Ride Steady (Chaos, #3) by Kristen Ashley Series: Chaos #3
Published by Forever on June 30th 2015
Pages: 628
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Kate Russell
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Amazon Audible
The ride of her life . . .
Once upon a time, Carissa Teodoro believed in happy endings. Money, marriage, motherhood: everything came easy---until she woke up to the ugly truth about her Prince Charming. Now a struggling, single mom and stranded by a flat tire, Carissa's pondering her mistakes when a vaguely familiar knight rides to her rescue on a ton of horsepower.
Climb on and hold tight . . .
In high school, Carson Steele was a bad boy loner who put Carissa on a pedestal where she stayed far beyond his reach. Today, he's the hard-bodied biker known only as Joker, and from the way Carissa's acting, it's clear she's falling fast. While catching her is irresistible, knowing what to do with her is a different story. A good girl like Carissa is the least likely fit with the Chaos Motorcycle Club. Too bad holding back is so damned hard. Now, as Joker's secrets are revealed and an outside threat endangers the club, Joker must decide whether to ride steady with Carissa---or ride away forever . . .
I haven’t read very many Kristen Ashley books, but I can see why she’s such a popular author. She has a way of seamlessly weaving multiple characters together into an entertaining plot. Ride Steady is a great example of this.
The story begins when the main characters, Carissa and Carson, are in high school together, but then switches to the present day. Neither has lived the life they expected. Carissa is a poor single mom and Carson is an unfulfilled but successful biker/car builder, now called Joker. When fate brings them together, the direction of their lives changes. It’s an intriguing struggle for Carissa and Joker to overcome their insecurities and accept the possibility of a relationship with each other.
I did have a problem with the story. Carissa is too sugary for my taste. She has zero flaws. While I fully sympathized with her challenges, she didn’t have enough layers to truly seem real. Joker is another story. He has a tainted past, but he swoops in like a white knight. He’s rough around the edges, but I adored Joker’s devotion to Carissa and her adorable baby, Travis.
The first half is very absorbing, but the second half drags. The book is over 600 pages (just over 17 hours of audio book). I feel it’s unnecessarily long. Much of the second half could be condensed and the story would be just as enjoyable.
Ride Steady is an MC book that has tough ride or die bikers who also have huge hearts. It’s such a sweet dichotomy. I loved all the women. They are unconditionally supportive and so funny.
Be warned that there’s a ton of cursing, which I guess may be common among such tough bikers. You know how kids put a coin in a jar whenever some says a swear word? Even Carissa gives up by around $1. This is just a heads up in case swearing offends you.
About the Audiobook
I love Kate Russell’s narration. The timbre of her voice is so pleasant, but that’s never enough for me. I’m picky about vocal performances, and she brings each character to life, instilling in them a variety of emotions. Great story, great narration. Well done!
Recommended for fans of:
Motorcycle Club books
Single Moms
Butterflies
About Kristen Ashley
Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA. She nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorise and she hadn’t taken her first breath!).
Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana but has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.
Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multi-generational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland and existed amongst the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).
Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.
And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.
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