You cannot keep me from Cara McKenna's books. I love them. The fact that by the power of her name alone I was able to overcome my aversion to all things motorcycle is proof positive enough that she knows what she's doing.

I feel like I need to reread this one because I struggled with connecting throughout. I think it's a classic case of 'it's me, not you' but I just wasnt really into it.

RIDE IT OUT is a solid read with a slow-burning romance that balanced well with the mystery and suspense of the storyline. Nicki is a tough single mom, takes pride in her job and cusses like a sailor. I adored her. Jeremiah, or Miah as he’s often referred to, is a steady hero, hard-working, prideful and equally strong. He pairs beautifully with Nicki. I really enjoyed the story.

***I voluntarily read a copy of the book gifted through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review***

Jeremiah Church is still seeking justice for the murder of his father. Even though the killer has been caught, there is still no explanation why his family was targeted. Since the authorities can't seem to find the answers Jeremiah, along with his fellow Desert Dogs seek their own justice.

Patrol Deputy Nicki Ritchey is new to Fortuity, and hoping to make a clean start for her and her son. Involved in the Church’s case, she's kindled a friendship with Miah that's evolving into something more. But Miah is crossing lines with his personal vendetta, and Nicki’s

Why I haven't read this book sooner?? Even though I haven't read the previous books in this series I enjoyed it a lot.I loved the storyline and the characters were well developed.The romance was perfect, the characters have great chemistry.

I’m a fan of Cara McKenna’s work, and I was looking forward to this book for several reasons. I had so many questions—who would Miah end up with? Who was behind the deaths of his dad and his friend, Alex? How deep did the corruption in the Sheriff’s department run? I did get all the answers, but the story was lifeless and Miah and Nicki fell flat. I wanted the mystery solved, but I had to force myself to keep reading. I’ve never felt that before with any of Ms. McKenna’s books. Miah and Nicki are opposites from very different backgrounds, but with one similar life experience that drew them together. They should have been interesting, but I didn’t feel any real chemistry between the two of them. My favorite scenes were those involving the Grossier brother, Vince and Casey. Those two are always entertaining. Miah, who has always come across as steadfast and solid, hardworking, honest, and reliable, felt dull and as much as I hate to say it, boring. He didn’t capture my attention. The way the story unfolded felt like I was being told too much and not shown nearly enough. I’ve come to expect a high level of story- telling and rich, complex, flawed characters from Ms. McKenna, but in the end, Ride it Out was anticlimactic, and I was disappointed.

This has been an up and down series for me. I liked book one and two quite a bit, I didn’t care for book three and this one ended up being just okay. It starts strong. Jeremiah Church, who goes by Miah is still reeling from his father’s murder. His father was killed, and then the barn he was in was set on fire, to make it look like an arson. The druggie hired to kill him, died in an overdose before he could talk to the police. Miah is desperate to find out who hired this guy to kill his father, but the police have no leads.

Patrol Deputy Nicki Ritchey just moved to town, and she has picked up the case to see if she can uncover anything new. Her father was murdered when she lived in Chicago, so she knows the pain of losing a loved one to violence. Nicki and Miah bond over that – and the fact that he is super attracted to her. Miah has never had time for serious girlfriends and the thought of settling down seems so far away to him. When Miah realizes the weight of his father’s murder is becoming too much for him, he calls Nicki to talk to her as a friend. She is willing to listen and let him unload. Soon though, they are doing much more than just being friends.

I really liked Miah and Nicki in this book. They are both mature and not whiny or overly dramatic. While Miah is willing to take risks and hang out with people in his town who might not be 100% moral, he is a good guy who is grieving and finds comfort and intimacy with Nicki. Nicki is black, and her son is the only black person in his new school. He is having trouble with that and since Miah is half Native American-half white, he too had issues in school with the color of his skin. Miah takes her son under his wing and gives him chores to do on the ranch, to make his transition to his new town easier. Nicki sees this and her feelings for Miah grow even more.

They both proclaim they are looking for passion – and while there are steamy sex scenes, I don’t know if I would call their romance passionate. I guess the build up of sexual tension isn’t really there – they just kind of start with a physical relationship right away. I liked them together, but it kind of felt like there was the make-out session, then the actual sex scene, then maybe one more sex scene and then the book was over. It felt a little rehearsed.

The suspense in this started strong, with Miah kind of becoming a vigilante and meeting up with sketchy druggie people in town to see if he can nail down who hired the guy who killed his father. I felt a little let down by how it all ended. It wasn’t really that exciting.

