The Ballerino and The Biker
Rebecca James
M/M Romance
Release Date: 03.10.18
Cover Design: Reese Dante
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2FcjM4E
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2Fl642Y
Blurb
Most of his young life, Morgan Wentworth has dreamed of becoming a principal dancer in a prestigious corps de ballet. After years studying the art in Milan, Morgan comes home to New York City to apprentice with the Manhattan Ballet Company only to be hit by the unexpected death of his older brother, Jake. The grieving dancer learns his life is threatened by a dangerous rival motorcycle gang and that pierced, tattooed, HOT biker Zeke Ivers has been assigned by Jake’s MC to guard him. Saddled with the constant presence of the infuriating man, Morgan juggles the demands of an exhausting dance schedule as well as his new responsibilities as CEO of his family’s multi-million-dollar company. He never expects to develop an attraction for the straight, obnoxious biker, but that’s exactly what happens.
Estranged from an abusive family, Zeke Ivers has lived at the Sentinel’s club house and worked on cars since he was a teen. When fellow club member Jake Wentworth and a rival club president’s girl are killed on Jake’s bike, the Sentinel’s president delegates the protection of Jake’s little brother, Morgan, to Zeke. Zeke would do anything for the club that pulled him off the streets, but Morgan’s a ballet dancer, for Christ’s sake, as well as annoying as hell. Still, Zeke finds himself inexplicably drawn to the young man. The more attracted Zeke becomes to Morgan, the more the biker is forced to examine his sexuality and decide whether two people from opposite sides of the tracks could possibly have a future together, or if Zeke should do what is fast becoming too painful to consider: let Morgan go.
Excerpt
For another week after the shooting, I continued escorting Morgan to his long-ass rehearsals where he didn’t rehearse, just watched intensely, and his classes where he danced until he was slick with sweat and breathing hard. And I continued studying him, memorizing every expression that crossed his face. His high cheekbones, full lips, and expressive eyes captivated me, and I’d quit asking myself why. Scared I was letting him distract me too much, I renewed my efforts to watch the exits. I’d learned the face of every person who was supposed to be around and kept a watch for those who weren’t.The list of people wanting me to fix their cars was growing, but I never had any time. Several of the guys offered to take a day or two watching Morgan for me, but I didn’t trust the kid in anyone else's care, and besides, there was my cover to consider. I was supposed to be a reporter doing a story on Morgan. Why would someone else show up in my place? Anyway, I knew the layout of the building, knew the corps de ballet’s schedule, and I knew Morgan. I would take care of him.
Saturday came around, and I once again thanked God the fucking masochist ballet company let the dancers have Sunday off. I planned to spend mine sleeping, unless Morgan got other ideas. The kid looked exhausted, so I doubted it. Halfway through the day, the big guy, chief of the ballet or something, announced some chick named Katie had had to leave and called Morgan in to dance her part during rehearsal. My gut twisted. How was the kid supposed to dance a part he’d only watched a few times, and a female part, at that?
But Morgan did it. He filled in for the girl like he’d been dancing the part himself every day since he got there, and I was in awe. I could tell the chief guy was impressed, too, or at least satisfied. I got the feeling he’d been testing Morgan, otherwise why the fuck hadn’t he asked one of the female apprentices to fill in? At the end of the night, like a proud daddy, I tossed Morgan a candy bar from the machine in the hall.
Morgan looked at the Hershey bar like he didn’t know what to do with it.
“For doing so great at the spur of the moment,” I told him. A smile lit up his tired face that made the embarrassing moment worth it, and he unwrapped the candy bar. He broke it down the middle and handed half to me.
“For putting up with all this,” Morgan said. Our eyes met. The whole thing felt so goddamn cheesy, I grumbled and didn’t speak again until we were pulling out of the Arts Center.
I hated the scared look Morgan had every time we walked outside the building since the shooting. I wanted to rip Spoons’s face off for putting it there, and I would if I got a chance.
“If it makes you feel any better, he ain’t gonna try the same thing twice,” I said to Morgan as he inched closer to me on the walk to the car.
He looked at me. “You mean he’ll devise another way to kill me?”
“Well, yeah.” We climbed in, and I headed for the Midtown Tunnel. I’d been changing up our route, even if it took longer to get home going a different way.
Morgan sank down in the seat and fiddled with the edge of his sweatshirt. “I can’t go on like this. I’m so fucking stressed out.”
“The way I see it, you ain’t got much choice,” I said. “You wanna be a dancer, so you gotta go to school. You wanna stay alive, so you gotta have me with you. Thing is, you gotta trust I’ll take care of you and relax.”
Morgan brought up his knees to his chin. He was like a fucking bendable toy. I bet he could put both feet behind his head. His face was broody.
“It’s gonna be okay, kid,” I said. “I got you. Concentrate on spinning around and looking pretty.”
Morgan groaned. “Shut up.”
I laughed, feeling suddenly light.
4 Stars!
There really aren’t enough MM MC Romances out there. I love books that center around Motorcycle Clubs and I am always searching for ones that have two men falling in love. When I saw Rebecca James, author of the River Wolf Pack series, was publishing a MM MC Romance, I jumped at the chance to read it. Was it the best? No, but it sure was entertaining and I enjoyed it. As a matter of fact, I am anxiously waiting to see if there will be a book 2 soon.
Morgan came home to NYC to apprentice for a prestigious Ballet Company in hopes to land a spot as a company dancer. After the death of his parents (which left him as CEO of the family empire), his estranged brother Jake found him and the two began to correspond in hopes of becoming close once more. Unfortunately, before the two got the chance to become the family they had hoped, Jake was killed in a motorcycle accident. Now Morgan finds out he is in danger. A rival MC wants retribution for Jake having the girlfriend of one of its brothers on the back of his bike when it crashed killing them both.
Zeke belongs to the Hedonists, Jake's MC. He’s been tasked by the Club President Blaze to protect Morgan. However, Zeke finds that Morgan stirs way too many feelings in him. Not only annoyance but protectiveness and attraction. Something he’s never felt for another man. Zeke soon becomes conflicted about his own sexuality and what it means. But it seems nothing can stop him from wanting Morgan.
Both Morgan and Zeke were well written and I liked them both. I do wish Morgan had been older however, 19 just didn’t fit for me. I know he had to be young for this particular story and it isn’t really emphasized but I kept wanting him to be in his early twenties at least.
I loved the chemistry between both men. Even in the beginning when Zeke was being a bit of a jerk, the sexual tension was definitely there. They fit well together in and out of the bedroom. I am a little curious though how they’d be when faced with a room full of Wentworth Executives or at some high society function.
As for the storyline, I found it pretty anticlimactic. I love my MC books to be full of action. I crave gritty and intense, this story was not that. The Hedonist MC was not Outlaw so there weren’t really any huge conflicts the characters were struggling with, other than Morgan’s situation. Even that seemed to work out with very minimal effort.
The club itself was pretty accepting as well. Not only do they have an openly bi member who parades men and women in and out of his bed but they also have an openly gay hang around who lives at the clubhouse and grooms dogs in one of their back rooms. He’s treated as a member of the family and sexuality is not an issue.
I could definitely see where the possibilities are for more books in the series and I hope we get to see them.
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ****
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I've always loved to write and have written since I was a child, usually to entertain my family. I enjoy writing m/m romance because there's nothing hotter than two men in a loving relationship. I write contemporary romance but am not limited to that. I enjoy writing alpha/omega and vampire stories, and I wouldn't rule other things out. I'm very prolific, so look for a lot of things to come!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rjamesromance1
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