Tabs’ review of Strip You Bare (The Deacons of Bourbon Street, Book 4) by Maisey Yates
Contemporary Romance published by Loveswept 04 Jan 16
In this conclusion of a multi-author MC series, a murder gets resolved and a society lady and a down-and-dirty biker find middle ground. I picked this up because I like MC books and I like Maisey Yates books, so I had to try a Maisey Yates biker book, right? Unfortunately, while I loved the heroine and enjoyed some of the humor, I also loathed the hero and didn’t buy into the MC aspects.
Even though this is the conclusion to a series, I thought it held together on its own. I didn’t read the previous books, although I did DNF the first after a few chapters, but I was able to quickly get the gist of what was going on. Basically, four previously exiled members of the Deacons of Bourbon Street MC have returned to investigate the recently deceased president’s death and get their revenge. When the Deacons find out that a fancy-shmancy family mansion was recently signed over to the club, they send Micah Carpenter in to make his presence known and see what he can dig up.
First, I don’t think this book is very successful as a motorcycle club book. The MC aspects are pretty weaksauce. There are enough trappings to set the scene, but none of them are more than surface deep. There isn’t any sense of community or brotherhood. The reader really only gets to meet four members of the club and they pretty much just bitch at each other and make out with their girlfriends. Also, no one in this book rides a motorcycle. Not once. It’s kind of a key aspect of motorcycle club culture, there.
I will say that the bright spot in this book for me is Sarah, the fabulous heroine. She has just emerged from a crappy relationship and is trying to find her feet. She’s sick of living up to the expectations of others and not treading her own path. The problem is that she’s so great that I wanted better for her than Micah. Micah’s a crappy hero. He’s pushy and he physically manhandles Sarah and refuses to let her go when she says no. He’s also wishy washy and just a general pain in the ass. I honestly wanted Sarah to take her newfound confidence and go find someone worthy of her. She could totally do better.
While I sincerely wish a great heroine could carry an entire book on her back, it’s just not possible. I was really underwhelmed by this book.
Grade: CSummary:
Sparks fly when a society belle and a biker with a troubled past get down and dirty in the Big Easy. Maisey Yates turns up the heat in the sizzling finale of a series co-written with Megan Crane, Rachael Johns, and Jackie Ashenden.
Micah Carpenter hates New Orleans. Hell, after ten years he no longer has much affection for the Deacons of Bourbon Street motorcycle club, either. But when the brotherhood calls, Micah answers. Joining the hunt for their mentor’s killer, he crosses paths with a Southern belle who exudes class—and sex appeal. Micah knows better than to mess with ice princesses: No matter how hot things get, they never melt. And yet he can’t stop himself from offering her a taste of the wrong side of the tracks.Sarah Delacroix understands that reputation is everything. The daughter of a prominent family rocked by scandal, she’s desperate to restore their good name. Micah’s exactly the kind of man she should be avoiding. Behind his sleek and sophisticated exterior beats the heart of a predator—and she knows it. But, like the tattoos beneath his tailored suit, his rough edges are irresistible. And all too soon Sarah finds him getting under her skin . . . and living out every one of her hottest fantasies.
Other books in this series:
