Aubrey Evans had an unexpected hitch in her plan, but she's making a new one to get back on track after moving in with her grandmother in a small town in Tennessee. When she meets Zion, a young man in a motorcycle club, she has a hard time resisting his distraction. Their romance is far from easy, but they can't deny the intense chemistry between them.
UNDAUNTED leaves me with a bag of mixed feelings. There are parts of this novel that I absolutely adore and others that left me wanting more. Ronnie Douglas does a fantastic job at creating a rich setting, developing major blush-worthy scenes of sexual tension, and pulls the reader in by the heart. As a Tennessee native, the setting is spot-on, highlighting an area where people often surprise you and grandmothers are as tough as they come. Zion and Aubrey have delicious scenes together that are sure to make readers want to throw the book in frustration until they kiss.
However, as much as I wanted to love this book, the plot is a bit strange. There are several elements that come across strongly as future plot points, like Aubrey's relationship with her family, that are barely acknowledged throughout the rest of the story. Other elements that seem minor are blown up and stretched out, particularly the love triangle with Noah that seems unnecessary. Ultimately, the plot seems to go in directions that take away from the main focus of Zion and Aubrey's relationship, making their conclusion feel rushed and underdeveloped.
UNDAUNTED may not be my favorite, but the world Ronnie Douglas creates is edgy, heartwarming, and sexy, and I definitely want to give future books in this series a try.
Following in the tradition of Kristen Ashley, Joanna
Wilde, and Jay Crownover,
this first novel in a sexy, dark New Adult series tells
the thrilling story of a
young woman who finds herself drawn to a Southern
motorcycle clubβs inner
circleβand a dangerously hot biker.
Aubrey Evans needs to get her life back on track after
her father is indicted
for embezzlement. Sheβll save college tuition money,
hightail it out of small-
town Tennessee, and steer clear of hard-muscled boys on
motorcycles. Yet
thereβs no ignoring someone like Zion. A knight in black
leather, Zion looks
like every bad idea sheβs been told to avoid, but she
canβt resist him.
Whenever sheβs in trouble, heβs there. Appealing as his
rough exterior may be,
itβs the protective, principled man beneath that tempts
her like crazy.
Zion knows Aubrey doesnβt intend to stick around. She
claims to want only
friendship, but he senses thereβs a naughty girl hiding
on the insideβone
whose intense desires match his own. For now, heβll be
patient and play by her
rules. Though he knows itβs just a matter of time before
he weakens her
resolve.
As they join forces to figure out whoβs behind a local
crime spree, itβs clear
that the danger goes deeper than Aubrey guessed. And when
she needs
someone tall, dark, and undaunted to keep her safe, Zion
intends to be there
βnow and always.
EXCERPT
βYouβre safe, Red,β he said in a softer voice. βIβll take you to
grandmotherβs house.β
He watched me, obviously waiting for something.
The best my drunken brain could offer was, βThe Big Bad wolf eats Red.β
He paused, grinned, and patted the seat. βYouβre too drunk for that too.β
I blinked at him. Then his words sunk in, and I gasped. I hadnβt meant that,
but now that he planted the idea in my mind, I couldnβt speak.
βYouβre safe with me,β he promised, and then he patted the tiny seat behind
him.
I wanted to tell him that I didnβt want to be safe, not after heβd planted
such forbidden images in my mind. I yanked my mind out of the gutter and
climbed onto the motorcycle, wrapped my arms around his waist, and tried not
to shiver. I shouldnβt like the way he talked, but I did. I liked the whole
package: the rescue, the insinuations, the motorcycle.
Maybe alcohol and fumbled petting with Quincy just skewed my judgment so
severely that Zion seemed more tempting than he actually was. I wasnβt sure.
I also didnβt think it mattered. By tomorrow, I would be too sober to think
about kisses or any of the other things he might be good at doing.
He pulled my arms tighter around him, holding my hands together on his very
taut stomach. It was a little embarrassing that being on the back of his
Harley was doing far more for my libido than all of Quincyβsβand every other
manβs before himβeffort.
βHold on, Red.β
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