Book Review - - Hard Roads by Lily White

The Synopsis...

This life isn’t one that I chose for myself.

Years spent as a daughter in the Dominion MC left me washed up and struggling to breathe. Life was never flowers and sunshine. It was gravel and dust, the trails of dirt left behind when the brothers tore out, floating up from the ground to hover in front of an angry, red sun.

I could never have imagined that a life sitting at rock bottom could get any worse, but it did.

Life is funny like that.

Just when you think things can’t get any more bleak, a shade is drawn leaving you staggering and blind – lost in a world of heartache and sorrow.

I met J.D. Brooks on the road and he swept me off my feet. Literally. But not in the way you might think.

He was both an angel and a demon.

He was the most vicious storm that ever darkened my life.

He was also my salvation.

Stripped from the hands that always held me back, I was released into a nightmare that would threaten everything I thought I knew about the crap hand I’d been dealt.

I thought I could never hate a man more than the one who stole me from the life I’d known.

And in our time together, he would teach me one important lesson:

That in the end, it doesn’t matter how our paths intersect, because when it comes down to the basic truth of our lives...

...we’re all stuck traveling down hard roads.

 

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The Reviews...

Jaymee's Review

4 Stars

Hard Roads is an MC novel by Lily White and it is a stand alone, if you are looking for something nice please put this book down because it is dark, terrifying, gritty and emotional. Hard Roads is an understatement because the road Holly walks in this novel is more like hell on earth.

Holly might be one of my new favorite female characters because she is tough as nails, not once did she give up even when she knew fighting back would put her life in danger. A few times she played along to try and get out of a situation but if there was an opportunity she would fight for her life. Everything that happens to her is just one nightmare after another, each is worse than the last but she keeps hanging on, never truly giving up. I can't say too much about J.D. without giving out some important plot points but I will say that I loved him, even when he was making terrible choices the reader can tell that he is a good man in a bad situation.

This novel was told through alternating points of view which I believe was vital in order to get the full impact of the story. The reader needs to be inside the minds of both main characters to truly grasp the intensity of each terrible situation. I am a seasoned reader of dark novels but there are some scenes in this book that are definitely nightmare worthy! Lily White is an incredibly talented author, she writes in a detailed way that I could clearly see the horrors that Holly experienced and feel the terror that she felt. This book is action packed, it seems as though every evil of the world was included in this book from rape to torture to drugs, guns and sex trafficking. Underneath all the gory horrors Hard Roads is a romance novel, Holly and J.D. develop a relationship throughout their ordeal and I must say I really, really respected how J.D. treats her toward the end of this story. It really shows his character. The story was more plot driven than focused on their relationship but I loved the dynamic between them and the hot sex was definitely appreciated!

There are a few twists that I was really not expecting, especially at the end! There was a scene with her father that left my jaw hanging open and again it really showed me Holly's strength making me love her even more. One of the reasons I really enjoyed this book was because it is drastically different than most MC books or books where a woman is held captive. Bikers, kidnappers, drug dealers etc are not romanticized in Hard Roads, they are hardcore, violent, extremely dangerous and do not treat their victims with tenderness. The story was so fast paced though it left me feeling a bit disconnected at times, it was hard to fully connect with the characters because there was just so much happening. While I did love both characters I didn't feel as attached to them as I could have been. Overall, this book was an incredible and addictive read that I would highly recommend! 

Storyline: Completely Captivating
Female Characters: Strong
Male Character: Mysterious
Author's writing style: Detailed, Addictive
Plot Twists: Insanity!
Laugh Factor: none
Cry Factor: A Possibility
Steam Factor: A few super hot scenes
Violence: Extreme

 

Melissa's Review...

4.5 Stars

 

Where to begin, where to begin?  Hard Roads is by far one of the darkest, rawest, most emotional reads I have picked up, ever.  Lily White is known as the Queen of Darkness and this book is a prime example of why she totally deserves that title!  I have read MC novels, and yes this falls into that category but it is so much more.  Hard Roads brought pure evil to life. 

 

So here's a quick run down-  Holly is the daughter of Joker.  He is the president of the Dominion MC but ever since his wife, The Saint, died he has lost his mind and started making really, really bad decisions.  His bad decisions put Holly in danger.  This is where JD comes into play.  JD runs with another MC and is working to pay off a debt.  His last mission is to kidnap Holly and deliver her to his president, Big John.  Upon Holly's delivery, his debt will be considered paid in full and JD will be free to move on with his life only nothing ever works out the way its supposed to... Now, throw in some seriously deranged drug lords with a penchant for torture and rape, some sex trafficking, more torture, hot sex and an amazing story line and you have Lily White's newest baby, Hard Roads. 

 

Lily's attention to detail adds so much to this already fascinating storyline and she paints such a graphic picture with her words.   She gave her readers such strong characters to feel for and fall in love with.  Holly is so amazing through the whole story.  The hell she endured left me heartbroken but watching her rise above and put herself back together was amazing.  JD, well he was a tough call at the beginning.  I was so angry with him but he slowly redeemed himself and by the end of the book I was totally in love!  Although it is a far cry from hearts and butterflies, Holly and JD's relationship was beautiful.  His efforts to bring her back from the shell of the person she was shows just how precious she was to him.  The ending of this book was absolutely perfect, heart wrenching but perfect.  I could not have thought of a better way for Lily to end it.

 

I am obsessed with Lily White.  Not in like a weird way or anything..lol.  I know that it is probably unhealthy but I can't get enough.  She is dark, her thoughts scare me and make me question myself but I an captivated by her work.  She has a way of pushing me way beyond my comfort zone while still keeping me intact.  Thank you for being so dark and not being ashamed for sharing it with us!!

 

Storyline: Haunting
Female Characters: Tough
Male Character: Well Developed
Author's writing style: Dark, Amazing!
Plot Twists: There are not enough words!
Laugh Factor: none
Cry Factor: Maybe
Steam Factor: Holly and JD, oh my!!
Violence: WARNING!!

   

 

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About Lily White...

 

Lily White is a dark writer who likes to dabble on the taboo side of eroticism. Most of the time she can be found wandering around aimlessly while her mind is stuck in some twisted power play between two characters in her head. You may recognize her in public by the confused expression, random mumbling, and occasional giggle while thinking up a scene. Lily's favorite things in life are reading, thinking about reading, buying books for reading....and writing. Her other secret pleasure is meeting with her plot editor in public to discuss her books and watching the shocked expressions of the people around her that don't realize she's talking about a book. When Lily is not reading, writing, wandering or freaking out innocent bystanders, she's sleeping.