Book two in the new spin off series that follows Sea Haven and Sisters of the Heart follows Steele, the VP of the motorcycle club Torpedo Ink.  When Breezy walks into his clubhouse and leaves a letter letting him know that the Swords are out for vengeance and that he has a son they are holding for ransom, he is both furious and opportunistic.  He wants Breezy back. Three years ago, he said some really nasty stuff to push her away, and it worked, he did it to protect her, but now that she is back in his life he isn't going to let her walk away again. He does have a very hard road ahead of him to prove to her that what he had said three years ago, he didn't mean; and oh yeah, the fact that when she walked into the clubhouse to give him the letter, he had to climb from under three naked women and he was naked too, well needless to say, he had a lot of explaining to do. Their story was intense, rough, and both had issues that needed to be addressed.  He is very much like Reaper was with Anya (he didn't want to budge on anything and Breezy was supposed to accept him as is with no concessions).  That was the only thing I didn't like about the story; with her abusive background, I think he should have been a bit more flexible. I hope some of the other guys in the MC turn out to be a bit more flexible and not as hard core as they all seem to be.  I need a bit a variety with the character development. If they end up being the same MO - rough, hard-core, no bending men and soft, flexible, women, this series will get old fast... And I love all things Sea Haven, so I am keeping my hopes up. All and all, I did enjoy their story, and I loved going back to Sea Haven.

Although I don't get around to doing much of either lately, I love watching old western movies and TV shows and reading some of the old western books. There is just something about the American Old West with its gritty outlaws & gunslingers, the frontier towns, saloons & quick draw duels that just speak to me. So of course when I saw Erin Bowman was writing a YA western, I had to see what it was all about...

Did it measure up? Let's just say I'm glad that YA authors are starting to dabble in the Western genre but I wouldn't call Vengeance Road a true western. True westerns I think are more hard core and this book was definitely a mild-soft core version. It was still good though and I think if you're not a huge fan of Westerns you can still read this book and enjoy it. I'm not sure if that's what Bowman was aiming for or if it was just toned down for a younger audience or if she just missed the mark a little since it was her first foray into the genre. Whatever the reason, like I said, it was a decent trip to the wild frontier as long you don't go into it, expecting it to compare to those old classics you use to watch with your dad because needless to say, it will not. 

This was such an amazing book! Loved it!

When I found out that young adult westerns were a thing, I knew I had to read this book. Immediately.

Eighteen-year-old Kate comes home to find her father hanged and her house burned to the ground. She knows that this is the work of a gang called the Rose Riders, and she sets out to murder every one of them. Along the way, she gathers a band of friends to help her. But, getting revenge turns out to be much more complicated than they expected.

This is going to sound super messed up, but I love it when YA protagonists seriously try to murder people. So many of them set out to get revenge, but they never even attempt to kill anyone. It’s disappointing. This book is different because Kate doesn’t play around. She’s shooting at people within the first few pages. It is a western, after all. Kate is one of those unpredictable, morally gray characters that I love.

The action starts right away and never slows down. If you like thrillers, you’ll probably enjoy this book. There is also a twist at the end that I didn’t see coming.

I’ve spent my entire life in the western US, so I really like the setting of this story. The author does a wonderful job of describing the desert and the mountains.

There is some romance in the book. I’m usually not a huge fan of that stuff, but I didn’t mind it in this story. It’s a slow-burn romance that doesn’t take over the whole plot. The story is definitely about vengeance, not love. I found the relationship realistic and believable. Some of the banter between Kate and her love interest made me laugh.

I don’t have much criticism of this book because it’s pretty solid. I found a few inconsistencies in the western dialect, but that didn’t really bother me. I do wish that there had been more character development. The characters are interesting to read about, but I don’t feel like I got to know them very well. A few of them—especially the Native American characters—are too stereotypical for my tastes. I think the ending would have been more impactful if I had felt more connection to the characters.

This is a quick, entertaining read that is different from the usual YA book. It didn’t blow my mind or anything, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Also, that cover is amazing. I think I spent as much time staring at the book as I did reading it.

I should start by saying I received an Advanced Reader Copy of Vengeance Road through the Giveaway Section on Goodreads for an honest review.

Sadly I have to say I couldn't finish the book.  I feel a little bad about it too because so many people who have read this enjoyed it, and I just couldn't seem to get past the first few chapters.  I picked it up on several occasions thinking maybe it was just the reading slump I was in, but the book never held my attention for long.  I just couldn't get past the dialect in the book.  I tried to truck along, hoping it would grow on me, that the story would pull me in to the point I no longer noticed the very cowboy way Kate talked, but it never really did.  The book synopsis, as well as the gorgeous cover, are what pulled me in: a strong female main character, out to avenge her father's death, only to discover some dark family secret.  So it was a Western and I don't generally pick those up, it sounded pretty good, I was interested.

But then there was  the dialect used as Kate told the story of what happened to her family, the book is told through Kate's point of view.  It wasn't just the voice of the main character, though. That was just the first thing that I couldn't get behind.  Nothing in the first few chapters hooked me, had me sucked into so I didn't want to the book down.  So after I set it aside for the fourth time, I called it.  I was a little bummed to do so, Vengeance Road has gotten some pretty awesome reviews.

So, is it a bad book? 

Honestly, I don't know and that is the reason for me not giving this book any stars.  I didn't make it far enough into the plot to give it a far shake of whether it was good or bad.  What I know is it wasn't my cup of tea, but that's me.

Would I recommend it?

Probably.  From what I read it seemed like a Young Adult, maybe even Middle Grade, targeted book.  Also to anyone who reads a lot of Westerns might also enjoy it, or just books written around that time period.  Like I said, a lot of people have really liked the book.  I will never not recommend a book just because I didn't like it.  Everyone's tastes are different, and I don't want to take away from someone who could really enjoy this book (or any book).

As for my copy of Vengeance Road, it's going to take a take trip to a Little Free Library.  I want it to find a good home and someone who will enjoy it, and I know none of my bookstores will buy it due it being an ARC edition.  So I couldn't think of a better place for it to go.