Levi "Painter" Brooks and Melanie Tucker had met a couple of times, spent a day together, then Levi ended up in jail. During that time, they exchanged letters, and to make a long story short, they eventually fell in love. If only it were so simple. REAPER'S FALL is the latest book in the Reapers Motorcycle Club , and in spite of the very complex relationships, between the various Motorcycles Clubs and the characters, REAPER'S FALL can easily be read as a standalone. And what a rollercoaster ride it is!

Ms. Wylde never fails to impress me with her talent at creating entirely believable characters without them ever feeling contrived. Her bikers are not your garden party variety. In this case, Painter is a real bad boy: he's tough, he's violent, he's been to prison, and the motorcycle club is his life. Even when he realises he's in love with Melanie, he does not get mushy, his life does not change. He's brutal but he is also an artist, which puts an interesting twist to an already complex, and complicated, character. Melanie, on the other hand, is not that familiar with the biker life. She is a student and a "girlie-girl," but she definitely can stand up for herself, especially when the going gets really rough. Painter is a realist when it comes to his life. He feels that Melanie deserves better than the future he can offer her, not because he feels he is not good enough -- he is comfortable with the man he is, with the life he lives -- but he is not sure Melanie can handle the life of biker's old lady. Ms. Wylde does not write stereotypes nor does she make excuses for the characters. That's the way they are, take it or leave it.

In REAPER'S FALL, Joanna Wylde does not shy away from serious MC issues, there is no sugar-coating of the violence that happens, and I must say I was somewhat shocked at some events. And that is the beauty of this series: the author does not compromise, at all times she remains true to her characters and the setting.

REAPER'S FALL starts somewhat slowly, but when the tempo picks up, it doesn't slow, and seldom have I seen such startling plot twists. Even though I have read all the books in this series, save one, nothing could have prepared me for REAPER'S FALL. Melanie and Painter's love sometimes borders on hate because of the violence of their passion; their relationship is painfully real. Ms. Wylde researches her material meticulously and carefully, and there is no doubt in my mind that REAPER'S FALL comes as close to reality as can be, short of the book being a biography. An astonishing read that will leave no one unmoved.