Review: Reaper's Property by by Joanna Wylde

4.5 Hearts Review: Reaper's Property by by Joanna Wylde

So last week whilst travelling transatlantic to New York, I met and suddenly developed a huge crush on another man. His name: Marcus Antonius Caesar McDonnell, otherwise known as "Horse". Yes you guessed it, I spent the whole six and a half hour flight reading "Reaper's Property". Have I suffered jet lag as a result of not sleeping on the plane? Definitely! But was he worth it? Hell yes. This book was brilliant and one I just couldn't put down.

So what's it about?

Marie's life really isn't how she imagined it would turn out when she married her childhood sweetheart Gary. In fact if anything, it has completely nose dived over the years whereby she has had to endure his infidelity and the back of his hand. When she finally decides to break free, her brother Jeff is there to comfort her, letting her move in rent free and providing the support network she desperately needs. Marie is trying to find her feet and had even managed to get herself a job. What she doesn't want or need is another man complicating matters. Unfortunately that's exactly what she gets when "Horse" rides into her life. Horse is part of the Reapers motorcycle club which means a whole lot of trouble:

"That's the reapers MC, Marie., and they don't fuck around. Do what they say,
but don't get too close to them. Whatever you do, don't touch them or talk to
them unless they talk to you first. Don't even look at them".

Well you can't get any clearer than that…. bad news with a capital B. Well who  listens to advice from your brother anyway? Definitely not Marie and definitely not when she’s getting herself some mind blowing orgasms courtesy of this bad ass biker boy:

"Gonna fuck you now".
"Sure", I whispered, dazed. "Not sure I'm gonna be able
to participate too much,  think you blew a circuit or something."

 Horse is used to getting what he wants and "no" doesn't exist in his vocabulary, that is until Marie. Yes the sex is amazing but she isn’t interested in becoming his “property”. She's not long broken free from being tied to someone and has every intention of enjoying her new found freedom. From what she has learnt of the Reapers, they are all male chauvinistic pigs and there is no place for them in her future:

"I hardly know you but what I do know is that you're a sexist pig and you can go
fuck yourself and your stupid club."

Oops, wrong thing to say because the first opportunity he gets, Horse gets his revenge. Unfortunately, her brother Jeff stupidly decides  to steal from the club (a crime punishable by blood). Marie can save him…. Jeff lives if she gives Horse what he wants and he is after a house mouse:

"You want to keep dumb ass alive, pack a bag and climb on my bike when we
leave. You do  what I tell you, when I tell you, no questions and no bitching."
"Why?" I asked blankly
"Why the hell do you think?" He said, voice strained. "So I can fuck you." 

And so Marie's new life as "Reaper's Property" begins.

Marie's character was just so likable. On one hand, she was strong, well she had to be. She'd upped and left her abusive husband with nothing but the clothes on her back but it was a life she was determined never to go back to. I think that's one of the reasons she didn't take any crap from Horse. If she had something to say, by god she was going to say it, regardless of the repercussions:

"I'm not your sweet butt," I snapped., narrowing my eyes. I hated getting called things
like that. Gary used to do it all the time. To hell with him and to hell with Gary too.
"Fuck off," I said glaring at him.

Yup, at one point, she even bit his ear!!!! You go girl!!!! lol

But as feisty and determined as she was, Horse just did things to her and more often than not, what was between her legs overruled all logic and sense. The internal battle she fought had me in stitches:

I'm ashamed to admit that I creamed my pants right then and there
instead of kicking him in the nuts like a sensible girl.

We also saw a very vulnerable and scared side to Marie. Her failed marriage to Gary had definitely affected her so starting a relationship or being Horse's "house mouse" put the fear of god into her:

Horse hadn't said what time he'd be back but I didn't want to call and ask.
That would be too real or something. Playing house scared me.

So let's talk Horse. Initially, I found him rude, arrogant,cocky, sarcastic and a control freak but guess what? With all of that, he was hot. Yes biker bad ass hot. So you know, I could forgive the rest!!! lol. Horse lived by the rules of The Reapers Motorcycle club. Definitely not your traditional rules but it worked for them:

"So we built our own world with our own rules. You don't fuck with us,
we don't fuck with you. But once you fuck with us, you will pay."

 Unfortunately, Marie did just that by rejecting the offer of being his old lady and he was so going to make her pay:

"I want to fuck you. Sleeping, cuddling, all that shit is for girlfriends and old ladies.
You've made it pretty damn clear you aren't interested in any of that."

There's nothing like a bad ass biker scorned!!!!  But despite the harsh exterior, there was definitely a softer side to him (and every now and again, I got a glimpse  and my heart just melted):

"I need to own you. All of you. Make you scream and realise that you belong to me and I
belong to you and nothing else matters. I can't let you slip away from me, babe."

Yup, moments like these (and there were a few) made me swoon a little for him. That said, there were a couple of times I could have quite easily kicked him in the shins really hard with a pair of steel toe caps he got me so wound up. God I wanted to scream at him to grow the hell up and act like a man, not a teenager (but as I said, luckily this was only a couple of times and both times, I forgave him because there was hot, steamy sex right afterwards!!!)

This book is definitely one I would recommend you go and read. I loved it. It was really well written and and the story just brilliant. It had me gripped from the word go and I wasn't about to put it down for anyone. I loved the fact that although in the main, the story was told from Marie's point of view, there were a couple of chapters where we got to see Horse's POV too. This just made me love him even more because it gave us the rationale for some of his behaviour and even justified it to a degree.

Having read a few biker books, Reaper's Property followed a similar pattern in terms of the rules by which bikers live and the lifestyle they follow. This made the story realistic for me. I didn't find myself questioning things I read in terms of the MC or the situations Marie encountered at the home of The Reapers.

This is not a traditional romance so you won't get all hearts and flowers. However, what you will get is  drama, a huge amount of angst and a real rawness in terms of the story and the relationship between Horse and Marie. There's been no sugar coating by Joanna Wylde so if you are easily offended, this may not be for you. This book is no holds barred rude (sexually explicit)and crude (they have mouths like sewers) but anything less would have been an injustice.

This is a complete story so no cliff hanger which is great. What you do get is a brilliant epilogue that had me laughing and crying at the same time. Who said romance was dead????

I have rated this book 4.5 stars. Definitely worth spending your money on. Whu not a 5 I hear you ask? I wanted to see a little more of both of them right at the end but it ended really quickly.

Favourite quote? Yes you guessed it:

"So why are you called Horse?"
"Because I'm hung like one," he replied, smirking.

Want to see one of the first scenes from Reaper's Property from an alternative POV, then click on the link below:

http://www.joannawylde.net/styled-2/styled-11/index.html