So this was just a middle of the road book. I’m sorry to see the series ending because I feel like this town has a lot of interesting characters in it.

If you would like a recommendation, book two of this series, Give it All, features a OCD, anxiety-ridden, stone-cold lawyer who I loooooved. The suspense however is tied into book one, so I’m not sure how well it would read as a stand alone.

Grade: C

This is the last book in this series and it was my least favorite story. She did tie up all of the loose ends but it did not have the excitement and tension that her previous story lines fontained,

We finally get Miah’s story in Ride It Out and I couldn’t be more pleased. I felt bad for him when Raina didn’t return his feelings, and moved on with Duncan. I’m happy that they’re a couple, but I wasn’t thrilled that Raina would pass up Miah, because I thought he was such a catch! Well, her loss, and I can’t help but think Miah is better off without her. Miah’s always been a favorite of mine because he’s been the one of the Desert Dogs that wanted to settle down with a wife and family, and I do love a guy that craves a traditional future instead of the usual player/no commitments kind of guy that’s more common in romance novels.

Miah’s all out of sorts since his father’s murder, and who can blame him? He’s had to take over the business end of things instead of tending to the ranch, and he hates paperwork. More than that, Miah hates the fact that the police have no new leads, no clue who murdered his father and it’s been six long months. The only silver lining in this dark cloud is Nicki, the new Fortuity Deputy. She gets his despair, and anger over his father’s death like no other since her father was murdered as well. Nicki checks in regularly and so they’ve formed a friendship and a simmering attraction that just grows stronger the more time they spend more time together. I loved that they had a solid foundation of friendship before they ever took things to the next level. Made it so much hotter when they finally came together.

Miah and Nicky are tentative and not without the usual new relationship insecurities, but they fall hard, irrevocably before they’ve even noticed. There are obstacles, mostly on Nicky’s side as she has a son, Matty, who’s not settling in Fortuity all that well, at first. Miah takes the boy under his wing, assigning him duties on the ranch inspiring a love of the land, animals, and the cowboy life that makes such a positive impact on Matty. Love seeing Miah in that fatherly role, because he was such a natural at it.

There is some drama with the murder investigation of Miah’s father, which ties into the ongoing mystery in the series. Miah and his father were targets, but why? Miah sidesteps the law to get answers because there’s been no advances in the investigation, and Nicky reluctantly helps because she knows exactly how Miah feels.

Ride It Out was a solid and satisfying end to the Desert Dogs series. Cara McKenna writes beautifully sensual, and compelling stories, and Ride It Out was no exception!

A copy was kindly provided by Berkley Books in exchange for an honest review.

The Desert Dogs series by Cara McKenna comes to its dramatic and sexy conclusion with Ride It Out. While each story in the series (with the exception of a mid series prequel novella) has had a complete couple romance, the mystery that started with a dead cop in book one has expanded and involved more than one member of the close knit group of friends who make up the main characters in the series. Accordingly, this review may contain spoilers for previous books in the series and they are best read in order to fully appreciate how satisfying it is for Jeremiah Church to get some answers, and his own happy ending.

The death of Miah's father in a barn fire that was meant for him has yielded a suspect but no answers to why they were targeted, a fact that increasingly weighs on Miah as he takes over his father's duties on their family ranch. His grief has been tempered by the friendly and understanding new deputy in town, Nicki Ritchey, who has become his sounding board. Not only that, but the attraction between them is becoming harder and harder to miss. With the help of his friends, Miah has started seeking his own answers, frustrated with the slow pace of the police investigation. But will his actions put his his newfound happiness with Nicki at risk?

I've been a fan of this series from the start, and though I found this one to be a bit slow paced at the beginning I was well and truly satisfied with the answers to the mystery behind the deaths in Fortuity and the lovely, heartfelt romance between Miah and Nicki. Nicki, her pre-teen son and her mother came from Chicago to start a new life after her father, also a police officer, was killed in the line of duty. As a new family to Fortuity, and a black family at that, they must deal with more than their share of small town closed mindedness. Nicki's son Matty experiences some bullying at the school, something Miah can relate to with his native heritage. Nicki isn't sure how long they will stay in this small town, and her friendship turned affair with Miah is one that they both agree is meant to be a friends with benefits arrangement for as long as she's there. Miah is a generous and giving lover, and the love scenes between him and Nicki are very steamy and emotional.

The intensity picks up in the second half of the story as Miah and his friends finally make some progress in unraveling the mysteries of what's been happening since the casino first showed up with plans to build in the town. It's more dramatic than action packed but no less riveting. I enjoyed seeing all the other series characters, and the story takes some interesting twists and turns. There's a lovely epilogue that wraps everything up nicely. For fans of the series who've been waiting for the gentle, hardworking Miah to find a worthy partner, there's no doubt that he succeeds with Nicki. Ride It Out is a sexy, dramatic conclusion to a unique contemporary romance series.

This review has been posted at Straight Shootin' Book Reviews and feedback updated with the link. It has been posted on sale sites, with a link to the amazon review below.

RIDE IT OUT is the fourth and final installment in Cara McKenna’s contemporary, adult DESERT DOGS erotic, romantic suspense series focusing on the town of Fortuity, Nevada, and a group of motorcycle riding friends who call themselves the Desert Dogs. This is ranch foreman Jeremiah ‘Miah’ Church, and single mother/ deputy Nicki Ritchey’s story line. The Desert Dogs series is NOT a series about a motorcycle club, but a series about a family of brothers and their friends who like to ride. RIDE IT OUT can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty; any important information from previous story line is revealed where necessary but saying that there is an ongoing premise throughout the series as the main characters struggle with the loss of their friend police officer Alex Dunn and the murder of Jeremiah’s father.

SOME BACKGROUND: Eclipse Resorts and Casinos have made many enemies in the sleepy, small town of Fortuity, Nevada as they forge ahead with plans to build and open a new casino. Most of the townsfolk have some issues with the company, and with it will comes threats of a personal nature.

NOTE: There is a prequel novella available –DRIVE IT DEEP-that looks at the prior relationship and life long friendship between Jeremiah and Raina.

Told from several third person perspectives including Jeremiah and Nicki RIDE IT OUT is the culmination of four story lines that focuses on the hunt for the truth. Months earlier Eclipse Resorts and Casinos made enemies of the town of Fortuity, Nevada, and in the ensuing time lives have been threatened and lost. With the arrival of former Chicago PD police officer Nicki Ritchey, Miah Church is hoping for more than the solving of his father’s murder but for a relationship with the woman that calls to his heart. What ensues is the search for a killer, and the building romance between Miah and Nicki.

Miah and Nicki are kindred spirits both having lost their fathers to a killer; two unsolved crimes that have left our leading couple in a world of hurt and heartbreak. Miah has assumed responsibility for the family ranch but with his father’s murderer still on the loose Miah is desperate to take action on his own. With his friend’s as backup, Miah begins an investigation that will lead directly to everyone involved.

The relationship between Miah and Nicki is one of immediate attraction that began months earlier as our heroine as called into the investigation on the death of patriarch Don Church. Nicki is a divorced mother of a twelve year old boy, and is reluctant to settle in a town whose conservative and racist attitudes are a slap in our heroine’s face. The $ex scenes are intimate and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

All of the previous story line couples play secondary and supporting roles including Vince and Kim (Lay It Down), Raina and Duncan (Give It All), Casey and Abilene (Burn it Up), as well as Jeremiah’s mother Christine, and Nicki’s son Mathias, and her mom.

RIDE IT OUT is a story of love and loss; desperation and greed; family and friendship; second chances and moving forward. The premise is intriguing and energetic; the characters are colorful and dynamic; the romance is passionate and uplifting. The epilogue fast forwards the series approximately two years where we get a glimpse into the future.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.

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The last Desert Dogs story and it was one I was highly anticipating. Miah, who has been crushed by unrequited love and then the loss of his father, gets his story at last. And what an engaging story it was.
Review

As I just said, this is the fourth book in the Desert Dogs series. Each book has presented a new mystery and new couple, but there is an over-arcing plot that ties them all together with Ride it Out bringing things full circle and tying up the loose ends for the four friends and everyone else in the small Nevada town of Fortuity. So, all that to say, best read in order.

Miah has been an easy to like character for much of the series. He’s the straight arrow of a group of four childhood friends, but he’s not afraid to buy in when his friends need him. Now, its Miah’s turn to need help. He’s in a dark place in his mind because of his dad’s unsolved murder and what he feels is an empty life crushed under the weight of the ranch and their tight finances.
Into his life comes Nicki. She is the only one who knows what it feels to have a beloved parent cut off in the prime due to murder. She’s also a sheriff’s deputy, a city girl from Chicago who brought her widowed mother and precocious preteen son to be the only black family.

They make an unlikely pair, but I enjoyed seeing the romance build from friends to lovers to a need to be together even though both think Nicki might not stick it out in a strange place. And oh my did this pair burn up the sheets and hey, a blanket out under the stars… I loved the dynamics that came out while they were having their sexy times that showed Nicki was a strong, confident woman who was honest and went for what she wanted and on the other side, there was Miah reveling in her strength and womanhood and not the least intimidated or obnoxious about letting her take charge. He was proud of her and proud to be with her. And he had some wonderful interaction with her son.

Much of the book is a good balance of their romance and the murder mystery plot. Miah starts out angry, bitter, and in need of justice even if it means doing crazy stuff to get the case moving forward from where it’s stalled out. Naturally, Vince and Casey are right there partnering him to go above and beyond the law. The clues start falling into place and the big reveal comes in the end.

I know it comes up many times when people see the covers, titles, and series title, but I’ll pause here to say that these are not biker romances. These are just a group of small town folk who enjoy riding their bikes and call themselves a nickname since childhood. Though, that said, they aren’t exactly sterling citizens at times.

Ride It Out took its time and was not a quick read, but I wasn’t disappointed or distracted. I enjoyed this last story in the series that dd a great job of wrapping it up. Those who enjoy a light romantic suspense paired with western small town should definitely give these a go.

This was a long-awaited but fitting end to a great romance suspense/crime series which I enjoyed a lot. I've loved Miah all through the series and was so happy how it all turned out for him in the end. It was a struggle, not what he planned or expected but oh, so worth it and happy making.

We kept getting glimpses of his characters throughout the series and we got more insight into his character in the novella, Drive It Deep, his brief but passionate affair with Raine which left him shattered.

I loved Miah's character arc, the change of perspective he underwent. He was a man with a plan, girlfriend-marriage-kids and things were not happening for him for various reasons.

His grief felt real, his loss of direction felt real to, his desire to desire to get his life back on track felt real. And his relationship with Nicki, from friendship to love felt real and easy to relate to.

Nicki was a back female deputy, newcomer from the big city to the small, mostly white Fortuity. She was divorced single mom, as far away as possible from Miah, yet she was the perfect fro him. They stated as friends, helping each other through grief and Miah's sense of hopelessness.

Ii liked how the story was very much grounded in everyday life. They had to put efforts to make their relationship work and it was not because of their own feelings/insecurities but because life was happening around them and they had obligations and responsibility. They couldn't leave everything and just be together, it was a lot more complicated for both of them In the midst of a murder investigation which concerned them both they had to take time to be together.

I liked how the intimacy between Miah and Nicki took place, tentative, exploitative at the beginning, always open and honest. I felt Miah's claustrophobia was better handled in Drive It Deep, while here it seemed to easily 'cured'. Still, I very much enjoyed the intimacy between them.

I loved seeing the rest of the gang and the story had the sweetest epilogue. I don't need marriage and kids in every romance but here they were fitting considering Miah's character.

On the whole, I can recommend the whole Desert Dogs series as a well crafted, smart and sexy contemporary romance with a side of crime plot series. And do not miss the prequel novella about Miah and Raina which is not a romance per se since they don't end up together but it's an intense, emotional story about passion and love and well worth a read!

Three and a half
I've previously read a book by this author that was a really good read so when I spotted this book I didn't hesitate. Now I didn't realise it was part of a series but it actually worked quite well as a standalone as I easily understood what was happening. Perhaps it would have been more of an anticipated read if I'd read the previous books but it certainly didn't take anything away for me.
Ok this book features Miah who is kind of in a slump and really just going through the motions. The murder of his father prays heavily in him and Miah blames himself. From the first page which was startling to read ( not to mention attention grabbing! ) the author does a good job of showing just how disconnected Miah is. He wants so much to have the answers he needs but everyone pussyfoots around him well all except for one person that is. The person in question is Deputy Nicki who like Miah has gone through personal tragedy and they somehow connect without any of the usual flim flam that could get in the way. Their friendship leads to so much more but with secrets being revealed about just who killed his father and why Miah starts to take matters into his own hands but as a Deputy it's something that Nicki can't condone.
So we have a hero who is part Native American paired up with a heroine who is Black and I liked that Miah tried hard to express that he understood how it feels to be different. Nicki is a single parent and personally I would have liked to see more of how that could play out in their burgeoning relationship, there's a little here but yeah I wanted more. The book I'd previously read by this author was dramatic and hot and unfortunately this didn't quite have the same pull for me. I enjoyed the combination of romance and mystery but found Miah's phobia concerning being indoors to be odd and just didn't quite understand it. Yet clearly Nicki has magic lady parts that help Miah overcome his phobia !
I actually did like the couple and admired Nicki for being brave enough to take a chance and uproot herself and family knowing she would perhaps be the only person of colour around . Plus it was easy to see that Miah whilst behaving initially quite shamefully was deep down something of a gentleman who seems to have missed out on the normal family life that he craves. Yes this couple deserve their happy ending and I liked the supporting characters that helped to flesh out the story. A cowboy story that entertained me and definitely not a motorcycle club type read which could be inferred by the cover.
I voluntarily read this book from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

