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When I was ten, my father indoctrinated me into the family.

A brotherhood who would fight, protect, and give their lives for one another. A club whose ties ran thicker than blood, murkier than the dirt and grime that tainted my soul. Stronger than the bonds that connected me to my own family.

A band of brothers, where loyalty was kept and paid in a currency of blood.

When I was twenty-seven, I betrayed that brotherhood.

I’ve spent every day since running, avoiding paying back that debt.

My name is Daniel Johnson. I have betrayed everyone I ever loved.

And I’ll betray her too.

This is my story—if you’re screwed up enough to want to read it.

Warning: Kick contains graphic violence, profanity, drug use, and explicit sexual situations of a taboo nature. Intended for an 18+ audience only. Not intended for pussies.

350 pages, Paperback

First published January 25, 2015

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About the author

Carmen Jenner

41 books3,093 followers
Carmen Jenner is a USA Today and international bestselling author.

A hardcore red lipstick addict and a romantic at heart, Carmen enjoys books—duh!—long walks through Sephora, tattooed boys, and eyeliner so sharp it could kill a man. She lives in small-town, Australia, where she wrangles her two children, a French Bulldog named Busy, her Jungle Jag Python named Bunny, and her very own manchild.

Carmen always gives her characters the HEA they deserve, but not before ruining their lives completely first … because what’s a happily ever after without a little torture?

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 389 reviews
Profile Image for Lana ❇✾DG Romance❇✾.
2,118 reviews13.1k followers
July 15, 2015
4 Will Leave You Crying For Your Mama Stars

I'm not the hero in this story; I'm the motherfucking villain.


Are you easily offended? Do you like fluffy MC books with a touch of Disney? Do you like easily redeemable anti-heroes that even at their worst still have some sort of lightness to them? Well fuck that and your delicate fucking sensibilities! Because you sure as fuck are not going to find it here.

Kick is a brutal, gritty, unapologetic, and no-punches-pulled look at the underbelly of the violent and bloody world of the MC. The men of Savage Saints are not men that are going to make you swoon. These are men that you'll find yourself thinking you should be rooting against, and yet you can't help but feel an inexplicable connection to. They're all utterly fucked up in their own ways, and in the midst of that is Daniel "Kick" Johnson; a recent Savage Saints member but no less fucked up than the rest of them.

Fans of the Sugartown series may remember Kick as Ethan's old MC brother, but if you haven't read it, no worries, you'll get a hell of an introduction into his world here. Kick is an asshole of epic proportions, and I'm not just talking of the sexy asshole variety, I'm talking flat. out. asshole. Born to a a drug whore mother and an MC member father, he was indoctrinated into the life at just ten years old. He was forced to grow up fast and hard. Life spared no feelings for him, teaching him a lesson no man should ever learn in a way that he'll never forget it...
Sometimes kindness is a far worse weapon than brutality...


He's learned early on that there are no happy endings for him and not to get close to any woman long enough to let her rip his heart out.
I love the broken ones because for a brief second, in the heat of the moment, I can forget how fucked up I truly am inside. I can forget about the darkness that i crave. I can forget who I am and focus on someone else's pain...


But then Kick's already fucked up world gets twisted on it's axis even more when he meets her. A woman that may be even more fucked up than any of the club whores that he's been tangled up with in the past.

But before you go thinking this is a romance that's centered around the MC life, think again. It's nothing even remotely close to that. This is Kick's story, and while it may be at times erotic, the romance is very much secondary, and it works. So if things like bother you, well my delicate little friend, this book is sure as fuck not for you.

His dark eyes challenge, they dare me to run, but they also implore me to stay. It's ironic that the only thing keeping me here, keeping me grounded, is the man who abducted me.


Most of the story is told in Kick's POV but you do get glimpses inside Indie's head every now and then. It's not a lot, but it's enough to really make you connect with her. Ultimately, though, the star of this story is Kick.
I don't wanna fuckin' need her. I don't wanna need her. I never wanted to feel this shit, this helplessness again.


This is definitely not a book for the faint of heart. It's violent and it's fucking brutal. It will grip you by the throat and keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. It will also leave you reaching for that liquor cabinet at quite a few scenes.

Carmen truly brought the gritty fucked upedness with this book. And I for one enjoyed the fuck out of it. Speaking of 'fucks', this book had over 500 of them. Yes, I did a fucking 'fuck' count. My kindle actually lost fucking count. No joke. Carmen Jenner has managed to out-fuck my kindle. Ironically I DNFd a book last month for being riddled with what I found to be too many "fucks" for the sake of trying to be gritty and dark. That was not the case here. While my second 4 letter word makes quite a few appearances here, it never felt forced. It actually fit the story as a whole, and that says a lot. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that if lots of cussing offends you...

I kid. But also, this book is not for you.
She's been through hell and she looks like a fuckin' warrior. But if she's a warrior, then what does that make me?
Warriors don't need saviors.
Warriors save themselves.

I seriously enjoyed the hell out of this book. It was a non-stop, heart-pounding ride. It's no small feat to take two completely fucked up characters and yet somehow make them work. Together. It's also no small feat to take a character like Indie, with everything that she's been through, and yet still give her a backbone of steel.

In short? This book was fucking awesome. And I can't wait to see what else the evil genius mind of Carmen Jenner has in store for this series.

...because revenge is sweet. Until it isn't.


ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review

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Profile Image for ✦❋Arianna✦❋.
790 reviews2,559 followers
February 10, 2016
4-4,5 Stars!!

description

This book blew me away. If you expect “Kick” to be your usual MC novel where the hero falls head over heels for the heroine and they live happily ever after…think again. “Kick” was a very dark, gritty, disturbing with many graphic scenes tale that for sure will make you cringe, but it will captivate you at the same time. I’m still more than surprised that I enjoyed this book, because honestly I’m not a fan of MC novels. Almost all of them bore me to death. Well, let me tell you, “Kick” was anything but boring – like I mentioned above it was a dark, which if I’m honest was one of the reasons I enjoyed this book as much as I did, it was well written, the MC’s lifestyle was vividly portrayed and the two main characters were exactly like I wanted them to be – deeply flawed, yet very entertaining. Needless to say, “Kick” was one of the best MC novel I’ve read so far.

“I’m not the hero in this story; I’m the motherfucking villain.”


“Kick” is the first installment in Carmen Jenner’s MC series entitled “Savage Saints MC” and tells the story of Daniel ‘Kick’ Johnson. Kick was born into the club life. He had to act “properly” from an early age. So he had to grow up fast and hard. Needless to say, he's like any other biker – ruthless and violent. But Kick is more than that, he is more than tortured, he’s f@cked-up, he’s damage beyond repair.

description

Years ago, Kick betrayed his former MC, in the process losing the only thing that mattered to him. This experience ruined him. Now he’s bitter, he’s hollow, he’s soulless…until he meets someone who’s as f@cked-up as he is.

“I love the broken ones because for a brief second, in the heat of the moment, I can forget how fucked up I truly am inside.”


Kayla ‘Indie’ is tortured and alone 'in the dark'. At first she doesn’t comprehend why Kick wants so badly to 'save' her and also why she responds to him like she does, but as she gets to know him better she realizes in some way he's the perfect match for her.

The story is written both in the present - from the two main characters’ perspective and also in the past only from Kick’s point-of-view. Both ‘the present’ and ‘the past’ were written well and as the story unfolds you will find out that every chapter from the past has a certain importance for what happens in the present. I honestly enjoyed both the past and the present, but I wouldn’t have minded to read more chapters in the present.

