Thursday, July 3, 2014

Vipers Run (Skulls Creek #1) by Stephanie Tyler


Former Army Ranger Christian Cage Owens joined the Vipers Motorcycle Club for its sense of brotherhood. In return, he pledged to live outside the law, protecting club members and their families, as well as keeping other MCs out of Skulls Creek. But when Cage discovers that a rival MC—one Cage has an all too familiar past with—plans to push meth into his town, he calls an old Army buddy turned private investigator who’s helped the Vipers in the past. By doing so, Cage endangers both his friend and Calla, a woman who works in the PI’s office. Now he’s made it his mission to track Calla down and do whatever it takes to protect her.

Thanks to the phone call with Cage, Calla knows she’s formed a deep connection to a dangerous man.  She quickly discovers that although he may live by a different set of rules, Cage is an honorable man who wants to be more than her protector—if only she can accept his dangerous lifestyle.  But Calla comes to Skulls Creek with her own set of secrets…secrets that threaten to tear her and Cage—and the Vipers MC—apart.  As they put their newfound love to the ultimate test, Cage will risk everything he cares about to save her……

Type: Contemporary Romance
Heat: 3 out of 5
Rating: 3 out of 5

Amazon | All Romance | Book Depository | BAM | Goodreads

Ahhhh Vipers Run. It was an interesting read that's for sure. I've read Tyler in the past as Sydney Croft and just loved her. Those are erotic paranromals with Larissa Ione. So I was pretty excited to try her on her own. Throw in an MC romance and hell yeah I'm all in. I love my MCs. And while I wasn't blown away byt it I enjoyed Vipers Run for the most part as a phone call changes everything for two strangers and throws their lives into danger, turmoil and a relationship they'd never have expected.


The quick of it...Cage is part of an MC and working to protect his club from a rival group wanting to bring drugs into their area. Things are tense and dangerous and that lands him in a world of hurt on night. It also brings him to Calla. A woman he's never met, that's not part of his lifestyle and that saves him in her own way.

What worked for me:
  • One of the best opening scenes I think I've ever read. The start of Vipers Run was pretty damn incredible. Calla answers a phone call at work to find a man on the other end. He's been attacked and needs to get a message to her boss before he dies. I mean. Holy shit. It was crazy emotional as the two talked and he tried to hold on despite his injuries. Then top it all off with the fact that now that she knows what happened her life is in serious danger and she's going to have to run and hide. 
  • I liked both Calla and Cage. Especially Cage.
  • My favorite piercing! Yep. Cage is rocking a pierced cock. Be still my pervy heart.
  • The POV-- This one moves from 1st person (Calla) to 3rd person (Cage). I really liked getting to see his side of things as well. 
  • Some very hot sex though it was limited. It did fit the storyline though I thought so I'm happy with it.
  • Some nicely emotional scenes as the past was dealt with mixed with some pretty humorous ones as well. It was a good mix that kept things interesting.
  • Great secondary characters! From the guys behind the MC to Tenn--the man Calla is sent to for protection--who runs a gay porn business. *raises eyebrows* He was...quite the character and caught my eye for sure. Especially when he took payment for things in form of performing in one of his moves. Hmm.
What didn't so much work for me:

  • Things just weren't fleshed out--Writing-wise this one felt like a draft that hadn't quite been filled out yet. It was just too bare bones and needed some more meat in quite a few spots to really bring it to life
  • Glossed over events--This kinda ties into the above point of not being fleshed out enough. At one point someone crumples to the ground during an encounter and is walked out of the room. To me it so seemed like just an emotional drain and the woman collapsing from the stress of it all. But turned out pages later they'd been shot. It just never seemed that way in the actual scenes. There were just too many jumps like that were the writing didn't quite follow the happenings and it would be quite a bit later the pieces fell together finally for me even though I was supposed to have already known that fact. Can get to be rather frustrating.
  • Insta love. Alright so the two met via phone call like I mentioned and talked for just a few minutes before the call was dropped and Cage assumed dead. And Calla grieves hardcore. Like totally falls apart because she loves him. It was a touch ridiculous to see that jump. I didn't buy into the whole falling in love at just that bit of contact. Being rocked by the event, yes. But the extreme response of being madly in love with him...not so much. 
Overall, while I enjoyed quite a few aspects of Vipers Run it had quite a few problems as well that overshadowed the experience and left me pretty unsatisfied in the end. It very much felt like a first book and just wasn't finished enough for me. I am curious about book two and will likely give it a try. Hopefully the issues that popped up in Vipers Run will work themselves out as the series progresses.

Have you read Tyler? What did you think?
Do you have a favorite MC series?


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