Blog Tour: Review of Saving Dallas Series & Giveaway

Saving Dallas Series by Kim Jones

Genre: Romance/ Erotica

Saving Dallas

When the self-righteous, millionaire bachelorette, Dallas Knox walks into Hattiesburg’s largest night club she is looking for one thing – a one night stand with no strings attached. What she doesn’t expect is to find herself at the mercy of the Devil’s Renegades Motorcycle Club and their President-Luke Carmical.

Luke is dangerous, sexy, and dark. The life he lives is far different from the privileged life Dallas is accustomed to.

Can she accept the lifestyle of an MC?

Can she handle the domineering nature of Luke?

Or is it too late to save Dallas from the path she has chosen…

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17876030-saving-dallas

*****

Making the Cut (Saving Dallas #2)

Making the Cut Book COver She went searching for a one night stand and ended up falling in love with Luke Carmical, President of the Devil’s Renegades Motorcycle Club. Now she must decide how to handle the aftermath of Frankie’s brutal assault and the knowledge that Luke has been lying to her- about everything. Secrets are revealed and more lies exposed as Dallas Knox, CEO of Knox Companies, becomes more involved in the MC. She wonders if this life is enough for her, if this family is really what she wants. When circumstances present her with an unusual twist of fate, Dallas knows without a doubt, that this is the family she has longed for. New problems occur, traumatic events take place and lives hang in the balance as Dallas has to decide what is really most important in life.

The journey is long.

The outcome is uncertain.

Can she make the cut?

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17969685-making-the-cut

Book Review 50 percent

If you enjoy biker romances, then you should consider reading the Saving Dallas series that centers around the erotic and intense love story of real estate mogul Dallas Knox and President of the Devil’s Renegades MC, Luke Carmical. These two individuals seem to live in completely different worlds and would most likely never have met until Dallas gets lonely after a recent break-up, goes out looking for company, and ends up as a damsel-in-distress until her knight clad in leather intervenes to rescue her and draws her into the fascinating but bewildering MC lifestyle that Dallas must accept and adapt to if she wants a life with the domineering, complicated man whose gentleness and love she desperately craves.

In the beginning, Dallas is a cold-hearted, self-centered, very conceited young woman whose wealth and success in real estate have given her everything that money can buy except love and family, which she doesn’t even realize she needs until Luke comes into her life. Needless to say, I did not like Dallas at all, and I kept wondering why Luke, who is so kind and gentle with her after they first meet, would want to keep seeing her. The connection between the two runs much deeper than even Dallas knows until secrets are revealed later in the story, and I soon realized that my initial characterization of both Dallas and Luke was much too simplified.

As President of an MC, Luke is used to women falling all over him, clamoring to become his ‘ol lady. He is attracted to the brassy young Dallas who has the confidence to stand up to him and is unimpressed by his status. Yet, one night with Luke isn’t enough for Dallas; she finds Luke intoxicating even though his constant mood swings are enough to give her whiplash. Luke can be tender, loving, and playful one minute and harsh, dominating, and possessive the next as Dallas aptly describes him in Making the Cut:

“Luke was a man who lived a lifestyle where he had to be two different people. If you took bipolar, mixed it with PMS, and added a touch of testosterone, you would get Luke. He was overbearing, intimidating, scary and unpredictable. He was also sexy, sweet and charming.”

Luke and Dallas have a complicated and rocky relationship that spans the course of both books. Dallas continually wavers back and forth over whether she can ever become a part of the club. Her assertiveness, confidence, and strong-will are all traits that have helped her to become so successful in her career, but they have no place in the MC world where women are treated as decorations and expected to be quiet and submissive to their men. No matter how much Luke loves Dallas, the future of their relationship is contingent upon her “making the cut”:

“I can’t just make you my ol’ lady. I refuse to do that…This choice is entirely up to you. I will train you, the girls will help you, but you have to know that this is my lifestyle. I won’t have you around as just my girlfriend. I want you as my supporter and I want you to agree to this life and make it your life too.”

*****

“You are with me and everyone knows it, but before I put a cut on you-letting everyone know that you belong to me; you are gonna have to earn it. “

Saving Dallas is told exclusively from Dallas’s POV, and the majority of the book focuses on her blossoming romance with Luke until the latter half where her life becomes endangered leading to an intense and suspenseful climatic outcome as secrets are exposed that make her question whether her relationship with Luke has been as genuine as she thought. As soon, as the first book ended, I had to jump into the second book, Making the Cut, which I think is even better than Saving Dallas.

Making the Cut picks up with the aftermath of the first book’s dramatic conclusion that left me with lots of questions about Dallas’s significance to the MC club, and how she is connected to Frankie the Cutter, a dangerous man intent on destroying Dallas and anyone that tries to protect her. Now, instead of just getting Dallas’s limited POV, we also get both the perspective of Luke and Red, a hard-core biker ol’ lady who tries to befriend and mentor Dallas. Having these multiple POVs adds depth and enriches the plot giving readers greater insight into life in the MC and the tough choices that are often made in the best interests of the club.