The story was action-packed, gripping from the very beginning with a couple of scenes that will make you cringe and/or keep you at the edge of your seat.

Kick was not your usual hero. I actually don’t know how to call him – a hero or an anti-hero. I guess he was a little of both. He’s like I said at the beginning - a criminal without conscience, a brutal man who doesn’t care about almost anything. However, IMO he was a likeable character. Not only because you will sympathize with him at some point, but because he actually has a heart. You will be convinced by that as the story progresses. Indie was a very likeable character to me. She is strong and feisty and also determined at some point in the story to fight for her life. She’s definitely a survivor.

”Darkness doesn’t seek out the light. It smothers the light, and it revels in the light’s death. And there is nothing more dangerous than darkness that doesn’t have an outlet.”


Kick and Indie’s relationship was unconventional to say the least. Their interactions are not sweet and fluffy. In spite of that, they felt good together and also believable. And one of the reasons for that is because both these characters had depth. The supporting characters were engaging, interesting and I’m looking forward to read more about the other MC brothers.

Overall, a fantastic read!
Profile Image for Jennifer Kyle.
2,462 reviews5,295 followers
September 25, 2015
4.5 Stars

"I'm no Prince Fuckin' Charming. I'm an arsehole. I'm cruel, and I'm a criminal with no moral compass."

description

Third times a charm! I have read two other books by this author and bingo, I found a series by her that works for me. The writing and story line is gritty and brutal as hell. Brace yourselves friends, there’s a lot of rape of women and majority of women aren’t treated well by the MC clubs riding in the Land Down Under. Carmen Jenner gifted an action packed, intense, great read. Her characters stayed true to themselves, the club has enough members that I believe it could exist, oh and the members range from scary to intriguing. Who could ask for more?

”Darkness doesn’t seek out the light. It smothers the light, and it revels in the light’s death. And there is nothing more dangerous than darkness that doesn’t have an outlet.”

This is Daniel AKA Kick’s story of his painful loss of a girl he tried to protect in the past and present he has stuck his neck out for a girl found in a warehouse kidnapped by three crazy men.

”I traded three monsters for one with a prettier face, and a heart blacker than any of the rapists I’ve spent the last couple of weeks with.”

Indie was a kick ass heroine. She’s likable, relatable and I loved that the author didn’t just wrap up the story but made the end a bit more realistic as they approached their hea. Indie and Kick's relationship was well paced not, no instant love and the danger made it one exciting ride.

”Maybe that’s the reason I want her so fuckin’ much. Because she’s been through hell and she looks like a fuckin’ warrior. But if she’s a warrior, then what does that make me? Warriors don’t need saviours. Warriors save themselves.”

Profile Image for Beverly.
1,005 reviews792 followers
January 27, 2015
Ladies and gentlemen this story is not for the faint of heart. This is such a dark, emotional read but it has the grit I love in my MC books.

A lot of MC hero’s lack empathy and usually have despicable personality traits. Despite that I love these type of books, because the combine all the things I love: damaged guys, forbidden love, and hot, dirty sex.

"Because that's my super power; that's the one thing I'm truly good at - betrayal.”

The story begins with us meeting Kick and learning about his past. Kick grew up in the MC world, his father was patched in and his mother was a club whore. There is a possibility his life could have been different, but from the age of six when his mother died he was raised by the Club. It is rare that a man raised in that lifestyle would have any empathy or remorse for his actions, but there is a goodness in Kick.



I could immediately see a glimpse of his goodness when we were first introduced to him. Kick is using a woman and I am not making excuses, but he also cares enough about her to tolerate her weakness and give her what she needs. His actions are not completely selfless since he is also benefiting from their relationship, but you can tell he cares.

Throughout the story the time changes from past to present. I was really intrigued by Kick’s past and enjoyed when the story reflected back, I wanted to know what made Kick the man he is today. We learn quickly he betrayed his former club and throughout the story we gradually see what actions led him that point.

When a local dentist molests one of the club’s old ladies, Kick is sent to deal with the dentist. What begins as a quick snatch and grab turns into a complete mess when finds a girl captured in the warehouse. Indie has been fighting for her life for the past three weeks, she has endured dehydration, multiple rapes and beatings, and still manages to have a fight in her. There is something about Indie that Kick can’t forget or overlook, no matter how he tries he can’t avoid his feelings.



It is really important that I stress this is in noway a light read about a damaged guy with a good heart, no this book contains rape, drug use, and a lot of violence. Kick isn’t easy to love and this book isn’t easy to read, but I enjoyed the range and depth in the characters. I really enjoyed seeing Kick and Indie’s relationship progress. I enjoyed that it wasn’t easy or cliched. I liked that Indie stood up for herself and that Kick wanted better for her. Of course, I also really loved when enough was enough and they finally gave in to their desires.



I really enjoyed this story, but would have liked it more had there more focus on Indie and Kick instead of so much time spent on his past. That said, I do highly recommend this one if you enjoy dark MC books and can handle the graphic nature. It is an intense story that was executed very well.

ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for ~♡AB♡~.
974 reviews686 followers
May 22, 2015
★★★ 3.5 Stars ★★★



"I'm not the hero in this story; I'm the motherfucking villian."

Wow, this was a dark but brilliant book which follows the Savage Saints MC and the brutal lives and events that surround them.

Kick was not a romance to make you happy, it was violent and raw and dark but I was drawn into this sickening world by the brilliant writing of Carmen Jenner.

I have to admit I gave up on the Sugartown books, but am very pleased that I gave this author another chance because otherwise I would have missed out on what looks to be a fabulous series. This book is interlinked with the aforementioned series, but it is not necessary to have read them and is a completely new spin off.

Kick was born into the MC life, his mother was a club slut and his father a fully fledged member of the Angels MC. His life has been tough and he's seen terrible things, but deep down he has a heart because when he witnesses a brutal rape within his club, he decides that he will do what is right to protect her.

The book flits between past and present, it's almost like two stories, with two different women at his mercy. Unfortunately for one of them, life is about to get worse because when Kick betrays his club there is no going back.

In present time, Kick has joined the Savage Saints and now is his time for redemption and hope for a future. When he is tasked to go in and get 'The Dentist' he is once again faced with a feisty woman who is in the midst of a gang rape and he feels like he needs to save her. Him and his brothers end up in the middle of a sex ring scandal, and instead of getting rid of the woman in question, Kick wants to keep her.

"I love the broken ones because for a brief second, in the heat of the moment, I can forget how fucked up I truly am inside."

For me it was a thrilling read, albeit difficult, and I loved to see Kick become vulnerable for Indie. The character development was spot on, my only complaint was that I would have liked to have seen more present, than past.

However, his past was essential to his journey and his reasonings for falling in love with broken women. Indie was broken but he helped her to become strong again, and then she herself became stronger for both of them.

Look forward to reading about the other MC brothers.

This is a standalone, told in dual POV

Profile Image for Ali .
663 reviews154 followers
January 13, 2015
Kick is not a love story.

Kick is not an erotic story.

Kick is a not a story of redemption.

Kick is a story of survival.

Kick is a fucked up ride through a dark underbelly filled with violence, murder, monsters, drugs and rape.

And I enjoyed every moment of it. What does that make me?

In need of some sort of therapy, I'm sure.

Jenner gives clear warning that Kick is 'not intended for pussies', it's a warning that should be heeded.  It's not an easy read.  She didn't shy away from writing graphic, horrific scenes.

If you go into Kick looking for a bad boy turns good type story, you're in the wrong frame of mind for this one.  It's not that story.

