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If you missed my last KU review on Crooked Crows, you can find it here.
Hey everyone, I am back with another KU review. This time the review is on Unveiled Desires by J. Wine. It is book one in the Iron Shield MC series. While it is part of a series, it is its own book. The men of the titular MC are morally grey, not too bad, but there is violence and death. It is a slow burn, not too spicy, romance. It also has multiple POVs. Let me tell you more.
We meet Grace at the wedding of her younger sister, Meredith. She was checking out the sound of moans and caught her husband and her sister’s groom, Brandon, cheating with her cousin. Grace was spared telling Meredith what she saw when Meredith canceled the wedding. Grace and the bridesmaids made a run for it and ended up at a biker bar, in their wedding attire. While the other girls dance, Grace sits at the table they had and drinks her water when Sabre, the president of the Iron Shield MC, walks up and sits down unexpectedly. There is banter, Grace unloading, and Sabre witnessing a phone call between Grace and her husband, Matt. Sabre pretends not to be too affected by it all because he’s looking for a good time, not a commitment. It is in this scene that we find out Grace is pregnant. The girls are dancing with the other bikers that came in with Sabre but soon the girls get out of there much to the bikers’ dismay.
Sabre and his MC each have a specialty. For example, Cyph is a computer and electronics whiz, Pretty, Sabre’s biological brother as well as biker brother, is the charmer and paves the way for his brothers. You get the idea. Each of them comes in handy when Sabre claims Grace once she leaves Matt and that whole shit storm that comes with it. The marriage was a loveless sham and catching Matt cheating was what opened her eyes until she finally left.
Matt, the gem that he is, is threatening from the start. Thankfully she has the support of Sabre and the MC, as well as her Aunt Elizabeth who stepped in for the girls’ mother when she died. Thank the gods she did, their father wasn’t helpful. Something was off with Matt, more than being an abusive husband and father. Trust me, he deserves the pits of Tartarus.
J. Wine did great on this. The bad guys were definitively bad. And the good guys don’t have a whole lot of qualms killing those that oppose them, but they have hearts and always protect the family. Grace is family. I admit, I am cheating on my husband with Sabre, but he’s ok with it. Sabre is fierce and you know it’s a bad idea to cross him but some are dumb enough to try. I’m looking at you, Matt. At the same time, he has infinite patience with Grace and her healing journey and is excited about the arrival of his child. He may not have given his DNA, but the baby is his.
Grace is not the most interesting character but she was written well enough that it’s fine. I sympathized with her plight and know I am not the only one who will. She is resilient in her own way and that was impressive. Having been pregnant before and knowing how that changes how you move, I can’t imagine going through what she did prego.
Wine did well with the supporting characters too. Each had their quirks and way of conducting themselves. This impressed me, it doesn’t seem to be a huge worry for most writers. I was particularly wowed by Meredith. I didn’t like her but she is working on it?
It was very much a slow burn, which isn’t my favorite but the spice was worth the wait and the tension was top-notch. The multiple POV is nice but frustrating at times. I know I have come to love duel POV but more than that just gets muddy. I found the grey morality and violence highly satisfying and there was heartbreaking betrayal.
If mafia is more your jam, J. Wine also has a mafia romance series, the Silent Syndicate series. I might try it because I need something else to read even though my TBR is a mile long. Have you read Unveiled Desires or anything else by J. Wine? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below. Until next time, have fun storming the castle!
