Holding Out (Hawks MC: Ballarat Charter, #1)

by Lila Rose

[stacey_is_sassy]

An Aussie Biker Tale…

3.5 Stars

Once upon a time there was a young woman named Zara who got very cranky at a biker named Talon because he was playing his music too loud. Talon thought it was amusing to see this little kitten yelling at him, President of the Hawks Motorcycle Club, dressed in her nightie and cammo boots. Zara, didn’t find it so amusing, but she also couldn’t help but notice that this guy she was cranky at, was one smoking hot man. A long flirtation started after that night, but it wasn’t until Zara and her daughter Maya’s life was in danger that Talon claimed his woman.

I enjoyed this story set in Ballarat Australia. I’m an Aussie, so I understood the slang and the terms used by the characters, but I could imagine that an overseas person would probably struggle with some of the terms. Our heroine was not a fan of foul language being used around her daughter (good for her) so some made up words helped to get her frustrations out. I can honestly say though that if I read the word fandola one more time, my kindle may have a shorter life than what I planned for it. Fandola was Zara’s term for her lady bits. I didn’t think it was funny and I’m not sure where the author came up with it. Zara’s goofy talk was funny at first, but got a little tiresome as the story progressed.

The storyline revolves around Zara’s escape from her psycho, abusive ex-husband that she is on the run from. When Talon finds out the full story of the abuse Zara had received, he makes it his and his clubs mission to protect her and her loved ones in case he returns. We do see some violence towards the end of the book which was quite graphic, but it didn’t phase me too much as I have read biker books before. The Hawks MC is not the main part of this story, but we are given enough information to know that they don’t dabble in illegal stuff.

Zara has known Talon for 2 years before they are together, so she has seen the women he has ‘entertained’ in that time. There is one scene that Zara walks in on, between Talon and another woman, but it wasn’t what it seemed. Even though it didn’t excuse Talon’s behaviour his regret and remorse is obvious and I was able to get over it.

Overall I enjoyed it and had a few good laughs, but I could tell that it would not suit all. The humour is a little OTT. Zara is a little too goofy, Talon is a little too sweet for a biker president, her best friend is a little too mouthy, her brother’s boyfriend a little too flamboyant and her Mum is a little too zaney. Luckily I was in the mood for a little bit of this and a little bit of that so it worked out okay for me. Thanks Lila Rose for the gifted copy of Holding Out to read and review.

This review and more can be found at http://edgyreviews.com/