Sometimes life hands people nothing but shit and they have to learn to survive in it, to maybe come out of it not whole and not broken, but irreparably fractured.  That's what this story is.  For Kick and for Indie.




Kick has known little but violence and hard times growing up an MC brat.  He's a selfish fucker and gives shit as good as he takes it.  Little penetrates his hardened exterior.  The people who get a glimpse inside him inevitably find themselves fucked over by him.  He's got a temper and it's easily lit up.  He likes to deliver trouble, control and pain.

Two times in his life he's been placed in a situation of seeing pain delivered by someone else.  Both situations set off him off.  Not because he really felt sympathy for the victim, but because he wants their pain and suffering for his own.  That's the kind of guy Kick is.  He knows it's fucked up, he just doesn't really care.  He gets off on the tears, the blood, the fight.

Kick doesn't want to hold and cherish your heart. He wants to rip it from you, wrap it in barbed wire and lick up the blood every time it swells just a fraction in size.




Indie didn't grow up in violence. Indifference maybe, but not violence.  That didn't stop her from finding herself in hell though.  Now she has the chance to walk out of it, but who will she be in the end?  Surviving is one thing, becoming a monster in turn is something else.

I liked the journey these two took, both together and separately.  It's not so much a story of growth as just acceptance and I'm okay with that because I don't know how you come out of situations like these as a better person.  I think you come out of them with an understanding that it's maybe not so fucked up to have that dark soul and finding someone else who not only understands the darkness but embraces their own...is maybe the purest kind of acceptance. And maybe, when you're fucked up that's better than love.

Again, I'll say this isn't a love story.  It's not an easy read. I felt like I should be running to the bathroom to vomit, not getting excited about what the next page held. But hey, I'm fucked up.  If you are too, you might like this one.
Profile Image for ❥ KAT ❥ Kitty Kats Crazy About Books.
2,316 reviews9,202 followers
September 12, 2015
★ Complimentary Copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review ★

I'm going to have to re read this for the next book..

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TITLE: Kick
SERIES: (Savage Saints MC #1)
AUTHOR: Carmen Jenner
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
RELEASE DATE: January 26th, 2015
MY RATING: ★★★★

This book is real, beautifully raw, and not for the faint of heart. It is brutal and graphic and like me you will question the sanity of KICK!! He is one f*cked up Mother f*cker..He was a bit of a magnet to females who were just as broken as he was..

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I love the broken ones because for a brief second, in the heat of the moment, I can truly forget how f*cked up I truly am inside. I can forget about the darkness I crave, I can forget who I am and focus on someone else's pain, I am the king of shit, and my throne is built upon the bodies of all that I have destroyed, my crown is made up of her teeth and tears.

BETRAYAL

If I had've picked up this book without glancing at the author there is no way I would've connected it to Carmen Jenner..This book is definitely different to her Welcome to Sugartown Trilogy..Kind of makes me wonder what the hell she was drinking in her writers cave to come up with this story line..

I've read shitloads of biker books and this one is pretty up there with being one hell of a rollercoaster ride..Usually I'd claim the biker as my book boyfriend but yeah na this guy was too fucked up even for me to lay claim to him, he needs major therapy lol

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I am a monster. Not because I'm a product of my environment, or because I like to hurt woman, I am a monster because I choose to embrace my darkness, I feed it regularly from the suffering of others.

The reason why I'm not shoving five stars on this is because it got a wee bit confusing with the tooing and froing with the before and now..

I've seen violence. I've lived and breathed it since I was a baby. I've been shrouded in hurt, pain, and other people's anguish for the longest time I dared to think I was immune.

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A COP, A DENTIST AND A PRIEST

I'm an arsehole, it's all I've ever been. A biker brat born into the arms of a junkie bitch who only cared about where her next fix was coming from, and a father who's wished he hadn't forgotten the f*cking condom.

This is one of those books that I will put in the "Am going to read again basket"
Profile Image for ✿kawehi.reviews.
1,453 reviews421 followers
January 26, 2015
☆ I received an ARC via TRSOR PR in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ☆

kick live

kick 5

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Kick was one hell of a “kick” in the ass!! Pun intended!!

My first thought when it came to this read was that it was very unorthodox from the rest of the MC reads that I’ve come across. When you come across an anti-heroine who’s grown up with the MC and who later gets indoctrinated into the lifestyle and brotherhood, there’s already a sense of foreboding that comes across as a reader in what’s likely to ensue.

We can already foresee that it’s going to be one hell of a rollercoaster ride. What we cannot see, is just how much author Carmen Jenner pushes the envelope with the amount of f*#edupness held together by blood, violence, loyalty, and sacrifice.

To say, I was taken aback would be an understatement.

Readers be warned though, for those of you wanting a love story I would not call this story one. Sure, there is a romance element that is adapted into the plot, but it is not the focus whatsoever.

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Not to mention, if you’re one of those of the faint of heart, I would not sway you away from this read…Just, be prepared and brace yourself is all! It can be a little overwhelming at times.

Carmen Jenner definitely crafts one dark, unapologetic, no holds barred read as you really don’t know what to expect next, as the skies are the limit.

The male heroine is all alpha, gritty, and male….but not the kind who looks to swoon you in and capture your heartstrings. Nope, that’s just not how he is. Sure, he is good looking, smart and intelligent. But, he is also cunning, unforgiving, and extremely ruthless in his ways and won’t hesitate to put you in the ground if needed.

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kick 7

★★★★★★

So, my verdict? An explosive read that will grab you from page one!!

Kick is without doubt, the epitome of a game changer for Ms. Carmen Jenner’s authorship! I was already a fan of hers from her “Sugartown” days, but man, was this a heart-pulsing, heart-stopping adventure that in the words of the author, “Not intended for pussies”!!

I mean, just look at the MC’s name—“Savage Saints”. This book is sort of the paradox of it all.

#I f*cken loved this stand out trailblazer!!! Great job, Carmen!!♥

Kawehi
Profile Image for warhawke.
1,386 reviews2,103 followers
March 24, 2015
Type: Book 1 of Savage Saints MC series
POV: First Person – Dual (Mostly male)
Rating:



I’m not the hero in this story; I’m the motherfucking villain.



Kick was born and bred in the MC world where it was ingrained in him that loyalty to the club and the brothers were more important than anything else. One bad choice led to another that spiraled down to the decimation of his former club.

Now he’s with the Savage Saints MC, still trying to find his place within the brotherhood. He was tasked with a job of collecting an “offender” but not only had he botched the job, he also gained a captive.

Indie wanted an out while Kick was determined to keep her safe even if the future seemed destined to match his desolated past.




Personally, I don’t know which genre to put this book in. It is dark in the physical violence kind of way. It’s not a romance even though there’s a slight romantic element in it. It was explicit but not in erotic kind of way.



Kick is basically a story of redemption. He was trying to right his past while still very much haunted by it. I like him. He was a broken soul with a savior complex. However, I feel like there was a certain proclivity in his character wasn’t fully explored.



I like Indie too even though we only got a few chapters in her POV. I like that she was a strong female character even with the things she had to go through. I like seeing her journey from a traumatized victim to a ruthless vengeance seeker that fell within the acceptable realism.

Tank was one of Kick’s closest allies and I really like him. I wasn’t happy with how his character was phased out in the book. I’m assuming/hoping his book will be next.

The book alternated between now and then and it worked in telling the story of Kick’s past. However, since the situation was similar with his present, I sometimes got confused with the timeline.



I have to say for an MC series, this book didn’t feel like it. It’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s just that I didn’t really feel the biker vibe.

A little warning for those who can’t tolerate non-consensual sex - there were a lot of them in this book. It’s probably the most I read in one book. It didn’t bother me because it did serve a purpose.

Overall, Kick was a good book to get yourself lost in the hard hitting world of biker outlaws.
Profile Image for Katie.
334 reviews117 followers
March 15, 2015
4.5 Little Spitfire Stars!

description
"I like to watch her cry. I taste her tears. I relish them. Because pain is beauty, at least in my world. And everything in my world is pain."

"Warriors don't need saviors. Warriors save themselves"



Extremely Dark.
Super emotional.
Action packed.
A tortured MC alpha.
A strong heroine who refuses to be a victim again.
Corrupt authority figures.

What's not to love?!

This is the first book i've read from this author, and it certainly won't be the last!
Profile Image for Carissa.
269 reviews63 followers
January 30, 2015

4 'Spitfire' stars



This is a brutal, raw and unrepentant MC book of all time.Created through a kut of monsters - betrayal, blood, revenge.



Daniel 'Kick' Johnson is a bastard. Born into the club life to a junkie whore and a club brother, Daniel grows up within the Club and is spitted out as Kick. Kick kills like he fucks. Raw, savagely and licks ever last sweetened drop - blood and ......

Going in search of a dentist who molested one of the club's Old Ladies. Kick encounters a scene more brutal than even he could imagine. A scene that turned him hot and gave him a massive boner. Kayla Kennedy has been missing for three weeks. Brutally raped and physically scarred. Emotionally destroyed by three devious, sadistic men. A Dentist. A Cop. A Priest.

"I've endured more pain than most can even conceive. I went through all of that and I'm still standing. I might be covered in bruises that are still healing, and I might be just as scared for what the future holds as I was in that warehouse, but they didn't break my spirit. My lungs still breathe, my head still processes thought, and my heart still beats. No, those men didn't break me- those men made me stronger."



"I love the broken ones because for a brief second, in the heat of the moment, I can truly forget how fucked up I truly am inside. I can forget about the darkness I crave, I can forget who I am and focus on someone else's pain, I am the king of shit, and my throne is built upon the bodies of all that I have destroyed, my crown is made up of her teeth and tears." 


Kick went against his Prez and brothers to help Kayla. There was some intense need to protect her. To help her. Kayla fought him every step of the way. She screamed, clawed, scratched blood, kicked and cuffed. After such a brutal ordeal, she had all this inner strength that pushed her forward.


Kayla, renamed Indie because of the passion and FIGHT that Kick sees in her. 

She wants revenge.

 He wants redemption.

 He sees his past in Indie and she may be his redemption. If he doesn't betray her to.



As Kick and Indie's path to revenge, survival and redemption entwine, Kick teaches Indie how to be strong, He gives her an outlet to rage against her anger and attackers, until she can exact her revenge.

It was refreshing to see separate individuals developed and also portrayed sadistically together. Both from different worlds and yet so much alike. I loved Kick's violent and dark nature. I want to sell a boob to get more in depth into his mind. Indie's got some serious iron balls for a woman tortured and raped repeated and sadistically. Her spitfire attitude is what lured Kick in and her strength continues to shine through.


Women are as strong as a brick shithouse and fragile as a flower.





*ARC provided by TRSOR Promotions on behalf of the author for an honest review* Thanks!!
Profile Image for ☆ Sammy ☆彡.
273 reviews1 follower
January 30, 2015
As I sit here trying to write my review for KICK by Carmen Jenner, I'm a little speechless and can't help but reflect on how much this book affected me. KICK is a brutal, gritty, violent, and poignant story that ultimately centers around survival and a man's life in the Savage Saints MC. While reading this book, I was glued to my Kindle, with my heart in my throat, and my stomach was in knots because I was terrified of what was coming. In short, this was one hell of a story that I won't soon forget. It is also one of the darkest books that I have read to date so any potential readers should heed the author's warning in the preface: "if you're reading this and trying to determine if KICK is the book for you, then I'm going to say this: "it will challenge you, it will probably break your heart, and you will find some of it distressing."

"I'm not the hero in this story; I'm the motherfucking villain."

Kick was born and raised in the MC and motorcycles, drugs, sex, and violence are the only life that he has ever known. Because of the sins of his past, Kick views himself as soulless and too fucked up for any kind of redemption. He's the villain, not the hero, and accepts the fact that there is no happily ever after in his future. One thing that I loved about this book is that despite Kick living a life full of darkness, readers get a glimpse of a small flicker of light within his character.

"I love the broken ones because for a brief second, in the heat of the moment, I can forget how fucked up I truly am inside. I can forget about the darkness that I crave. I can forget who I am and focus on someone else's pain, because that has to be infinitely better than wallowing in my own."

KICK is primarily told from Kick's point of view and the story jumps between his past and present. Kick has a heartbreaking tragedy in his past that really impacted the man you see in the present. The past collides with the present when fate brings Indie, a woman who might be even more damaged than Kick, into his life and forces Kick to once again question his loyalties. Indie and Kick's relationship is not traditional by any means, especially considering the circumstances that brought them together. One thing that I really appreciated about this story is that even though Kick and Indie are both deeply flawed individuals, they challenge one another and you see the strength in each of their characters as a result.

Would I recommend KICK by Carmen Jenner? HELL YES! Just make sure you can handle reading a book containing graphic violence, profanity, drug use, and explicit sexual situations of a taboo nature. Be prepared for heart pounding action and suspense and a twisted anti-hero whose tragic story will consume you.

ARC courtesy of the author in exchange for an honest review
Profile Image for Kristine GPI Bookblog.
379 reviews24 followers
January 28, 2015
MC books have never been my preferred genre, I read to escape my reality, to live in someone else’s if only for a few hours, the idea of all that gritty, dark, blood lust has never appealed to me, until now.

KICK was my first foray into the world of MC novels, and it was everything I expected and so much more at the same time. Kick is not a romance, nor is it the tale of a pseudo badboy waiting for the right girl to turn him good, KICK is dark, so very dark that at times I struggled for breath, so raw and real, that my heart ached, so desolate that I scrambled to find my way back from the edge.

Daniel (Kick) has grown up an MC brat, indoctrinated in the ways of the brotherhood, where loyalty reigns supreme, sacrifice is expected, and women are disposable, there to fulfil a need. The only woman he ever wanted was taken from him, and what remains is a man with nothing left to lose and a price on his head.

Jenner has dared to take this story somewhere other than the stereotype of drugs, women and criminal activity. The sense of helplessness I felt, the sheer mind numbing agony of this fast paced roller coaster ride that is Daniel’s life.

There is so much more to this story then just of a biker, as Carmen weaves a story of loss, betrayal, pain and hurt, we learn of Lauren and Daniel’s past and Indie’s present I often found myself questioning how can you find even a slither of light when the darkness surrounds you, how do you keep going when the world is desperate to drag you down?

KICK is at times brutal, graphic and a dark, desolate ride into the seedy underbelly of motorcycle gangs. For a reader like me it was often confronting, leaving me feeling sick, simultaneously wanting to put it down and walk away, and desperately wanting to read more, know more, to feel everything even if at times it made me feel uncomfortable.

