This second book in the Jokers' Wrath series tells the story of Santana and Maddox. Picking up where book 1 left off, Santana's past is told in several flashbacks interspersed throughout the story. There is so much more to the sweet girl we met in book 1 than I would have guessed. She had led such a tragic life before Maddox took her in. He saved her and in some ways, she saved him too.Santana's feelings for Maddox, and his for her, are apparent to everyone except the two of them it seems. Finally, they clue in and the rest is history, more or less. Then, the secret that Maddox has kept from her is brought to light and the s**t hits the fan...but don't blink or you might miss it!The speed and ease with which Santana decided to forgive and forget Maddox's missteps made me question whether I was more upset than she was! The same was true for Ash in book 1. For such strong women, they certainly lose their fight quickly! I want to see them make these guys work for it! Instead, they get a halfhearted apology and they cave. What's worse is that every time Maddox screwed up royally, or was acting like a jerk, it was portrayed as Santana's fault. About half the time SHE actually ended up apologizing for causing his behavior!Overall, I thought the story was good and I liked it. My dislikes are pretty similar to my gripes about book1. Ms. Jewel does a wonderful job of building anticipation, but when the "big event" finally occurs, it feels anticlimactic. I have been left feeling a bit let down more than once in this series. Seriously! Major conflicts between the H/h should not be resolved with a simple conversation or two covered in a few pages of content, when 1/2 the book was leading up to that moment. Otherwise, the characters are interesting and the chemistry is strong. I still enjoyed the story, just thought the delivery could be better at times. This book was better than the book in the first book in the series, most importantly, it was more realistic. The romance was good, not great, but good. Although, I don't think the heroine quite appreciated the hero enough throughout most of the book.SPOILER ALERT!!!The best part of the book was the author's creativity to everything having to do with the sister of the heroine. What went down in Mexico was interesting.
What do You think about Melancholy (2000)?
I loved the book but don't think it was so much of a biker book..xx
—Ritwik
Too long, too repetitive, too shouty, too sloppy, too ridiculous.
—ohpleasemadison
I love dirty biker books and this one does not disappoint!!
—jenniex4