I really enjoyed watching Dallas’s character grow and soften over time as she spends more time around Luke and the MC family. Dallas and Luke’s journey to be together is fraught with danger and full of complications that threaten to keep them apart. In order to find their way back to each other, they must be willing to make sacrifices that will forever change their lives. A suspenseful and intense read!

I received ARC of both books from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Rating:

excerpt 50 percent

SCENE FROM LUKE’S POV

I stood in the doorway, helpless as the woman that I had devoted my life to lay lifelessly in the bed before me. Her nightmares were so frequent that I was afraid to even leave the room for fear she would wake and I wouldn’t be there. It had to be well past two in the morning, and my body was now running on adrenaline alone. Less than twenty-four hours ago my girl was being sexually assaulted by a man that I once called my friend. I felt my grip tighten around the coffee mug I held in my hand.

Breathe Luke.

Breathe.

The last thing I needed was to harm a part of myself in a way that would prevent me from holding her when she needed me. My hands no longer belonged to me. My eyes were only for her, and my heart was held in the tiny palms of the hands of Dallas Knox. I had no idea what they had done to her. Earlier, as I had washed her broken, dirty, battered body, I noticed the way she cringed when my hands fell to the places where she once enjoyed my touch. He had touched her. He had put his hands on something that was mine. I knew I sounded like some kind of barbarian getting territorial over my property, but that was not the reason I was so pissed. I was pissed because they had stole something from her that she would never be able to get back. Her pride, dignity and her right to say who could touch her had been taken. She was now a broken woman and I would spend my last days on Earth piecing her back together.

“Luke.” I heard her whisper in her sleep. I knew a nightmare was soon to follow. She often called out my name as if she was preparing me for what was to come, although I knew that was not possible. If Dallas could control the torturous dreams she would.

I sat down my now cold coffee on the night stand and climbed into bed behind her. I was no longer the man I once was. Many people who saw me every day in my cut, proudly sporting that Devil’s Renegades patch would not think that I had succumbed to a man who was willing to cradle his woman like a baby just to reassure her she was safe. Some would say I was losing my edge, or going soft, but that was not the case. Dallas might have my heart, but the blood that ran through my veins was cold. Frankie would die and it would be me who pulled the trigger to end his life, if he was lucky. I would much rather cover him in peanut butter and bury him alive in an ant hill somewhere, but I would probably be forced to take a more humane route. I felt Dallas’ small frame curl deep into the mattress and I was pulled from my thoughts of Frankie and back into the situation at hand.

“Please.” I heard Dallas cry as her body started to convulse into shudders that made my heart clench and my eyes fill with tears.

“I’m here, baby. I’m here.” I turned her to me and buried her face in my chest, rocking us back and forth as I whispered reassurances in her ear. I felt her body take a sudden deep breath and I squeezed my eyes shut at what I knew was to come.

Screams.

Loud, blood curdling screams echoed off the walls of the bedroom. I pulled her closer, tilting her head back so I could look in her face as I shook her gently, waking her.

“Dallas. Wake up, baby. You are safe. No one can hurt you anymore.” I had said the words so many times, but each time hurt just as much as the first. When her beautiful green eyes opened up to me, I could see the sorrow that filled them. Her right eye was barely visible through her swollen lid that was so many shades of blue and purple that it looked almost unreal. Sobbing always came next, and this time was no different. It was like she was ashamed to look at me, and the thought made me a die a little on the inside. I rubbed her hair continuously until her breathing slowed and I was sure she knew she was safe. We had followed this same pattern every few hours for the last day. I knew she would request something to drink, and since I couldn’t leave her alone for even a moment, and she wouldn’t go by herself, I cradled her in my arms and carried her to the kitchen with me. I had become an expert at maneuvering around with her in my arms. With her legs wrapped around my waist, and her arms wrapped around my neck, I moved around the kitchen to service her every need.

Water.

Pain reliever.

More water.

Another round of tears, as her need for me sunk in.

Apologies from her.

Apologies from me.

Reassurances from her.

Reassurances from me.

Bathroom.

Back to bed.

As I carried her down the hall and to the bathroom, my anger flared, just as it always did. My strong, independent, talented, thoughtful, wonderful girl couldn’t even take a piss on her own without fearing for her life. Yes, Frankie the Cutter was going to die, and the pleasure was gonna be all mine.

About the Author 50 percent

Kim Jones is a writer with big dreams and a creative imagination. Her infatuation with the MC lifestyle inspired her to write a short story about a love affair between a prestigious young woman and a bad-ass biker. After falling in love with her characters, she turned the ten-thousand word short story into a novel. Juggling her full time job as a payroll clerk, her writing, and her role as ol’lady to her husband, Reggie, her first novel, Saving Dallas, was published in May of 2013.

Kim resides in Collins, MS with her husband and two dogs. She plans to write three books in the Saving Dallas series. The final book will be released in early 2014.

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*****

Buy Links

Amazon:

Saving Dallas (Book 1): Saving Dallas

Making the Cut (Book 2) Saving Dallas: Making the Cut (Volume 2)

Smashwords:

Saving Dallas (Book 1): http://goo.gl/GP187f

Making The Cut (Book 2): http://goo.gl/X57eOV

music blue black round Below is a playlist for the Saving Dallas Series, but I’d like to add one more song that came to my mind by the time I finished both books: