-aged daughter’s history teacher, he’s expecting to find an uptight biddy, who needs to get her nose out of his business. What he finds instead is hot teacher Lara Ashburn, who sasses him to his face and doesn’t appear to be intimidated one iota by his biker status.
As expected, Chaser and Lara’s antagonism eventually gives way to sexual tension. This is definitely spicier than the previous books in the series, with some very naughty sexy times in inappropriate places and some voyeurism and exhibitionism thrown in for good measure. If you’re looking for a hot book, this certainly delivers.
On the other hand, while certainly entertaining in spots, there are a couple of significant problems with the overall book that are hard to overlook. For one, this whole story takes place over about a week, so the insta-love is ramped up to some crazy heights and it doesn’t make all that much sense. It sorta works, but setting the story over a month, even, would have made it better.
The far bigger issue for me and the one that really tanked the book is the heroine’s problematic tendency to constantly liken her apparent fondness for bad men to literal heroin addiction. It’s super unsettling and insensitive. It also doesn’t make a lick of sense because, as far as I can tell, Lara’ s supposed “addiction” isn’t even real. She appears to have had one high school boyfriend who eventually left her to join her family’s motorcycle club which… isn’t all that terrible an experience. I just don’t see an even semi-plausible excuse for the shitty addiction metaphors.
Even though it doesn’t seem possible, things somehow manage to get worse later on in the book with Lara insisting that she’s seen real addiction and knows what it’s like. So she’s not naive or sheltered? She’s just an asshole who casually makes flippant comparisons between her lame-ass dating “problem” and addiction, despite having firsthand knowledge of real addiction? Oh, fuck that noise.
This book is a definite mixed bag and I ultimately felt underwhelmed. On one hand, the hotness is super hot. On the other, the pace is too rushed and the problematic elements are hella problematic. The overarching series plot has been steadily ramping up and looks to be boiling over soon, so I don’t think I can quit the series here. But one more book to turn things around is likely all I have left in me.
Grade: C
Summary:
Lara Ashburn hates bikers. She watched a motorcycle club destroy her hometown, bringing her brother down with it. That’s a life she put far in her rearview. So the last person she wants to see walking into her classroom is the top enforcer of the Devil’s Keepers. Big, mean, and gorgeous, all tattoos and leather, Chaser is everything Lara should avoid. Yet the insane chemistry sparking between them tempts her to break all the rules.
Ryan “Chaser” Frey has his hands full with a teen daughter in need of tough love, and he doesn’t have time for prissy teachers who want to tell him how to raise his kid. But Chaser never could resist a chick who gives as good as she gets. Lara is sexy as hell, and she’s not afraid of him. Plus, her links to a California club could provide the Devils with leverage against their enemies. But that would mean mixing business with pleasure—and risking the one woman Chaser can’t afford to lose.
Other books in this series:
