Never Say Never Again

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
 
Title: Never Say Never Again
Author: WS Carmichael
Publication date: 06/01/2017
Publisher: Queen of the World Publishing
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: No
Rating: 4 out of 5
 
Amazon blurb
Emma Campbell never had an easy life. Growing up with an alcoholic mother and an absentee father, she learned early in life there were few people she could rely on. Once, she took a chance on love, only to discover firsthand how painful – literally – love could be. After her disaster of a marriage fell apart, she swore off love forever.

Matt Montgomery has a job to do. Find and deliver one Frank Tanner to the motorcycle club hunting him. Tanner is the last job he will ever do for them.

After years of procuring information for the notorious MC, he’s ready to leave that life behind.

A chance encounter with Tanner’s ex-wife puts a very real – and very beautiful – face on those who have fallen victim to his viciousness. Imagine Matt’s surprise when he returns to Laurel Creek for his brother’s wedding, only to find the fascinating woman he can’t get out of his mind is his new sister¬-in-law’s best friend.
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Can he do his job and protect Emma without her knowing the real reason he’s returned to Laurel Creek?
Emma’s emotional scars and Matt’s checkered past threaten to keep them apart, but true love will not be denied.

​My Review
WS Carmichael is a relatively new author. Never Say Never Again is only her second novel, but it reads like it’s been written by an author with dozens of books under her belt. The pacing is good, the dialogue is snappy, realistic, and often hilarious. But what really shines about this book for me are the characters.

Emma is an interesting heroine. She’s been a little beaten and banged up by life (and her ex husband), but she doesn’t let it keep her down for long. She doesn’t forgive her abusive ex and stay with him, or bow down to his demands after they divorce. Really, the only thing that bugged me about her character was the fact that she got onto the back of Matt’s bike after having only just met him. I found it a little unbelievable that someone with a romantic history like Emma’s would be inclined to trust ANY man, let alone some random she’d just met at a bar, even if he was the second coming of Jax Teller.

But while Emma was merely an interesting heroine, Matt (who looked like Jax Teller in my head while I was reading) was exceptional. When Emma tried to push him away for self-preservation purposes, he wasn’t having any of it, which I loved.

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“So, Matt, about last night,” I start. “That probably shouldn’t happen again.”
“And why is that?”
“Well, for starters, I don’t want to make my relationship with Dylan and Jenni Lynn awkward.”
“And you think they wouldn’t approve of us dating?”
“What? No, they would love it. But eventually things would go south, they always do. Then what? Awkwardness at family get togethers. Pretty soon, I’m not invited to Thanksgiving dinner and I have to eat Chinese takeout on the holidays,” I explain.
“Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out then,” he says calmly.
“Yup. Glad we’re on the same page.” I say. Well, that was easier than I thought.
“No thanks.” He picks up his coffee and the newspaper.
Pushing the newspaper aside, I ask, “What do you mean, ‘No, thanks’?”
“I mean, ‘No, thanks.’ I’d like to see where this leads. If it comes to it, I’ll eat takeout on the holidays,” he answers, turning his attention back to the paper.

Long-story-short, if you love reading about alpha male bikers who aren’t alphaholes in protective mode, you won’t want to miss this one. It’s highly one-clickable. And I expect even better books from this promising author in the future.  
 
Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
Crushes it! This one is clean and sober. No rehab needed.  
 
Other reading suggestions
For more hot biker reads, check out our list of the top 10 sexiest bikers in romance

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