Ride Steady

The Chaos Series – Book 3

A Biker MC Romance

By Kristen Ashley

Synopsis

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 . . .

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Robin’s Review

During the summer of 2012, I found myself on a serious Kristen Ashley reading marathon. I read at least twenty-five of her novels over a three-month period.  I was addicted. Plain and simple.  Kristen Ashley is incredibly witty.  She has a knack for writing the best alpha male characters. She has her own, unique writing style. So, when presented with the opportunity to read Ride Steady: A Chaos Novel, I didn’t hesitate.

It began with a wildly popular novel titled Motorcycle Man of the Dream Man series. We now have the Chaos series, a well-received spinoff of Motorcycle Man.  Kristen Ashley absolutely nails writing a contemporary romance/romantic suspense novel set within a motorcycle club!  The Chaos MC of Denver, Colorado is her baby. Her creation.  It’s a very realistic look into the world of a motorcycle club.  Brotherhood, comradery, danger and suspense are all prevalent in each novel. You’ll find all of this and more in Ride Steady.

Carissa Teodoro was the height of popularity in high school.  Not only was she a cheerleader, but she dated the quarterback of the football team.  Carson Steele couldn’t figure out why she would want to date the likes of Aaron Neiland.  She was perfect for Carson, everything he could ever dream of.  She was beautiful and sweet and kind to Carson. Carissa was the light of his world – a sixteen-year-old boy who had been abandoned by his mother and abused by his father – and she didn’t even know it.

It’s now been seven long years since high school. Carissa is a single mom who has recently been through a divorce.  She finds herself stranded on the side of a highway with a toddler in her arms, when a biker named Joker pulls up to assist her with a flat tire.  Joker is sort of scary. He’s dressed in leathers and is hiding behind a beard and sunglasses, but he is nothing but kind to Carissa. She doesn’t realize it, but she knows this man. His name is Carson Steele, and she’s about to get to know him a whole lot better.

Ride Steady absorbed my interest. I’m not really sure why, but I was especially taken with what Carissa has experienced at the hands of her ex-husband. She’s a victim, and her story called out to me. Scenes involving Carissa’s ex-husband are very tense; however, Kristen Ashley adds humor at just the right moments to balance out the seriousness of the plot. In fact, there are moments when Ride Steady is super funny!

I noticed a few passages where the writing wasn’t as polished as it could be, and I struggled to understand what was being communicated. That being said, I want to emphasize this was not a widespread issue. Most of Ride Steady is well-written. I love Kristen Ashley’s writing style. Conversations between her characters feel authentic, heartfelt and full of emotion. Consider how a biker might speak to his woman. Think attitude. Bossiness. Slang. Kristen Ashley does a fantastic job of communicating the authenticity of the character with her written words.

It’s always entertaining when the Chaos MC family gets behind a person who is unsuspecting! The Chaos MC is a family unit that reaches far and wide. It always includes Elvira and her posse, but characters from the Dream Man, Chaos, Unfinished Hero and Rock Chick series all play a role in Ride Steady. I probably left some out, but you get the picture. Kirsten Ashley ties in characters from her other novels, which only adds to the fun. It was such a joy to read another Kristen Ashley novel! She earns 4.5 stars for Ride Steady: A Chaos Novel, and I am definitely adding to my list of 2015 favorites!

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Author Bio:

Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA and 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!). Her mother said they took Kristen away, put her Mom back in her room, her mother looked out the window, and Gary was on fire (Dr. King had been assassinated four days before). Kristen’s Mom remembered thinking it was the end of the world. Quite the dramatic beginning.

Nothing’s changed.

Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana and has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus, she’s blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her family was (is) loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write. They all lived together on a very small farm in a small farm town in the heartland. She grew up with 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, it keeps getting better.

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