But this isn’t only a story of pain; it’s a story of survival, of hope, of redemption, of strength, of overcoming even the worst things imaginable. I thave been a long time fan of Carmen Jenner, her ability to wrench every raw emotion from me in one moment and then have me laughing in the next, but Kick with it's dark depravity, it's raw unquestioning emotional pull, has cemented herself as an author to not only watch but to admire. This book, Jenner’s words have taken an immeasurable toll on my battered and bruised heart, but most importantly, it left me believing that even in the darkest moments there’s light.
Profile Image for books_and_brew.
511 reviews31 followers
August 10, 2016

Kick is the kind of MC book you actually wan to read. Who wants to pick up a book thinking its going to be badass bikers when we actually get fluff and rainbows? Kick is rough, dirty and in-your-face. The bikers actually do some fucked up shit and make no apologies for it.

Kick (Daniel) is our anti-hero and has issues from Oregon to Maine and back. He has some seriously fucked up thoughts that will make you cringe. When he takes on Indie he bites off more than he can chew, but in her he finally finds someone to ease the monster inside.

I am the king of shit, and my throne is built upon the bodies of all I have betrayed; my crown is made of her teeth and tears.

Indie has been through the worst type of hell one can imagine. She has had the life she once knew ripped from her and will never get it back. She had endured some truly awful shit and somehow made it out to the other side. Kick slowly helps her to overcome her horrors and build her strength, but even then she is forever changed.

Then he raped me with his baton while the fucking Priest egged him on. They tied me to a post and beat me senseless. The Priest liked to quote bible passages, and call me a whore as he raped me over and over until I begged for him to kill me. Until I promised to repent for sins I never fucking committed.

Yall - that is just a snippit of the crazy shit this book will put you through. I will say this, Kick has not been my favorite MC book, or even dark book this year. It is probably most likely due to the fact that the last few books I have read have been dark reads. The shock factor has worn off on me a bit and I didn't really connect with this book as much.

This doesn't mean the book wasn't good. The last 20% really made up for the first half of the book and I enjoyed it from there. Plus the epilogue is cute as fuck. Anyways, give this one a try if you don't have triggers and don't mind some dark shit floating through your head for a couple days.

On to the next!
Profile Image for Sammy ⭐️.
920 reviews35 followers
February 8, 2017
Well honestly, I've read some really twisted, bat shit crazy books in my time, but I think Kick just hit the number one spot. I'm all in when it comes to dark romance, my crazy little Brain thrives off it, but this had me a little shocked and a little uncomfortable, making me want to put my kindle down, take a breather, inhale a glass of wine and 20 shots of vodka to maybe bring out the fluffy unicorns within the story.

Never going to happen!!

 photo Kick_zps7vaf10zr.jpg

I suggest you leave this one on the shelf, If your a little squeamish with blood, torture, rape, kidnapping, murder, betrayal or any other crazy fucked up shit, because this my friend is full of it from cover to cover.

So while you are sat there contemplating whether to read this or not, I'm checking myself into a Mental institution.

Why?

Because I must of lost my ever loving mind, because I really enjoyed this from start to finish and couldn't put down, even though the good girl in me was screaming that I shouldn't even be considering turning the page never mind devouring the whole book. But here I am dying for more and I can't wait to get my grabby little hands on Tank's story, that man is a complete mystery.
Profile Image for ⊱✿⊰ Alicia ⊱✿⊰ .
552 reviews450 followers
April 26, 2015
Well I wanted a hard core MC book and I sure as hell got one!!!! This is no romance novel that's for sure it pulls you in and spits you out. It was dark twisted and told the bad side of MC life which is so different from others I have read. I enjoyed it even more as the Author is a fellow Aussie and the book is based in my home town of Sydney.
Carmen is a brilliant author and I would happily read anything she wrote and am really looking forward to more Savage saints, however this book was so hard core I might have to take a rest from MC books for a couple of weeks LOL (if I can).
Profile Image for 1-Click Addict Support Group.
3,749 reviews481 followers
January 25, 2015
Carmen Jenner...What the f*ck have you done to me? You gave me Elijah and chocolate banana cream pie, and Jackson with his wombat encounter. I mean, hell, you gave me Sugartown....and then you throw a complete f*cking 180 with Kick.

I don't like to do spoilers, or give book reports. I like to give first gut reactions. And at this moment my gut is in complete knots. I will tell you that it is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY to read the preface. Read it...and then read it again. Normally I start with a quote from the actual story but in this case I will quote the amazing Carmen Jenner.

“KICK is not for the faint of heart… There will be situations that will be hard for you to read; they were hard to write. Some of them gutted me.”

This book was dark; it will take you so deep that you won't want to put it down but won't want to turn the page. It is raw and it is gritty. I don't think I took a deep breath until the end.

Oh Kick, where do I begin to express my feelings for you?

“I am a monster. Not because I'm a product of my environment, or because I like to hurt women. I am a monster because I choose to embrace my darkness – I revel in it and nurture it like it's a newborn. I feel it regularly from the suffering of others, because that's what I do: I make those I love suffer. I betray everyone who ever wrongly put their trust in me. And at the end of the day, this girl will be no different.”

I felt compassion for Kick very early on. The situations that he has to endure are going to break your heart. You are going to fall fast and hard for these characters. Don't say I didn't warn you.

This book is not for the faint of heart. This book will make you question your values. Carmen, I have to say it was pretty awesome to see you write something so out of the norm...for you, anyways. It was dark; it was heavy and at times almost unbearable. But in the end, extremely satisfying. I feel like you gave us everything you had in this story.

I give KICK a very heavy 6 stars. Not an “OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, IT WAS SO HOT” 6 stars but a very quiet and speechless 6 stars. ~ Stacey

~~~

Carmen! Woman! I hope you're going to pay the prescription for Xanax I need after reading this book! Oh, and maybe throw in a gift card to my local liquor store for good measure. It's a good damn thing I read this during the day or I'd be drunk off my a**. And I totally mean that as a compliment. There aren't too many books that drive me to drink or feel the need for medication. Kick is one that may just call for both.

Readers, make sure you heed Ms. Jenner's warning. Because she's right, we're not in Sugartown any-more. In fact this book makes the Sugartown series seem like the kiddie play place at McDonald's. Kick is extremely raw, full of bada**ery, sex and violence. There are no punches pulled here, no hearts or flowers, no unicorns sh*tting rainbows. It's brilliant and bloody. In fact, it's bloody brilliant!

My suggestion is to just go into this book blind, with both eyes and mind wide open. The elements of this story are weaved perfectly together. It's mindf*ckery at its finest. So, yeah, I'm being vague on purpose. Just read it.
Kick is the first book in the Savage Saints series. Alternating in first person POV’s from Kick and Indie. There is absolutely no cliffhanger and can be read as a standalone. ~ Erin, 5 Stars

~~~

Well, what the f*ck can I say about this book, this hellish roller coaster of a story that was dirty, gritty, dark and harsh? I only have one word.

MOTHERF*CKER.

Kick was born in the MC life, and will die in it. In between, he'll betray or disappoint everyone around him.

That's not going to change. The girl is no exception. She may end up the biggest betrayal of all.

I have to start by saying that this review is not easy for me to write, because this book was not easy for me to read. Kick comes fully equipped with a heavy, honest warning, which I took in and reconciled myself with before I even read the first line.

Why?

Rape is my hard limit. A book that deals, in part, with such a topic is not one I usually pick up, because it's not entertaining; it hurts and unsettles me. But I was ready to handle it, and handle it I did. I survived this book - and please understand, I mean that in best possible way. Because if it was anything less than a brilliantly written, artfully formed book, by a writer I consider a favorite, I wouldn't have even given it a chance.

But I did. And I am glad of it. I can't say I enjoyed it - that's too light, too happy of a term to properly describe the experience of reading Kick. And it is an experience. Like I said above, this book is a roller coaster. Slow to start, it chugs uphill, setting you up for the plummet, the twists and turns and the direction changes, and then brings you home, leaving you with wobbly legs and a sense of satisfaction that you faced your fear and did it anyway.

Would I change anything about Kick? Maybe. It took me several chapters to feel anything - possibly because I was SO geared up, SO prepared for it - but I also wonder it that's actually a bad thing. Because once I felt my first heart-pounding moment, I was all in. I'd had the anticipation of what was to come, and then I got the payoff. And it was worth the wait. ~ Beth, 4.5 stars
September 14, 2015
Revenge is sweet, until it isn't...
I've been looking forward to reading this first book in the Savage Saints MC series for a while. It was my introduction to Carmen Jenner. At first I wondered how she sleeps at night with all this f*@ked up $h!t in her head. And then I had a 'duh' moment and realized that because I like to read it I could ask myself the same question. Cuz, now that I just turned the last page of Kick, I'm gonna have to try to get it out of my head long enough to catch some ZZzz's. If you love reading MC books like I do, you will enjoy this, because you have already been immersed into the madness and mayhem of the raw and bloody unapologetic outlaw lifestyle. If not, then you better put on your big girl panties before you dig in cuz it's gonna be a jaw-dropping, eyebrow-raising experience for you.

I'm a sucker for a damaged, broken character. They really appeal to me for some reason. I guess that maybe it gives the rest of us hope if we can see somebody else's darkness lightened by the love of another person. I have to say it is a dark read that isn't broken up by a lot of humor and witty banter between brothers and friends like others that I've read. It made it harder to get attached to the characters. I usually enjoy meeting the other club members and then looking forward to reading their story in future installments, but most of this story takes place inside the f*@cked up heads of the main characters Kick & Indie. It was a suspenseful page-turning back-and-forth journey between the past and the present as we learn about the events that brought Kick to the place where he determined that betrayal was his special power. He has also decided that "the f*@ked up ones gravitate towards each other like magnets" because those are the women he seems to collect, finding that "pain is beauty".

It doesn't end on a cliff hanger, but it does leave the door open for us to learn more and have some questions answered at a later date. I'm positive that the Saints will have lots of 'club business' to deal with on a continuing basis as they are involved in some dangerous stuff and they don't play nice.
Profile Image for Zakirrah BookBlogger.
304 reviews180 followers
January 30, 2015
4 Kickass Stars!!

I can't believe this is the first book I am reading by Carmen Jenner.I heard quite a lot about Sugartown series but not had a chance to get round to it. Ahh too many books and so little time. When I saw this one pop up in my email I thought why not, lets sign up. I'm so glad I did!

"I'm not the hero in this story; I'm the motherfucking villain."

This is an action packed, dark, raw, heart gripping story that will have you clutching on and eager for more.I didn't really read anything on this book and went in not knowing much which was brilliant because it made it even better.Had me guessing and staying up late at night saying to myself..just one more chapter, last chapter and I will put it down.That obviously failed. Don't read reviews just go straight in and find out for yourself.

“No Angel hands in their wings; they have ’em stripped, burned off, or blacked out, but no one ever fuckin’ walks away a free man.”

This book is in both Kick and Kayla/Indie's POV so you get an insight into both their lives which is necessary at points.Its just such a messed up story about too broken lonely people who are brought together due to a terrible situation. Two lonely souls who are drowning in nightmares and a terrible past.This flicks back and forth from past to present and I don't really enjoy that and at times it can put me off the book. Fortunately that didn't happen but at times I just wanted it to stick to one. I was so into the present side of it and then it hits next chapter and we are in the past and I screaming in my head Nooooooooo! Stop this let me read on in the present. Omg I need to quickly read and get back to the present. I guess this made me read faster and keep reading. And when you finally find out what happens. My hear. Broke.
Poor Kick I just wanted to hold him and chase away the loneliness.

"I love the broken ones because for a brief second, in the heat of the moment, I can forget how fucked up I truly am inside. I can forget about the darkness that I crave. I can forget who I am and focus on someone else's pain, because that has to be infinitely better than wallowing in my own."

I'm not the biggest fan of Biker books but I do read them when the mood strikes and at times I find ones that I end up really enjoying.This is one of those books and I can't wait for more.It broken, it's twisted and it will make you crave more!

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review*

Blog: http://zakirrahsbookblog.blogspot.co.uk/
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Profile Image for Wendy ⏃: ✦Nerdy Book Reviews✦.
927 reviews294 followers
January 19, 2016
+++ 5 GRITTY STARS!!! +++
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KICK is not for the fainthearted. It is gritty and raw to the core. If you’re looking to for fluff and romance, then this story is not for you. There is violence, blood, sweat, and tears. Carmen Jenner managed to take me on this twisted ride that didn't seem to end, until I was left gasping, and totally mind fucked. There came a point where I was nervous, my heart was racing, and I was afraid to continue reading. I literally had to stop and breathe, if just for a second. KICK is a beautifully broken story that will have you sobbing, like a little baby.

Kick aka Daniel was indoctrinated into the MC life at a young age. He’s an MC brat who lives and breathes the violence and life of the brotherhood. Drugs, sex, blood; that’s all he's ever known. That is until he meets Lauren, but life is cruel and life is unfair. For she is taken away from him and he’s left numb, completely dead inside.
"I've seen violence. I've lived and breathed it since I was a baby. I've been shrouded in hurt, pain, and other people's anguish for the longest time I dared to think I was immune.

But Jenner doesn't just stop there, oh no, she makes it darker. She intertwines the past with the present, so the pieces fit together perfectly, while leaving you rocking back and forth, like a crazy person. This woman does NOT fuck around!!!

Jenner manages to weave the story of Indie aka Kayla right into the mix of the story. We take the journey with a broken woman who at times wanted to end her own life because of the pain and torture she had endured. If Kick wasn't there to push her and show her the strength she had within herself, she would have snapped and been lost for good.
"I don’t know anything anymore except that I want to die. With every fiber of my being, with everything I am, I know that much is true. I just want to die, but he won’t let me."

Through the loss, the pain, the betrayal; the story sheds light on hope, redemption, and survival. There were moments where I laughed, while others I was angry and upset. Carmen did an amazing job and after reading this book I have nothing but respect for her. I fell in love with Kick, this beautiful tortured man, and now I’m left with nothing but a massive book hangover :(.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"I love the broken ones because for a brief second, in the heat of the moment, I can truly forget how fucked up I truly am inside. I can forget about the darkness I crave, I can forget who I am and focus on someone else's pain, I am the king of shit, and my throne is built upon the bodies of all that I have destroyed, my crown is made up of her teeth and tears."


*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.*
Profile Image for Kristina.
423 reviews130 followers
September 6, 2015
I am completely repulsed that the author glorifies rather than punishes these GANG RAPISTS, RAPIST ENABLERS and COWARDS (KICK, TANK & the rest of them).

Really? Kick does not deserve a happy anything. NONE OF THEM DO. The things they DO TO WOMEN & ALLOW to be done to women is disgusting.

TANK kidnapped Lauren so that his president and all the other "brothers" could viciously gang rape and mutilate her multiple times, while TANK & KICK watched on as they all did this, yes they WATCHED. In fact if there wasn't an outside disturbance, Kick was next in line to rape Lauren. They allowed the multiple rapes, assaults and mutilations of at least one woman (Lauren) although other female victims are also mentioned.

All of these men deserve death and only death. This is sick shit, in the worst possible way.

How dare the author allow these vile evil creatures who have raped, debased women etc. have happy endings with other women and live in freedom. And try to make them out to be "decent" guys in the end. What is wrong with you?

DISGUSTING!
Profile Image for Judith.
724 reviews2,809 followers
February 1, 2015
I'M EXHAUSTED AFTER READING THIS !!!!

It's,

BRUTAL
VIOLENT
GRITTY
DARK
SEXY

BRING ON THE NEXT ONE....

I'm panting for Tank' s story !!
Profile Image for Ellen ✦ Book Bellas ✦.
1,604 reviews340 followers
January 30, 2015
4.5 stars!!

“I like to watch her cry. I taste her tears. I relish them. Because pain is beauty, at least in my world. And everything in my world is pain. Has been since the morning I woke with a gun pressed to my head. ”

WOW!! Kick sure delivers a kick in the pants. Our “hero” Kick is one messed-up motherf-er, that’s for sure, and this book kept me turning the pages to find out what makes him tick. What happened to him that turned him into a cold, tough, seemingly unfeeling S.O.B.? Carmen Jenner’s take-no-prisoners style of writing took me on an incredible roller coaster ride of emotions that didn’t end until the last word.

Kick had one woman who ever got under his skin, and she messed with his head and his heart in a big way. He uses other women, sometimes brutally, and if this bothers you, do not read this book. But if you’re looking for a totally HAWT, heart-wrenching, fast-paced read, then Kick is for you!

"I’ve known her all of a few minutes and already I know I’ll catch her, because just like Ivy knew, and Lauren before her, I’m a fucking sucker for the messed up ones, and I ain’t met anyone as screwed up as this girl is right now."

Will Kick ever be redeemed? Is he even capable of redemption? Frankly I wasn’t sure even up to the end of this story. But Kick meets his match with Indy, a woman who seems to re-awaken his basic human instincts.

“I don’t know what it is about her that makes me so fiercely protective and yet so completely fucking at a loss when it comes to what to do with her.”


Maybe that’s the reason I want her so fuckin’ much. Because she’s been through hell and she looks like a fuckin’ warrior. But if she’s a warrior, then what does that make me? Warriors don’t need saviours. Warriors save themselves.

I loved this book in all its messy, violent and sexy glory!! Grab this one if you are looking for a gritty, hot and wild MC story. Enjoy!

Favorite quote:

“Drapes and dates are overrated, Biker.”

(ARC provided by the author in return for an honest review.)
Profile Image for Loz.
778 reviews
January 29, 2015
wow, what a story. a harsh one, but a damn good one! dark and brutal, raw and unforgiving. this is not one of those run of the mill romantic bad boy biker books that seem to be everywhere. the lifestyle is not glorified here. it's heavy at times and may even take some out of their comfort zones. so, no it's not really for the faint of heart reader.

you may have met 'kick' if you read carmen jenner's sugartown series book 3, but it's not necessary at all as this is easily read as a standalone story. daniel 'kick' grew up in the life, his father (and i use that term loosely) a member of the club, his mother was a club whore. you can only imagine what he grew up seeing, experiencing and dealing with and how he turned out as a person as a result of all that.

i don't want to say too much because this is a straight forward story line, set in motion pretty much as soon as you start reading and imo it's best enjoyed going in blind and simply getting hurled along for the journey. it's rough, fast paced and heavy as shit but i couldn't put it down. it turned my stomach into knots a few times and had me on the edge of my seat.

i loved carmen's sugartown series so this was an auto buy for me asap as it went live, couldn't wait to get my grabby hands on it and it totally lived up to my high expectations. mc books shouldn't be romantic and sweet, they should make you uncomfortable. it's not a lifestyle that results in good choices and safe living and this book certainly shows that.

carmen jenner also writes with a great deal of dark humor that i absolutely fucking LOVE. so proud of this aussie author! love her writing and already cannot wait to see the next book in this series.. here's hoping it's raine and our prez!!

definitely give this book a go if you want a dark mc story. it's probably one of my fave that i've read.
Profile Image for  Sonya ♕Chatterbooks book blog♕.
987 reviews1,139 followers
January 31, 2015
4 f*cked up stars***

WOW just.....I can't even.What did I just read? I'm really struggling for words to put in this review right now.YES I'm that traumatized people.

First off, I would like to speak to this author because she is DEFINITELY going to pay my Therapist bill.Do you hear me Carmen Jenner?!! OMG my eyes.The things that I just read either earns me a place in hell or lying down on a couch talking about my feelings.
I thought I could've handled this.I looked at the warning and said "Oh please".I WAS.WRONG.

Kick is part of MC gang.He is cold, ruthless, haunted and twisted.He has a right to be that way with everything that's happened to him, but he needed jesus.Dude was not normal.He got off on violence. LITERALLY.

"I'm no Prince Fuckin Charming.I'm an arsehole.I'm cruel,and I'm a criminal with no moral compass."

Kayla has been kidnapped and tortured by the most evil creatures I have ever read about and Kick saves her.Does he do it out of the goodness of his heart or does he have a secret agenda? I won't say it because I think that you have to some sort of blindness while reading this book even though his intentions are pretty clear.

"I am a monster because I choose to embrace my darkness".

I loved how even though this was a dark read, it was actually funny at times and I appreciated the humor.
I really would like to see who book 2 is going to be about & I have my fingers crossed that it's Tank ;)

4 STARS**
Profile Image for Diana.
541 reviews40 followers
May 11, 2015
3.5 Stars

So, here's the thing. This on it's face seems to contain all of the elements I love in a book: darkness, grit, mystery, broken characters, tatted up biker, PIERCED tatted up biker, etc. etc.

So why 3.5 stars?

First of all, 3.5 Stars means I liked the book. It's just surprising that with so many of my favorite components, it wouldn't be rated higher. If I broke it down, I would have to say that the first half of the book was probably 4 Stars. In fact, maybe even the first 3/4 of the book. The last quarter or so of the book is what fell flat for me.

Let me start by saying that Kick is one messed up dude. As one of my Goodreads friends, (Elfina), pointed out, he is reminiscent of Tig from Sons of Anarchy because he has a proclivity for the depraved, and his perversions manifest themselves at times when most people would be appalled. No, he was not described to look like Tig, which I thought was a good thing because I wasn't attracted to Tig. Kick was described as a pretty boy a few times, so he I don't feel like he was lacking in the looks department, but on the same hand, I'm not sure I would want to be attracted to him. He's a disturbed individual. I was a tad surprised because Kick wasn't as emotionally detached as I thought he would be based on other reviews I read. I thought he would be straight up crazy, and he is in a way, but he still felt and manifested emotions. The way he was so protective over both Ivy and Indie (Kayla) showed that he wasn't just the cold, detached biker. He was by no means normal or gushy or romantic, but he had more of a heart than I would have guessed. At least for some people.

"I love the broken ones because for a brief second, in the heat of the moment, I can forget how fucked up I truly am inside. I can forget about the darkness that I crave. I can forget who I am and focus on someone else's pain, because that has to be infinitely better than wallowing in my own."


When Kick stumbles upon Indie being brutally tortured, he immediately feels a connection with her and decides to save her, much to the chagrin of the brothers in his club. Indie is broken after having endured unspeakable things at the hands of a dentist, a cop, and a priest. Why was Indie kidnapped? Will her captors come looking for her? Did she escape one horror only to find herself in another horror? A worse one?

"I traded three monsters for one with a prettier face, and a heart blacker than any of the rapists I've spent the last couple of weeks with."


This had me intrigued. While all of this is happening in the present tense, we have chapters thrown in here and there where we learn more about Kick's past and what happened to the woman he loved at the hands of his former motorcycle club. That's right, he belonged to another club. You'll have to read the book to learn how and why he ended up with the Savage Saints MC after being a member of the Hell's Angels. Anyway, I was excited about all of this mystery, but here's where the story started to fall flat.

1) Kick's past with Lauren (his first love). Insta-love at it's finest. After seeing her once he risks everything to save her? I mean, I guess that could happen, but I was thinking there was some epic love story based on Kick's current behavior and secrets, but it was insta-love at the wrong time and place with tragic consequences. Also, I'm not sure how the resolution of that situation with Lauren leads to what eventually happened with Kick's former MC. There are conversations about what happened, but no real details, and the story with Lauren seemed to end abruptly. There was a gap from after Lauren to now, and that was kind of confusing. It makes me wonder if I needed to have read the Sugartown series to get from point A to point C, because point B to C was missing from the equation.

2) Indie's kidnapping. What started out as an interesting and mysterious premise fell flat. So much could have happened with that story. A dentist. A cop. A priest. WTF? Where did they meet? How did they get together? This may seem kind of 'spoilery' to some, so I will use tags just in case. I was just like, all of THAT for THAT? I don't like things to be half-assed, but what made it worse for me was that this could have been sooo good. I mean, let me repeat: A dentist. A cop. A priest. What more do you need than that? Something mind blowing and explosive and surprising and 'WTF' and 'OMG' and 'I can't believe that shit happened' should have happened. But it didn't. At least not for me.

3) I know I said I like raw and gritty, but there is a method to this madness. I like to read dark, depraved, shocking books, especially if it's a biker book, because that world is not soft and fluffy. The more I read, the higher my threshold for all things dark. However, things happened so frequently in this book that I felt desensitized. I wasn't on the edge of my seat, I wasn't freaking out. I was just like, oh, it's happening again? When I become jaded like this, I start to feel like the author was just throwing things in for the sake of being shocking, rather than because that is the natural progression of the story. I think of books like Captive in the Dark, where everything is fucked up from the get go, and yet I was shaking, biting my nails, scared and literally afraid to turn the page because I had no idea what was going to happen next. Even though the character was kidnapped and horrible things happened to her, every instance felt like something that would result from being in that type of situation. In this story, things were just so outrageous. The characters were almost too broken - Kick, Indie and Ivy. Each characters' story was like a competition of, 'who had the worst life?' I appreciate broken characters, but it got to be too much after a while. Many of the things that happened I could believe would happen to a victim of kidnapping, but I think it was the way things were told, almost in passing, that gave a nonchalant attitude to some very fucked up things. I hope I'm not sounding insensitive, but I lost my initial connection with the pain due to the repetition and tone.

I applaud authors who take on the taboo subjects and who really try to take the readers into these dark worlds and make them feel real to us, and I applaud this author for her effort. There were parts that were beautifully written, and I had quotes and thoughts highlighted like crazy throughout. The author has great insight into the psychology of the characters' minds and actions. If the story lines would have been more developed, I would have loved this book.

Sadly, the reveals from both the past and the present were disappointing in how they were executed, and this is why the last part of the book dropped down to 3 Stars. That averages it all out to 3.5 Stars. I know my review might make it seem like I didn't enjoy the book, but that is not the case. I would read more books by this author, and I think plenty of people who like the rougher biker books would really enjoy this book.

February 17, 2015
5coffeebean
"Warriors don’t need saviours.
Warriors save themselves."

This was my first Carmen Jenner read. All I have to say is that I wasn't prepared. I think because I had a chance to meet her briefly in the lobby of hotel at BookBash last year and she was absolute sweetheart.... or the fact that I saw the covers of her previous series - Sugartown and thought of lollipops... or the fact that I actually read the preface & was promised to make me feel... WELL... none of those things triggered anything in my brain to prepare for this brutal world of MC via Carmen Jenner eyes.



This story was unique in that it ran 2 stories at the same time, as much as we live for the present time events the past is very significant here. Our anti-hero is a dark character with perverse desires and interests. He is a broken man and like the saying goes 'like attracts like'... that is exactly what happens with him. In both timelines he seeks something that speaks to him which is a strong woman with a true fight in her even thought she is broken down. It's not just a cheating husband or bad boyfriends but broken down by the most horrific and vile crime that is mean to break down a woman. In that aspect the book stayed 'REAL'. It crossed line and is a definite trigger, so be warned.



For 1/3 of the book we start off with Kick's POV and at certain point I lost hope of getting someone else's POV just to get a reprieve. Kick is an MC brat, a bastard, an unwanted presence at the club that he didn't fit in... now he is no better, he is still that but so much more broken now, even 2 years after the events that put him in a new club.  Is he a good guy? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! 

I love the broken ones because for a brief second, in the heat of the moment, I can forget how fucked up I truly am inside... I am the king of shit, and my throne is built upon the bodies of all I have betrayed; my crown is made of her teeth and tears.



 

After they’ve used up every hole she has to offer, they discard her like trash. But not me. I like to watch her cry. I taste her tears. I relish them. Because pain is beauty, at least in my world. And everything in my world is pain.



Don't kid yourself to try to put him in that category to love him. He is an anti-hero and he doesn't get soft, his past if beyond messed up to even give him a chance to redeem. His mind is broken and for most of the book I wasn't sure who needs to be saving his messed up women who appear in his life or him. They all deserve each other. In their chaos they find their strength to prop each other up.


The story flashes form the present where Kick saves Indie after spending 3 weeks in torture sessions 24/7 with most vile human hell spawns to ever walk the earth. It is too late for her, she is broken and yet Kick finds something in her as she's laying there drugged, naked covered in blood, bruises and brain matter. He see that same spark he saw 2 years ago, 2 years of a ghost that haunts him still that no amount of women or drugs or alcohol can drown out. Two years since who was irrevocably got broken trying to lay claim to something he wanted as his but never stood a chance. It is a sad story with no happy ending. But deja-vu... perhaps him finding different woman to safe, same woman with the same 'fight' characteristics as Indie can 'heal' that. That is the journey of gritty, heart breaking story of ugly truth that is effect of living in the dark side.

Is that why he saved me? Did someone hurt him too? I’ve seen his scars, the perfect circular cigarette burns up his arms, the angry, jagged marks over his hard abdomen. They’re covered mostly by his tattoos, and maybe an ordinary person wouldn’t notice them—maybe the old me wouldn’t have noticed them either—but there’s a silent exchange between victims.



We eventually get POV from Indie, but much later and in a way I am thankful for that. After what she goes through in the hands of her kidnappers and following by being thrown into another fresh hell of the world she knows nothing about, I don't think I would have been able to process that thought process. Too much of everything... pain, misery, sadness, fear, arousal, defeat... but we get her at fight stage and that is simply glorious.

This story is truly messed up but continues at a great pace. It is a quick read if you don't need to take mental breaks. It is unlike any MC story I have read so far. You would think oh another dark and gritty MC plot line.. NO! You are wrong!!! This story is real and full of adrenaline rush feelings, mixed in with some drugs and violence and the dark underbelly society that resides outside the white picked fence.

THANKS CARMEN FOR THIS READ...




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* Review Copy kindly provided by the Author for Kris & Vik Book Therapy Cafe Book Blog Review
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