***ARC PROVIDED FOR HONEST REVIEW***

3.5 stars.

I've been reading some really good books lately, but when the opportunity arose to read new Cara McKenna I jumped on it! Though I love her and have read a lot of her work - I haven't read the other books in this series. I'm not sure how that colored my opinion, but I can say that I really enjoyed this delectable little book without having all the back story.

Jeremiah Church, a member of a small motorcycle club and a cattleman, is struggling with his father's murder 6 months before. "Every time somebody told Miah he was strong and resilient and a good boss and citizen and son, all he felt like was a paler and paler shadow of the man he wished was still her with him." Jeremiah is a GOOD person - which doesn't take from his abilities as a hero. He's the kind of good that makes you worry about him and pull for him rather than roll your eyes and wish he'd get run over by an ice cream truck.

Nicki Ritchey is a new sheriff's deputy and one of the only African-American people in town. Nicki has a 10-year-old son, and they're struggling to adjust to life in the Badlands. She and Miah met the night of Miah's father's death so we're sort of picking up a little ways in their relationship here. They're friends as the book starts, but there's a level of comfort and heat between them. Nicki's father was also murdered - so Miah leans on her as the one person who gets the darkness inside him. "He craved her company, her understanding. She knew what he was feeling as no one else did.".

So many things to enjoy about this book. The writing. The characters - so developed and nuanced. McKenna creates heroes who are manly but have vulnerabilities (in their personality or sexually) that make them spark off the page. Miah's issue is adorable and had me grinning each time I read it. Plus I was drawn to the many shades of him. Good Citizen Jeremiah Church begins investigating his father's murder behind the police's back. Puts him in a super awkward spot as he develops feelings for Nicki, doesn't it?

Nicki is strong and smart - really no nonsense. Her feelings for Miah show a softness in her that adds to her charm. "Last thing I need right now is a man. Leave it to me to get a crush on one whose job makes him unavailable and who's crippled with grief." Their relationship develops in this way that feels totally authentic - like "yeah, I can see this. I can understand this."

Reading the earlier books in the series would have likely added to my enjoyment bc it would have created stronger ties to Miah and Nicki. And for a motorcycle book this thing had absolutely zero edge. But otherwise if you're looking for an honest, easy and adorable romantic read this is your book. "Miah was a whole different sort of flustered suddenly, eager and hungry. Sex had become a joyless escape these past few months, but he could feel true passion returning to his body just being close to this woman. He could feel desire where there had been only loneliness, heat after so much cold disconnection. He leaned closer and she did the same." Sigh.

RIDE IT OUT is the fourth book in the Desert Dogs series by Cara McKenna. This is a series that is a little bit different than your traditional biker series and it has it’s pros and cons I think. What I like about this series is that you get some really great writing from McKenna. You can tell she spent some time deepening the characters to make them different. However, there is a harrowing tone to this entire series. I find that whenever I read this series, I feel a little bit depressed.

It may be because of the themes explored in this book or perhaps it’s the mellowness of all the characters but this is definitely a book that is more serious in tone. The romance isn’t necessarily at the forefront of every page because there is a lot of other stuff going on in Fortuity as well. The personal struggles of the characters often take over, leaving a lot to be desired.

There were several instances in this book where I felt a little bored. The pacing is just so slow and when paired with the sad concepts and small-town feel, it can feel quite stalled. The biker action isn’t really the focus either so if you’re looking for something a little different, this might be nice to try. But if you’re looking for the more traditional biker story, this would feel too lukewarm to the hotness you may be used to.

This series actually reminds me of a mature version of Katie McGarry’s Thunder Road series so if you’re a fan, you may enjoy this as well. There is still one more book in the series. I’m not sure if I’ll read it or not. I probably will, but that’s moreso because I can’t stand to leave a series unfinished than anything else.