Flawed and real, these characters keep you glued to the page

This cover alone was enough to bring me out of blogging retirement...

This is my first book by Evie Monroe and honestly...I'm so glad I've found her! Hayes is the third book in the Holy Sinners MC - California series and features Hayes, a sexy computer hacker and member of the Holy Sinners Motorcycle Club, and Adeline, a small-town country girl who is far from home and looking for more out of life than living on her daddy's ranch. Adeline is sweet and innocent, and when she decides to step out of her comfort zone and brings Hayes home for a night of passion, she never really believes that they will see each other again. Hayes certainly doesn't, which is why he escapes before the sun is fully up (tsk tsk). Of course, two months later, when she pees on a little stick and gets a positive result, Adeline is determined to track him down.

When Hayes finds out that the girl from the bar that he can't quite get out of his mind is pregnant with his baby, he wants to be there for her (although it does take a bit of convincing). I did wish Hayes was a bit stronger and would have rushed to step up to the plate, but I understood his very real anxieties and concerns. It was especially great that we got to experience some of the book from Hayes' perspective and saw exactly what he was thinking and why. Without his POV he would have just been a jerk, I think. As Hayes and Adeline start to get to know each other, things get dicey for the club and tragedy strikes close to home. Hayes feels he has to push Adeline away in order to protect her as he goes to seek revenge - and their already complicated feelings and romance gets far more complex. Will Hayes realize that Adeline is the one for him, and that instead of pushing his family away, he should be bringing them in closer? Will Adeline be able to deal with his dangerous MC lifestyle, and will she be able to forgive him for pushing her and their baby away? I definitely couldn't stop reading to find out.

Ms. Monroe writes characters that spring from the page. They are real - which means they are flawed. They make mistakes and learn from them. Her story is very character driven and we feel so much for what they go through. One thing I will say though is that I wish I would have read books one and two ahead of time, as I was a bit confused by some of the events that I guess must have been linked to what happened earlier. So I wouldn't say this is a standalone but it was still very enjoyable. It was steamy, romantic, suspenseful, and fun to read. I can't wait to read more from this MC world and I plan on keeping these characters close to my heart.

Hayes comes out today, January 17, 2022. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.