Review: Token by Kelly Gendron

Argh, I am so behind on my posting of reviews. If you're looking for steamy angst, this one won't let you down!

Token by Kelly Gendron
Erotic Romance, 180 Pages
Released: March 2017
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Can wounded hearts heal? Can they survive the past? Or will secrets end it all before love has a chance to last 

I DARE YOU TO SAVE ME... 

Retired boxer, TOKEN KANE is comfortable on a motorcycle but little does this Irish rogue know the next Harley he picks up will give him the ride of his life. When Token is sent to retrieve Harley Redbourne for his boss, he doesn't know why. He only knows that the woman drinks too much, she's conniving, strong-willed, crazy, beautiful, and she gets his heart pumping, but she's also something else. She's in pain. Can Token keep a broken Harley at a distance or is this one ride he can't resist? 

One week out of the year, on the anniversary of the death of her family, HARLEY REDBOURNE puts away her good-girl and completely let's go. Trapped in a life without love, and finally hitting rock bottom, Harley's surprised by the connection she feels to Token. Even after he kidnaps her, drags her back to California, and reveals his damaged past, she can't shake the gorgeous beast. 

Can Harley continue to hide her wounded heart or has Token seen it right from the start?

USA TODAY Bestselling Author of Breaking the Declan Brothers Series, now brings you Daring the Kane Brothers! TOKEN is book #1 of five new shameless, sexy, and daring brothers who will get you blushing all over!

Warning ~ This book contains explicit sex scenes, graphic language, and is intended for mature audiences.

I love messy characters. If you do too, you’ll likely love this one because it’s full of them! Or you could hate it. Who am I to say?

Harley is our heroine and she is a drunken mess. Every year she grieves the anniversary of the death of her family by escaping for a week to drink away the pain and to sleep with a stranger or two before putting it behind her for another year. But this year will end differently . . .

Token (yep, that’s really his name) has been paid $10,000 to find her and find her does. When she wakes up in a hotel room that isn’t hers, hung over, sick and with a man who insists on bringing her sorry ass back home to her uncle, she isn’t having any of it. She only wants to be left alone but Token has other ideas. Thus begins the volatile, super steamy and surprisingly sweet love affair between Harley and Token.

Both of these characters have pasts that haunt them which adds just enough angst to keep up the conflict. As much as Token would like her to open up and face her demons, he doesn’t treat her like a project that needs fixing and pretty much accepts her for the mess she is and gives her time and that’s why they worked.

He’s different. When he looks at me it’s as if he sees the train-wreck and all the leftover debris spread around me but he doesn’t appear to want to save me from the crash that I’ve found my life in. Instead, he stands and patiently waits like he’s waiting for me to pull myself up from all the rubble and brush myself off. That’s what I feel when he stares at me. When his dark green eyes lay quietly upon my body. I don’t get the sense he wants to fix me but I also don’t get the feeling that he’ll leave me either. It’s strange. I don’t know the man. Still, I feel closer to him than anyone in my life right now but really, that’s not saying much.

He also has amazing powers of restraint.

“The past two days you’ve thrown your body at me, teased me, and tempted me.” His thumb runs across my chin. “Do you know why I resist you?” Gazing into his sincere eyes, I swallow hard unable to respond, afraid of his answer. “When I touch you, I wanna be sure you’re gonna fuckin’ feel it.”

Awww, if that isn’t romance, I don’t know what is!

Token comes from a very large, loud, loving and close-knit family so it looks like there’s room for many a sequel. I’ll follow along for now because the characters and writing intrigued me NOT because there was a cliff-hanger attached to the very end (arghh). Fortunately there was closure with Token and Harley’s story or I’d be a bit steamed right now. Cliff-hangers and I do not get along.

I really enjoyed this read. I found myself wanting to get back to it whenever I had to put it down which is kind of a rarity for me so if you like steam, angst and some heart-melting moments and can deal with imperfect people, you’ll probably like it too. If not, don’t blame me!

I received an ARC from the publisher and Netgalley. Hope they don’t regret it!